The Second Woe.-The Dark Ages.-Horns of the Golden Altar.- Loosing of the Four Angels.-The Turkish Horsemen.-Duration State of Christendom.-The Bohemian Brethren.-The Angel clothed with a Cloud.-The little Book.-Hildebrand and the Bohe- mians.-Wickliff.-John Huss.-Invention of Printing.-Trans- lations of the Scriptures.-Luther and the Reformation.-Its The Measuring of the Temple.-The Gentile Court.-The Period of The War of the Beast against the Witnesses.-Their Death.-Their Resurrection.-Their Ascension.-The Earthquake.-Fall of The Commencement of the Third Woe.-Sounding of the Seventh External and Internal Writing of the Seven-sealed Book.--Sketch its Revival under Gregory the Great.-The Two-horned Lamb- like Beast.-Origin, Power, and Duration of the Papacy.-The Image of the Beast.-Coronation of Charlemagne by Pope Leo The Image of the Beast.-Its religious Aspect.-The Mark of the Beast.-Its Name.-Its Number.-The Latin Empire.-The Papacy.-Daniel's little Horn.-The Mouth of the Beast.-Dura- The Vision of the 144,000 on Mount Sion-typical of the Redeemed on earth.-Source of their joy.-The Father's Name on their foreheads. Freedom from idolatry-their faultlessness.-The new Song.-Vision of the Flying Angel.-Spread of the Gospel. -Fall of Babylon.-Punishment of Image-worshippers.-Bles- sedness of the Dead which die in the Lord.-Vision of the The Seven Vials.-The Harpers on the Glassy Sea.-Their Song.- Preparation of the Seven Angels.-The Temple filled with Smoke. The Pouring out of the Third Vial: the Thirty years' War.-The Remarks on the Periods of the first five Vials.-The Sixth Vial.- Drying up of the Euphrates, not the overthrow of Turkey.- Removal of Obstructions to the Progress of the Gospel in the East, among Mohammedans, Hindoos, Chinese, &c.-The Three Unclean Spirits like Frogs: Infidelity, Despotism, Superstition.— The Seventh Vial.--The Overthrow of Satan's kingdom.--Disturb- ance in the Political atmosphere.--National convulsions.-Divi- sion of the Great City.-The Plague of Hail.-Judgment of Baby- lon. Her description.-Mystery of the Woman: distinct from The Judgment of Babylon the Great.-" Come out of her."-Lamen- tation and rejoicing over her.-The Blood of the Saints.- Triumph of the Church.-Oneness of Jews and Gentiles.- St. John and the Angel.-Vision of the Faithful and True.- The Binding of Satan.-The First Resurrection.-The Millennium.— The Reign of Christ and the Saints.-The Condition of the Millennial Blessedness.-The "Living Waters."-Privileges of the Jews.-Longevity of Man.-Satan loosed from his Prison.- Deceives the nations.-Gog and Magog-utterly destroyed.— The Devil cast into the Lake of Fire.-Second Coming of Christ No more Sea.-New Heaven and New Earth.-The New Jerusalem.-- LECTURE I. INTRODUCTORY.-THE SEVEN STARS.-REVELATION I. IN commencing a series of Lectures on the Book of Revelation, I feel that I owe an apology to several of my Brethren and Sisters for what may appear to them presumption or self-conceit. In the first place, though not ordained "to labour in the word and doctrine," I have not thrust myself into this seat, I have been called to occupy it;—and secondly, I consider it the duty of every Christian to edify the Church, according as the Lord gives him ability and opportunity. For this opinion there is sufficient warrant in the New Testament. Some have the power of ministering to the wants of the poor and needy, others are endowed with special gifts for warning, exhorting, and encouraging their brethren; others again, have singular wisdom for instructing the young and the ignorant, and training them in the path of holiness. There are diversities of gifts and diversities of operations, but it is the same Spirit and the same God which worketh all in all. The most sublime and glorious predictions of the Apocalypse are now, I believe, about to be fulfilled-fulfilled even during the lifetime of some now present. Let me not then be thought presumptuous, if I attempt to throw some light, however feeble it may be, upon a portion of Holy Scripture, confessedly obscure, but yet given for the edification, for the warning, and for the encouragement of the Church. It has so happened, in the course of God's Providence, that I have had opportunities of studying the book of Revelation beyond many my equals-deriving help even from Roman Catholic writers -and have formed for myself an outline of interpretation, which I B trust has this merit (which I would humbly ascribe to the Giver of every good and perfect gift), that there is no jarring of one portion with another—that figures are not distorted to suit circumstances, nor divers meanings attached to similiar symbols. The knowledge I have gained, I am now ready to communicate; for the man who labours to acquire knowledge without imparting it, spends his time to little purpose. But knowledge is indeed a talent, for the use of which each one must give an account; and when I was requested to occupy this seat, it was no proud spirit, but the shadow of the wicked and slothful servant who buried his talent in the earth, that urged me to consent. That it is the privilege as well as the duty of every one who fears God to search the Scriptures, no one will deny; but yet from the conduct of many it may be inferred, that they think lightly of the duty, and make little use of the privilege. Of many more it may be asserted as a fact, that they consider the Apocalypse to be a sealed book-the words of which may be read, but convey no meaning. And yet it is "the Revelation of Jesus Christ, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass;" and concerning which it is added-"Blessed is he that readeth, and they which hear the words of this prophecy." We have indeed been often warned from the pulpit against making the book of Revelation the subject of our study, and several reasons have been assigned in justification of its neglect; such as the obscurity of the book—the opinion that it was never designed to be understood until the whole was fulfilled-the many contradictory and incongruous interpretations put forth by learned. men—and the example of the Jews, who in attempting to explain the Old Testament prophecies regarding the first appearing of the Messiah, fell into grievous error. But we ought not to suffer such things to discourage us. The mistakes of the Christian, or the errors of the Jewish expositors, we should hail as beacons to guide us on our course; not fear them as rocks on which we may be wrecked. The great majority of the Jews indeed understood not the spiritual nature of the Messiah's kingdom; but their interpre |