his coming with all his saints, Zecharias, 14th chapter, and Rev. 19th chapter. The pouring out of the judgments upon the earth, described in Isaiah 24th chapter, the gathering out of his kingdom all things that offend; the casting of the beast and false prophet into the lake of fire; the binding of Satan and casting him into the bottomless pit; the conversion and complete restoration of Judah and Israel; the thousand years of the reign of Christ and the saints; the coming in of the fulness of the Gentiles; the loosing of Satan after the end of the thousand years; his deception of the nations; their consequent destruction; the casting of the Devil into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet had been cast before the commencement of the thousand years; the flying away of earth and heaven before the face of Him.who is seen sitting on the great white throne; the dead, small and great, standing before God; the opening of the books and judgment of the dead out of those things that were written in them according to their works; the casting of death and. hell into the lake of fire," and whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire." All these events take place in the day of judgment.

Note I.

This is another proof that he is addressing his church.

Note K.

See St Luke, xvii. 24 to 30, "For as the lightning that lighteneth out of one part under heaven, shineth unto the other part under heaven; so shall also the Son of man be in his day. But first must he suffer many things, and be rejected of this generation. And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. They did eat, they drank, they married wives, and were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark; and the flood came, and destroyed them all. Likewise also, as it was in the days of Lot, they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.”

If the darkness was literal, they would not be buying and selling, planting, and building.

1

1

Note L.

See Wemyss' Key to the Symbolical Language of Scripture, published in 1835.

Light. Lights or luminaries, signify ruling powers, because they shew the way, and consequently direct and govern men in their conduct, who otherwise would not know what to do or whither to go. See page 285.

Darkness of the sun, moon, and stars, is an induction to denote a general darkness, or deficiency in the government; as in Isaiah xiii. 10; Ezekiel xxxii. 7, above quoted, and Joel ii. 10-31. Page 122.

Sun. Sun, moon, and stars. Wherever the scene of government is laid, whether in the civil or ecclesiastical state, or in that of a single family; the sun, moon, and stars, when mentioned together, denote the different degrees of power, or governors in the same state. Page 427.

Note M.

These 1260 days, or years, as is generally agreed (for proofs, see almost all the writers on prophecy), are the same with the time, times and a half mentioned in Revelations, 12th chapter, and in the 7th chapter of Daniel, 25th verse, and the forty and two months, and the one thousand two hundred and threescore days mentioned in Rev. xi. 5. All these times, therefore, refer to the time when the little horn (that is, the Papacy) makes war with the saints, and prevails against them. See Daniel vii. 20, and following verses. But as soon as the 1260 days are expired, the judgment sits, and "they shall take away his dominion, to consume and destroy it unto the end.” The French Revolution found the Papal power prevalent in a large part of Continental Europe, and in other countries; but the effects of it have been to destroy the Inquisition, its great instrument of dominion, and weapon for warring against the saints in all countries, and to consume its power to a great extent throughout the world. See how it has been plundered of its riches and revenues in France, Spain, &c. &c.; see the Pope Bonaparte's prisoner; see its persecuting power so far humbled, that the Scriptures are now circulating through Papal countries,- —a thing not permitted before the French Revolution; and let it be remembered, that wherever the Scriptures are spread, there Christ and his apostles, by them, preach the everlasting gospel.

But it is stated in Daniel vii. 25, 26, " And he shall speak great words

D

against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand, until a time and times and the dividing of time. But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end." Therefore, when the time, times and a half are completed, the consumption of the Papal power is to com

mence.

It appears that such a consumption did commence at the French Revolution; also that the great power for warring against the saints was by it and its consequences taken away; but the power of the Papacy prevails during the 1260 days, therefore the 1260 days are expired when the Papacy ceases to prevail. The vials are also the seven last plagues, and they contain the judgments by which the Papacy is overthrown; therefore when their pouring out commences the 1260 days of the prevalence of the Papacy have expired, but the drying up of the Euphrates (that is, the Turkish Empire) has commenced, and as this is a work of the sixth vial, we are under the sixth vial, therefore the 1260 days have some time expired. See Mons. de Lamartine's speech in the French Chamber of Deputies, January 8, 1834 (quoted by the Rev. E. Bickersteth in his Sermons " on preparedness for the day of Christ,") which he ends by saying, Turkey is perishing for want of Turks."

See also Christian Lady's Magazine for February 1834,

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Note N.

In the parallel passage of St Luke, it is said in the 21st chapter and 31st, 32d, and 33d verses, " So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand. Verily I say unto you, this generation shall not pass away till all be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away; but my words shall not pass away.”

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