11-16, "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 with 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." This passage proves that there will be at the close of this dispensation, immediately preceding the marriage of the Lamb to his bride, a great and last struggle between error and truth, between infidelity and the word of God. And you may inquire perhaps, and with propriety too, how shall we know on which side we are engaged in this great war of principle? I answer, "in righteousness," he doth make war. But, say you, we are so prone to follow tradition or prepossessed notions, and think we are right, that like Paul, we may be found at last fighting against God. must see to it, that you are "faithful and true," have faith in his name, and his name is The Word of God." This is your only rule, The Word of God. Be careful, lay yourselves on this word. Try yourselves by this standard. If your life, faith, experience and hope are built on this. foundation, you can never fail; for he that is The Word of God, is "KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS." Again: it is to be a literal battle with the sword, for Christ says, "He that taketh the sword shall die by the sword." And kings, Papal Rome, and the Mahometans, have ruled the world by the sword, and their swords, during all the days of their power, have been red with the blood of their subjects, and the innocent victims of their hate. And in Rev. xix. 17—20, it is evident by the "fowls" spoken of in the 17th verse, is meant warriors' in favor of liberty who are to "eat (destroy) the flesh (strength or power) of kings, and the flesh of captains, and

You

the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and them that sit on them, (armies are undoubtedly meant in this passage,) and the flesh of all men," who are engaged in favor of kings, papal Rome or false prophet, "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 he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon," (awake to the spoil,) Rev. xvi. 16-21.

These will be the means the dragon will use in his last great struggle to gain ascendancy over the minds, consciences and bodies of men. He will fan up their political animosities; he will stir up strife and division among religious communities; and last of all, and not least, he will encourage an intolerable thirst for blood. In which battle Christ will come, chain the dragon, give his body to the burning flame, confine the spirits of all who worship the dragon, beast, or false prophet, in the pit of woe.

Raise the saints, purify, cleanse and glorify them with his own glory.

IV. We are to speak of the time the saints or church were to be in the wilderness, "one thousand two hundred and three score days." I believe all commentators agree that these days are to be understood years, and as I have proved this point in a former lecture, I need not stop to argue this given principle at this time, but will proceed to give some proof when this time began and when it ended. The time given in our text is the same length of time as given by Daniel for the reign of the little horn. See Daniel vii. 25. It is also the same time John has given, for the image beast to have power "to continue forty and two months." Thirty. days to a month is 1260 days. Rev. xiii. 5. It is also the same length of time that was given the Gentiles to tread the holy city under foot. See Rev. xi. 2. Also for the witnesses to prophecy, clothed in sackcloth. Rev. xi. 3. And there can hardly be a shadow of a doubt but that all these times had their beginning and ending at one and the same time. If so, then the arguments used heretofore may have their proper bearing in this place.

But let us consider a few things in addition to our former reasons. 1st. What may we understand by the woman "fleeing into the wilderness," and "from the face of the serpent." We must consider it in a state of obscurity, this was true in the time we have stated, A. D. 538. Historians tell us but little about any regular church but the Roman church, and this has never been in an obscure state; of course the Roman is not the church in the wilderness. But they do tell us that in the days of Justinian, emperor of Constantinople, there were many schismatics as they were called who opposed the power of the bishop or pope of Rome and doings of councils in the east and west, and a large share of the latter part of Justinian's life was spent in religious broils, and expelling from his kingdom these schismatics, and the code of laws which he published about A. D. 533, forbid any Christians any rights or privileges as citizens in his empire who would not acknowledge the Bishop of Rome as head. And in these laws, he gave the Bishop power to hold courts and try all matters of faith within his kingdom. These, and other things of like import, drove all true followers of the word of God to seek a rest out of the jurisdiction of the city of nations, and of course became outlaws to the Roman government. Then if we fix the beginning of the exile of the church at the same time of setting up Antichrist, A. D. 538, then the church was in its exiled state until A. D. 1798, which would be the 1260 years. It is here worthy of remark, that the code of laws passed by Justinian, were in full force in the kingdoms belonging to or under the control of the pope of Rome, respecting the rights and privileges of those who might differ from the Catholic faith, until the French took Rome in 1798, and declared Italy a Republic, when free toleration was given for any religious opinion or privilege whatsoever. Here, then, the church in whatever form she might appear, was permitted to enjoy the rights and privileges of citizens, and to worship God as their conscience might dictate. This is the first time during the 1260 years, that free toleration of religion was granted in any kingdom where the Catholic church had power; and although Catholic princes and popes have since had

rule in Italy and France, yet they have never dared as yet to pursue their former intolerant course of conduct towards Protestants. And it is very evident, my dear friends, that the church is now out of the wilderness, that is, if she ever was, for there never has been a time since the days of the apostles, no, nor even then, that the church in all its several branches has enjoyed greater privileges than for nearly forty years past. She has spread her wings over every land, and carried the news of salvation into every language on the known world. Her reapers have followed the sowers of seed, and there is handsfull of corn in the tops of all the mountains, but the harvest is short. The church has had rest as long as she has ever had since Christ left her and ascended to his Father. The dragon begins to show his anger; the trumpet begins to sound to the onset; the armies of the beast begin to muster for the battle, they are furbishing their swords for the slaughter; the kings of the earth are combining against the freedom of their subjects; the great men and nobles are riveting closer the chains of their vassals; tyrants are braiding in firmer knots their scorpion whips for their slaves; expediency has taken the room of moral law, and anarchy has crowded order from his seat; mobs have taken the place of judges, and law is popular will; the liberty of the press is but the nod of demagogues; and the freedom of speech is called fanaticism. Division seems to be the order of the day, and our valuable institutions are tottering to their base. Be warned then, O my friends, to seek safety under the banner of the Gospel before the armies are filled up. "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," "The spirit of prophecy."

LECTURE XV.

REV. xvi. 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.

THIS text is the account we have in the word of God of the last plague that will ever visit our world, or the inhabitants who hereafter will be permitted to dwell thereon. That is evident, because it is the seventh of the last seven. For John says, Rev. xv. 1, "And I saw another sign. -in heaven, great and marvellous, seven angels having the seven last plagues: for in them is filled up the wrath of God." And the wrath of God is filled up, that is, the cup of God's wrath of which he will make all nations drink, and he will give unto Babylon "the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath."

Then it cannot be uninteresting to those who wish or who may desire to learn where and when the last plagues have been poured out, and how many yet remains for us to experience. These seven last plagues have had their shadows in the plagues which God sent on slave-holding Egypt, when he delivered his people, the Jews, from their Egyptian bondage, the least of which plagues destroyed Pharaoh and his host, just in the moment when Israel were shouting deliverance on the banks of the Red Sea. So, likewise, in the seven last plagues, they are poured out upon spiritual Egypt, slave-holding Babylon, who has enslaved the people of God for centuries, and has trafficked in the bodies and souls of men. She, like Egypt, has appointed task masters over the church, and has endeavored to strangle her children in the birth. She has commanded the kings and rulers of the earth to destroy the children of the church, as did the Egyptians the Hebrew midwives; but the church has found favor in the eyes of some of the kings and princes of the earth, and the earth has helped the woman, and her children are not all dead.