Jesus explained-'One is your Master; all ye are brethren,' and as Paul said: 'We are to speak the truth in love and grow up into Him in all things who is the Head, even Christ; from whom the whole Body fitly joined together [not by creeds of men, but by love begotten by the one Spirit of Truth] and compacted by that which every joint supplied [every joint is every member, not the clergy only] maketh increase of the Body unto the edifying of itself in love,' thus coming 'to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God.' (Eph. 4:15, 16.) As Papacy established the priesthood over the church, so Protestantism has established the same, and there is no opportunity for the Body to edify itself, every joint taking part. True, there is a seeming show of liberty at prayer meetings, etc., but it is only upon the surface, for the ordained pastor is to watch zealously lest anything contrary to the teachings of his church should be expressed, and if so, to silence the audacious member at once, for the church creed is the rule, not the Word of God. If this is not sufficient, they must have a sort of church trial and excommunicate him ('kill him'). The trial, by the way, gives evidence of another likeness to the Beast, namely, the exaltation of the teachings of the organization above the Word of God, for all such are tried according to 'the authorities' of their church."-Z.'80-1-2.

"The Alliance endeavored to establish a standard of orthodoxy. They saw the power of the Papal argument, that it is the Church, and that all others are heretical. In this sense it was a copy, or image, of the Papal institution. It has been merely an Image without life or power for now more than sixty years." (Z.'13-342.) "And he told the inhabitants of the earth to erect a statue (possibly a symbol of corrupt public opinion) to the Wild Beast who had received the sword-stroke and yet had recovered."Weym.

Which had the wound by a sword, and did live.-Which was smitten by the Sword of the Spirit in the hands of the reformers, but not persistently enough to kill it. (Heb. 4:12.) "It is important to observe that the wound of one of the heads is here ascribed to the whole beast."-Cook. 13:15. And he had power to give life-Either "apostolic succession" or its effect. "It may not be known to many how much stress was laid upon the 'apostolic succession,' which was supposed to be a virtue transmitted through hundreds of years of Papal corruption, by the laying on of the hands of the Bishop. This, of course, was vested in the Roman church, and also in the English church on account of its being at first rather a secession from

Papacy than a reformation. To many minds, even among the clergy, there was a veneration for that ceremony, which neither Papacy nor the English church were averse to promoting." (Z.'80-1-2.) For the effect of this superstition on the mind of Wesley, see Rev. 9:1, 2. "The Lord's symbolic prophecy tells us that in the close of this Age the Image will receive life, vitality, energy, power. No longer will it stand as a mere Image. It will become as active as the Beast. Moreover, it will not be antagonistic to the Beast, but sympathetic, and cause that all shall either worship the Beast or the Image-all must be in harmony either with Catholicism, or with the Protestant Church Federation as soon as it receives the vitalizing breath."Z.'13-343.

Unto the image of the beast.-"The vitality of the Image is to come from the two-horned Beast; the Church of England. A few years ago the Episcopal Church took an important step toward vitalizing the Church Federation movement. That important step was the recognition of the ministers of the denominations represented in the Evangelical Alliance. Previously no minister not ordained by the laying on of hands of a Catholic or an Episcopalian bishop was allowed to preach from an Episcopalian pulpit. Perhaps this recognition of the Image is all the vitalization the Image needs, but we are inclined to expect more. For years the Episcopalians have proffered reordination to the ministers of the different denominations represented in the Evangelical Alliance. And they still proffer it. We have been inclined to expect that the ministers would finally concede the point and accept a reordination at the hands of an Episcopal bishop. But we are not sure of this. It is possible that, to meet the requirements of the case, some other way will be found by which the Epis copal Church will recognize the Church Federation without obligating the ministers to be reordained. We are waiting for this." (Z.'13-343.) "If the various ministers of other denominations in considerable numbers accept reordination as ministers at the hands of Episcopalian Bishops, the validity of other ordination will be speedily questioned. The authority of this so-called 'Apostolic Ordination' will give seeming right of authority, dignity and power. After the promincat ministers of various denominations submit themselves to such reordination, the 'lesser lights' will make a rush for it."-Z.'10-308.

Canon Henson, of Westminster Abbey, has said: "The logical goal of modern tendencies is not toward Disestablishment, but toward a fuller and worthier Establishment. Why should not the nation draw into its service all the

organized Christianity instead of limiting itself to a single denomination? I rejoice to observe a beginning made in this direction by recent legislation, which has recognized for certain civic purposes the status of Nonconformist clergymen." (Z.'06-6.) The change of name of the "Image of the Beast" to that of "False Prophet" in Rev. 16:13, between the sixth and seventh plagues, indicates it was vitalized prior to the publication of Vol. VII (the 7th plague). Truly it now lives-in the minds of the clergy-but it will grow stronger.

The matter is growing in the minds of those interested, as the following dispatches show: "Washington, Dec. 31, 1916. In a signed document addressed to the nation, more than fifty prelates and laymen of various denominations representing many sections of the country have united in a warning against what they declare may be a premature peace in Europe which 'may bring a curse instead of a blessing." "Last winter commissions of all American Protestant churches met at Garden City, L. I., for the first time, and adopted a general platform on which it recommended that the World Conference on Faith and Order proceed. Pope Benedict XV. sent a letter to the commissions, assuring them of his 'deep interest and prayers.'"-Literary Digest, January 13, 1917.

That the image of the beast should both speak. Thus far he has been significantly "silent" as far as claiming any real power or authority is concerned; but the time for the breaking of the silence is near.-Jer. 8:14-17; Rev. 8:1.

And cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast.-"Worship of this symbolic beast and his image is to be the great test or trial upon professing Christians in every province of symbolic Babylon in the end of this Age. And we have the same inspired record as authority for the statement that only those who refuse to render worship to those powerfully influential religious systems (symbolized by the beast and his image) will be counted by the Lord as 'overcomers' and be made His joint-heirs as members of His elect Church. (Rev. 20:4.) And there are some the world over who, with a courage not less than that of Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, declare publicly that the Lord God alone shall have the worship and the service which they can render. The faithful few will be exposed to fiery experiences-boycotted socially, boycotted in business, slandered in every conceiv able manner, and often by those of whom they least expect it, who, according to the Lord's declaration, will say 'all manner of evil against them falsely.' (Matt. 5:11, 12.)" -Z.'99-170.

Should be killed.-"Soon we shall have their 'Union' or 'Confederacy' (Isa. 8:12), and the bitter fruits of Union in error will speedily manifest themselves in tyranny, as during the Dark Ages." (Z.'04-212.) "To us the Scriptures indicate that the prosperity of the Federated Protestant 'Image' will for a little time be so great, so pronounced, and its arrogance become so great that the sympathy of the masses will be entirely alienated and turned into bitterness." (Z.'10-309). It may be objected that the Church would have no part in the killing of their fellow worshippers, but ecclesiastics themselves have a better understanding of the ecclesiastical mind and ecclesiastical conscience. The following is from the pen of Rt. Rev. Chas. D. Williams, Protestant Episcopal Bishop of Michigan:

"It is an appalling thought that the Church should have had a part in the crime of Calvary, and yet it did, and that the chief part. The ecclesiastical mind is a closed mind-and there is nothing it resents so much as being pried open to receive a new idea. Its settled rule of judg ment, its accepted test of truth, is, 'What is new is never true, and what is true is never new.' The other characteristic of a perverted religion is the ecclesiastical conscience. It is strikingly illustrated by one Good Friday scene. A procession is sweeping through the streets of Jerusalem, bound for the Governor's Palace. Who compose this procession? They are the religious leaders of the people the prominent divines, the chief ecclesiastics. What is the business they have in mind? They are intent on committing the greatest crime in history. But at Pilate's threshold they stop. Why? Ah, they have stumbled across a canon of the Church. If they should enter a heathen house that Passover morning, they would become ceremonially defiled and unfit to partake of the sacrament." (Z.'15-339.) "In 1526 Prof. Tyndale, having prepared his MS., published it in Germany, because of the opposition of the English clergy. He imported his New Testaments into London, in whose shops the people began to purchase them. At this same time the Germans were learning something of the New Testament and its different teachings, from Luther and his associates. The Church of England bishops forthwith bought up the entire edition in the shops, and publicly burnt them in front of St. Paul's Cathedral, London. They knew that the eighteen Ecumenica' Councils had declared to be true Christian faith many things not taught in the Bible, and had omitted many things that are taught therein. They feared that the people, becoming Bible students, would know of these things, and thus would be upset the general belief based in the

creeds-and not in the Bible. Then, too, they warned the people against putting any construction upon the Bible that would make it different from the teaching of the socalled 'Apostolic Bishops' in the creeds-threatening them with eternal torment. As it was, Tyndale and some of the others interested in the Bible suffered martyrdom, as enemies of the 'Apostolic Bishops,' and their creeds and institutions."-Z.'15-253. Are the clergy divinely ordained?

13:16. And he causeth all, both small and great.-"The great feast which preceded the fall of Babylon would seem to correspond well with the great denominational union expected soon, and the season of rejoicing which will accompany it. The gold and silver vessels of the Lord's house which were profaned may fitly represent not only the precious truths of Divine Revelation, but also the Lord's consecrated people-the golden vessels representing the Little Flock, and the more numerous silver vessels representing the 'Great Company.' What may be the character of the defilement and injury of these is of course problematical; but in any case we remember that those consecrated vessels were all highly honored, and restored to the Temple by Cyrus, and likewise we know that not only the truths of Divine Revelation will all be cared for by our Lord, but also that all that are His shall be glorified in the spiritual Temple which He will rear shortly."-Z.'99-175.

[Rich and] Poor AND RICH.-"So popular will Federated Churchianity become that to even criticize it will be a 'crime' worthy of crucifixion in some form-socially and financially, if not physically. Politicians will quickly realize that their bread is buttered on that side, and be ready to enact legislation of any kind desired by the Federation. Mammon-worship will take on new forms temporarily, but power will soon debauch the unregenerate mass and drive out the regenerate faithful who may temporarily be misled by the great 'Union' movement in the name of Christ, but without His Spirit or authority."-Z.'06-6.

Free and bond.-"It is altogether possible, indeed probable we think, that John's course which brought him into conflict with Herod was in some degree typical of the course of the Gospel Church in this present time; and of the course of events that may be expected. If it be a type, Herod would represent civil government, and the unlawful wife would represent the nominal church, which throughout the symbolic Scriptures is represented as a woman, Jezebel, etc. Should it prove to be a type by its fulfilment in antitype, the fulfilment will probably be on something like the following lines: (1) A partial reunion