except by implication. Being cast into a lake of fire and sulphur, is a figurative expression, signifying the infliction. of various distresses and desolating calamities, which together with other means, will work the destruction of papacy both politically and ecclesiastically.

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I am aware, that I expose myself by this interpretation to the charge of believing the doctrines of universalism. Let those who may be inclined to prefer such a charge, know that it is utterly untrue. It is positively declared, that he who believeth not on the Son of God, shall not see life;'-that the wicked shall go away into everlasting punishment' and that the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, taking vengeance with flaming fire on them who know not God, and obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ; who shall be punished with everlasting destruction, from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power.' John 3: 36. Matt. 25 46. 2 Thess. 1: 7, 8, 9. These, and similar declarations, I fully believe in their literal import. But I do not believe that John has taught, or intended to teach the doctrine of a place of torment in another world, and the punishment of the wicked there, in the passage under consideration. True it is, that the sudden destruction of the wicked by divine judgments, such as the deluge,—the burning of the cities of the plain with fire from heaven,the submerging of Pharaoh and his hosts in the Red Sea,-the overthrow of Babylon and other great cities for their wickedness, and the slaying of myriads on the field of battle, does imply, that the wicked among them do perish forever. But in interpreting the facts of prophecy, we are not to draw conclusions, and then make those conclusions the interpretation of the facts.

21.

And the remnant were slain with the sword of him

that sat upon the horse, which sword proceedeth out of his mouth; and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.—Who are the remnant? I would say they are those who do not perish by the above-named calamities. They will be slain in another manner; viz., the sword of Him who sitteth on the white horse, which sword proceedeth out of his mouth. This weapon, beyond all question, is his truth,-the gospel of the grace of God. These will be slain as all true Christians are, spiritually by the truth. They will be convinced of their sins, their errors, and delusions, and will abandon them, and submit to Christ. The sword of the Spirit will have its appropriate effect, being made living and powerful by that divine agent.

And all the fowls were filled with their flesh. This or course refers to those who are spoken of in the eighteenth verse. In the seventeenth chapter it is said of this same hierarchy, under the figure of a lewd woman, that the nations once subordinate to her, will hate her, and make her desolate, and naked, and will eat her flesh; which means, that they will strip her of her wealth, cut off her revenues, confiscate her estates, and thus take away the means of sensual indulgence and sinful pleasure. Whether the term flesh has the same meaning here, I know not. It is considered a great dishonor to have the dead bodies of human beings lie unburied, and become food for beasts and birds. The idea may be, that this overthrow and destruction will be entire and dishonorable to those who are the subjects of it.

CHAPTER XX.

The Thousand Years called the Millennium.

THE difficulties attending a consistent and satisfactory explanation of this chapter are many and great. In all the professed expositions of it, which I have seen, with the exception of that of Professor Bush, the error is committed of taking some parts of the language as literal, and other parts as symbolical, with no perceptible reason for this distinction. Viewing the whole prophetic part of this book as symbolical, I shall adhere to the rule, which has guided me thus far, which is, first to interpret the symbols, and then, if practicable, point out their fulfillment.

This chapter is a continuation of the same visionary representation of events as that of the preceding, and stands in immediate connection with it. Simultaneously with, or closely following the terrible calamities, which will work the utter ruin of the beast and the false prophet, which are the Roman civil power and the papacy, the binding and incarceration of the dragon will occur.

1 and 2. And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years. An angel is any agent human or superhuman, or any instrumentality by which God accomplishes his purposes. I ask any man if, on serious consideration, he believes, that a celestial angel will come down to this earth with a great chain of iron or some other metal in his hand; and that he will seize another spiritual being and bind him with a metallic chain, and lock up such a spirit in

some deep, dark prison in this world or some other? We should say at first thought, that no person of common understanding, and but little acquainted with the figurative language of scripture, would believe this. And yet, such is the general belief, and learned commentators have regarded this as a literality, and have given their interpretations accordingly. To my mind this representation, like the destruction of the beast and the false prophet in a lake of fire, &c., is wholly symbolical. There is not an object presented in it, that is to be taken in a literal sense. The angel, heaven, the chain, the hand, the key, the bottomless pit, the dragon, the seizing and binding of him, are all symbols, hieroglyphics. Our first business is to explain them, scripturally, not fancifully, and according to the usus loquendi, or usage of this book.

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The commentaries in common use, which are all I have at hand, do not explain at all, who or what the angel is, who is the chief actor in this scene; except that of Dr. Clarke, who says the angel is one of the executors of the divine justice, who receives criminals, and keeps them in prison," &c. But, as the instrumentality of angels in one sense or another pervades this book, and almost everything is represented as being done by them; it is indispensable to a correct understanding of what is predicted, to ascertain in each particular case, what is meant by the angels. In the second and third chapters, the message to each church is addressed to the angel of the church, who undoubtedly was the pastor or minister. In other instances angels are the particular instrumentalities by which the events predicted are brought about. The description of the destruction of Babylon the great, is introduced by the descent of an angel from heaven, having great power, and illuminating the earth with his glory. This I explained as the personification of the appropriate instrumentalities for

diffusing the light of divine truth; such as the faithful preaching of the gospel, dissemination of the scriptures, and other means for the overthrow of civil and religious despotism and the reformation of mankind.

The signification of the term angel or angels, as agents or instrumentalities, must be such as will be appropriate to the particular work to be accomplished. The work now before us is the suppression and removal of something that is evil, expressed by the binding and imprisonment of the dragon. The angel then means the appropriate agencies or instrumentalities for this. And who are these, but the institutions of the state and the institutions of religion, -in other words, civil authority and the inculcation of divine truth? These are God's appointed means for the suppression of social and moral evil, and the reformation of mankind. First of all, the gospel, with its ministry and ordinances, and these protected in their free operation by the government. Accordingly the angel comes down from heaven, which term signifies the ruling authority, either civil or ecclesiastical, or both operating together. At the time intended, the institutions of religion and the influence of government will doubtless be conjoined, so as to form a mighty agency, for the eradication of the evil alluded to, which we shall soon consider.

This symbolic angel had the key of the bottomless pit. A key is an instrument for opening or making fast a door, and implies the power of admission or exclusion. Christ says, chap. 1: 18, I have the keys of hades and of death, which means that he had "the power to bring to the grave, or to deliver from it,-to summon to the state of departed spirits, or to release from that state at the resurrection."

In the ninth chapter these same symbols are made use of, and doubtless with similar significations. There, it is said a star fell from heaven, and to him was given the key