is set up. Sin is done away. Its blight is effaced. Its curse lifted off. "And He that sat upon the throne, said, Behold, I make all things new."

There are many lessons which this great theme brings home to us. Let us dwell on one or two.

a. How clearly mapped out are the events of the world's history before the eye of God! God forms His plans in reference to the kingdoms of the earth. And kings and generals and philosophers and statesmen rise up at the appointed time, and work out their appointed schemes. They thought they were carrying out their own plans. But God employed them in hewing out the block of His own high purposes. The madness of their rage He constrained to further His own designs. And when their power waxed too haughty against Him, and their wisdom refused His counsel, He cut the sinews of the one, and sent foolishness into the other. Around all their designs His hand had traced, "Thus far shalt thou come, but no farther." What His wisdom permitted, they might do. But beyond that they could not go. All their acts, and all the consequences of their acts, are clearly traced out before Him. He sees them all. He permits them all. He overrules them all. They are mapped out in His pre-appointed scheme; "written in His Book." Hours and days and months and years and centuries turn its leaves, and reveal to men a portion of what is written.

"His providence unfolds the book,

And makes His counsel shine;
Each opening leaf and every stroke,
Fulfils some deep design."

Men may plot and counsel and combine. But there is no wisdom and no power against Him.

b. How certain the destruction of those who reject His Gospel. As the vast procession of History sweeps by before us, there comes forth a voice, saying "Who ever hardened himself against Him, and prospered?" Armies perish. And sceptres are broken. And thrones are overturned or crumbled by slow decay. And nations rise and flourish and pass away. And the proudest monuments of man's power forget to repeat the lesson with which they were charged. O, there is nothing great, nothing abiding, but that which links into the work of Jesus Christ the Lord! As the ages roll on, it progresses. The hand of the Great Designer pushes on His work. And everything disappears, or is turned aside to make way for it. It were easier for heaven and earth to pass away, than for one of His promises to fail, or one of His enemies to escape His hand!

And is there no refuge? None, but in the shelter of His cross. There alone you can be safe. In all the universe beside, there is no place where His hand will not find you. There His promise meets you. There His. love awaits you. There "the everlasting arms" are stretched out to receive you. His challenge is, "I said not to the seed of Jacob, seek ye Me in vain." He will not say so to you. No one ever sought Him, through the blood of the Cross, who did not find Him "ready to forgive." He hath bound Himself by His own everlasting covenant, in nowise to cast out those who thus seek Him. And that

covenant cannot fail. His power supports it. His faithfulness watches over it. His love moves through it. It is not possible for it to fail. O, seek salvation through it; and you shall rejoice in the fulness and the freeness of His pardoning grace!

LECTURE III.

I SAW in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea.

And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another.

The first was like a lion, and had eagles' wings: I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth, and made to stand upon the feet as a man, and a man's heart was given to it.

These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, which shall arise out of the earth.-DAN. vii. 2, 3, 4. 17.

THIS vision of Daniel occurred about forty-eight years after that of Nebuchadnezzar. It embodies substantially the same great truth; carrying it, however, to a much greater extent, and setting it forth with wonderful minuteness of detail and brevity of expression. It embodies volumes of history in a single verse.

Daniel dreamed, and the angel interpreted his dream. He saw four great beasts arise out of the sea. Each of these symbolized a kingdom; as each one of the four parts of the image had done. We have the same truth in each vision; beginning at the same kingdom; running through the same course; and ending at the same time. In each vision, we

meet four distinct and universal kingdoms. In each we are taught that there shall be only four, until the God of Heaven sets up His kingdom. We cannot, therefore, err in determining what kingdoms are here pointed out. Besides, in the vision of Nebuchadnezzar, the first kingdom is expressly named. No possible difficulty, therefore, can occur in pointing out the others.

And, in this vision of Daniel the task is about as easy. Here the fourth kingdom is not named, indeed, but so minutely described, that it would be like arguing against the sun, to dispute its application.

The angel interprets the symbols. These four great beasts are four kings or kingdoms that shall arise. We have, then, one distinguishing feature of their character already pointed out. They were to be "great," in comparison with other beasts; i. e., with the other kingdoms of the earth.

But they were seen to "arise out of the sea." And, before they rose, the four winds of heaven strove upon the sea. The sea, therefore, is a symbol of nations; or masses of people. And, as winds rush over it, and lash it into fury; so, masses of people are agitated and tossed about, by what we may, well enough, term the stormy winds of excitement and passion. Out of the sea, the beasts arose; i. e., from the midst of such a state of popular tumult, these four kings, successively, rose to power. And what is history, but a succession of proofs of this? Out of this political sea, over which the tempest of war has been continually sweeping; have not the founders of new dynasties, the builders of new thrones, con