proving clearly, that the term fire is used metaphorically and not literally. For the woman is a symbol of a corrupt church, and as such is not capable of being literally burned; and further, that church is composed of a vast multitude of different nations and languages. A church so composed, cannot be literally burned with material fire. What then is the meaning? It is this, the ten kingdoms being reformed from popery, will consume that whole system with God's truth, which is called by himself a fire. This fire was applied by the reformers, and is burning with rapidly increasing brightness and intensity. The flames are bursting out all over the ten kingdoms, and have now reached the seat of her vitality. Take as a single fact, that eighty Bible were sold in Rome in a few months after the flight of the pope to Gaeta.

thousand copies of the

17. For God hath put in their hearts to fulfill his will, and to agree and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled.-We are then assured, that all this will be in accordance with the will of God; and that these kingdoms will yield subjection to the beast until the time arrives for the fulfillment of his prophetic words. All will be accomplished as he has purposed and declared.

18. And the woman which thou sawest is the great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.-To remove all doubt as to the meaning, we are distinctly informed, that the woman is that great city, &c. Jerusalem is an emblem of the true church;-Babylon is the emblem of the oppressive, idolatrous church of Rome. She it is, who has ruled over the kings of the empire. Her influence has controlled not only their religious, but their civil affairs. She has taken the crowns from the heads of their rulers, or conferred them at her will. She has absolved their subjects from

their allegiance to them,-dictated terms of intercourse,roused to war, and prescribed terms of peace, and more than all, controlled the consciences of rulers and the ruled. As a celebrated historian says, "The popes claimed supreme dominion, not only over the church but also over kings themselves, and pretended to reduce the whole universe under their ghostly dominion." But her doom stands recorded on the page before us, and waits only the arrival of the appointed time for its full and fearful realization. This doubtless is near at hand.

CHAPTER XVIII.

The Destruction of Mystic Babylon.

1. And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory.—In these dramatic visions, personages are introduced as speaking and acting, either to carry on the scenic representation, or as symbolizing the instrumentalities by which the things predicted were to be performed. Another angel, distinct from those who have been introduced, appeared to the mind of the apostle, as coming down from heaven, having great power, indicating a great work to be done; and the earth was illuminated with his glory :—a flood of light emanating from him will be diffused over the empire. This angel may be considered as the personification of those important instrumentalities, which God employs to spread the light of his truth, and to expose and eradicate error; particularly the faithful preaching of the gospel, the dissemination of the scriptures, and of all that truth which is adapted to work the

destruction of civil and religious despotism, and the reformation of mankind. The appearance of this angel, and the illumination he occasions, precedes the destruction of great Babylon; and thus the diffusion of gospel light will precede the overthrow of that hierarchy.

From heaven, i. e., the high places of power and influence, both in church and state, the light will be poured forth, dissipating moral and intellectual darkness, exposing errors and delusions, and preparing the way for freedom of conscience, freedom of speech, and purity of worship. As great power and the radiation of much light, are characteristic of this angel, we may suppose, that great changes will be wrought by the instrumentalities of which, as it seems to me, he is the personation. This mighty symbolic angel is now spreading his light in papal countries; and the consequence is, that the people there begin to perceive the delusions and errors under which they have been held; they are showing a determination to continue in that state no longer; and the indications are strong and decisive, that Babylon the great is soon to fall and rise no more.

2. And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.-The angel cried mightily with a strong voice, indicating that it was a great event which he announced, and that it was vastly important to have it widely known. The nations, which have been so long and so thoroughly deluded with this system of splendid abominations, should understand its nature and pernicious effects, and be aware of the certainty of its destruction.

The astounding announcement of the angel is, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen. The repetition of the phrase is fallen, indicates the certainty of the event. Its towering

greatness, its vast influence, its imposing grandeur, and its ruling power, are doomed to destruction. The completeness of the destruction is affirmed by its becoming a habitation of demons, &c. So says the prophet Jeremiah concerning ancient Babylon, ‘It shall become heaps, a dwelling place of dragons.' Isaiah says also, The houses shall be full of doleful creatures, and owls shall dwell there, and satyrs shall dance there.' These, instead of the proud, luxurious, and impious inhabitants, shall have their dwellings there.

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3. For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.-The reason of this utter destruction is here given. She has been the source of corruption and debasement of the nations. They have been seduced, by her inflammatory cup, into spiritual lewdness, that is, into idolatrous sentiments and practices. The kings of the earth have adopted her corruptions of Christianity, and have given the whole strength of their influence to spread them; and the venders of indulgences, images, pictures, crosses, &c., have made themselves rich by the traffic.

4 and 5. And I heard another voice from heaven saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues: For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities. Having given this description of this antichristian community, (for a church of Christ it is not) and forewarned the world of its destruction, which is a thing never to happen to the true church; a solemn command is uttered to separate wholly from it, and have no participation in

its sins; for those who participate in her sins must receive of her plagues. The enormity of her sins was such that they have reached to heaven, and called for the vengeance of God; and he hath remembered them to render a righteous recompense for them. The voice from the heaven

of the true church, requiring all her people to separate from this antichristian community, must be considered as prophetic, the same as other parts of the vision. It is a prediction of what will be; and, therefore, teaches us, that previous to the destruction foretold, or in its progressive stages, there will be incessant and urgent calls to those who are to be acknowledged as the people of God, to separate from that heaven-doomed establishment.

6. Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double, according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled, fill to her double.-This also is prophecy, and not to be understood simply as a precept, addressed to those, who, in the preceding verse are called, my people. It is an energetic apostrophe, and its design is, by making this direct personal address, to show what will be done in the future. There will be repaid to her double to what she has done. There will be paid back to her double the unsparing vengeance she has practiced. In the providence of God, the cup of sorrows will be filled to her again and again.

7. How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow. Just in proportion as she hath exalted and magnified herself, and indulged in luxuriousness, there will be given to her dishonor and destitution; for, in the greatness of her pride she says, I sit a queen,-I abide