No. 
 
 m 
 
 presented to the 
 
 LIBRARY 
 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA SAN DIKGO 
 
 by 
 
 FRIENDS OF THE LIBRARY 
 
 MR. JOHN C. ROSE 
 
 donor
 
 JBRARY 
 
 SMUFOIIMM 
 
 AN DIEGO
 
 
 AN EXPOSITION 
 
 es 0f 
 
 BY THE 
 
 REV. JAMES DU PUI, A. M. 
 
 Cuaplain in the U. S. Aruay. 
 
 PHILADELPHIA: 
 
 J. W. MOORE, No. 195 CHESTNUT STREET. 
 1853.
 
 Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1853, by 
 
 JAHHS DU PUI, 
 in the Clerk's Office of the District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 THE author having in the course of a ministry of more 
 than twenty years made prophecy a subject of frequent 
 reading and study, at length found time to write the 
 following discourses. 
 
 He ventures to present them to the public in the hope 
 that they will be found to throw some additional light on 
 the hidden sense of the apocalypse, and be in some degree 
 instrumental in promoting attention and respect to the 
 teachings and admonitions of that wonderful book. 
 
 St. John has declared them blessed who read and 
 hear the words of his prophecy and keep the sayings 
 written therein. 
 
 The author asks of those to whom these pages may 
 come, that they will not prejudge them as fanciful and 
 obscure, but give them a candid investigation.
 
 DISCOURSE I. 
 
 CLEMENT of Alexandria, a learned Christian writer of the 
 second century, makes mention in one of his works, of a foreign 
 philosophy, which considered the sensible world to be an image 
 of an ideal world. 
 
 Indeed, in the philosophy or literature of all nations, objects 
 of sense are of ten used for the purpose of representing objects of 
 an intellectual nature. It is for such a purpose, that sensible 
 representations are used in the revelations communicated to the 
 Apostle John. To ascertain the hidden sense of the visions re- 
 corded by him in the book of revelation, we must understand that 
 the sensible world represents an ideal world, the world of Roman 
 rule and empire ; the Roman world, and that objects, bodies, 
 places, properties, and events in the one, represent corresponding 
 objects, bodies, places, properties, and events in the other. 
 
 Heaven, or the regions on high, correspond to the high places 
 of authority or influence. The sun, moon, and stars, in the 
 firmament of heaven, represent those stations or persons, who 
 by their eminent positions, and by the intellectual light and 
 influences emanating from them, enlighten and rule the world. 
 
 The earth being under the heavens, corresponds to the place 
 of subjection which contains the governed part of the population. 
 
 The winds have their region and motion immediately above 
 the surface of the earth, and are restless in their nature, ready 
 t" break forth into violence and storm. The four winds of the 
 earth held or restrained from blowing, represent the restless 
 elements or nations, or communities on the frontier, who were 
 ready to break forth in war and revolution upon the empire, 
 but were kept in a state of restraint and quiet by the Roman 
 armies. The earth as signifying land, represents the place of 
 privilege and stability, occupied by those subjects, who possess-
 
 10 
 
 ing the name and rights of Romans, were fixed and settled in 
 their homage and obedience. The waters, including fountains, 
 rivers, and sea^, represent that portion of the population which 
 consisted of the less privileged subjects, comprehending people 
 and multitudes, and nations and tongues. Fountains and rivers, 
 represent communities or nations of a foreign language and 
 civilization, in alliance or favour with the Romans. While the 
 sea represents the greatness of provincial subjects. The things 
 under the earth, represent that portion of the population who 
 existed in an oppressed and obscure condition. Of the things 
 on the earth, a mountain stands for some portion or community 
 of the Roman people eminent and strong. 
 
 Trees correspond to men of rank and family the nobility. 
 While grass corresponds to the Roman people of an inferior 
 rank and condition. A living body represents a corporation. 
 The people of a city considered as a body corporate and politic, 
 is represented by a woman, while a large or catholic corporation, 
 including nations and kingdoms, is represented by some great 
 powerful animal. A horse stands for a military corporation. 
 The word corporation is derived from a Latin word, which 
 means, a living body. Man is especially distinguished from the 
 lower animal creation by a sense of religion, and so men are 
 intended to convey the idea of religious worshippers. The dif- 
 ferent tribes of Israel, represent the different Roman communi- 
 ties, where Christianity is the prevailing or established religion. 
 While nations and kindreds, and people and tongues, represent 
 the different Roman communities where idolatry or paganism is 
 the prevailing religion. The word nation, or Gentile, or heathen, 
 is a translation of the same Greek word, and is in many parts 
 of scripture used as synonymous with idolaters* 
 
 From the prophet Ezekiel, we learn that in measuring periods 
 of idolatrous oppression and tyranny, a day is the divinely ap- 
 pointed representative of a year. . Perhaps the word in this 
 sense is to be confined to such periods, and is not intended to 
 apply to the predicted 1000 years of blessedness.
 
 11 
 
 Attaching such corresponding signification to the several sen- 
 sible objects mentioned, let us proceed to ascertain the meaning 
 concealed under such a covering, in those visions or sensible 
 representations narrated in the 6th and 7.th chapters of the 
 Book of the Revelation of St. John. 
 
 In the first three chapters, the Apostle narrates what he had 
 seen and heard of matters relating to his own times, but in the 
 beginning of the 4th chapter, he apprises us that he is going to 
 narrate what he had seen and heard of matters relating to future 
 times. i m < 
 
 REVELATIONS, Chap. 4th and 5th. "After this I looked, 
 and, behold, a door was opened in heaven : and the first voice 
 which I heard was as it were, of a trumpet talking with me ; 
 which said, Come up hither, and I will show thee things which 
 must be hereafter. And immediately I was in the Spirit : and, 
 behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne. 
 And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine 
 stone : and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in 
 sight like unto an emerald. And round about the throne were 
 four and twenty seats : and upon the seats I saw four and twenty 
 elders sitting, clothed in white raiment ; and they had on their 
 heads crowns of gold. And out of the throne proceeded light- 
 nings and thunderings and voices : and there were seven lamps 
 of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of 
 God. And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto 
 crystal : and in the midst of the throne, and round about the 
 throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind. And 
 the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, 
 and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast 
 was like a flying eagle. And the four beasts had each of them 
 six wings about him ; and they were full of eyes within : and 
 they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God 
 Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come. And when those 
 beasts give glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on the 
 throne, who liveth for ever and ever, The four and twenty
 
 12 
 
 elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship 
 him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before 
 the throne, saying, Thou art worthy, Lord, to receive glory 
 and honour and power ; for thou hast created all things, and for 
 thy pleasure they are and were created." 
 
 " And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a 
 book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals. 
 And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is 
 worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof? And 
 no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was 
 able to open the book, neither to look thereon. And I wept 
 much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read 
 the book, neither to look thereon. And one of the elders saith 
 unto me, Weep not : behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the 
 Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose 
 the seven seals thereof. And I beheld, and lo, in the midst of 
 the throne, and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, 
 stood a lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven 
 eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent forth into all the 
 earth. And he came and took the book out of the right hand 
 of him that sat upon the throne. And when he had taken the 
 book, the four beasts and "four and twenty elders fell down 
 before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden 
 vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints. And they 
 sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, 
 and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast 
 redeemed us to God by thy blood, out of every kindred, and 
 tongue, and people, and nation ; And hast made us unto our 
 Qod kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth. And 
 I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the 
 throne, and the beasts and the elders : and the number of them 
 was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thou- 
 sands ; Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was 
 slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, 
 and honour, and glory, and blessing. And every creature which
 
 13 
 
 is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such 
 as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, 
 Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that 
 sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever. 
 And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four and twenty 
 elders fell down and worshipped him that lived for ever and 
 ever." 
 
 The sensible representations narrated in these 4th and 5th 
 chapters, are especially intended to teach us that for the revela- 
 tion of these future events, we are indebted to the prevailing 
 merits and instrumentality of our crucified Redeemer. 
 
 These future events are contained in a book sealed with seven 
 seals, and this book, no one in heaven, or earth, or under the 
 earth, no one in the wide creation was found worthy to take 
 and open, but the Lamb, who was slain for us, and hath re- 
 deemed us unto God by his blood. 
 
 The next two chapters, the 6th and 7th, are taken up with 
 the opening of six of the seals, and the exposure of their con- 
 tents. As each seal is opened in succession, its contents are 
 exposed in sensible representations. 
 
 "And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals. And I 
 heard as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four 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 was given unto 
 him : and he went forth conquering and to conquer." .*, . 
 
 The horse with his rider represents Roman power, as a mili- 
 tary corporation under the direction and control of emperors. 
 
 The military force constituted the foundation of the imperial 
 government. The very word emperor, in its original import, 
 signified a general or commander of an army. 
 
 White is the emblem of justice and innocence. The white 
 color of the horse is intended to exhibit the army as yet inno- 
 cent of the vices and crimes peculiar to a military corporation, 
 when it becomes the controling or ruling power. 
 
 The bow is the symbol of power in war, while the crown is 
 
 2*
 
 14 
 
 the symbol of monarchical authority the authority of the 
 supreme magistrate. 
 
 The rider with the bow and the crown, going forth conquer- 
 ing and to conquer, represents a succession of emperors, who, 
 by their ability in war and in civil government, would command 
 universal submission, and secure universal order and prosperity. 
 And such was the character of the army and of the emperors, 
 in the period that immediately followed the age of St. John. 
 
 Ireneus, Origen and other early Christian writers concur in 
 saying, that St. John received these visions in the latter part 
 of the reign of the Emperor Domitian. And if any man, says 
 Gibbon, (3 chap.) were called to fix the period in the history of 
 the world, when the human race was most happy and prosperous, 
 he would, without hesitation, name that which elapsed from the 
 death of Domitian to the accession of Commodus. The vast 
 extent of the Roman empire was governed by absolute power, 
 under the guidance of virtue and wisdom. "The armies were 
 restrained by the firm, but gentle hand of four successive em- 
 perors, whose characters and authority commanded involuntary 
 respect. 
 
 During a period of four score years, (Gibbon, 1 Chap.) the 
 public administration was conducted by the virtue and abilities 
 of Nerva, Trajan, Hadrian, and the two Antonines. Within 
 two years after the death of Domitian, Trajan succeeded to the 
 empire. He was a warlike Prince and an able general, and his 
 " reign of twenty years was a succession of military victories 
 and conquests. .Every day the astonished Senate received the 
 intelligence of new names and new nations, that acknowledged 
 his sway." 
 
 We should name the Emperor Trajan, if we might select a 
 single emperor, to represent the rider on the white horse with 
 the bow and the crown, going forth conquering and to conquer. 
 
 The next three successors of Trajan, though they did not 
 pursue his system of conquest, yet commanded the respect of 
 the surrounding nations by the terror of the Roman arms, and
 
 15 
 
 the moderation and justice of their conduct. They endea- 
 voured to convince mankind that the Roman power placed above 
 the temptation of conquest, was actuated by love of order and 
 justice. And hence the fiercest Barbarians frequently submitted 
 their differences to the arbitration of the emperor." 
 
 Marcus Aurelius was the last emperor who made the good of 
 his subjects the chief object of his government, and with him 
 expired the virtue and glory of the army and of imperial power. 
 
 Thus from the end of the first century, when St. John had 
 just finished his labours and his life, down to the year when 
 Commodus became emperor, the Roman army as a body or cor- 
 poration, exhibited a fair character for moderation and justice 
 towards the rest of the empire, and was commanded by a suc- 
 cession of Princes distinguished for ability and success, both in 
 war and in civil government. 
 
 But from the accession of Commodus, the army exhibited a 
 new character, and came under the conduct of a new kind of 
 emperors. 
 
 " And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the 
 second beast say, come and see. And there went out another 
 horse, that was red (of fire,) and power was given to him to take 
 peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another : 
 and there was given to him a great sword." 
 
 The color red or of fire, is significant of anger, wrath, hos- 
 tility, and by the red or fiery color of the horse, we are taught 
 that the army would now appear in an angry and hostile aspect 
 towards the rest of the empire. Such an angry and hostile 
 spirit in the army was made manifest in the reign of Commodus, 
 who, by the impunity with which he executed his bloody ven- 
 geance upon Senators and citizens, taught the soldiers the weak- 
 ness of the Senate, and of the civil authority, and their own 
 power and importance in the government, and which led them 
 to usurp the rights of electing the emperor, a right which had 
 hitherto belonged to the civil authority. By the power or per- 
 mission given to the rider on this horse, to take peace from the
 
 16 
 
 earth, and that they should kill one another, we are to under- 
 stand that the course of the imperial administration would be 
 attended with strife and war among the Romans themselves. 
 And such was the fact in the reigns of Commodus and of his 
 immediate successors. In the reign of Commodus, the concord 
 which had hitherto existed between the army and the civil 
 authority, was changed into discord and strife, and at his death, 
 the whole empire was involved in the evils of civil war. 
 
 Besides the power or permission given to this rider to create 
 discord and civil war among the Romans, there was also given 
 unto ^him a great sword. To the rider with the bow on the 
 white horse, there was given a crown, but to the rider on the 
 red horse, there was given a great sword. 
 
 While the bow and the crown are symbolic, both of military 
 and civil power, they do not convey prominently, the idea of 
 penal power, which the sword does. The great sword, there- 
 fore, given to the rider on the second horse, gives us to under- 
 stand, that it would be the policy of the emperors represented 
 by this rider, to maintain the order and submission of the empire 
 by the severity and terror of sanguinary penal inflictions. 
 
 Commodus set the example of the cruel use of this absolute 
 and terrible power, with which he was invested. But if we 
 might select a single emperor, we should name Septemus 
 Severus as the rider on the red horse, who had permission to 
 create discord and war on the Roman earth, and to whom was 
 given the great sword. He established himself upon the im- 
 perial throne at the expense of a bloody civil war, which con- 
 vulsed the whole empire. And he was cruel and severe in the 
 exercise of his power over the lives of his subjects. He sen- 
 tenced to a bloody execution, illustrious females and Roman 
 Senators, and many of the noblest provincials of Gaul and 
 Spain. He was cruel on system, and wrote a treatise in vindi- 
 cation of his excessive severity in the punishment of political 
 offenders. Gibbon, in the chapters containing this period of 
 Roman history, begins with a short paragraph on the power of
 
 17 
 
 the sword, which the emperors now without disguise used as the 
 instrument of government. The emperors now no longer took 
 pains to conceal the fact, of the ascendancy and supremacy of 
 the sword the military power. 
 
 "And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third 
 beast say, Come and see. And I beheld. And lo, a black 
 horse, and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his 
 hand. And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, 
 A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley 
 for a penny, and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine." 
 
 Black being the sign of affliction, and of grief, and mourning, 
 we may learn from the black color of the horse, that the army 
 would now exhibit itself in a character afflictive and grievous to 
 the rest of the empire exhibit the character of a grievous mili- 
 tary despotism. And with this character of the army will cor- 
 respond the character of the imperial administration. 
 
 The pair of balances, or the yoke which the rider has in his 
 hand, is the sign of severe justice, or heavy and grievous oppres- 
 sion. And the high price of wheat and barley, and the caution 
 not to hurt or adulterate the oil and the wine implying a great 
 scarcity of these articles, signify that this heavy and grievous 
 military imperial oppression, would fall upon the cultivators of 
 the soil, and prove detrimental to agriculture. It was the saying 
 of a Persian monarch, that the authority of a prince must be 
 defended by a military force ; that force can only be maintained 
 by taxes; all taxes must at last fall upon agriculture, and 
 agriculture can never flourish, but under the protection of jus- 
 tice and moderation. 
 
 When the emperors came to depend wholly upon the army 
 for their election and power, it became their principal object to 
 secure the affection of that body, and they began to esteem the 
 good opinion of the citizens as of little moment. 
 
 They increased the pay of the soldiers to an extravagant de- 
 gree, and began to confer upon them extraordinary donations, 
 on every public occasion of danger or festivity. And this ex-
 
 18 
 
 cessive increase of their pay, and of donations, compelled the 
 emperors to increase the weight of taxes, which falling upon 
 the productions of the soil and enhancing their prices, pressed 
 heavily upon the indigent classes of society. And the extrava- 
 gant expenditure and consumption of the army, and of the im- 
 perial government which had to be supplied by the industrious 
 and producing classes, now began to be felt as a heavy and griev- 
 ous yoke. 
 
 We may begin this period of imperial oppressive taxation with 
 the emperor Caracalla, the son of Severus, and extend it down 
 beyond the Emperor Maximin. 
 
 The sixth chapter of Gibbon, dwells upon this period, in the 
 last part of this chapter before he begins in the next chapter to 
 narrate the oppression and tyranny of Maximin, he thinks it 
 the proper time and place to give us a short account of imperial 
 taxation and oppression. He begins the period of oppressive 
 imperial taxation with the Emperor Caracalla, the son and suc- 
 cessor of Septimus Severus, whose policy it was to lavish his 
 favours and gifts upon the army. But the liberality of the 
 father, says the historian, has been restrained by prudence, and 
 his indulgence to the troops, was tempered by firmness and au- 
 thority. The careless profession of the son was the policy of 
 one reign, and the inevitable ruin of the army, and of the em- 
 pire. The vigor of the soldiers instead of being confirmed by 
 the severe discipline of the camps, melted away in the luxuries 
 of cities. The excessive increase of their pay and donations 
 exhausted the state to enrich the military order. 
 
 " The rapacious son of Severus, was not contented with such 
 " a measure of taxation as had appeared sufficient to his mode- 
 " rate predecessors, but during his reign, he crushed alike every 
 " part of the empire under the weight of his iron sceptre" his 
 iron yoke. 
 
 This emperor used the most iniquitous means to obtain money 
 for purchasing the venal support of the army. He confiscated 
 the property of the richest men in Rome. He impoverished
 
 19 
 
 his subjects in all the provinces of the empire, by his excessive 
 taxes, that he might give away immense sums to his guards, 
 and pay heavy annuities to the barbarians on the frontiers. He 
 granted to all the free inhabitants of the empire, the name and 
 privileges of Romans, in order that he might derive from them 
 additional taxes. 
 
 " When all the provincials," says Gibbon, " became liable to 
 " the peculiar impositions of Roman citizens, they seemed to 
 " acquire a legal exemption from the tributes which they had 
 " paid in their former condition as subjects. Such were not the 
 " maxims of government adopted by Caracalla and his pretended 
 " son. The old as well as the new taxes were at the same time 
 "levied in the provinces. In the course of this history, we 
 " shall be too often summoned to explain the land tax the capi- 
 " tation and the heavy contributions of corn, wine, oil and meat, 
 " which were exacted from these provinces for the use of the 
 " courts, the army and the capital." 
 
 The emperor Maximin, may be adduced as a conspicuous re- 
 presentative of the rider on the black horse, who had in his hand 
 a yoke, and who was followed with the cry of severity and op- 
 pression. 
 
 "This tyrant's avarice," says Gibbon, " stimulated by the insa- 
 " tiate desires of the soldiers, at length attacked the public pro- 
 " perty. Every city of the empire was possessed of an independent 
 " revenue, destined to purchase corn for the multitude, and to 
 " supply the expenses of the games and entertainments. By 
 " a single act of authority the whole mass of wealth was at 
 " once confiscated for the use of the imperial treasury. The 
 " temples were stripped of their most valuable offering of gold 
 " and silver, and the statues of gods, heroes and emperors were 
 " melted down, and coined into money. These impious orders 
 " could not be executed without tumults and massacres, as many 
 " places the people choose rather to die in the defence of their 
 " altars, than to behold in the midst of peace their cities expos- 
 "ed to the rapine and cruelty of war. Throughout the Roman
 
 20 
 
 " world, a general cry of indignation was heard imploring ven- 
 geance on the common enemy of human kind, and at length 
 " by an act of private oppression, a peaceful and unarmed pro- 
 tl vince was driven into rebellion against him." 
 
 After the death of Maximin, there was a short intermission 
 of military oppression, until in the reign of the emperor Philip, 
 the army and the imperial government exhibiting the signs of 
 division and dissolution, inflicted on the empire all the evils of 
 military rule and despotism, 
 
 " And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of 
 the fourth beast say, Come and see. And I looked and behold a 
 pale horse ! and his name that sat on him was Death, and hell 
 followed with him. And power was given unto them over the 
 fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, 
 and with death, and with the beasts of the earth." 
 
 The original word for pale, is more commonly translated 
 green. And the color green, when it qualifies grass, or vegeta- 
 tion, denotes health and vigor, but it has an oppositive signifi- 
 cation when it is used to qualify an animal body. It then de- 
 notes a state of decay and corruption. 
 
 This horse had on him a rider called death, and is accompanied 
 by hell. Mortality and corruption, are here personified. The 
 color of the horse portends that the army during this period 
 would exhibit symptoms of approaching dissolution while 
 death and hell, portend that the calamities inflicted upon the 
 Roman people, by imperial power during this period, would be 
 of the most disastrous nature. 
 
 The sword is the emblem of death inflicted by the civil mag- 
 istrate or in war hunger denotes wants of the necessaries of 
 life ; death signifies pestilence, while the beasts, wild beasts of 
 the earth, signify bodies, or combinations of men, whose object 
 is rapine and prey. 
 
 The meaning of the whole is that the army and the imperial 
 government approaching a state of dissolution, would be accom- 
 panied in their course by great mortality among the Romans,
 
 21 
 
 occasioned by penal executions and civil war by famine, by 
 pestilence, and by rapacious combinations, or bodies of violent 
 men. This period of Roman history extends from the reign of 
 the emperor Philip, down to the death of Galienus. To the 
 undiscerning eye of the vulgar, says (ribbon, Philip appeared 
 a monarch, no less powerful than Hadrian, or Augustus, had 
 formerly been. "The form (of the monarchy,) was still the 
 same, but the animating health and vigour were gone." 
 
 This author commences the chapter which relates the history 
 of this period in the following language. 
 
 From the great secular games celebrated by Philip, (A. D. 
 248,) to the death of the emperor Galienus, (A. D. 268,) there 
 elapsed twenty years of shame and misfortune. During that 
 calamitous period, every instant of time was marked, every pro- 
 vince of the Roman world was afflicted by barbarous invaders, 
 and military tyrants, wild beasts, and the ruined empire seemed 
 to approach the last and fatal moment of its dissolution, and he 
 concludes the chapter in the following language, relating to a 
 general famine, which prevailed during this period. This long 
 and general famine says he, was the inevitable consequence of 
 rapine and oppression, which extirpated the produce of the pre- 
 sent, and the hope of future harvests. Famine is almost always 
 followed by epidemical diseases, the effect of scanty and un- 
 wholesome food. 
 
 Other causes must however, have contributed to the furious 
 plague, which from the year 250, to the year 265, raged with- 
 out interruption, in every province, every city, and almost every 
 family of the Roman empire. During some time 5,000 persons 
 died daily at Rome. And many towns that had escaped the 
 hands of the barbarians were entirely depopulated. Could we 
 venture to extend the mortality of Alexandria, to the provinces 
 of the empire, we might suspect that war, (the sword,) pesti- 
 lence, (death,) and famine, (hunger,) had consumed in a few 
 years a moiety of the human species. 
 
 During the reign of Galienus, the imperial throne was con- 
 3
 
 22 
 
 tested by nineteen pretenders, and the empire infested by a gen- 
 eral irruption of the barbarians, so that while the public forces 
 of the state, were dissipated in private quarrels, the defenceless 
 provinces lay exposed to every invader. " The bravest usurpers 
 " were compelled by the perplexity of their situation, to con- 
 " elude ignominious treaties with the common enemy, to pur- 
 " chase with oppressive tributes the neutrality or service of the 
 " barbarians, and to introduce hostile and independent nations 
 " into the heart of the Roman monarchy. Such were the bar- 
 " barians, and such the tyrants, who under the reigns of 
 " Valerian and Galienus, dismembered the provinces and re- 
 " duced the empire to the lowest pitch of disgrace and ruin, from 
 " which it seemed impossible that it should ever emerge." For 
 its escape from utter ruin, it was chiefly indebted to the emperor 
 Aurelian but even in a battle fought with the barbarians under 
 this able emperor, the Romans received so severe a blow, that 
 the immediate dissolution of the empire was apprehended. 
 
 This indeed was the last stage of the imperial government, 
 considered as a military power. 
 
 After this calamitous period a revolution in the Roman con- 
 stitution, was begun by Diocletian, and consummated by Constan- 
 tine, and his successors. One of the principles of the new system 
 introduced by Diocletian, was division. He divided the empire 
 the provinces and every branch of the civil as well as mili- 
 tary administration. 
 
 The object of such division was to establish a proper balance 
 between the civil and military powers. But this division of 
 power which had been commenced by Diocletian, and improved 
 by Constantine and his successors, while it secured the tran- 
 quility of the emperor, destroyed the vigor and power of the 
 army. 
 
 The imperial power became a simple despotism, with more of 
 a political than of a military character. The great curse of the 
 Romans, during several centuries had been military despotism, 
 but the license of the turbulent soldiery was now checked and
 
 23 
 
 restrained by the pride and pomp with which the civil and im- 
 perial authority was surrounded and the despotism of a 
 court, was put in place of the despotism of a camp, and thus 
 the Roman power ceased to be a military despotism, and in the 
 next period of Roman history, it appears in the character of a 
 religious despotism, attempting the extermination of Christianity. 
 And consequently the horse is no longer used to represent the 
 Romans as a body corporate, but a different animal is used for 
 this purpose in a subsequent (12th) chapter. 
 
 DISCOURSE II. 
 REVELATIONS, vi. 9-11. 
 
 " And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the 
 souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testi- 
 mony which they held. And they cried with a loud voice, saying. How 
 long, Oh Lord, holy and true, dos't thou not judge and avenge our blood 
 on them that dwell on the earth. And white robes were given, unto 
 every one of them : and it was said unto them, that they should rest 
 yet for a little season, until their fellow servants also, and their brethren 
 which should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled." 
 
 Here the souls or persons of those who had sacrificed their 
 lives for their Christian faith and testimony, are represented as 
 under the altar, and from thence calling upon Grod, with a loud 
 voice, and inquiring how much longer he would allow the dwel- 
 lers on the earth the pagan Romans, to shed the blood of 
 Christians with impunity. And the purport of the answer to 
 their inquiry was, that they should wait patiently for a short 
 time, until the pagan Romans in their sanguinary persecution of 
 Christians had filled up a certain measure, beyond which the 
 judgment of Grod would overtake them, and deprive them of 
 their persecuting power. 
 
 From the contents of this fifth seal, we learn that the teachers
 
 24 
 
 and professors of Christianity were now to suffer a short, but 
 final period of sanguinary persecution at the hands of the Pa- 
 gan Romans. 
 
 This period of pagan Roman persecution began in the reign 
 of Diocletian. It terminated upon the accession of Constan- 
 tino, to the undivided imperial throne, when the pagans lost 
 their power and influence with the government, and were no 
 longer allowed to persecute men unto death, merely because 
 they were Christians. Whenever any great calamity befell the 
 empire, such as civil war or famine, or pestilence, the pagans 
 ascribed it to. the Christians for neglecting the established wor- 
 ship, and not only vented their rage against them in popular out- 
 breaks but persuaded and stirred up the government to punish 
 and exterminate, what they termed a pestilent sect. 
 
 If the Tiber, (says Tertullian, who lived in the second cen- 
 tury,) has overflowed its banks, or the Nile has not overflowed, 
 if heaven has refused its rain : if the earth has been shaken ; 
 if famine or plague has spread its ravages, the cry is immed- 
 iately raised "Away with the Christians to the lions." It was 
 the mistaken belief of the pagans that the prosperity of the 
 empire, was connected with the due observance of the estab- 
 lished religion, and hence when they found themselves suffering 
 under some general misfortune and calamity, they regarded such 
 misfortune and calamity as evidences of the displeasure of the 
 God's, for the neglect of their worship. 
 
 Now as Christianity was every year drawing away multitudes 
 from the pagan worship, and bringing that worship into neglect 
 and disuse, the cry against them upon every repetition of cal- 
 amity that befell the empire, became louder and louder, urging 
 the government to use severe measures with the teachers and 
 professors of Christianity, in order to stop the progress of that 
 pestilent religion. At length after a period of extraordinary 
 public calamity which the pagans ascribed to the prevalence of 
 Christianity, and the consequent neglect of the pagan worship, 
 they prevailed upon the government in the reign of Diocletian,
 
 25 
 
 to attempt the utter extermination of the Christian religion, and 
 to this end to commence against its teachers and professors, a 
 persecution more general and sanguinary than any preceding 
 one. " It lasted ten whole years, and exceeded all the preced- 
 " ing in its indiscriminate massacres and severities. Such mul- 
 " titudes of Christians, suffered death in all the provinces of the 
 " empire, that the emperors believed that they had accomplished 
 " their purpose, and completely extirpated Christianity." They 
 "told the world in a pompous inscription, that they had extin- 
 " guished the Christian name and superstition, and every where 
 " restored the worship of the god's to its former purity and lus- 
 tre." Their triumph however was but short and was the pre- 
 cursor of the utter ruin of paganism, as the established reli- 
 gion. These violent means which the government employed 
 to extirpate Christianity, only hastened the political destruction 
 of paganism. 
 
 For the noble and devoted constancy with which many chris- 
 tians endured martyrdom, excited the admiration of the best 
 portion of the Grentile world, and led them into an examination 
 of the gospel, which was followed with a conviction of its divine 
 origin and authority. And to the patience and fidelity with 
 which they adhered to their religion at the sacrifice of their pro- 
 perty and their lives, are we in a great measure indebted that 
 Christianity survived its pagan persecutions, and has been trans- 
 mitted down to our days, and it is for this reason that we modern 
 Christians honor their memory and regard their blood as the seed 
 of the Church. This period of Roman history has been com- 
 monly termed the era of martyrs. 
 
 But we are now in the sixth seal, approaching a terrible cat- 
 astrophe, which befell the pagan Roman world. 
 
 Chapter 6th, 12-17. And I beheld when he had opened the 
 sixth seal, and lo, there was a great earthquake ; and the sun 
 became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became aa 
 blood. And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a 
 fig-tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty 
 
 3*
 
 26 
 
 wind. And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled 
 together ; and every mountain and island were moved out of 
 their places. And the kings of the earth, and the great men, 
 and the rich men, and the chief captains and the mighty men, 
 and every bond man, and every free man hid themselves in the 
 dens, and in the rocks of the mountains. And said to the 
 mountains and rocks, fall on us and hide us from the face of 
 him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb. 
 For the great day of his wrath is come ; and who shall be 
 able to stand. 
 
 In the scene of the sixth seal, the Apostle witnesses a shak- 
 ing or concussion, which effects the heavens as well as the earth. 
 The sun becomes perfectly black, and the moon assumes the 
 color of blood the stars are seen falling from heaven, as fruit 
 from a shaken tree, and the whole heaven departs out of sight. 
 As the contents of a manuscript or book when the manuscript 
 is rolled together, or the book shut up. The pagan heaven, the 
 pagan sun, moon and stars the pagan lights are now laid aside 
 as we lay aside a manuscript, or book after we have read it, and 
 have no further present use for it. 
 
 The old lights of the Roman world that is the teachers and 
 philosophers, and priests, and rulers, and emperors of the pagan 
 school, are now removed from their high places of influence, and 
 cease to rule intellectually and morally the Roman world. 
 
 The ruin of the pagan religion, says Gibbon, is described by 
 the Sophists, as a dreadful and an amazing prodigy, which covered 
 the earth with darkness and restored the ancient dominion of 
 chaos of night. 
 
 But the mountaius and islands were also affected by this con- 
 cussion. 
 
 Mountains represent the population of Roman communities, 
 or cities of eminence and power. While islands correspond to 
 the population of communities or cities called colonies, and lo- 
 cated among foreign nations. These tnountains and islands do 
 not depart away as do the heavens, but they are merely removed
 
 27 
 
 out of their places, and this removal answers to those changes 
 introduced among the subject population in the reign of Con- 
 stantine, by a new division and arrangement of the empire, into 
 prefectures, and dioceses, and provinces. In this new division 
 and arrangements, the different portions of the subject popula- 
 tion were placed in positions somewhat different from those in 
 which they had previously stood towards each other. Rome 
 for instance was now made to show her place and position as 
 the capital city of the empire, with Constantinople, and thus 
 both cities were to some extent removed from their previous 
 positions, in respect to political rank and importance. We fur- 
 ther learn that these extraordinary events in the Roman heaven 
 and earth, are witnessed with great alarm by the men of the 
 earth the pagan worshipers. And the kings of the earth, and 
 the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and 
 the mighty men, and every bond man, and every free man all 
 the priests and ministers of pagan worship, from the highest to 
 the lowest, hid themselves in the dens, and in the rocks of the 
 mountains, calling upon the rocks and mountains to fall upon 
 them, and hide them from the face of him that sitteth upon the 
 throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb. For the great day of 
 his wrath is come and who shall be able to stand. The day has 
 come for Christianity to execute retribution upon us, and to treat 
 us as we treated her, and now we ministers of the pagan wor- 
 ship, in the practise of our vocation must seek places of con- 
 cealment and obscurity, and retire into the country and villages 
 among the ignorant and the rustic. 
 
 The old religion after it had become an illegal religion retired 
 into obscure villages, and rural districts, where it was less 
 exposed to the notice of government, and where the pagans en- 
 deavored to elude the laws against them by disguising their re- 
 ligions, under the appearance of convivial meetings. As the 
 population of the rural districts, was generally ignorant and 
 consisted for the most part of slaves the old religion maintained 
 its ground among them for a considerable time.
 
 28 
 
 The original word from which pagan is derived signified at 
 first the neighborhood, who frequented the same fountain after- 
 wards it came to be synonymous with rustics the word peasant 
 is a corruption of the word pagan. 
 
 As Christianity gradually obtained possession of the cities, the 
 old religion retired and languished in rural districts and insig- 
 nificant villages, and hence its votaries received the name of 
 pagans. 
 
 The period of history unfolding these changes was that, which 
 intervened between Constantine and Theodoseus and compre- 
 hended the greatest part of the fourth century. 
 
 But we have not yet finished the contents of the sixth seal ; 
 another event occurs under this seal, and during this period, 
 namely, a great falling away from a pure Christian worship. 
 
 REV. vii. 1. " And after these things, I saw four angels, 
 standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four 
 winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, 
 nor on the sea, nor on any tree/' 
 
 The four winds of the earth represent those nations who were 
 disposed to war and violence, and who were restrained by the 
 Roman armies from devastating the empire. 
 
 Diocletian, convinced that the abilities of a single man was 
 inadequate to the public defence, associated three colleagues in 
 the exercise of the Supreme power, both civil and military. 
 He discovered that the empire, assailed on every side, required 
 on every side, the presence of a great army, and of an emperor. 
 He therefore divided the empire into four parts, and assigned 
 to each part an emperor, and an army for its defence. The 
 strength of the legions was thus distributed among four partners 
 of sovereignty. Every one was sovereign within his own juris- 
 diction ; but their united authority extended over the whole 
 monarchy, and each one of them was prepared to assist his col- 
 leagues with his counsel and his presence. 
 
 Though the division of the imperial power among four sove- 
 reigns did not long survive the reign of Diocletian, yet the same
 
 29 
 
 numerical division of the frontiers and of the legions was con- 
 tinued under Constantino, after he had united in his single 
 person the whole of the imperial sovereignty. 
 
 Instead of the four emperors, the defence of the four frontiers, 
 was under Constantine and his successors, committed to four 
 chief commanders. The number four, which is applied to the 
 angels and to the winds, may be meant to correspond to these 
 four divisions of the military power, created for the purpose of 
 defending the empire from the elements of violence, on or within 
 its four frontiers. But we may understand the word four in 
 the sense of universality, and then the four angels holding the 
 four winds, will convey the idea that the Roman armies, placed 
 in every part of the empire for its defence, were to continue for 
 some time longer to hold in check the power of the barbarians, 
 and to restrain them from a universal outbreak upon the empire. 
 
 The Roman armies kept these barbarians under restraint 
 until after the death of Theodosius. 
 
 In the second and third verses, the Apostle relates " that he 
 saw another angel ascending from the East : And he cried with 
 a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt 
 the earth and the sea, saying, Hurt not the earth, nor the sea, 
 neither the trees, till we have sealed the servants of God in their 
 foreheads." 
 
 This symbolic representation is of a similar nature and import 
 to that of the prophet Ezekiel. 
 
 At a time when the inhabitants of Jerusalem had, with some 
 few exceptions, fallen from the pure worship of God into idolatrous 
 practices, the prophet Ezekiel, ix. 16, in a vision sees six men, 
 each with a destroying or slaughter weapon in his hand, and 
 among these six he sees a seventh, clothed in linen, with a 
 writer's ink-horn by his side. This man with the writer's ink- 
 horn by his side, is divinely commanded to go through the city 
 and put a mark upon the foreheads of the few faithful wor- 
 shippers that sighed and lamented for all the idolatrous abomi- 
 nations that were done in the midst of the city. While the six
 
 30 
 
 men with the slaughter weapons in their hands, were divinely 
 commanded to go after him, and without exception, and without 
 pity, smite and slay all who had not the mark upon their fore- 
 heads. All this was intended to intimate that a small remnant 
 of faithful servants and worshippers of God, would be preserved 
 through the predicted calamity which was about to befal Jeru- 
 salem, for the unlawful and idolatrous worship to which the 
 great majority of her people were addicted. So also the sym- 
 bolic representation of St. John, foretells that Roman Christians, 
 with the exception of a small remnant or minority, would fall 
 away from a pure Christian worship into idolatrous practices, 
 before that universal and terrible irruption of the Barbarians, 
 which occurred upon the death of Theodosius at the end of the 
 fourth century. It foretells that this remnant of religious wor- 
 shippers should survive the calamitous period that followed this 
 terrible irruption, and that they should be known and distin- 
 guished by the public profession and practice of a pure worship, 
 free from idolatrous innovations. 
 
 As in the days of Elijah, when nearly the whole of the ten 
 tribes of Israel had become idolaters, G-od reserved for himself 
 a remnant of seven thousand men who had not bowed the knee 
 to the image of Baal. So during this period of the general 
 falling away of Roman Christians into idolatrous practices, 
 God reserved a remnant or minority of faithful servants to per- 
 petuate a pure Christian worship. They would, however, be but 
 a small remnant or minority. The apostacy is here to be un- 
 derstood in its individual (not corporate) character. Verse 4. 
 " And I heard the number of them that were sealed. And 
 there were sealed an hundred and forty-four thousand, of all the 
 tribes of the children of Israel twelve thousand of every tribe 
 there being twelve tribes/' 
 
 As the nation of Israel numbered about five millions, an hun- 
 dred and forty-four thousand was a small minority. 
 
 The different tribes of Israel represent the different Roman 
 Churches or Christian communities, and the persons sealed on
 
 31 
 
 their foreheads represent the comparatively few individuals who 
 should escape the prevailing idolatrous example, and adhere to 
 the profession and practice of a pure Christian worship. 
 
 This numerous falling away of Roman Christians into idola- 
 trous practices, occupies the period between Constantino and 
 Theodosius, and was developed before the barbarians at the end 
 of the fourth century, began on every side to break loose upon 
 the empire. The ancient Christians (Waddington, Chap. 8.,) 
 continued to shun with a pious horror, which persecution exas- 
 perated, and which time did not mitigate, every approach to 
 paganism and idolatry. " So definite and so broad was the 
 " space which on this point at least separated the two religions, 
 " that it seemed impossible that either of them should overstep 
 "it, or that any compromise could ever be effected between 
 " principles so fundamentally hostile. Yet the contrary result 
 " took place ; and a reconciliation, which, in the beginning of 
 " the fourth century, could not easily have been imagined, was 
 
 " virtually accomplished before its termination We 
 
 " blush when we discover the most distinguished writers of the 
 " fourth century, Athanasius, Eusebius, the historian, Gregory, 
 " Nazianzen, Chrysostom, Jerome, and Augustin, engaged in 
 " shameful conspiracy against their religion, while they exag- 
 " gerate the merit of the martyrs, assert or insinuate their im- 
 " mediate sanctification, and claim for them, a sort of reverence, 
 " which could not easily be distinguished from worship. In 
 " this age, and from this cause arose the stupid veneration for 
 " bones and relics ; it was inculcated and believed, that prayer 
 " was never so surely efficacious, as when offered at the tomb of 
 " some saint or some holy person the number of such tombs 
 " was then multiplied ; at all of them, miracles and prophecies, 
 "and prodigies, and visions were exhibited and recorded; and 
 " the Spirit of the Gospel was forgotten in the practice of for- 
 " bidden ceremonies, and the belief of impious fables. Such 
 " were the unworthy advances which were made by (Roman) 
 " Christianity, and encouraged by her leading ministers, with
 
 32 
 
 " the view to reconcile at least her external differences with 
 " paganism, and no doubt, they were very effectual in alluring 
 " those easy polytheists, whose piety was satisfied with nume- 
 " rous festivals in celebration of the exploits of mortals deified ; 
 " for with them, the change was only in the name of the deity, 
 " not in the principles of the religion. And by this shameful 
 " compromise, the Church was filled by numerous converts, who 
 " believed, and who were probably taught to believe, that the 
 " worship which they had deserted, was by no means essentially 
 " dissimilar from that which they had embraced, and who con- 
 " tinued after their admission, to perpetuate and exaggerate 
 "those corruptions, by which alone, the resemblance was 
 
 "created The immediate object of these concessions 
 
 " to the genius of paganism, was accomplished to diminish the 
 " numerical display of polytheism, and prematurely to crowd 
 " the Churches and processions with nominal Christians. But 
 " the lasting result has been to darken, and disfigure the features 
 " of Christianity, not in one race only, or for one age, but 
 " through a period of which fourteen centuries have already 
 "been accomplished, and of which we cannot yet foresee the 
 " termination." 
 
 It must be observed, that the pagans on their side, made the 
 concession of sacrifice, or at least of immolation, which was the 
 centre of their whole system. They were indulged with a sort 
 of polytheism of saints and martyrs ; and even sensible objects 
 of worship were not withheld from them. But these beings 
 were to be approached only with prayer and supplication ; and 
 if it were presently found expedient to permit offerings to be 
 made to them, their shrines were never contaminated by the 
 blood of victims. Gibbon, Chap. 28, writes, if in the begin- 
 ning of the fifth century, Tertullian or Lactantius had been sud- 
 denly raised from the dead, to assist at the festival of some 
 popular saint or martyr, they would have gazed with astonish- 
 ment and indignation on the profane spectacle which had suc- 
 ceeded to the pure and spiritual worship of a Christian congre-
 
 gation. It must ingenuously be confessed that the ministers of 
 the Catholic Church " imitated the profane model which they 
 "were impatient to destroy. The most respectable bishops 
 " persuaded themselves, that the ignorant rustics would more 
 "cheerfully renounce the superstitions of paganism, if they 
 " found some resemblance, some compensation, in the bosom of 
 " Christianity. The religion of Constantine, achieved in less 
 (( than a century, the final conquest of the Roman empire ; but 
 " the victors themselves were insensibly subdued by the arts of 
 " their vanquished rivals. . . . The sublime and simple theology 
 " of the primitive Christians, was gradually corrupted, and the 
 " monarchy of heaven, (already clouded by metaphysical subtle- 
 " ties,) was degraded by the introduction of a popular mythology, 
 " which tended to restore the reign of polytheism. In the long 
 "period of twelve hundred years, which elapsed between the 
 " reign of Constantine and the Reformation of Luther, the wor- 
 " ship of saints and relicts corrupted the pure and perfect sim- 
 " plicity of the Christian model/' 
 
 This numerous departure from the Christian faith into the 
 demon or mediator-worship of the pagan Greeks and Romans, 
 is mentioned by St. Paul as a subject of distinct prediction. 
 The spirit of inspiration had made known to him and the 
 Christians of his day, that in the course of the Christian dis- 
 pensation, certain of its professors would, through the dissimula- 
 tion and falsehood of monks, be seduced into those errors which 
 then prevailed among the Greeks and Romans, concerning the 
 offices of demons or mediators, and the honour and worship to 
 be rendered to them. 
 
 Notwithstanding, however, this numerous apostacy which 
 commenced at so early a date, there have been, in every age 
 since, Christians who have returned and practised a worship, 
 free from these idolatrous innovations. Yet these have hitherto, 
 and do now, constitute but a small minority in comparison with 
 the two hundred millions of Greek and Latin Christians, who 
 have departed from the simplicity of Christian worship, to invo- 
 4
 
 31 
 
 cate the mediation and intercession of departed saints, as their 
 ancient fathers did the pagan demons and heroes. 
 
 Verses 9-17. " After this, I beheld, and lo a great multi- 
 tude which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, 
 and people, and tongues, stood before the throne and before the 
 Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands, 
 And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which 
 sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb. And all the 
 angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and 
 the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces and 
 worshipped God, saying Amen, blessing, and glory, and wisdom, 
 and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be 
 unto our God for ever and ever, Amen. And one of the elders 
 answered, saying unto me, What are those which are arranged 
 in white robes ? And whence came they ? And I said unto 
 him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they 
 which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their 
 robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb, There- 
 fore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and 
 night in his temple ; and he that sitteth on the throne shall 
 dwell among them. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst 
 any more : neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. 
 For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne, shall feed 
 them, and lead them unto living fountains of waters : and God 
 shall wipe away all tears from their eyes. 
 
 This, besides the one hundred and forty-four thousand Israel- 
 ites reserved for idolatry, the Apostle sees a great multitude of 
 a similar character gathered from different nations. 
 
 The great multitude which could not be numbered as the one 
 hundred and forty-four thousand had been, consisted of those, 
 who, in countries and communities professedly heathen, would 
 be found adhering to a pure Christian worship. Though these 
 pure worshippers of God in the communities where they prac- 
 ticed their religion, might constitute but a small minority, yet 
 in the course of successive ages, these small minorities of the dif-
 
 fercnt generations and different countries, if gathered together, 
 would constitute an innumerable multitude. 
 
 They are clothed with white robes made white in the bloo^ 
 of the Lamb ; they have had recourse to the atonement of Christ, 
 and so applied its merit to themselves, as to appear before God 
 with their sins forgiven or washed away. They have pahns in 
 their hands to signify that they had attained unto salvation and 
 victory, after a severe contest and great tribulation, and hence 
 do they cry with a loud voice, saying, salvation to our God which 
 sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb. They are also 
 represented as admitted to a high state of favour and happiness 
 with God and Christ in the celestial temple, and this is no 
 doubt intended to encourage unto perseverance, all who may be 
 called upon to suffer for the profession and practice of a pure 
 Christianity in the midst of idolatry and infidelity. 
 
 This great falling away of Christians of the Roman empire, 
 occurred in the fourth century, and in the next century all the 
 elements of violence and licentiousness were let loose, and the 
 empire was visited with a series of great calamities, among 
 which, was the extinction of the imperial office and authority 
 in Italy and the west. These calamities are the subjects of 
 prediction, and of symbolical representations in the next 
 chapter.
 
 36 
 
 DISCOURSE III. 
 KEY. viii. 1-6. 
 
 " And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in 
 heaven about the space of half an hour. And I saw the seven angels 
 which stood before God : and to them were given seven trumpets. And 
 another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and 
 there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the 
 prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. 
 And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the 
 saints, ascended up before God out of the angel's hand. And the angel 
 took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the 
 earth : and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an 
 earthquake. And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets pre- 
 pared themselves to sound. 
 
 "We learn under the sixth seal, that the elements of violence, 
 and devastation, comprehending various nations of Barbarians, 
 were on the eve of being let loose from their restraint, and that 
 a period of judgment and calamity was about to come upon the 
 empire. This period of judgment and calamity begins under the 
 seventh seal. And this fact is strikingly signified by the scenes 
 which take place in the court of heaven, immediately upon the 
 opening of this seal. 
 
 In the temple worship at Jerusalem, the high priest on the 
 great day of expiation took fire from the altar of burnt offering 
 in a golden censer, and after taking incense from one of the 
 priests, he proceeded to the golden altar, and there burnt it; 
 the smoke and odour being wafted into the most holy place, to 
 the presence of God, who dwelt between the cherubims, above 
 the mercy seat. But while the high priest was offering this 
 incense on the golden altar, the people or congregation outside, 
 were engaged in silent prayer. This was the acceptable time 
 for God to hear, and the people to offer their petitions to avert 
 his wrath and secure mercy. In the ideal temple exhibited to 
 St. John, the period of silence and petition being ended, the 
 angel takes the censer in which he had burnt incense, and casts
 
 37 
 
 it on the ground, and then follow voices, and thunderings, and 
 lightnings, and a shaking. 
 
 The casting of the censer upon the ground, as if of no further 
 use, signified that no prayer to avert the divine judgments upon 
 the Roman world, would now be heard and regarded that the 
 period of entreaty to avert his wrath had gone by, and that 
 heaven would no longer keep silence to listen to prayer for this 
 object. So also the indications of wrath, the voices, and the 
 thunderings, and the lightnings, and shaking, which followed 
 the period of silence, confirm the same idea, that heaven was 
 now in a determination or purpose of mind to inflict judgment, 
 and not in a disposition of mind to hear prayer and show mercy. 
 
 It had been foretold by St. Paul, (2 Thess., Chap, ii.,) that 
 during the period of the falling away of Christians, there would 
 appear in the temple or Church, a ruler without law that he 
 would set himself in opposition to, and exalt himself above all 
 human dignities that he would not appear, however, until a 
 certain power hindering his full developments, should be put 
 out of the way. Though the Apostle does not name, in writing 
 in this epistle, who this hinderer was, yet he informs us, that he 
 had named him to the Thessalonians by word of mouth, and 
 that they knew very well what he meant. 
 
 The early fathers, who had it from tradition, inform us that 
 the hinderer was declared by the Apostle to be the Roman 
 emperor or empire, and that he made this declaration by word 
 of mouth, and did not commit it to writing, lest he should 
 expose himself and his religion to the prejudices of the govern- 
 ment, by foretelling its removal out of the way, to give place to 
 some rising power in the Christian Church. 
 
 And here we find the reason why the primitive Christians 
 made the continuance of the Roman empire a subject of their 
 prayers. They believed that its continuance was hindering and 
 delaying the appearance and development of some haughty and 
 tyrannical ruler in the Christian Church. They termed this 
 ruler, Antichrist, and they expected him to equal Nero in
 
 tyranny and oppression, and hence it was a common saying 
 among them, that Nero was not dead, but that he had retired 
 beyond the Euphrates, and would return as Antichrist. Heaven 
 being now determined beyond the reach of entreaty to execute 
 wrath and judgment upon the Roman world, the seven angels 
 which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound. 
 
 Verse 7. " The first angel sounded, and there followed hail 
 and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth : 
 and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass 
 was burnt up." 
 
 In the language of figures, of fierce winds, stands for hostile 
 devastating armies, storms stand for war and violence. The 
 casting upon the earth of hail and fire mingled with blood, fol- 
 lowed with the burning up of the third part of the trees, and of 
 all green grass, gives us to understand, that the winds of deso- 
 lation were now to be loosed from restraint ; that fierce and 
 hostile armies are now to break forth upon the empire in a tem- 
 pest of desolating war, and bring ruin upon the most flourishing 
 part of the Roman population, including families and persons 
 of rank and wealth. 
 
 " The threatening tempests of Barbarians, which was repelled 
 11 or suspended on the frontiers was now let loose to subvert the 
 " foundations of Roman greatness." " In the disastrous period 
 " of the fall of the Roman empire, which may be justly dated 
 "from the reign of Valens, (A. D. 376,) the happiness and 
 " security of each individual were personally attacked, and the 
 " arts and labours of ages were rudely defaced by the Barbarians 
 " of Scythia and Germany. The invasion of the Huns, preeipi- 
 " tated on the provinces of the "West, the Gothic nation which 
 " advanced in less than forty years from the Danube to the 
 " Atlantic, and opened a way by the success of their arms, to 
 " the inroads of so many hostile tribes, more savage than them- 
 " selves. The original principle of motion was concealed in the 
 " remote countries of the North, and the curious observation of
 
 39 
 
 " tlie pastoral life of the Scythians or Tartars, will illustrate the 
 " latent cause of these destructive emigrations." (GiBBON.) 
 
 After the reign of Theodosius, who died in the year 395, the 
 Barbarians found no adequate power in the empire, to restrain 
 them from invasion and conquest. Accordingly, after his death 
 they began to invade and ravage the empire on all sides, making 
 conquests and settlements from which the Romans could not 
 expel them. In the beginning of the fifth century, both the 
 Germans and the Goths broke loose from their confinement, and 
 precipitated themselves upon the empire. While Greece was 
 invaded and ravaged by the Goths, a furious tempest was excited 
 among the Germans, and "a dark cloud which was collected 
 " along the coast of the Baltic, burst in thunder upon the banks 
 " of the upper Danube, and poured its contents upon Italy and 
 Rome." (GIBBON.) 
 
 Italy, Greece, Gaul, Spain, and even Africa, were in the first 
 part of the fifth century, ravaged by different tribes of barbarians, 
 who waged war with great fierceness paying but little respect 
 to age, sex, or condition plundering the unresisting country, 
 and wasting and destroying the fruits of the earth. The calam- 
 ities inflicted upon the empire by this terrible irruption of the 
 barbarians, fell with destructive force upon many persons and 
 families of wealth, but especially upon the thrifty and agricul- 
 tural part of the Roman population. The evils which they 
 inflicted upon this part of the population, resembled indeed, the 
 ruin inflicted on trees and grass byaviolent tempest, discharging 
 itself in hail and fire, mingled with blood. 
 
 Verses 8, 9. " And the second angel sounded, and as it were, 
 a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea : and 
 the third part of the sea became blood ; And the third part of 
 the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died ; and the 
 third part of the ships were destroyed." 
 
 The great mountain must signify some portion of the Roman 
 population hitherto eminently great and secure. Such as the 
 population of the city of Rome.
 
 40 
 
 " Behold," says God, by the prophet Jeremiah, li. 25, 
 speaking of Babylon, " I am against thee, destroying moun- 
 tain, which destroyest all the earth : and I will stretch out 
 mine hand upon thee, and roll thee from the rocks, and 
 will make thee a burnt mountain." 
 
 The people of Babylon were about to fall from their conspicuous 
 and secure condition and their fall, as we learn in the subse- 
 quent part of the chapter, was to be effected by the hostile 
 invasions of the surrounding nations. And such was the fate 
 of the people of the Roman city in the fifth century. The city 
 was repeatedly besieged, taken and sacked by foreign armies, 
 and the emperors consulting their safety were obliged to remove 
 their residence from Rome, to the more secure city of Ravenna. 
 " The loss or desolation of the provinces from the ocean to the 
 " Alps impaired the glory and greatness of Rome, while her 
 " internal prosperity was irretrievably destroyed by the loss 
 " of Africa, which contained the patrimonial estates of her 
 " Senators, and filled her granaries with regular subsidies of 
 "corn." (Gibbon.) Her population from the heights of 
 greatness and security which they once possessed in the Roman 
 world, are now found sunken, and merged in the common mass 
 of provincial cities and subjects, like a great mountain sunken 
 and merged in the sea. When the city of Rome was first 
 sacked by the Goths, under Alaric, it was regarded by the 
 whole empire as a grievous and terrible calamity. This awful' 
 catastrophe of Rome, (says Gibbon,) filled the astonished empire 
 with grief and terror ; so interesting a contrast of greatness and 
 ruin, disposed the fond credulity of the people to deplore, and 
 even to exaggerate the afflictions of the queen of cities. The 
 clergy who applied to recent events, the lofty metaphors of 
 oriental prophecy, were sometimes tempted to confound the 
 destruction of the capitol with the desolation of the globe. 
 This fall of Rome from her state of greatness and security, was 
 attended with other disasters. And the third part of the sea 
 became blood, and the third part of the creatures which were in
 
 41 
 
 the sea, and had life, died ; and the third part of the ships were 
 destroyed. If the land stands for nations and communities of 
 the Latin language, and of the first rank, and the rivers and 
 fountains, for nations and communities in the empire, of a 
 foreign language, and of the second rank, then the sea will 
 represent the common mass of provincial Romans. The blood 
 into which the sea was converted, must correspond to some 
 inimical sentiment with which this class of the population had 
 become imbued ; while the mortality in the sea, and the destruc- 
 tion of the ships, may correspond to the extinction of public 
 spirit and the loss of revenue. 
 
 Accordingly, we find that at this time, the population in the 
 desolate provinces, had become so disaffected to government, and 
 so averse to the payment of taxes, that the magistracy, who 
 were responsible for the taxes, were retained in their office, only 
 by compulsory laws, while the populace preferred, to the slavery 
 of taxation at home, poverty and freedom among the barbarians. 
 
 In the year 418, the Emperor Honorius, issued an edict, for 
 the purpose of convening an annual assembly to represent seven 
 provinces in Gaul, but such was the unfavourable state of feeling 
 towards the Roman government such the decay of all public 
 or corporate spirit, that the Emperor was surprised to discover, 
 that he must resort to compulsion, if he would secure the attend- 
 ance of representatives, who seemed to regard the imperial edict 
 as the last and most cruel insult of their oppressors. The same 
 decay of corporate spirit in the provinces, appears from one of 
 the regulations of the Emperor Majorian, A. D. 457, wherein 
 he remarks, " the municipal corporations, the lesser senates, (so 
 antiquity has justly styled them,) deserve to be considered as 
 the heart of the cities, and the sinews of the republic. And 
 yet, so low are they now, reduced by the injustice of magis- 
 trates and venality of collectors, that many of their members, 
 renouncing their dignity and their country, have taken refuge 
 in distant and obscure exile 
 
 Michelet thus writes of the endeavours of Honorius to revive
 
 42 
 
 Roman public spirit in Gaul j "all was in vain, there was no 
 " arousing a people grown torpid under the weight of their ills. 
 " They had fixed their views elsewhere ; and cared not for an 
 " emperor, as powerless for good as for evil. They desired but 
 " death, or at least social death and the invasion of the bar- 
 " barians. They call for the enemy, say the authors of the 
 " time, and long for captivity. Our countrymen who happen 
 " to be among the barbarians, so far from wishing to return, 
 "would rather have us to join them. The wonder is, that all 
 " the poor do not the same. They are only hindered by the 
 " impossibility of carrying their little huts with them." " De- 
 fection took possession of men's souls ; a deadly inertia seized 
 " the whole social body. The people lay down on the ground 
 "in weariness and despair, as the beast of burden lies down 
 
 " under blows, and refuses to rise We have the spcc- 
 
 " tacle of a whole people in mental agony." 
 
 Valentian the third, closed his reign in the year 455, two 
 years before the accession of Majorian. 
 
 In the conclusion of the chapter which narrates the reign of 
 Valentian, Gibbon notices how strongly the minds of the pro- 
 vincial population were disaffected to the government. As early 
 (Gibbon, Chap. 35,) as the times of Cicero and Verro, it was 
 the opinion of the Roman Augurs, that the twelve vultures, 
 which Romulus had seen, represented the twelve centuries 
 assigned for the fatal period of his city. This prophecy disre- 
 garded in the season of health and prosperty, inspired the people 
 with gloomy apprehensions when the twelfth century, clouded 
 with disgrace and misfortune, was almost elapsed ; and even 
 posterity must acknowledge, with some surprise, that the arbi- 
 trary interpretation of an accidental or fabulous circumstance, 
 has been seriously verified in the downfal of the western empire. 
 But its fall was announced by a clearer omen than the flight of 
 vultures. The Roman government appeared every day less 
 formidable to its enemies, more odious and oppressive to its 
 subjects. The taxes were multiplied with the public distress ;
 
 43 
 
 economy was neglected in proportion as it became necessary, 
 and the injustice of the rich, shifted the unequal burden from 
 themselves to the people, whom they defrauded of the indul- 
 gences that might sometimes have alleviated their miseries. 
 The severe inquisition which confiscated their goods, and tor- 
 tured their persons, compelled the subjects of Valentinian, to 
 prefer the more simple tyranny of the barbarians, to fly to 
 the woods and mountains, or to embrace the vile and abject con- 
 dition of mercenary servants. They abjured and abhorred the 
 name of Roman citizens, which had formerly excited the ambi- 
 tion of mankind. Roman noble spirits became extinct in a 
 great part of the provincial population, when it was found that 
 great Rome had sunk into helplessness, and could no longer 
 protect them or herself. 
 
 Verses 10 and 11. " And the third angel sounded, and there 
 fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it 
 fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of 
 waters ; and the name of the star is called Wormwood ; and 
 the third part of the waters became wormwood ; and many men 
 died of the waters, because they were made bitter." 
 
 A star is the symbol of an eminent teacher, and may also 
 stand for the particular doctrine or philosophy which he teaches. 
 The star he mentioned may mean Arius or Arianism. Arius 
 was regarded by many as a burning and shining light and his 
 doctrine was received by many who were distinguished as much 
 by the superiority of their learning and genius, as by the emi- 
 nence of their rank and station. Under the Emperors Con- 
 stantius and Valens, Arianism enjoyed a high position in the 
 Roman world, and constituted a part of the established religion ; 
 but in the reign of Theodosius it fell from its high position, 
 being made an object of imperial persecution, so that at the end 
 of the fourth century, the proselytes of Arianism formed an 
 inconsiderable and a declining party in the empire. It had 
 fallen from heaven. " But suddenly it received a new and ex- 
 " traordinary impulse from an unexpected quarter. The Arians
 
 44 
 
 " oppressed and persecuted by the imperial edicts, took refuge 
 " among those fierce and savage natives who were gradually 
 " overturning the western empire, and found among the Goths, 
 "Suevi, Heruli, Vandals, and Burgundians, a fixed residence, 
 " and peaceful retreat ; and as their security animated their 
 "courage, they treated the Catholics with the same violence, 
 " which the latter had employed against them and other heretics, 
 " and harassed and persecuted in various ways, such as professed 
 " their adherence to the Nicene doctrines." Mosheim, Chap, 
 v. 4, second part of the fifth century. 
 
 The persecution of Arianism by Theodosius scattered its 
 disciples among distant and populous nations, and diffused to 
 the same extent the knowledge of his doctrine, and multiplied 
 the number of its professors. 
 
 Rivers and fountains of water correspond to nations or com- 
 munities of a foreign language and literature, ranking next to 
 the Latins or Romans. 
 
 The great burning star fell from heaven upon the third part 
 of the rivers, and upon the fountains of water, when Arianism 
 cast down from the high position which it once held in the 
 empire, lit upon the Goths and other nations, and tinctured 
 their literature with a better ingredient. These nations being 
 now settled in the empire, and brought under the influence of 
 civilization and Christianity, were no longer destructive winds, 
 but rivers and fountains of water. Some of them had been 
 converted in their native forests, and others by being brought 
 into contact with the vanquished Romans; but it so happened 
 that the form of Christianity which they first received, was that 
 of Arianism, and this unfortunate accident " infused a deadly 
 poison in the cup of salvation." Arianism was adopted as the 
 national faith of the warlike converts who were seated on the 
 ruins of the western empire. And this irreconcileable differ- 
 ence of religion was a perpetual source of jealousy and hatred, 
 and the reproach of barbarian was embittered by the more 
 odious epithet of heretic. The distinction of Arian and Trini-
 
 45 
 
 tarian was closely connected with that of foreigner and Roman 
 conqueror and conquered so that it combined the bitterness of 
 politics and race as well as of sect the bitterness of religious, 
 political and national animosity. 
 
 And the name of the star is called wormwood, and the third 
 part of the waters became wormwood ; and many men died of 
 the waters because they were made bitter. Many later Chris- 
 tians by imbibing the doctrine and better spirit of Arianism, 
 died to Romanism, and were lost to the Roman party. 
 
 Those of the vanquished Romans who were indifferent, would 
 naturally acquiesce in and imbibe the doctrine established by 
 the conquerors, and in this way the empire would lose many 
 of its religious subjects. 
 
 Verse 12. And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part 
 of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the 
 third part of the stars ; so as that the third part of them was 
 darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the 
 night likewise. 
 
 This is not a destruction of the lights of heaven but it is a 
 partial obscuration of them they merely lose a part of their 
 luminous property. 
 
 The different powers or orbs in the firmaments of the Roman 
 empire ceased to shine with their former glory and strength. 
 The meaning is that some reverse of fortune was now to befall 
 the high places of power so as to enfeeble their authority and 
 influence, and interrupt the diffusion of knowledge and learn- 
 ing. This was another of the calamities of that period of 
 Roman history which followed the death of Theodosius. He 
 divided the imperial government between his two sons the one 
 having Rome for his capitol and the other Constantinople. In 
 the year 47G, the imperial succession was discontinued in the 
 west, and a Gothic King assumed the government of Italy. 
 "The majesty of Rome was then but faintly represented by the 
 princes of Constantinople, the feeble and imaginary successors 
 of Augustus." There is no period in the annals of the human 
 
 5
 
 46 
 
 race which presents to the historical student a greater scene of 
 confusion, than the century succeeding the overthrow of the 
 western empire, and which includes these four judgments upon 
 the Roman world. 
 
 The different hordes of barbarians following no definite plan 
 established separate monarchies in the dismembered provinces, 
 engaged in sanguinary wars, that had no object but plunder, 
 and were too ignorant to form any thing like a political system. 
 After the fall of the western empire the court of Constanti- 
 nople sunk into obscurity, from which it did not emerge for 
 half a century, when its supremacy was restored during the 
 memorable reign of Justinian. (Taylor's history, modern 
 Chap. 1.) 
 
 And this period was a period not only of comparative anar- 
 chy but also of comparative ignorance or darkness. 
 
 "The barbarous nations, which either spread desolation or 
 " formed settlements in the Roman territories, choked the growth 
 " of those genial seeds which the hand of science had sown in 
 " more auspicious times. These savage invaders who possessed 
 "no other ambition than that of conquests, and considered 
 " military courage as the only source of true virtue and solid 
 " glory, beheld, in consequence, the acts and sciences with the 
 "utmost contempt. Wherever therefore they extended their 
 " conquests, ignorance and darkness followed their steps ; and 
 " the culture of science was confined to the priests and monks 
 " alone ; and among these learning degenerated from its primi- 
 " tive lustre and put on the most unseemly and fantastic form. 
 "Amidst the seduction of corrupt examples the charms of 
 " perpetual danger, and the horrors and devastations of war, 
 " the sacerdotal and monastic orders lost all taste for solid 
 "science. (Moshem, Cen. 5, Part 2, Chap. 1.) 
 
 " The incursions of the barbarous nations into the greatest 
 " part of the western provinces were extremely prejudicial to 
 " the interests of learning and philosophy, as must be known to 
 " all who have any acquaintance with the history of those un-
 
 47 
 
 " happy times. During those tumultuous scenes of desolation 
 "and horror, the liberal arts and sciences would have been 
 " totally extinguished, had they not found a place of refuge, 
 " such as it was among the bishops and the monastic orders." 
 (Moshcm, Cen. 6, Part 2, Chap. 1.) 
 
 The same author writes of the 7th century, "Nothing can 
 equal the ignorance and darkness that reigned in this century. 
 The sciences enjoyed no degree of protection, at this time, from 
 kings and princes, nor did they owe any thing to men of high 
 and eminent stations in the empire. 
 
 The four judgments upon the Roman world, namely the 
 invasion of the empire by armies of barbarians the fall of 
 Rome from its greatness and security into disgrace and weak- 
 ness the diffusion of Arianism among the foreign tribes and 
 nations who settled in the empire, and the partial extinction of 
 the authority and influence of the Roman luminaries Roman 
 rulers and teachers make the period, intervening between the 
 death of Thcodosius and the rise of Mahomedanism, a very 
 disastrous period of Roman history. If (says Robertson in his 
 introduction to the History of Charles V.) a man were called to 
 fix upon the period in the history of the world, during which 
 the condition of the human race was most calamitous and 
 afflicted ; he would without hesitation, name that which elapsed 
 from the death of Theodosius the Great, to the establishment 
 of the Lombards in Italy, a period of 176 years. The cotem- 
 porary authors who beheld that scene of desolation, labour, and 
 are at a loss for expressions to describe the horror of it. The 
 scourge of God, the destroyer of nations, are the dreadful epi- 
 thets by which they distinguish the most noted of the barbarous 
 leaders and they compare the ruin which they had brought on 
 the world to the havoc occasioned by earthquakes, conflagra- 
 tions or deluges the most formidable and fatal calamities 
 which the imagination of man can conceive. 
 
 The disastrous period of these four judgments was regarded 
 by many cotemporaries, as the period of divine judgment upon
 
 48 
 
 the Koman world. " The political prostration of the western 
 " provinces, overrun by so many savage tribes the rapid disso- 
 " lution of the old governments without any stability in those 
 " which succeeded them, the subversion of legal security, the 
 "substitution of military and barbarous license these and 
 "other circumstances, aggravating the usual miseries of con- 
 " quest, occasioned wheresoever they extended, more absolute 
 " wretchedness, both individual and national, than had hitherto 
 " been recorded in the history of man ; insomuch that among 
 " those who beheld and shared those afflictions, there were many 
 " who regarded them as special demonstrations of divine wrath. 
 " And as men are ever prone to attribute such chastisements to 
 " the most striking revolution of their own day, and as the sub- 
 " version of the temples of their ancestors was still recent in 
 " their memory, some there were who ascribed the anger of the 
 " gods to the establishment and prevalence of Christianity. . . . 
 " This foolish delusion was immediately and successfully com- 
 " batted by the eloquence of St. Augustin. In his noble com- 
 " position, ( The city of God/ he confuted the error by irrefra- 
 " gable arguments and conclusive appeals to the evidence of 
 "profane history, and inculcated the more reasonable opinion 
 " that the temporal afflictions which God permitted to devastate 
 " the empire, were chastisements inflicted by a just providence 
 " for the correction, not for the destruction of his creatures. 
 
 " The error was indeed confuted and presently died away, but 
 " the general dislocation of society which occasioned it must 
 " have suspended for a time the moral energies of man, and the 
 "period of his severest suffering may also have been that of his 
 "deepest depravity." (Waddington, Chap. 9, Sec. 3.) 
 
 " St. Augustin during this period of judgment and calamity 
 upon the Roman empire wrote his learned work called the City 
 of God, for the especial purpose of justifying the ways of pro- 
 vidence in the destruction of the Roman greatness." 
 
 During this calamitous period, " all the subjects of the em- 
 pire who by the use of the Latin language more particularly
 
 49 
 
 deserved the name and privileges of Romans were oppressed by 
 the disgrace and calamities of foreign conquests." 
 
 The four kinds of judgments or calamities that followed the 
 sounding of the first four trumpets were confined for the most 
 part to the Latin or Western, called the third part of the empire, 
 and were inflicted during the fifth and sixth centuries. 
 
 These four calamities or woes if consecutive in their begin- 
 ning became cotemporaneous in their progress ; but the fearful 
 calamities or woes next to follow are to be consecutive both in 
 their beginning and in their progress one is not to begin until 
 the other is ended. And I beheld and heard an angel flying 
 through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, wo, wo, 
 wo, to the inhabiters of the earth by reason of the voices of 
 the trumpet of the three angels which are yet to sound. These 
 calamities or woes are chiefly to fall upon the inhabiters of the 
 earth that is upon the Romans in their religious character, 
 upon Christians of the prevailing or established idolatrous form 
 of Christianity. 
 
 DISCOURSE IV. 
 REV. ix. 1, 2. 
 
 "And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto 
 the earth ; and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit. And 
 he opened the bottomless pit ; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, 
 as the smoke of a great furnace, and the sun and the air were darkened 
 by reason of the smoke of the pit." 
 
 The apostle did not (according to the translation of the text) 
 see the star in the act of falling from heaven to earth, but he 
 saw it after it had fallen. This star must be intended to repre- 
 sent Nestorius and his teaching. It fell from heaven to the 
 earth when Nestorius was removed from his patriarchal office 
 
 5 *
 
 50 
 
 and his teaching and party degraded from all power and influ- 
 ence in the government. The bottomless pit or the well of the 
 abyss or deep, signifies a place or state of confinement and 
 obscurity. The smoky or dark volatile matter escaping from 
 this well represents the blind and fanatical elements of society 
 in the form of bitter and hostile sects let loose from all restraint. 
 The teaching of Nestorius commenced in the empire a contro- 
 versy that gave vent to these elements, and served to raise them 
 into notice and consideration, and to impair the vigor of the 
 supreme authority and influence in the Roman world, and in 
 this respect they were like as the smoke of a great furnace, 
 which darkened the sun and the air. 
 
 It is recorded of Nestorius, that when he was appointed to 
 the patriarchal throne of Constantinople, he accepted and entered 
 upon his office, with the determination to seek out and extirpate 
 all the heretical sects that lurked in the empire. This bitter 
 and persecuting zeal, served however, in his, as well as in other 
 cases, only to increase the evil, aud greatly to multiply the 
 number of the sectarians and heretics. The controversy which 
 he commenced, concerning the nature of Christ's existence here 
 on earth, was continued during a period of about three hundred 
 years, and produced no little disturbance or confusion through- 
 out the empire. And we may well suppose, that a controversy 
 which for so long a time, occupied the pen, and the discourses, 
 and the conversation of contentious and angry spirits, would 
 evolve a great quantity of misty reasoning and writing. What 
 for the most part, are the productions which emanate from the 
 angry and bitter spirit of sect or party, but trash, weightless 
 and cloudy, like smoke. By a common figure of speech, the 
 effect is often made to stand for the cause, and so here smoke 
 stands for the materials which produce it, that is, zealots and 
 fanatics. 
 
 It appears, that the position assumed by Nestorius and his 
 party in this controversy, was this, that there were in Christ, 
 two distinct persons, as well as two distinct natures. There
 
 51 
 
 was another party who assumed an opposite position, that there 
 was in Christ but one person and one nature. The Orthodox 
 or Catholic doctrine was, that of Christ, in two natures but one 
 person. The authoritative establishment of this doctrine, did not, 
 however, end the controversy, but it became a matter of dispute 
 for fifty years longer, whether Christ, in one person but two 
 natures, was actuated by a single or double will. And it was, 
 while these disputes were distracting the Roman world, that 
 Mahomed fabricated his religion ; and as if in contempt of these 
 disputants, he excluded from it the whole mystery of Christ's 
 incarnation, and acknowledged him only as the son of man, and 
 the Apostle of God. And it is remarkable, that during this 
 dispute, the Mahomedans found time to convert Arabia, and to 
 conquer Persia, Syria, Palestine, and Egypt, and to take the 
 three patriarchal cities, Antioch, Alexandria, and Jerusalem, 
 and soon after Carthage. 
 
 The controversy commenced by Nestorius, as it progressed, 
 seemed to bring into action and notice, all the latent, angry, 
 contentious, and fanatical elements of society. We find evidence 
 of this fact, in the violent proceedings of the several councils 
 which this controversy assembled. One of these councils in 
 particular, conducted itself with so much violence and brutality, 
 that it has been stigmatized in every age of the Church since, 
 as the assembly of robbers. One of the emperors, by the pub- 
 lication of an Edict of Union, attempted to extinguish the dis- 
 sension and animosity which this controversy had occasioned 
 among his Christian subjects, but to the disgrace of the dispu- 
 tants, says the historian, and almost to the scandal of human 
 nature, it proved that an attempt, judiciously conceived by a 
 benevolent prince to compose the religious differences of his 
 subjects, produced no other effect, than to inflame the character 
 and multiply the ground of dissension. And that unhappy 
 result was not in this case, attributable to the infliction of any 
 civil penalties in the arbitrary enforcement of the decree, but 
 solely to the vehemence of the passions engaged on both sides,
 
 52 
 
 which had hardened the greater number against any representa- 
 tions of wisdom or reason, and even against the ordinary influ- 
 ence of their human feelings. (Waddington.) 
 
 The angry feelings, and the hostile sects, which this contro- 
 versy evolved, impaired the authority of the emperors, and of 
 general councils. These hostile sects sought refuge in the 
 eastern countries, beyond the Koman empire, where their 
 number, and their enmity against the Roman government, pre- 
 pared them in the course of time, to form an alliance with the 
 Mahomedan invaders, and to cast their weight in the downfall 
 of the eastern empire. 
 
 Thus while the smoke of this long and angry controversy was 
 overspreading the firmament of the Roman world and shutting 
 out the light of the sun, the Mahomedans in the form of locusts 
 appear, descending from the cloud of smoke and lighting upon 
 the earth that is, appear coming out from among these fanati- 
 cal elements and inflicting evil upon the Romans. 
 
 Verses 3-6. " And there came out of the smoke locusts upon 
 the earth and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of 
 the earth have power. And it was commanded them that they 
 should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, 
 neither any tree ; but only those men which have not the mark 
 of God on their foreheads. And to them it was given that they 
 should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five 
 months ; and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion 
 when he striketh a man. And in those days shall men seek 
 death and shall not find it, and shall desire to die and death shall 
 flee from them." These words, explain the nature of the mis- 
 sion committed to these locusts. Their mission was not so much 
 to ruin the flourishing and wealthy portion of Roman subjects, 
 as it was to annoy the idolatrous part of the population that is, 
 those Christians who had fallen away from a pure Christian wor- 
 ship, into idolatrous additions and innovations. They were com- 
 manded or commissioned, to sting and torment these idolaters^ 
 but not to kill them that is, not to destroy the idolatrous
 
 53 
 
 Roman corporate life or spirit with which they were actuated. 
 They were not to succeed in forcing out of the minds of these 
 idolaters, those Roman ideas and prejudices which sustained in 
 them, the corporate spirit or life of Roman idolatry. 
 
 Annoyed by the Mahomedans, these Roman idolaters would 
 desire and endeavor to free themselves from the corporate idola- 
 trous spirit and ideas and prejudices peculiar to Romans, but 
 should not succeed, as we shall see hereafter. 
 
 The locusts are to hurt men for a given time. Their power 
 was to hurt men during a period of five months or an hun- 
 dred and fifty days, which, when relating to judgments and 
 calamities inflicted, as we learn from Ezekiel, mean, in the lan- 
 guage of symbolical prophecy, so many years. 
 
 We have also, a description of the form and appearance of 
 these locusts, with the name of their king. 
 
 Verses 711. "And the shapes of the locusts were like unto 
 horses prepared unto battle, and on their heads were crowns like 
 gold, and their faces were as the faces of men, and they had hair 
 as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions. 
 And they had breast-plates, as it were breast-plates of iron, and 
 the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots running 
 to battle. And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there 
 were stings in their tails ; and their power was to hurt men five 
 months. And they had a king over them, which is the angel of 
 the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abad- 
 don, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon." 
 
 Arabia is considered as the native country of the locusts, and 
 there can be do doubt that the locusts here, are intended to re- 
 present the Mahomedans, Arabians or Saracens, as they were 
 called by the Greeks and Latins. " It has been remarked, that 
 the Saracens have made inroads into all those parts of Christen- 
 dom, where the natural locusts are wont to be seen and known 
 to do mischief : that where the locusts are seldom seen, there 
 the Saracens stayed little. Where the natural locusts are often 
 seen, there the Saracens abode most, and where they breed most,
 
 54 
 
 there the Saracens had their beginning and greatest power." 
 (Bishop Newton.) The shapes of the locusts were like unto 
 horses prepared unto battle. This is intended to represent the 
 Mahomedans as soldiers, eager for war and conquests. Their 
 armies, moreover, chiefly consisted of cavalry. Arabia, in the 
 opinion of naturalists, is the genuine and original country of the 
 horse. They had on their heads crowns like gold, to signify that 
 they would succeed in acquiring wealth and dominion, and no 
 nation ever conquered so many kingdoms in so short a space of 
 time. 
 
 Their faces were as the faces of men. As a sense of religion is 
 the distinguishing character of humanity, the human face, we 
 may suppose intended, to represent these Saracen soldiers in their 
 religious aspect and profession. And the professed object for 
 which they took the sword and carried on war, was the propaga- 
 tion of religion. Their wars were professedly religious wars, in- 
 tended to force their religion upon an infidel and idolatrous world. 
 
 They had hair as the hair of women, to signify their subjec- 
 tion to government would be more the result of good will and 
 affection than of force. The long hair of woman, according to 
 St. Paul, indicates, in the language of signs, her subjection to 
 the authority of the husband. The government of the Sara- 
 cens was of a patriarchal nature. The authority to which they 
 rendered respect and obedience, was that of superior wisdom and 
 age. Perhaps the faces of men and the hair of women, were 
 intended to signify that while their obedience would be of this 
 free and amiable nature, their minds should be of a courageous 
 and manly character. 
 
 " In every tribe of the Arabians, superstition or gratitude or 
 fortune, has exalted a particular family above the heads of their 
 equals. The dignities of Sheich and Emir invariably descend 
 in this chosen race, but the order of succession is loose and pre- 
 carious, and the most worthy or aged of the noble kinsmen are 
 preferred, to the simple though important office of composing 
 disputes by their advice, and guiding valor by their example.
 
 55 
 
 The momentary junction of several tribes, produces an army, 
 their more lasting union constitutes a nation, and the supreme 
 chief, the Emir of Emirs, whose banner is displayed at their 
 head, may deserve, in the eye of strangers, the honors of the 
 kingly name. If the Arabian princes abuse their power, they 
 are quickly punished by the desertion of their subjects who had 
 been accustomed to a mild and parental jurisdiction. Their spi- 
 rit is free, their steps are unconfined, the desert is open and the 
 tribes are held together by a mutual and voluntary compact. 
 The grandfather of Mahomet and his lineal ancestors, appear in 
 foreign and domestic transactions as the princes of their country, 
 but they reigned like Pericles at Athens, or the Medici at Florence, 
 by the opinion of their wisdom and integrity. In the more simple 
 state of the Arabs the nation is free, because each of her sons dis- 
 dains a base submission to the will of a master. The sense of his 
 own importance, teaches him to accost his equals without levity 
 and his superiors without awe. The liberty of the Saracens sur- 
 vived their conquests. The first caliphs indulged the bold and 
 familiar language of their subjects : they ascended the pulpit to 
 persuade and edify the congregation ; nor was it before the seat 
 of empire was removed to the Tigris, that the Abbassides adopt- 
 ed the proud and pompous ceremonial of the Persian and Byzan- 
 tine courts." (Gibbon, Chap. 50.) 
 
 They have teeth as the teeth of lions. They are strong and 
 courageous in seizing and devouring the substance of their ene- 
 mies. Nothing will be able to escape their grasp and power. 
 There is a generation, says Solomon, whose teeth are as swords, 
 and their jaw teeth as knives, to devour the poor from off the 
 earth and the needy from among men. 
 
 " The Arabians pretend that in the division of the earth, the 
 " rich and fertile climates were assigned to the other branches 
 " of the human family, and that the posterity of the outlaw 
 " Ishmael, might recover by fraud and force, the portion of in- 
 " heritance of which he had been unjustly deprived. . . Their 
 " neighbours, since the remote times of Job and Sesostris, have
 
 56 
 
 " been the victims of their rapacious spirit. The temper of a 
 " people thus armed against mankind, was doubly inflamed by the 
 " domestic license of rapine, murder and revenge.'' 
 
 And they had breast-plates as it were breast-plates of iron. 
 
 The breast-plate, is a piece of defensive armour to protect the 
 heart, and the heart is used in Scripture, to signify the seat of 
 thought, of courage and resolution, as well as of affection. 
 
 St. Paul speaks of the breast-plate of faith and love, and of 
 the breast-plate of righteousness. Faith in the righteousness, 
 justification forgiveness of God, and the affection or love 
 which this faith begets in the Christian, serve to protect him 
 from despair and discouragement. 
 
 The iron breast-plate to protect the heart, seems here to sig- 
 nify, some principles of belief, steeling or hardening their minds 
 against feelings of discouragement or fear or weakness, in their 
 opposition to idolatry and infidelity. 
 
 Perhaps we explain the meaning of the iron breast-plates 
 when we say of the Arab, in the language of the historian whom 
 we have already quoted, " His breast is fortified with the austere 
 virtues of courage, patience and sobriety. Mahomed helped to 
 fortify the breasts of his soldiers with this iron courage, patience 
 and sobriety, when he taught them the doctrines of fatalism and 
 promised paradise to every one that fell in battle. 
 
 " The sword," says he, "is the key of heaven and of hell ; a drop 
 of blood, shed in the cause of God, a night spent in arms, is of 
 more avail than two months of fasting and prayer. Whoever 
 falls in battle, his sins are forgiven. At the day of judgment 
 his wounds shall be resplendent as vermillion and odoriferous as 
 musk, and the loss of his limbs shall be supplied by the wings 
 of angels and cherubims." Thus death became to them an 
 object of desire and hope. 
 
 " The belief also, in the tenets of fatalism and predestination, 
 " has in every age exalted the courage of the Saracens and Turks. 
 " The first companions of Mahomet advanced to battle with 
 " a fearless confidence : there is no danger where there is
 
 57 
 
 " no chance : they were ordained to perish in their beds or 
 " they were safe and invulnerable amidst the darts of the ene- 
 "my." Gibbon. . . . Their belief in fatalism and the prospect 
 of paradise served in the day of battle as an iron defence to their 
 enthusiastic and intrepid minds. 
 
 And the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of 
 many horses running to battle. These words describe tbeir 
 numerous armies as proceeding with great rapidity in the career 
 of conquests. 
 
 Verse 11. " And they had tails like unto scorpions and there 
 were stings in their tails : and their power was to hurt men five 
 months." 
 
 The Lord, says the prophet Isaiah, will cut off from Israel the 
 head and tail, branch and rush, in one day. The ancient and 
 honourable, he is the head ; and the prophet that teaches lies, 
 he is the tail. The tails of the locusts, therefore, represent Ma- 
 homedans in their false teaching, and these tails were endowed 
 with the sting and venom of scorpions, to signify that their false 
 teaching would include some doctrine very annoying and tor- 
 menting to the minds and feelings of the idolatrous Christians 
 of the empire. The king over them is Mahomed and his caliphs 
 or successors. He is called the Angel of the Well of the Deep, 
 because he is the apostle of the deluded and fanatical, whose 
 native region is that of ignorance and darkness the well of the 
 abyss. In Mahomed, the deluded and fanatical portion of the 
 world, have had a representative and leader, unrivalled in suc- 
 cessful error and imposition. And we need not be surprised 
 that in an age of ignorance when the fanatical and contentious 
 spirit of sect and party was extensively diffused, that a multi- 
 tude of proselytes should embrace the doctrines or the passions 
 of an eloquent fanatic. The name given to this apostle of fana- 
 tics, is that of the destroyer. Mahomed taught that he was 
 commanded by divine revelation, to propagate his religion by 
 the sword : to destroy the monuments of idolatry, and without 
 
 6
 
 58 
 
 regarding the sanctity of days and months, to pursue the unbe- 
 lieving nations of the earth. 
 
 But while the Mahomedans were falsely teaching that God 
 commanded them by an express revelation, to chastise and 
 exterminate the crime of idolatry with the sword, they at the 
 same time, with good reason, charge their crime upon the Chris- 
 tians of the established religion of the empire. And it was this 
 false teaching, accompanied with this well founded charge, and 
 the unexampled success of their arms, that constituted the 
 story with which they annoyed and tormented these idolatrous 
 Roman Christians. 
 
 " The worship of images had stolen into the Church by insen- 
 " sible degrees, and each petty step was pleasing to the super- 
 " stitious mind, as productive of comfort, and innocent of sin. 
 " But in the beginning of the eighth century, in the full mag- 
 " nitude of the abuse, the more timorous Greeks, were awakened 
 " by an apprehension, that under the mask of Christianity, they 
 " had restored the religion of their fathers ; they heard, with 
 "grief and impatience, the name of idolaters; the incessant 
 " charge of the Jews and Mahometans, who .derived from the 
 " law and the koran, an immortal hatred to graven images, and 
 " all relative worship. The servitude of the Jews might curb 
 " their zeal, and depreciate their authority, but the triumphant 
 " Mussulmans, who reigned at Damascus, and threatened Con- 
 " stantinople, cast into the scale of reproach, the accumulated 
 " weight of truth and victory. The cities of Syria, Palestine, and 
 " Egypt, had been fortified with the images of Christ, his mother, 
 " and his saints ; and each city presumed on the hope or promise 
 " of miraculous defence. In a rapid conquest of ten years, the 
 "Arabs subdued those cities and their images, and in their 
 " opinion, the Lord of hosts, pronounced a decisive judgment 
 " between the adoration and contempt of these mute and inani- 
 " mate idols. In this season of distress and dismay, the elo- 
 " quence of the monks was exercised in defence of images, and
 
 59 
 
 " they attempted to prove, that the sin and schism of the 
 " greatest part of the Orientals, had forfeited the favour, and 
 " annihilated the virtue of these precious symbols. But they 
 " were now opposed by the murmurs of many simple and 
 " rational Christians, who appealed to the evidence of texts, of 
 " facts, and of the primitive times, and secretly desired the 
 "reformation of the Church." (Gibbon, Chap. 49.) 
 
 In the year 718, the Emperor Leo, the Isaurian, commenced 
 his reign. He had been educated among Christians, not accus- 
 tomed in their worship to the use of images. This education, 
 his reason, and perhaps his intercourse with the Jews and 
 Arabs, had inspired him with a hatred of images. Unable to 
 bear any longer the excessive height to which the Greeks car- 
 ried their superstitious attachment to the worship of images, 
 and the sharp railleries, and serious reproaches, which this 
 idolatrous service drew upon the Christians from the Jews and 
 Saracens, he resolved by the most vigorous proceedings, to root 
 out at once this growing evil. He issued an edict requiring the 
 removal of all images from churches. This edict was resisted 
 by the Bishop of Rome, and this resistance led in the year 730, 
 to the revolt of Italy, and its separation from the eastern empire. 
 The Emperor persisted in his project with great perseverance, 
 and with some prospect of success, until his death. His son 
 and successor, also persevered in the same effort. In the year 
 754, he assembled a general council in the suburbs of Constan- 
 tinople. This council was composed of the respectable number 
 of three hundred and thirty-eight bishops. They decreed by a 
 unanimous subscription, that image worship was a corruption of 
 Christianity, and that images used for such a purpose, should 
 be broken or erased, and hence they were called Iconoclasts, or 
 image breakers. The bishops of Rome, aided by the monks, 
 took the side of the venerable images ; and this emperor, during 
 the whole course of his reign, was employed in contention with 
 idols, and with the pernicious influence of Rome and the monks, 
 who protected and supported them. Soon after the death of this
 
 60 ^ 
 
 emperor, the administration of public affairs fell into the hands of 
 the Empress Irene. " Immediately the religious policy of the 
 palace was changed ; and as fifty years of vigorous opposition had 
 not availed to extirpate corruptions which were the gradual 
 growth of four centuries, the change was hailed with delight by 
 a large proportion of the people." 
 
 In the year 787, a general council was assembled at Nice, by 
 which the images were re-instated in their former honours 
 through the united exertions of the monks, and the mob, and 
 the Pope, and the Empress. This last public act of the united 
 Greek and Roman communions, established idolatry as the law 
 of the catholic established Church. 
 
 Some of the emperors who succeeded Irene, did not respect 
 the decisions of this council, but used their authority and influ- 
 ence to eradicate this corrupt form of worship. But in the 
 year 842, the Empress Theodora re-established the authority 
 of" the seventh council, and replaced the images with so firm a 
 hand, that they have never since been shaken. 
 
 They were not, however, so firmly established, but that 
 another council assembled at Constantinople, in the year 879, 
 in further confirmation of idolatry. And it was, according to 
 Moshiem, after this council, that the festival was instituted, 
 called the feast of orthodoxy, for the purpose of preserving the 
 annual memory of the triumph of images, which the supersti- 
 tious Greeks regarded as the most signal blessing derived to 
 them from the immediate interposition of heaven. 
 
 Among the Latins, as well as among the Greeks, efforts had 
 been made, both by councils and by rulers, to free themselves 
 from the idolatrous influence and spirit of Rome, but without 
 success. The party most anxious to free themselves from the 
 law and charge of idolatry, did not understand the nature and 
 extent of their departure from the purity of Christian worship. 
 " In the long night of superstition, they had wandered far away 
 from the simplicity of the gospel ; nor was it easy for them to 
 discern the clue, and tread back the mazes of the labyrinth."
 
 61 
 
 While they were contending against the use of images in reli- 
 gious worship, they were not aware that when they were invo- 
 cating departed saints, and imploring their assistance and 
 intercessions, they were practicing the demon or mediator wor- 
 ship of their forefathers, the ancient Greeks and Romans. 
 They sincerely desired, and endeavoured to destroy in them- 
 selves, the Roman corporate spirit and influence, so far as they 
 were idolatrous, but they were not sufficiently enlightened in 
 this gospel, to effect the objects of their desires and efforts. 
 They sought death and did not find it, and they desired to die, 
 and death fled from them. The influence of Rome could not 
 be overcome. This long controversy on the subject of image 
 worship, evinced how much the feelings of Roman Christians 
 were hurt, by the teaching and reproaches of the victorious 
 Mahometans. Their power was to hurt them five months, one 
 hundred and fifty days, one hundred and fifty years. This is a 
 round sum, and it may not be intended to measure very pre- 
 cisely the period of their power to hurt. But if we may 
 measure this period by the controversy on image worship and 
 we began this controversy by the opposition of the Pope to the 
 imperial edict, and the revolt of Italy in the years 72830, and 
 end it in the year 879, when a council holden at Constantinople, 
 completed the triumph of idolatry ; we shall have a period of 
 one hundred and fifty years to verify the prediction. It was at 
 the close of this period, moreover, that the Mahomedans com- 
 pleted the conquest of Sicily, by taking Syracuse. And after 
 the Saracens had annexed Sicily to their empire, they ceased, 
 in consequence of their divisions, to conquer any countries of 
 importance, and the design of conquest and dominion was de- 
 graded to a repetition of predatory inroads. 
 
 And it is remarkable, that the capture of Syracuse was the 
 fault of the mariners of the imperial fleet, who had been detained 
 at Constantinople, in building a Church to the Virgin Mary, 
 instead of sailing to the besieged Syracusans. It was the 
 greatest of the crimes " of the ancient directors of the Christian 
 
 6*
 
 62 
 
 " Church, and that which more peculiarly brought down upon 
 "it the chastisement from Arabia, that they filled the temples 
 " with their detested idols, and obtruded them upon the eyes, 
 " and into the hands of the most ignorant. Nor can their 
 " advocates plead the necessity of this conduct, for the example 
 " of the Mahomedan faith alone, has proved that a people may 
 " be barbarous, without being idolatrous, when idolatry is dis- 
 " couraged by the ministers of religion." (Waddington, Chap, 
 ii. Sec. 6.) The Mahomedans have uniformly withstood the 
 temptation of reducing the object of their faith and devotion to 
 
 a level with the senses and imagination of man The 
 
 intellectual image of the Deity has never been degraded by any 
 visible idol the honours of the prophet have never transgressed 
 the measure of human virtue; and his living precepts have 
 restrained the gratitude of his disciples within the bounds of 
 reason and religion. The votaries of Ali have indeed conse- 
 crated the memory of their hero, his wife, and his children, and 
 some of the Persian doctors pretend that the divine essence was 
 incarnate in the person of the Imams ; but their superstition is 
 universally condemned by the Sonnites, and their impiety has 
 afforded a seasonable warning against the worship of saints and 
 angels. (Gibbon.) 
 
 One woe is past, and beheld there come two woes more here- 
 after.
 
 63 
 
 DISCOURSE V. 
 KEV. ix. 13-21. 
 
 " And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four 
 horns of the golden altar which is before God, saying to the sixth angel 
 which held the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the 
 great river Euphrates. And the four angels were loosed, which were 
 prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay 
 the third part of men. And the number of the army of the horsemen 
 were two'hundred thousand thousand : and I heard the number of them. 
 And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, 
 having breast plates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone : and the 
 heads of the horses were as the heads- of lions ; and out of their mouths 
 issued fire, and smoke, and brimstone. By these three was the third 
 part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, 
 which issued out of their mouths. For their power is in their mouth, 
 and in their tails : for their tails were like unto serpents, and had 
 heads, and with them they do hurt. And the rest of the men which were 
 not killed by these plagues, yet repented not of the works 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 : Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, 
 nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts." 
 
 Under the sixth seal the Apostle saw the four winds of heaven, 
 held and restrained by four angels, standing on the four corners 
 of the earth. Here under the sixth trumpet, four angels, having 
 at their command an immense army of cavalry, are seen, bound 
 in or at the great river Euphrates, that is, confined and re- 
 strained in the presence of the Greek nation for the great 
 river Euphrates stands for the Greek people being the most 
 considerable people of a foreign language, forming a constituent 
 part of the Roman empire. 
 
 If the breaking loose of the four winds of the earth from the 
 four angels who held them in their power, represents that gene- 
 ral irruption or breaking loose of the barbarians which began in 
 the fifth century, so the loosing of the four angels having at 
 their command an immense army of cavalry, but bound in the 
 presence of the Greek nation, represents that general calamitous
 
 64 - 
 
 irruption of those different tribes or nations called Turks or 
 Turkmans. 
 
 In the tenth century, the empire of the Saracens, broken in- 
 to fragments, began to decline and was succeeded by the empire 
 of the Turks under the Seljukian dynasty. 
 
 The greatness and unity of the first Turkish empire expired 
 in the person of Malek Shah. His vacant throne was disputed 
 by his brother and his four sons, and after a series of civil wars, 
 the treaty which reconciled the surviving candidates, confirmed 
 a lasting separation in the Persian dynasty the eldest and prin- 
 cipal branch of the house of Seljuk. The three younger dynas- 
 ties were those of Kerman, of Syria, and of Rorem. (Gibbon, 
 chap. 57.) About the time that the Turkish empire was thus 
 divided, the Crusades began and the power of the Turks was 
 kept under restraint by those immense armies which Latin Eu- 
 rope poured forth upon Asia, for the purpose of rescuing Jeru- 
 salem and the Holy Land from the Turks. And as the Crusades 
 begun to decline, the Moguls and Tartars from an opposite 
 quarter, under Zengis Khan and his successors, served to keep 
 in check the Turkish powers. When, however, in the thirteenth 
 century, the Crusades of the Latins ceased and the empire of 
 the Moguls lost its unity and vigor, the Turks who were 
 divided and bound in the presence of the Greek nation, were 
 left free to re-establish their empire in unity and vigor, and to 
 assail and exterminate the idolatrous Christians. The ceasing 
 of the Crusades and the decline of the Mogul power, gave free 
 scope to the rise and progress of the Ottoman Turkish empire. 
 Thus the Turks, who were seated in proximity to the Greeks 
 with their power at first divided between four different dynas- 
 ties, were confined and restrained on the one side by the Latin 
 Crusades, and on the other, by the invasions , and power of the 
 Moguls and Tartars, until in the fourteenth century, the Turk- 
 ish empire rose again in renewed unity and vigor under the Ot- 
 toman dynasty. 
 
 These divided Turks represented by the four angels, are
 
 65 
 
 declared to be prepared at an hour and day and month and 
 year, to slay the third part of men. They were ready at any 
 time at a moments warning they were impatient to be let 
 loose upon the Romans, that they might kill and exterminate 
 idolatry from among them. The Turkish leaders were prepared 
 to assail the Romans, the moment that the obstacles in their 
 way were removed and they were left free to pursue the course 
 of conquest. They were ready and eager to execute this covet- 
 ed work, at or for any time any hour or day or month or year 
 they were only waiting for the time which was to free them 
 from restraint. 
 
 The Turks were more impatient and enthusiastic to extermi- 
 nate Christian dogs and idolaters, and they were less tolerant to 
 the religion of the Christians, than were the original Mahome- 
 tans. 
 
 It was not, however, until the Turks, under the Seljukian 
 dynasty, had followed the common law of the Asiatic dynasties 
 and had gone the unceasing round of valour, greatness, discord, 
 degeneracy and decay, that their power was again united under 
 the Ottoman Sultans and found equal to the propagation of their 
 religion by war and conquest. 
 
 These Turks are represented as an immense army of horse- 
 men. And the number of the army of horsemen were two 
 hundred thousand thousand, (two myriads of myriads) and I 
 heard the number of them. When Mahmud, a Turkish Sultan, 
 inquired of one of his chiefs of the race of Seljuk, what supply 
 of men he could furnish for military service, the reply of the 
 chief was : " If you send one of these arrows into our camp, 
 fifty thousand of your servants will mount on horseback." 
 "And if that number" continued Mahmud, " should not be suf- 
 ficient ?" " Send," replies the chief, " this second arrow to the 
 horde of Balik and you will find fifty thousand more." " But," 
 continued the Sultan, "if I should stand in need of the whole 
 force of your kindred tribes ?" " Despatch my bow," was the 
 last reply of the Seljukian chief, " and as it is circulated around,
 
 66 
 
 the summons will be obeyed by two hundred thousand horse." 
 These Seljukian Turks (afterwards collected into an army of 
 conquerors under Toquil, the grandson of Seljuk,) began about 
 the eleventh century, to be formidable to the Greek empire. 
 
 In the middle of the eleventh century, the Greeks were sud- 
 denly assaulted by this unknown race of barbarians, who united 
 the Scythian valour with the fanaticism of new proselytes to 
 Mahommed, and the art and riches of a powerful monarchy. 
 " The myriads/' (says the historian,) " of Turkish horse, over- 
 spread a frontier of six hundred miles from Taurus to Arzeorum, 
 and the blood of thirteen thousand Christians was a grateful 
 sacrifice to the Arabian prophet. Yet the arms of Togrul did 
 not make any deep or lasting impression on the Greek empire. 
 European battles, until the time of Napoleon, were but petty 
 skirmishes if compared to the numbers that have fought and 
 fallen in the battles of Asia. Seven hundred thousand Moguls 
 and Tartars are said to have marched under the standard of Zen- 
 gis and his sons. In certain vast plains of Asia, they were en- 
 countered by the Turkish Sultan, with an army of four hundred 
 thousand soldiers, and in the battle of the first day, there were 
 slain one hundred and sixty thousand on the part of the Turks. 
 Nearly two centuries after Zengis, Tamerlane, another Mogul 
 emperor, encountered the Turkish power under Bajacet. Eight 
 hundred thousand men were enrolled on the military list of 
 Tamerlane, while Bajacet had collected a force of four hundred 
 thousand, horse and foot. 
 
 Verse 17. " And thus I saw the horses in the vision and them 
 that sat on them, having breast-plates of fire and of jacinth and 
 brimstone having their breasts, their human feelings fortified 
 by a persecuting, fanatical and angry spirit. The heads of the 
 horses were as the heads of lions to denote the despotic and 
 fierce character of their dominion. Out of their mouths issued 
 fire and smoke and brimstone. By these three was the third 
 part of men killed by the fire and by the smoke and by the brim- 
 stone which issued out of their mouths they breathed forth a
 
 67 
 
 most destructive spirit of persecution, fanaticism and vindictive- 
 ness. The flame of bitter and angry opposition to idolatry burnt 
 in them with a most fierce and destructive rage, and proved fatal 
 to the religion of those Romans who came in contact with it. 
 The extremely hostile spirit which these Turks breathed towards 
 the conquered Christians, are evinced in the expedients to which 
 they resorted for the purpose of obtaining soldiers. " The con- 
 quered Christian provinces became the perpetual seminary of the 
 Turkish army. At first the royal fifth of the Christian captives 
 was taken for this purpose, and when this number was dimin- 
 ished by the less frequency of conquests, an inhuman tax of the 
 fifth child or of every fifth year, was rigorously levied on the 
 Christian families." At the age of twelve or fourteen years, 
 the most robust youths were torn from their parents, and from 
 that moment, were clothed, taught and maintained for the pub- 
 lic service. The Janizaries, those formidable Turkish soldiers, 
 consisted at first of Christian youths who had been educated in 
 the Turkish religion and arms. Their Turkish education so 
 killed in them all feeling of regard to the religion of their 
 countrymen, that they fought against them with all the zeal of 
 proselytes. Indeed, wherever the Turkish spirit and influence 
 came in contact with Roman Christianity, it proved highly de- 
 structive to the latter. 
 
 These idolatrous Christians were unable to maintain their re- 
 ligion against the perpetual insults of their persecuting, fanatical 
 and incensed victors, nor could they stem that torrent of barba- 
 rism and ignorance which rushed in with the triumphant arms 
 of the Turks and overspread Greece with a fatal rapidity. The 
 Turks did not altogether prohibit the public exercise of the 
 Christian worship, yet such was the deadly influence of their 
 hostility towards it, that many Christians were overcome by it 
 and became converts to the religion of their conquerors. 
 
 And hence, those who retained the possession of Christianity 
 had the mortification of seeing their friends and kindred apos- 
 tatise to Mahomedan imposture.
 
 68 
 
 A large proportion of Christians, by coming in contact with 
 the Turkish religious spirit, and inhaling its influence, so fatal 
 to Roman religious life, died to their former religious profession 
 and sympathies. 
 
 In the 19th verse it is declared of these horses, that their 
 tails were like unto serpents and had heads, and that with them 
 -they do hurt. Their power to kill was in the fire, smoke and 
 brimstone issuing from their mouths, but their power to hurt 
 was in the serpent heads of their tails. Their tails represent 
 them in their character as teachers of imposture. 
 
 The Turks, like the Saracens, falsely taught a revelation from 
 Grod as their authority and warrant for exterminating idolatry 
 by the sword, while at the same time they rightly charged the 
 Greek and Latin Christians with this crime. And it. was this 
 imposture, accompanied with this just charge and the victorious 
 power of the Turks, which, as in the case of the Saracens, so 
 much annoyed these Roman Christians. It must be noticed, 
 that as the old Roman empire had been perpetuated by the 
 Greeks, they thought themselves as much entitled to the name 
 of Romans as were the Latins or western people. 
 
 Verses 20, 21. And the rest of the men which were not 
 killed by these plagues, yet repented not of the works of their 
 hands, that they should not worship devils, (demons or medi- 
 ators,) 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 their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of 
 their fornication, nor of their thefts. 
 
 The evils which the Saracens inflicted upon these Christians, 
 for the declared purpose of chastising them for their idolatrous 
 form of worship, so far from curing them of their idolatry, 
 served only to confirm and harden them in it; so that when the 
 Saracen chastisement was coming to a close, we find that the 
 Romans had succeeded to add to the invocation of departed 
 saints the use of images in their religious worship, and to
 
 69 
 
 establish such idolatrous worship in full public authority and 
 practice. 
 
 Neither did the chastisement inflicted by the Turks have any 
 better influence upon them than that of the Saracens. Hence 
 we find that when the Turkish power began to decline and 
 ceased to be formidable, the Latin Christians had added to 
 the worship of images and of the martyrs, the worship of the 
 elements in the Lord's supper, having, by a general council, 
 established the doctrine of transubstantiation. According to 
 this doctrine, they fall down to the elements in the Lord's sup- 
 per, not merely as being the divinely appointed representatives, 
 but as being by transubstantiation the very body and soul and 
 divinity of Christ. 
 
 It may be observed, that opposing sects or parties, in those 
 matters which are the subjects of contest between each other, 
 invariably run into extremes and become bigotted and fanatical. 
 Such was the effect which the opposition of the Mahomedan 
 party, both under the Saracens and the Turks, had upon the 
 Roman Christian party. Idolatry was the great subject of con- 
 test between the two parties, and on this subject the Christian 
 party was urged into the extreme of madness and folly. The 
 opposition of the Saracens and Turks, so far from bringing them 
 to a sense of their grievous departure from the pure worship of 
 primitive Christianity, and inducing them to repent and return 
 back to the point whence they had strayed, only served to urge 
 them on further in their apostacy. They repented neither of 
 their demon and image worship, nor of their murders in shedding 
 the blood of those whom they called heretics, nor of their sor- 
 ceries or cheats in working miracles, nor of their fornication or 
 licentious practices ; nor of their thefts in those exactions and 
 impositions by which they fraudulently drew immense treasures 
 from the nations. These calamities, inflicted by the Saracens 
 and Turks upon the Greek and Latin Christians, were inflicted 
 upon them for their idolatry. - " As the Greek Churches were 
 
 7
 
 70 
 
 " first in the crime, so they were likewise first in the punish- 
 " ment. At first they were visited by the plague of the Sara- 
 " cens, but this working no change or reformation, they were 
 "again chastised by the still greater plague of the Othmans; 
 " were partly overthrown by the former, but entirely ruined 
 " by the latter. What churches were then remaining which 
 B " were guilty of the like idolatry but the western or those in 
 "communion with Rome? And the western were not at all 
 " reclaimed by the ruin of the eastern, but persisted still in the 
 " worship of saints, and what is more, the worship of images, 
 " which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk ; and the world is 
 " witness to the completion of this prophecy to this day." 
 (Bishop. Newton.) 
 
 The Greek Roman idolatry and despotism still live and flourish 
 among the Russians.
 
 71 
 
 DISCOURSE YI. 
 REV. x. xi. 
 
 "And I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven clothed 
 with a cloud; and a rainbow was upon his head; and his face 
 was as it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire. And he had 
 in his hand a little book open ; and he set his right foot upon the 
 sea and his left foot upon the earth ; and cried with a loud voice, 
 as when a lion roareth ; and when he had cried seven thunders 
 uttered their voices ; and when the seven thunders had uttered their 
 voices I was about to write. And I heard a voice from heaven saying 
 unto me, Seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered and 
 write them not. And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and 
 upon the earth, lifted up his hand to heaven, and sware by him that 
 liveth for ever, who created heaven and the things that therein are, and 
 the earth and the things that therein are, and the sea and the things 
 which are therein, that there should be time no longer. But in the 
 days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound the 
 mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants 
 the prophets. And the voice which I heard from heaven spake unto me 
 again and said, Go take the little book which is open in the hand 
 of the angel which standeth upon the sea and upon the earth. And I 
 went unto the angel and said unto him, Give me the little book. And 
 he said unto me, Take it, and eat it up, and it shall make thy belly 
 bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey. And I took the 
 little book out of the angel's hand and ate it up ; and it was in my 
 mouth sweet as honey ; and as soon as I had eaten it up my belly was 
 bitter. And he said unto me, Thou must prophecy again before many 
 people, and nations, and tongues, and kings." 
 
 Before the seventh seal was opened we were informed by a 
 kind of digression, that the fall of Paganism, as the established 
 religion, would be attended with an apostacy among the pro- 
 fessors of Roman Christianity ; so now here, before the sounding 
 of the seventh trumpet, we have another digression for the pur- 
 pose of giving us additional matter concerning this apostacy, 
 informing us that the men of the apostacy were, during a cer- 
 tain period, to domineer over the worship and polity of the 
 Christian Church ; and that during this period they would not 
 only be annoyed for their idolatry by the Saracens and Turks,
 
 72 
 
 but also by some form of protestation and opposition existing 
 among themselves. Both St. Paul end Daniel have made this 
 apostacy a subject of distinct prediction. Daniel has repeatedly 
 mentioned the period of one thousand two hundred and sixty 
 years, during which it was to prevail an overbearing corporate 
 period. As this apostacy had been so distinctly foretold by 
 Daniel, as well as by St. Paul, it is no doubt for this reason 
 represented in this vision of St. John, as contained in a little 
 book open. 
 
 This little book open is seen in the hand of a mighty angel 
 that had come down from, heaven, with a cloud about him a 
 rainbow above him his face shining as the sun, and his feet 
 like pillars of fire. This angel represents Christ, as we learn 
 from the third verse in the next chapter. The cloud and rain- 
 bow above it represents his fidelity to his word and promise ; the 
 sun his glory and majesty; his feet represent his ways or course 
 of conduct j while the fiery color of his feet intimate that his 
 conduct or ways were now to be of a punitive character. He 
 sets one foot upon the earth or land, that we may understand 
 that the whole population of the earth are subject to his power 
 and judgment. 
 
 And when he cries with a loud voice, as the roaring of a lion, 
 and the voices of seven thunders follow, we are to understand 
 that he is displeased and intends to execute judgment upon those 
 who had apostatised from a pure Christianity. What was the 
 nature of the displeasure, or judgments, or contents, which the 
 seven thunders uttered, we are not informed, for the apostle was 
 commanded by a voice from heaven, " Seal up those things which 
 the seven thunders uttered and write them not." 
 
 The apostle then sees the angel who stands upon the sea and 
 upon the land, lift up his hand to heaven and swear by him that 
 liveth forever and ever, the creator of heaven and earth and sea 
 and all things in them, that the time for putting an end to the 
 apostacy and for finishing the mystery of God should constitute 
 the first part of the period comprehended in the seventh trurn-
 
 73 
 
 pet. It was a subject of wonder to Daniel, that under the dis- 
 pensation of the Messiah, God should allow revealed religion to 
 be corrupted and oppressed for so long a period. The circum- 
 stances of affliction and degradation in which the true religion 
 was to be found during this period, are termed by the prophet 
 Daniel, wonders things strange and mysterious. And he heard 
 an angel standing on the waters of the river and holding up both 
 his hands to heaven, swear by him that liveth forever and ever, 
 that this period of wonders this period of the mystery or 
 strange things of God, should be a period of one thousand two 
 hundred and sixty years, and that the power of the people of 
 God ceasing at the end of this period to be scattered or divided, 
 all the desirous things which God had promised in relation to 
 his kingdom or church, would then be in a course of comple- 
 tion. 
 
 So here Christ in the form of a mighty angel with one foot 
 upon the water and another upon the land, and having in his 
 hand a little open book as relating to the apostacy already made 
 known, raises his hands to heaven and swears by the Creator of 
 all things who liveth forever, that the time that is, the predicted 
 one thousand two hundred and sixty years of the apostacy, 
 should expire before the seventh angel began to sound, and that 
 as soon as this angel began to sound, should begin the judgment 
 of God for the extermination of the apostacy, and for the intro- 
 duction of a glorious period of blessedness, as he had promised 
 to his servants the prophets. 
 
 As this strange, domineering apostacy of one thousand two 
 hundred and sixty years had before been made known and was 
 contained in the Sacred Scriptures, this is the reason why the 
 little book as containing this knowledge is represented to be open 
 not sealed. And if we suppose this little open book to be 
 symbolic of knowledge before published concerning a tyrannical 
 apostacy of one thousand two hundred and sixty years and a 
 subsequent period of blessedness, we may understand why the 
 
 7*
 
 74 
 
 angel should lift up his hand with this book in it and swear as 
 he did, concerning the certainty of the ending of these one 
 thousand two hundred and sixty years and the' finishing of the 
 mystery of God. 
 
 And further supposing that this little open book was symbolic 
 of previous revelations concerning this long, deplorable period 
 of the apostacy, we may perceive the meaning and force of the 
 following circumstances related by the apostle in reference to 
 himself. He was commanded by a voice from heaven to take 
 the book out of the hand of the angel and to eat it up, and 
 while eating it, it was in his mouth sweet as honey, but as soon 
 as he had eaten it his stomach became bitter. 
 
 It was pleasant as an object of curiosity to know and under- 
 stand rightly what God had foretold by his prophets in relation 
 to the future history of true religion, but if this knowledge was 
 pleasant as it was entering into the mind, it had a contrary effect 
 after it had once entered. It was a bitter reflection that for so 
 long a period the religion of heaven should be in the hands of 
 its perverse corrupters, while those who professed and main- 
 tained it in its primitive simplicity, should be objects of perse- 
 cution and oppression. This indeed, was bitter knowledge to 
 those who lived thousands of years ago, but it need not be so 
 bitter to us who know that the greater part of this deplorable 
 period has passed away. 
 
 After the apostle had eaten the little book and found it bitter 
 to digest, the angel who had given him the little book, after 
 telling him that he, the apostle, must yet prophecy before or 
 concerning many people and nations and tongues and kings, pro- 
 ceeds to give him more particular information concerning these 
 bitter things this deplorable period. And this information we 
 have in the next chapter. 
 
 Rev. xi., 12. "And there was given me a reed like unto a 
 rod, and the angel stood, saying, rise and measure the temple of 
 God and the altar and them that worship therein. But the
 
 75 
 
 court which is without the temple leave out and measure it not, 
 for it is given unto the gentiles, and the holy city shall they 
 tread under foot forty and two months." 
 
 The temple and the altar and them that worship therein, re- 
 present internal worship and worshippers, while the court with- 
 out the temple represents external worship. 
 
 The temple and the altar and the worshippers therein are 
 measured, to signify that the worship and character of these 
 internal worshippers would correspond with the internal or 
 spiritual worship prescribed by the word and commandments of 
 God, and bear measurement or inspection accordingly. The 
 court without is left out and not measured, being given to the 
 Gentiles, to signify that the external worship of the Church 
 would not bear the measurement or inspection of the word and 
 commandment of God and would be in the power and possession 
 of idolaters who are here termed Gentiles or heathen. And not 
 only is the outer court to them, but the holy city they are to 
 tread under foot for a given time. The holy city with its streets, 
 represents ecclesiastical polity with its laws and ordinances. 
 The polity of the Christian church will be in the possession of 
 these idolaters and subject to their degrading rule and control 
 for the time specified forty-two months of years that is, one 
 thousand two hundred and sixty years, and during this period 
 there is to be a succession of extraordinary teachers to protest 
 against the worship and innovations of these idolatrous Chris- 
 tians. 
 
 Verses 3 and 4. " And I will give power unto my two wit- 
 nesses, and they shall prophecy a thousand two hundred and 
 three score days, clothed in sackcloth." These are the two 
 olive trees and the two candlesticks, standing before the God of 
 the earth, (Judea the holy land.) 
 
 In the time of Ahab the great majority of the ten tribes had 
 fallen away into an idolatrous worship, yet there was a small 
 minority or remnant of seven thousand men who had not bowed 
 the knee to the image of Baal, and besides this minority, there
 
 76 
 
 was also a prophet left who protested against the prevailing idol- 
 atry namely, Elijah, the Tishbite, the Reformer. So, under the 
 apostacy of the Roman Christians, there is left a small remnant 
 or minority of one hundred and forty-four thousand of pure 
 worshippers, with two prophets, to protest or witness for Christ, 
 against those "who had fallen away from him, by invoking other 
 mediators beside himself. 
 
 Under the old dispensation, when the majority of the nation 
 had gone astray from the authorized worship of God, there 
 appeared extraordinary teachers called prophets, who made it 
 their business to reclaim their countrymen from their idolatry. 
 The priests were the regular teachers and ministers while the 
 prophetic office was intended for peculiar occasions and purposes. 
 Their office was not confined to the prediction of future events, 
 it was their province to instruct the people in the word of God 
 and especially to expose their departures from it, and to reclaim 
 and reform them. They were the bulwarks of the old religion 
 against the innovations and tyranny of the civil magistrate, as 
 well as against the corruption and idolatry of the priests and 
 people. Their office was that of protestants and reformers. By 
 these prophets God had protested unto the nation of Israel from 
 the time of their deliverance from Egypt rising up early and 
 protesting, saying obey my voice. (JER. ii. 7.) The prophets 
 were the witnesses -of God in this sense, that they faithfully 
 declared His displeasure and threatenings against the impiety 
 and idolatry of their countrymen. And hence it was necessary, 
 that they should be men of a bold and courageous spirit, who 
 would cry aloud and spare not ; who would lift up their voice 
 like a trumpet and shew the people their transgressions and the 
 house of Jacob their sins. 
 
 Behold, says God to the prophet Ezekiel, I have made thy 
 face strong against their faces and thy forehead strong against 
 their forehead. As an adamant harder than flint have I made 
 thy forehead, fear them not, neither be dismayed at their looks, 
 though they be a rebellious house.
 
 77 
 
 After the separation of the ten tribes, (in the reign of Reho- 
 boam,) from the two tribes of Judah and Benjamin, there was 
 a succession of prophets kept up in each of these two kingdoms ; 
 one in the kingdom of Judah, and another in the kingdom of 
 Israel. 
 
 According to this prediction of St. John, there is something 
 corresponding to these two successions of protestors and re- 
 formers, to occur in the Christian Church during the long 
 apostacy under consideration. 
 
 The two witnesses of Christ the two protestant teachers of 
 Christianity, evidently signify, there would be in the Christian 
 Church, a succession of bold and courageous spirits, who would 
 protest against the prevailing apostacy, and preach up the 
 necessity of reformation. 
 
 This succession of men is represented to be two-fold, because 
 their testimony will be two-fold; they will set forth the revela- 
 tion and protestation of God against the idolatrous innovators, 
 both under the law and under the gospel. Both the law and 
 the gospel reveal Christ as the only mediator, the only inter- 
 cessor, who, by his sacrifice and merits, can secure favour for 
 us in heaven. One great error of the ancient heathen nations, 
 was, that they had a great number of deceased men, whom they 
 invoked for their influence and aid, under the notion, that they 
 had, after their death, been promoted to the office of mediators 
 or intercessors between men and the celestial gods. The testi- 
 mony of God concerning Christ, both under the law and under 
 the gospel, is that there is only one such mediator between God 
 and men the man Christ Jesus. And it is this testimony 
 this protestation of God, which these teachers will expose and 
 hold up during the apostacy. Hence they are compared to the 
 two olive trees and the two candlesticks, standing before the 
 God of the earth or of the holy land. 
 
 The prophet Zechariah, who, like St. John, was once in a 
 vision, commanded to measure the temple, also speaks of two
 
 78 
 
 olive trees emptying their oil into a golden candlestick with 
 seven lamps. 
 
 A candlestick with seven lamps was a part of the furniture 
 of the tabernacle or temple. This candlestick was placed in 
 the holy place or outer sanctuary, and was to be kept burning 
 during the night. 
 
 When Zechariah asked the meaning of these two olive trees, 
 he was answered, these are the two anointed ones or sons of 
 oil. The oil i the symbol of divinely revealed truth or know- 
 ledge. When the knowledge is published and diffused, it 
 becomes light. The meaning, therefore, is that the teachers 
 whom these two prophets represent, will not only possess among 
 themselves, divinely revealed knowledge, but that they will 
 also hold it up to notice, and diffuse and publish it. They are 
 said to stand by, or near to the God of the earth like the can- 
 dlestick of the temple stood near to the mercy seat of God, and 
 by its light showed the way of access to the place of mercy. 
 So these two prophets will serve to hold up and diffuse divinely 
 revealed knowledge, concerning the way of approaching God, 
 for the purpose of obtaining pardon and grace, and finding help 
 in time of need, through the blood and merits of an only 
 mediator the man Christ Jesus. They prophecy in sackcloth 
 during these twelve hundred and sixty years, and this habit of 
 mourning and humiliation, is intended to indicate the grievous 
 apostacy of professed Christians, and the deplorable state of the 
 Christian Church during the period of their protestant teaching. 
 
 Verse 5. " And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth 
 out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies : and if any 
 man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed." 
 
 We are to understand these words in the same sense in which 
 we understand the prediction of Isaiah, concerning the preaching 
 of our Blessed Lord that he should slay the wicked with the 
 breath of his lips, or as St. Paul has it, consume them with the 
 spirit (doctrine) of his mouth that is, he would slay and con-
 
 79 
 
 sume them intellectually, by the force of truth that he would 
 speak with a wisdom and spirit, which his enemies would not be 
 able to resist. And it is in this sense that these two prophets 
 will slay and consume their enemies by the fire or spirit of their 
 mouth. The divinely revealed truth which they will preach 
 and publish, will serve like fire to destroy and consume all 
 opposing argument and discourse. The truth proceeding from 
 their mouth, when it comes in contact with the minds of 
 opposers, and is understood and felt by them in its power and 
 influence, will expose their error, and deaden and destroy in 
 them the spirit of opposition. It is impossible, that those 
 Christians who have departed from a pure worship into idola- 
 trous innovations, should continue their confidence in those 
 innovations, when they are once brought to see and understand 
 the truth concerning them, as it is exposed in holy scripture, 
 unless their minds have become reprobate by party mania. 
 
 Verse 6. " These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not 
 in the days of their prophecy : and have power over waters to 
 turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues as 
 often as they will." 
 
 We must understand these words as we do the words of God 
 to the prophet Jeremiah, when he gave him his prophetic com- 
 mission. " See, I have this day set thee over the nations and 
 over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, 
 and to throw down, and to build, and to plant." Jeremiah, in 
 these words, was merely authorized to foretell or declare, the 
 putting down and setting up, the downfall and use of these 
 nations and kingdoms. He was to have no other agency in 
 these events than in foretelling them. So when Ezekiel speaks 
 of his being sent to destroy Jerusalem, he means his mission to 
 prophecy that the city should be destroyed. When Christ gave 
 his apostles authority to remit sins, the words mean no more 
 than he gave them official authority to declare and pronounce 
 sin remitted, according to the terms of the gospel. Thus these 
 witnesses have power to declare and foretell the shutting of
 
 80 
 
 heaven, that it rain not during the days (twelve hundred and 
 sixty,) of their prophecy. As in the days of Elijah, there was 
 a dearth of three and a-half years or twelve hundred and sixty 
 days, so during these twelve hundred and sixty years, the Roman 
 Christians will suffer under the effects of a moral dearth. My 
 doctrine, says Moses, shall drop as the rain, my speech shall 
 distil as the dew as the small rain upon the tender herb, and 
 as the showers upon the grass. The doctrine of Christ (the 
 living water,) will become scarce in these days for the want of 
 being published and diffused by discourse, so that it will not be 
 until after these days, that the knowledge of the Lord will 
 descend in copious showers, and becoming diffused by discourses 
 or preaching, cover the earth as the waters cover the sea. 
 These witnesses will expose and hold up to notice, the divine 
 prediction, concerning this long moral dearth. They have also 
 power to declare or foretell the turning of the waters into 
 blood that is, it will be a part of their mission, to publish that 
 the nations in communion with the Romans, are destined to 
 turn against them, and that they, the Romans, are to be smitten 
 with all plagues, and these prophets are to exercise this power 
 of declaring and foretelling these things, as often as they will 
 that is, as often as their zeal for the cause of Christ and revealed 
 truth should stir them up to energy and action. 
 
 Verse 7th. " And when they shall have finished their testi- 
 mony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit, shall 
 make war against them, and shall overcome them and kill 
 them." 
 
 The beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit, (more 
 literally out of the abyss or deep,) is here merely noticed, and 
 is left to be more fully described in a subsequent vision. The 
 beast represents, (as we shall show hereafter,) the corporation 
 or body of men, which we may term the Latin Catholic Corpora- 
 tion or Church, as distinguished from the Greek Catholic Cor- 
 poration or Church. This corporation of men will enter into a 
 war of controversy with these two witnesses, and in this war or
 
 81 
 
 controversy, will succeed in overcoming them, and killing them. 
 Whether these two witnesses represent a succession of protestant 
 Christian teachers, or a succession of Christian communities 
 protesting publicly against the errors of the Roman Catholic 
 Church, the overcoming and killing them, represent the tem- 
 porary suspension of protestant public teaching. If we should 
 say, that this corporation will succeed in extinguishing the pro- 
 testant public spirit in the Roman world, rendering it dead and 
 inactive for a time, we should express the true meaning of the 
 words of St. John. 
 
 Verse 8th. "And their dead bodies shall lie in the streets 
 of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, 
 where also our Lord was crucified." 
 
 The great city, here means Rome-, and (to conceal the name,) 
 is elsewhere in the book, called Babylon. Babylon means 
 Rome, in a mystical or concealed sense. Rome is here called, 
 spiritually, or in the scriptural use and sense of the words, 
 Sodom on account of her loose morals. Egypt, on account 
 of her cruel persecution and oppression of the people of God ; 
 and Jerusalem, that crucified Christ, because while professing 
 the true religion, there is found in her the blood of saints and 
 prophets. The city means Rome, in respect to its great polity. 
 The street of this great city, means some law of Roman polity ; 
 a path or way, signifies in scripture, a precept, or commandment, 
 or law. One of the mbst ancient laws of Rome, as quoted by 
 Cicero, (de Leg. ii. 8,) declared that no man shall have separate 
 gods for himself, and no man shall worship by himself, new or 
 foreign gods, unless they have been publicly acknowledged by 
 the laws of the state. According to the Roman Jurist, Julius 
 Paulus, (B. v. tit. 21,) it was a leading principle of Roman 
 law, that those who introduced new religions, or such as were 
 unknown in their tendency and nature, by which the minds of 
 men might be agitated, were degraded, if they belonged to the 
 higher ranks, and if they were in a lower state, were punished 
 with death. From Levi, we learn, that in the early ages of the
 
 82 
 
 republic, the magistrates were empowered to prevent all foreign 
 worship to expel its ministers from the forum, the circus, and 
 the city, to search for, and burn the religious books, and to 
 abolish every form of sacrifice, except the national and estab- 
 lished form. The Christian emperors, as early as Honorius, 
 acted on this principle of Roman polity. In the reign of 
 Honorius, Jovinian, for exposing the errors and superstitions 
 of monasticism, was condemned by a council at Milan, and 
 after his condemnation, the emperor issued the following ordi- 
 nance. The complaint of some bishops, mentions as a griev- 
 ance, that Jovinian assembles sacrilegious meetings without the 
 walls of the most holy city. Wherefore, we ordain, that the 
 above mentioned, be seized and whipped, together with his 
 abettors and attendants, and confined to some place of banish- 
 ment, and that the machinator himself, be immediately sent 
 away to the island of Boa. 
 
 According to the law of Moses if a person was found killed 
 or dead, the nearest city to the dead body was held responsible 
 for the murder. Hence the dead bodies of these murdered pro- 
 phets lie in the streets of the great city, in order to signify that 
 the extinction of the public spirit of the protestants and refor- 
 mers, will be laid to the account of some law or principle of Ro- 
 man polity, and perhaps to that law or principle which as quoted 
 above, forbids all right of private judgment in matters of reli- 
 gion, and visits all opposition to the established worship with 
 penal inflictions. By whatever means the extinction of the 
 Protestant, and reforming public spirit may be brought about, 
 it is certain that the extinction itself will be something, which 
 has never yet occurred during the apostacy. In the next verses 
 we have an account of the manner in which the dead bodies of 
 these prophets were treated, and of the joy which their death 
 occasioned among their enemies. 
 
 Verse 9. " And they of the people and kindred, and tongues 
 and nations, shall see their dead bodies three days and a half, 
 and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves." They
 
 83 
 
 of the gentiles, they of idolatrous or false religions in the Ro- 
 man world, will now regard and treat the dead form or profession 
 of protestantism, with utter contempt, and the Roman Christians 
 will rejoice over the extinction of its spirit. Verse'10. And 
 they that dwell upon the earth, (the holy land,) shall rejoice 
 over them and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another j 
 because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt upon the 
 earth, (holy land.) Protestantism as well as Mahomedanism, have 
 much tormented, hurt, and annoyed the professors of Roman 
 Christianity, and we may well suppose that when they shall find 
 protestantism in its public spirit to be dead, they will regard its 
 death as a most joyful and happy event. Their rejoicing how- 
 ever will be of short duration. 
 
 Verse 11-12. " And after three days and a half, the spirit of 
 life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet 
 and great fear fell upon them which saw them. And they 
 heard a great voice from heaven, saying unto them, come up 
 hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud, and their 
 enemies beheld them." For three years and a half the profes- 
 sion of protestantism will lie without life and vigour, but at the 
 end of this period it will become in some extraordinary manner 
 animated by a new spirit, and assume again an erect position, 
 and then protestantism both in spirit, and in profession, is to as- 
 cend to a high position of influence and honour in the world. 
 They who witness for the truth as it is in Christ, against those 
 who have apostatized into an idolatrous form of Christianity, 
 are destined in the end to triumph over their enemies ; and their 
 profession and spirit to be held in the highest respect, and to 
 exercise the highest kind of authority and influence on the 
 minds of men. 
 
 An earthquake or shaking takes place cotemporaneou sly with 
 the ascension of these martyrs into heaven. 
 
 Verse 13. " And the same hour was there a great earthquake, 
 and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were
 
 84 
 
 slain of men, (or names of men,) seven thousand; and the 
 remnants were affrighted and gave glory to the God of heaven." 
 This shaking signifies a political agitation or convulsion the 
 fall of the tenth part of the city, portends that in this convul- 
 sion, an important part of Roman polity will be abolished ; the 
 slaying by the earthquake, of seven thousand names of men 
 or men of name, signifies that in this partial abolition or de- 
 struction of Roman polity, Home will lose the active sympathy 
 and aid of a great number of men, or worshippers of eminence 
 and influence. These men will lose the spirit of Romans they 
 will cease to sympathize with the Roman party. We read that 
 the remnant of the men of name, who were not killed by the 
 earthquake, were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of 
 heaven. The remnant of the men of eminence and influence, 
 who still maintained their Roman spirit and sympathy, and do 
 not abandon the party, are induced, while under the impulse 
 of fright, to acknowledge the justice of divine providence in the 
 symbolical earthquake and its effects, and as thus just, render 
 honour to God accordingly. 
 
 We perceive, that the second woe includes not only the evil 
 inflicted by the Turkish Mahomedans, but also some evil of an 
 internal nature and source, in some way connected with pro- 
 testantism. 
 
 The spirit and profession of protestantism, both in Christian 
 teachers and in Christian communities, have existed for many 
 centuries. Gibbon, in speaking of the sect who were called the 
 disciples of St. Paul, or Paulicians, and who arose in the seventh 
 century, says, "that- the invincible spirit which they had kindled, 
 continued to live and breathe, down to modern times. In the 
 State, in the Church, and even in the cloister, a latent succes- 
 sion was preserved of the disciples of St. Paul, who protested 
 against the tyranny of Rome, embraced the Bible as the rule 
 of faith, and purified their creed from all the visions of Gnostic 
 theology. The struggles of Wickliff in England, and of Huss
 
 85 
 
 in Bohemia, were premature and ineffectual ; but the names of 
 Zuinglius, Luther, and Calvin, are pronounced with gratitude, 
 as the deliverers of nations." 
 
 As early as the fifth century, in the very beginning of the 
 apostacy, when the corruptions of Christianity had not yet sub- 
 sided into habit, we read of a Spanish presbyter, Vigilantius, 
 a man of learning, who raised a voice of protestation against the 
 prayers addressed to departed saints, and to the extravagant 
 honours and worship which were rendered to the martyrs. 
 
 Claudius, Bishop of Turin, who was by birth a Spaniard, has 
 been termed the Protestant of the ninth century. He vigor- 
 ously opposed the worship of images, and of the wood of the 
 cross. " Wherefore, says he, do they not adore chaplets of 
 thorns, because Christ was crowned with thorns ; or cradles, 
 linen, or boats, because he made use of them ; or spears, be- 
 cause he was pierced with that weapon ? or why they do not 
 fall down to the image of an ass, because he rode on that animal. 
 Christ Jesus did not command us to worship the cross, but to 
 bear it to renounce the worW and ourselves." While the 
 Mahomedans, both Saracens and Turks, from the eighth cen- 
 tury down, have annoyed Roman Christians, both Greeks and 
 Latins, there have not been wanting in every age, some few 
 faithful Christians, who dissenting from the majority, have 
 protested against their idolatrous innovations. In the eighth 
 century, under the Greek emperors, there was a general and 
 zealous effort made, to reform the Christian Church in the 
 Roman world of idolatrous innovations and practices but the 
 effort failed, and served only to render Roman Christians more 
 confirmed and determined in their idolatry and errors. And 
 such has been the effect of all protestant and reforming efforts 
 made since. The victory has been with the idolaters, and they 
 are destined to overcome their opposers in a more remarkable 
 manner than they have ever yet done. Like in the reign of 
 Dioclesian, the idolatrous party will make one more desperate, 
 and for a time, more successful effort against a protestant Chris- 
 
 8*
 
 86 
 
 tianity, than they have yet done. And this persecution will be 
 the final one, and will end like that of Dioclesian, in the com- 
 plete triumph of the persecuted, for it will be quickly followed 
 with the reign of Christ, in judgment upon these idolatrous 
 Christians,' and in the subsequent universal prevalence of his 
 authority and religion. This triumph of protestantism, will end 
 the twelve hundred and sixty years, and the second woe. 
 
 " And the second woe is past ; and behold, the third woe 
 cometh quickly." 
 
 " And the seventh angel sounded ; and there were great 
 voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world, are be- 
 come the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ ; and he 
 shall reign for ever and ever. And the four and twenty elders, 
 which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and 
 worshipped God, saying, We give thee thanks, Lord God 
 Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou 
 hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned. And 
 the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time 
 of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest 
 give reward to thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and 
 them that fear thy name, small and great ; and shouldest destroy 
 them that destroy the earth." - 
 
 The period included in the seventh trumpet, reaches from the 
 beginning of the third woe, down beyond the general resurrec- 
 tion and general judgment, to the introduction of a new heaven 
 and earth, from which sin and death are to be excluded. This 
 period of the seventh trumpet consists of several parts, the first 
 comprehends the third woe ; the second, the long reign of 
 Christianity, commonly called the millenium, as consisting of a 
 thousand years ; third, the escape of infidel power and opposi- 
 tion from their long millenial restraint; while the fourth divi- 
 sion, comprehends the general resurrection and judgment, 
 followed with the everlasting state and kingdom of glory. The 
 kingdom or reign of the Lord and his Christ, commences with 
 the sounding of the seventh trumpet, but it commences in judg-
 
 87 
 
 merit, in the infliction of the third woe. The third woe, how- 
 ever, is not described, until we are prepared for the description 
 by the communication of further information, concerning certain 
 events, and especially concerning the beast that was to ascend 
 out of the abyss or deep, and overcome, and slay the two 
 witnesses. 
 
 DISCOURSE VII. 
 REV. xi. 19; xii. 1 6. 
 
 "And the temple of God was opened in the heaven, and there was 
 seen in his temple the ark of his testament; nnd there were lightnings, 
 and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake and great hail. 
 
 "And there appeared a great wonder in heaven ; a woman clothed 
 with the sun and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown 
 of twelve stars ; and she, being with child, cried,- travailing in birth and 
 pained to be delivered. 
 
 "And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold, a great 
 red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon 
 his head ; and his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven and 
 did cast them to the earth; and the dragon stood before the woman 
 which was ready to be delivered for to devour her child as soon as it 
 was born. And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all 
 nations with a rod of iron ; and her child was caught up unto God and 
 to his throne ; and the woman fled unto the wilderness, where she hath 
 a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand 
 two hundred and three score years. 
 
 The last verse of the eleventh chapter ought to begin the 
 twelfth chapter. The opening of the temple or inner sanctuary 
 in heaven ; the exposing of the ark of the testament, which had 
 its residence there, and the lightings, and voices, and thunder- 
 ings, and earthquake, and great hail, intimate that the revelation 
 or vision about to be communicated, was of an extraordinary 
 character; exposing to notice judgments of God unsearchable, 
 and ways of God past finding out. Similar circumstances of a 
 terrific nature occurred on the earth and in the elements at the 
 revelation and giving of the law at Mount Sinai. Heaven, or
 
 the high- place on which the temple is situated, represents the 
 government or place of power and authority in the Roman 
 world the throne of God in the temple represents the place of 
 supreme sovereign authority. They who dwell in heaven, or 
 have a place there, represent those who have office or authority 
 in the government; while those who dwell on the earth repre- 
 sent those without office and authority the governed as dis- 
 tinguished from the governing. The exposure of the ark seems 
 intended to intimate an exposure of the judgments and ways of 
 Divine providence in matters of a sacred or religious nature. 
 Accordingly in the new scene which opens to the vision of the 
 apostle, we have first presented to us a symbolic representation 
 of the history of Christianity, and Paganism particularly, in 
 their corporate capacities, and in their conflict with each other, 
 from the beginning of the Christian corporation at Jerusalem, 
 under the government and teaching of the twelve apostles down 
 to its obscure and desolate condition during the one thousand 
 two hundred and sixty years of the apostacy. This history of 
 the conflict between Christianity and Paganism, in their cor. 
 porate capacities, is given us under signs or symbols, which are 
 peculiarly striking when they are rightly understood. 
 
 And there appeared a great wonder (sign, symbol) in heaven ; 
 a woman clothed with the sun and the moon under her feet, and 
 upon her head a crown of twelve stars. 
 
 The woman is the symbol of Jerusalem or the Christian 
 Church, (catholic,) considered as a body corporate and politic. 
 Christianity, in its church or corporate character, began in the 
 city of Jerusalem. 
 
 This corporation was at first under the chief government and 
 teaching of the twelve apostles, and this is the reason why the 
 woman has on her head a crown of twelve stars. 
 
 The sun with which she is clothed, is the revelation of Christ, 
 and the moon which is under her feet, is the revelation of Moses 
 the one being a brighter revelation than the other, as the sun
 
 89 
 
 is brighter than the moon; and the one borrowing its light from 
 the other, as the moon borroweth its light from the sun. 
 
 How comparatively obscure would be the meaning of Jewish 
 sacrifices without the light of Christianity to expose that mean- 
 ing. Before the Christian revelation, the Church had only the 
 light of the moon the sun had not yet risen but was below the 
 horizon. The Church then knew that the light which she pos- 
 sessed was borrowed or reflected light, yet she was expecting 
 the time when the true light, which lighteth every man coming 
 into the world, would appear above the horizon. The Christian 
 revelation is not only a brighter light than the revelation of 
 Moses, but it is the original light, of which the latter is but the 
 moonlight reflection. Now when the sun, the original light, 
 appeared above the horizon, the moon became of little use in 
 giving light, and she lost her importance and her glory by 
 reason of the superior glory of the sun. As soon as the sun, 
 the light of the gospel, appears above the horizon, the moon, 
 the light of Moses, sinks into inferiority. As soon as the 
 Church is clothed with the sun, the moon assumes a position 
 beneath her feet. Thus the woman with a crown of twelve 
 stars on her head, with the sun about her person and the moon 
 under her feet, is beautifully symbolic of the Christian (catholic) 
 Church, under the original oversight of the twelve apostles, en- 
 veloped in the glorious light of the gospel revelation, and placed 
 above the necessity of the moonlight of Jewish rites and sacri- 
 fices. The Church makes her appearance in heaven, or the 
 place of power in the government, where, (verse 2,) being with 
 child, she cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered. 
 Here the Christian Church is represented as a mother bearing 
 children. It is also represented by the prophet Isaiah, (chap, 
 liv. 1, 3,) Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear; break forth 
 into singing thou that didst not travail with child. Thou shalt 
 break forth on the right hand and on the left, and thy seed shall 
 inherit the Gentiles. (Isaiah, Ivi. 7, 8 ;) Before she travailed, 
 she brought forth ; before her pain came she was delivered of a
 
 90 
 
 man child. As soon as Zion travailed she brought forth her 
 children. Individual members are the seed or children of this 
 corporation, while Christ is the husband. The pains of travail 
 under which the woman suffered, represent the painful condi- 
 tion of the Cristian Church while she was about to add a Ro- 
 man emperor to the number of her children. 
 
 In the next verse we have another wonder, or symbol, which 
 makes its appearance in heaven, in the celestial temple. This 
 was a great red (fiery colored) dragon, having seven heads and 
 ten horns, and seven crowns upon his head, and his tail drew 
 the third part of the stars of heaven and did cast them to the 
 earth. The dragon represents the established religion as a cor- 
 poration the pagan body or party whose religion was a con- 
 stituent part of the State. The seven heads represent the seven 
 different forms of government by which this body, in the course 
 of its history, was successively ruled. These heads are more 
 particularly spoken of in the seventeenth chapter. It will 
 merely here be necessary to anticipate that the last form of the 
 pagan government was that new autocrat imperial form which 
 was instituted by Dioclesian, and perfected by Constantine and 
 his successors. The ten horns, as we learn in the seventeenth 
 chapter, represent the ten cotemporaneous States, or powers, 
 which were to spring up in this body of men. 
 
 The red or fiery color of the dragon, is emblematic of a 
 vindictive and sanguinary character. The tail of the dragon 
 represents the fanatical teachers and priests of the pagan party ; 
 while the third part of the stars of heaven represent Christian 
 teachers as constituting an important portion of eminent teachers 
 in the Roman world. 
 
 These stars are drawn along at the tail of the dragon and 
 dashed about on the ground, in order to represent the degrading 
 and violent treatment which many Christian bishops and teachers 
 received at the hands of the fanatical portion of the pagan party 
 under the pagan emperors. 
 
 Whenever the pagan party was aroused by its fanatical
 
 01 
 
 priests and advocates to enmity and opposition to Christianity, 
 the bishops and eminent Christian teachers were generally the 
 principal objects against whom pagan enmity and opposition 
 were directed. 
 
 It was supposed by the pagan opposers and persecutors, that 
 if they could remove the teachers and pastors, and especially 
 the bishops, from their flocks, they would have less difficulty in 
 crushing the Christian religion. The bishops and teachers were 
 the especial objects of hatred and persecution, because they were 
 constantly inflaming the zeal of their flocks for the Christian 
 faith. 
 
 The fourth and fifth verses. And the dragon stood before 
 the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her 
 child as soon as it was born. And she brought forth a man 
 child, (a son, a man,) who was to rule all nations with a rod of 
 iron, and her child was caught up to God and to his throne. 
 As the man of sin the one above law, who, according to the 
 apostle, was to have his seat or throne in the temple or Church 
 of God, and exalt himself above all human dignity and au- 
 thority, evidently signifies a ruler or succession of rulers. We 
 may attach a similar signification to the son of man, or man 
 child, whom the woman was about to bring forth, especially as 
 it is declared of him, that he was to rule all nations with a rod 
 of iron. The son, a man, must therefore represent a Christian 
 ruler or emperor, governing the pagan communities with an 
 iron rule. 
 
 This man child was born into the Roman world when Con- 
 stantine first succeeding to a joint participation in the imperial 
 office and dignity, professed himself the protector and advocate 
 of Christianity ; and the man child was caught up to God and 
 his throne when the whole of the imperial office came into the 
 possession of Constantine and his successors. According to St. 
 Paul, there is no power but of God the powers that be, are 
 ordained of God. In this sense the imperial throne was the 
 throne of God. The pagan party is represented as prepared and
 
 92 
 
 on the alert to crust and destroy imperial Christianity at its 
 birth. Constantino, escaping from the power of the pagan em- 
 perors and persecutors, succeeded to the imperial office in the 
 western part of the empire, and it was through much opposition 
 from the pagan party and emperors, that he finally succeeded to 
 the undivided imperial office. 
 
 As soon, however, as the imperial throne came to be occupied 
 by a professed protector and advocate of the Christian Church, 
 then begins the period of the woman's flight from heaven into 
 the wilderness, into a place prepared of God, that they should 
 feed her there a thousand two hundred and three score days. 
 This language signifies, that after the establishment of an advo- 
 cate and protector on the imperial throne, the Christian Church, 
 as a corporation, obedient to the apostolic teaching and authority, 
 and diffusing the light of the gospel, would begin to retire from 
 the immediate notice of those in power, and be driven into an 
 obscure and forlorn condition ; that she would exist in this con- 
 dition during a period of one thousand two hundred and sixty 
 years; that during this period she would be distinguished neither 
 for number nor consideration. 
 
 While, however, the Church (the Christian body politic) is in 
 this transition state and period, from a high to an obscure posi- 
 tion in the Roman world, there is carried on a contest among 
 those in power. In this contest, the friends of Christianity 
 endeavour to cast the pagan party and its advocates out of 
 their place of authority. 
 
 Verses six to nine. And there was war in heaven. Michael 
 and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon fought 
 and his angels, and prevailed not ; neither was their place found 
 any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that 
 old serpent, called the devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the 
 whole world; he was cast out and his angels were cast out with 
 him. 
 
 After the imperial office had been gained to the side of Chris-
 
 93 
 
 tianity, the party in the government on the side of Christianity 
 began a contest with the pagan party and its advocates to drive 
 them from power. And this contest continued for more than 
 half of a century. The woman leaves heaven, or the high place 
 on which the temple stands before the war commenced there, 
 and at the end of the war she is found upon the earth. 
 
 The war is not between the woman and the dragon, but be- 
 tween Michael and the dragon, each supported by their respect- 
 ive angels. Christianity as a church or corporation, depended 
 to a certain extent upon the civil or secular government for pro- 
 tection. She bears not the sword, but looks to the state or secu- 
 lar authority to protect her in her corporate rights. The use of 
 the sword or of weapons of war is not more unsuitable to the 
 gentle nature of woman, than it is to that of the Christian 
 church. The weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but spi- 
 ritual. 
 
 Concerning Michael, we learn from the prophet Daniel, that 
 he stands for the children of God's people or church, and uses 
 his power with secular kings and governments, in order to pro- 
 tect and maintain their cause. 
 
 We may therefore make Michael here, to represent, not the 
 Christian church, but the imperial power taking the side of 
 Christianity. The imperial power and those who side with it, 
 succeed in overcoming the pagan party and its advocates and 
 expelling them so effectually from the government, that their 
 place therein was not found any .more, an4 the pagan corpora- 
 tion and religion ceased to be a constituent part of the state, 
 and lost the aid and patronage of the secular power. 
 
 This great and ancient corporation had so much calumniated 
 and opposed the true religion, that it is called the devil and 
 Satan, that is, the calumniator or liar and the opposer or enemy. 
 It had been also, wonderfully successful in deluding the great 
 mass of the people of the empire, working after this manner of 
 Satan, with falsehood and fictitious privileges, with all power 
 and signs and wonders of falsehood, and with all the deception 
 
 9
 
 94 
 
 of dishonesty. But it was now degraded from power and place 
 into a state of subjection and submission. 
 
 " It is very remarkable, that Constantino and the Christians 
 " of his time describe his victory over the Pagan party, under 
 " the same image that we find here in St. John, as if they had 
 " understood that this prdphecy had received . its accomplish- 
 " ment in him/' 
 
 " Constantino himself, in his epistle to Eusebius and other 
 " bishops, concerning the re-edifying and repairing of churches, 
 " saith that liberty being now restored and the dragon being 
 tl removed from the administration of public affairs .by the pro- 
 " vidence of the great God, and by my ministry, I esteem the 
 " great power of God to have been made manifest even to all." 
 Moreover, a picture of Constantine was set up over the palace 
 gate with the cross over his head, and under his feet the great 
 enemy of mankind who persecuted the church by means of im- 
 pious tyrants in the form of a dragon, transfixed with a dart 
 through the midst of his body, and falling headlong into the 
 midst of the sea j in allusion as it is said, expressly to the 
 divine oracles in the books of the prophets where that evil 
 spirit is called the dragon and the crooked serpent. (Bishop 
 Newton, Dis. 25.) The fall of paganism from place and power 
 in the Roman government, was not however, completed, until 
 the reign of Theodosius the great, at the close of the fourth cen- 
 tury. " The titles, the ensigns, the prerogatives of sovereign 
 power," says Gibbon, " which had been instituted by Numa and 
 assumed by Augustus, were accepted without hesitation by seven 
 Christian emperors, who were invested with a more absolute 
 authority over the religion which they had deserted, than over 
 that which they had professed." But when Gratian, (A. D., 
 375,) ascended the throne, more scrupulous or more enlightened, 
 he sternly rejected those profane symbols; applied to the service 
 of the state or of the church, the revenues of the priests and of 
 the vestals, abolished their honours and immunities, and dis-
 
 95 
 
 solved the ancient fabric of Roman superstition which was sup- 
 ported by the opinions and habits of eleven hundred years. 
 Paganism was still the constitutional religion of the senate of 
 Rome. And this emperor yet spared the statutes of the gods, 
 which were exposed to the public veneration ; four hundred and 
 twenty-four temples or chapels, still remained to satisfy the 
 devotion of the people, and in every quarter of Rome the deli- 
 cacy of Christians was offended by the fumes of idolatrous sacri- 
 fice. Before the entire abolition of the Pagan worship in the 
 city of Rome, Symachus, the pagan pontiff and augur, addressed 
 a defence of paganism to the emperor, in which he introduces 
 the celestial genius that presided over the fates of Rome, as 
 petitioning the emperors in the following language. "Most 
 " excellent princes, fathers of your country, pity and respect 
 " my age which has hither flowed in an uninterrupted course of 
 " piety. Since I do not repent, permit me to continue in the 
 " practice of my ancient rites. Since I am born free, allow me 
 " to enjoy my domestic institutions. This religion has reduced 
 " the world under my laws. These rites have repelled Hannibal 
 " from the gates of the city and the Gauls from the capitol. 
 " Were my gray hairs reserved for such intolerable disgrace ? 
 " I am ignorant of the new system which I am required to adopt, 
 " but I am well assured that the correction of old age, is always 
 "an ungrateful and ignominious task." The eloquence of the 
 pontiff and of the celestial genius, was however, of no avail. 
 " In the reign of Theodosius, that emperor, in a full meeting of 
 " the senate of Rome, proposed, according to the forms of the 
 " republic, the important question, whether the worship of Ju- 
 " piter or that of Christ, should be the religion of the Romans. 
 " On a regular division of the senate, Jupiter was condemned 
 
 " and degraded by the senate, of a very large majority 
 
 " They yielded to the authority of the emperor, to the fashion 
 " of the times, and to the entreaties of their wives and children, 
 "who were instigated and governed by the clergy of Rome and 
 " the works of the east. . . And the luminaries of the
 
 96 
 
 " world, the venerable assembly of Catos, (such are the high- 
 " flown expressions of Prudentius,) were impatient to strip thera- 
 " selves of their pontifical garments ; to cast the skin of the old 
 " serpent, to assume the snowy robes of baptismal innocence, 
 " and to humble the pride of the consular fasces before the 
 " tombs of <the* martyrs. .... The decrees of the senate 
 " which proscribed the worship of idols, were ratified by the 
 " general consent of the Romans. Rome submitted to the yoke 
 " of the gospel, and the vanquished provinces had not yet lost 
 " their reverence for the name and authority of Rome." (Gib- 
 bon.) 
 
 The proscription of the pagan religion by the senate of Rome, 
 may be regarded as the consummation of its fall from place and 
 power in the government. Being now driven from its last 
 stronghold of influence and authority, it retired and languished 
 in the country and small villages, and hence received the name 
 of paganism (the rustic or village religion.) 
 
 Paganism, with the whole power and wealth and patronage of 
 the Roman empire to sustain it, did for a period of three hun- 
 dred years, oppose and persecute Christianity, which, during 
 that period, was entirely dependant upon its own resources, 
 without the protection, much less the patronage of government, 
 yea, often obliged to contend against its active opposition ; yet, 
 at the end of these three hundred years, it was still found in 
 corporate life and vigor, while its mortal enemy vanquished, 
 was soon to be degraded from all place in the government and 
 to be proscribed as a part of the state religion. 
 
 With the fall of the pagan party from power, the friends of 
 Christianity in the government, express sanguine hopes of the 
 immediate prevalence of their religion in great power and influ- 
 ence. 
 
 10th verse. "And I heard a loud voice, saying in heaven: 
 Now is come salvation and strength, and the kingdom of our 
 God and the power of his Christ, for the accuser of our brethren 
 is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night."
 
 9T 
 
 The pagan party, which had been incessantly accusing us to 
 the supreme sovereign power, as bringing by our neglect of the 
 established religion, the wrath of heaven upon the government 
 and the empire, is now deprived of all power to injure us. And 
 what were the means by which Christianity, (so long sustaining 
 itself against the hostile power of this formidable party,) eventu- 
 ally vanquished her enemy ? 
 
 Verse 11. " And they overcame him by the blood of the 
 Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they loved not 
 their lives unto the death." 
 
 The advocates of the Christian faith gained the victory by 
 holding up the blood of Christ shed upon the cross, as the mean- 
 ing and end of all sacrifices, by diligently publishing the doc- 
 trine and testimony of Christ, and by choosing to sufler and die, 
 rather than abandon their Christian profession. 
 
 "I have seen the sun, (says Bishop Taylor,) with a little 
 ray of distant light, challenge all the powers of darkness, and 
 without violence or noise climbing up, hath made night so to 
 retire, that its memory was lost in the joys and sprightfulness 
 of morning, and Christianity, without violence or armies, with- 
 out strength or human eloquence, without challenging or privi- 
 leges or fighting against tyranny, without alteration of govern- 
 ment and scandal of princes, with its humility and meekness, 
 with toleration and patience, with obedience and charity, with 
 praying and dying, did insensibly turn the world into Christian 
 and persecution into victory. When the dragon was cast down 
 from heaven and the temple unto the earth, the inhabitants of 
 heaven were summoned to rejoice, while the inhabiters of the 
 earth and of the sea, are forewarned of evil from the rage of 
 the dragon. 
 
 Verse 12. " Rejoice ye heavens and ye that dwell in them 
 woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea, for the devil 
 is come down to you, having great wrath because he knoweth 
 he hath but a short time." 
 
 Paganism defeated and expelled from government and in- 
 
 9*
 
 98 
 
 flamed with great rage against Christianity was now forced to 
 take tip its abode among the inhabiters of the earth and the sea 
 that portion of the population who have no part in the gov- 
 ernment. And thus the contest and opposition prosecuted in 
 the government, were now to be prosecuted by the pagan party 
 among the people and prosecuted with great animosity and vin- 
 dictiveness. After the expulsion of the pagan party from power, 
 the pagans were sensible that with the government against them, 
 their time was short ; that they must soon sink into insignifi- 
 cance, and a sense of this fact much exasperated the party and 
 provoked its advocates to express themselves towards Christian- 
 ity with the greatest, bitterness and acrimony, and to arouse the 
 prejudices and passions of the multitude against the new religion, 
 so that sometimes, in remote provinces, the pagans defended 
 their ancient superstitions by the force of arms, and massacred 
 the Christians, who were not always sufficiently attentive either 
 to the rules of prudence or the dictates of humanity. 
 
 " The political and philosophical remains of Eunapius Zosi- 
 "mus and the fanatical teachers of the schools of Plato, betray 
 " the most furious animosity, and contain the sharpest invectives 
 " against the sentiments and conduct of their victorious adver- 
 " saries. If these audacious libels were publicly known, we 
 " must applaud the good sense of the Christian princes, who 
 " viewed, with a smile of contempt, the last struggles of super- 
 "stition and despair." (Gibbon.)
 
 99 
 
 DISCOURSE VIII. 
 
 REVELATIONS xii. 13-17. 
 
 "And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he per- 
 secuted the woman which brought forth the man child. And to the 
 woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into 
 the wilderness into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and 
 times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent. And the serpent 
 cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might 
 cause her to be carried away of the flood. And the earth helped the 
 woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood 
 which the dragon cast out of his mouth. And the dragon was wroth 
 with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, 
 which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of 
 Jesus Christ. 
 
 When the dragon is cast out of his place in heaven unto the 
 earth, he finds the woman also on the earth and commences to 
 persecute her or pursue after her. . 
 
 But the woman now furnished with two wings of a great 
 eagle, is enabled to increase her speed to her place of security, 
 beyond the face or presence of the serpent. Among the attri- 
 butes of royalty which the Tuscans sent to the Romans in the 
 days of the republic, was a sceptre with an eagle of ivory, and 
 from that time, the eagle became one of the principal emblems 
 of the republic, and after the subversion of the republic, it was 
 still retained by the Roman emperors. In the army, the eagle 
 was carried at the head of every legion or regiment, while the 
 dragon was carried at the head of every cohort or company. 
 
 The expulsion of the pagan party from their place in the 
 government, was consummated in the reign of Theodosius the 
 great, and at the same time were consummated the alliance of 
 the church with the state and the permanent division of the 
 state, into the Greek or Eastern, and the Latin or Western 
 empires. On his death-bed in the year 395, Theodosius divided
 
 100 
 
 the empire between his two sons Arcadeus and Honoring, and 
 the division proved to be permanent. These two parts of the 
 empire, were however, not so divided but that a kind of union 
 was preserved between them, and one important bond of this 
 union was the Christian church, (Catholic.) The wings of the 
 fireat eagle represent these two separate powers or states, and as 
 joined to the woman they represent these two powers or states 
 in alliance with the Christian church, aiding and protecting 
 her. 
 
 Let it be noticed that the woman after she had brought forth 
 a son a man an emperor, descended from heaven or the tem- 
 ple, down to the earth on her way to the wilderness, so when 
 the dragon finds himself upon the earth, he finds the woman 
 there also. The woman did not remain in heaven where she 
 was first seen and take there the place of the dragon after his 
 expulsion, but she comes down to the earth, and is there found 
 invested with two wings of a great eagle. This was intended 
 to signify, that the Christian church, though allied with and 
 aided by the state, was nevertheless in subjection to it, and did 
 not take that place and share in its government, from which the 
 pagan party had been expelled ; that the church, notwithstand- 
 ing the alliance and aid of the state, had her place among the 
 governed the people^ the subjects of the empire. 
 
 The pagan system was merely an engine of state. Its entire 
 " regulation, even to the performance of its most sacred rites 
 " and offices, was entrusted to the control and exercise of the 
 " civil magistrate. The power which directed it as well as the 
 " power which its ministers possessed to enforce their decrees, 
 " were not distinguished from that with which they were invested 
 " for any other purpose." Thus paganism was identified with 
 the state, whereas the Christian Church from its origin was a 
 corporation distinct from the state, and was intended to be so 
 by its founder. My kingdom is not of this world is the lan- 
 guage of Christ to the Roman governor. His kingdom is not a 
 secular kingdom. Unlike secular kingdoms it was not to depend
 
 101 
 
 for its authority and influence upon physical or military force, 
 but upon the force of truth. He that is of the truth heareth 
 my voice. The subjects of Christ's kingdom are those who 
 have an ear and a heart for the truth. 
 
 But though the Church was intended to be a corporate body 
 distinct from the state, and to have no share or place in the 
 government, yet she needs the power and authority of the state 
 to protect her in her corporate rights, and this legal protection 
 she eventually received from the Roman government, and from 
 being a persecuted or merely tolerated she became an authorized 
 corporation. 
 
 And if the favour as well as protection conferred upon the 
 Church by the state, had the effect to keep her beyond the 
 persecuting power and attacks of the pagan party, it must be 
 noticed that they had this effect by increasing her speed into the 
 wilderness into desolation and obscurity. As soon as the 
 Church could number among her members an imperial ruler, 
 she began to flee or run to the wilderness, and when she received 
 not merely the protection but the close alliance of the state, the 
 power of flying is added to that of running, and now she is 
 enabled to increase her speed to her destined forlorn state. And 
 to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she 
 might fly into the wilderness into her place where she is nou- 
 rished for a time and times and half a time from the face of the 
 serpent. And what are we to understand by this running and 
 then flying of the woman into the wilderness from the face of 
 the serpent. 
 
 The Israelites fled from Egypt into the wilderness, and hence 
 they are called by the martyr Stephen, the Church which was 
 in the wilderness. In the wilderness the Israelites were sus- 
 tained by miraculous food during a period of forty years. It 
 might be said of the Church of Israel under Moses, that she 
 fled from the dragon, the symbol of Egyptian power into the 
 wilderness into her place which God had prepared for her, and
 
 102 
 
 where she was fed and nourished during this period in an ex- 
 traordinary manner. 
 
 And if St. John says that she was converted with two wings 
 of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, a similar 
 expression is used hy Moses to describe the manner in which 
 the Israelites made their way into the same place. 
 
 After they had escaped into the wilderness and were encamped 
 about Mount Sinai, God spake unto them and said, " Ye have 
 seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on 
 eagle's wings, and brought you unto myself, (brought you here 
 in the wilderness unto my presence, to hear my voice and 
 receive commandments.") 
 
 If the Church of Israel passed the Red Sea, and on her way 
 to the wilderness from the face of her enemies, so the Christian 
 Church in fleeing from the face of her enemy into the wilder- 
 ness escaped a flood of water which threatened to overwhelm her. 
 
 We read, that there was in the days of Elijah the prophet, a 
 drought and famine in the land of Israel, which lasted three 
 years and six months, or twelve hundred and sixty days. 
 
 During this period the prophet was fed and nourished in an 
 extraordinary manner in some retired places which concealed 
 him from the knowledge and presence of his idolatrous enemies. 
 These places were appointed and prepared of G-od for the resi- 
 dence of the prophets. The period of Elijah's concealment and 
 preservation corresponds with the three and a half years of the 
 woman's concealment and preservation in the wilderness in her 
 appointed place. In other respects, however, this symbolic re- 
 presentation of St. John runs more in parallel with the history 
 of the Church of Israel in her flight from Egypt into the wilder- 
 ness, and her preservation and nourishment there in an imper- 
 fect state of polity. The word wilderness when applied to the 
 Christian Church evidently contains three important ideas, an 
 imperfectly administered polity, concealment and security. It 
 is no doubt intended to signify that during the period specified, 
 those Christians who adhered to a pure faith and worship, would
 
 103 
 
 not, as a Catholic body politic, exist in a perfect state of order 
 and government, or attract much notice, but would exist in an 
 impaired and obscure state, and that in this state would consist 
 their security. Accordingly for many hundred years past, 
 Christians of a pure faith and pure morals who have protested 
 against the idolatry and errors of the majority, have in their 
 Catholic corporate character been deficient in polity and govern- 
 ment, and obtained but little consideration in the Roman world 
 they have commanded more notice and been more effective in 
 their protestant teaching character, than that of a Catholic cor- 
 poration in a proper state of order and discipline. Cities are 
 said in Scripture to be made a wilderness when they have been 
 reduced into a dilapidated and depopulated condition. And 
 such is the state of the Christian city or body politic, her people 
 are small in numbers, and wanting in unity and order. 
 
 Up to the time of Constantino, Christians of a pure faith and 
 worship had preserved themselves a united and well ordered 
 body of men, and had attained unto great notice and influence 
 in the Roman world, but after the time of Constantino they 
 gradually became in minority or remnants, and then gradually 
 sunk as a body politic, into an impaired and obscure condition. 
 
 And such is their present condition in Roman Catholic coun- 
 tries. There has existed in Roman Catholic " Christendom for 
 " ages past a body of men who, like the remnant of the seven 
 " thousand of Israel that had not bowed the knee to the image 
 " of Baal, have not been much noticed or regarded except by 
 " the searcher of hearts, but nevertheless have been more espe- 
 " cially entitled to the name of the true Church, and amidst the 
 " corruptions, the discouragements, and the changes of a world 
 " with which they had but little in common, and which was not 
 " worthy of them, pursued their pure course in privacy." Among 
 these men the testimony of Jesus the pure Word of God, has 
 been taught and believed, and thus nourished by the Word of 
 God they have been preserved in their imperfect and obscure
 
 104 
 
 corporate condition the providence of God furnishing them 
 with the means of nourishment and preservation. 
 
 We are informed that the woman was to dwell and be nou- 
 rished in the wilderness during a determined period, but we are 
 not informed how long the woman was to be occupied in her 
 passage or transition into the wilderness. Her transition was 
 gradual, it began soon after the time of Constantino, and ended 
 about the eighth century, occupying a period of four or five 
 centuries. 
 
 The persecutions with which the Christian Church before the 
 time of Constantino was so personally assailed, had the effect of 
 deterring insincere and worldly minded men from assuming the 
 Christian profession or ministry in any great number. 
 
 When, however, the protection and favour of Constantino 
 began to make the Christian profession fashionable and popular, 
 and to. increase the honours and authority and emoluments of 
 its ministers, persons of a different character began to occupy 
 the profession and ministry. The increased rank and power 
 and wealth with which the Roman emperors invested the clergy, 
 began to attract into the clerical office ambitious and unscrupu- 
 lous men, who sought power and station more than the true in- 
 terest and welfare of the Church. And such men would use a 
 dexterity and a policy to gain their objects, from which the sin- 
 cere and the modest would shrink. Without a concealed policy, 
 and a busy and bold ambition, men do not get along very well in 
 the scuffle after the honours and employments of public life. 
 Those of sincere intentions and retiring habits are unable in such 
 a scuffle to compete with the unscrupulous and ambitious. 
 
 Accordingly when the policy of the Roman emperors in pro- 
 tecting and favouring the Church, brought forth the bold and 
 the aspiring into prominence the ingenuous and the modest 
 began to retire from the busy strife, and were content to labour 
 in ' their vocation without seeking public notice or the honours 
 and emoluments of office and rank. 
 
 Constantino, says Gibbon, (Chap. 20,) bj the edicts of tolora-
 
 105 
 
 tion, removed the temporal disadvantages which had hitherto 
 retarded the progress of Christianity ; and the active and nume- 
 rous ministers received a free permission or liberal encourage- 
 ment to recommend the salutary truths of revelation by every 
 argument which could affect the reason or piety of mankind. 
 The exact balance of the two religions continued but a moment; 
 and the piercing eye of ambition and avarice soon discovered 
 that the profession of Christianity might contribute to the in- 
 terests of the present as well as of a future life. 
 
 The hopes of wealth and honours, the example of an emperor, 
 his exhortations, his irresistible smiles, diffused conviction 
 among the venal and obsequious crowds which usually fill the 
 apartments of a palace. The cities which signalized a forward 
 zeal by the voluntary destruction of their temples, were dis- 
 tinguished by municipal privileges, and regarded with 'popular 
 donatives ; and the new capitol of the East gloried in the singu- 
 lar advantage that Constantinople was never profaned by the 
 worship of idols. 
 
 As the lower ranks of society are governed by imitation, the 
 conversion of those who possessed any eminence of birth, of 
 power or of riches, were soon followed by dependent multi- 
 tudes. 
 
 The vices and faults of the clergy of the fourth century, says 
 Mosheem, especially of those who officiated in large and opulent 
 cities, were augmented in proportion to the increase of their 
 wealth, honours, and advantages derived from the emperors, and 
 various other sources; and that this increase was very great 
 after the times of Constantine is acknowledged by all. The 
 bishops had shameful quarrels among themselves respecting the 
 boundaries of their seas and the extent of their jurisdiction ; 
 and while they trampled on the rights of the people and of the 
 inferior clergy, they vied with the civil governors of provinces 
 in luxury, arrogance and voluptuousness. The presbyters in 
 many places arrogated to themselves a dignity and authority 
 equal to bishops. Of the pride and effeminacy of the deacons, 
 
 10
 
 106 
 
 we often meet with various complaints The bishop of 
 
 Rome surpassed all his brethren in the amplitude and splendor 
 of the church over which he presided, in the magnitude of his 
 revenues and possessions, in the number of his assistants or 
 ministers of various descriptions, in the weight of his influence 
 with the people at large, and in the sumptuousness and magni- 
 ficence of his style of living. These indications of power and 
 worldly greatness were so fascinating to Christians even in this 
 age, that often most obstinate and bldody contests took place at 
 Rome when a new pontiff was to be created by the suffrages of 
 the priests and people." 
 
 The Christian Church during the two years of the reign of 
 Julian, was an object of partial persecution by the imperial 
 court, and during this time the disputes and animosities which 
 had disturbed the Church in the reigns of Constantine and his 
 sons were suspended. As soon, however, as a new emperor 
 ascended the throne and proclaimed himself a Christian, and 
 restored Christianity to the protection and favour of the State, 
 then these disputes and animosities revived with increased viru- 
 lence. 
 
 Gibbon has given the following picture of the circumstances 
 attending this change of person in the imperial office. " But 
 they were still ignorant what creed or what synod he would 
 choose for the standard of orthodoxy ; and the peace of the 
 Church immediately revived those eager disputes which had 
 been suspended during the period of persecution. The episcopal 
 leaders of the contending sects, convinced from experience, how 
 much their fate would depend on the earliest impressions lhat 
 were made on the mind of an untutored soldier, hastened to the 
 court of Edessa or Antioch. The high ways of the east were 
 crowded with Homousean and Arian, and Semi-Arian, and 
 Eunomian bishops, who outstripped each other in the holy race ; 
 the apartments of the palace resounded with their clamours, and 
 the ears of the prince were assaulted and perhaps astonished by 
 the singular mixture of metaphysical argument and passionate
 
 107 
 
 invective." We may well suppose that Christians possessed of 
 those amiable dispositions inculcated by our Blessed Lord in the 
 first part of the fifth chapter of Matthew, as characteristic of his 
 true subjects and disciples, would find nothing congenial to 
 their feelings in these public unbecoming scenes of passion and 
 strife, and that their feelings and language would be those of 
 the prophet. Oh that I had in the wilderness a lodging place 
 of way-faring men : that I might leave my people and go from 
 them. . . . Take ye heed every one of his neighbour : and trust 
 ye not in any brother : for every brother will utterly supplant, 
 and every neighbour will walk with slanders. We may well 
 suppose that such circumstances would tend to drive those of a 
 true Christian character and spirit -into retirement, and even- 
 tually to reduce them as a body corporate and politic into deso- 
 lation and obscurity, and render them insignificant and con- 
 temptible in the opinion of the ambitious and the worldly. 
 
 The favour and protection conferred upon the Church by 
 Constantino and other emperors, were confirmed and increased 
 by Theodosius the Great, and this confirmation and increase of 
 State favour and protection gave wings to the flight of the woman 
 into the wilderness, into her state of desolation and obscurity. 
 
 An ecclesiastical historian (Waddington) remarks on the long 
 and violent controversy which ended in the establishment of 
 image worship as the law of Roman Christendom, (the true 
 Church Catholic had then reached the wilderness,) " that he is 
 " persuaded that the body of the clergy contained many pious 
 " and rational individuals who were shocked at the degradation 
 " of Christianity and humanity, and who watched with an 
 " anxious eye the endeavours which were made to remove it. 
 " But such characters which are among the best and the sacred 
 " profession, are seldom busy or ambitious. And the anxiety 
 " of those excellent men may have been often confined to their 
 " own bosoms, or at least to the narrow limits of their diocese." 
 The defective order and the obscure condition of Christianity as 
 a Catholic body corporate and politic during the predicted 1260
 
 108 
 
 years, is the reason why during this period she has so little 
 place or consideration in history, and why it is so difficult to 
 establish her continuous succession during this period by histo- 
 rical proofs. The very fact however of this want of historical 
 notice and proof, corresponds with this symbolical representation 
 of the woman secreted and nourished in the wilderness, out of, 
 the way and noise of the busy world, out of the notice and ob- 
 servation of history. 
 
 If however the alliance and favour of the state served to drive 
 the faithful as a body into a wilderness state, they served also 
 another incidental important purpose, that of enabling the 
 Church to elude an imminent danger which overtook her dur- 
 ing the period of her transition into a wilderness state. When 
 the dragon finds that the woman by reason of her ways can keep 
 herself beyond his hostile pursuit, he casts out of his mouth 
 (verse 15,) water as a flood that he might cause her to be carried 
 away of a flood. The flood or current of waters by which the 
 dragon aimed, and hoped to sweep away the woman from off the 
 face of the Roman earth, and overwhelm her in destruction, is 
 intended to represent that inundation of pagan Barbarians, or 
 foreigners which had set in upon the Roman population. 
 
 These pagan barbarians after desolating the empire, assumed 
 a more settled character. 
 
 They are at first represented as winds restless and desolating, 
 venting themselves in fire and hail, and blood, but they are now 
 represented as overflowing water. In their changed and more 
 settled condition, they threatened to overpower the Roman po- 
 pulation in their laws and institutions, and along with Roman 
 laws and institutions, the Christian Church and religion. This 
 ultimate consequence constituted at that time, the aim and hope 
 of the pagan party among the Romans, but they were disap- 
 pointed. 
 
 Among the calamitous events which befel the Church, after 
 the death of Theodosuis the great, Mosheim mentions the inva- 
 sions of the pagan nations. During the fifth century, (says
 
 109 
 
 he,) the Goths, Hemli, Franks, Huns and Vandals, with other 
 fierce and -warlike nations, for the most part strangers to Christ- 
 ianity, invaded the Roman empire, and- rent it asunder in the 
 most deplorable manner. Amidst these calamities the Chris- 
 tians were grievous, (we may venture to say principal) sufferers. 
 It is true that the savage nations were much more intent upon 
 the acquisitions of wealth and dominion, than upon the propa- 
 gation or support of the pagan superstitions, nor did their 
 cruelty and opposition to the Christians, arise from any religious 
 principle, or from an enthusiastic desire to ruin the cause of 
 Christianity j it was merely by the instigation of the Y a g ans 
 who remained yet in the empire, that they were excited to treat 
 with such severity and violence the followers of Christ. The 
 painful consideration of their abrogated rights, and the hopes of 
 recovering their former liberty and privileges, by means of their 
 new masters, induced the worshippers of the Gods, to seize with 
 avidity every opportunity of inspiring them with the most bitter 
 aversion to the Christians. Their endeavours however were 
 without the desired effect, and their expectations were entirely 
 disappointed. The greatest part of these barbarians embraced 
 Christianity, though it be also true that in the beginning of 
 their usurpations, the professors of that religion suffered heavily 
 under the rigor of their government. 
 
 The woman was helped by the earth, which (16th verse) 
 opened her mouth and swallowed up the flood. 
 
 The Roman population in their laws and civilization, were 
 for a while overwhelmed overpowered by the barbarians, 
 in the course of time gained the upperhand, and those con- 
 quered by the sword of the barbarians, became in their turn 
 conquerors by their laws and institutions. To use the language 
 of Bishop Newton ; nothing was more likely to produce the 
 ruin and utter subversion of the Christian Church, than the 
 irruptions of so many barbarous heathen nations. But the 
 event proved contrary to human appearance and expectation ; 
 the earth swallowed up the flood ; the barbarians were rather 
 
 10*
 
 no 
 
 swallowed up by the Romans, than the Romans by the barbar- 
 ians, the heathen conquerors instead of imposing their own, sub- 
 mitted to the religion of the conquered Christians, and they not 
 only embraced the religion, but affected even the laws, the man- 
 ners, the customs, the language and the very name of Romans, 
 so that the victors were in a manner absorbed, and lost among 
 the vanquishers. But if the woman in escaping the flood, was 
 helped from below by the earth, so was she also helped from 
 above by her wings, if she was helped by the people, so was 
 she also helped by her alliance with the government, by the 
 power ^ind consideration, which that alliance had conferred upon 
 her teachers and rulers. 
 
 The alliance and favour of the state had served to increase the 
 rank and importance of her rulers and teachers, and to elevate 
 them to the first station among the subjects of the empire, and 
 it was this elevation to high rank and station, that gave them 
 consideration and influence among the pagan invaders, and 
 brought them to adopt Roman civilization and religion. The 
 consideration and influence which the ministers and teachers of 
 the Church, possessed in the minds of the pagan barbarians, and 
 which they had acquired b y the help of the state, served to save 
 the Church from being overwhelmed by the current of pagan 
 power, and disorder which had set in upon the Roman popula- 
 tion ; such might have been its fate, (Waddington Chap. 18,) 
 had it not been rescued by an established body of ministers, or 
 had that body been less zealous or influential. Among the 
 Romans the common people were for the most part recent, and 
 not always very serious converts from polytheism ; the higher 
 classes were neither numerous nor powerful, nor had any inte- 
 rest in the support of Christianity ; the clergy alone composed 
 the vital efficient portion of the aristocracy. Among the bar- 
 barians the rudest soldier brought with him a superstitious re- 
 verence for the office and person of a reygious minister, which 
 prepared him for adhesion to the religion itself, especially where 
 the ministers were honoured, and the ceremonies splendid ; and
 
 Ill 
 
 the illiterate prince readily gave attention to the counsels of the 
 bishops who were the most learned, and the most respected 
 among his subjects. Thence resulted the gradual conversion of 
 the invaders by the agency of the visible Church. Without 
 these means had Christianity there existed as a mere individual 
 belief, or even under a less vigorous form of human government, 
 the religious society would have possessed neither the energy 
 nor discipline necessary for resistance, to the deluge which en- 
 dangered it." 
 
 Had the Church, as under the pagan emperors, been at this 
 time an illegal, persecuted, despised society among the Romans ? 
 Had she not been acknowledged and protected, and favoured by 
 state as a distinct corporation. Had she not possessed the ad- 
 ditional vigor and influence, which the state had thus imparted 
 to her rulers and teachers, she must have been overtaken and 
 overwhelmed by barbarian and pagan violence. Guizot (in his 
 6th Lecture on civilization,) thus explains the escape of the 
 Church from this threatened destruction at the hands of tEe 
 pagan barbarians, who had settled among the Roman population 
 after conqueriug them. 
 
 Just at the time the empire fell, the Church Jbelieved that she 
 had attained the summit of her hopes ; after a long struggle she 
 had completely vanquished paganism. Gratian the last emperor 
 who assumed the pagan dignity of sovereign pontiff, died at the 
 close of the fourth century. The Church believed herself 
 equally victorious in her struggle against heretics, particularly 
 against Arianism, the principal heresy of the time. Theodosius 
 at the end of the fourth century put them down by imperial 
 edicts ; and had the double merit of subduing the Arian heresy, 
 and abolishing the worship of idols throughout the Roman 
 world. The Church then was in the possession of the govern- 
 ment, and had obtained the victory over her two greatest enemies. 
 It was at this moment that the Roman empire failed her, and 
 she stood in the presence of new pagans, of new heretics in the
 
 112 
 
 presence of barbarian a, of Goths, of Vandals, of Burgundians 
 and Franks, the fall was immense. 
 
 (Lecture 2d, on general civilization.) Had it not been a 
 Church, it is hard to say what would have been its fate in the 
 general convulsion which attended the overthrow of the Roman 
 empire. At this time there existed none of those means by 
 which an abstract truth now makes way, gains an authority over 
 mankind, governs their actions, and directs their movements. 
 Nothing of this kind existed in the fourth century, nothing 
 which could give to simple ideas, to personal opinions so much 
 weight and power. 
 
 Hence, I think it may be assumed, that only a society firmly 
 established under a powerful government and rules of discipline, 
 could hope to bear up amid such disaster could hope to weather 
 so violent a storm. I think, then, humanly speaking, that it 
 was the Christian Church with its institutions, its magistrates, 
 its authority, that saved Christianity, that struggling against 
 the barbarians overcame them. Thus, the external help, with 
 which the Church had been invested by the state, added to her 
 ability to keep above and beyond the calamity with which the 
 Roman population was for a while overwhelmed. 
 
 Verse 17. " And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and 
 went (departed) to make war with the remnant of her seed, which 
 keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of 
 Jesus Christ." 
 
 The pagan invaders, who, in the fifth century, like fierce 
 winds, devastated the empire in the course of the sixth and 
 seventh centuries, became a more settled and orderly population, 
 and conforming to Roman laws and institutions, were absorbed 
 among the Roman population. And now after the conversion 
 of the pagan barbarians to the Roman civilization and religion, 
 and the subsequent reduction of the true Church, in its catholic 
 corporate character, into an object of little consideration in the 
 Roman world, the infidel party cease to notice Christians of a 
 pure faith and worship, in their Church or corporate character,
 
 113 
 
 but oppose and contend with them in their individual and 
 isolated character. 
 
 How the dragon, by means of another beast, makes war upon 
 this remnant, during the residence of the woman in the wilder- 
 ness beyond his notice, we shall learn in the next chapter. 
 
 DI.SCOUBSE IX. 
 
 REV. xiii. 1-10. 
 
 "And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out 
 of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten 
 crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy. And the beast 
 which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a 
 bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion : and the dragon gave him 
 his power, and his seat, and great authority. And I saw one of his 
 heads as it were wounded to death ; and his deadly wound was healed ; 
 and all the world wondered after the beast. And they worshipped the 
 dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the 
 beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast ? who is able to make war 
 with him ? And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great 
 things and blasphemies ; and power was given unto him to continue 
 forty and two months. And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against 
 God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell 
 in heaven. And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, 
 and to overcome them : and power was given him over all kindreds, 
 and tongues, and nations. And all that dwell upon the earth shall 
 worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the 
 Limb slain from the foundation of the world. If any man have an ear, 
 let him hear. He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity : 
 he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is 
 patience and the faith of the saiixts." 
 
 It may not be useless to call to our attention, the contents of 
 the preceding chapter. 
 
 The woman clothed with the sun, having the moon under her 
 feet, and a crown of twelve stars upon her head, is the Christian 
 Church, as a catholic body, corporate and politic, possessed of 
 the glorious light of the Christian religion, placed above the 
 moonlight of the crusaic revelation, and being originally, under
 
 114 
 
 the teaching and rule of the twelve apostles. The travail and 
 distress of the woman, represent the deplorable condition of this 
 corporation of men, under the persecutions of Dioclesian and 
 Gralerius, when she was on the eve of adding an emperor to the 
 number of her children. 
 
 The dragon with the seven heads crowned, and the ten horns 
 yet uncrowned, is the pagan corporation or body of men. This 
 corporation in the course of its history, passed through seven 
 different forms of government, represented by seven different 
 heads. 
 
 The ten horns uncrowned, represent ten kingdoms, ten powers 
 or states, who were not to become such in the pagan, but in a 
 subsequent corporation. 
 
 The birth of a son, a man, and his exaltation to the throne 
 of God, represent the imperial office and authority, as coming 
 first into the partial, and afterwards into the full possession of 
 sovereigns, the protectors of the Christian Church. The first 
 emperor professedly Christian, who protected and favoured the 
 Christian Church, was Constantine. After his ascension to the 
 height of power, to the undivided imperial office and authority, 
 began the war in heaven j Michael and his angels on the one 
 side, and the dragon and his angels on the other side. This 
 war in heaven, signifies the contest carried on in the govern- 
 ment, between the advocates of Christianity and its adversaries 
 and opposers. In this contest, the advocates of Christianity, 
 with the emperor at their head, endeavoured to expel the pagan 
 corporation and party from all power and place in the govern- 
 ment, and they were eventually successful. And the dragon 
 and his angels were cast out, and their place was found no more 
 in heaven. The expulsion was consummated in the reign of 
 Theodosius the great, at the close of the fourth century, and at 
 the same time were perfected the alliance between the govern- 
 ment and the Church, and the division of the empire into two 
 powers or states, with the Christian Church as an important 
 bond of union between them. Then was the woman in full pos-
 
 115 
 
 session of the two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly 
 into the wilderness. In the reign of Constantine she began to 
 fly to run for the wilderness, and in the reign of Theodosius 
 she receives wings, which enable her to increase her speed 
 thither. 
 
 The rest from persecution in the time of Constantine, and the 
 honors and revenues which he and his successors conferred upon 
 the Christian Church and its ministers, served to render the 
 Christian profession and ministry popular and fashionable, and 
 to introduce among them many unworthy and ambitious persons, 
 who eventually secured the ascendancy in power and influence. 
 The introduction of such persons into the Church, naturally 
 drove the more sincere and modest from the notice of the public, 
 until eventually Christian ministers and professors of this charac- 
 ter became a small minority, driven in their corporate capacity 
 into a wilderness or desolate state a state defective in organi- 
 zation and order, and without public consideration and influence ; 
 and it was the want of such public consideration and influence 
 in which consisted the security and preservation of this body of 
 men in the Roman community. But while the alliance and 
 favour of the State thus served to drive the faithful minority 
 into a desolate corporate state, they also served the purpose of 
 saving the Church in the time of its transition into dissolution, 
 and security from being lost among the barbarian heathens and 
 idolaters, who settled among the Roman population. The 
 honours and revenues which had been conferred upon the 
 Church and its ministers by the Roman government, served to 
 give to these ministers a consequence and influence in the 
 minds of the barbarians, which aided greatly in their civiliza- 
 tion and conversion, and in the salvation of the -Christian 
 Church and religion, from extinction in the Roman world. 
 
 Though the pagans and idolaters found that they could not 
 destroy the Christian Church and religion, yet they continued 
 to make war with the faithful minority, in their individual 
 isolated character, and they carry on this opposition through
 
 116 
 
 another corporation or party, to which they delegate, or hand 
 over their idolatrous power and influence, which is particu- 
 larly described in this thirteenth chapter. 
 
 This corporation is represented by a beast that rises up out 
 of the sea not out of the earth or land. It comes up from 
 the sea upon the land. It is a corporation. It first has an 
 existence among the common mass of the Roman population, 
 and then comes into notice and consideration among the Romans 
 proper. 
 
 This beast and the dragon have both seven heads and ten 
 horns, with this difference, that on the dragon the seven heads 
 are crowned, but the horns are without crowns, while on the 
 beast the horns are crowned, and the heads have on them, the 
 name or names of blasphemy. 
 
 The seven heads and the ten horns, identify this corporation 
 of men in their government, to a certain extent with that of the 
 pagan Romans. 
 
 The meaning of these seven heads and ten horns, is given in 
 the seventeenth chapter, and therefore, they will not, at present, 
 be made the subject of any further comment, than that of 
 remarking that the seven heads signify seven different kinds 
 of government, which at different times have ruled in the 
 Roman world ; while the ten horns represent the ten different 
 powers or states, which upon the breaking up of the Latin or 
 Western empire, established themselves among the Roman 
 population, and became part of the new corporation. 
 
 The beast was in form and perhaps in color like a leopard, 
 with the exception of its feet and mouth, its feet were those of 
 a bear and its mouth that of a lion. The leopard is remarkable 
 for symmetry of form and beauty of color. Perhaps the leopard 
 was used by Daniel to represent the Greeks, because, as a peo- 
 ple they excelled in the admiration and cultivation of beautiful 
 statuary and painting, and were noted for their taste and art in 
 this respect, and for the use which they made of this taste and 
 art in representing and honouring by beautiful images and pic-
 
 117 
 
 tures, those deceased men and women whom they invoked as 
 demons or mediators. May it not be that because the new or 
 modern Latin corporation followed the Greeks in this kind of 
 worship, that it is represented by a beast in form and color like 
 a leopard. This kind of worship was authoritatively established 
 in the Catholic church by the Greek Romans, with the co-ope- 
 ration of the bishop and church of Rome, and eventually, with 
 the acquiescence and concurrence of the Latins in general. 
 
 The feet are those of a bear. The bear, in the book of 
 Daniel, represents the corporation of the Medes and Persians. 
 The bear tears in pieces with savage ferocity, an object of 
 resentment, which comes within its reach and power. The 
 Medo Persians, in their administration of law and justice, were 
 notorious for their severe punishment of rebels and opposers. 
 The casting of the enemies of Daniel with their wives and chil- 
 dren, into the lion's den, is an instance of the severity of their 
 penal inflictions. 
 
 This penal severity to rebels and opposers, is a striking trait 
 of character in this modern Latin corporation. 
 
 The mouth of the beast was that of a lion, the animal sym- 
 bolic of the Assyrians or Babylonians. The mouth of the lion, 
 or speech of the lion, denotes the language of despotism lan- 
 guage, which inspires terror and overawes into abject submission. 
 And such has been in its nature and effects, the language of the 
 Latin Catholic community, whenever it has opened its mouth 
 and uttered its doctrines and commands. 
 
 And the dragon gave him his power and his seat and great 
 authority. The new, the modern, succeeds, not only to the force 
 and a large share of the jurisdiction and influence vacated by 
 the ancient corporation, but also to the seat or capitol. It is 
 common to call the capitol of a country, the seat of government. 
 And as the modern Latin corporation possesses in Rome, a city 
 sanctioned by antiquity and the lingering sentiments and habits 
 of the people, as the seat of supreme power and influence. 
 
 11
 
 And I saw one of his heads as it were, wounded to death, 
 (mortally wounded) and his deadly wound was healed. 
 
 After the division of the Roman empire into two states under 
 two distinct emperors, they began to be distinguished from each 
 other by the terms Greek and Latin, while both claimed the 
 name of Roman. 
 
 The western was called the Latin empire, while the eastern 
 was called the Greek ; the one having Rome for the capitol, and 
 the other Constantinople or new Rome ; the former, continuing 
 the use of the Latin language, as the language of law and gov- 
 ernment, and the other, in the course of time, discontinuing the 
 use of the Latin for that of the Greek. 
 
 The head that was wounded and whose wound appeared to be 
 mortal, was the imperial, autocratic government, founded by 
 Diocletian and perpetuated by the Latin empire down to Augus- 
 tulus. Odoacer, a barbarian king, having made a conquest of 
 Rome and of a great part of Italy, forced Augustulus not only 
 to resign the imperial office, but in his resignation to abolish the 
 very office of western or Latin emperor. 
 
 With the concurrence of the emperor and senate, and by the 
 command of the barbarian king, the office was abolished and 
 Odoacer governed as patrician or lieutenant of the Greek empe- 
 ror. Theodosio, the successor of Odoacer, governed under the 
 same title. The imperial head now seemed mortally wounded, 
 though it was not so fatally wounded in reality ; the wound was 
 not mortal but was afterwards healed, and the Latin corporation 
 continued to live in this wounded state until the imperial office 
 was made whole in the person of Charlemagne. The imperial 
 office was not entirely abolished by the barbarians, but only par- 
 tially. It continued partially abolished until Charlemagne, after 
 governing Rome under the subordinate and dependent title of 
 patrician, assumed the supreme and independent title of empe- 
 ror. 
 
 Among the several principles of civilization, says Guizot,
 
 119 
 
 which survived the destruction of the Latin empire, was the 
 remembrance of the emperor, the idea of imperial majesty and 
 of absolute power attached to the name of emperor. The name 
 of the empire, the remembrance of that great and glorious soci- 
 ety, still dwelt in the memory of many, and especially among 
 the senators of cities, bishops, priests, and all those who could 
 trace their origin to the Roman world. Among the barbarians 
 themselves or their barbarian ancestors, many had witnessed the 
 greatness of the Roman empire they had served in its armies 
 they had conquered it. The image, the name of Roman 
 civilization dazzled them, they felt a desire to imitate it, to bring 
 it back again, to preserve some portion of it An affec- 
 tionate attachment for the empire, was, for a long time preserved 
 in the Romish church. Hence, when she had succeeded in con- 
 verting the barbarians, she endeavoured to re-establish the em- 
 pire ; she called upon the barbarian kings, she conjured them 
 to become Roman emperors to assume the privilege of Roman 
 emperors, to enter into the same relation with the church which 
 had existed between her and the Roman empire. This was the 
 great object for which the bishops of the fifth and sixth centu- 
 ries laboured, and which they thought they had accomplished 
 when Charlemagne in the west, assumed the title of Roman 
 emperor. 
 
 On the festival of Christmas, (says Gibbon,) and in the last 
 year of the eighth century, Charlemagne appeared in the church 
 of St. Peter, and, to gratify the vanity of Rome, he had ex- 
 changed the simple dress of his country for the habit of a patri- 
 cian. 
 
 After the celebration of the holy mysteries, Leo suddenly 
 placed a precious crown on his head and the dome resounded 
 with the acclamations of the people, long life and victory to 
 Charles, the most pious Augustus, crowned by God, the great 
 and pacific emperor of the Romans. 
 
 The head and body of Charlemagne were consecrated by the 
 royal unction ; after the example of the Caesars, he was saluted
 
 120 
 
 or adored by the pontiff; his coronation oath represents a pro- 
 mise to maintain the faith and privileges of the church, and the 
 first fruits were paid in his rich offerings to the shrine of the 
 apostle. 
 
 The healing of the wounds which the Latin corporation had 
 received in its head, led the Romans to regard it as an extraor- 
 dinary and wonderful corporation. And all the world wondered 
 after the beast all the Roman population were surprised and 
 delighted to see this great corporation thus restored to life and 
 vigor. 
 
 And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the 
 beast. They venerated the old Pagan corporation for the power 
 which had been derived from it to the new corporation. They 
 fondly cherished and respected the absolute power which the 
 old corporation had left for the new. And they worshipped the 
 beast. They cherished and respected the new corporation, say- 
 ing, who is like unto the beast, what corporation is like this 
 one ? Who is able to make war with the beast ? What cor- 
 poration is able to compete with it can prevail over it and take 
 away its power and rule. 
 
 5th verse. " And there was given unto him a mouth speaking 
 great things and blasphemies in the words of Daniel he shall 
 speak great words against the Most High or as the Most High." 
 
 This corporation will declare its will and issue its decrees and 
 laws in the great name and authority of God, and thus profane 
 that great name and authority. And power was given him to 
 continue, to act, to flourish, to domineer for forty-two months, 
 one thousand two hundred and sixty days one thousand two 
 hundred and sixty years. 
 
 6th verse. " And he opened his mouth to blaspheme against 
 God, to blaspheme his name and his tabernacle and them that 
 dwell (tabernacle) in heaven." 
 
 The name of God stands here for his authority, the tabernacle 
 of God for his worship, and they that dwell or tabernacle in 
 heaven, for those who minister in divine service the Christian
 
 121 
 
 ministry. To blaspheme is to speak to the prejudice of sacred 
 persons or things, and to pervert divine authority to the sanction 
 of error and evil. In teaching the doctrine of transubstantia- 
 tion as the truth of God, this corporation has blasphemed the 
 authority, the worship and the ministers of God. 
 
 It blasphemes the name or authority of God when it claims 
 for this doctrine the sanction of the Holy Ghost; when it 
 teaches this commandment of men to be a doctrine of God, 
 alleging divine authority for one of the most absurd and mon- 
 strous tenets ever proposed to human credulity. In this doc- 
 trine too, the worship or tabernacle of God is blasphemed, by 
 converting the most sacred symbols of our religion into objects 
 of idolatrous worship. 
 
 "When the bread and wine in the Lord's Supper are declared 
 to be transubstantiated into the body and blood and soul and 
 divinity of Christ, and are required to be worshipped accord- 
 ingly, then the human nature of Christ in which God the word 
 tabernacled among us is spoken of falsely and to its prejudice, 
 and the most sacred part of Christian worship is blasphemed 
 and turned into idolatry. The sacrifice of the mass in which 
 the priest offers Christ for the living and the dead to have remis- 
 sion of pain or guilt, is surely a blasphemous fable and a dan- 
 gerous deceit. In this doctrine too, the Christian ministry is 
 blasphemed. To allege for them power to make God out of 
 bread and wine, is to allege for them fictitious and impious 
 authority to the prejudice of their real authority. 
 
 The ministers of Christ are also blasphemed when after their 
 death they are sometimes canonized and made mediators, and 
 invoked as such, in presence of their images. 
 
 The doctrine of transubstantiation is the undisputed doctrine 
 of this corporation, being established by the decrees of councils, 
 ratified by popes, and universally received. 
 
 7th. And it was given unto him to make war with the saints 
 and overcome them. 
 
 The saints here mean the remnant of professed Christians, 
 11*
 
 122 
 
 who, in the different Roman communities, were preserved in a 
 pure faith and worship amidst the general apostacy. The over- 
 coming of these Christians implies, that they will be successfully 
 opposed so as to be kept in a state of depression. By the aid 
 of emperors and kings, of crusades against heretical commu- 
 nities, of the inquisition and other means, the Roman Catholic 
 Church has hitherto prevailed over those who dissent from its 
 idolatrous worship. 
 
 And power was given him over all kindreds and tongues and 
 nations. This corporation shall succeed in subjecting to its 
 power and worship the pagan and heathen nations of the Latin 
 world. 
 
 8th verse. And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship 
 him, whose nameaare not written in the book of life of the Lamb 
 slain, from the foundation of the earth. 
 
 All that dwell upon the earth, (holy land,) all of Latin Chris- 
 tianity, with the exception of the minority, who adhere to the 
 one only Mediator and sacrifice, and whose title to eternal life 
 is recognised in heaven, will render respect and submission to 
 this divinity of power. 
 
 9th verse. If any man have an ear let him hear. Let him 
 mark well what has just been said. Let him mark well 
 and understand, that they are not the faithful, but the cor- 
 rupt Christians in the Latin world who will glory in this long 
 successful corporation. And let him be assured that it is des- 
 tined for destruction ; that it is not to be victorious forever; 
 that its victorious career, though long is not eternal ; that he 
 (10th verse) that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity; 
 that he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the 
 sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints. Here, 
 in this prediction and assurance of the captivity and end of this 
 mighty corporation, let the ministry who profess and practice a 
 pure Christianity, take encouragement to bear patiently with 
 the violent and persecuting measures of the majority, and perse- 
 vere in their dissent and protestation, knowing that their per-
 
 123 
 
 secuted and depressed cause will eventually be victorious and 
 obtain the ascendancy. 
 
 Of the two Catholic corporations, Latin and Greek, which the 
 Roman empire divided, we know by several marks, that the one 
 described in this chapter must be the Latin and not the Greek. 
 
 It was in the Latin imperial corporation in which sprang up 
 the ten predicted powers or States. It was the Latin imperial 
 corporation whose head was apparently wounded to death in the 
 person of Augustulus, and was healed in the person of Char- 
 lemagne. And it is this corporation whose name, Lateinos, 
 when the Greek letters which compose it are taken for numerical 
 figures, and are added together, amounts to six hundred and 
 sixty-six, and this name is also the name of a man. But we 
 
 / f 
 
 are here anticipating what will be explained when we come to 
 the last verse of the chapter. 
 
 The one thousand two hundred and sixty years of the flourish- 
 ing of this modern Latin corporation, probably began in the 
 eighth century. According to the prophet Daniel, the little 
 Roman State or power was to be the presiding power and State 
 in this modern Latin corporation, and during the period men- 
 tioned, was to possess supreme power over the people of God, 
 over laws and over times, (festivals, the calendar.) 
 
 In the latter half of the eighth century, Pepin, the Mayor of 
 France, with the sanction and authority of the Bishop of Rome, 
 was invested with the royal title and authority in place of 
 Childene, who was deposed for the purpose. In speaking of 
 this event and of the power and influence which Rome then 
 began to exercise in the Latin or western world, Gibbon uses 
 language to the same effect with that in which Daniel foretells 
 the supremacy of the Roman State at this period. The words 
 of Daniel are, that they (the saints, and times and laws) shall 
 be given into his hands (the Roman State and see) during the 
 one thousand two hundred and sixty years; while the words of 
 Gibbon are : " Under the sacerdotal monarchy of St. Peter, the 
 " nations began to resume the practice of seeking on the banks
 
 124 
 
 " of the Tiber (Rome) their kings, their laws, and the oracles of 
 " their fate." 
 
 The Latins, or Franks, under Charles Martel, in the year 732, 
 gained a great victory over theWahomedans, and saved the west 
 of Europe from falling under the Mahomedan power and religion. 
 About this time Rome and Italy, refusing to abandon their vener- 
 able images at the command of the Greek emperor, began that 
 separation from the Greeks which was consummated by the 
 translation of the empire to Charlemagne. About the same 
 time also one of the popes, in an epistle addressed to the Greek 
 emperor, boasts that all the kingdoms of the west regarded St. 
 Peter as God upon earth, and presented their homage to the 
 viceregent of Christ. In the year 732, in a council of Lateran 
 called by the pope, the relative worship of images was authorita- 
 tively established among the Romans, and Rome and the Latins 
 bagan their independence, and their disregard of Greek rule and 
 authority. Perhaps the year 732 is as early a date as we may 
 fix upon to begin the flourishing period of the modern Latin 
 corporation. In that year this corporation began to manifest 
 its victorious physical power to the world, and to come into 
 notice and consideration among the Romans proper.
 
 125 
 
 DISCOURSE X. 
 
 KEY. xiii. 1118. 
 
 "And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had 
 two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. 
 
 " And he exerciseth all the power of the first beasts before him, and 
 causeth the earth and them which dwelt therein to worship the first 
 beast, whose deadly wound was healed. And he doeth great wonders 
 so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the 
 sight of men. And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth, by the 
 means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the 
 beast ; saying to them that dwell on the earth that they should make 
 an image to the beast which had the wound by a sword, and did live. 
 And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the 
 image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would 
 not worship the image of the beast should be killed. And he causeth 
 all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a 
 mark in their right hand or in their foreheads. And that no man 
 might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, 
 or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him that hath un- 
 derstanding count the number of the beast ; for it is the number of a 
 man ; and his number is six hundred threescore and six (666)." 
 
 The beast here described comes up not out of the sea but out 
 of the land, to signify that the corporation which the beast 
 represents is to come into life among the Romans proper. It 
 is the Roman corporation proper as distinct from the Roman or 
 Latin corporation Catholic. And it is the Roman corporation 
 proper as a teaching corporation. Its coming up out of the 
 land determines it to be Roman. Its horns like those of a lamb 
 determine that its power is apparently Christian intellectual, 
 moral power power of a meek and mild nature. And while 
 the place of its origin and the nature of its power determine it 
 to be the Roman Church, its speaking as a dragon determines 
 it to be the Roman Church in its character of a false teacher. 
 To speak as a dragon is to speak and teach falsely of God, as
 
 126 
 
 the old serpent did in the garden of Eden. And hence this 
 beast is subsequently called the false prophet or teacher. 
 
 Joshua was required in all difficulties needing the council 
 and direction of God to stand before the high priest who was to 
 ask counsel and direction for him, after the judgment of Urim 
 before the Lord, and that counsel and direction both he and all 
 the children of Israel were bound to follow. 
 
 The revelation of the counsel of God by Urim and Thumim 
 was vouchsafed only to the high priest, and was sought only in 
 important cases of doubt and difficulty. When the mode of 
 revelation by Urim and Thumim ceased, God raised up a suc- 
 cession of prophets that the people of Israel might have recourse 
 to them for divine counsel and direction, especially in uncertain 
 and disputed points of doctrine and law. 
 
 The Koman corporation or Church has been exercising an 
 office and mission of this nature, for the Catholic corporation, 
 for many hundred years past. 
 
 As the mother and head of all other churches, she has re- 
 quired docility and submission to her teaching, to her nurture 
 and admonitions, from all Christian communities in the world. 
 Whether the power of desire and infallible teaching resides in 
 the see of Rome as distinct from the Church of Rome, or whe- 
 ther in both in their united capacity it is a matter of history 
 that the Church of Rome as founded by St. Peter and possess- 
 ing his see by succession, has claimed to be the head and 
 mother of all other Churches, and has performed for Roman 
 Christendom what the Jewish high priests and afterwards a 
 succession of prophets did for the Church of Israel. Roman 
 Catholics have sought unto the see and Church of Rome for 
 divine authoritative instruction and judgment, as the people of 
 Israel in ancient days sought unto the high priest and prophets. 
 
 The Apostolic see and Church have been for many ages in 
 the habit of deciding for all Churches in communion with Rome 
 their controversies and difficulties, and have required their deci- 
 sions to be received as authoritative and final. Gregory the
 
 127 
 
 seventh gives us a correct description of this high prerogative in 
 the following language. (Epist. 21, lib. 4, Concil. torn. 20, p. 
 332.) " The holy fathers receiving with great veneration and 
 preserving this prerogative, sovereignly conferred upon the 
 blessed Peter the prince of the apostles by a heavenly decree, 
 have in their general councils and other meetings and acts, 
 denominated the holy Roman Church the universal mother, and 
 received evidences of it in doctrinal decrees for the confirmation 
 of the faith and in judicial decisions, agreeing in this with one 
 voice that all great affairs and especially the judgment of all 
 ecclesiastical causes, should be referred to it as the mother and 
 head, and that no one should or can appeal from it, nor reverse 
 or reconsider its decisions." 
 
 In this high office and prerogative the see and Church of 
 Rome have performed the part of a false teacher and prophet, 
 and have spoken falsely concerning God. In teaching that 
 deceased men and women may consistently with the will of God 
 be invoked as demons or mediators with God, and that we may 
 make use of images in our religious worship, and bow down 
 before them, the Roman Church as plainly contradicts the 
 revealed will and commandments of God as the serpent did 
 when he taught our first parents that they might eat of the for- 
 bidden fruit, and that they should not surely die by so doing, 
 but should become wise to know good and evil. In the long 
 controversy on image worship in the eighth and ninth centuries, 
 the Church and bishops of Rome took a leading part, and did 
 not give over their exertions until they had made the use and 
 adoration of images in divine service a law of the Catholic 
 Church, Greek and Latin. 
 
 Indeed, in all the gross and idolatrous corruptions introduced 
 into the Catholic Church, the Church of Rome has taken the 
 lead, and acted as the prime teacher and deceiver. The Church 
 of Rome acts the part of a false prophet in teaching the Roman 
 population to do homage to the Catholic corporation, as a cor- 
 poration possessed of divine authority.
 
 128 
 
 And further, the Church of Rome not merely preaches up 
 but exercises the divine authority of the Catholic corporation, 
 for so it reads in the 12th verse. And he exerciseth all the 
 power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and 
 them that dwell therein, to worship the first beast whose deadly 
 wound was healed. 
 
 The Roman corporation exerciseth the divine authority of the 
 Catholic corporation with the looking on and tacit consent of 
 the latter. 
 
 These two corporations are in close friendship and union, and 
 mutually sustain each other. The Roman corporation for being 
 allowed by the Catholic corporation to exercise Catholic autho- 
 rity, preaches up the sacred nature and divinity of that autho- 
 rity, and the Catholic allows the local corporation to act in its 
 stead, and with its authority, from respect to the latter as the 
 seat of inspired, divine, infallible teaching. 
 
 Verse 13th. And he (the Roman corporation) doeth great 
 wonders, (miracles, acts of divine authority,) so that he maketh 
 fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, 
 commands penal inflictions tocorne down from the high places 
 of power and influence upon the subject population as a spec- 
 tacle to religious worshippers to excite their fears and overawe 
 them into submission and devotion. 
 
 The 14th verse. And he deceiveth them that dwell on the 
 earth (land) by means of those miracles which he had power to 
 do in the sight of the beast, (he deceiveth the idolatrous Chris- 
 tian worshippers by those acts of divine authority which he had 
 the ability to do with the looking on and consent of the Catholic 
 body), saying unto them that dwell upon the earth, (land) that 
 they should make an image to (or for) the beast which had the 
 wound by a sword and did live, instructing the idolatrous 
 Christians that they should fabricate some form of power to 
 represent the divinity, the divine authority of the Catholic 
 body. 
 
 15th verse. And he had power to give life unto the image of
 
 129 
 
 the beast, so that the image of the beast could both speak and 
 cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast 
 should be killed. 
 
 The Roman corporation was able to put self-acting power into 
 this representative fictitious form of divine authority, so that the 
 latter could enforce obedience and submission by a personal 
 power reaching to a cutting off or excommunication. 
 
 To make an image to or for the beast does not necessarily 
 mean that the image was made in the shape of the beast. It 
 was something fabricated to represent or stand for the beast in 
 his divinity or divine power to represent him as an object of 
 worship. An image made for worship is regarded as the repre- 
 sentative of some divinity in his invisible power and influence. 
 
 Under the old Roman empire images were used to represent 
 the emperor in his sacred supreme authority, and primitive 
 Christians were sometimes punished for refusing certain acts of 
 ceremonial worship before these imperial images. 
 
 We read that Adam was made in the image of God. He 
 was not the image of God in respect to his form or body, but in 
 respect to his dominion and other properties. The word image 
 is sometimes used in the sense of a representative of the au- 
 thority of another. In this sense Adam was the image of God. 
 In this sense the viceroy is the image of the king. And we 
 may attach this sense to the image of the beast, and define it to 
 represent in a sensible and active form the divine power of the 
 heart. 
 
 It will be noticed, that the same divine power is exhibited to 
 us as connected with each one of three living things that of 
 the first, beast ; that of the second, heart, and that of the ani- 
 mated image. This divine power is not divided among the 
 three, but exists in its unity and plenitude in each one of the 
 three as one and the same power it belongs to the first beast; 
 is with his consent exercised by the second beast; and is actively, 
 and not in mere dumb show or theory, represented by the image. 
 The whole is common to each one of three forms that of the 
 
 12
 
 130 
 
 Catholic corporation, that of the Roman or local corporation, 
 and what can the third form be but that of the papacy in its 
 catholic character. The Pope is the image or representative of 
 the Catholic Church in the plenitude of her corporate divine 
 authority. And hence he has equalled his authority to that of 
 Catholic councils, and has opposed and exalted himself above 
 every ruler on earth above all that is called God or that is 
 worshipped. The fashioning and animating this extraordinary 
 image was a work of the eighth and ninth centuries, though the 
 material or papacy had, in a rude, imperfect form, a previous 
 existence. 
 
 According to Pope Pius the 2d, the Roman Church, before 
 the time of Constantino and of the Nicene council, was of no 
 consideration. After the alliance of the church with the State, 
 there was a certain degree of precedence conferred upon the see 
 and church of the imperial city. Three prelates had before this 
 enjoyed a certain degree of pre-eminence over the rest of the 
 bishops, viz. : the Bishops of Rome, Antioch, and Alexandria ; 
 and to these the Bishop of Constantinople was added when the 
 imperial residence was transferred to that city. These four pre- 
 lates answered to the four pretorian prefects created by Con- 
 stantine, and it is possible that in this very century they were 
 distinguished by the Jewish title of patriarchs. Though equal 
 privileges were conferred upon these four patriarchs, yet the 
 Roman see ranked first, and the see of Constantinople second 
 after it. It was not long, however, before a jealousy sprang up 
 between these two sees of new and old Rome. And the bishops 
 of old Rome began to plead claims of supremacy for their see as 
 being the see of St. Peter, to whom had been confided the keys 
 of the kingdom of heaven in an especial manner. They alleged 
 that this high authority had been transmitted from St. Peter to 
 the bishops, his successors in this see. 
 
 In the year 588, the Greek emperor conferred the title of 
 Oecumenical, or universal, upon the patriarch of Constantinople. 
 Pelagius, who was then Bishop of Rome, opposed the applica-
 
 131 
 
 tion of this to the Bishop of Constantinople. Gregory the Great, 
 the immediate successor of Pelagius, renewed the opposition, 
 and writes to the Greek emperor in the following language : 
 " The direction and primacy of the whole Church have been 
 given to St. Peter, yet we do not call him the universal apostle, 
 and yet the holy man John, my brother, is ambitious to be 
 called the universal bishop. To Constantina, the empress, he 
 complains of the insult which had been offered to the see of 
 Home; and while he confesses that the sons of Gregory have 
 merited such chastisement, he reminds the empress that St. 
 Peter, at least, was sinless, and undeserving the outrage which 
 had been offered to him. 
 
 "If at first the sort of superiority assumed by the see of 
 " Rome was founded for the most part on its imperial dignity, 
 " this foundation was now changed for one of a more spiritual 
 " nature, admirably calculated to impose upon the ignorant 
 " proselytes, and the name of St. Peter became more venerable 
 " than of Augustus or Trajan; and his chair, as it was occupied 
 " by the successors of the apostle and the vicars of Christ, in- 
 " spired a deeper awe into the blind and superstitious multitude 
 " than the throne of all the Caesars. At the death of Gregory 
 " the great, the Bishop of Rome, though he might in vain dis- 
 " pute with the patriarch of Constantinople the name of uni- 
 " versal supremacy, was unquestionably acknowledged to be the 
 1 leading member of the ecclesiastical aristocracy of Europe, the 
 ' ' spiritual head or president of the western hierarchy. 
 
 " Roman Catholic writers assert, that in the year 606, the 
 " disputed title of Oecumenical, or universal, was transferred 
 " from the Greek to the Roman patriarch by the emperor Pho- 
 " cas." (Waddington.) 
 
 But the temporalities which, in the eighth century, were con- 
 ferred upon Rome by Pepin, and confirmed by Charlemagne, 
 failed not to give great additional efficacy to her spiritual claims, 
 claim, which she had already advanced with some boldness, but
 
 132 
 
 which she was now qualified to press, if so disposed to press 
 them, to the last extremity of usurpation. 
 
 The Romans now took it into their heads to make the Bishop 
 of Rome the representative (the image) of the Catholic Church, 
 in the plenitude of her divine authority. 
 
 " After the time of Charlemagne, as if impatient of the tedious 
 " progress of gradual usurpation, the spirit of papacy called into 
 " existence, by an effort of amazing audacity, a new system of 
 " government and a new code of principles, which led, by a 
 " single step, to the most absolute power. The false decretals 
 " were imposed on the credulity of mankind. Still the moment 
 " was not yet arrived in which it was possible to enforce all the 
 " rights so boldly claimed on their authority ; and though some 
 " ground was gained by Pope Nicholas I., (died 867,) their 
 " efforts were not brought into full operation till the pontificate 
 " of Gregory VII., (10731086.") Waddington, Chap. XIV. 
 111. 
 
 Adrian the first, during his pontificate, (772795,) brought 
 to public notice, certain forged instruments, called the false 
 decretals, and the donation of Constantine. They have been 
 termed the two magic pillars of the spiritual and temporal 
 monarchy of the Pope. These two most celebrated monuments 
 of human imposture and credulity, which were put forth about 
 the conclusion of the eighth century, were immediately, and 
 universally received as genuine. " Probably they were the 
 composition of some monk or scribe of that age. Their direct 
 object, was the unlimited advancement of the Roman See ; and 
 for that purpose, the Decretals furnished the spiritual, the 
 Donation, the temporal authority j the former, professing to be 
 a compilation of the epistles and decrees of primitive popes and 
 early emperors, derived from the first ages, the ghostly omnipo- 
 tence of Rome. While the latter, proclaimed no less, than 
 that Constantine, on removing the seat of government to the 
 east, had consigned the western empire to the temporal, as well
 
 133 
 
 as spiritual government of the Bishop of Rome. Unbounded 
 dominion over churches, and nations, and kings, was delegated 
 to the successor of St. Peter, and the vicar of Christ. It was 
 asserted, that the original deed of the emperor had been re- 
 cently discovered ; the monstrous forgery, went forth and 
 spread itself through the world without confutation, seemingly 
 without 'suspicion ; and it continued for above six hundred 
 years, to form the most prominent, and not the least solid, 
 among the bulwarks of papacy." (Waddington.) 
 
 Among these false decretals or edicts of early popes and 
 emperors, was an edict of the Emperor Constantino. It reads, 
 " We, together with our Prefects, the Senate, all men of rank, 
 and the whole population of the empire, have judged it useful, 
 that as the holy Peter is seen to have been constituted the vicar 
 of the Son of God on earth, the pontiff's also, who are successors 
 of that prince of the apostles, should obtain, by concession from 
 us and our empire, the power of a princely rule, more ample 
 than our imperial serenity possesses, electing that prince of the 
 apostles and his successors, assured intercessors for us with God, 
 and we decree, that the Holy Roman Church, shall be reverently 
 honoured like our imperial power, and the sacred chair of the 
 blessed Peter, more exalted than our earthly imperial throne, 
 ascribing to it an imperial power, dignity, strength, and merit 
 of honor ; and ordaining, that it shall have dominion, as well 
 over the principal seats, Antioch, Alexandria, Jerusalem, and 
 Constantinople, as over all the Church of God throughout the 
 world. And he who is for the time, Pontiff of the Holy Roman 
 Church, shall be superior, and prince to all the priests of the 
 world, and whatever shall be ordained, in order to the honor of 
 God aud the stability of the faith of Christians, shall be disposed 
 by his judgment." 
 
 These forged edicts of early popes and emperors, agree in 
 representing the bishop of the Roman city, to be invested with 
 a supreme plenary power in the catholic body ; they teach, that 
 
 12*
 
 134 
 
 without the command or consent of the Pope, no council could 
 be held that bishops cannot be definitely judged, except by 
 the pope that his judgment was irreversible and final that 
 the apostolical seat was constituted by Christ, the hinge and head 
 of all churches, and that as a 'door hangs and turns by the 
 hinges, so by Christ's appointment, the whole Catholic Church 
 depends, and moves on the authority of this holy See. 
 
 " The wisest and most impartial among the Roman Catholic 
 " writers, not only acknowledge, but have even taken pains to 
 " demonstrate, that from the time of Louis the Debonaire, 
 " (ninth century,) the ancient rules of ecclesiastical govern- 
 " ment were gradually changed in Europe, by the counsels and 
 " instigation of the Court of Rome, and new laws substituted 
 " in their place. The European princes suffered themselves to 
 " be divested of the supreme authority in religious matters, 
 " which they had derived from Charlemagne ; the episcopal 
 " power was greatly diminished, and even the authority of both 
 " provincial and general councils began to decline." 
 
 The Roman pontiffs, elate with their overgrown prosperity, 
 and the daily accessions that were made to their authority, were 
 eagerly bent upon persuading all, and had indeed, the good for- 
 tune to persuade many, that the Bishop of Rome, was consti- 
 tuted by Jesus Christ, supreme legislator and judge of the 
 Church universal, and that, therefore, the bishops derived all 
 their authority from the pope, nor could the councils determine 
 anything without his permission and consent. In order to gain 
 credit to this new ecclesiastical system, so different from the 
 ancient rules of Church government, and to support the haughty 
 pretensions of the pontiffs to supremacy and independence, it 
 was necessary to produce the authority of ancient deeds to stop 
 the mouths of those who were disposed to set bounds to their 
 usurpations. The bishops of Rome were aware of this, and as 
 those means were deemed the most lawful, that tended best to 
 the accomplishment of their purposes, they employed some of
 
 135 
 
 their most ingenious and zealous partizans in forging conven- 
 tions, acts of councils, epistles, and the like records, by which 
 it might appear, that in the first ages of the Church, the E,oman 
 pontiffs were clothed with the same spiritual majesty and su- 
 preme authority which they now assumed. Among these ficti- 
 tious supports of the papal dignity, the famous decretal epistles, 
 said to have been written by the pontiffs of the primitive time, 
 deserve to be stigmatized. 
 
 Gregory the Seventh, in the seventh century, confidently 
 appeals to those false decretals, to show that the pope, in the 
 catholicity and plenitude of his power, may, by his sole authority, 
 condemn and excommunicate that the apostolical seat has the 
 power, without the concurrence of a synod, of releasing who- 
 ever, by an unjust synod, has been condemned, and of con- 
 demning without a synod, whoever it thinks proper ; and this, 
 by the sovereignty which Peter held by the word of Christ. 
 
 Referring to these false decretals, Gregory says, " the Popes 
 Leo, Virgil, and Gregory, each eminent in authority, testify in 
 their (false) decrees, almost in the same language, that the holy 
 Roman Church bestows their office on other churches, so that 
 they are called to a part in the care, but not to a plenitude of 
 power ; which shows clearly, that no bishop has as great power 
 given him over his own flock, as the apostolical pontiff; who, 
 although he distributes his care to the individual bishops, yet 
 by no means divests himself of his universal and sovereign 
 power; just as a king does not diminish his regal power, by 
 dividing his kingdom among different dukes, counts, or judges. 
 As then, the apostolical lord has such a sovereign power over 
 every Church, that even against the will of the bishop, he may 
 direct anything in it, according to the canons, who can deny 
 that he can condemn every where, the nations, both the sub- 
 jects of bishops, and the bishops themselves, who condemn the 
 apostolical command. Every one who desires to be a bishop, 
 should especially teach his people, that they should, without
 
 136 
 
 contradiction, obey the canons (the forged) of the holy fathers 
 which, as has already been said, enjoin on all, a supreme obe- 
 dience to the apostolic seat. Whoever then, would render an 
 appropriate obedience to his own legitimate pastor, must also 
 render a supreme obedience to the apostolical lord." 
 
 The famous Bernard, flourished in the twelfth century. In 
 a letter addressed to Pope Eugenius III., he gives the following 
 description of the catholicity the plenitude and supremacy of 
 papal power. " Who are you ? A mighty priest, the highest 
 pontiff. You are the first among bishops, the heir of the apos- 
 tles; in primacy, Abel; in government, Noah; in patriarchate, 
 Abraham ; in order, Melchizedeck ; in dignity, Aaron ; in 
 authority, Moses; in judgment, Samuel; in power, Peter; in 
 unction, Christ. You are he, to whom the keys have been 
 delivered, to whom the flock has been entrusted. Others, 
 indeed, there are, who are door-keepers of heaven, and pastors 
 of sheep, but you are pre-eminently so, as you are more singu- 
 larly distinguished by the inheritance of both characters. They 
 have their flocks assigned them, each one his own; to you, the 
 -whole are intrusted, as one flock to one shepherd, neither of the 
 sheep only, but of the pastors also ; you alone, are the pastor of 
 all. Where is mj proof of this ? in the word of God. For to 
 which, I say, not of bishops, but of apostles, was the universal 
 flock so positively intrusted ? If thou lovest me, Peter, feed 
 my sheep. . . . According to your canons, others are called in 
 to a share of the duty, you, to a plenitude of power ; the power 
 of others is restrained by fixed limits, your's is extended, even 
 over those who have received power over others. Are you not 
 able, if cause arise, to exclude a bishop from heaven, to depose 
 him from his dignity, and even to consign him over to Satan ? 
 These, your privileges, stand unassailable, both through the 
 keys, and the flock which has been confided to you." 
 
 Here we have in the pope of that day, the fabricated acting 
 image, or representative of the catholic body, in the plenitude 
 of catholic divine authority.
 
 Verses 16 and 17. " And he (the Roman beast,) causeth 
 all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to 
 receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads. And 
 that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or 
 (either) the name of the (catholic) beast, or the number of his 
 name the name open and manifest, or concealed in its numer- 
 ical value." 
 
 Through the machinations of the Church of Rome, all, of what- 
 ever rank, means or condition, are made to pledge themselves 
 in thought and deed, the obedient servants of the catholic body, 
 and no one, unless he thus, more or less, openly pledges him- 
 self, is received among the clergy, and allowed to exercise the 
 office of a divine or teacher. 
 
 Verse 18. "Here is wisdom, Let him that hath understand- 
 ing, count the number of the beast, (the catholic body,) for it 
 is the number of a man ; and his number is six hundred three 
 score and six." 
 
 The letters which spell the name of the catholic body, must, 
 when taken in their numerical value and added together, make 
 the sum of six hundred and sixty-six ; and this name must be 
 the name of some man or ruler. Ireneus, a bishop of the second 
 century, determines the name to be Lateinos, a king from whom 
 the Latins derived their name. 
 
 Ireneus was a Greek, and an eminent Christian minister. 
 The name of Lateinos, (says he,) contains the number of six 
 hundred and sixty-six. And it is very likely, because the last 
 kingdom is so called ; for they are Latins who now reign, but 
 in this we will not glory. 
 
 The Greeks used the letters of their alphabet to represent 
 numbers, as well as sounds. The first letter stood for one ; 
 the second for two ; the letter I stood for ten ; then the next 
 letter stood for 20, and the next for 30 ; the letter R stood for 
 100 ; then the next letter stood for 200, and the next for 300, 
 and so on to the last letter, which stood for 800.
 
 138 
 
 L stood for 30, 
 
 A 1 
 
 T 300 
 
 E 5 
 
 I 10 
 
 N 50 
 
 70 
 
 S 200 
 
 666 
 
 Some persons have objected to the word Lateinos, because 
 Ireneus spells it with ei, instead of a single i, but an educated 
 Greek, living in the age next after that of St. John, could not 
 have been mistaken in spelling the word he must have known 
 that his manner of spelling it, was common to his day, and that 
 of St. John. 
 
 When we consider that this corporation must be one of 
 the two catholic corporations, eastern and western, into which 
 the old Roman empire divided, that it was the western in which 
 appeared the ten powers or states, that it is the western cor- 
 poration which speaks in the Latin language that it is distin- 
 guished among the Greeks by the name of Latin, and that the 
 Greek letters of this name, taken in their numerical value, make 
 six hundred and sixty-six, we can have no doubt, that the 
 catholic corporation, symbolically described and named, is the 
 Latin, or western, and not the Greek, or eastern. 
 
 We have a description of both these corporations in the book 
 of Daniel; the Latin corporation is described in the seventh 
 chapter, while the Greek corporation is described in the eighth 
 chapter.
 
 139 
 
 DISCOURSE XI. 
 REV. xiv. 
 
 In the preceding chapter the attention of the Apostle is first 
 directed to the sea, and he saw a beast rise out of the sea. This 
 beast is the Latin body corporate, emerging from the more rude 
 or the western population. The Apostle's attention in that 
 chapter is next directed to the land, and he beholds another 
 beast coming up out of the land, which is subsequently called 
 the false prophet or teacher. This beast is ~a body corporate, 
 which was to arise and grow unto strength among the Romans 
 proper. 
 
 Now, however, in this fourteenth chapter, the Apostle's atten- 
 tion is turned towards Mount Zion and the temple. 
 
 Verses 1 5. " And I looked, and lo a Lamb stood on the 
 Mount Zion, and with him a hundred and forty and four thou- 
 sand, having his Father's name written in their foreheads. 
 
 " And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many 
 waters and as the voice of a great thunder ; and I heard the 
 voice of harpers harping with their harps. And they sung as 
 it were a new song before the throne and before the four beasts 
 and the elders : and no man could learn that song but the hun- 
 dred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from 
 the earth. These are they which were not defiled with women : 
 for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb 
 whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among 
 men, being the first fruits unto God and to the Lamb. And in 
 their mouth was found no guile ; for they are without fault be- 
 fore the throne of God." 
 
 These hundred and forty and four thousand are first brought 
 to our notice in the seventh chapter, where we learn that they 
 were selected out of the different tribes of Israel, and sealed with 
 the seal of the living God, and that they were thus selected and
 
 140 
 
 sealed before the four winds of the earth were let loose upon the 
 land and the sea. 
 
 The language used supposes an apostacy a falling away of 
 the majority of Roman Christians unto idolatrous practices. 
 It supposes that this falling away would precede that general 
 breaking loose of the barbarians upon the people of the empire, 
 which occurred in the fifth century. And it supposes, too, that 
 through these calamitous invasions, and through the period of 
 the apostacy, there would continue a small remnant of Christians 
 free from the prevailing corruptions of Christian worship. 
 
 This remnant of the servants of God, confirmed in the profes- 
 sion of a pure worship, is brought to our notice again in the 
 ninth chapter, in which we are informed that the Mahomedans 
 of Arabia, who were commissioned to torment idolaters, were 
 forbidden to hurt those men who had the seal of God upon their 
 foreheads those hundred and forty and four thousand who ad- 
 hered to a pure worship amidst the general falling away. These 
 faithful Christians are brought to our notice again in the twelfth 
 chapter, where they are described as a remnant of the seed of 
 the woman as the remnant who keep the commandments of 
 God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ as the remnant 
 with whom the dragon, or party opposed to the Christian pro- 
 fession, went to make war, after the Church had escaped from 
 that inundation of foreign pagans, which threatened to drown 
 Roman civilization, and with it the Christian Church. 
 
 It would seem from the next (thirteenth) chapter, that the 
 dragon carries on the war through another beast, to whom he 
 gives power over his throne and dominion. This successor 
 of the dragon, during the twelve hundred and sixty years of his 
 successful power, makes war with these saints and overcomes 
 them ; and all of Roman Christianity submit to him with the 
 exception of this remnant, whose names are written in the book 
 of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. 
 
 The meaning is, that during this period of successful Roman 
 Catholic corporate power, there would continue among the dif-
 
 141 
 
 ferent Roman communities a small remnant who, assured of the 
 certain though long delayed destruction of that power, would not 
 be seduced or forced into submission. 
 
 This assurance was the secret of their perseverance in a pure 
 faith and practice. Here is the patience and faith of the saints. 
 And now here in this fourteenth chapter this remnant is brought 
 to our notice once more. 
 
 The Apostle, looking towards Mount Zion and the temple, 
 sees a Lamb standing on the Mount, and with him these hun- 
 dred and forty and four thousand, which have the seal of his 
 Father, the living God, upon their foreheads. 
 
 The place and the posture in which these, Israelites are found 
 are those of religious worship. In this place of worship they 
 appear with the Lamb, to signify that it is through Christ, the 
 Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world, that they 
 have access to the temple and mercy seat and favour of God 
 that it is through his sacrifice and mediation that they are 
 allowed to coine near to the presence of God, and ask for mercy 
 and favour. 
 
 While they are standing on the Mount with the Lamb, the 
 Apostle hears a voice from heaven, from the inner parts of the 
 temple, and this voice was very loud, and was accompanied with 
 the voice of harpers singing before the throne of God a song 
 which none of the men of the land could learn, excepting these 
 hundred and forty and four thousand, who were redeemed from 
 among them. 
 
 In foretelling the deliverance of the faithful Israelites from 
 their oppressors, and their introduction into a happy state of 
 liberty and prosperity, the prophet Isaiah uses the following 
 language, (chap, li.) "Therefore the redeemed of the Lord shall 
 return, and come with singing unto Zion ; and everlasting joy 
 shall be upon their head : they shall obtain joy and gladness; 
 and sorrow and sighing shall flee away." 
 
 The language of St. John is of a similar import with that 
 of Isaiah. It imports that the remnant of pure worshippers who 
 
 13
 
 142 
 
 in Roman communities and under the Roman oppressors have 
 continued to exist during the twelve hundred and sixty years, 
 are now, at the end of this period, to be delivered from their op- 
 pressors, and pass into a free and prosperous state ; in other 
 words, men of their worship and morals and character, are now 
 to flourish in Roman communities, while the votaries and advo- 
 cates of a corrupted Christianity are to decline. 
 
 Let us now attend to the description given of these characters. 
 " These are they which which were not defiled with women : for 
 they are virgins." 
 
 They are called virgins to signify their purity in respect to 
 idolatrous practices ; for when the scriptures speak of idolatry, 
 they commonly use the words fornication and adultery. The 
 religion of ancient idolaters was literally as well as figuratively 
 a system of lewdness. The worship of this remnant is not de- 
 filed with idolatrous ceremonies and invocations. They invoke 
 the one only Mediator between God and man the Man Christ 
 Jesus to the exclusion of the mediation of martyrs and deceased 
 saints, and they make use of no images in their invocations. 
 Unlike the majority, they strictly adhere to the doctrine and 
 worship of the deceased and risen Man Christ Jesus, as the one 
 and the only man whom it is lawful to invoke and worship as a 
 mediator in the Court of Heaven. 
 
 These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. 
 They have followed the Lamb unto Mount Zion, unto the city 
 of the living God the heavenly Jerusalem, and unto the pre- 
 sence of the throne of God, and there they join in the celestial 
 worship. 
 
 Whether they regard Christ in his incarnation, his obedience, 
 his sufferings and death, his resurrection, his ascension into 
 heaven and his session and intercession there at the right hand 
 of power, they follow him in their gratitude and confidence, 
 through all, up to the very throne of God in the celestial city. 
 They cleave to the merits and intercessions of Christ, as all suffi- 
 cient to their eternal acceptance with God in heaven.
 
 143 
 
 And in their mouth was found no guile, for they are without 
 fault before the throne of God. 
 
 The founders and advocates of the old pagan religion, acted 
 upon the principle that it is lawful to make use of falsehood and 
 deception when they are for the benefit of mankind. And this 
 pagan principle in the course of a few centuries came into prac- 
 tice among the professors of Christianity. 
 
 Eusebius, a Christian bishop of the fourth century, could pro- 
 pose the question whether it were lawful to use falsehood as a 
 medicine for those who may derive advantage from such a 
 method. He quotes the authority of Plato, though he would 
 not go so far as Plato, and justify falsehood, but he thought that 
 illusion or dissimulation might be innocently used for praise- 
 worthy ends. Jerome, in the fifth century, ascribed dissimula- 
 tion to the apostles Peter and Paul, on the occasion related in 
 the second chapter of the epistle to the Galatians. St. Augus- 
 tine, however, severely reproved him as guilty of a great slander 
 upon these Apostles. 
 
 Gregory, bishop of Rome, wrote in the sixth century his 
 book of dialogues, which is filled with the most extravagant 
 stories of miracles, altogether unworthy of belief. He is ex- 
 cused by the Roman Catholic historian, Fleury, on the ground 
 that he wrote this book for the benefit of ignorant soldiers and 
 barbarians, and that a miracle did more good, and was to them 
 more convincing than the best syllogisms. 
 
 These dialogues of Gregory were in use for many generations 
 after him, and were followed by the ridiculous legends of the 
 monks. What absurd miracles and impious frauds were fabri- 
 cated and preached during the dark ages. In those days Chris- 
 tiana had itching ears, and they turned away their ears from the 
 truth and were turned into fables. And these fables and false- 
 hoods were invented and published for idolatrous purposes. 
 Idolatry and fiction and falsehood go together. And no one 
 who worketh abomination or maketli a lie, no idolaters and liars
 
 144 
 
 have any inheritance in the kingdom of God. To fabricate and 
 publish a false miracle for the purpose of sanctioning and sus- 
 taining an idolatrous principle or practice is a daring impiety. 
 my soul, come not thou into their secret, unto their assembly 
 mine honour, be not thou united. 
 
 But while these authors and preachers of lying wonders 
 walked in craftiness and handled the word of God deceitfully, 
 there were always some few who renounced these things of dis- 
 honesty, and endeavoured by the manifestation of the truth to 
 commend themselves to every man's conscience in the sight of 
 God. And these are they x who, in being without guile in their 
 treatment of Christian truth are without fault before the throne 
 of God, in the sight of the God of truth. 
 
 These were redeemed from the earth, redeemed from among 
 men, being the first fruits unto God and to the Lamb. These 
 are saved and emancipated from that idolatrous slavery under 
 which they had been born, and they are but a small number in 
 comparison of that greater number to be saved and emancipated 
 in a future age. The first fruits were but a diminutive part of 
 the whole harvest. And there is to follow a harvest of such 
 Christians. We have an account of this harvest, in the latter 
 part of the chapter. 
 
 Verses 6 and 7. " And I saw another angel fly in the midst 
 of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them 
 that dwell on the earth and to every nation and kindred and 
 tongue and people. Saying with a loud voice, ' Fear God and 
 give glory to him ; for the hour of his judgment is come ; and 
 worship him that made heaven and earth and the sea and the 
 fountains of waters.' " 
 
 An angel had been introduced (in the eighth chapter,) flying 
 through the midst of heaven, for the purpose of impressing on 
 our minds a sense of the severity of the three last woes here 
 threatened. Angels are introduced flying in the midst of heaven, 
 to impress on our minds a sense of the great severity of the last
 
 145 
 
 woe in which the ruin of Rome, of the worshippers of the divi- 
 nity of the Roman Catholic church, and of its representative, 
 the papacy, is to be consummated. 
 
 The first angel (we perceive,) addresses his message not only 
 to them that dwell on the land, (the nation of Israel,) but to 
 every nation and tongue and people. 
 
 This angel calls upon all idolatrous communities, whether 
 Christian or Pagan, whether professing Christianity or some 
 other religion, to fear and give glory to God, and to worship the 
 Former of heaven and earth, for that the time of judgment upon 
 their idolatry had come, and that heaven would bear with them 
 no longer. 
 
 The apostle iii preaching to the Athenians, on the subject of 
 their demon or mediator worship, and of their use of images in 
 this worship, calls upon them to abandon their mediators and 
 images and worship the God who made the world and all things 
 therein, and who is omnipresent in his divinity and power, and 
 not confined to any particular temples or images. The apostle 
 also in his preaching assured them, that though God had winked 
 at (had suffered) these times in which men ignorantly invoked 
 demons and fell down before images, yet that now He commands 
 all men every where to repent of their idolatry, and has, in the 
 resurrection of Christ from the dead, given assurance to all men 
 that at an appointed time he would judge the world in righteous- 
 ness by Jesus Christ. 
 
 So here the angel flying through the midst of heaven, in his 
 preaching the gospel to Christian and other communities who 
 invoke a multiplicity of mediators and fall down before images, 
 assures them that the hour of God's judgment when he would 
 not longer bear with their idolatrous worship was at hand, and 
 that they should render their worship to the great author of all 
 things which are in heaven and on the land and in the waters. 
 Under the gospel as well as under the law, God allows not his 
 glory to be given to another, nor his presence to graven images. 
 
 13*
 
 146 
 
 In this truth the gospel is everlasting, is the same yesterday, 
 to day, and forever. 
 
 Verse 8. " And there followed another angel, saying Bab- 
 ylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all na- 
 tions drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication. 
 
 There is an allusion here to philters or love potions which 
 impure women gave to those whom they wished to inspire with 
 an insane passion, and seduce and bend to their will. 
 
 The angel denounces the subversion of Rome as a punishment 
 upon her, because the nations of her commission had imbibed 
 those idolatrous doctrines, or notions of her fornication and 
 teaching, which had infused into them a mania or fanatical rage 
 for her mode of worship, and an insane, blind submission to her 
 authority. 
 
 It has indeed been by appeals and arguments addressed to 
 passion and prejudice, that Rome has been enabled to triumph 
 over reason and common sense, and to entice the nations into 
 her idolatry, and to bind them to her will and rule. Transub- 
 stantiation and image worship 4n the establishment of which 
 Rome took the lead, were triumphs of party passion and fanaticism 
 over reason and common sense. 
 
 Verses 9-12. " And the third angel followed them, saying 
 with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, 
 and receive his mark in his forehead or in his hand, the 
 same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which 
 is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation, 
 and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone, in the pre- 
 sence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And 
 the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever, and 
 they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his 
 image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name. Here 
 is the patience of the saints ; here are they that keep the com- 
 mandments of God, and the faith of Jesus." 
 
 All who pledge themselves to the ministry and service of the 
 Roman Catholic Church, as well as all who respect its authority,
 
 147 ;.- 
 
 and that of the pope as divine and infallible, are according to the 
 angel now destined to the punishment and torture of a reprobate 
 mind, and a reprobate state. The unwilling conviction of hated 
 truth will be to them like an intense suffocating fire, torturing 
 them forever. 
 
 This fatal doom of the majority is set forth as an inducement 
 to the minority to persevere in their obedience and faith. 
 
 13th verse. " And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto 
 me ; Write Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from 
 henceforth, yea, saith the Spirits that they may rest from their 
 labours, and their works do follow them." 
 
 The angel who denounced the worshippers of the beast and 
 his image, and all who received his mark, is followed by a voice 
 from heaven pronouncing the blessedness of the martyrs for 
 Christ as being destined to rest from all their works of faith, and 
 charity, and receive the reward of them in a future state. The 
 introduction of the words in this place would seem intended to 
 encourage the minority, under some severe temporary persecu- 
 tion which they were about to suffer, perhaps the three-and-a 
 half years which terminate the 1260. 
 
 Verses 14-16. " And I looked and behold a white cloud, and 
 upon the cloud, one sat like unto the son of man, having on his 
 head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle. And an- 
 other angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to 
 him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle and reap, for 
 the time is come for thee to reap, for the harvest of the earth is 
 ripe. And he that sat on the cloud, thrust in his sickle on the 
 earth, and the harvest was reaped." 
 
 The hundred and forty and four thousand redeemed from the 
 earth were the first fruits here is the general harvest. 
 
 When our Lord sent forth the seventy disciples to preach the 
 gospel, he said unto them : " The harvest truly is great, but the 
 labourers are few. Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, 
 that he may send forth labourers into his harvest." On another 
 occasion he says to his disciples : " Say not ye, there are yet
 
 148 
 
 four months, and then cometh harvest ; behold I say unto you, 
 Lift up your eyes and look on the fields, for they are white 
 already to harvest. And he that reapeth receiveth wages and 
 gathereth fruit unto life eternal, that both he that soweth and 
 he that reapeth may rejoice together." As if he had said, that 
 there are multitudes who, by instruction, have become ripe for 
 the reception of the gospel and for gathering into Christian socie- 
 ties. The minds of the sincere and the upright among the Jews 
 were as prepared for the doctrine and dispensation of the Mes- 
 siah, as wheat fully ripe is ready to be reaped and gathered into 
 barns. 
 
 The apostles and ministers of Christ were the reapers ap- 
 pointed for this purpose. 
 
 In the harvest spoken of here by St. John, the upright and 
 good among the Romans are now prepared to receive the truth 
 as it is in Christ, and to separate themselves from the Roman 
 communion, and form themselves into new societies and con- 
 gregations. 
 
 The golden crown upon the Son of Israel, and his sitting 
 upon a cloud, are symbolic of the coming of his gospel in great 
 power and influence among mankind; while the sickle in his 
 hand, and the call addressed to him to thrust in his sickle and 
 reap, signify that he is about to gather the people unto 
 himself. 
 
 And when all the upright and good are withdrawn from the 
 Roman communion, its ruin will be inevitable and speedy. 
 
 Verses 17 20. And another angel came out of the temple 
 which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle. And another 
 angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire, and 
 cried with a loud voice to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, 
 Thrust in thy sharp sickle and gather the clusters of the vine 
 of the earth, for her grapes are fully ripe. And the angel thrust 
 in his sickle into the earth and gathered the vine of the earth 
 and cast it into the great wine-press of the wrath of God. And 
 the wine-press was trodden without the city, and blood came out
 
 149 
 
 of the wine-press, even unto the horses' bridles, by the space of 
 a thousand six hundred furlongs. 
 
 The reaping of the vine of the earth is done at the command 
 of an angel who had power over fire, who had charge of the fire 
 of the altar, whose business related to punishment. 
 
 This circumstance intimates that the vintage is to be under- 
 stood in a punitive sense, and this sense is confirmed by the 
 casting of the grapes into the great wine-press of the wrath of 
 Grod, and the flowing of blood from the trodden grapes to the 
 depth of the horses' bridles, and to the distance of a thousand 
 six hundred furlongs, the length of the holy land. 
 
 When those who are truly Christian in their sentiments and 
 conduct are spoken of under the figure of wheat, those of oppo- 
 site sentiments and conduct are spoken of under the head of tares 
 or chaff; here they are spoken of under the figure of grapes of 
 blood, ripe, to be cut and cast into the wine-press and trodden 
 under foot. 
 
 The prophet Isaiah compares the house of Israel to a vineyard 
 planted with the choicest vine, and provided with all things 
 necessary to insure a good vintage. But when its owner looked 
 that it should bring forth grapes, it brought forth wild grapes. 
 The vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, and 
 the men of Judah his pleasant plant, and he looked for judg- 
 ment, and behold oppression ; and for righteousness, and behold 
 a cry. The community of Israel, notwithstanding its divine in- 
 stitutions, had brought forth a generation of unjust and tyran- 
 nical men. And so the produce of the Roman vineyard will be 
 grapes of bood. The Roman Catholic community will become 
 notorious as a community in which the heartless oppressors and 
 bloody persecutors of Christians of a pure worship will have the 
 ascendancy and rule. 
 
 This generation of persecutors is, however, destined for degra- 
 dation and contempt. The crown of pride, the drunkards of 
 Ephraim, shall be trodden with the feet. The Lord hath trod- 
 den under foot all uiy mighty men in the midst of me ; he hath
 
 150 
 
 called an assembly against me to crush my young men. The 
 Lord hath trodden the virgin, the daughter of Judah, as in a 
 wine-press. I will tread the people in mine anger, and trample 
 them in my fury; and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my 
 garments, and I will stain all my garments. For the day of 
 vengeance is in my heart, and the year of my redeemed is come. 
 From the commencement of our Saviour's public ministry to 
 the destruction of Jerusalem, was to the Jews the period of 
 harvest, during which time, those of honest and good hearts 
 among them were gathered into Christian societies. But after 
 the period of harvest there followed a period of vintage a pe- 
 riod of terrible calamity and degradation upon the unbelieving 
 Jews. The people of the Roman prince came and destroyed 
 their city and sanctuary, and Jerusalem and the Jews have ever 
 sinqe been trodden under foot. 
 
 So also after the better part of Roman Catholic Christians 
 shall be gathered into new Christian societies, the remainder are 
 destined for a state of degradation and contempt for some 
 fearful judgment. This chapter has called our attention to the 
 time when the remnant of Christians of a pure worship, having 
 passed through the one thousand two hundred and sixty years of 
 their oppression and persecution, are about to enter in a nourish- 
 ing condition, and to increase from the first fruits into a general 
 harvest, while their oppressors and persecutors are to sink into 
 a state of condemnation and ignominy. In the last part of this 
 chapter we are brought down beyond the one thousand two hun- 
 dred and sixty years into the third woe ; and in the next two 
 chapters we have the several particulars of that woe under the 
 figure of seven vials full of the wrath of God, poured out upon 
 the earth by seven angels.
 
 151 
 
 DISCOURSE XII. 
 REV. xv. and xvi. 
 
 CHAP. xv. 1-4. " And I saw another sign in heaven great and marvel- 
 lous, seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled 
 up the wrath of God. And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled 
 with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and 
 over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, 
 stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God, &c. And they sing 
 the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, say- 
 ing Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty, just and 
 true are thy ways thou king of saints. Who shatl not fear thee 
 Lord, and glorify thy name ; for all nations shall come and worship 
 before thee, for thy judgments are made manifest." 
 
 From the 6th to the 12th chapters the apostle conducts us 
 through a period of history, beginning soon after his own age, 
 and reaching down 'to the third and last woe, contained in the 
 sounding of the seventh trumpet. 
 
 From the 12th to the 15th chapters he conducts us over the 
 same period down to the same date, for the purpose of commu- 
 nicating additional information. Having thus twice conducted 
 us down to the third or last woe, he now in the 15th and 16th 
 chapters gives us a symbolic description of that woe in the par- 
 ticulars of the seven last plagues in which is filled up the wrath 
 of God. 
 
 These last seven plagues being the inflictions of an angry 
 providence, will complete the decline and fall of Roman idola- 
 trous power, both Catholic and local. The measure of Roman 
 prosperous corporate apostacy from a pure Christianity, being 
 filled up, the measure of its punishment will now also be filled 
 up unto its utter decline and ruin, and the servants of God who 
 had been in an afflicted and persecuted condition during the
 
 152 
 
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 !TiiB power, KLt Ac l^arfiirff kad vilwanl tfcafc 
 
 ri tint fifce &e 
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 fire, sigftifc* Aat Acy are m 
 
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 B!C f Ae libriBM-V of Ae kJliBMMy (Ae mm 
 Ae tepie) m kOTBB a> fMed." 
 
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 wnA of God, wfe EicA 
 
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 ef Ae 
 
 ]re wttte datkiBg f Ae 
 
 aad Ae nadj obedieBee wiA vioeh Acy execBte Ae 
 
 . " . _. \- -
 
 153 
 
 It is a common scriptural figure which speaks of the wrath of 
 God as contained in a vial or cup. In the hand of the Lord 
 there is a cup, and the wine is red ; it is full of mixture ; and 
 he poureth out of the same, but the dregs thereof all the wicked 
 shall wring out and drink them. 
 
 The smoke with which the temple was filled and which pre- 
 vented all ingress while the seven angels were fulfilling their 
 respective commissions, signifies an extraordinary and glorious 
 manifestation of the divine power and justice in the judgments 
 inflicted. The seven angels having received the seven vials 
 now hear a great voice out of the temple or sanctuary ordering 
 them to execute their respective commissions. 
 
 Chap. xvi. 1. " And I heard a great voice out of the temple, 
 saying, Go your ways and pour out the vials of the wrath of 
 God upon the earth." 
 
 The first angel pours out the contents of his vial upon the 
 earth, (the land) the second angel pours his vial upon the sea, 
 the third upon the rivers and fountains of waters, the fourth 
 upon the sun, the fifth upon the throne or seat of the beast, 
 the sixth upon the great river Euphrates, and the seventh into 
 the air. It has been remarked that the land, the sea, and the 
 rivers and fountains of waters signify three different kinds of 
 population in the Roman world ; the land signifies the portion 
 more particularly Roman in their manners and civilization, the 
 rivers and fountains of water signify the favoured nations or 
 communities of foreign manners and civilization, while the sea 
 signifies that portion of the population who less disciplined and 
 stable in their minds and passions constitute the greater num- 
 ber, the mass or multitude. 
 
 The rivers and fountains of waters included in the 5th and 
 6th centuries, those foreign nations who after conquering the 
 Romans settled among them, and united with them in close 
 alliance and friendship. These rivers and fountains must 
 represent in modern times those nations or communities as 
 transmitted in a modified form, and comprehending the different 
 
 14
 
 154 
 
 Roman Catholic nations or communities of Europe. The 
 Greeks for some ages were to the Roman power and idolatry in 
 the west what the river Euphrates was to the city of Babylon, 
 they protected the Latin or Western people from the Mahome- 
 dans. In modern times the river Euphrates may represent the 
 Greek community as perpetuated in religion and government 
 among the Russians. 
 
 The Russians are of the Greek religion, and their government 
 is the Greek imperial despotism or autocracy. 
 
 The Russian empire is the Greek empire perpetuated in 
 Church and State. 
 
 The sun is the symbol of the chief source of knowledge and 
 influence. It was in ancient times the province of governments 
 to exercise a chief agency in the diffusion and perpetuation of 
 knowledge, one of the titles of the ancient Egyptian kings was, 
 " Son of the sun." 
 
 The seat or throne of the beast, signifies the seat of govern- 
 ment the capitol of the Roman Catholic Church, or the 
 sovereign administration of Roman Catholic power. 
 
 The air may represent public opinion, the public mind and 
 sentiment, that upon which authority is dependent for its life 
 and vigor. 
 
 The 2d verse. " And the first (angel) went and poured out 
 his vial upon the earth, and there fell a noisome and grievous 
 sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and upon 
 them which worshipped his image." The earth here signifies 
 the land as distinguished from the water, and represents the 
 distinguished portion of the population in the Roman world 
 the portion who are more particularly Roman in their senti- 
 ments and manners. Something will occur among this portion 
 of the population, which will prove very annoying and painful 
 to those who are pledged to the service of the Catholic Church, 
 and who render submission to the fabricated representative of 
 its divinity who idolize papal auth :rity. 
 
 Perhaps this portion of the population will become disaffected
 
 155 
 
 towards Catholic divine authority, and towards its representa- 
 tive papal authority, and this disaffection will grievously afflict the 
 minds and feelings of the votaries cf Catholic and papal divinity. 
 
 Verse 3. And the second angel poured out his vial upon the 
 sea, and it became as the blood of a dead man, and every living 
 soul died in the sea. 
 
 The less stable the less disciplined population the multi- 
 tude, now became imbued with some property or principle as 
 deleterious to the existence of the Roman corporate spirit as a 
 sea of congealed blood would be to animal existence. 
 
 Verses 4 7. And the third angel poured out his vial upon 
 the rivers and fountains of waters, and they became blood. 
 And I heard the angel of the waters say, Thou art righteous, 
 Lord, which art and wast and shalt b3, because thou hast 
 judged thus. For they have shed the blood of saints and 
 prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink, for they are 
 worthy. And I heard another voice out of the altar say, Even 
 so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments. 
 
 The foreign nations or communities in favor and alliance with 
 the Romans, now becoming imbued with some property or prin- 
 ciple extremely distasteful and obnoxious to the obsequious and 
 bigoted votaries of the papacy and Roman Catholicism, will 
 be instruments of an overruling Providence to inflict upon them 
 a righteous retaliation for their persecution of good men. 
 
 Verses 8 and 9. And the fourth angel poured out his vial 
 upon the sun, and power was given unto him to scorch men with 
 fire. And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed 
 the name of God, which had power over these plagues, and they 
 repented not to give him glory. 
 
 Government, or the supreme authority, will now exercise a 
 severe and hostile influence upon those who practise a false reli- 
 gion, whether professedly Christian or infidel. 
 
 Perhaps the intellectual light as well as the moral influence 
 diffused by government, will now be increased to an intense 
 degree, and become intolerant and tormenting to them. But
 
 156 
 
 neither this or the forementioned judgments will bring them to 
 a sense of their error, and to an acknowledgment of the mani- 
 fest justice of divine Providence in bringing about these un- 
 toward events so annoying and torturing to their sentiments and 
 feelings. They will not see in these untoward events of Pro- 
 vidence that the hand of God is against them. 
 
 Verses 10 and 11. And the fifth angel poured his vial upon 
 the seat of the beast, and his kingdom was full of darkness, and 
 they gnawed their tongues for pain, and blasphemed the God 
 of Heaven because of their pains and their sores, and repented 
 not of their deeds. 
 
 Something befals the administration or seat of Roman Catho- 
 lic authority, by which that authority will be deprived of all its 
 glory and influence, and Roman Catholics in their adversity 
 will be extremely chagrined and mortified. As partisans and 
 bigots when they find their cause in misfortune and disgrace, 
 are miserably vexed and tormented, but persevere in their 
 error, so will it be with these men. They will disregard all the 
 retributive inflictions of a righteous Providence upon them and 
 their cause, and will continue in their perverse spirit and con- 
 duct hardening their hearts against the calls to repentance 
 and a better mind. 
 
 Like Pharaoh, they will persevere in their hardness of heart 
 until some more fearful workings of a retributive Providence 
 overtake them, and involve them and their cause in a complete 
 and fatal ruin. 
 
 Verses 12-16. "And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon 
 the great river Euphrates ; and the water thereof was dried up, 
 that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared. 
 
 And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs, come out of the 
 mouth of the dragon and out of the mouth of the beast and out 
 of the mouth of the false prophet. 
 
 For they are the spirits of devils working miracles, which go 
 forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to 
 gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.
 
 157 
 
 Behold, I come as a thief, Blessed is he that watcheth and 
 keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked and they see his 
 shame. 
 
 And he gathered them together into a place called in the 
 Hebrew tongue, Armageddon." A large army of various nations 
 gathered together by the kings of Medea and Persia and com- 
 manded by Legrus besieged Babylon and took the city in the 
 following manner. 
 
 The river Euphrates ran through the midst of the city, being 
 about a quarter of a mile broad and twelve feet deep, and hav- 
 ing on each side a wall. The width and depth of the river, 
 together with the walls on each side, were thought to be a sure 
 defence against access to the city in that quarter. 
 
 The Persian general, however, by means of ditches and canals 
 which he had caused to be dug, and which on a certain night he 
 opened to the river, drew off the water from its usual channel 
 and rendered the river fordable. 
 
 The troops then entering the river thus rendered fordable, 
 and coming to the gates of the walls on the river, found that in 
 the neglect and disorder of an annual festival then celebrated, 
 they had been left open, the besieged not suspecting that the 
 city could possibly be entered by the river. The troops thus 
 finding easy access into the heart of the city, penetrated into the 
 very palace and surprising the guards, cut them to pieces along 
 with the king himself. Thus the city was suddenly captured, 
 in the midst of fancied security, and an end put to the dominion 
 of Babylon. 
 
 The most of the particulars of this taking of Babylon, were 
 foretold by the prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah. They both 
 speak of the drying up of the river, not merely as a temporary 
 evil, but one which was to render Babylon desolate forever. 
 
 Accordingly the waters drawn off from the channel by Cyrus, 
 were never brought back, but were left to diffuse themselves 
 over the surrounding country and render it desolate and un- 
 healthy. Evil, says Isaiah, shall come upon thee suddenly, 
 
 14*
 
 158 
 
 thou shalt not know from whence it cometh. This evil was to 
 come upon Babylon as a punishment for her idolatrous worship 
 and her oppressive treatment of the professed people of God. 
 
 The Lord, says Jeremiah, hath raised up the spirit of the 
 Medes, for his device is against Babylon to destroy it, because 
 it is the vengeance of the Lord, the vengeance of his temple, 
 the violence done to me and my flesh be upon Babylon, shall 
 
 the inhabitants of Zion say The days come that I will 
 
 do judgment upon the graven images of Babylon. According 
 to the prophet Jeremiah, then, the Lord should come in judg- 
 ment upon Babylon, he would muster the host to the battle and 
 there would be a tumultuous noise of the kingdoms of nations 
 gathered together, and the day of the Lord would come upon 
 Babylon as a destruction from the Almighty. When we call to 
 our remembrance that the destruction of Babylon was to be the 
 work of the kings of the east, that the drying up of the river 
 Euphrates proved the means of her sudden capture and ultimate 
 ruin, that her destruction was a judgment of God upon her, 
 for her idolatry and her oppression of the professors of the 
 true religion, that an army, composed of different nations was 
 gathered against her by the kings of the east and witnessed her 
 fall, and that the period of her fall is termed the day of the 
 Lord, the day of her destruction from the Almighty, we are 
 prepared to discover the meaning of the contents of the sixth 
 vial. We are to understand by Babylon, Roman polity, and by 
 the river Euphrates, we may understand the Russians as being 
 Greek in their idolatrous forms of religion, and in their impe- 
 rial government. 
 
 The drying up or drawing off the river so as to leave the city 
 exposed and unprotected, intimates that the population of the 
 Greek religion and institutions will now abandon the idolatrous 
 system of Roman polity continued among them. And this loss 
 of defence and support to the system, will prepare the way for 
 the coming of some combined power to put an utter end to that
 
 159 
 
 polity, in the Latin or western world, and to restore the worship 
 and polity of the Christian church, to purity and prosperity. 
 
 With, however, the eoming in of the combined power, and 
 before the destruction and desolation of the Roman system of 
 polity and idolatry, there will occur a great controversy concern- 
 ing the invocation of deceased men and women as demons or 
 mediators. In this controversy, the dragon the party opposed 
 to Christianity, the beast the Roman Catholic party, and the 
 false prophets the Roman church, as the infallible teacher of 
 Christianity, will be united together on one side, who compose 
 the other side will appear in the latter part of the nineteenth 
 chapter. 
 
 The unclean spirits of devils (demons) working miracles, 
 which in the form of frogs are seen coming out of the mouth of 
 ,he dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the 
 mouth of the false prophet, represent the emissaries which each 
 one of these three parties will send forth to teach the invocation 
 of deceased men and women as mediators. 
 
 These teachers are frogs in the sense of babblers. The Greek 
 word in its root signifies, to bawl, to speak loud, to vociferate. 
 
 These emissaries, in their manner of teaching, will display 
 more sound than sense, and be noted more for declamation than 
 sound speech. They will endeavour, by vehement declamation, 
 to join to their side of the controversy, men of station and au- 
 thority, of all professions and opinions in respect to religion. 
 
 Verse 16. " And he (they) gathered them together into a 
 place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon, (the mountain 
 of destruction.)" 
 
 It was by the waters of Megiddo that the kings of Canaan 
 fought a battle with the Israelites under Deborah and Barak. 
 In this battle, the Canaanites were so signally defeated that the 
 commander-in-chief was obliged to flee away alone and on foot. 
 
 These babblers will unite the men of station and authority 
 with the assumption of some proposition some position in argu- 
 ment of a weak and indefeasible nature, where their defeat will
 
 160 
 
 be sudden and decisive. The suddenness of this defeat is ex- 
 pressed in the fifteenth verse. " Behold, I come as a thief. 
 Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he 
 walk naked, and they see his shame." 
 
 The end of the controversy is not a part of the sixth vial but 
 of the seventh, and is therefore related in a subsequent (the 
 latter part of the nineteenth) chapter. 
 
 Verse 17. " And the seventh angel poured out his vial into 
 the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of 
 heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done." 
 
 The retributions of divine providence on Roman idolatry and 
 power, will be completed under this vial. This last portion of 
 retribution will begin in the air, or public mind, and reach to 
 changes among the population in their political positions. The 
 public mind will become roused into indignation and anger, and 
 there will follow some great revolution, changing the positions 
 of the different portions of the population in respect to rank and 
 influence. 
 
 Verse 18. " An^l there were voices, and thunders, and light- 
 nings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since 
 men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so 
 great." 
 
 In this great political revolution, the various idolatrous 
 polities, including that of Rome, will share in one common 
 ruin. 
 
 Verse 19. " And the great city was divided into three parts, 
 and the cities of the nations fell : and great Babylon came in 
 remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine 
 of the fierceness of his wrath." 
 
 Jerusalem, when it was besieged by Titus, was divided into 
 three parts, and among three parties, and these parties at war 
 with each other; and it was this civil war that brought about 
 the capture and destruction of the city. 
 
 The destruction of Roman polity will be brought about by 
 party division among its adherents.
 
 161 
 
 Verse 20. " And every island fled away, and the mountains 
 were not found." 
 
 The different portions of the population will be reduced into 
 one common level in point of rank or eminence. 
 
 Verse 21. " And there fell upon men a great hail out of 
 heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent : and men 
 blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the 
 plague thereof was exceeding great.". 
 
 Some additional heavy calamity will overtake the votaries of 
 a false and idolatrous worship, who, in their daring and perverse 
 impiety, will not acknowledge their calamity to be the result of 
 a righteous retributive providence. 
 
 Like the ancient Jews, they will persevere to the very last in 
 defaming the revealed truth of God in its obvious and legitimate 
 sense. And what our Lord said of the Jews will apply to them. 
 " The heart of this people is waxed gross, and their ears are dull 
 of hearing, and their eyes they have closed ; lest at any time 
 they should see with their eyes, and hoar with their ears, and 
 should understand with their heart, aud should be converted, 
 and I should heal them."
 
 162 
 
 DISCOURSE XIII. 
 REV. xvii. 
 
 "And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, 
 and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither ; I will show unto 
 thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters : 
 with whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the 
 inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her 
 fornication. So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness : 
 and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of 
 blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. And the woman was 
 arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious 
 stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations 
 and filthiness of her fornication : and upon her forehead was a name 
 written, Mystery, Babylon the Great, the Mother of Harlots and Abo- 
 minations of the earth. And I saw the woman drunken with the blood 
 of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus : and when I 
 saw her, I wondered with great admiration. And the angel said unto 
 me, Wherefore didst thou marvel ? I will tell thee the mystery of the 
 woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads 
 and ten horns. The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall 
 ascend out of the bottomless pit, [the abyss, or deep,] and go into per- 
 dition : and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names 
 were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, 
 when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is. And here 
 is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, 
 on which the woman sitteth. And there are [and are] seven kings : 
 five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come : and when he 
 cometh, he must continue a short space. And the beast that was, and 
 is not, even he is the eighth, [is an eighth king al ne,] and is of the 
 seven and goeth into perdition. And the ten horns which thou sawest 
 are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive 
 power as kings one hour with the beast. These have one mind, and 
 shall give their power and strength unto the beast. These shall make 
 war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them : for he is Lord 
 of lords, and King of kings : and they that are with him are called, and 
 chosen, and faithful. Ar.d he saith unto me, The waters which thou 
 sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and 
 nations, and tongues. And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the 
 beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall moke her desolate and 
 naked, and shall eat her flesh, and biirn her with fire. For God hath 
 put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their king- 
 dom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled. And the 
 woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the 
 kings of the earth." 
 
 Some parts of the contents of the sixth and seventh vials 
 having been described in a partial manner, are now described 
 more at length, in the seventeenth, eighteenth and nineteenth
 
 163 
 
 chapters. The seventeenth and eighteenth chapters give a par- 
 ticular account of the fall and punishment of Babylon, while the 
 latter part of the nineteenth chapter gives an account of the 
 great battle, which results in taking the beast and the false pro- 
 phet prisoners, and casting them alive into a lake of fire burning 
 with brimstone. 
 
 The beginning of this seventeenth chapter informs us that one 
 of the seven angels which had the seven vials, came and talked 
 with the Apostle, saying unto him, " Come hither ; I will show 
 unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon 
 many waters : with whom the kings of the earth have com- 
 mitted fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been 
 made drunk with the wine of her fornication." 
 
 Here the City of Rome in its corporate character, under the 
 name Babylon, is personified by an unchaste woman, with whom 
 the ruling powers have had idolatrous connection, and of whose 
 existing idolatrous spirit or sentiment the people have drank, 
 until it has infused into them a kind of idolatrous mania. 
 
 The woman sits upon many waters, to signify that the autho- 
 rity and rule of this city corporation extend over people of dif- 
 ferent communities and languages. The angel having merely 
 spoken of the woman to the Apostle, now proceeds to conduct 
 him to the wilderness that the Apostle might see her. Accor- 
 dingly he sees her there sitting upon a scarlet coloured beast, 
 full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. 
 
 The scene is in the wilderness, because it is to the woman 
 and the beast, upon which she sits, in their wilderness or deso- 
 late state, that the attention of the Apostle is now called. The 
 twelve hundred and sixty years of their prevailing power and 
 influence, have passed away, and are followed by the period of 
 their decline and fall. 
 
 The beast with seven heads and ten horns, is particularly 
 described in the thirteenth chapter, and we have here, the 
 additional information, that in his declining state, he is scarlet 
 coloured. The scarlet colour, is sometimes symbolic of high
 
 affluent condition, but it is also emblematic of crime, cruelty, 
 injustice, oppression. It is here, no doubt, symbolic of the 
 latter sense. The oppressive rule of this body of men towards 
 protestants, in ages past, is as flagrant as scarlet. It has also 
 greatly blasphemed sacred titles and divine authority, by 
 abusing them to forbidden and idolatrous purposes, and teach- 
 ing for divine truths and precepts, the fabrications and fictions 
 of false men. The woman sitting upon (riding) this scarlet 
 coloured beast, personifies Rome ruling this great body of men. 
 
 The 4th verse. "And the woman was arrayed in purple and 
 scarlet color, and decked with gold, and precious stones, and 
 pearls, having a golden cup in her hand, full of abominations 
 and filthiness of her fornication." 
 
 The purple and scarlet, and gold, and precious stones, and 
 pearls, with which the woman is clothed, represent the various 
 external arts which Rome uses, to enchant the senses and the 
 imagination in favour of her idolatry. And she presents her 
 idolatrous doctrine to her votaries in a golden cup, that is, in 
 a manner and style, of an enticing nature. 
 
 5th verse. " And upon her forehead was a name written, 
 mystery, Babylon the great, the mother of harlots, and abomi- 
 nations of the earth." 
 
 This inscription on her forehead, signifies, that she now 
 makes no secret of her character, as the mother city of idolatry 
 among Christians, and as in a mysticate or hidden sense, 
 Babylon, the great founder and promoter of the worship of 
 mediators and images. 
 
 That the woman should thus glory in her shame, corresponds 
 with what is declared of her in the next verse, that she was 
 drunk that she had indulged to intoxication the spirit of vin- 
 dictiveness, against Christians of a pure faith and worship. 
 
 Verse 6. " And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of 
 the saints, and with the martyrs of Jesus. And when I saw, I 
 wondered with great admiration." 
 
 The open glorying of the woman in her lewdness the
 
 165 
 
 drunken state in which she is seen, and the cause of that 
 drunkenness, greatly excited the wonder and curiosity of the 
 Apostle. 
 
 It is indeed wonderful paradoxical that Rome, receiving 
 the scriptures as inspired records, should openly glory in the 
 part which she has taken, in nurturing Christians in idolatry, 
 so evidently condemned and forbidden by those scriptures, and 
 that she should persecute and punish to an insane excess, those 
 who practise and contend for that pure worship and faith which 
 these scriptures so clearly and positively inculcate. 
 
 It is indeed strange, that a city so barefaced in her idolatry 
 a city which has persecuted the followers of a pure Christianity 
 with such exceeding madness, should be the professed and 
 acknowledged capital city of the Christian world. 
 
 Verses 7 and 8. " And the angel said unto me, Wherefore, 
 didst thou marvel ? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, 
 and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads 
 and ten horns. The beast which thou sawest, was, and is not, 
 and yet is," (or is yet to be.) 
 
 This beast represents the Latin catholic body, as distinct from 
 the Greek catholic body. 
 
 In the time of St. John, or at the close of the first century, 
 the Roman empire had become a corporation of two distinct 
 kinds or characters of people Latins and Greeks. It was no 
 longer an empire or corporation purely Latin in civilization 
 and power but was a combination or modification of two ele- 
 ments, Latin and Greek. And in this respect, it might be said 
 of it, in the age of St. John, that it was, and is not. Upon the 
 death of Theodosius, at the close of the fourth century, the 
 empire was divided into two distinct bodies, corporate and 
 politic the one Latin the other Greek the one retaining 
 the Latin language as the language of law and government, and 
 the other, in the course of a short time, resuming the language of 
 the people, which was the Greek. And now, after this division, 
 we find again, a corporation distinctly Latin or western. And 
 
 15
 
 166 
 
 the beast, that in the time of St. John, had been, and was not, 
 is now again. 
 
 About eighty years after the separation of the two elements, 
 the Latin corporation, as we before have remarked, was wounded 
 in its imperial head, and lost its great importance, and had its 
 existence among a rude and turbulent population, who, in sym- 
 bolic language, are represented by the sea. The beast comes 
 up out of the sea with a wounded head. The Latin corporation 
 comes into importance from amidst the rude turbulent popula- 
 tion of the west, and with the imperial power apparently abol- 
 ished. The deadly wound of the beast was healed when Char- 
 lemagne assumed the imperial office and power at the close of 
 the eighth century. This restoration of Latin imperial power, 
 led thise Romans, who had fallen into an idolatrous form of Chris- 
 tianity, to regard the constitution of the Latin corporation, as one 
 of admirable vigor and strength. " They shall wonder or admire, 
 when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is." 
 
 The Roman corporation, in the age of the Apostle, was not, 
 in some respects, a Latin or western corporation, and yet it was 
 the same, continued in a modified character. The words " yet 
 is," may, in the original, however, signify, is yet, is future, is 
 yet to come. 
 
 In the sense of either present, or future, the words may apply 
 to the great modern Latin corporation. In the age of St. John, 
 it might be said of the Roman corporation, that in its Latin or 
 western independent character, it was not, but had been, and 
 was to exist again in a future age. The seven heads, are seven 
 mountains, on which the woman sitteth. Rome was built upon 
 seven hills, and was called the seven-hilled city. The seven 
 heads, however, besides representing these seven hills, also 
 represent seven different kinds or forms of sovereign power, 
 that one after another held the place of supremacy. 
 
 Verse 10. " And there are (or rather, And are,) seven kings, 
 five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and 
 when he cometh, he must continue a short space. "
 
 167 
 
 Livy, the Roman historian, names the first five, in the fol- 
 lowing order : first kings, afterwards consuls, then dictators, 
 then decemvirs, then consular tribunes. The imperial form, 
 which existed in the time of St. John, was the sixth kind of 
 sovereign power. 
 
 That which was then not yet come, and which when it did 
 come was to continue for a short space, and then give place to 
 the Latin beast, was the new form of government instituted by 
 Dioclesian, and perfected by Constantine and his successors. 
 This new form retained the same name of imperial but differed 
 from it in being an undisguised autocracy. Like Augustus 
 (we are using the language of Gibbon) Dioclesian may be con- 
 sidered as the founder of a new empire. He framed a new 
 system of imperial government which was afterwards completed 
 by the family of Constantine. And as the image of the old 
 constitution was religiously preserved in the senate, he resolved 
 to deprive that order of its small remains of power and consi- 
 deration. Under Dioclesian and his successors the senate of 
 Rome lost all connection with the imperial court and the actual 
 government, and Rome ceased to be the capitol of the empire. 
 " When the Roman princes had lost sight of the senate and of 
 " their ancient capitol they forgot the organ and nature of their 
 " legal power. The civil offices of consul, of pro-consul, of cen- 
 " sor and of tribune by the union of which it had been formed, 
 " betrayed to the people its republican extraction. These 
 " modest titles were laid as"ide ;" and if they still distinguished 
 their high station by the appellation of emperor or imperator, 
 that word was understood in a new and more dignified sense, 
 and no longer denoted the general of the Roman armies but the 
 sovereign of the Roman world. If the successors of Dioclesian 
 still declined the title of king, it seems to have been the effect 
 not so much of their moderation as of delicacy. Wherever the 
 Latin tongue was in use, and it was the language of government 
 throughout the empire, the imperial title as it was peculiar to 
 themselves, conveyed a more respectable idea than the name of
 
 168 
 
 king, which they must have shared with a hundred barbarian 
 chieftains ; or which at best they could derive only from Romu- 
 lus or Tarquin. Even the attributes or at least the titles of the 
 divinity were usurped by Dioclesian and Maxentius, who trans- 
 mitted them to a succession of Christian emperors." 
 
 Dioclesian also assumed the diadem and introduced into the 
 court the magnificence and ceremonial of the court of Persia. 
 
 " The aim of Augustus in the form of government which he 
 introduced was to disguise the unbounded power which the 
 emperors possessed over the Roman world, while in the new 
 system it was the object to display that power. Ostentation 
 was the first principle of the new system, and the second was 
 division. -He divided the empire, the provinces, and every 
 branch of the civil as well as military administration." The 
 historian speaks of these innovations as constituting a new 
 frame of policy, a new form of civil and military administration, 
 a new system of imperial government, a new empire. (Gibbon, 
 Chap. 13, in different places.) 
 
 This new form of government, this new kind of Roman 
 sovereigns continued for a short space, a period of about ninety 
 years, when in the year 395 the Roman empire was finally and 
 permanently divided into the two distinct corporations of the 
 Latin or Western, and the Greek or Eastern. And now we 
 find the Latin corporation in its second independent existence, 
 and with a sovereign form of power, which being the seventh 
 continued with some modification may be called an eighth. 
 The seventh form the imperial autocratic began now in the 
 west to be associated in a peculiar relation with certain cotem- 
 poraneous sovereign powers, and in this respect was a somewhat 
 different form of power from that which was constituted by 
 Dioclesian and Constantino, and which has been continued 
 through a succession of Greek and Russian sovereigns down to 
 the present day. 
 
 The llth verse. "And the beast that was and is not, even
 
 he (the king) is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into 
 perdition." 
 
 The supreme sovereign power is destined in this eighth or 
 new imperial autocratic form to have its last form, and in this 
 last form to go into perdition. This eighth or new seventh 
 form hath been transmitted from Honorius through Charle- 
 magne, and a succession of modern, western or Latin emperors. 
 
 In the time of Bonaparte, the imperial form of government 
 was peculiar both to France and to Austria. But after the fall 
 of Bonaparte, Western or Latin Europe had but the emperor 
 of Austria. The present ruler of France has been acting over 
 the part of Pepin and Charlemagne towards Rome and its 
 popes, and for the purpose of obtaining papal aid and sanction 
 to the assumption of the imperial title and power. 
 
 12th verse. " And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten 
 kings which (in the time of St. John) have received no king- 
 dom as yet, but receive power as kings, one hour with the 
 beast." 
 
 Ten different sovereign powers established themselves on the 
 ruins of the western or Latin empire. These ten sovereign 
 powers, according to Machiavel, were, first, the Ostrogoths, in 
 Moesia; second, the Visigoths, in Pavonia; third, the Sueves 
 and Alans, in Gascoigne and Spain; fourth, the Vandals, in 
 Africa; fifth, the Franks, in France; sixth, the Burgundians, 
 in Burgundy; seventh, the Heruli and Turingi, in Italy ; eighth, 
 the Saxon and Angles, in Britain; ninth, the Huns, in Hungary; 
 tenth, the Lombards, first upon the Danube and afterwards in 
 Italy. 
 
 These sovereign powers were at first but ten, but afterwards 
 their number varied, being sometimes more and sometimes less 
 than ten. They are cotemporaneous, not successive sovereigns. 
 Their power as kings is one hour with the beast is during one 
 and the same period of time. They are cotemporaneous with 
 the eighth supreme sovereign and with each other. 
 
 15*
 
 170 
 
 The 13th verse. " These have one mind, and shall give their 
 power and strength unto the beast." These different European 
 powers will be unanimous in lending their authority and aid to 
 the Latin corporation, (Roman Catholic.) 
 
 The 14th verse. These shall make war with the Lamb, and 
 the Lamb shall overcome them, for he ia Lord of Lords and 
 king of kings, and they that are with him are called and chosen 
 and faithful. The war of these kings with the Lamb has been 
 noticed in the pouring out of the sixth vial, and is noticed here 
 again ; but the victory of the Lamb in this war is described in 
 the nineteenth chapter. 
 
 15th. And he (the angel) saith unto me, the waters which 
 thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multi- 
 tudes, and nations, and tongues. They represent the millions 
 of people under the rule and influence of the corporation of 
 Rome. Two hundred millions of professed Christians acknow- 
 ledge the spiritual supremacy of the Roman corporation. 
 
 The 16th verse. And the ten horns which thou sawest upon 
 the beast, these shall hate the whore and make her desolate and 
 naked, and shall eat her flesh and burn her with fire. 
 
 Burning was the punishment of a priest's daughter who had 
 violated the law of chastity. And the daughter of any priest, 
 if she profane herself by playing the whore, she profaneth her 
 father, she shall be burnt with fire. Rome, as a Christian 
 Church, hath by her idolatrous practices profaned, scandalized 
 the apostolic ministry, by whom she was begotten. She has 
 wrought folly in the Christian Israel, and dishonoured her apos- 
 tolic parentage. 
 
 The different European powers who are now in union with 
 the Catholic corporation will eventually come to dislike Rome, 
 and (make her desolate and naked) deprive her of her rule and 
 influence, (and eat her flesh;) consume her revenues appro- 
 priate them to their own use (and burn her with) fire, torment 
 her with penal afflictions.
 
 171 
 
 17th verse. For God hath put into their hearts to fulfil his 
 will, and to agree and give their kingdom unto the beast until 
 the words of God are fulfilled. 
 
 God will allow them to fulfil his purpose and to fulfil one 
 purpose, and to give their sovereign authority to the Latin 
 Catholic corporation or Church, until what God has foretold 
 concerning their withdrawal from that corporation has been ful- 
 filled. When the purpose of divine providence is fulfilled the 
 different sovereign Roman Catholic powers will separate from 
 the great corporation with which they are now in communion, 
 and will become severe in their penal inflictions upon Rome 
 itself as a body corporate and politic. 
 
 The 1 8th verse. And the woman which thou sawest is that 
 great city which reigneth over the kings of the earth is that 
 great city or corporation of Rome, which, in the age of the 
 apostle, was the capital of the Roman world, and was at the 
 head of all rule and authority.
 
 172 
 
 DISCOURSE XIV. 
 KEV. xviii. 
 
 And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, 
 having great power ; and the earth was lightened with his glory. And 
 he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying Babylon the great is fallen, 
 is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every 
 foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird. For all nations 
 have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings 
 of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of 
 the earth have waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies. 
 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my 
 people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of 
 her plagues. For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath 
 remembered her iniquities. Reward her even as she rewarded you, 
 and double unto her double according to her works : in the cup 
 which she hath filled fill to her double. How much she hath glorified 
 herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her : 
 for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall 
 see no sorrow. Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and 
 mourning, and famine ; and she shall be utterly burned with fire : for 
 strong is the Lord God who judgeth her. And the kings of the earth 
 who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall 
 bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her 
 burning. Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, 
 alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city ! for in one hour is thy 
 judgment come. And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn 
 over her: for no man buyeth their merchandise anymore: The mer- 
 chandise of gold, and silver, and precious stones, and of pearls, and 
 fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all thyine wood, and 
 all manner vessels of ivory, and all manner vessels of most precious 
 wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble, and cinnamon, and odours, 
 and ointments, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and 
 wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves, and 
 souls of men. And the fruits that thy soul lusted after are departed 
 from thee, and all things which were dainty and goodly, are departed 
 from thee, and thou shalt find them no more at all. The merchants of 
 these things, which were made rich by her, shall stand afar off" for the 
 fear of her torment, weeping and wailing. And saying, Alas, alas, th:,t 
 great city, that was clothed in fine linen, and purple, and scarlet, and 
 decked with gold, and precious st;nes and pearls! For in one hour so 
 great riches is come to nought. And every ship master, and all the 
 company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar 
 otf, and cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What
 
 173 
 
 great city is like unto this great city ! And they cast dust on their heads, 
 and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas, that great city, wherein 
 were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness ! 
 for in one hour is she made desolate. Rejoice over her, thou heaven, 
 and ye holy apostles and prophets ; for God hath avenged you on her. 
 And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast'tl 
 into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon 
 be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all. And the voice of 
 harpers, and musicians, and of pipers, and trumpeters, shall be heard 
 no more at all in thee ; and no craftsman, of whatsoever craft he be 
 shall be found any more in thee ; and the sound of a millstone shall be 
 heard no more at all in thee ; And the light of a candle shall shine no 
 more at all in thee ; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride 
 shall be heard no more at all in thee : for thy merchants were the great 
 men of the earth : for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived. And 
 in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that 
 were slain upon the earth. 
 
 In the preceding chapter Rome is spoken of in her charac- 
 ter as a body corporate and politic, sustained by another great 
 body corporate and politic. In this present chapter Rome is 
 the subject of prediction in reference more particularly to her 
 polity. 
 
 In this chapter, three voices in succession speak in symbolic 
 language of the fall and ruin of the polity of Rome. The first 
 voice is that 'of an angel having great power and coming down 
 from heaven clothed in a dazzling light. The second voice is a 
 voice from heaven, and the third voice is that of a mighty angel 
 who speaks by actions as well as words. 
 
 The first angel cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, 
 Babylon the great is fallen is fallen, and is become the habita- 
 tion of devils, (demons) and the hold of every foul spirit, and a 
 cage of every unclean and hateful bird. For all nations have 
 drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings 
 of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the mer- 
 chants of the earth have waxed rich through the abundance of 
 her delicacies. This angel, under the mystical name of Baby- 
 lon, pronounces the fall and ruin of Rome in her system of 
 polity, and gives the reason of her fall and ruin. The woman 
 Babylon, represents Rome as a body corporate and politic, while
 
 174 
 
 the city, Babylon, represents Home as a polity, the word polity 
 being derived from a Greek word which means city. 
 
 The inhabitants of the city those subjects or citizens of 
 Roman polity in its fallen and ruined condition, will consist of 
 men of perverse mind and corrupt and hateful manners. It 
 will become a refuge for men of such character. Its fall and 
 ruin are declared to be in retribution to its pernicious influence 
 upon the nations and rulers and merchants of the earth. 
 
 The nations or people had imbibed the idolatrous spirit of 
 Rome, a spirit which inspired them with a kind of idolatrous 
 rage or mania, the rulers had formed idolatrous connections with 
 her and the merchants, the divines, the religious teachers and 
 ministers, the clergy, had become great and powerful through 
 the numerous offices and means of authority and influence, in 
 which she abounded. 
 
 In the forty-seventh chapter of Isaiah, in which the prophet 
 fortells the fall and ruin of ancient Babylon, he applies the name 
 of merchants to her enchanters, her sorcerers, her diviners, her 
 false prophets, her teachers, who falsely professed to understand 
 and reveal the will and counsels of heaven. 
 
 The first voice having concluded, the apostle hears another 
 voice from heaven calling upon the people of God to come out 
 of the doomed city and to aid in her punishment. 
 
 Verses 4-9. " And I heard another voice from heaven, say- 
 ing, Come out of her my people, that be ye not partakers of her 
 sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. For her sins have 
 reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities. 
 Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her 
 double according to her works. In the cup which she hath 
 filled, fill to her double. How much she hath glorified herself 
 and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her, for 
 she saith in her heart, ' I am a queen, and am no widow, and 
 shall see no sorrow.' Therefore shall her plagues come in one 
 day, death, and mourning, and famine, and she shall be utterly 
 burned with fire, for strong is the Lord God who judge th her."
 
 175 
 
 Our Lord had forewarned the Christian Jews that when they 
 saw Jerusalem surrounded by Roman armies, they should be 
 looking for its speedy capture and destruction, and that they 
 should make their escape as soon as possible. 
 
 Jerome informs us that the Christian Jews who believed in 
 Christ's predictions, left the city before its final siege under 
 Titus, and removed to a neighbouring town called Pella, and so 
 escaped the miseries that followed. In accordance with this por- 
 tion of Christian history, the voice from heaven calls upon Chris- 
 tian people to sever themselves from all participation in the 
 Roman system of polity, to abandon it wholly, to give it no 
 countenance, to have no communion with it, lest partaking of 
 its sins, they should also partake of its punishment. To urge 
 them to such withdrawal and removal from Rome, they are 
 assured that the sons of the Roman system of polity were like 
 mountains piled upon mountains reaching to the sky and draw- 
 ing upon it the notice and punishment of heaven. All Chris- 
 tian people are therefore enjoined to turn against it, and assist 
 in destroying it. 
 
 The worst corporations may have some upright individuals 
 belonging to them, but when the corporation is near its end, all 
 sincere Christians will renounce its polity and leave it in its fate, 
 just as all Christian Jews abandoned Jerusalem at its final siege 
 by the Romans and would take no part in its defence. 
 
 The people of God are required not only to withdraw from 
 Rome, but to punish her as she had punished them ; that is they 
 are to urge the ruin of Rome, not in her individual members or 
 in her wealth and buildings, but in her system of idolatrous 
 worship and polity. The ruin of Rome in this sense is also to 
 come upon her in the midst of fancied security, even while she 
 is glorying in the enduring, eternal nature of her power ; and 
 boasting that she is not without powerful protectors, among the 
 governments of the earth ; that she is not like a widow ; an 
 unprotected corporation. Her woes will come together within 
 the compass of a short time, and there will be an entire end or
 
 176 
 
 consumption of her power and glory, she shall be utterly burned 
 with fire. 
 
 The voice from heaven next proceeds to describe how the 
 kings and merchants of the earth and those who have to do 
 with the sea will lament, and how the people of God will rejoice 
 when they behold the smoke of the burning city. 
 
 The sovereigns or rulers who were partners with Rome in her 
 idolatrous doings, are filled with consternation in contemplating 
 the ruin of the most powerful and enduring polity that had 
 ever existed. Its ruin will be the result of a course of providence, 
 so evidently beyond their control that they will stand aloof, and 
 render her no assistance ; knowing that such assistance would 
 be in vain, and would only involve them in the same ruin. A 
 city polity that under various changes has for thousands of 
 years been regarded as the reigning polity of the Roman world, 
 will in its ruin naturally draw forth from its admirers, and ad- 
 herents, expressions, feelings of sorrow and regret. And similar 
 feelings and expressions will be elicited from the merchants of 
 the earth ; the divines and clergy in communion with Rome. 
 
 Verses 7-11. " And the merchants of the earth shall weep 
 and mourn over her ; for no man buyeth their merchandize any 
 more. The merchandize of gold and silver ^ and precious stones, 
 and of pearls and fine linen, and purple and silk, and scarlet and 
 all thyine wood, and all manner vessels of ivory, and all manner 
 vessels of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and mar- 
 ble. And cinnamon, and odours, and ointments, and frankin- 
 cense, and wine and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, 
 and sheep and horses, and chariots and slaves (bodies,) and souls 
 of men." 
 
 " And the fruits that thy soul lusteth after are departed from 
 thee, and all things which were dainty and goodly, are departed 
 from thee, and thou shalt find them no more at all." 
 
 " The merchants of these things which were made rich by 
 her, shall stand afar off, for the fear of her torment, weeping 
 and wailing. And saying Alas, Alas ! that great city that was 

 
 177 
 
 clothed in fine linen, and purple, and scarlet, and decked with 
 gold and precious stones, and pearls. For in one hour so great 
 riches is come to naught." 
 
 These various articles of merchandize represent those multi- 
 plied precious means of influence, in which this polity abounds. 
 Those means comprehend matters of doctrine, discipline and 
 worship. Those of the clergy rich in these means become 
 great and honourable. 
 
 The dealers in these multiplied valuable means of influence 
 will now find their business at an end, and like the civil rulers 
 they will witness with grief the consumption and ruin of this 
 once mighty polity, and be astonished that it could be consumed 
 and ruined, and all the means of influence destroyed in so short 
 a time. " In one hour so great riches is come to naught." 
 
 Verses 17-20. "And every ship master, and all the com- 
 pany in ships and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood 
 afar off, and cried when they saw the smoke of her burning say- 
 ing, ' What city is like unto this great city.' And they cast 
 dust on their heads and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, 
 Alas, Alas ! that great city wherein were made rich all that had 
 ships in the sea, by reason of her costliness; for in one hour is 
 she made desolate." 
 
 All those different persons whose business is with the sea re- 
 present the clergy who have to do with the great mass of the 
 population, the less refined and submissive population compre- 
 hending various nations and languages. The great emporium of 
 their means of greatness has been consumed ; all those means 
 have vanished in a moment, their business and greatness are 
 now at an end. 
 
 The voice from heaven concludes in the 20th verse, with the 
 following language. " Rejoice over her thou heaven, and ye 
 holy apostles and prophets, for God hath avenged you on her." 
 
 The Roman polity in its ruin will receive no sympathy from 
 the faithful teacher and ministers of Christ, and the persecu- 
 
 16
 
 178 
 
 tions and penal inflictions with which it pursued them, will be 
 avenged in the completeness and severity of its ruin. 
 
 After the angel from heaven, and the voice from heaven had 
 concluded what each had to say, a third angel responds to 
 them by a striking action accompanied with corresponding 
 words. 
 
 Verses, 21-24. " And a mighty (strong) angel took up a 
 stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus 
 with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and 
 shall be found no more at all, and the voice of harpers and 
 musicians, and of pipers and trumpeters, shall be heard no more 
 at all in thee ; and no craftsmen of whatever craft he be, shall 
 be found any more in thee j and the sound of a mill stone shall 
 be heard no more at all in thee. 
 
 " And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee, 
 and the voice of the bridegroom, and of the bride, shall be heard 
 no more at all in thee ; for the merchants were the great men 
 of the earth ; for by thy sorceries were .all nations deceived. 
 
 " And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, 
 and of all that were slain upon, the earth." 
 
 The 50th and 51st chapters of the book of Jeremiah, consist; 
 of predictions concerning the fall of ancient Babylon. They 
 were written during the captivity of the Jews in Babylon, and 
 the manuscript was given to Seraiah, a Jewish prince, who was 
 going to Babylon on some business of King Zedekiah, in order 
 that he might read it to the captive Jews there, and encourage 
 them with the assurance that after the seventieth year of their 
 captivity, their captors would be conquered by the kings of the 
 east, of Media and Persia, and be deprived of all power over 
 the Jews. So Jeremiah wrote in a book all the evil that should 
 come upon Babylon, even all these words that are written. And 
 Jeremiah said to Seraiah. When thou comest to Babylon and 
 shalt see and read all these words. Then shalt thou say, 
 Lord, Thou hast spoken against this place to cut it off, that
 
 179 
 
 none shall remain in it, neither man nor beast, but it shall be 
 desolate for ever. 
 
 And it shall be when thou hast made an end of reading this 
 book, that thou shalt bind a stone to it and cast it into the 
 midst of Euphrates. And thou shalt say, thus shall Baby- 
 lon sink, and shall not rise from the evil that I will bring 
 upon her. 
 
 This action of Seraiah was both a sign and an assurance of 
 the fall of this tyrannical city from its power and influence. 
 And the similar action and language of the angel were intended 
 to assure Christians that the city of Rome in her system of 
 polity is destined not only to fall from her supremacy, but to 
 sink into the lowest degradation and contempt, BO that she will 
 no more be found among politics, and no more give any indica- 
 tions of activity and prosperity. This angel also confirms what 
 the preceding angel declared concerning the reason of the fall 
 and ruin of Roman polity, that it had deceived all nations by 
 its pious frauds in teaching and ruling, by its false doctrines 
 and unfounded authority, that by these means its merchants, 
 its teachers and divines became great and powerful, and that 
 under its administration and rule faithful teachers and good 
 men have been persecuted unto death. Rome as the ruling 
 polity in the Roman world is spoken of as accountable for the 
 wrong done to those who have capitally suffered for a pure 
 Christianity in the Roman world. 
 
 Pagan Rome established the precedent of punishing those 
 who would not participate in her idolatrous worship. And 
 Christian Rome greatly improved on the precedent. How cruel 
 and unjust have been their conduct in the pains and penalties 
 which they have inflicted upon men for teaching and practising 
 a pure Christianity. Such conduct is not merely incidental, 
 but it is constitutional in her system of polity. 
 
 Thus Rome in retribution upon its pious frauds, its bewitch- 
 ing idolatry, and its penal inflictions on good men, is destined 
 in the course of Divine Providence to be utterly ruined, and to
 
 180 
 
 become utterly desolate as a corporate or living -polity. And 
 this event will be a subject of great rejoicing and praise among 
 the servants of God, as we learn in the beginning of the next 
 chapter. 
 
 Rev. xix. 1-10. " And after these things, I heard a great 
 voicg of much people in heaven saying, Alleluia ! Salvation and 
 glory and honor and power unto the Lord our -God. For true 
 and righteous are his judgments ; for he hath judged the great 
 whore which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and 
 hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand. And 
 again they said, Alleluia, And her smoke arose up for ever and 
 ever. 
 
 " And the four and twenty elders and the four beasts fell down 
 and worshipped God that sat on the throne, saying, Amen, 
 Alleluia. 
 
 " And a voice came out of the throne, saying, Praise our God, 
 all ye his servants, and ye that fear him, both small and great. 
 
 " And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and 
 as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty 
 thunderings, saying, Alleluia ! for the Lord God Omnipotent 
 reigneth. 
 
 " Let us be glad and rejoice and give honor to him ; for the 
 marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself 
 ready. 
 
 " And to her was granted, that she should be arrayed in fine 
 linen, clean and white, for the fine linen is the righteousness of 
 saints. 
 
 "And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are 
 called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith 
 unto me, These are the true sayings of God. And I fell at his 
 feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not j 
 I am thy fellow servant, and of thy brethren that have the tes- 
 timony of Jesus. Worship God ; for the testimony of Jesus is 
 the spirit of prophecy." 
 
 After the burning up of the city, and its reduction into a
 
 181 
 
 smoking ruin, four different voices in heaven one after another, 
 exclaim, Alleluia, which is a word of Hebrew derivation, and 
 means, Praise ye Jah. (Jehovah). ''<^t* 
 
 The first voice was a great voice of much people in heaven, 
 who speak of the retribution inflicted upon Rome, (her system 
 of polity), as an event for which the great ruler of the world 
 ought to be praised and honoured, assuring us that in her polity 
 Rome is to remain in an eternal state of desolation remain for 
 ever a heap of smoking ruins, and serve as a fearful monument 
 of the righteous Providence to all future ages. 
 
 The voice of the much people in heaven who loudly demand 
 praise to Jehovah, is responded to by the twenty-four elders and 
 the four living ones, saying, Amen, (Yea, Verily) Praise ye 
 Jehovah. And now a third voice comes out of the very throne, 
 the seat of divine judgment and authority, in confirmative re- 
 sponse, calling upon all who serve and fear God to praise Jeho- 
 vah. And then another voice as that of an immense multitude 
 comes out in the loudest confirmative response, to praise God ; 
 declaring that the joyful period of the reign of the Omnipotent 
 and of the marriage of the Lamb had come. 
 
 According to the prophet Daniel as well as St. John, after 
 the judgment shall sit and take away the dominion of Rome, to 
 Consume and destroy it unto the end, the kingdom and domi- 
 nion and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, 
 > hall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High, 
 whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions 
 shall serve and obey him. 
 
 This glorious period of the kingdom of the Most High, or 
 reign of the Omnipotent, will be introduced with a joyful event, 
 the marriage of the Lamb to his wife, the Church. 
 
 The figure of a marriage is applied to the Church of God, 
 under the old dispensation, and is applied to the Church of God 
 at different periods under the new dispensation. 
 
 In the parable of the king who made a marriage for his son, 
 as related in the 22d chapter of Matthew, the marriage supper
 
 takes place after the destruction of Jerusalem. After the invi- 
 tation to the gospel supper had been preached for some years, 
 an.d was rejected by the majority of the Jews, the king was wroth, 
 and he sent forth his armies and destroyed these murderers 
 and burnt up their city. Then saith he to his servants, to his 
 ministers, the wedding is ready the time for the solemnization 
 of the marriage and for the accompanying festivity, is come 
 the time for a new and more privileged and joyful state of the 
 Church has arrived, and as the Jewish nation is not worthy of 
 this state, go among the nations or Gentiles and bid them to 
 come into the Christian Church and participate in the blessings 
 and privileges of the gospel dispensation. 
 
 The old dispensation virtually ended in the death of Christ, 
 but it did not actually come to an end in its national character 
 until the destruction of Jerusalem and the abolition of the 
 temple worship. And so the new dispensation commenced upon 
 the death and resurrection of Christ, but not in full force and 
 power until after the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple. 
 Hence this destruction is called in Scripture the coming of 
 Christ or Christianity, that is the coming of Christianity in 
 general power and influence among the nations of the earth 
 among the Gentiles. 
 
 The destruction of Jerusalem and the temple in all its pre- 
 ceding and accompanying circumstances, accorded so exactly 
 with the predictions of Christ and his Apostles, that it had a 
 powerful influence in persuading men of the truth of Chris- 
 tianity, and prepared the way for its reception by the Gentiles. 
 While at the same time it deprived the Jews of all power to 
 oppress and persecute the teachers and professors of Christianity, 
 and brought great glory and honor to the gospel as a miracu- 
 lous revelation, and taught those who reject this revelation, to 
 expect a fearful retribution. Now the ruin of Rome in her 
 corporate politic character will bring great deliverance and sal- 
 vation to the faithful teachers and professors of a pure Chris- 
 tianity, and will with powerful effect convince the world of the
 
 183 
 
 miraculous knowledge communicated by the Christian revela- 
 tion, and so prepare the minds of men for its coming in univer- 
 sal and millenial influence and glory. This utter ruin of Rome 
 in her corporate politic character, will more signally display 
 the miraculous foreknowledge and predictions of the gospel, and 
 the equity and righteousness of divine Providence, and p.oduce 
 more glorious results than the abolition of the Jewish polity and 
 worship. 
 
 And if the figurative language of a marriage have been applied 
 to the Christian Church after the ruin of Jewish polity and 
 worship, it is with increased propriety applied to the Christian 
 Church after the predicted ruin of Roman polity and worship. 
 
 The marriage of the Lamb is come, and her wife hath made 
 herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be 
 arrayed in linen clean and white, for the fine linen is the right- 
 eousness of saints. The Christian Church in her millenial mar- 
 ried state will be a body of people who practise virtue and piety 
 and the rectitude of their conduct will make the body appear 
 pure and illustrious in the eyes of the public. This righteous- 
 ness of her people will far exceed that of the people of the 
 Roman polity. And the Christian Church becoming a corpora- 
 tion of faithful men, honouring their profession by a correct and 
 consistent practice, will be brought into an enduring state of 
 cheerful obedience to Christ, and of affectionate confidence in 
 Him. 
 
 The Church in her corporate politic character, and Christ in 
 his doctrine and discipline and worship, will come in the mil- 
 lenium, be united together in a most close and affectionate rela- 
 tion. 
 
 When the angel who had been showing these prophecies to 
 the apostle and explaining the sense of them, had come to this 
 glorious and joyful period and state of the Christian body, cor- 
 porate and politic, and declared that whereto he had revealed 
 concerning these future joyful events were true words of Uod, 
 the apostle was so delighted with the declaration, and at the
 
 184 
 
 same time so struck with the extraordinary knowledge evinced 
 by the angel in explaining the sense of these prophetic symbolic 
 visions, that he fell down at his feet to worship him, but the 
 angel forbade him, for the reason that the apostle in the testi- 
 mony the teaching of Christ equal to him (the angel) and 
 possessed the spirit the sense the substance the living 
 realty contained in the symbols and images of prophecy, that 
 he, the angel, was but the fellow servant of the apostle, and was 
 no more worthy of worship than the apostle himself, and that 
 if the apostle wished to show his admiration of supernatural 
 knowledge by worship, he must render that worship to God.
 
 185 
 
 DISCOURSE XV. 
 KEY. xix. 11-21. 
 
 " 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. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his 
 head were many crowns : and he had a name written, that no man 
 knew, but he himself. And he was clothed in a vesture dipped in 
 blood ; and his name is called the Word of God. And the armies which 
 were in heaven, followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, 
 white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with 
 it, he should smite the nations ; and he shall rule them with a rod of 
 iron : and he treadeth the wine-press of the fierceness and wrath of 
 Almighty God. And he hath on his vesture, and on his thigh, a name 
 written King of Kings and Lord of Lords. And I saw an angel stand- 
 ing in the sun ; and he cried with a loud voice, to all the fowls that fly 
 in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together, unto 
 the supper of the great God, That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and 
 the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of 
 horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free 
 and bond, both small and great. And I saw the beast, and the kings 
 of the earth and their armies gathered together, to make war against 
 him that sat on the horse, and against his army. And the beast was 
 taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before 
 him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the 
 beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive 
 into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. And the remnant were 
 slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword pro- 
 ceeded out of his mouth ; all the fowls were filled with their flesh." 
 
 Having described the end of Babylon, or Rome, as a corpora- 
 tion and a polity, this prophecy goes on to describe certain 
 attending events, such as the fighting of the great battle, spoken 
 of under the sixth vial, and its issue in ihe capture of the beast 
 and of the false prophet, and the slaughter of the kings of the 
 earth and their armies. 
 
 We found under the sixth vial, the beast, the false prophet, 
 and the dragon, sending forth their emissaries, to gather 
 together the kings of the earth, and of the whole world, into 
 Armageddon, to the battle of the great day of God Almighty. 
 As the fighting and issue of the battle did not come within the
 
 186 
 
 period of the sixth vial, but ran into that of the seventh, an 
 account of them was deferred to the present chapter. 
 
 In the period of the sixth vial, Babylon is left exposed by 
 the drying up of the river Euphrates, which flowed through the 
 midst of it, but its conflagration and destruction are to occur in 
 the period of the seventh vial. 
 
 The river Euphrates was dried up to make way for some 
 combined powers, who were to capture the city, and put an end 
 to its rule and power, and to give protection and freedom to the 
 true religion. The issue of the great battle, is impliedly the 
 immediate forerunner of the ruin of Babylon in its power and 
 authority. In the contests of the seventh vial, we have found 
 that Babylon, immediately before its ruin, will, like Jerusalem, 
 be divided into three parties, all hostile to each other, and only 
 united in contending against one common enemy. Perhaps, we 
 are to understand these three parties to be the party of the 
 dragon, (the infidel party) the party of the beast, (the Roman 
 catholic party) and the party of the false prophets, (the Roman 
 party.) 
 
 They will, in a certain degree be opposed to each other, but 
 they will unite in inculcating certain erroneous principles, by 
 means of their emissaries, for the purpose of bringing to the 
 aid and defence of Roman polity, all the different rulers and 
 governments yet favorably disposed towards Rome. 
 
 The erroneous principles the erroneous emissaries or teachers 
 sent forth from these three parties respectively, have to do with 
 devils or demons that is, beings supposed to be invested with 
 certain middle and mediating power and authority between the 
 court of heaven and men living on the earth. 
 
 The battle, will be a battle of opinion. It will be a contest 
 of mind a great controversy concerning the invocation and 
 honouring of angels, and of deceased men and women, as inter- 
 cessors and mediators in the court of heaven. 
 
 In this controversy, the Roman party, the Roman catholic 
 party, and the infidel party, however disaffected towards each
 
 187 
 
 other, will unite on one side of this controversy, and deny, that 
 Christ is to be invoked and honoured as the sole mediator to 
 the exclusion of all angels or deceased persons. 
 
 If Rome, in its false character as a divine infallible teacher 
 of revealed truth as the seat of infallible teaching takes the 
 lead on one side of this controversy Christ, as a prophet or 
 teacher, faithful and true that is, Christ in his teaching or 
 word, as delivered to us in holy scripture, takes the lead on the 
 other side. 
 
 Verse 11. " And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white 
 horse ; and he that sat upon him, was called Faithful and True j 
 in righteousness he doth judge and make war." 
 
 The white horse is symbolic of a controversy waged, and a 
 victory won, in accordance with truth and equity. The rider 
 of the white horse, the leader in this controversy, is called 
 faithful and true, because he is the Amen the faithful and 
 true witness the infallible teacher of divine truth, and divine 
 law. In declaring to mankind, the truth and will of heaven, 
 he faithfully declared them as he had received them in heaven 
 from his Father. 
 
 He did not make use of his office as a divine teacher and wit- 
 ness, to impose on the world his own fabrications as divine law 
 and truth. 
 
 " The Father gave me a commandment, what I should say 
 and what I should speak. Whatsoever I speak, even as the 
 Father said unto me, so I speak." Our Lord, too, in his 
 various contests of argument with his opposers, always reasoned 
 fairly and justly he made use of no guile or sophistry or 
 appeals to ignorance, prejudice and passion. 
 
 Verse 12. " His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head 
 were many crowns ; and he had a name written which no man 
 knew but he himself." 
 
 His eyes of fire denote his acute perception his intellectual 
 power to penetrate every dark corner of error, and to detect the 
 most hidden sophistry, so that no mask or fair speech could con-
 
 188 
 
 ceal from him the guile and subtlety of his opposers. Such a 
 piercing understanding did he manifest in his words and answers 
 when questioned by his opposers, that they at length ceased to 
 contend with him in argument. The crowns on his head are 
 significant of the victories which he has gained for the truth by 
 his word as delivered to us in the sacred records, and the victo- 
 ries which he is yet to gain before the reign of truth as he 
 taught it becomes universal. 
 
 His written name which no man knew (could read and under- 
 stand) but he himself, is significant of some mysterious truth in 
 his person, which no man can solve and understand but he 
 himself. 
 
 Great indeed is the mystery of our religion in the doctrine of 
 Clod manifest in the flesh. 
 
 Verse 13. " And he was clothed in a vesture dipped in blood, 
 and his name is called the Word of Grod." 
 
 The vesture as dipped in blood, is significant of the intel- 
 lectual execution which he will make among his opposers. The 
 name by which he is designated to us in scripture, or his called 
 name, is Grod the Word by whom all things were made. He 
 was Grod speaking to men. What he spake was the speech or 
 word of Grod. 
 
 We conceive that in these several figures we have Christianity 
 in its teaching of truth, represented as true, searching, and su- 
 perior to all opposition. 
 
 Verse 14. " And the armies which were in heaven followed 
 him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean." 
 
 These armies are the faithful advocates of the truth as it is in 
 Christ, and they, like their leader, use only just and fair means 
 in contending for Christian truth. In this controversy, they 
 contend for the truth as Christ spake and taught it, and as it is 
 delivered in holy scripture. 
 
 Verse 15. " And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that 
 with it he should smite the nations : and he shall rule them
 
 189 
 
 with a rod of iron; and he treadeth the wine-press of the fierce- 
 ness and wrath of Almighty God." 
 
 The sword proceeding out of the mouth of Christ, is his 
 speech or word as recorded by the sacred writers. With this 
 word he will smite the nations the Gentiles the idolaters 
 he will administer cutting reproof to those who practise an idol- 
 atrous worship. The rod of iron signifies that the rule or 
 influence of the Gospel will be severe upon idolaters ; and the 
 treading of the wine-press of the fierceness of Divine wrath, re- 
 presents the extreme severity of the influence and action of 
 Christian truth upon the vicious and wicked. The Gospel 
 faithfully taught will now be victorious, in putting an end to 
 the power and influence of idolaters and evil doers. 
 
 16th verse. " And he hath on his vesture, and on his thigh, 
 a name written King of Kings and Lord of Lords." 
 
 No kings or governments have any divine authority above^the 
 power and law of Christ, and the power and law of Christ are 
 destined to go on in a career of victory over the passions and 
 prejudices and corrupt nature of mankind, until their reign 
 becomes universal, and all rulers and states come under the 
 mild and heavenly influence of the gospel, and acknowledge the 
 supremacy of its teaching and authority. Christianity has 
 already effected by its silent influence, a benign change in laws 
 and governments, and moderated the ferocity of war and of des- 
 potic power, and it will continue its ameliorating influence until 
 the nations shall give up the study of war, and governments 
 cease to oppress and tyrannize over mankind. According to the 
 word or gospel of Christ, as delivered to us in the sacred records, 
 there is but one one man in heaven whom we may honour and 
 invoke as our Mediator there, and that man is Christ Jesus. 
 
 This Mediator being God as well as man, is omniscient and 
 omnipresent, and can hear our prayers and invocations, as no 
 angel or canonized saint can hear them, and if we insist that 
 they can hear our invocations, and that Christ needs their medi- 
 ation and intercession to urge on his own mediation and inter 
 
 17
 
 190 
 
 cession, we are doing him great wrong and contradicting his 
 word. In this sole right of Christ to exclusive invocation, as a 
 Mediator in heaven, all his followers and advocates in the com- 
 ing great controversy, will sustain him by all those fair and 
 sound arguments, with which Scripture, rightly understood, 
 furnish them. As the important right of Christ to exclusive 
 invocation as a Mediator in heaven, is the subject of contention, 
 we can perceive how properly Christ, in his word or teaching, is 
 made to occupy such a conspicuous station, and take such a con- 
 spicuous part, in this great controversy. 
 
 Verses 17 and 18. "And I saw an angel standing in the 
 sun ! and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that 
 fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together 
 unto the supper of the great God. That ye may eat the flesh 
 of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty 
 me^ and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and 
 the flesh of all men both free and bond, both small and great." 
 
 These words intimate, that the different powers and rulers 
 from the sovereign down, will now cease to favour or sustain an 
 idolatrous Christianity, by the aid of their authority and means. 
 
 Verses 19, 20. " And I saw the beast, and the kings of the 
 earth and their armies gathered together, to make war against 
 him that sat upon the horse, and against his army. And the 
 beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought 
 miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had re- 
 ceived the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his 
 image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning 
 with brimstone." 
 
 They who compose the two parties, represented by the beast 
 and the false prophet, will, in the course of this controversy, 
 commit themselves to some false proposition, assume some unte- 
 nable position, where they will find themselves caught by the 
 word of God, in their error and wickedness. 
 
 But though thus caught, they will not be brought to repent-
 
 191 
 
 ance, but being left to continue in their error and wickedness, 
 will be delivered over to a reprobate state. 
 
 Verse 21. " And the remnant were slain with the sword of 
 him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his 
 mouth and the fowls were filled with their flesh." 
 
 The remnant, the kings of the earth and their armies, the 
 different powers and rulers will be slain in the sense that they 
 will cease to aid an idolatrous, and oppose a pure Christianity. 
 And the event will be the effect of the powerful handling of the 
 word of God. 
 
 This controversy will issue in making manifest, that Rome, 
 as the pretended seat of infallible Christian teaching, and the 
 Roman Catholic church, who follow its teaching, have egre- 
 giously imposed upon the world in teaching the invocation of 
 angels and deceased Christians, as mediators in the court of 
 heaven, and that their claims to infallibility in transmitting-and 
 teaching the truth of Christ on this subject, have been without 
 any foundation. The present Pope, Pius the ninth, has issued 
 an encyclical letter to all patriarchs, primates, arch-bishops and 
 bishops, from which we may perceive the teaching and practice 
 of Rome on this subject. 
 
 As a remedy for the evil of the times, the pope invites these 
 high dignitaries to unite in earnest prayer to God, and that they 
 may be successful in their application to him for clemency, he 
 prescribes the following mode of approaching him. 
 
 " And that God may be made more accessible and give ear 
 " to our prayers, and hear our petitions, let us raise our hearts 
 " and hands to his most holy mother, the immaculate Virgin 
 " Mary. We could not find protection more powerful or more 
 " effectual with God. She is the most tender of mothers, our 
 " firmest reliance, and the very spring of our hope, since she 
 " asks nothing which she does not obtain, and her prayer is 
 "never refused." 
 
 " Let us also implore, in the first place, the intercession of 
 " the Prince of the Apostles, to whom Jesus Christ has given
 
 192 
 
 " the keys of the kingdom of heaven, whom he has established 
 " as the foundation stone of his church, against which the gates 
 " of hell will never be able to prevail. Let us then pray to the 
 " companion of his apostleship. Let us then pray to the patron 
 " of each city and country, and to all the blessed that our rner- 
 " ciful Lord may shed upon us, in abundance and munificence, 
 " the gifts of his bounty. 
 
 To recapitulate, it appears that before the utter decline and 
 fall of Rome, the Russian, or some other nation, will withdraw 
 their influence and favour, from the system of Roman polity ; 
 that this withdrawal, will prepare the way for the interposition 
 of some combined powers to put an end to Roman rule and 
 polity, and give liberty and protection to true Christianity ; 
 that this withdrawal will also be followed with a general, extra- 
 ordinary controversy, on the subject of mediator invocation, in 
 which the three great bodies or parties of deceivers will take 
 ona side, while Christ, in his word and teaching, as transmitted 
 in Holy Scripture, will take the lead on the other side, and in 
 the course of the controversy, the deceivers, represented by the 
 beast and the false prophet, will be caught and exposed in their 
 error, and after this exposure, delivered over to a reprobate 
 mind and state. With the fall of Rome in its teaching charac- 
 ter, will follow the ruin of its system of polity, and a great and 
 glorious change in Christianity, as a body corporate and politic 
 as the city, the church of God. The Christian church will 
 then become a corporation, of a fair and upright reputation for 
 virtue and truth, and enter into a new state of cordial confi- 
 dence in the teaching and affectionate submission to the autho- 
 rity of Christianity. This state is that millenium of blessed- 
 ness, to which our attention is called in the next chapter.
 
 193 
 
 DISCOURSE XVI. 
 REV. xx. 
 
 The last time that the apostle had in vision seen the dragon, 
 was on the eve of the great battle with the word of God. 
 
 The dragon, by his emissaries, had assisted in gathering to- 
 gether to this battle, the kings of the earth and of the whole 
 world. 
 
 In this battle, the beast and the false prophet were captured, 
 and after their capture they were cast into a lake of fire and 
 brimstone, but we are not informed what became of the dragon 
 after the battle, until the beginning of this twentieth chapter. 
 
 Chap. xx. 13. " And I saw an angel come down from 
 heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit (the abyss or 
 deep) and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the 
 dragon, that old serpent which is the devil and Satan, and bound 
 him a thousand years and cast him into the bottomless pit 
 (abyss or deep) and shut him up and set a seal upon him that 
 he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years 
 should be fulfilled, and after that he must be loosed a little 
 season." 
 
 The dragon represents as a body or combination or society, 
 those men who deceive mankind by calumniating and contra- 
 dicting Christianity, by speaking falsely of it, and denying the 
 truth of its assertions and revelations. 
 
 The serpent in Eden in this manner, deceived our first mother 
 Eve. Hence, the dragon or this body of unbelievers is termed 
 that old serpent, the devil (the calumniator or liar) and Satan, 
 (the contradictor or opposer of truth) who deceives the nations, 
 vho deceives the whole world. The abyss or deep cavity here 
 
 17*
 
 represents the obscure, degraded, barbarous portion of mankind 
 who have to be kept under rigorous restraint. 
 
 The capture of the dragon, the binding him with a great 
 chain, the casting him into some deep cavity under the earth, 
 the closing up the entrance and sealing a seal upon the closed 
 entrance, are significant of the low, degraded condition in which 
 the calumniators and opposers of Christianity who deceive men 
 into infidelity and false religion, will now, as a body, be found 
 to exist. These deceivers will now be confined in their power 
 and influence, to the lowest of mankind, without the possibility 
 of escaping into consideration. They will now have no power 
 to entice the orderly portion of mankind into the disregard of 
 divinely revealed truth and duty, by slandering and contradict- 
 ing Christianity. 
 
 Verses 4-6. " And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, 
 and judgment was given unto them ; and I saw the souls (per- 
 sons) of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus and 
 for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, 
 neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their 
 foreheads or in their hands ; and they lived and reigned with 
 Christ a thousand years. But the rest of the dead lived not 
 again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first 
 resurrection. Blessed and holy is he who hath part in the first 
 resurrection, on such the second death hath no power, but they 
 shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him 
 a thousand years." 
 
 We have before, been informed of a glorious period awaiting 
 Christianity, as a church or body corporate and politic, but here 
 we are informed of its millenial glorious condition, as a faith, a 
 doctrine, a matter of testimony and belief. 
 
 The apostle sees alive again the Christian martyrs, who sealed 
 their faith and testimony with their blood. He sees also, alive, 
 those Protestant Christians, who, with all the world against 
 them, would not submit to Roman Catholic authority, or its 
 image or representative the pope, nor pledge their minds or
 
 195 
 
 energies to the service and interests of the Roman Catholic 
 church. All those protestants who have adhered to a pure 
 gospel under Roman Catholic power and dominion, as well as 
 all who have lost their lives for the sake of true religion, will 
 live again in the same sense in which Elijah lived again in the 
 person of John the Baptist ; they will be raised from the dead 
 in a similar sense to that in which the Jews were raised from 
 the dead, when, after the expiration of their period of captivity 
 in Babylon, they were restored as a nation, to political and re- 
 ligious life. 
 
 That remnant of Christians whether teachers or disciples, 
 whose faith in the testimony and teaching of Christ was so 
 strong and firm as to rise superior to the love of property and 
 of life and to the influence of the prevailing corruptions of Chris- 
 tianity, will now in their teaching and in their faith rise up in 
 the persons of others, and in connection with Christianity rule 
 the world by their moral and religious influence. In this sense 
 they will sit on thrones, living and reigning with Christ, a 
 thousand years. " The comfortable gospel of Christ will now 
 be -truly preached truly received and truly followed in all 
 places, to the breaking down the kingdom of sin, Satan and 
 death. Christianity truly taught and believed, will now have 
 its day its flourishing period of power and dominion here on 
 earth. This will be the first resurrection of Christianity as 
 thus taught and believed. This will be the first standing up of 
 such a Christianity in universal honor and dominion : it will be 
 a revival under the Christian dispensation, far exceeding that 
 which Ezekiel foretold under the old, and which Habakkuk 
 desired when he prayed, Lord revive thy work ; in the midst 
 of the years make known in wrath remember mercy. This 
 will indeed be a glorious standing up of Christian truth and a 
 Christian faith, after the long period of their affliction and 
 degradation. And blessed will that individual be who has a 
 part in this first resurrection or standing up in the world of 
 our holy religion. On such the second death hath no power.
 
 196 
 
 The ancient Jews understood by the second death the penal 
 state that follows the present life. 
 
 In the day that man first transgressed, he passed the same 
 state of favour into a state of condemnation, and in this sense 
 from a state of life into a state of death. This was his first 
 death or state of condemnation. From this death or state of 
 condemnation he was recovered into a new state of trial by the 
 purposed incarnation, obedience and death of God, the Word. 
 If in this recovered state of trial he lives and dies in sin and 
 impenitence, he dies a second time, in the sense of passing into 
 a second state of condemnation. In this second state of con- 
 demnation there is no more sacrifice for sin no recovery to 
 another state of trial, no release from punishment. This second 
 death or state of condemnation has, however, no power over the 
 true believer and follower of Christ. If a man keep my saying, 
 says our Lord, he shall never see death never pass into a state 
 of condemnation. He that heareth my word and believeth on 
 Him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into 
 condemnation, but is passed from death unto life. There is no 
 condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus. According to 
 Daniel, seventy-five years beyond the 1260 will begin this period 
 of blessedness. Blessed is he that waiteth and cometh to the 
 thousand three hundred and thirty-five days. It will be blessed 
 to live and see this resurrection (of standing up) of Christian 
 truth and Christian faith but truly blessed will he be who 
 participates in this glorious event, and becomes a true believer. 
 He will be blessed in being holy and in being exempted from 
 the second death or eternal condemation. 
 
 The rest of the dead, or the other dead of whom it is declared 
 that they lived not again until the thousand years were fulfilled, 
 are those who were slain by the sword proceeding out of the 
 mouth of Christ, as we learn in the last verse of the preceding 
 chapter. 
 
 These dead had been the deceived opposers of Christ in his 
 word or testimony, especially on the subject of his exclusive
 
 197 
 
 mediatorship, and they are intellectually slain by that word or 
 testimony, and are deprived of the will and power to continue 
 their opposition to it. 
 
 These are not of the reprobate mind, peculiar to the different 
 deceivers who constitute the three parties represented by the 
 dragon, the beast, and the false prophet. These latter are to 
 pass into a reprobate state while the former, the deceived, will 
 be convinced of their error by the Word of God, and that word 
 will have no such deceived opposers until after the millenium. 
 
 We may suppose that the manifest and wonderful fulfilment 
 of these predictions of John, as well as those of Daniel and Paul, 
 and of other inspired writers, will be such a demonstration in 
 favour of the word or testimony of Christ in its true sense or 
 teaching, as to put to the silence of death all the opponents of the 
 truth as Christ taught it, and as it has been delivered to us in 
 holy writ, and to render all opposition of this nature inactive 
 during the period specified. And we may suppose too, that the 
 manifest and wonderful fulfilment of these predictions will have 
 its influence and effect in the raising of faithful teachers of the 
 gospel and true believers in it, to great power and prevalence in 
 the world, and in continuing Christianity (thus taught and 
 believed) in its great power and prevalence during the long 
 period of a thousand years. There is, however, to be at the end 
 of the millenium an outbreak of opposition to Christianity on 
 the part, not of Roman and Roman Catholic deceivers, but of 
 infidel deceivers. 
 
 Verses 7-11. " And when the thousand years are expired, 
 Satan shall be loosed out of his prison. And shall go out to 
 deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, 
 Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, the number 
 of whom is as the sand of the sea. 
 
 " And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed 
 the camp of the saints about and the beloved city ; and fire came 
 down from God out of heaven and devoured them. And the 
 devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brim
 
 198 
 
 stone, where the beast and the false prophets are, and shall be 
 tormented day and night for ever and ever." 
 
 At the end of the millenium, the infidel deceivers will escape 
 from their state of degradation and restraint, and. again appear 
 in combined active opposition to Christianity and renew the 
 work of deceiving the world into a disregard and rejection of the 
 Christian revelation. The nations from the four quarters of 
 the earth called Gog and Magog represent the ignorant, fierce 
 portion of mankind, whom the ancient Greeks and Romans with 
 respect to their disposition and manners, would have termed 
 Scythians, and we moderns would term Cossacks or Tartars. 
 
 They are represented as very numerous, and covering in their 
 march or going, the whole flat or surface of the holy land, and 
 surrounding on all sides the camp of the saints and the city of 
 Jerusalem. The meaning seems to be, that infidel deceivers 
 will now combine together and put into operation all their arts 
 of deception, and draw the ignorant and fierce elements of so- 
 ciety into a war (a contest of opinion) for the purpose of destroy- 
 ing the rule and polity of the Christian Church. All, however, 
 who are thus deceived into opposition to Christianity, are 
 destined to be consumed by fire from God out of heaven. 
 
 This fire may signify the miraculous knowledge contained in 
 the prediction of Scripture. The predictions of evil which 
 Jeremiah had uttered against Judah and Israel, and which they 
 refused to believe, are compared to fire, which would certainly 
 consume them. Behold, I will make my words in thy mouth 
 fire, and the people wood, and it shall devour them. The in- 
 terposition of fire from God out of heaven, represents the inter- 
 position of knowledge of an inspired source and nature. Know- 
 ledge so overpowering in its influence, as to convince the deceived 
 of their error, and consume in them the spirit of opposition to 
 Christianity. 
 
 But if the deceived are intellectually killed in this great con- 
 test, the more guilty class the deceivers are delivered over 
 to the same reprobate mind and state to which those deceivers
 
 199 
 
 had been consigned, who professing Christianity had calumi- 
 nated and opposed it. In this penal state it reads, that they 
 shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. The word 
 translated torments, signifies torture inflicted upon persons who 
 are unwilling to confess their guilt or to disclose their know- 
 ledge of the truth. This word here seems to signify the mental 
 torture of a person in witnessing irresistible demonstration in 
 favour of some truth which he bitterly hates and opposes, and 
 which he will not confess but perseveres in denying. It is a 
 fearful thing to aid in deceiving men by corrupting or calumni- 
 ating or denying the gospel of Christ. 
 
 The apostle repeats, " Though we or an angel from heaven 
 preach another gospel, let him be accursed." " And if we sin 
 wilfully after that, we have received the knowledge of the truth, 
 there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins but a certain, fearful 
 looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall 
 devour the adversaries." 
 
 After the infidel body, who deceived men into disregard and 
 opposition to the Christian revelation, is delivered over to the 
 toriure of a reprobate mind and state, these will follow the 
 general resurrection and judgment and the end of the present 
 state and order of the world. How soon these latter events 
 will occur after the final overthrow of infidelity we are not in- 
 formed. 
 
 The llth verse. " I saw a great white throne, and him that 
 sat on it from whose face the heaven and the earth fled away, 
 and there was found no place for them." 
 
 The throne and its occupant represent the Eternal Judge 
 entering upon the public administration of justice, and the 
 white colour of the throne is emblematic of equity and impar- 
 tiality. His work is perfect all his ways are judgment. 
 
 The fleeing away of the heaven and earth from the face of 
 this great Judge, so that their place could not be found, signifies, 
 that when God shall appear for the general judgment, the pre- 
 sent state and order of things will begin to be abolished. The
 
 200 
 
 crust of the earth and the aerial heavens the atmosphere 
 constitute a part of the present state and order of things which 
 are to pass away. The heavens shall pass away with a great 
 noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat the earth 
 also, and the works that are therein shall be burned up. The 
 reign of sin and death and pain is also a part of the present 
 state and order of things which will then be brought to an end. 
 
 Verses 12 and 13. " And I saw the dead, small and great, 
 stand before God ; and the books were opened ; and another 
 book was opened, which is the book of life, and the dead were 
 judged out of those things which are written in the books, 
 according to the works. And the sea gave up the dead which 
 were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which 
 were in them j and they were judged, every man according to 
 their works." 
 
 While the earth is fleeing away from the face of the Judge, 
 it is also delivering up its dead to the judgment. The sea, 
 and death, and hell, (the grave, or separate state,) deliver up 
 their respective contents, to signify a universal resurrection of 
 the dead. We are not, however, to infer from this representa- 
 tion of a resurrection, that the risen body is to be a body of 
 flesh and blood for flesh and blood, we are assured by^St. Paul, 
 cannot inherit the Kingdom of God. The risen body will be 
 composed of different materials, and be fitted for a different 
 mode and state of being. For this reason, those found alive, at 
 the coming of Christ to raise the dead, will be changed in their 
 bodies. The resurrection of the dead the putting an end to 
 the reign of death, and the melting of the crust of the earth, 
 will consummate the old state and order of things. When the 
 general resurrection is accomplished, and death is abolished, and 
 the crust of the earth is melted, and all upon its surface con- 
 sumed in the melted mass, and the very air has exploded, and 
 is dissolved, and the final judgment is past, then will the old 
 state and order of things on our earth have past away, so that 
 it will be no more possible to find vestiges of their former
 
 existence, than to find the places of the heaven and the earth, 
 supposing they had fled out of universal space. 
 
 The period of the general judgment, is the final period of the 
 old state and order of things. Because this period is called the 
 day of judgment, we are no more to understand it to be a period 
 of twenty-four hours, than we are to understand in this limited 
 sense, the day of adversity, or the day of prosperity. 
 
 It would seem, that the place where the general judgment is 
 conducted, is beyond our earth, but where beyond our earth, we 
 know not. Our Saviour, at his ascension, disappeared beyond 
 the clouds, but where heaven, or the place is, in which he now 
 exists, in his glorified humanity, we know not. 
 
 So much, however, is definite and certain, concerning the 
 general judgment, that on that occasion, God, in the person of 
 Christ, will make himself manifest in a material form, and that 
 the award which every one receives, will be based upon a per- 
 fect infallible knowledge of his thoughts, words, and actions, 
 during his existence in a former body. The dead are said to 
 be judged out of the things written in certain books the books 
 of God's remembrance or omniscience, and another book called 
 the book of life. 
 
 One great purpose of books, is to perpetuate the memory of 
 things past to transmit the knowledge of them to future 
 generations. Now go, (says God to the prophet,) write it 
 before them in a table, and note it in a book, that it may be 
 for the time to come, even for ever and ever. 
 
 These books record the names, the thoughts, motives, feelings, 
 words, and deeds, of all who have lived and died. Every day 
 we are adding to the contents of these books, and the record is 
 as imperishable as the omniscience as God. These books are 
 merely ideal. The omniscient has no need of books, in order 
 to perpetuate the memory of things past. The past, the pre- 
 sent, and future, are all alike before him. When he comes to 
 judgment, he will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, 
 and make manifest the counsels of the heart. Besides these 
 
 18
 
 202 
 
 books of God's remembrance, there is another particular book 
 of his favourable remembrance, called the book of life. It was 
 a custom in ancient times, to enrol in a public register, the 
 names and deeds of those on whom the government or state 
 purposed to confer favour and reward. The book of life, con- 
 tains the names and works of those upon which the Great 
 Judge purposes to confer honor and happiness. It is called the 
 Lamb's Book of Life, because it is in virtue of the obedience 
 and death of Christ, the Lamb of God, who was slain a sacrifice 
 for our sins, that any names of men are registered therein, as 
 persons to be favoured and rewarded. A book of remembrance 
 is written for them that fear the Lord, and that think upon his 
 name, and they shall be mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in the 
 day when I shall make up my jewels. If we possess a true 
 Christian faith, and bring forth its appropriate points of right- 
 eousness of life, our names and works are found in the book of 
 life, and we need not fear the contents of the other books. 
 
 It is further declared, that the dead will be judged according 
 to their works. Those written in the book of life, as well as 
 the other dead, will be judged by this rule. They whose faith 
 in Christ has wrought in them the strongest attachment to him 
 and his cause, and enabled them to labour for him and his 
 cause with the greatest diligence and energy they who have 
 made the greatest proficiency in Christian knowledge and prac- 
 tice, who have come nearest to the mind, and character, and 
 example of Christ, will be judged the highest rewards and dis- 
 tinctions in the kingdom of heaven. 
 
 Our Lord, did indeed, forbid his apostles to be eager and 
 contentious, about precedence and honour. Yet he assured 
 them, that they would, in his future kingdom, be rewarded and 
 honoured in a distinguished manner. 
 
 The rewards bestowed, though according to their works, will 
 not be rewards of debt, but of bounty the reward will be of 
 grace, not of debt. The original Greek word translated grace, 
 is the word from which our English word charity is derived.
 
 203 
 
 The reward will be of charity, in the sense of alms, and the 
 Judge will confer his rewards, his gifts, his charity, his alms, 
 according to the various degrees of our attainments in Christian 
 knowledge and practice. 
 
 So also the impenitent and unjust will be rendered different 
 degrees of punishments, according as they have been more or 
 less wicked, and done more or less mischief in the world. 
 
 Both punishment and reward, justice and mercy, retribution 
 and charity, will be administered (impartially,) without respect 
 to person. 
 
 The supreme court of heaven, having finished its business, 
 closes its session, and then follows the execution of its decisions. 
 
 Verse 14. " And death and hell were cast into the lake of 
 fire. This is the second death." 
 
 In the preceding verse, death and hell are spoken of as places, 
 in this verse they are spoken of as persons. 
 
 In this verse also, existence in the lake of fire is explained 
 to be a representation of the second death that death that 
 penal suffering from which there is no recovery or release. The 
 casting of the persons of death and hell into the lake of fire, 
 must signify the translation of present death into the bitter pains 
 of eternal death. And we are assured, that into these bitter 
 pains, a certain portion of the dead are to be delivered, after their 
 resurrection and judgment. For it is asserted in the next verse, 
 (15th.) And whosoever (if any one,) was not found written 
 in the book of life, (he) was cast into the lake of fire. Fear 
 not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul, 
 but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body 
 in hell. This is that hell, where the worm dieth not, and the 
 fire is not quenched. This is that everlasting punishment pre- 
 pared for the devil and his angels, and for all whose names are 
 not found written in the book of life.
 
 204 
 
 fri. '" > 
 
 DISCOURSE XVII. 
 KEV. xxi. and xxii. 
 
 Verse 1. " And I saw a new heaven, and a new earth, for 
 the first heaven and first earth had passed away, and there was 
 no more sea." 
 
 The first heaven and the first earth had fled away from him 
 that sat upon the throne, and were no more to be found ; and 
 now the Apostle sees a new heaven and a new earth. The old 
 state and order of things are succeeded by a new state and order 
 of things, in which there is no sea, no population disposed to 
 tumult, and difficult to keep quiet. We look for a new earth, 
 wherein dwelleth righteousness, (law and order.) 
 
 Verse 2. " And I, John, saw the holy city, new Jerusalem 
 coming down from God out of heaven ; prepared as a bride 
 adorned for her husband. The holy city of Jerusalem, coming 
 down from God out of heaven, represents the religious or theo- 
 cratical polity which, emanating from God himself, is to exist in 
 the new state and order of things. This polity will be fur- 
 nished with all the proper appendages to render it pleasing and 
 acceptable to Christ just as the bride is adorned with becoming 
 clothing and ornaments to render herself pleasing and accepta- 
 ble in the sight of her husband. 
 
 Verse 3. " And I heard a great voice out of heaven, saying, 
 Behold th^ tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell 
 with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall 
 be with them, and be their God." 
 
 When God, the Word, was made flesh, he dwelt (or taberna- 
 cled) among men, and made himself manifest, and we beheld his 
 glory or manifestation, and experienced his power to relieve 
 suffering and disease. And in this new state and order of 
 things, God will tabernacle in some sensible form among his
 
 205 
 
 people, and converse with them, and remove by his divine 
 power, all sorrow and evil from among them. 
 
 Verse 4. " And God shall wipe all tears from their eyes ; 
 and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow nor crying, 
 neither shall there be any more pain, for the former things are 
 passed away." 
 
 The inhabitants of this new world will be forever released 
 from all the miseries incident to the old world. There will be 
 no separation of the soul from the body, and no pain of any 
 kind or degree. Here, all these old things will have no exist- 
 ence. 
 
 Verse 5. "And he that sat upon the throne, said, Behold, I 
 make all things new. And he said unto me, write, for these 
 words are true and faithful." 
 
 The Great Judge here declares, that the renovation or change 
 to be introduced by him, will be universal, and he commands 
 the Apostle to commit this declaration to writing, as being 
 faithful and true, and to be depended on. 
 
 Verse 6. " And he said unto me, it is done, I am Alpha and 
 Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that 
 is athirst, of the fountain of the water of life freely." 
 
 The work of renovation is effected, old things have passed 
 away, and all things have become new. I am the author and 
 finisher of all things, new and old the beginning and the end 
 of them are my work. And I will gratuitously bestow the 
 happiness of the new state and order of things upon all who 
 thirst for it. Let all who earnestly desire this happiness, be 
 assured of my willingness to bestow it, without money and 
 without price, and let him be assured too, (verse 7,) that " he 
 that overcometh, shall inherit all (these new) things, and I will 
 be his God, and he shall be my son. I will be his portion and 
 happiness and he shall be to me an object of favour and 
 affection." 
 
 But if the awful Being who sat upon the throne spake thus 
 18*
 
 206 
 
 graciously of those who thirst for the fountain of living waters, 
 and who overcome the temptations and difficulties that obstruct 
 their way to truth and immortality, far different is his knguage 
 to the vicious and profligate. 
 
 Verse 8. " But the fearful and unbelieving, and the abomina- 
 ble, and murderers, and whore-mongers, and sorcerers, and 
 idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake of fire 
 and brimstone, which is the second death." 
 
 These are the characters represented by the beast, the false 
 prophet and the dragon. They are destined to endure the second 
 death they shall go away into everlasting punishment. 
 
 That the apostle might have a more distinct view of the new 
 Jerusalem, one of the seven angels takes him in vision to a very 
 high mountain. 
 
 Verses 9 21. " And there came unto me one of the seven 
 angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, 
 and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will show thee the 
 bride, the Lamb's wife. And he carried me away in the spirit 
 to a great and high mountain, and showed me that great city, 
 the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from Grod, having 
 the glory of God, and her light was like unto a stone most pre- 
 cious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal. And had a wall 
 great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve 
 angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the 
 twelve tribes of the children of Israel. 
 
 " On the east three gates, on the north three gates, on the south 
 three gates, and on the west three gates. And that the wall of 
 the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the 
 twelve apostles of the Lamb. And he that talked with me had 
 a golden reed to measure the city and the gates thereof, and the 
 walls thereof. And the city lieth four square, and the length 
 is as large as the breadth ; and he measured the city with the 
 reed twelve thousand furlongs. The length, and the breadth, 
 and the height of it are equal, (in proportion.)
 
 207 
 
 " And he measured the wall thereof, a hundred and forty and 
 four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is of the 
 angel. 
 
 " And the building of the wall of it was of jasper ; and the 
 city was pure gold, like unto clear glass. And the foundations 
 of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of pre- 
 cious stones. The first foundation was jasper ; the second, sap- 
 phire ; the third, a chalcedony ; the fourth, an emerald; the fifth, 
 sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, 
 beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysophrasus ; the 
 eleventh a jacinth ; the twelfth, an amethyst. And the twelve 
 gates were twelve pearls ; every several gate was of one pearl ; 
 and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent 
 glass." 
 
 The glory, or shining of God, has its abode in the city ; and 
 the light emitted by this shining forth unlike the disagreeable 
 dimness occasioned by the smoke which filled the Temple of 
 Solomon at its dedication will be of a sea-green hue, the colour 
 most pleasing to the eye. In our risen and glorified nature, we 
 shall behold with the most pleasing sensation, that glorious light 
 in which God dwells, 'and upon which we cannot, in our present 
 bodies and senses, look and live. 
 
 A glimpse of the light attending the glorified humanity of 
 God, the word instantaneously struck the apostle Paul with a 
 blindness which it required a miracle to cure. The meaning is, 
 that one appendage of this new polity will be some pleasing, 
 supernatural appearance, indicating the presence of God. 
 
 The wall of the city the twelve foundations of the wall 
 having in them the names of the twelve apostles the twelve 
 gates, watched by twelve angels, and having the names of the 
 twelve tribes of Israel written on them ; the four-square form of 
 the city ; the measure of the city in length and breath ; the pro- 
 portion of the height to the length and breadth ; the measure of 
 the height of the wall; the jasper or transparent green-coloured 
 substance which composed the wall; the pure gold-like clear
 
 208 
 
 glass of which the houses and streets consisted; the twelve 
 different kinds of precious stones with which the foundations of 
 the wall were garnished, all these parts and properties of the 
 city have their signification in certain corresponding parts and 
 properties of that theocratical and celestial polity in the glory 
 and happiness of which the people of God will participate after 
 the general judgment. 
 
 These significations will suggest themselves to those versed 
 in architecture, mineralogy, and the constitutions, laws, and 
 properties of polities and governments. 
 
 Verse 22. " And I saw no temple therein, for the Lord God 
 Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it. " 
 
 God, in his visible presence or glory, will not be concealed 
 within a building or house, but will be manifest to all. Then 
 we shall have access to the power and glory of God and the 
 Lamb, without the intervention of a temple with its priests and 
 sacrifices. 
 
 Verse 23. " And the city had no need of the sun, neither of 
 the moon to shine in it ; for the glory of God did lighten it, and 
 the Lamb is the light thereof." 
 
 God, manifest in a particular form and voice, will serve the 
 purpose of supreme authority and government in this sacred 
 polity. God will be present in some sensible form to instruct 
 and to govern. 
 
 Verses 24 26. " And the nations of them that are saved shall 
 walk in the light of it ; and the kings of the earth do bring 
 their glory and honour into it; and the gates of it shall not be 
 shut at all by day ; for there shall be no night there. And 
 they shall bring the glory and honours of the nations into it." 
 
 The states or kingdoms of the saved will live and act under 
 the genial influence of knowledge and instruction, which, pro- 
 ceeding from God and the Lamb, constitute a permanent privi- 
 lege of the celestial polity. The kings and nations of the earth, 
 the different rulers, and powers, and principalities in the new 
 state and order of things, will bring their glory and honour into
 
 209 
 
 the sacred city, will render every mark of regard and devotion 
 to this theocratical polity. 
 
 The gates not being shut by day, and there being no night, 
 the gates consequently are never shut. All will be peace and 
 security; and among its citizens will be found only the pure, the 
 innocent, and the lover of truth. ?<t ; 
 
 Verse 27. " And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing 
 that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination or maketh 
 a lie, but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life." 
 
 None who practice immorality, idolatry or deception, will 
 be found among its citizens. Its citizens will be no other than 
 those who keep the commandments of God, and whose names 
 are registered in Christ's book of life. 
 
 Chap. xxii. 1 5. " And he showed me a pure river of water 
 of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and 
 of the Lamb. In the midst of the street of it, and on either 
 side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve 
 manner of fruits, and yielded. her fruit every month; and the 
 leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. And 
 there shall be no more curse ; but the throne of God and of 
 the Lamb shall be in it, and his servants shall serve him. And 
 they shall sec his face, and his name shall be in their foreheads. 
 And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, 
 neither light of the sun for the Lord God giveth them light ; 
 and they shall reign for ever and ever." 
 
 The fountain of living water proceeding from the throne of 
 God and of the Lamb, represents a fountain of truth free from 
 the muddy admixture of error, proceeding from a divine authori- 
 tative source and easy of access to all. 
 
 This primary divine fountain of pure truth will serve to 
 nourish that more substantial and invigorating truth, (food for 
 the intellect,) which is represented to grow upon the tree of 
 life. Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that 
 getteth understanding. She is a tree of life to them that lay 
 hold upon her.
 
 210 
 
 The water of the river of life, and the fruits of the tree of 
 life, represent the abundant means and opportunities which 
 those who live under this divine polity will be supplied, in order 
 to slake their thirst for truth, and to preserve intellectual life in 
 health and vigour. And there shall be no more curse ; no mark 
 of the divine displeasure ; no penal inflictions ; but the throne 
 of God and of the Lamb shall be in it. God in Christ will be 
 constantly present in his authority, and his servants shall serve 
 him here all will be ready and cheerful obedience on the part 
 of his ministers. And they shall see his face they shall be 
 admitted to near intercourse with him. And his name shall be 
 on their foreheads they will be recognized as the faithful minis- 
 ters of God. And there shall be no night then ; no ignorance ; 
 no intellectual darkness; no dark ages. And they shall need 
 no candle, neither light of the sun, for the Lord God giveth 
 them light. They shall be dependent upon a divine source for 
 intellectual light, and no longer need the means by which know- 
 ledge is now diffused. 
 
 Verses 6 9. " And he said unto me, These sayings are faith- 
 ful and true. And the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his 
 angel to show unto his servant the things which must shortly 
 be done. Behold, I come quickly; blessed is he that keepeth 
 the sayings of the prophecy of this book. And I, John, saw 
 these things and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, 
 I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which shewed 
 me these things. Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not, 
 for I am thy fellow-servant and of thy brethren, the prophets, 
 and of them which keep the sayings of this book ; worship God." 
 
 And the angel assures the apostle, that what had been said 
 concerning the polity of the New Jerusalem was certainly true. 
 The angel also declares that he was sent for the purpose of 
 making known to the ministers of God future events, the be- 
 ginning of which was near at hand, especially the coming of 
 Christianity in victory over the Roman pagan government. 
 The angel pronounces the man blessed who heeds the direc-
 
 211 
 
 tions and disclosures of this book, and regulates his conduct 
 accordingly. 
 
 And now the apostle again forgets himself and falls prostrate 
 to worship before the angel, but the angel would not allow him 
 to do so, declaring that he, the angel, was but a minister, a fel- 
 low of the apostles and prophets, and of those who practice a 
 pure Christianity according to the directions of this book, and 
 that the apostle must make Grod the object of his worship, and 
 render to him his homage and thanks for these prophecies, and 
 not to an angel or departed saint. 
 
 Verses 10 and 11. " And he saith unto me, Seal not the say- 
 ings of the prophecy of this book, for the time is at hand. He 
 that is unjust, let him be unjust still ; and he which is filthy, let 
 him be filthy still; and he that is righteous, let him be righteous 
 still ; and he that is holy, let him be holy still." 
 
 The time being near for the fulfilment of the first of the pre- 
 dictions of this book, the apostle is urged to publish the book 
 without delay. What is said concerning the just and unjust, 
 the pure and impure, continuing in their respective characters, 
 may mean that the unjust and impure will not be drawn from 
 their evil course by all the evils which this prophecy has de- 
 nounced against them, while the just and pure will persevere in 
 their course notwithstanding all the persecutions and oppression 
 which, according to these predictions, await them in the course 
 of human events. The language of Daniel is of similar im- 
 port. 
 
 Many shall be purified and made white and tried, but the 
 wicked shall do wickedly, and none of the wicked shall under- 
 stand, but the wise shall understand. 
 
 Verses 12-15. " And behold, I come quickly ; and my re- 
 ward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall 
 be. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the 
 first and the last. Blessed are they that do his commandments, 
 that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in 
 through the gates into the city. For without are dogs, and sor-
 
 212 
 
 cerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and 
 whosoever loveth and maketh a lie." 
 
 The angel here repeats the speedy coming of the author and 
 finisher of the Christian faith, to overthrow, by the influence of 
 his religion, the pagan, persecuting power, and to favour the 
 professors of Christianity, according as their works correspond 
 with their profession. They who do the commandments of God, 
 are pronounced by the angel blessed, as being destined to a 
 right of participation in the celestial, theocratical polity, while 
 the wicked and vicious are denounced by him as excluded from 
 such right. 
 
 Verses 16-21. " I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify un- 
 to you these things in the churches. I am the root and the 
 offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.' 
 
 And the spirit and the bride say come, and let him that hear- 
 eth say come. And let him that is athirst come. And who- 
 soever will, let him take the -water of life freely. For I testify 
 unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this 
 book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add 
 unto him the plagues that are written in this book : And if any 
 man shall take away from the words of the book of this pro- 
 phecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, 
 and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written 
 in this book. 
 
 He which testifieth these things, saith, surely I come quick- 
 ly ; Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. The grace of our 
 Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen." 
 
 The prophecies of this book are the testimony of Christ to 
 Christian communities, the author of them is declared to be both 
 the root and the offspring of David. He is, in his Divine 
 nature David's Lord, and in his humanity, David's son. He is 
 the bright and morning star in the sense of the greatest and 
 most illustrious teacher among all the sons of men. 
 
 The invitation to come to Christianity and drink of the foun- 
 tain of truth is made known by inspiration and by the Church,
 
 213 
 
 and is to be made known by all who hear it. And all men are 
 declared welcome to come and drink gratuitously 'of this foun- 
 tain. . 
 
 We are cautioned how we deal unfairly with the contents of 
 this book, and we are assured that they who do so will be ex- 
 cluded from a participation in the blessings of the celestial 
 polity. 
 
 The author of these prophecies, the true and faithful witness, 
 declares, in conclusion, his speedy coming, to begin the fulfil- 
 ment of his prophetic testimony. And the answer of the 
 apostle is, Amen. So come, Lord Jesus, and finally the apostle 
 in a benediction, wishes that the mercy, the charity of Christ, 
 may abide with his Christian brethren. 
 
 19
 
 215 
 
 RECAPITULATION.. 
 
 The sixth chapter foretells a series of changes in military and 
 imperial power, from the beginning of the second century down 
 to the reign of Dioclesian; the persecution under Dioclesian, 
 and the fall and ruin of Paganism under Constantine and his 
 successors. 
 
 The seventh chapter foretells the general apostacy which, in 
 its individual (not corporate) character, occurred in the course 
 of the fourth century, before the breaking loose of barbarian 
 power from all restraint. 
 
 The eighth chapter foretells certain calamities or woes, which, 
 after this general apostacy of the fourth century, were to befall 
 the Roman world. 
 
 These calamities are, the ruin by war and devastation of the 
 flourishing part of the Roman population, including families of 
 rank and wealth ; the fall of the people of the Roman city from 
 their eminent condition of security and power; the prevalence of 
 Ariapism among many of the foreign nations settled and estab- 
 lished in the empire, together with the partial obscuration of 
 the imperial and subordinate lights of the Roman world. We 
 find the imperial power in a partial state of obscuration when, 
 in the year 476, Augustulus was compelled to resign and abolish 
 the imperial office in the west. 
 
 These four woes were nearly cotemporaneous, but in the last 
 verse of the chapter three more are announced, which are to be 
 consecutive. 
 
 The next, the ninth chapter, describes two of these three 
 woes. In the first one of the three, the angry elements of sect 
 and fanaticism, which had been kept under, are freed from con- 
 finement, and rising into notice and consideration, injuriously
 
 216 
 
 affect supreme authority and the public mind. Along with 
 these elements, and for awhile concealed among them, rise also 
 into notice and consideration, the Mahomedans of Arabia. 
 
 These zealous and fanatical Mahomedans, by their success in 
 war, and by their accusations of idolatry, for a long time an- 
 noyed the Roman Christians, exciting them to ineffectual efforts 
 to destroy the Roman idolatrous spirit and worship existing 
 among them. 
 
 What opened this well of angry fanaticism, was the contro- 
 versy excited by Nestorius. 
 
 This controversy began in some misunderstanding concerning 
 the sense in which Christ was the Son of God, as distinct from 
 his humanity; and in the course of its progress, besides other 
 fanatical sects, it brought out the Mahomedans, who denied that 
 God had a son at all in respect to his divine nature. 
 
 In the next, or second of the three woes, the Turkish Ma- 
 homedans act a conspicuous part. 
 
 For awhile they are confined in their fanatical power and in- 
 fluence in the presence of the Greeks, by the power of the 
 Moguls and Tartars on the one side, and by the Latin crusades 
 on the other, but being in the fifteenth century loosed from 
 this confinement, they proved very destructive to Roman Chris- 
 tianity. % 
 
 In the tenth and eleventh chapters, our attention is taken 
 back to a certain period of one thousand two hundred and sixty 
 years, cotemporaneous with the two woes, during which the 
 apostacy is to exist in a flourishing state, and to treat in a de- 
 grading manner the polity and external worship of the Christian 
 Church. 
 
 We are given to understand, that at the end of this period, 
 protestant teaching, for three and a half years, will receive some 
 peculiarly severe treatment at the hands of the apostacy in its 
 Catholic corporate character; that this treatment will be imme- 
 diately followed with some calamity upon the Roman polity, 
 and that when this calamity is past, the second woe is past, as
 
 217 
 
 well as the one thousand two hundred and sixty years. The 
 first part of this second woe comes through the Turks, but the 
 final part is in some way connected with Protestantism. It is 
 declared that the third woe will follow quickly at the end of the 
 second. 
 
 In the next three chapters, twelfth, thirteenth and fourteenth, 
 we are taken back to the time of Constantine, and are conducted 
 down again beyond the one thousand two hundred and sixty years 
 to the third woe. 
 
 The twelfth chapter describes the conflict between Paganism 
 and Christianity in their respective corporate characters, and 
 predicts the decline of the original Christian corporation, Ca- 
 tholic, into a state of obscurity and of imperfect polity during the 
 one thousand two hundred and sixty years of the flourishing of 
 the apostacy. 
 
 The thirteenth chapter describes the apostacy as consisting, 
 during this period, of a corporation Catholic and a corporation 
 local, together with the papacy in its representative Catholic 
 character. 
 
 The fourteenth chapter brings us beyond the one thousand 
 two hundred and sixty years into a period of increase and joy 
 to the remnants of pure worshippers, and of distress and woe to 
 Ronys and the apostacy. 
 
 Being now brought down again to the third woe, our atten- 
 tion is particularly called to that woe in the two next chapters, 
 the fifteenth and sixteenth. This third woe completes the in- 
 flictions of an angry providence upon the Roman world, to the 
 joy of those who have proved themselves victorious over the 
 power and influence of the apostacy. 
 
 It is divided into seven parts. In the first part, some events 
 befalls the Romans, and proves very annoying to the partisans 
 of Roman Catholicism and of the papacy. In the second part, 
 some principle is infused into the population at large, which will 
 prove mortally destructive to the existence of Roman corporate 
 life among them. The third part relates to the more cultivated
 
 218 
 
 population and communities in communion and friendship with 
 the Romans. They will become imbued with some principle 
 extremely hostile to the persecutors of a pure Christianity. 
 
 In the fourth part, the intellectual and the moral influence of 
 the supreme authority acts with great power and severity upon 
 the men of the apostacy, and proves very annoying to them. 
 
 In the fifth part some calamity befalls the seat or administra- 
 tion of Roman Catholic government, depriving it of its glory 
 and influence, and affecting the men of the apostacy with ex- 
 treme chagrin. 
 
 In the sixth part, Roman polity loses the support of Greek or 
 Russian influence and example, and this loss is followed with a 
 general controversy on the subject of invoking demons or me- 
 diators. 
 
 In the seventh part, something occurs in the public mind, 
 (the element upon which public authority depends for its life;) 
 and this occurrence will be followed with the greatest change 
 or revolution ever experienced in the Roman world. And this 
 change, or revolution, will be followed with the ruin of Roman 
 polity and all idolatrous polities; with the reduction of the dis- 
 tinguished portions of the population into a common standing, 
 and with the fall of some heavy calamity upon the men of the 
 apostacy. 
 
 We have had as yet no account of the apostacy in its corporate 
 character during and beyond the third woe. And we have had 
 moreover but a partial account of the ruin of Roman polity, and 
 of the circumstances of the great controversy on demon invoca- 
 tion. These three points are more particularly noticed in the 
 three next chapters, the seventeenth, eighteenth and nineteenth. 
 
 In the seventeenth chapter, Rome is exhibited to us as a body 
 politic, sustained by the Catholic body politic and its different 
 sovereigns or states. The different Catholic sovereigns and states 
 for awhile lend their power to this Catholic body, but after the 
 end of the one thousand two hundred and sixty years, and during 
 the course of the third woe, they will abandon Roman Catholi-
 
 219 
 
 cism, and their regard for Rome as a body politic, will be changed 
 into hatred and penal inflictions ; and they will deprive her of 
 her wealth and make her despicable. 
 
 The eighteenth chapter describes the ruin of Rome more espe- 
 cially as a polity, and this ruin of Roman polity in the beginning 
 of the nineteenth chapter, is celebrated as redounding to the 
 praise of a righteous providence, and as about to be performed 
 with a happy and glorious change in the condition of Chris- 
 tianity as a body politic. 
 
 From the latter part of the chapter we learn, that the great 
 controversy on the invocation of mediators, will terminate un- 
 favourably to Roman teaching and Roman Catholicism, and to 
 the sovereigns and rulers who aid and abet them in their idolatry. 
 
 We have now reached the end of Roman teaching, of Roman 
 polity, and of Roman Catholicism. 
 
 The apostacy, in its corporate character, has finished its ca- 
 reer, and the third and last woe is now past in all its parts, 
 and Christianity, as a body politic, is now to exhibit a fair and 
 shining character for purity and righteousness, and to enter into 
 a more endearing relation of cordial obedience and submission 
 to the authority of Christ. We have been informed that in 
 the great controversy on demon invocation, the infidel party 
 took the side of Roman teaching and Roman Catholicism, but 
 how this party was affected by the issue of that controversy, we 
 have not as yet been informed. This information is given in 
 the twentieth chapter. While Roman polity, Roman teaching, 
 and Roman Catholicism, at the end of this controversy pass into 
 a reprobate state, from which they are never to recover, the in- 
 fidel party of opposers and deceivers meet with a milder doom, 
 and one from which they are to recover after the lapse of a thou- 
 sand years. 
 
 From the nineteenth chapter we learn, that during these 
 thousand years, (the Millenium,) infidels will exist in a state of 
 degradation and restraint in their corporate character; that 
 Christianity, as truly taught and unfeignedly believed by men
 
 220 
 
 who loved not their lives unto the death, will reign and flourish 
 throughout the world ; that at the end of the Millenium the in- 
 fidel party will recover from their degradation and restrained 
 state, and deceive the turbulent part of mankind into vain 
 attempts to overwhelm Christian power and destroy the polity 
 of the Christian Church; and that this kind of opposers and 
 deceivers will then pass into the reprobate state from which 
 there is no recovery, and that then will follow the general resur- 
 rection and the general judgment, and the end of the present 
 system of things. 
 
 In the twenty-first and twenty-second chapters, we have a 
 description of the new system which is to follow the old. In 
 the new system, they whose names are written in the book of 
 life, will be made happy for ever in the more immediate pre- 
 sence and favour of God, while opposers, and deceivers, and 
 culumniators, and the dissolute and wicked, will have their part 
 in an eternal state of condemnation and woe. 
 
 These two last chapters call our attention more especially to 
 that celestial, theocratical polity which is to be an important 
 part of the new system. That polity will be gifted with every 
 necessary attribute and appendage, to render those who live 
 under it perfectly and immutably happy. 
 
 To this glorious polity will the Son of God admit his bride, 
 the Church, when at the general resurrection he shall come 
 down from heaven to take her home to his father's house, and 
 make her happy there for ever. Blessed are they who are 
 called to this final marriage-supper of the Lamb. Blessed are 
 they who do his commandments, that they might have right to 
 the tree of life, and enter in through the gates into the city. It 
 is worth living for such an end. 
 
 . "-. 
 
 THE END.
 
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