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 earth was reaped."Verses 14-16.

So far we have had angels of warning, but the warning was disregarded, and is disregarded. The angels of judgment follow, as might be expected. We are aware that some think that the symbol of the harvest signifies the ingathering of God's people. We think it signifies the infliction of judgment, for the following reasons:-First, the harvest to be reaped is described as the "harvest of the earth," a term which is employed in this book to designate the corrupt Roman Empire. We, therefore, take the figurative harvest to signify, in this place, the same thing as in Jer. li. 33: "For thus saith the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel, the daughter of Babylon is like a threshingfloor, it is time to thresh her; yet a little while, and the time of her harvest shall come.' Secondly. In the natural world, the harvest precedes the vintage; and as the vine of the earth (verse 18) clearly symbolizes the Church of the corrupt Latin Empire, so the figurative vintage is interpreted by all commentators as denoting the final overthrow of the secular and ecclesiastical power of Rome in the battle of Armageddon, which takes place under the seventh vial; but the great ingathering into the Church succeeds the overthrow of the antichristian faction. Hence, it is plain this event, which succeeds the figurative vintage, cannot be intended by the symbolical harvest of the earth, which is described as preceding it.

Since this part of the vision relates to what is yet future, it becomes us to abstain from any attempt at a detailed interpretation. We can only therefore say, that this figurative harvest must be some eminent judgment or calamity, or succession of calamities, which will occur at the beginning of the time of the end, and will be succeeded by some other judgment of more intense severity. This we clearly learn from the concluding verses of this chapter.

"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 cry 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 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 of the wine-press, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six-hundred furlongs."-Verses 17-20.

Here again we must observe the same caution which has regulated our interpretation of the figurative harvest. This much is plain, the fearful judgment here described will be provoked by maturity of wickedness. It is equally plain that the predicted judgment will be one of unexampled severity; and this final act of the tragedy will take place without or outside of the city, that is, in some locality not included in the territory of the Western Empire. In fact, the Prophets Daniel, Joel, and Zechariah, teach that the Valley of Jehoshaphat, in the Land of Palestine, will be the scene of the final conflict and overthrow of God's enemies; and it is not a little remarkable that the measurement of a thousand six hundred furlongs is the exact length of the Holy Land.

CHAPTER XV.

The chapter which last came under our notice ends with a brief description of the judgments which close this dispensation. In the chapter which we are now about to interpret, and the following one, these judgments are exhibited more in detail, in the description of the outpouring of the seven vials of the wrath of God. Chap. xv. is only introductory to chap. xvi, in which the outpouring of the vials and the results are fully stated.

"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.”—Verse 1.

Judgment is the Lord's strange work, and therefore the sign which portended it is described as "great and marvellous." The seven angels symbolize the various agencies to be employed in the infliction of the predicted judgments. They are described as the "seven last plagues," as they will complete the destruction of the antichristian faction and introduce the glory and blessedness of the millennial dispensation.

"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. And they sing the song of Moses the servant of of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints. Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou only art holy; for all nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy judgments are made manifest."-Verses 2-4.

These verses set forth the position of the people of God during the infliction of the predicted judgments. Christ's true people are described as those who had gotten the victory over the 'beast, &c., that is, they were not enslaved to prevalent errors and sins. They were conquerors, by the grace of Christ, over every form of delusion; they stood on what resembled a sea of glass mingled with fire. The sea is a symbol of unrest and insecurity,-fire is a symbol of trial and persecution; but the sea in this vision bore only a resemblance to the sea, for it was composed of glass, having the solidity of that substance. Here, then, we have security-firmness of footing, with the appearance of danger and instability. The people of Christ are further represented as having "harps of God" in their hands, to show that the time of fearful foreboding and terror to the wicked, will be to them a season of thankful praise. When they see these things begin to come to pass they will "lift up their heads, knowing that their redemption draweth nigh." They sing the song which Moses sung when Jehovah delivered his people from Pharaoh and his host at the Red Sea, when the destruction of the enemies of the Jews gave earnest of the fulfilment of God's promises to that nation by their final settlement in the Promised Land (see Exod. xv. 1-18), and to this was added the song of the Lamb," ascribing this mighty deliverance, and its consequent blessings, to the atonement and mediation of Christ. In the triumphant song of the Church, the infliction of these predicted calamities on God's enemies is regarded as a manifestation of his justice and truth, and as a sure confirmation of the Church's hope, that God's name shall be universally glorified in the submission of all nations to his righteous sceptre.* When God's " 'judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness."

The intelligent reader will find a parallel prophecy to this in the Prophet Isaiah, chap. xxiv.

"And after that I looked, and, behold, the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened: And the seven angels came out of the temple, having the seven plagues, clothed in pure and white linen, and having their breasts girded with golden girdles. And one of the four beasts gave unto the seven angels seven golden vials full of the wrath of God, who liveth for ever and ever."Verses 5-7.

The opening of the temple of the tabernacle in heaven, and the procession of God's ministers of vengeance from thence, seems to teach that these things can only be understood in their real origin by those who "have access into the holiest by the blood of Jesus," or, as the Prophet Daniel expresses it, "none of the wicked shall understand, but the wise shall understand." The clothing of the angels to whom the pouring out of the vials is entrusted, is manifestly designed to teach the perfect equity and excellence of these dispensations. The vials being given to the angels by" one of the four beasts," or living creatures, which symbolize, as we have seen, the ministry of the Church, seems designed to teach that these judgments would be connected with the preaching of the Gospel. When the Jews rejected the Gospel, wrath came upon them to the uttermost, and when "the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled," the same sin will be followed by the same terrible consequences.

"And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power: and no man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled."-Verse 8.

The filling of the temple with smoke from the glory of God, sets forth an extraordinary manifestation of God's presence, such as took place at the dedication of the tabernacle and the temple. See Exod. xl. 24, 35; 1 Kings viii. 10, 11. The inability of any man to enter the temple till the seven plagues were fulfilled, imports, that during the execution of these judgments, men will not enter the Church by faith and repentance. The great multitude which no man could number, out of all kindreds and tongues and nations, will indeed be the final result, but not the immediate consequence, of these penal calamities. "Lord, when thy hand is lifted up, they will not see."

CHAPTER XVI.

This chapter contains a description of the outpouring of the seven vials.

"And I heard a great voice out of the the temple saying to the seven angels, Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth."-Verse 1.

The command to pour out the vials came from the temple, the place of God's habitation, to teach us to trace up these judgments to His will and purpose. The voice which issued the command was a great one, even the voice of God. The vials are described as "vials of wrath," because they symbolize nothing but judgments.

We believe the next ten verses contain a prediction of the French Revolution, and the events connected with that frightful manifestation of human depravity. Our reason for this persuasion is, that the sixth vial seems unmistakably to refer to our own times; and, if so, we can find no events coming in order before the present so exactly answering to the symbols of the first five vials, as the series of facts commencing with the outburst of democratic frenzy at the close of the last century. We shall now consider them in order.

"And the first went, and poured out his vial on 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."-Verse 2.

This vial is poured out upon the earth, or platform of the Western Empire, and its effects were chiefly apparent in the adherents of the apostasy, both those who rendered a nominal and a sincere allegiance to the antichristian power: on such there fell a "noisome and grievous sore." An ulcer on the body indicates the inward existence of unhealthy humours. The revolutionary ulcer which broke out in France, and subsequently displayed itself, with more or less virulence in all the kingdoms of Europe, especially those which adhered to the Papacy, resulted from the unwholesome humours of infidelity, which had been long fermenting in secret, and were intensified in virulence by the infidel philosophy of Voltaire and his numerous associates. The symbol is so graphically descriptive of the reality to

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