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remained, who thought himself invincible, having hitherto triumphed over all. He came forward, brandishing his sting, which he had whetted on Sinai's tables of stone. He darted it at the conqueror, but it turned down, and hung like the flexible lash of a whip. Dismayed, he retreated to the grave, his palace, into which the conqueror pursued. In a dark corner of his den, he sat on his throne of mouldering skulls, and called upon the worms, his hitherto faithful allies, to aid him in the conflict; but they replied, "His flesh shall sce no corruption." The sceptre fell from his hand. The conqueror seized him; bound him, and condemned him to the lake of fire; and then rose from the grave, followed by a band of released captives, who came forth, after his res urrection, to be witnesses of the victory he had won.

John in the Revelation, did not look so far back as the treading of this winepress; but John saw him risen from the dead, with the crown on his head, riding on his white horse. Having sent the gospel out from Jerusalem to all the world; he, in his promise and spirit, accompanied the divine testimony, with his eyes like a flame of fire: and a two-edged sword in his hand; "for I will tread them in mine anger, and trample them in my fury, and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garment.

my

For the day of vengeance is in mine heart, and the year of redeemed is come." That is the beginning of the year of the great Jubilee. To this part of our text, John in his description of the battle of Armaged don has a particular reference,

There we behold the downfall of Paganism, Idolatry, and Superstition. There the beast, the false prophet, and the old serpent, with all their infernal host, are overtaken and completely overthrown. He that conquered principalities and powers, on Calvary, will not leave the field until he make all his enemies his footstool, and

sway his sceptre from pole to pole. The victory of Armageddon is obtained by virtue of the victory of Calvary; had it not been for the latter, there would have been no hopes of the former.

The declaration of war was proclaimed in Eden."And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; he

shall bruise Satan may

as his

prey;

thy head, and thon shalt bruise his heel." be represented as taking all the human race like a ravenous lion running with a sheep in his mouth to his den. The Shepherd of Israel may be represented as pursuing after him, like David or Samson, and splitting him, as if he were tearing a kid. Man's deliv erance from the power of Satan, is of God. Man has no inclination nor power to be liberated-his deliverance originated in the grace and love of God, and burst forth like an ocean from the womb of eternity. The conspiracy between the woman and the old serpent, and between the seed of the former and the seed of the latter, shall be broken. Notwithstanding man has made a league with hell, and a covenant with death, it shall not stand. The strong man armed shall be turned out of his palace, his works shall be destroyed, and the prey shall be taken from the hands of the mighty. The house of David shall grow stronger and stronger; and the house of Saul shall grow weaker and weaker; until the kingdom of this world, shall become the kingdom of our God, and of his Christ; and Satan bound up in chains of darkness. The favor of God shall be obtained; the enemies of Zion shall be conquered; and the lost territories shall be restored; such as the territory of peace, the territory of holiness, the teritory of immortality, and the territory of happiness. This warfare is carried on

*Welsh Translation.

at the expense of the Government of heaven; the treasury is exhaustless; the power is almighty; the victory then is certain. The heavenly king descended to the lower part of the earth. The city of Bozrah is taken; he has swayed his sceptre through the land of Edom, and rose up from the red earth, as the leader of all the army.

At the battle of Armageddon, he will go forth as a mighty man; he shall stir up jealousy like a man of war, and prevail against his enemies. They shall be turned back, and shall be greatly ashamed, that trust in graven images; that say to molten images, ye are our gods.— Then he will open the blind eyes, bring the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house: for he will not give his glory to another; neither will he give his praise to graven images; but he will make bare his holy arm; he will manifest his omnipotent power, in the destruction of his enemies, and in the salvation of his people. He will let his encmies see the sword in that hand, that was hid under the scarlet robe of contempt. As sure as he hath manifested his sovereign love, and free grace, in shedding the blood of his heart on Calvary, he will make known his almighty power, as well as his infinite goodness and matchless love, on the field of Armageddon. As certain as he drank the bitter cup, and was baptized in sufferings on Calvary, he will handle the golden sceptre of mercy, and the iron rod of justice on the field of Armageddon. This was originated on the dragon's part, in enmity against God, his holy law, and righteous government.On the woman and her seed's part, it originated in love to God, delight in virtue, and hatred to sin. All the revivals of religion, in every age, are founded on these basis. With the original promise that was given in Paradise, as a threatening to the serpent, God brought fire

and sword upon the earth-the fire is descended from the altar of heaven, and all the powers of hell cannot quench it. It is this fire that warms the frozen heart, and inflames the love of poor sinners to God. The twoedged sword breaks in pieces the bonds of iniquity. The consequence is, war against the devil, the flesh, and the world. The darkness that covers the earth, and the gross darkness that covers the people, is too thick for the light of nature to penetrate through it; but the light of the morning star, and the glorious beams of the sun of righteousness will shine on the fields of Armageddon, with such splendor and glory, that the darkness of heathenism, Idolatry, Popery, and Mahommetanism must fly to the lower region of utter darkness in hell.

On Calvary, when the serpent's head was bruised; the Son of God might have addressed the old serpent in the words of the Ghost of Brutus to the Romans-" I will meet thee again on the field of Philippe," said the Ghost, "I will meet thee again on the field of Armageddon," might Jesus have said to Satan; "in the engagement between grace and depravity,-between good and evilbetween virtue and vice,-between the spirit and the flesh, in the heart of every saint,-and between false and superstitious religion and that religion which bears the stamp of heaven, and is of the operation of the Holy Spirit of God." He that enlisteth under the banner of the cross, must endure faithful, even unto death.There is no laying down of arms in this warfare, until life has swallowed up death; when every one that conquers shall bear the image of the heavenly; when every faithful soldier of the cross shall wear the crown instead of the cross, and shall carry the palm of victory in his hand, instead of the sword. Let us be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might; that we might be able to stand in the evil day; and after all the war is over

to stand accepted in the Beloved, that we might reign with him forever and ever.

After an engagement, we are anxious to hear who is dead, who is wounded, and who is lost. Here Jesus, the captain of our salvation was wounded in his heel; the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that worketh in the children of disobedience, had a mortal wound in his head. The serpent's head denotes wisdom, cunningness, and principality or government; but the devil and his allied powers, sin and death, have lost their dominion over those who believe in Jesus. There is therefore now no condemnation to them who are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit. Although the bruising of the serpent;s head was mortal;yet a serpent can shake its tail, when its head is cut off, and injure some and terrify others; but it cannot last long, its head was bruised on Calvary; its tail shall shake no more, after the battle of Armageddon.

II. We shall now offer a few remarks on the ques. tions and answers in our text.

It seems to me, that this is a representation of the church in the greatest astonishment; something similar to the women at the grave, when they saw Jesus alive, or to that of the disciples, when he came in to them, the doors being shut, and said, "peace be unto you." He having been lately shrouded in Edom,-the red earth, or the grave; they were quite surprised to see him coming from Bozrah,-the land of tribulation, and clothed with immortality. The choir of the church went out to meet him; like the daughters of Israel welcoming David from the valley, with the head of Goliath in his hand, from which the blood was dropping on his garment.This choir was divided into three parts. One part on the right hand; one part on the left hand; and the other part in the centre. The right hand band begins with a

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