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phecy,) in the retrospect of modern history, even since the first decline of the Turkish power, what revolution has yet been followed by giving glory to the God of heaven. And in the verse following it is also added, "The second woe is PAST, and behold, the third woe cometh quickly." The Turkish empire is not yet dissolved. Greece was reconquered by the Turks after the battle of Zenta, in 1697; and the massacre of Scio, with many other barbarities that preceded or accompanied it, go far to invalidate the assumption, that, even at a late date, the second woe was past. That woe is designated by the four angels of the Euphrates, and comparing scripture with scripture, it seems to be the more warranted opinion, if not the direct inference, that the second woe can only be said to be past, when the waters of the Euphrates, as under the sixth vial, are dried up.

CHAPTER XXII.

THE WOMAN CLOTHED WITH THE SUN.

In the revelation of the things that were to be, and that now have come to pass, after the days of Daniel and of John, the rise and revolution of earthly kingdoms, together with the great apostacy of Christendom, and the imposture of Mahomet scarcely less influential on the fate of the world, occupy page after page, and form the subject of vision after vision, as if the Lord of the whole earth had resigned his dominion over it, and had given it into the hands of those who take the glory to themselves, and who reject his

But such is not the only language of faith The first of the pro

authority or corrupt his word. conclusion of the matter. The here is, How long, O Lord ? phecies of scripture, while yet the human race were but a single pair, speaks of the bruising of the SERPENT's head. The great image which stood before Nebuchadnezzar, was indeed of a brightness that was excellent, and of a form that was terrible, but he saw till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces ;-and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth. And as Daniel told the interpretation, and described the four successive kingdoms that should arise upon the earth, and made known unto the king what should come to pass thereafter, he ceased not whenever the glory of all earthly kingdoms was told, but also added, "And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and shall consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever," Dan. ii. 44. In the corresponding vision of the four beasts, or four kingdoms that shall arise out of the earth, the fourth, or the Roman kingdom, is described as devouring the whole earth, treading it down and breaking it in pieces; and among the ten kingdoms which arise out of it, another arises, which speaks great words against the Most High; and wears out the saints of the Most High; and they are given unto his hand for a time, times, and the dividing of time. Yet the judgment sits to take away his dominion, to consume and destroy it unto the end. And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him, Dan. vii.

The history of early empires is prophetically announced, their course is marked, but all their dominions finally merge into an everlasting kingdom. The kingdom of the Most High was to be set up in the days of these kingdoms, to encounter opposition for ages, to be threatened with extinction, and yet finally to be established over all the earth. These visions of Daniel represent how different is the final prospect of the cause of Christ, from what the retrospect has been; and however different any emblem of it must be from that designative of the kingdoms of the earth, yet the reader will not fail to recognise strong points of resemblance between these antecedent predictions, and a vision of the Apocalypse, which in some respects may perhaps be termed the contest of the church, or the conflict of the kingdom of God, with the powers of darkness and the kingdoms of the world. That contest, it is obvious, had chiefly to be maintained first with the imperial, and afterwards for a defined period, with the papal power of Rome.

And there appeared a great wonder in heaven : a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars: and she being with child, cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered. And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth; and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born. And she brought forth a man-child who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron; and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne. And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she had a place prepared of God, that they might feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.

And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought, and his angels, and prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the devil and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world; he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, now is come salvation and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. Therefore rejoice ye heavens and ye that dwell in them. Woe unto the inhabiters of the earth and the sea! for the devil is come down upon you, with great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time. And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man-child. And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place; where she is nourished for a time, times and half a time, from the face of the serpent. And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood. And the earth helped the woman; and the earth opened her mouth and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth. And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. Chap. xii.

A great wonder was seen in heaven, and great is the mystery of godliness. In prophesying again, John still measures the temple and the altar, and them that worship therein. After having first told of the

witnesses of Jesus, instead of reverting to the destiny of the kingdoms of this world, he describes in more general terms the rise, the history, and the fate of the kingdom that the God of heaven had set up. The beloved disciple of Jesus continues as before to fill up the outline given by Daniel, who also was a man greatly beloved. And in the Revelation of Jesus Christ, the kingdom of the Most High, spoken of by Daniel, is not without its appropriate symbol and its specific delineation. It came not in the form of a wild beast, to trample on the earth: nor did the symbol of other empires bear any similitude to it. A woman clothed with the sun, covered all around with heavenly light and radiance, and having the moon under her feet, as if standing on Judaism, or trampling on any other form of faith, and infinitely transcending them all, is aptly significative, as the most glorious of symbols could be, of the kingdom of God, which in the fulness of time was set up on earth. In the spiritual horizon Jesus alone is the sun of righteousness; his kingdom is surrounded by light, all other brightness is dim before it, and by it alone can all the world be enlightened; while the crown of twelve stars, in the same aspect of celestial objects, seems to name the twelve apostles, the stars of first magnitude and unrivalled brightness in the church, to whom the Lord Jesus said, I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed me. Ye shall sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. Even in the seven churches of Asia, the stars were the angels of the churches.

The light shone in darkness, but the darkness comprehended it not. Because Jesus told the truth, men would not believe him. They that were not of God would not hear God's words. And when the apostles went forth to preach the gospel, men hated and persecuted them for his name's sake. The kingdom of

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