In the midst of the scene of gathering the nations, our blessed Lord gives the following notice.

Blessed is he that

Ver. 15. Behold, I come as a thief. watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.

This is as though Christ should say; Now is near at hand the time and event to which my warning, "Behold, I come as a thief," had a more special allusion. Now is the time, when my people on earth shall need to watch; as I urgently directed them when I predicted my coming, as it related to the battle of the great day of God. This my coming is at the door. Watch now and henceforth therefore, and keep the garments of your souls; lest when I come, ye be found naked, and sink in endless shame. Jesus Christ here decides, that the predictions he uttered in Matt. xxiv., Luke xxi., and Mark xiii., while they had a primary allusion to his coming in the destruction of Jerusalem (as he said it should take place on that generation); had a more signal allusion to the seventh vial, or battle of that great day of God, to introduce the Millennium. Paul decides the same in 2 Thess. ii. The Thessalonians, finding that Christ predicted this coming of his to take place on the Jews of that generation; and knowing that that generation was then drawing to a close, were terrified with the thought, that this coming of Christ, in its general sense as a snare on all that dwell on the face of the whole earth, was then at the door." But Paul assures them that day, as it related to the world, was not to come till after the man of sin arose, and would come in his destruction. We have here, as well as in our text, a most positive decision, that this predicted coming of Christ involved both the destruction of the Jews as type, and the destruction of Antichrist as antitype. This is the coming of which Christ in our text gives warning;-"Behold, I come as a thief." And he blesses those who keep his solemn commands to watch. For things are now fast ripening into that tremendous event. The diabolical agency, noted in this lecture, will now soon be found accomplishing its work. The operations are already more than commenced, like a field of frogs thickening under the grass, which already shakes with their numbers and nestlings; and is corrupted with

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their slime and filth! This agency will fully perform its work! *

Ver. 16. And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.

Armageddon is a compound word, importing the mountain of Megiddo. This was a city of Manasseh, 44 miles north of Jerusalem; and was the noted place where the army of Jabin was routed by the few men of Israel under Deborah and Barak. See Judges i. 27 and v. 19. It was to this place, that Ahaziah fled from Jehu, and there died of his wounds. In this place also, was Josiah slain by Pharaoh Necho, king of Egypt. It was hence known as a place of slaughter and mourning; as noted in Zech. xii. 11. This "valley of Megiddo" implies a mountain or hill there, as Armageddon imports. The armies for the battle of the great day of God being gathered there, may have something of a literal as well as mystical import. The prophets repeatedly speak of a literal expedition into that land against the Jews, as having returned thither. See Ezek. xxxviii. and xxxix.; and Zech. xii.; Joel iii. 1; and onward. But whether the text and such predictions will, or will not have a literal fulfilment, they will have an awful mystical fulfilment on antichristian nations, who will be cut off in that fatal fall of Antichrist. These nations will be found warring against Christ, and prepared for destruction, which it is abundantly declared shall then be accomplished. A preparation for this destruction is their gathering at Armageddon. This expression implies those enormities of conduct and character, which, in the predic

* Good people in our States have a deep interest in this warning;-as this is now a prime seat of the devil's war. Chap. xii., last. The dragon's frog will operate as a spirit of licentiousness, Sabbath breaking, drunkenness, profanity, insubordination to laws, mobs, private rage and revenge, violent oppression, injustice and murders. See Paul's description of it, as well as of those who move in higher ranks, 2 Tim. 3: 1-4. The frog of the beast will move in higher grades; corrupt first characters; will lead them in crooked and dark politics; will lead wicked rulers to regard any thing but the public good; will instigate new and unaccountable policies; and will verify the warning, that "when the wicked bear rule, the people shall mourn." The frog of the fulse prophet will have its first efforts in a last and powerful attempt to propagate Romanism, in hopes to fill our land and the world with it. This three-fold influence will go forth and corrupt the world, and cause "men's hearts to fail them for fear, and looking after those things that shall come upon the earth!"

In Joel iii.

tions of this period, are ascribed to them. 9-12, is a prophecy of the sentiment in our text, and which reflects light upon it. This prophet had said, of these last days, "Blow ye the trumpet in Zion; sound an alarm in my holy mountain; let all the inhabitants of the land (earth) tremble; for the day of the Lord cometh; for it is nigh at hand." The prophet then proceeds to describe this day of the Lord. "For behold in those days, and at that time, when I shall bring again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem, I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat; and will plead with them there for my people, and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations." This bringing them to the valley of Jehoshaphat, is phrased in allusion. to another ancient typical scene in Palestine;-the combined attack upon the Jews there, in 2 Chron. xx. The pious king Jehoshaphat, on this occasion, betook himself to God, with his people, and prayed as follows; "Wilt thou not judge them? for we have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither know we what to do; but our eyes are upon thee!" God undertook for them, fought their battle, and destroyed their enemies; so that the Jews had nothing to do but to gather the spoils, and bless God. And in allusion to this fact, the nations collected by the three unclean spirits, are said to be gathered to the valley of Jehoshaphat; just as in our text they are said to be gathered to the mountain of Megiddo. The prophet Joel proceeds; "Proclaim ye this among the Gentiles; prepare war; wake up the mighty men; let all the men of war draw near; let them come up. Beat your ploughshares into swords, and your pruning-hooks into spears; let the weak say, I am strong. Assemble yourselves, and come, all ye heathen, and gather yourselves together round about; thither cause thy mighty ones to come down, O Lord." This is the same gathering for the battle, with that in our text. And the same event with the seventh vial follows;- "Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe; come, get you down; for the press is full, the fats overflow; for their wickedness is great. Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision; for the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision. The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining. The Lord also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the Lord shall be the hope of his people,

and the strength of the children of Israel." This is the battle of that great day of God Almighty, to prepare for which, the spirits of devils gather their legions to Armageddon. But what is the sense of the mystical gathering of the nations? It means their wicked preparation for ruin: being found as though in battle array against God. It means what is implied in the following warning relative to that day. "When the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth." "For the harvest of the earth is fully ripe." "The press is full,-the fats overflow, for the wickedness thereof is great." Hear the following inspired strokes: "There shall be mockers in the last time, who shall walk after their own ungodly lusts." "And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousand of his saints to execute judgment. That precious fragment of primitive revelation is thus given anew, to assure of the abomination and destruction of infidels of these last days! "These filthy dreamers defile the flesh, despise dominion, and speak evil of dignities." "What they know naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves." "They have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core. "Clouds without water, carried about of winds; trees without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots." "Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever. "Walking after their own lusts, speaking great swelling words." "That walk after the flesh, in the lusts of uncleanness, and despise government; presumptuous are they, self-willed,"—"natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speaking evil of things which they understand not, and shall utterly perish in their own corruptions." "Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls; a heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed children!" "While they promise liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption.' These are some of the traits of character, given of the infidels and licentious, who are to be gathered, as in battle array, against the heavens! Already do they appear. The world is filling with them; and it will fill more and more rapidly under Satanic influence, till the judgments of Heaven will burst upon their guilty heads in the seventh vial. Most critical and dangerous

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will be the state of the rising generation, when things are thus! O Christian parents; awake to these warnings! look well to the souls committed to your charge; and let nothing prevent your utmost faithfulness in behalf of their salvation. And O ye children and youth; fly to the city of refuge; lay hold on eternal life.

LECTURE XXIX.

Vial VII.

REVELATION XVI.

Ver. 17. And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done.

18. And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake and so great.

19. And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell; and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath.

20. And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found.

21. And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great.

This is an assemblage of figures the most terrific, more than all that is found in the antecedent six vials. This is "the battle of that great day of God Almighty!"—as in the antecedent context, alluding to a day much known in the prophets. The words in the Greek rendered that, are more emphatical than can be rendered in English; the article being doubled, and the demonstrative pronoun inserted, to show it to be a day of vast note. The other vials seem to have been local,-partial judgments on particular