be comforted also by knowing that a limit is set to the power of this terrible one; during forty and two months he must practise and prosper, and then he will fall to rise no more. This period seems to be "the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world to try them that dwell upon the earth," the great tribulation, and the latter half of Daniel's seventieth week.

The blasphemy of Antichrist will not, however, expend itself solely against God; he will also assail "them that are tabernacling in the heaven"-for so the words should be rendered-that is, those believers who have been caught up from earth, and of whose departure and place of sojourn he will evidently be aware. But they will be removed far beyond his reach; therefore he will turn fiercely upon the people of God who still remain in the world, and refuse to worship himself and the dragon. Against them it is said that he will "make war," an expression which supposes an organized resistance on their part. But such a resistance will be useless, and could only be attempted in culpable ignorance of the Divine revelation; for power will be given to the beast over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations, and he will be irresistible until he is confronted by the great King.

There are, however, not a few Christians who would soon drift into a policy of resisting evil by force of arms, because they are at all times disposed to neglect precepts and revelations which are not in accord with their own feelings. Such are those who, forgetting their Lord's warning to beware of the

leaven of Herod, and the fact that if their citizenship be in heaven they must be strangers and pilgrims here, plunge into the politics of this world with as much animation, and often with more manifest emotion, than they evince in striving for the Kingdom of Heaven. They talk, too, of what they call liberty, little regarding the law of their King, which knows no liberty save that wherewith Christ has made us free; recognizes no citizenship but that which is in heaven; and, while bidding its hearers obey in earthly things the powers that be, teaches them such complete indifference to their worldly condition that it commands, "Wert thou called being a slave, let it not be a trouble to thee; but if thou art even able to become free, use it-that is, remain in slaveryrather." *

Christians who turn away from the spirit of such precepts are often enticed to mind earthly things when they should be watching for the King from *. heaven, and many of them are even now unconsciously aiding the Roman apostasy to recover its power over England. Anon they will rue their own work, if the woman should again direct the beast, and become drunken with the blood of the saints. Then as soon

* 1 Cor. vii. 21. "This rendering, which is that of Chrysostom, Theodoret, Theophylact, Ecumenius, Photius, Estius, Wolf, Bengel, Meyer, De Wette, and others, is required by the usage of the particle ei kai, by which the rai,also,' or even,' does not belong to the si, as in kai ei, but is spread over the whole contents of the concessive clause. It is also required by the context; for the burden of the whole passage is, Let each man remain in the state in which he was called."-Alford.

as the other great foe, popular infidelity, arises and assails the false Church, they will probably for a while sympathize with the new movement, hoping that it will tone down to their standard of right. When, however, the Lawless One tears away his veil, and the decree goes forth that all must worship him or die, these carnally-minded believers will receive a second sharp rebuke.

But yet another lesson will be needed; for as soon as Antichrist, upon their refusal to pay him adoration, prepares to move his hosts against them, they will altogether forget the example of the Captain of their salvation, Who would not suffer His servants to take up the sword in defence of His own body, and Who bade them remember that the disciple is not greater than his Master. Not knowing the Scriptures, they will say: "God cannot permit so great wickedness! Who is this Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?" And so they will go forth to war scenes of bloodshed and slaughter will follow, and as they perish in battle, or are captured and put to death, their eyes will at length be opened, and they will, perhaps, remember the words of the angel to Daniel, "And some of them of understanding shall fall, to try them, and to purge, and to make them white." * But hard is the lot of those who will not be instructed by the word of Jehovah, and can be turned from earthly things only by a bitter discipline which must pursue them to the last hour of life.

*Dan. xi. 35.

With a warning to those believers who will be disposed to defend themselves by arms, John concludes his account of the first beast. If any, he says, are for leading into captivity, into captivity they must go; if any wish to kill with the sword, with the sword they must be killed. God will not bless their efforts; for, as the last sentence of the verse declares, this will be a time when the saints must have no weapons but patience and faith.

THE WILD BEAST FROM THE EARTH.

While John was still wondering at the monster from the sea, he saw a second wild beast ascending out of the earth. In this case also we may probably look for a double meaning, and again regard the symbol as representing a system as well as the man who organizes it. In the first application "the earth" may signify a settled state of things brought about, perhaps, by the former beast, who quells the tossing anarchy out of which he arises and consolidates society: it may point to some such condition of affairs as the first Napoleon had already effected in revolutionary France, when he essayed to move the Pope from Rome to Paris, and make him his subordinate and coadjutor.

In the second or personal application, since this being also is a spirit from Hades, we may take "the earth" in its literal sense, and compare the words of the witch of Endor in regard to Samuel's appearance: "I saw a god ascending out of the earth; ""an old man cometh up." The same idea is also found in

the fourth verse of the twenty-ninth chapter of Isaiah, which should be rendered: "And thy voice shall come up like that of a demon from the ground, and thy speech shall mutter out of the dust." And in the tenth Psalm, the second beast is described as "the man from out of the earth."

He is sometimes called "the false prophet; " while the seven-headed monster is invariably termed “the beast." He is said to have the horns of a lamb, but the voice of a dragon; there is in his outward appearance and profession a travesty of the meekness and gentleness of the Spirit of Christ; but, whenever the fulness of his heart finds vent through his mouth, he proves himself to be inspired by the great dragon "which deceiveth the whole world." He is thus the chief of those of whom the Lord said, "Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves." While, then, the first beast assumes the place of Christ and demands worship, the second stands before him as his prophet. There is no mention of priests; for the new deity knows nothing of substitution or vicarious sacrifice, and needs only a prophet to declare and execute his will. This at once shows us that we have here no reference to Popery, at least in any form in which it has hitherto appeared.

Though the place of the false prophet is subordinate, he, nevertheless, exercises all the authority of his chief, and uses it for the one purpose of compelling men to worship the first beast, on the ground that he has been slain, and has risen again from the