the waves roaring; men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud, with power and great glory. And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads: for your redemption draweth nigh." (Luke xxi. 25-28.) "A white cloud," is a sanctified body, "and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man,' means a human nature filled with the mind of Christ. "Having on his head a golden crown," intimates his personal triumph through grace over the powers of darkness, even as Paul, who fought a good fight, who finished his course and kept the faith. "And in his hand a sharp sickle," the sign of the completeness of that revelation from God which would be given him to communicate to men; the sharp sickle removing the veil from the Scriptures.

Ver. 15, 16. "And another 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 earth was reaped." The angel crying to him, signifies that he that sat on the cloud is but a creature and a servant, and can know nothing except it be given him, and can do nothing unless commanded. The earth is figurative of Britain, and its being ripe means that all things are now ready for that great change which has been spoken of by the mouth of all the holy prophets since the world began; for which mankind have been preparing for nearly six thousand years, and Britain placed under peculiar training for

The

more than a thousand years. The manner in which the earth will be reaped is illustrated in our Lord's conversation with the woman of Samaria at Jacob's well. woman represents the church upon earth, still in a great measure ignorant of the gift of God, continuing to draw the water of life out of the well of their ancestors, through forms and ceremonies which have been unduly magnified, and invested with unwarrantable importance. Christ is now sitting on the well; the heavenly messenger, faint and weary with the greatness of his toil and travail, asks the church to give joy to his heart and delight to his soul. He tells her all her past history; she has had five husbands, the Jewish, Asiatic, European, Romish, and protestant established; and he towards whom she is now rapidly converging, dissent and total disunion from the state, is not her husband. The church says she has no husband, and in that she says truly, for he with whom she now dwells is not her husband. The church saith, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet. Our fathers worshipped in this mountain, and ye say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship. He that sits upon the cloud replies, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh when ye shall neither in this mountain nor yet at Jerusalem worship the Father. Neither as dissenters, which are this mountain, nor as churchmen, who are Jerusalem, that was, shall ye any more worship the Father. But the hour cometh, and now is when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth; for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit, and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. The church says unto him, I know that Elias cometh, who is called Michael; and when he is come he will

restore all things. He that sits upon the cloud saith, I that speak unto thee am the promised restorer. The church then gives up all that is offensive to Christ, and goes its way into all the world to preach the gospel unto every creature, saying unto all men, Fear God, and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment is come. Say not ye there are yet four months, and then cometh harvest; one hundred and twenty years from 1803, when the door of the inner court was opened, until the year 1923, when all nations, and kindreds, and tongues, and people shall be ripe for the harvest: behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look upon the fields of Britain, for they are white already unto harvest, and in the middle watch, the year 1863, Great Britain shall be reaped; for he that sat in the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth, and the earth was reaped.

Ver. 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 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 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 of the wine-press, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs." He that sat on the cloud comes to restore: the sharp sickle of the angel is used in obedience to the voice of another angel, who had power over fire to destroy. The clusters of the vine are the workers of iniquity, and her grapes their deeds of

wickedness. The wine-press of the wrath of God is men's own cruelty and inhumanity to each other, when under the control of disobedient spirits, and God's restraint removed. The wine-press trodden without the city, signifies that one part of the world shall be specially the scene of this awful wrath; a part doomed to destruction, and, therefore, said to be without that part of Europe which shall afterwards become the holy city. The blood coming out of the wine-press, even unto the horse bridles, intimates the fearful loss of human life with which the reign of wickedness shall terminate; and the space being a thousand and six hundred furlongs, points to Italy as the place where this prophecy shall, in great measure, be fulfilled. The destruction of Babylon will resemble the destruction of ancient Jerusalem, and the things that were said and written of the one, are applicable to the other. "And when Jesus was come nigh, even now at the descent of the mount of Olives, the whole multitude began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice, for all the mighty works that they had seen; saying, Blessed be the king that cometh in the name of the Lord: peace in heaven, and glory in the highest." While this is the song of believers, more especially of Britain, another, but a woful and gloomy prospect darkens the horizon of Europe, the spiritual Jerusalem. "And when He was come near, He beheld the city, and wept over it." The first angel had gone forth with the offer of mercy; the second had followed, warning men of the coming destruction; the third had finished his solemn denunciation against any man who refused to hear Him who had spoken from heaven; yet the Saviour's heart is moved to pity, and He weeps over the doomed Babylon, saying,

"If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, (the space given thee to repent,) the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes. The manner of the destruction is thus described: "For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side, and shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation." (Luke xix. 37-44.) "Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all." (Rev. xviii. 21.)

Rev. chap. xv. ver. 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." This verse is the introduction to a more minute and detailed account of the manner of the final overthrow of the power of Satan, popery, Mahomedanism, and every other kind of delusion by which men have been held in darkness. The sign is said to be great and marvellous, something most uncommon. There being seven angels and seven last plagues, signifies that the destruction would be complete and final; for in these last plagues is filled up the wrath of God against ungodly men.

Ver. 2. "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." The sea of glass is the mirror of God, the Scriptures of truth opened, and the enlightening influences of the Holy Spirit upon indi