that interpretation on the present occasion, and therefore enforces the conclusion that a proper reality to this figure will be found if history informs us that the force of the "mouth" was contemptuously directed against the head, hierarchy of priests, and churches of the Christian religion as professed and practised in the Roman empire. It will be remembered that it has been before observed that "God" as a figurative term, when used without qualification does not necessarily refer, and obviously in some places does not refer, to the Great Jehovah. When the inference is not self-evident, or made evident by the context, the Supreme Being is distinguished by such terms as, "Who liveth for ever and ever;" "Who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein;" "Lord God Almighty," etc. etc.; so that, in the absence of any such distinguishing qualification, no violation of reverent propriety attaches in this respect to our conclusion.

The next figure, "And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them," shows us that deeds followed the mouth's insulting utterances. Under this figure Roman Christianity falls under his yoke. And not only must history exhibit this result for the "mouth's" identification, but also that he dominated the world in accordance with And power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations." The next terms, "And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world," complete the "mouth's" prophetic history, and furnish the only exemption from his religious rule, and this exemption is in favour of the symbolic woman's seed, "the remnant" in the Roman empire (the symbolic earth) "who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ"-Christians in spirit and in truth.

Before passing on it may be perhaps proper to mention that the terms, "And all that dwell upon the earth [or Roman territory] shall worship him [the "mouth"] whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain

from the foundation of the world," if pushed to their extreme limit, may possibly be thought to involve the necessity of showing, not only that a portion of the Roman empire did not fall under the mouth's yoke, but also that the inhabitants of that portion were true Christians; but it may be stated that when the spirit of a prophecy is clear, to press the letter of the figure or metaphor conveying it to an extent beyond what is natural or humanly speaking possible is to press it to distortion; and as a proposition demanding that all the inhabitants of such territorial area as may not have been subdued by the "mouth" were true Christians, exhibits such a pressure, we may consistently pass over the possible claim of territorial demarcation, and with propriety adhere to the conclusion that the exemption contemplated by the prophetic declaration was in favour of the redeemed by Jesus Christ, wherever located in the empire. If however, notwithstanding the foregoing remarks, territorial demarcation be insisted on, then the only solution to the figure which presents itself is, that the Roman area not subjected to the mouth's rule has been distinctively set apart in the divine counsels for some predetermined especial work to be developed in the course of time. This view is not devoid of interest, especially if taken in connection with the future development of the "ten horns," but being neither authoritatively enforced, nor admitting as yet of historic support, the question of territorial demarcation is beyond the range of our investigations, and consequently will not receive further notice. In case, however, of a desire arising to carry the subject further, it may assist the student if we anticipate our historic illustrations so far as to state that the whole of the empire fell under the dominion of the barbaric beast and his auxiliary mouth, but the barbaric beast reigned without his auxiliary mouth over the Roman territory uncon quered by the Saracens or by their successors the Turks. This unconquered territory would therefore, under the above view, define the territorial area of prophetic exemption.

The Apocalyptic description and history of the beast and his auxiliary mouth being concluded by the foregoing terms, the prophetic spirit exclaims "If any man have an ear, let

him hear;" an admonition often made use of by our Lord during his sojourn on earth when he wished to draw the special attention of his hearers to his words. The epistles to the seven churches of Asia are also concluded by the same admonition, and now we have it to enforce the importance of the preceding information. We may hail it too as an encouragement to spare no efforts in the prosecution of our investigations, for who can say in the face of "If any man have an ear, let him hear," that the study of prophecy is not enforced as a duty, or that, so enforced, it can be fruitless? The prophetic spirit continues :-" He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity; He that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints; " or in other words, Christians, be patient and lose not your faith. Though the beast may rule, and the sword of the mouth may kill, nevertheless, the the word of the Lord "With what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again" shall be surely fulfilled to them.

It must be remarked that the same interpretation does not necessarily attach to the term "saints" in verse 7, and to the same term in verse 10. In the former case, as a term expressing an historic reality, it may be held to refer, and indeed can only refer, to Christians then existing, whether nominal or true; whereas in the latter case, proceeding from the prophetic spirit's mouth as a comment applicable to all ages, the term appears to demand the conclusion that true Christians are alone addressed.

From this now completed analysis of the several terms and figures comprised by the section of the prophecy selected for investigation, it will be readily seen that the expectations raised in our last lecture have been realised, and that the Apocalyptic delineations have revealed to us very powerful agencies by which the action of "the water as a flood that the Serpent cast out of his mouth" was perpetuated, and by which the dragon's war "against those who keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ" was carried on so pertinaciously and successfully as to require the lapse of 1260 years before their joint powers were sufficiently restricted to admit of the reappearance of the

banished Spirit of truth and of his exponents again collectively taking conspicuous part in public events. As also will it be seen, that the executants of the enmity and instigations of the prince of this world against the Spirit of truth, and the soldiers employed by that prince in his war are no longer confined to the worshippers who retained the name without the spirit of the Christian religion. We may also gather that the general statement advanced prior to the commencement of our analysis has been sufficiently supported to admit of its reproduction, in the same general sense, as the sum of the delineations, viz. :-"That a very composite unchristian power arose after the death of Theodosius, and as an adherent of the dragon exercised dominion over the Roman empire." The conditions imposed on history in order to sustain its continuity of correspondence with revelation, are therefore very simple, and, having due regard to the exigencies and order of the prophetic terms, may be thus stated:-That after the death of Theodosius (in whose reign the historic elucidations of the twelfth chapter were terminated) a number of distinct unchristian races inhabiting districts lying eastward of the Roman confines and exhibiting uniformity of purpose and action as well as cunning, perseverance, strength, fierceness, swiftness, rapidity of attack, and great power of command, assumed historical importance, took possession of the Roman empire, exercised great authority therein, occupied the throne, and awed the inhabitants by their barbaric yoke; That they were impelled towards, and supported in the attainment of their object by other races issuing from the frozen regions of the north and remarkable for the cruelty of their dispositions; That the worship of the empire manifested that the genius of Pagan Rome had survived the shock of his recent dethronement and degradation, and, under another name and form, had resumed his sway over the authors of his humiliation; That after these barbaric races had obtained their dominion, an auxiliary, also of barbaric origin, appeared, possessing great power and remarkable for his pompous and unchristian language, the force of which was contemptuously directed against the head, hierarchy of priests, and the churches of

the Christian religion as then professed and practised; That not only Roman Christianity (the redeemed by Jesus Christ are prophetically exempted), but all the world, fell under the yoke of this barbaric beast's auxiliary; and, That his season of prosperous rule, or of his power to do what he will, continued through a period of 1260 years. To these conditions must be added, That the relationship between the two prophetic series be maintained.

It will be remembered that the parallelism of the two series of figurations has been demonstrated up to the sounding of the first trumpet, so that in order to continue that parallelism and otherwise to maintain the relationship of the one to the other, the events already narrated in elucidation of the first and succeeding trumpets should now be found also to satisfy our present requirements. And on turning to our first volume with the observation that the conditions to be satisfied do not involve much historic detail, we find at p. 185:

"Agreeably with our expectations, on the sound of the first trumpet one of the four Apocalyptic winds is seen to be let loose, and to exhibit, in its career over a third part of the earth, the characteristics of a furious and desolating tempest a corresponding sweeping of a host of barbarians, as hail for multitude and from the icy regions of the north, leaving desolation behind them and destroying human life over a third part of the Roman empire, will therefore not only illustrate the Apocalyptic figure, but also fulfil our expectation to that effect, and confirm our previous conclusion, the truth of which depended thereon.

"History still faithfully replies, and Gibbon retains his character for recording it in terms exactly fitting. He thus commences his 30th chapter:-'If the subjects of Rome could be ignorant of their obligations to the great Theodosius, they were too soon convinced how painfully the spirit and abilities of their deceased emperor had supported the frail and mouldering edifice of the republic. He died in the month of January 395, and before the end of the winter in the same year, the Gothic nation was in arms.

"The barbarian auxiliaries erected an independent stan