,transcribed from the #ahgf ,h4 ,colbran
 edition by ,david ,price1 email        
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,,rome1 ,,turkey1                       
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,,vicar ,,of ,,trinity1 ,,tunbridge     
,,wells1                      ,,and     
,,honorary ,,canon ,,of ,,canterbury4   
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,,second ,,edition4                     
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,,hatchards1 ,,piccadilly4              
,h4 ,,colbran1 ,,calverley ,,road1      
,,tunbridge ,,wells4                    
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,printed by ,,john ,,strangeways1       
,castle ,st4 ,leicester ,sq4            
,,contents4    ,,rome3--                
,,page     ,,the ,,outline              

#a     ,,the ,,consumption              
#ah  ,,turkey3--     ,,the ,,euphrates  
#cf     ,,the ,,frogs                   
#ed     ,,the ,,advent                  
#fi  ,,jerusalem                        
#hg          ,,rome4      ,i4  ,,the    
,,outline4      ,it is impossible to    
imagine anything more delightful than   
the prospect of  the promised return of 
our most blessed ,saviour4  ,how do the 
father and  the mother feel when they   
welcome their long-absent son from      
,india8  ,how  will many an ,english    
wife feel when she welcomes her husband 
from the  ,arctic ,expedition8  ,and how
 must the ,church of ,god feel when1    
after her  long night of toil and       
difficulty1 she stands face to face     
before ,him  whom her soul loveth1 and  
enters into the full enjoyment of the   
promise1  #8,so shall we ever be with   
the ,lord8'  ,there will be no tears    
then1 for  there will be no sorrow2 no  
death then1 for there will be no more   
curse2  no sin then1 for we shall see   

,him as ,he is1 and shall be like ,him4 
,then  will be the time of resurrection1
 when all the firstborn of ,god shall   
awake to a life without decay and       
without corruption2 and then the time   
of reunion1 when the whole company of   
,god's elect shall stand together       
before the ,lord1 never again to shed a 
tear over each other's grave2 and  then 
will be the time when those who have    
loved and longed after ,him1 as  they   
have journeyed on alone in their        
pilgrimage1 will find themselves on  the
 right hand of ,his throne1 and hear    
,his delightful words1 #8,come1 ye      
blessed children of my ,father3 inherit 
the kingdom prepared for you from  the  
foundation of the world6'    ,no wonder 
then that the people of ,god are waiting
 with anxious hearts for  the ,advent2  
and no wonder that many are ready to    
say1 #8,lord1 how long8'  and to ask1   
,what hope is there of ,his quick       
return8  ,have we1 or have we  not1 any 
reason to look out for it soon8  ,to    

this inquiry ,i would  endeavour to draw
 your attention this morning2 and in    
doing so1 ,i do not  intend to examine  
into what are usually called #8the signs
 of the times1'  but to study the great 
prophetic sketch of the world's history 
as given  to us by the prophet ,daniel4 
,this may be termed the backbone of     
prophecy1 and almost all the great      
prophecies of ,holy ,scripture fit into 
it at some point or other2 so that1 if  
we wish to understand them1 we  must    
begin by studying it4  ,i fear ,i may   
not interest those who aim  simply to   
have their hearts warmed by the         
ministry4  ,but they must  remember that
 the real study of ,god's ,word requires
 work1 and that work1  though it lays   
the best possible foundation for        
feeling1 does not at the  time excite   
it4  ,to-day1 then1 we are to work1 and 
,i hope the ,lord may so  bless ,his    
,word1 that through work we may be led  
to feel4    ,our business1 then1 is to  
endeavour to discover whether the great 

prophetic sketch of history1 given      
through the prophet ,daniel1 encourages 
the blessed hope that the coming of the 
,lord may be near4  ,daniel gives a     
prophecy of the history of political    
power from his own day till the time    
when #8the ,ancient of ,days shall sit1'
 and describes a succession of  events  
which must take place in the interval4  
,it is clear that our  business is to   
ascertain how many of these events have 
taken place1 or1  in other words1 how   
far we have advanced in the series4     
,in the study of our subject we have the
 advantage of looking at two sides  of  
the picture1 for it has pleased ,god to 
give us the same series as seen  in two 
different aspects4  ,in the second and  
seventh chapters you will  find         
predictions of the same events under    
different figures4  ,in the  second     
chapter the prophecy is given as a      
vision to a proud1 idolatrous  monarch4 
,so the different kingdoms about to     
arise appear to him as the  several     

parts of a mighty image1 with himself as
 the head of gold4  ,it  was given in   
just such a shape as should coincide    
with his idolatry and  his pride4       
,whereas1 in the seventh chapter1 the   
vision is given to one  of ,god's       
people1 and he sees in all this glory   
nothing better than a  series of wild   
beasts coming up one after another to   
devour4  ,how  different is the estimate
 of the world from that of ,god6  ,the  
world  regards ,babylon as the head of  
gold1 the summit of glory and greatness1
  while ,god looks on it as a savage    
beast1 to be dreaded by ,his saints6    
,the same difference of character may be
 observed in the visions of the  coming 
of the ,lord4  ,to the great king it    
appeared as a triumphant  kingdom1 to   
the captive prophet as a manifestation  
of the ,son of man4  ,the one saw a     
kingdom1 the other a person2 the one1   
the overthrow of  power1 the other1 the 
advent of the ,lord of ,glory4    ,but  
now let us look at the series4  ,in both

 prophecies there is a  description of  
four kingdoms which should in succession
 be supreme in  political power1 and    
which should fill up an interval between
 ,daniel and  the ,advent4    #a4       
,there is the head of gold in           
,nebuchadnezzar's image1 the same as the
  lion in the vision of ,daniel4  ,the  
most precious of metals corresponding   
to the king of beasts4    #b4  ,there is
 next the breast and arms of silver1    
corresponding to the  bear of ,daniel4  
#c4  ,after that the belly and thighs of
 brass1 representing the same  nation as
 the leopard of the prophet4    #d4     
,and following them is the last kingdom 
of the four1 represented to             
,nebuchadnezzar as the #8legs of iron1  
and the feet1 part of iron and part  of 
clay1' and to ,daniel as a beast1       
#8dreadful and terrible1 and strong     
exceedingly4'    ,it is interesting to  
observe how the same iron character is  
attributed to  this last power in both  
visions4  ,in the one we read of it1    

chap4 ii4 #dj1  #8,the fourth kingdom   
shall be strong as iron3 forasmuch as   
iron breaketh  in pieces and subdueth   
all things2 and as iron that breaketh   
all things1  shall it break in pieces   
and bruise4'  ,and in the other1 chap4  
vii4 #g1 it  is said to be1 #8strong    
exceedingly1 and it had great iron      
teeth3 it  devoured and brake in pieces1
 and stamped the residue with the feet  
of  it4'    ,such is the series of      
kingdoms that were to hold the chief    
political  power of the world1 and fill 
up the whole interval between the date  
of  the prophecy and the advent of the  
,lord4  ,now the remarkable1 and ,i     
believe ,i may say the indisputable1    
fact1 is that1 according to the         
prophecy1 all these four kingdoms have  
arisen4  ,they have followed each  other
 exactly as it was predicted4  ,babylon 
was the head of gold1 or the  lion4     
,the ,medes and ,persians were the      
breast of silver1 or the bear4  ,greece1
 always called #8the brazen armed1' in  

classic poetry1 was the  belly and the  
thighs of brass1 or the leopard4  ,and  
then the mighty power  of ,rome1 far    
exceeding all the others in its terrible
 strength1 with the  legs of iron in the
 royal image1 and the teeth of iron in  
the prophetic  beast4  ,thus far there  
is an agreement almost unanimous among  
the  students of prophetic ,scripture2  
and the conclusion certainly is1 that we
  have already been a long time under   
the last of the four successive  empires
 of the world4  ,so far then as those   
four empires are concerned1  we are     
encouraged to entertain the strong hope 
that1 as we have reached  the last      
kingdom in the succession1 we may begin 
hopefully to look out  for the end4  ,we
 have passed the last station on the    
line1 so now we may  begin to prepare   
for home4    ,but again4  ,there is one 
remarkable difference between the fourth
 kingdom  and the other three1 viz4     
this1 that its history is divided into  
two  periods1 during the first of which 

it appears as an undivided power1 and   
during the second split up into ten4    
,in chap4 ii4 #da1 it says1 #8the       
kingdom shall be divided4'  ,in this    
divided period it is represented by  the
 ten toes on the image1 and the ten     
horns on the beast4  ,the ten toes  are 
described as kings1 or kingdoms1 in     
chap4 ii4 #dd2 and so are the ten  horns
 in chap4 vii4 #bd1 where it is said1   
#8,the ten horns out of this  kingdom   
are ten kings that shall arise4'  ,so   
then the prophecy teaches us  that when 
,rome had overpowered ,greece it would  
go on for a time as one  mighty         
undivided empire1 but that after a time 
it would break up into a  cluster of    
kingdoms1 and that this cluster would   
retain amongst them the  supremacy of   
the world4  ,it does not describe any   
fresh shift of  political supremacy to  
any new kingdom that should arise1 or   
the loss or  decay of that supremacy4   
,but it teaches that there would be a   
division  in the kingdom1 that the parts

 should fall asunder1 and that1 while   
the  iron of the fourth kingdom would   
remain amongst them1 there should be so 
much clay mixed up with it1 that it     
should never again be united under a    
single head4    ,now this is exactly    
what has happened4  ,in the days of the 
,csars united  ,rome was supreme in the 
pomp of the iron empire4  ,its body was 
,europe1  and its heart was the emperor4
  ,it was one as much as ,babylon had   
been  one under ,nebuchadnezzar4  ,but  
look at it now4  ,there is all the old  
power2 for ,europe and its races        
practically govern the world4  ,it has  
not  lost its iron4  ,but there is no   
one kingdom that embodies all4  ,the    
power  is vested in a cluster of        
independent nations4  ,many attempts    
have been  made to combine them3 some by
 conquest1 as in the case of ,napoleon2 
some  by negotiation1 as in the case of 
the ,spanish marriages4  ,but all in    
vain1 for the toes are irrecoverably    
divided1 and whatever is done1  though  

as an aggregate they retain their power1
 as individual nations  they are always 
distinct4  ,i have no time to enter into
 detail1 but ,i  regard this division as
 a most remarkable fulfilment of the    
prophetic  word4  ,more than five       
hundred years before the coming of the  
,lord there  was a captive in ,babylon1 
and ,god so directed that man's mind1 as
 through  him to communicate to the     
world even then the present position of 
modern  ,europe4  ,with such a fact     
before us who can doubt the inspiration 
of the  prophet1 or the statement of    
,st4 ,peter1 that #8holy men of ,god    
spake as  they were moved by the ,holy  
,ghost8'    ,but1 without stopping to   
consider the wonders of the prophecy1   
let us  learn the lesson which it       
teaches us with reference to the        
nearness of  the ,advent4  ,we have     
already found that we have long since   
reached the  fourth kingdom of the      
series2 and now we are led a step       
further1 and find  that we have long    

since reached the second period of that 
kingdom4  ,it is  difficult with        
accuracy to assign a date1 for the      
transition was gradual2  but we shall be
 sufficiently near if we say that it    
practically took  place between twelve  
and fourteen hundred years ago4  ,and   
when we reflect  on such a promise as   
that in ,daniel1 ii4 #dd1 in which ,god 
assures us of a  kingdom that shall be  
set up in the days of these kings1 and  
never be  destroyed3 when we consider   
that those kings have already been      
reigning  through that lengthened       
period1 it is surely time that we begin 
to look  out for that which is to come2 
for the happy and blessed day when we   
shall welcome the kingdom which shall   
never be moved1 and when ,christ        
,himself shall reign in glory4    ,but  
this is not all1 for1 although we shall 
learn no more from the vision  of the   
king1 we may gather much more from that 
of the prophet1 for in it  we find a    
most important additional prophecy4  ,i 

can perfectly understand  why it was    
given by the prophet1 and not by the    
king1 for ,i believe it to  refer to the
 religious history of ,europe1 and the  
king of course had no  concern with     
that4  ,he did not care for religion1 or
 for the saints of  ,god4  ,i allude to 
the prophecy of the little horn rising  
in the midst of  the other ten4  ,i have
 no time to discuss arguments1 and can  
merely state  conclusions4  ,all1       
therefore1 that ,i can do now is to     
express my own  convictions on two      
points3    #a4  ,that the little horn   
diverse from all the rest is the ,papal 
power4    #b4  ,that the time1 times1   
and dividing of a time1 which is to be  
the  limit of its power1 stands in      
prophetic figure for #abfj years4    ,if
 this be correct it gives some idea as  
to the duration of the second  division 
of the last kingdom1 for it shows that  
it must last at least  #abfj years4     
,still more1 as the ,papacy is to be    
destroyed at the approach  of the       

,ancient of ,days1 if we could only     
ascertain the date of its  commencement 
we might calculate the date of the      
,advent4  ,but here is the  difficulty1 
for who can say when a horn begins to   
grow8 and who can  determine the date of
 the first swelling of ,papal pride8    
,it is  impossible to make any such     
calculation1 and ,i believe it would be 
wrong  to attempt it4  ,but we may still
 be led by the great outline to hope for
  the approach of that most blessed day4
  ,the horn has been growing a long     
time1 and it is impossible to read      
,european history without believing     
that the #abfj years cannot be very far 
from its close4  ,everything  therefore 
looks like an approaching end4  ,we have
 long since reached the  fourth kingdom2
 long since reached its second1 or      
divided period2 and1  though we cannot  
say when it took place1 we have long    
since seen the  commencement of the     
#abfj years of the little horn4  ,surely
 then it is  high time that we be       

looking out for the coming of the ,lord1
 high time  that we be watching with our
 loins girt and our lamps burning1 and  
we  ourselves as those that wait for    
their ,lord4    ,with these facts before
 us1 ,i may fairly ask any thinking     
person1 whether  there is not good      
ground for the hope that the coming of  
the ,lord draweth  nigh8  ,you observe  
,i have not dwelt on minute and isolated
 points4  ,i  have taken the great      
outline of the world's history1 and     
compared it with  the great outline of  
the word of prophecy4  ,i see that the  
two exactly  correspond4  ,i thank ,god 
from the bottom of my heart for the     
evidence  given of the inspiration of   
,scripture1 for no such prophecy could  
have  had its origin with man2 and1     
while ,i thank ,god for such a          
confirmation  of the faith1 ,i cannot   
resist the conclusion that we have      
nearly reached  the end of the series1  
that we are living in the last part of  
the last  period of the last kingdom1   

and that the next great event of this   
prophecy is nothing else than the       
sitting of the ,ancient of ,days1 the   
glorious kingdom of the ,son of ,man4   
,but do we all desire it8  ,are we all  
looking out with loving and longing     
hearts for the appearance of our beloved
 ,redeemer8  ,i fear that many  would be
 very far from glad if they thought it  
would come to-morrow4  ,their own       
consciences tell them they are not      
ready1 and in such a case  how can they 
desire it8  ,you might say to them1 as  
in the words of the  prophet1 #8,to what
 end is the day of the ,lord to you8 the
 day of the ,lord  is darkness and not  
light4'  ,i believe it to be impossible 
for any man  really to desire the coming
 of ,christ as his king until in his own
 soul  he is personally acquainted with 
,him as his sin-offering or atonement4  
,thus ,i believe that you will find very
 few really desire the ,advent who  have
 not practically and experimentally     
drunk in the great doctrine of          

justification by faith4  ,if you are    
reconciled through the precious blood   
of ,christ2 if you are justified in the 
righteousness of ,christ2 if you  are   
preserved and sanctified by the loving  
,spirit of ,christ1 then of  course you 
will be ready to say1 #8,even so1 come1 
,lord ,jesus2 come  quickly4'  ,but if  
you are still living for the world1     
content with the  world's gifts and the 
world's enjoyments2 or even if you are  
still  toiling1 and struggling on to    
reach ,him you know not how1 and know   
not  whether you may trust ,him to place
 you on the right hand of the throne or 
not1 how is it possible that you should 
be happy in waiting for ,him8  ,never   
rest1 therefore1 till you stand accepted
 in ,him2 till you have good  reason to 
believe that you are safe1 and not safe 
only1 but beloved4  ,then you may wait  
for ,him1 then you may welcome ,him1    
then ,he cannot come  too soon to please
 you2 and if ,his sign is seen even     
to-night you will be  able to say1      

#8,this is our ,god2 we have waited for 
,him1 and ,he will save  us3 this is the
 ,lord2 we have waited for ,him1 we will
 be glad and rejoice  in ,his           
salvation4'        ,,ii4  ,,the         
,,consumption4      ,i endeavoured in   
the last lecture to bring before you the
 blessed hope of  our ,lord's return1   
and to show1 from the great outlines of 
prophecy1 that  there is enough to      
justify the expectations of those who   
humbly trust  that we shall not have    
much longer to wait4  ,i purposely      
avoided any  reference to what are      
called the #8signs of the times1' and   
confined your  attention exclusively to 
what may be called the great backbone of
  prophecy1 i4e41 to the prophetic      
history of the four mighty kingdoms     
which were foretold as holding the      
empire of the world4  ,from that        
outline ,i endeavoured to show that     
these four great kingdoms were to  arise
 in succession1 one after the other1 and
 that they would fill up the  interval  

between the time of the prophecy and the
 sitting of the ,ancient  of ,days4  ,i 
hope1 also1 ,i made it plain from       
history that three of those  kingdoms   
have long since fallen1 and that1 as far
 as the predicted  periods enable us to 
judge1 we must be drawing near to the   
close of the  fourth4  ,the great       
outline1 therefore1 leads to the hope   
that the time of  the glorious kingdom  
of our blessed ,lord may be near4  ,but1
 though we did  not study the signs of  
the times then1 ,i do not think we      
should  undervalue them1 for our blessed
 ,saviour foretold certain things that  
should take place1 and added1 #8,when ye
 shall see all these things1 know  that 
it is near1 even at the doors4'  ,if1   
therefore1 any of these things  are now 
taking place1 it is clear that we ought 
to study them2 and that  we should not  
be really carrying out the teaching of  
the ,lord ,jesus if we  were to neglect 
them4  ,i propose1 therefore1 in        
obedience to ,his words1  to bring      

before you in this lecture what has long
 appeared to me one of  the most        
conclusive signs that the time is not   
very far distant4  ,i  allude to the    
present position of the ,church of      
,rome1 and ,i earnestly  hope that ,god 
has directed my thoughts in the study of
 it1 and that  whatever in what ,i may  
now say is according to ,his word1 may  
be written  in all our hearts and minds 
by the teaching of the ,holy ,ghost4    
,there are three great historical       
prophecies1 which1 in the opinion of the
  majority of our best expositors1      
predict the rise1 the progress1 and the 
fall of the ,church of ,rome4    ,the   
first of these we briefly noticed last  
,sunday4  ,it is the prophecy of  the   
little horn rising amidst the ten horns 
of the beast1 or the ,papacy  rising in 
the midst of that cluster of ,european  
kingdoms which succeeded  the power of  
the undivided ,roman ,empire4    ,the   
second is the prophecy of #8the man of  
sin' in #b ,thess4 ii4  ,and ,i  cannot 

forbear the mention of one illustration 
of a verse in that  prophecy which ,i   
saw myself in ,rome4  ,many people think
 that the  description in the fourth    
verse is too strong for ,popery3 but    
there is a  curious illustration of it  
in ,st4 ,peter's4  ,you may there see   
what they  call the altar in the usual  
place at the end of the chancel1 and    
above  it1 surrounded by an elaborately 
decorated reredos1 is what is called the
  chair of ,st4 ,peter1 or the ,pope's  
throne1 the seat of ,papal power4  ,on  
the altar below1 according to their own 
teaching1 is the living person of  the  
,king of ,glory1 perfect man and perfect
 ,god1 and in front of that  altar may  
be seen men worshipping the wafer       
because they call it ,god4  ,but above  
it is the ,pope's chair1 and if he were 
to occupy it he would  sit there with   
that which they call ,god1 and worship  
as ,god1 beneath his  feet4  ,can       
anything be a more exact fulfilment of  
the words1 #8,exalteth  himself above   

all that is called ,god1 or that is     
worshipped8'    ,the third is the       
prophecy of the woman in ,rev4 xvii4    
,the application of  this to the ,church
 of ,rome is less disputed than that of 
either of the  other two1 for the seat  
of the woman is decided by the #ith     
verse to be  the seven-hilled city1     
which is almost universally admitted to 
be ,rome4    ,now it is not my object to
 study the details of these prophecies1 
and  there is only one point to which ,i
 invite your careful attention--one most
  important point common to all the     
three1 viz4 that the final overthrow    
will be preceded by a consuming process4
  ,it will not be a sudden  destruction 
in the height of prosperity1 but will be
 the final act after  a period of       
wasting and defeat4  ,if these three    
passages refer to ,rome1  as ,i fully   
believe they do1 then ,rome will be     
first consumed and then  destroyed4     
,in ,daniel it says 7vii4 #bf71 #8,the  
judgment shall sit4'  ,it seems clear   

from the context1 that this does not    
mean the great day of judgment1 but  the
 commencement of judgment on her sins   
here upon earth4  #8,and they  shall    
take away his dominion to consume and to
 destroy it unto the end4'  ,there is1  
therefore1 a consuming process before   
the end4  ,the word here  rendered      
#8consume' conveys the idea of a gradual
 process1 and not a  sudden blow2 and   
teaches us that there will be a wasting 
before the final  overthrow4    ,in #b  
,thess4 ii4 #h1 exactly the same process
 is described1 and in almost  the same  
words3 #8,whom the ,lord shall consume  
with the spirit of his  mouth1 and      
destroy at the brightness of his        
coming4'  ,he will first  consume him by
 ,his word1 and ultimately destroy him  
at ,his advent4    ,it is just the same 
in ,rev4 xvii4  ,there you meet with the
 old beast1 the  ten-horned beast of    
,daniel2 and ten horns still            
representing ten kings2  and when we    
reach the close of the chapter we find  

these ten kings all  turned against the 
woman3 so that1 instead of being ridden 
and governed  by her1 as they were when 
she was riding on the beast1 they are   
now  turned against her1 and agree in   
consuming her4  #8,the ten horns which  
thou sawest upon the beast1 these shall 
hate the whore1 and make her  desolate  
and naked1 and shall eat her flesh1 and 
burn her with fire4'  7,verse #af47     
,without stopping to look into the      
detail1 which it is impossible to do in 
a short lecture1 it appears clear that  
all these passages agree in  predicting 
a period during which the ,papacy will  
be consumed before its  final fall4     
,this will be brought about partly by   
the power of truth1 and  partly by the  
change of mind in the kings4  ,but      
whatever be the agency1  the result is  
the same4  #8,they will take away his   
dominion1 to consume1  and to destroy   
unto the end4'  ,and this you mark is   
the last great  process before the      
coming of our blessed ,saviour1 for the 

final  destruction will be by the       
brightness of ,his coming4    ,and now  
comes the question1 ,has this consuming 
process begun8  ,is it1 or  is it not1  
in progress8  ,i know that some         
fainthearted people will say1  #8,oh1   
no6  ,rome is making dreadful progress1 
and must soon triumph4'  ,but  surely   
that opinion is contrary to fact4       
,surely it may be proved1 from  the     
great facts of ,european history1 not   
merely that the consumption has  begun1 
but that it has been going on during the
 last few years with  peculiar and      
unexampled speed4    ,let us look at a  
few great ,european facts1 not at little
 things that  happen to fall within our 
own observation1 but at great facts that
 are  conspicuous before the world4     
,rome has always claimed1 as she does   
still1 dominion over all the  kingdoms  
of the world1 and she used to exercise  
it over all those of  ,western          
,christendom4  ,her claim even went so  
far that1 by the common  consent and    

advice of his barons1 the ,king of      
,england once #8resigned  ,england and  
,ireland to ,god1 to ,st4 ,peter and    
,st4 ,paul1 to ,pope ,innocent1  and his
 successors in the ,apostolic chair3 and
 agreed to hold these  dominions as     
feudatory of the ,church of ,rome1 by   
the annual payment of  one thousand     
marks4' #bf  ,imagine any one standing  
up amongst the barons  of ,england1 and 
making such a proposal now6  ,that      
dominion of the ,papacy  is taken away1 
and taken away1 as ,i believe1 for ever4
    ,when the dominion was gone he made 
concordats1 or compacts1 with the       
different states2 in which1 with varying
 conditions1 it was agreed that  he     
should uphold them by his spiritual     
power1 and they uphold him by the       
secular arm4  ,it is a most remarkable  
fact1 that within the last fifteen      
years almost all of these concordats    
have been brought abruptly to a  violent
 end3 those with ,naples1 ,tuscany1 and 
the ,italian ,duchies in #aheh2  that   

with ,austria1 including ,venice1 in    
#ahff2 with ,spain in #ahfh2 with       
,france in #ahgj2 and with ,bavaria in  
#ahgc4  ,there may be others remaining  
in force1 but ,i know of none4          
,according to the best information ,i   
can  obtain all are dissolved4  ,the    
,papacy has lost all its political      
power4  ,the ten kings have shaken off  
his government1 and there is not one    
left  that submits to his authority4    
,but more than that4  ,the ,pope of     
,rome used to be king over a            
considerable  portion of ,italy4  ,but  
he is now deposed4  ,the ,states of the 
,church are  incorporated with united   
,italy1 and the ,pope is king no more4  
,they have  taken away his dominion4    
,his sovereignty is at an end4  ,five   
years ago  it received its death-blow1  
and shall we not acknowledge that the   
consuming process is begun8    ,but     
further still4  ,the ,church of ,rome   
used to have vast estates4  ,the        
convents which used to swarm through    

,italy were richly endowed with  landed 
property4  ,but as soon as the kingdom  
of ,italy was well  established1 those  
convents were broken up and their       
property  confiscated4  ,and now that   
the ,pope has been dethroned in ,rome1 a
 similar  measure has been passed for   
all those within the city1 and on the   
#bjth of  ,october1 #ahgd1 they received
 notice of their dissolution4  ,it looks
 very  much as if the kings were eating 
up the flesh of the woman4 #bh    ,but  
some will say1 #8,ah1 but in religious  
matters ,popery is making  progress1 for
 it is winning so many perverts to its  
errors4'  ,i know  there are perverts1  
and ,i am deeply grieved at it1 but ,i  
doubt whether  ,rome's progress is as   
great as many think4  ,it has been      
calculated that  in the year #ahja there
 were in ,great ,britain and ,ireland   
twenty-seven  ,romanists out of every   
hundred of the population1 but that in  
#ahfi there  were only eighteen4  ,the  
proportion1 therefore1 had actually     

diminished  from twenty-seven to        
eighteen per cent4    ,but take a wider 
range1 and look at the great facts of   
,european history4  ,at the ,lateran    
,council in #aeac1 after all the        
so-called heretics had been  silenced or
 burned1 it was proclaimed1 #8,no one   
now opposes1 no one now  objects1' and  
then the orator addressing the ,pope    
said1 #8,the whole body  of ,christendom
 is now subjugated to one head1 even to 
thee4'  ,but it is  calculated that     
there are now more than #ie1jjj1jjj     
,protestants in ,europe1  and           
#fg1jjj1jjj members of the ,greek       
,church1 making together #afb1jjj1jjj   
who reject the ,pope's authority1       
against #aeg1jjj1jjj who profess to     
submit to it4  ,putting all these facts 
together1 ,i may ask any reasonable     
man1 any one who looks at great facts   
instead of minute details1 ,is there    
not reason to believe that the          
consumption has begun8  ,what else is it
  that has taken away his dominions1    

broken up his concordats1 overturned    
his throne1 stripped him of his         
property1 and above all has set         
#ie1jjj1jjj in ,europe alone free from  
his yoke8  ,what else is it but the     
fulfilment of the prophecy1 #8,whom the 
,lord shall consume with the ,spirit  of
 ,his mouth1' preparatory to the time   
when ,he shall #8destroy him with  the  
brightness of ,his coming8'    ,now     
there are many lessons that we might    
learn if we had but time from  this     
subject2 e4g41 ,i might well spend all  
the time that remains in  pressing on   
you the importance of keeping clear of  
all alliance with  ,rome4  ,if ,god is  
consuming her1 ,god's people must have  
nothing to do with  her either in       
politics or religion1 for if they do1   
they will find  themselves drawn into   
the vortex into which she must          
infallibly sink4  ,the message to them  
is1 #8,come out of her1 my people1 that 
ye be not  partakers of her sins1 and   
that ye receive not of her plagues4'    

,but this is not my point in this       
lecture4  ,i am anxious rather that we  
should look on the whole subject as an  
encouragement to faith4  ,surely  some  
amongst us are too fainthearted about   
the truth4  ,it really seems as  if they
 could trust the ,lord ,jesus for their 
own souls1 but not for ,his  church1 or 
for ,his truth3 as if they had forgotten
 the text1 #8,are not  thine eyes upon  
the truth8'  ,they value their ,bible1  
and are ready to  contend for it even   
unto the death2 but still1 they do not  
above half  believe it4  ,they are ready
 to go forth to battle1 but they are not
 ready  to begin1 like ,jehoshaphat1    
with the hymn1 #8,praise the ,lord6'    
,they would  rather chant some plaintive
 lament1 and go into the battle with the
  doleful expectation of defeat4  ,but  
this is not faith4  ,this is not trust  
in the ,lord ,jesus4  ,ah6 but one says 
he cannot rely on government1 and       
another that he does not trust in       
bishops4  ,but what has this to do with 

it8  ,no one asks you to trust in rulers
 either in ,church or ,state1 for  the  
,scripture says1 #8,put not your trust  
in princes4'  ,what we ask you to  do is
 to trust the ,lord ,jesus ,christ at   
the right hand of ,god4  ,trust  ,him1  
and all will be right1 though all other 
objects of trust fail you4    ,now take 
this great subject as a help to your    
trust4  ,see how it exhibits  ,him in   
,his own time1 and ,his own way1 working
 out ,his own predicted  purpose4  ,it  
was utterly impossible for any man by   
private interpretation  to calculate the
 course that things would take4  ,but   
,he foresaw all1 and  more than two     
thousand years ago ,he actually foretold
 what ,he would do4  ,and now1 after all
 these centuries have passed1 after     
great empires have  risen and fallen    
according to ,his prophecy1 after every 
species of effort  has been made in vain
 to silence ,god's ,word1 after every   
available means  have been              
employed1--political influence1         

religious influence1 priestly           
assumption1 and fiery persecution--to   
stamp out ,god's truth1 we see the      
,lord ,jesus with a mighty hand         
fulfilling ,his word1 carrying out ,his 
purpose1 and preparing the way for      
victory4  ,and is that the time to      
distrust ,him8  ,if we are so           
fainthearted now what should we have    
been  before the ,reformation8  ,what   
should we have been after ,john ,huss   
was  burned1 and when the ,lord's own   
people were like the seven thousand     
hidden ones in the days of ,elijah8  ,if
 we cannot trust ,him now1 that we  have
 experienced that #8,his counsels of old
 are faithfulness and truth1'  what     
should we have done if we had lived     
before any prophecies had been          
fulfilled2 if we had had to trust to    
,his bare naked word before it was      
confirmed by history8  ,but now that we 
have this great confirmation1 and  now  
that we see the putting forth of ,his   
hand1 this is not the time for          

faintheartedness or misgiving2 this is  
not the time to distrust ,him whom  ,god
 has made the #8head over all things to 
,his ,church4'  ,it is true that        
#8,god moves in a mysterious way        
,his wonders to perform2'    but it is  
certain that ,he is riding on the storm 
and will perform ,his own  wonders1 so  
that we may add1 as in the next verse of
 the same hymn1        #8,ye fearful    
saints1 fresh courage take1         ,the
 cloud ye so much dread      ,is big    
with mercies1 and will break         ,in
 blessings on your head4'    ,and not   
only so1 but we may reverently hope that
 it will not be long  before we behold  
,his triumph4  ,when the disciples were 
on the lake the  night was dark1 and the
 winds were contrary1 but ,he came to   
them in ,his  own good time1 and all was
 rest4  ,so we may meet with rough      
weather1 but  there will be a great calm
 when ,he comes1 and ,i cannot but hope 
,he will  soon be here4  ,we have long  
since known of ,him on the mountain-top1

 but  now we can almost see ,him walking
 on the waves4  ,it is high time1       
therefore1 that we act on ,his own      
words3 #8,when these things begin to    
come  to pass1 then look up1 and lift up
 your heads1 for your redemption        
draweth nigh4'  ,he does not say1       
#8,wait till they have all come to      
pass1'  but #8look up as soon as they   
begin4'  ,now they most undoubtedly have
  begun1 and for a long time have been  
in progress4  ,it is high time1         
therefore1 that we begin to look up in  
faith and hope1 waiting for  ,christ1   
looking for ,christ1 longing for        
,christ1 and meanwhile trusting in      
,christ2 so that when ,he comes we may  
be found pardoned through ,his blood1   
accepted in ,his covenant1 clothed in   
,his righteousness1 and with loving     
hearts waiting for ,his appearing4      
,,turkey4      ,,iii4  ,,the            
,,euphrates4      ,the condition of the 
,turkish ,empire is one of the greatest 
interests of  the day1 and is engaging  

more than any other public subject the  
grave  thoughts of thinking men4  ,the  
capitalists of ,england are deploring   
the  loss of not less than #ej1jjj1jjjl4
 through its bankruptcy4  ,those who    
rejoice in religious liberty are        
watching with the deepest interest the  
noble struggles of the men of           
,herzegovina to free themselves from the
  fearful yoke of ,mahommedan           
oppression4  ,and the politicians of all
 the  great states of ,europe are at    
their wits' end to know what is to      
become  of ,turkey4  ,nor is this a     
state of things that has come on        
suddenly4  ,it  is not the transitory   
effect of any sudden calamity1 but the  
result of a  steady decay that has been 
going forward with irresistible power   
for  certainly not less than fifty      
years4  ,france and ,england combined in
 the  ,crimean war to endeavour to      
maintain the ,turkish power1 but it was 
all in  vain4  ,that power has been     
steadily on the wane ever since1 till   

now the  crisis of bankruptcy has       
arrived1 and #8the ,sick ,man1' as the  
,turkish  empire has been called1       
appears on the very point of his        
dissolution4    ,now ,i am quite aware  
of the difficulty of preaching on such  
subjects1 and  ,i have no doubt that in 
your mind as well as my own there is a  
preference  for those portions of the   
,word of ,god which bear directly on our
  spiritual experience2 but still #8all 
,scripture is given by inspiration of   
,god1 and is profitable for doctrine1   
for reproof1 for correction1 for        
instruction in righteousness2' and1     
moreover1 there is a special blessing   
on the congregational study of this     
,revelation of ,st4 ,john1 for it is    
said1 chap4 i4 #c1 #8,blessed is he that
 readeth1 and they that hear the  words 
of this prophecy4'  ,i propose1         
therefore1 to consider three  questions3
 7#a47 ,has the present state of ,turkey
 been foretold in  prophecy8  7#b47     
,does it teach us any lessons respecting

 our spiritual  position8  7#c47 ,does  
it throw any light on our hope of the   
coming of our  ,lord8  ,i pray ,god that
 ,he may fulfil to us the promise       
attached to this  wonderful book1 and   
that both they that hear and he that    
readeth may  alike enjoy ,his blessing4 
,with reference to the first            
question1--,has the present state of    
,turkey  been foretold in prophecy8  ,i 
have not the least hesitation in        
expressing  my own conviction that it   
has been foretold in a most remarkable  
manner1  and that the present state of  
things is nothing more than the         
fulfilment  of what ,god predicted      
little less than #ahjj years ago4    ,it
 is impossible in a short lecture to    
give all the reasons for this  opinion4 
,i can only attempt the barest outline4 
,but we may gain some  idea of the      
subject if we consider what is meant by 
the ,euphrates2 what  by its overflow2  
and what by its drying up1 as described 
in ,rev4 xvi4 #ab3  #8,and the sixth    

angel poured out his vial upon the great
 river ,euphrates1  and the waters      
thereof were dried up4'    ,i4  ,the    
,euphrates4  ,by this we must not       
understand the literal river1 for  the  
whole book is symbolical4  ,the river1  
therefore1 stands as the symbol  for    
something else4  ,it is this that makes 
the subject so difficult1 for  the      
symbols are like hieroglyphics1 and     
therefore1 though full of  meaning1     
peculiarly liable to be misunderstood4  
,the question then is1  ,what is the    
power of which the ,euphrates in this   
verse stands as a  symbol1 or           
hieroglyphic8  ,of course1 in the answer
 to such a question we  must distrust   
ourselves1 and ,i dare not speak on it  
with the certainty  with which we ought 
to speak of the plainly revealed facts  
of ,scripture4  ,all ,i can do is to    
express my own very confident conviction
 that by the  ,euphrates is symbolized  
the ,ottoman1 or1 as it is frequently   
called1 the  ,turkish ,empire4    ,for  

this ,i give two reasons3--    7#a47    
,it is the one great empire existing in 
the world that originated on  the banks 
of the river ,euphrates4  ,it was in the
 district to the east of  that river    
that the ,turk1 who originally came from
 ,turkistan1 became a  formidable power1
 and from thence that the ,turkish hosts
 were let loose  against ,roman         
,christendom4  ,for we must remember    
that the ,turks1 or  ,ottomans1 do not  
belong to the soil of ,turkey4  ,the    
,french are the  natives of ,france1 and
 the ,italians of ,italy1 but the ,turks
 are not the  natives of ,turkey1 but   
invaders from ,asia4  ,they hold the    
country by  conquest4  ,the             
head-quarters of the empire are now in  
,turkey1 on the  shores of the          
,bosphorus2 but its birthplace was on   
the ,eastern bank of  the ,euphrates4   
7#b47  ,there are two series of         
prophecies in the book of ,revelation1  
the  one given under the figure of seven
 trumpets1 the other of seven vials1    

and they appear to be linked together by
 a very remarkable connexion as  to the 
subject of the prophecies4  ,you will   
see the correspondence  clearly if you  
compare the account of the trumpets in  
chapters viii4 and  ix4 with that of the
 vials in chapter xvi4    ,when the     
first trumpet sounded the judgment was  
on the earth1 viii4 #g2  and so the     
first vial was poured on the earth1 xvi4
 #b4    ,when the second trumpet        
sounded1 the judgment was on the sea1   
chap4 viii4  #h4  ,so the second vial   
was poured on the sea1 xvi4 #c4    ,when
 the third trumpet sounded1 the judgment
 was on the rivers and  fountains of    
waters1 viii4 #aj4  ,so the third angel 
poured out his vial on  the rivers and  
fountains of waters1 xvi4 #d4    ,when  
the fourth trumpet sounded1 the judgment
 was on the sun1 viii4 #ab4  ,so the    
fourth angel poured out his vial on the 
sun1 xvi4 #h4    ,when the fifth trumpet
 sounded1 the judgment was on those men 
who had not  the seal of ,god on their  

foreheads1 ix4 #d4  ,so the fifth vial  
was on the  seat of the beast1 xvi4 #aj4
    ,the correspondence is not at first 
sight so apparent in this as in the     
other vials2 but if we bear in mind the 
prophecy that all shall worship  the    
beast whose names are not written in the
 book of life1 we shall see  the same   
reality in the coincidence4    ,and1    
lastly1 when the sixth trumpet sounded1 
there was a mighty host  loosed from the
 ,euphrates1 ix4 #ad2 and when the sixth
 vial was poured out  it fell on the    
,euphrates1 and the ,euphrates was dried
 up1 xvi4 #ab4    ,surely1 then1 we may 
come to the conclusion that this        
prophecy in chapter  xvi4 relates to the
 same great power as that referred to in
 chapter ix42  and as ,i believe that it
 has been proved that the trumpet       
prophecy  predicts the invasion of      
,christendom by the ,ottoman empire1 so 
,i am  persuaded in my own mind that    
that under the vial foretells its       
exhaustion and decay4  ,the ,ottoman    

empire ,i believe to be the subject of  
both the prophecies4    ,,ii4  ,the     
overflow4  ,there is no actual mention  
in this passage of the  symbol of an    
overflow1 but as that figure is         
elsewhere employed in ,holy  ,scripture 
to represent invasion1 we may regard it 
in this instance as  descriptive of the 
invasion by the ,ottomans1 as predicted 
under the  seventh trumpet4  ,if you    
turn to ,jer4 xlvi4 #g1 #h1 you find an 
invasion by  ,egypt described by an     
exactly similar figure4  ,the invasion  
by ,egypt is  there compared to an      
overflow of the ,nile4  #8,egypt cometh 
up like a  flood1 and his waters are    
moved as the rivers4'  ,so in ,isa4     
viii4 #g1 #h1  the invasion of          
,palestine by the ,assyrians is foretold
 under the figure  of an inundation3    
#8,he shall come up over all his        
channels1 and go over  all his banks3   
and he shall pass through ,judah2 he    
shall overflow1 and go  over4'  ,and so 
here the invasion by the ,ottoman or    

,euphratian horsemen  appears to be     
represented by an overflow of the       
,euphrates4    ,now consider the result 
of the recent floods in our own country4
  ,when  the ,trent rose above its      
banks1 what happened8  ,the waters      
spread far and  wide on both sides the  
river1 till1 instead of fields and      
homesteads1 you  saw a vast inland lake4
  ,as you passed by in the train you    
might have  seen the whole country under
 water4  ,just so it was when1 according
 to  the symbol1 the ,euphrates         
overflowed its banks2 or1 according to  
history1  the ,ottomans invaded ,europe4
  ,the invading waters rushed on in     
every  direction4  ,on the east they    
reached the borders of ,china2 on the   
west  they soon reached ,palestine1 and 
all the heroic efforts of the ,crusaders
  failed to check them4  ,they then     
spread out in two branches4  ,on the    
south they crossed into ,africa1 and    
spread over the greater part of the     
northern portion of that vast continent4

  ,in the north they spread  rapidly    
over ,asia ,minor1 crossed the          
,bosphorus1 conquered ,greece1 and      
spread over ,europe till they reached   
the shores of the ,adriatic1 and even   
,venice4  ,thus when they had reached   
the height of their power1 the whole  of
 south-east ,europe1 the greater part of
 north ,africa1 and the whole of  west  
,asia1 were flooded by the vast         
inundation4  ,their dominion extended   
from the shores of the ,adriatic on the 
west to the borders of ,china on  the   
east2 while in ,africa it reached very  
nearly from the ,atlantic to  ,suez4    
,accordingly we have been taught from   
our childhood of ,turkey in  ,europe1   
,turkey in ,asia1 and ,turkey in        
,africa4  ,but ,i am not sure that we   
are all aware that the ,turks1 or       
,ottomans1 are ,asiatic invaders who    
obtained their dominions by conquest4   
,,iii4  ,so much for the overflow4  ,let
 us now turn to the drying up1 as       
predicted in the prophecy4    ,think    

once more of the illustration of the    
river1 and consider what would  be the  
effect on the overflow if the waters    
were to subside in the river4  ,the     
inundation would gradually recede1 and  
one field after another would  be left  
dry1 until after a time the whole       
country would be free4  ,if1  therefore1
 the interpretation of the prophecy be  
correct1 we should  expect to see the   
,ottoman power gradually dying out1 and 
the various  nations that were overrun  
by conquest one by one shaking off the  
yoke4  ,and this is exactly what has    
been taking place ever since the year   
#ahbj4  ,there is a remarkable prophecy 
in ,daniel believed to refer to this    
same  ,ottoman power1 and from it some  
of the best students of prophecy in the 
course of the last century named that   
year as the probable commencement  of   
the decline of ,turkey4  ,up to the     
spring of the year all appeared to      
prosper2 but then the waters began      
rapidly to recede4  ,that very year the 

,greek insurrection began4  ,the flood  
receded from ,greece1 so that in #ahbg  
the present kingdom was established4    
,in that same year the inundation  went 
back so far that ,servia was left dry4  
,in the same year ,moldavia and         
,wallachia1 and the territory north of  
the ,danube1 were set free from the     
,ottoman yoke2 and now there seems to be
 every hope that ,herzegovina and       
,bosnia will succeed in shaking off the 
invader4  ,indeed1 the whole  ,turkish  
empire is in such a condition that if   
the statesmen of ,europe  could agree as
 to who should possess ,constantinople1 
the whole ,ottoman  ,power would in all 
probability be driven out of ,europe    
before another  year is over4    ,as for
 ,africa1 the flood has already left it 
almost dry4  ,morocco is an  independent
 state4  ,algeria has been taken by the 
,french1 while on the  east1 ,egypt has 
asserted its independence1 and with the 
one exception of  an annual tribute1 is 
entirely free from the ,turkish yoke4   

,for some  years this process had been  
going on1 till at length1 in #ahff1 the 
,pasha  assumed the title of            
#8,khedive1' which means king1          
proclaiming thereby an  independent     
monarchy4  ,the only possession         
remaining to ,turkey is the  little     
province of ,tripoli1 containing        
considerably less than #a1jjj1jjj       
inhabitants4  ,turkey in ,africa has    
almost ceased to exist4  ,turkey in     
,europe may last a little longer1 but is
 going fast4  ,as for ,turkey in  ,asia1
 it has ceased to be a power to any     
great distance east of the  ,euphrates2 
and ,i fully believe that on the west of
 the river the  drying-up process will  
be steadily continued till the floods   
recede from  ,palestine1 and that       
beautiful land shall be set free from   
the blight of  ,turkish misgovernment1  
and handed over to be once more a land  
flowing  with milk and honey to its     
rightful possessors1 the seed of        
,abraham1 the  nation to which ,god has 

given it4    ,such are a few of the     
leading events with reference to the    
decline of the  ,ottoman empire2 and    
there is only one further remark that ,i
 would make  respecting it4  ,the       
decline has not been the result of      
external conquest1  but of internal     
decay4  ,the ,turks have not been       
brought down by any great  defeats1 but 
by their own want of life4  ,the powers 
of ,europe have not  attacked them1 but1
 on the contrary1 have done their best  
to uphold them1  as1 e4g41 in the       
,crimean war2 but1 notwithstanding all  
that ,france and  ,england could do1 the
 ,turkish power is falling to pieces of 
itself4  ,the  ,sick ,man is dying1 and 
the physicians cannot keep him alive4   
,their  energy seems gone1 their        
exchequer is exhausted1 and their       
population is  so much diminished1 that 
there are now only #b1jjj1jjj ,turks1 or
 ,ottomans1  left in ,europe4  ,in other
 words1 the ,euphrates is drying up1 and
 the  inundation cannot long remain upon

 the land4    ,now ,i can quite         
understand the feeling of those who have
 experienced a  certain amount of       
disappointment in hearing this morning  
about the  ,turkish empire1 instead of  
something bearing more directly on their
 own  personal salvation1 and ,i should 
myself have preferred to have preached  
on some such subject4  ,but ,i have     
taken this subject on principle4    #a4 
,because1 as ,i have already said1 #8all
 ,scripture is given by  inspiration of 
,god1 and is profitable for doctrine1   
for reproof1 for  correction1 for       
instruction in righteousness4'  ,no     
portion1 therefore1 of  ,god's word1    
whether it be prophetic or historical1  
ought to be set aside  by those who     
really desire to know ,god's truth4  ,if
 we wish to know the  whole mind of ,god
 we must be prepared to study the whole 
of the ,holy  ,scriptures which ,god has
 given us4    #b4  ,but1 besides that1  
we must remember that our whole faith   
depends on  ,holy ,scripture4  ,all that

 we know of the ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 of
 ,his great  high-priesthood1 of ,his   
atoning blood1 of ,his free salvation1  
of the gift  of the ,holy ,ghost1 of the
 new birth1 and of the coming ,advent1  
all our  hope for the future1 and all   
our rest for the present1 depend simply 
and  entirely on the ,word of ,god4  ,in
 it we find all2 without it we have     
nothing4  ,when1 therefore1 we see a    
great prophecy of ,holy ,scripture      
fulfilled in our own day1 within reach  
of our own observation1 traceable  on   
our own maps1 and included within the   
range of our own memory1 we  ought not  
to pass it by1 but should accept it with
 thankfulness in these  days of rebuke  
and infidelity1 as a most blessed       
confirmation of our  faith4  ,let any   
one who has the slightest doubt as to   
the inspiration of  ,scripture look at  
the facts4  ,two thousand four hundred  
years ago there  was a prophet1 the     
prophet ,daniel1 by the river of ,ulai1 
and he foresaw  in a vision the rise and

 progress of a mighty power1 telling us 
at the  same time how long it was likely
 to continue4  ,six hundred years after 
him there arose another prophet1 who    
described what appears to be the  same  
power1 and gave a graphic picture both  
of its progress and decay4  ,students of
 ,holy ,scripture have since been       
diligently occupied in the  study of    
these two prophecies2 and by comparing  
,scripture with ,scripture  were long   
since brought to the conclusion that in 
the course of this  century the decline 
of the ,ottoman ,empire would take      
place4  ,and now we  see it going on4   
,just when the students thought it would
 begin1 then it  began1 and just as the 
prophet described its decay1 so it is   
decaying4  ,the prophets themselves     
could have known nothing about it when  
they  prophesied1 for the empire did not
 arise till many centuries after they   
had foretold its fall4  ,but ,god knew  
all1 and a thousand years were to  ,him 
as one day4  ,these prophecies1         

therefore1 did not arise from any       
private interpretation or human         
calculation of probabilities1 but #8holy
  men of ,god spake as they were moved  
by the ,holy ,ghost4'    ,now what      
should be the result on our minds8      
,what effect should such  facts have on 
ourselves8  ,should they not strengthen 
faith and confirm us  in a simple1      
childlike1 unquestioning trust in the   
inspired word of the  living ,god8  ,who
 but ,god ,himself could have foretold  
either to ,daniel or  ,john the rise and
 decay of the ,ottoman ,empire8  ,it is 
,god's own word1  then1 with which we   
are dealing when we study ,holy         
,scripture4  ,there may  be things in it
 completely beyond all power of human   
calculation1 as the  history of the     
,ottoman ,empire was utterly beyond the 
human calculation of  either ,daniel or 
,john4  ,but ,god's truth does not      
depend on our power of  calculation4    
,it is beyond us altogether1 infinite1  
eternal1 divine2 and  our part is1      

whether we can fit it together or not1  
to receive the whole  as ,god has given 
it1 and as weak1 ignorant1 short-lived1 
and  short-sighted creatures1 to receive
 ,his will as ,he has revealed it1 into 
our hands1 and hearts1 and say1 #8,i    
believe ,god1 that it shall be as it    
was said unto me4'        ,,iv4  ,,the  
,,frogs4      ,in opening our subject in
 the last lecture1 ,i said that there   
were three  questions to be considered3 
#a4  ,has the present state of ,turkey  
been  foretold in prophecy8  #b4 ,does  
it teach us any lessons respecting our  
spiritual position8 and #c4  ,does it   
throw any light on the blessed hope  of 
our ,lord's return8  ,the first of these
 questions we examined in the  last     
lecture1 and surely it was proved that  
in the symbol of the drying  up of the  
,euphrates we have a most remarkable    
symbolic prophecy of the  exhaustion of 
the ,ottoman power4  ,to-day we are to  
pass on to the second  question3 ,is our
 own spiritual position affected by the 

exhaustion of  ,turkish power8  ,now ,i 
can quite understand the thought that   
has no doubt  occurred to many of you1  
that the two things can have no possible
  connexion with each other1 for there  
seems to our mind to be no possible     
connexion of even the most remote       
character between the ,turkish ,empire  
and our own spiritual life4  ,we may    
well say1 #8,what have we to do with    
the ,turks1 or the ,turks with us in our
 own daily1 private walk with ,god8'    
,it may surprise some of you when ,i say
 that1 although no man can explain  the 
reason of the connexion1 ,i believe it  
to be very intimate1 and that  the      
religious life of modern ,christendom is
 in a most remarkable manner  bound up  
with the decline of the ,turkish        
,empire4    ,to understand this we must 
remember that the great prophecy in the 
book  of ,revelation is arranged in     
periods4  ,each seal1 each trumpet1 and 
each  vial1 represents a period4  ,so   
there is one particular period of       

history  foretold under the figure of   
the sixth vial1 and all the events      
predicted  under that vial we should    
expect to appear at about the same time 
in  history4  ,whether we can trace any 
connexion or not1 the events of each    
vial are linked together in respect of  
time2 so that if there are two  events  
under any one vial1 when we see the one 
we ought to look out for  the other1 and
 when one takes place we have every     
reason to believe that  the other is at 
hand4  ,now there are two events1       
apparently quite  distinct in           
themselves1 which are thus connected    
with each other under  the sixth        
vial--the drying up of the ,euphrates1  
and the appearance of  certain most     
dangerous and seductive spirits1 going  
forth to gather men  together for the   
battle of ,almighty ,god4  ,if1         
therefore1 it be a fact1 as  ,i firmly  
believe it to be a fact1 that the       
,euphrates is now being dried  up1 then 
it follows as a sure and certain        

consequence that the unclean  spirits   
are soon1 if not already1 going forth to
 do their deadly work4  ,the two things 
go on according to the prophecy within  
the same prophetic  period1 and         
therefore if we see the one1 as         
believers in the word of ,god1  we ought
 to be on the lookout for the other4    
,we are thus brought to the  conclusion1
 that whenever the ,euphrates shall be  
drying up1 there will be  a time of     
great spiritual seduction2 or1 in other 
words1 that the  exhaustion of the      
,turkish ,empire will be accompanied1 or
 quickly  followed1 by a remarkable     
development of mischievous spiritual    
power4  ,this1 then1 must be our subject
 in this lecture1 and we will study 7if 
,god permit7 first the danger1 and then 
the caution4  ,may ,god grant that  the 
result may be that we may be like those 
few men of ,sardis who had not  defiled 
their garments1 and who will walk with  
the ,lord ,jesus in white1  for they are
 worthy6    ,i4  ,the danger4    ,this  

is described in ,rev4 xvi4 #ac1 #ad4    
#8,and ,i saw three unclean spirits     
like frogs come out of the mouth of the 
dragon1 and out of the mouth of  the    
beast1 and out of the mouth of the false
 prophet4  ,for they are the  spirits of
 devils working miracles1 which go forth
 unto the kings of the  earth and of the
 whole world1 to gather them to the     
battle of the great  day of ,god        
,almighty4'    ,all students of prophecy
 are well aware how much has been       
written in  exposition of these two     
verses1 and what different explanations 
have been  given of these three         
seductive spirits4  ,i have not time    
this morning to  discuss any of them1   
but there are three things perfectly    
clear1 and it  will be sufficient for us
 to study them4    7#a47  ,the subtlety 
of the danger4    ,the passage does not 
describe three empires1 or three        
churches1 or three  great societies1 or 
three organizations of any kind         
whatever1 but three  spirits4  ,now a   

spirit is something subtle and unseen4  
,its presence is  not perceived2 its    
voice is not heard2 its touch is not    
felt4  ,it comes  and goes1 but it      
leaves no footsteps in the sand4  ,it   
seems1 therefore1 a  great mistake to   
explain this prophecy by different      
systems that are  conspicuous to the    
eye1 and we must be careful lest1 by so 
doing1 we  should be thrown off our     
guard with reference to our real danger4
  ,there  may be no false system        
presented to us1 and we may be perfectly
 safe with  reference to any definite   
form of evil1 such as infidelity or     
popery1 but  there may be any one1 or   
indeed all three1 of these deadly       
spirits  imperceptibly breathing poison 
into our souls4  ,it is this subtlety of
  spiritual action that makes it so     
pre-eminently dangerous4  ,if it were   
all open and before the eye we should   
know how to avoid it4    7#b47  ,the    
variety4    ,there is not one spirit    
only1 but there are three acting        

together4  ,we  are taught1 therefore1  
that at the time of the drying up of the
 ,euphrates  we must be prepared for    
subtle and seductive power of various   
forms and  characters4  ,if there were  
only one spirit the danger might assume 
only  one form3 but as there are three  
spirits acting together we should be on 
our guard against every possible        
combination4  ,we are not merely to look
  out for three distinct and separate   
forms of error1 but1 as all three act   
together1 they may combine in every     
conceivable variety4  ,one may act on   
one mind1 two on another1 and all three 
on a third1 and so produce the  most    
remarkable and inconsistent             
combinations4  ,suppose1 e4g41 that the 
first was ,infidelity1 the second       
,worldliness1 and the third ,popery4    
,remember1 ,i do not say that they are1 
but suppose they were4  ,in some  cases 
you might have avowed ,atheism2 in some1
 a life so absorbed in the  world that a
 man does not even take the trouble to  

be an infidel2 and in  others pure and  
unadulterated ,romanism4  ,but1 besides 
that1 you might  find every possible    
combination4  ,sceptical opinions might 
be combined  with ,romish ritual1 and   
high ceremonial with worldliness of     
life4  ,indeed1 there is scarcely any   
form of seductive error that you might  
not  develope by combining in different 
proportions those three most dangerous  
spirits4  ,thus it follows that1 though 
a person may be well on his guard       
against one1 he may be gradually        
entangled by the other two2 and though  
he may be on the watch against all in   
their distinct and separate forms1  he  
may be drawn out of a straight path by a
 beautiful combination of the  three1 in
 which1 according to ,st4 ,paul's       
illustration1 ,satan has  transformed   
himself into an angel of light4    7#c47
  ,the result of the action of these    
spirits in conflict4  ,verse            
#ad1--#8;,for they are the spirits of   
devils working miracles1 which go forth 

unto the kings of the earth and of the  
whole world1 to gather them to the      
battle of the great day of ,god         
,almighty4'    ,their special object    
appears to be to gather together the    
kings to the  battle of the great day of
 ,god ,almighty3 and in studying the    
prophecy it  is impossible to forget the
 political difficulties that have       
already  arisen from the decline of     
,turkey4  ,but we must not limit the    
prophecy to  kings1 for the warning     
voice of verse #ae clearly applies to us
 all4  ,kings are not the only persons  
who find it necessary to watch and keep 
their garments4  ,these spirits1 then1  
are predicted as gathering men  together
 for battle4  ,when they are abroad     
truth and error will be thrown  into    
antagonism4  ,the ,lord ,jesus ,christ  
will be collecting ,his forces1  and    
,satan his3 there will be on both sides 
the mustering of the host4  ,those that 
are on the side of the ,lamb will rally 
round ,his banner1  #8called1 and       

chosen1 and faithful2' and those that   
are under the  influence of any of the  
seductive spirits will throw themselves 
into the  ranks of open opposition4     
,the characteristic of the day will be1 
not  sloth or indifference1 but zeal1   
eagerness1 and conflict4    ,now no one 
can have watched the progress of men's  
minds during the last  half century     
without observing that this has been    
most remarkably the  case4  ,there      
cannot be a doubt as to the fact that1  
while the ,turkish  power has been      
declining1 the powers of good and evil  
throughout  ,christendom have been      
awakening into life4  ,the two processes
 have gone  on side by side4  ,turkey   
has been drying up1 and almost every    
state in  ,europe has been aroused to   
religious conflict4  ,many amongst us   
have been  able to trace the vast change
 that has taken place during our own    
lifetimes4  ,i can see myself an immense
 difference between the state of  things
 when ,i first commenced my ministry1   

forty years ago1 and the state  of      
things now4  ,then the characteristic of
 the day was stagnation1 but  now it is 
conflict4  ,then our warfare was against
 cold1 dull1 dead1  stolid indifference2
 but now error in every shape is in full
 activity1  and we require to be armed  
at all points against every species of  
attack4  ,then all that unconverted men 
desired was to be left undisturbed in   
the  deep sleep that had settled down on
 their souls4  ,but they are all awake  
now1 and the cry is1 #8,to arms6'       
,many1 alas6 are on the wrong side4     
,far  too many have fallen under the    
fatal influence of these seducing       
spirits2  but1 whether on the wrong side
 or the right1 they are awake4  ,they   
are  up1 and hurrying to their post4    
,the time for sleep is over2 the bugle  
has sounded1 the ranks are forming1 the 
struggle has begun1 and the time  is    
come when those who know their ,saviour 
must be prepared to stand with  a holy  
decision on ,his side4    ,,ii4  ,and   

now you can see the overwhelming        
importance of the warning of  this      
verse3 #8,blessed is he that watcheth   
and keepeth his garments1 lest  he walk 
naked1 and they see his shame4'  ,you   
can see that the exhaustion  of ,turkey 
is a conspicuous signal from ,god to    
arouse all ,christendom to              
watchfulness4  ,we cannot see the three 
unclean spirits coming forth1 but  we   
can see ,turkey decaying2 and that is   
,god's visible signal that the          
invisible spirits are at work4  ,if     
ever1 therefore1 there was a time for   
especial watchfulness it is now4  ,if   
ever there was a time when our young    
people require to be cautioned1 and     
warned1 and helped and guided1 it is    
now4  ,and you will observe that the    
warning is given to those who have  some
 garments4  ,it is not spoken to the    
heathen1 or unconverted  worldlings2 but
 to those who have1 what ,i may term1   
some sort of  ,christian clothing4  ,i  
have not time to discuss what that      

clothing is4  ,it may be their baptismal
 robe1 that which they put on when they 
were  baptized into ,christ4  ,it may be
 the robe of their ,christian           
profession1  that which they wear       
habitually in daily life2 or it may even
 be that  spotless robe washed white in 
the blood of the ,lamb1 in which alone  
they  can stand before ,god1 the wedding
 garment of the perfect righteousness of
  the ,lord ,jesus ,christ4  ,in        
whatever sense we understand the        
expression1  the solemn and sacred      
warning from ,god to every one of us1   
both old and  young1 is the same2 viz4  
that we watch and keep our garments1    
lest we  walk naked1 and they see our   
shame4  ,we see the ,euphrates drying   
up1 and  therefore we know that the evil
 spirits are abroad4  ,we know1 i4e41   
that there are subtle1 deadly influences
 all around us1 of various kinds  and   
characters1 whose object is to draw us  
away from the simplicity that  is in    
,christ1 to strip us of our garments1   

and to enlist us on the wrong  side of  
the struggle4  ,we may not be aware of  
their stealthy approach2  and we are not
 likely to be so1 for we are certain not
 to see them4  ,we  need not necessarily
 be shocked by their suggestions1 for1  
though they be  unclean spirits1 they   
can clothe their temptation in the form 
of beauty4  ,but1 whether we detect them
 or not1 we may be sure they are at     
work1 and  in full activity4  ,they are 
moving with stealthy steps in the midst 
of  us4  ,they are approaching our minds
 in secret1 disturbing prayer1          
suggesting doubts1 weakening faith1     
poisoning thought1 alienating love1  and
 so labouring by subtle1 mental         
influence1 to detach us from ,christ4   
,and only think what the result would be
 if they were to succeed2 nothing  less 
than this1 that we should walk naked and
 they would see our shame6  ,it is not  
clear who is meant by the #8they' that  
are to see the shame4  ,it  may be the  
world at large1 or it may be the very   

spirits that have done  the mischief1   
looking on with a fiendish smile on the 
misery and  nakedness of the poor wretch
 whom they have ruined4  ,but it matters
 not  who sees it2 that will make very  
little difference4  ,to be naked before 
,god1 that is enough4  ,he is sure to   
see it1 and the dreadful horrors of     
such a position far exceed any power of 
human imagination4  ,you remember  how  
,st4 ,paul spoke of it in #b ,cor4 v4   
#c3 #8,if so be that being clothed'     
7clothed1 i4e41 with the resurrection   
body7 #8we shall not be found  naked4'  
,clothed1 but yet naked4  ,risen1 but   
not covered4  ,alive with all  the      
realities of the body1 and all the      
faculties of the mind1 memory1 and      
conscience2 but with the poor soul      
naked1 without a claim1 without an      
excuse1 without an atonement1 without a 
plea1 without a ,saviour1 without  any  
hope for all eternity of either         
concealment or forgiveness4  ,the       
thought is too dreadful to be borne4    

,oh1 may ,god in mercy grant that not   
one of us1 and not one whom we love1 may
 be found naked in that day6  ,and  oh6 
what an inexpressible joy it is for the 
child of ,god1 however weak1  however   
unworthy1 however unable to cope with   
all the seductions of those  wicked     
spirits1 to fall back on the sure       
promise of his blessed ,saviour3        
#8,they shall never perish1 neither     
shall any man pluck them out of ,my     
hand4'  ,he can keep us1 and we may be  
sure ,he will4  ,let us throw  ourselves
 then into ,his hand to be clothed1 to  
be kept1 to be watched  over1 to be held
 fast1 that so1 preserved in ,christ    
,jesus1 and clothed in  ,his spotless   
robe1 we may never be found naked1 but  
may when ,he comes be  presented        
#8faultless before the presence of ,his 
glory with exceeding  joy4'        ,v4  
,,the ,,advent4      ,i trust there are 
many amongst us who are able to say1    
from the very  depths of their longing  
hearts1 #8,i wait for the ,lord1 my soul

 doth wait4'  ,the long-expected coming 
of the ,lord is the blessed hope on     
which their  hearts rest in eager and   
earnest expectation1 and they can add   
their  unqualified #8,amen' to the last 
prayer of ,scripture1 #8,even so1 come1 
,lord  ,jesus4'    ,i am persuaded that 
all those who are thus looking for the  
coming of the  ,lord must feel the      
greatest possible interest in the last  
of the three  subjects proposed for our 
consideration with reference to the     
exhaustion  of the ,turkish ,empire1 as 
symbolized by the drying up of the      
,euphrates4  ,we have seen that the     
exhaustion which is now attracting the  
anxious  attention of all the           
politicians of ,europe was foretold more
 than  eighteen hundred years ago in    
this remarkable symbolic prophecy4  ,we 
found also in the last lecture that the 
internal decay of ,turkey is a  warning 
to us all to be on the watch against the
 seductive spirits of the  latter days2 
and we now have to examine whether there

 is any connexion  between that decay   
and the glorious advent of the ,lord    
,jesus2 whether1 in  other words1 the   
decline of the ,ottoman empire is not   
like the cry which  aroused the ten     
virgins in the parable1 #8,the          
,bridegroom cometh4'  ,there  are two   
questions which will clearly require our
 careful study4  7#a47  ,what light does
 the decline of the ,ottoman ,empire    
throw on the near  approach of our      
,lord's return8  ,and 7#b71 if it does  
throw such a light1  how are we to      
understand ,his declaration that ,he    
will come as a thief8  ,may ,god        
,himself1 who has inspired ,his own     
word1 be graciously pleased to  direct  
us in the study of it2 and to lead us1  
every one of us1 to be  perfectly ready1
 waiting for the ,lord ,jesus6    ,i4   
,what light1 then1 does the decay of the
 ,ottoman ,empire throw on the  prospect
 of the near approach of our ,lord's    
return8  ,has it any bearing  on our    
,christian hope8 and may we regard it as

 a signal from ,god that the  time is   
come when we may soon expect the        
,advent8    ,in order to answer this    
question we must examine3--    7#a47    
,the position of the prophecy in the    
general structure of the ,book4  ,the   
prophecies of this wonderful book are   
arranged on a divinely ordered  plan4   
,there are some chapters to which it is 
difficult to assign their  place2 but it
 is easy to see what may be termed the  
backbone running  through the whole4    
,to use a very homely illustration1     
there is the main  line of rail         
conspicuously running through the whole1
 and you may trace  that clearly1 though
 you cannot always trace the branches4  
,now in this  outline there are three   
great series of prophetic periods--the  
seven  seals1 the seven trumpets1 and   
the seven vials2 and these three series 
appear in a remarkable manner to follow 
each other4  ,first there are the       
seals1 as in chap4 vi42 and when the    
sixth seal is opened1 and the  seventh  

about to follow1 there appears a general
 expectation of the  coming of the      
,lord4  ,but when the seventh seal is   
actually opened1  instead of our coming 
to the end1 as apparently was expected1 
we find a  second series developed4     
,the seven trumpets were wrapped as it  
were in  the seventh seal 7viii4 #a1    
#b71 so that when it was opened they    
appeared1  and a fresh series commenced1
 and the trumpet-angels one after       
another  blew their blast4  ,at length  
the seventh trumpet is sounded1 and     
again it  appears as though you had     
reached the end4  ,but like the seventh 
seal1  it1 too1 is found to contain     
within itself a third series4  ,the     
seven  vials are wrapped within it1 and 
when that last trumpet is blown they are
  poured forth in awful succession on a 
wicked world4  ,thus the seventh  seal  
contains all the trumpets1 and the      
seventh trumpet all the vials4  ,now if 
this be the case it is clear that the   
sixth vial must come very  near the end4

  ,the trumpets are none sounded till   
the six seals are  passed and the       
seventh seal is opened4  ,the vials do  
not begin till the  six trumpets have   
completed their blast and the seventh   
has sounded2 and  of the vials five must
 have been poured out already1 so that  
there can be  nothing remaining but the 
seventh1 or the last4    ,to take the   
very homely illustration of a railway4  
,suppose a series of  stations on a     
line1 the seventh being a junction2     
suppose that on the  branch from that   
junction there was another series of    
stations1 the  seventh again being a    
junction2 and from that second junction 
there was  another line of seven        
stations1 the last being your home4     
,what would you  think of your position 
when you had travelled the whole length 
of the  main line1 and the whole of the 
first branch1 and when you had gone so  
far along the second branch that you had
 actually reached the sixth  station on 
that last line8  ,you would say1 surely1

 that you were near the  end of your    
journey1 close to home4  ,now whenever  
the ,church of ,god  reaches the sixth  
vial that will be its position4  ,all   
the seals will  have been opened1 all   
the trumpets blown1 and six of the seven
 vials  poured out4    ,but that ,i     
believe to be our position now1 and that
 we are at this  present time living    
under the sixth vial4  ,i believe that  
the great  public1 political event of   
the sixth vial1 is the drying up of the 
,ottoman ,empire1 and that we can all   
see to be in progress4  ,there can be   
no doubt about the great1 public1       
political fact4  ,it is confirmed by    
every newspaper1 and is forced on the   
attention of ,england by the sore       
distress brought on many families       
through the ,turkish bankruptcy4  ,but  
if  this be the fact predicted by the   
symbol of the drying up of the          
,euphrates1 then it follows that we are 
living under the sixth vial1 and  that  
the seventh vial is all that remains of 

the great prophetic series4    7#b47    
,but consider next the contents of the  
seventh vial4  ,the seventh  seal       
contained the series of seven trumpets1 
and the seventh trumpet the  series of  
seven vials4  ,may there not be some    
similar series wrapped up  in the       
seventh vial8    ,such a question would 
be perfectly reasonable1 but the only   
answer that  we can give is that we do  
not find any such series described in   
the  prophecy4  ,on the other hand1     
everything in it looks like the end4    
,when  the seventh angel poured out his 
vial there came a great voice out of the
  temple of heaven from the throne1     
saying1 #8,it is done6'  ,it certainly  
did  not look like the commencement of  
another series1 but taught us rather to 
look out for the great winding up of the
 whole and the final close of the  great
 prophetic plan4  ,so in the account of 
the seventh vial you may see  four      
things plainly revealed2--the fall of   
,babylon1 which ,i believe to be  the   

fall of ,rome1 chap4 xvi4 #ag1 to the   
end of xviii42 the marriage  supper of  
the ,lamb1 chap1 xix4 #a-i2 the         
triumphant victory of the ,son of  ,god1
 chap4 xix4 #aa1 #ab2 and1 last of all1 
the millennial reign1 chap4 xx4         
,surely1 then1 this vial brings us to   
the end4  ,surely when it is poured     
forth we shall have done with the       
politics of the world1 and shall cease  
to look for the gradual development of  
history4  ,all thoughts will then  be   
occupied by the unspeakable blessedness 
of the marriage supper of the  ,lamb4   
,it seems clear1 then1 that the seventh 
vial is the close of the series1  and   
that under it we are to expect the final
 victory of the ,lord ,jesus  ,christ4  
,the conclusion1 therefore1 is plain1   
that if the exhaustion of  the ,ottoman 
,empire is the event symbolized by the  
drying up of the  ,euphrates1 it is high
 time that we awake out of sleep3 for   
the sixth vial  is already begun1 and we
 must soon expect to behold ,christ     

,himself1 with  all the joys of ,his    
kingdom and all the terrors of a        
crushing victory4  ,i  say #8soon1' not 
#8immediately1' for it does not appear  
that this passage  teaches us to expect 
it any day or hour1 for it describes    
certain great  political events which   
have not yet taken place4  ,the         
,euphrates is  drying1 but not yet dry4 
,the kings have not yet passed over from
 the  ,east1 and the battle of ,almighty
 ,god1 whatever it may symbolize1 has   
not  yet been fought4  ,all1 therefore1 
that we can say is1 that we appear to   
have reached what ,daniel terms #8the   
time of the end2' that now it is high   
time to awake out of sleep1 for we      
already begin to see the first streaks  
of morning dawn4  ,we have already      
witnessed some of the great events that 
must very shortly precede the ,advent1  
and we may begin to look out full  of   
hope for the actual return of the ,lord 
,himself4    7#c47  ,this conclusion is 
confirmed by the words of our ,lord     

,himself4  ,i  need not stop to prove   
that ,he is the speaker in this passage1
 but we  must carefully observe ,his    
words4  ,what does ,he say when the     
sixth vial  is poured out1 and the      
,euphrates is drying up1 and when the   
three evil  spirits are gone forth      
through ,christendom8  ,what is the     
warning voice  which ,he ,himself then  
gives out with reference to ,his coming8
  ,what  lesson would ,he have us learn 
from these great events8  ,of what are  
they  ,his signal8  ,does ,he not teach 
us to be looking out for ,his coming8   
,does  ,he not say1 #8,behold1 ,i come  
as a thief8'  ,does ,he not call us to a
 double  watchfulness1 and teach us not 
merely to watch against the seductive   
influence of these foul spirits1 but to 
watch also for ,his own appearing1  and 
for the bright hope of joyfully meeting 
,him8  ,but if this be the  case1 and if
 the prophecy of the sixth vial is      
really being now  fulfilled1 as we      
believe it to be1 by the drying up of   

the ,turkish power2  then every fresh   
symptom of decay in that power1 every   
loss of territory  by the ,turks1 every 
fresh insurrection1 and every proof that
 the empire  is reduced to hopeless     
bankruptcy1 is like a clarion blast of  
the trumpet  of ,god ringing through the
 ears of ,christendom2 and proclaiming1 
with a  distinctness which cannot be    
mistaken1 #8,watch1 therefore1 for ye   
know  neither the day nor the hour when 
the ,son of ,man cometh6'    ,,ii4  ,but
 if this be the case1 it behoves us     
carefully to examine our  second        
question4  ,if such a warning is so     
clearly given1 how can ,he be  said to  
come as a thief8  ,he ,himself teaches  
us perfectly clearly that  the meaning  
of the illustration is that1 as the     
thief comes without  giving notice1 so  
,he will return without previously      
giving any such  notice of ,his approach
 as will arouse the sleepers4  ,the     
thief does not  tell you when he is     
coming2 and when he comes1 he neither   

knocks the door  nor rings the bell4    
,but he comes quietly4  ,he does nothing
 to disturb  those that are asleep1 and 
,his object is to enter unobserved4  ,so
 our  ,lord teaches us1 that when ,he   
comes ,he will do nothing to startle the
  world4  ,there will be nothing to     
prevent men eating and drinking1        
marrying and giving in marriage1 right  
up to the very end4  ,the men of  the   
world will find ,him in the house before
 they have the least idea of  ,his      
approach4  ,that this is the meaning of 
the words is perfectly clear  from what 
,he said 7,matt4 xxiv4 #db-dd73         
#8,watch1 therefore2 for ye know not    
what hour your ,lord doth come4  ,but   
know this1 that if the goodman of the   
house had known in what watch the thief 
would come1 he would have  watched1 and 
would not have suffered his house to be 
broken up4  ,therefore be ye also ready3
 for in such an hour as ye think not1   
the ,son  of ,man cometh4'    ,but1 you 
may say1 how far is this consistent with

 what has been said of  the probability 
of ,his return following quickly on the 
exhaustion of the  ,ottoman ,empire8    
,if there be a prophetic series in the  
book of  ,revelation1 and we have       
already reached the last station on the 
last  branch of the line1 how is it that
 ,he can be said to come upon us without
  notice as a thief does8  ,has ,he not 
given us notice in this prophecy8    ,in
 answer to that question we must observe
 the clearly marked distinction  between
 ,his own believing people and the      
unbelieving world4  ,to ,his own  people
 ,he will not come as a thief1 for we   
read in #a ,thess4 v4 #d1 #e1 #8,but    
ye1 brethren1 are not in darkness that  
that day should overtake you as  a      
thief4'  ,you are in the light1 i4e41   
for you can see ,him coming2 so  you    
will not be found asleep4  ,so ,he      
,himself taught us distinctly in  the   
very passage in which ,he uses the      
illustration2 for ,he there shows  that 
,his own disciples are to expect ,his   

coming when they see the  predicted     
signs1 just as they expect the summer   
when they see the budding  of the trees 
in spring 7,matt4 xxiv4 #cb1 #cc74  ,nor
 are they to wait in  their expectation 
till they see these signs fully         
developed2 not to wait1  i4e41 till the 
young branch is fully grown2 but they   
are to watch  beginnings1 and learn from
 them4  ,they are to draw their         
conclusion when  the branch is yet      
tender1 without waiting till it is fully
 ripened2 as ,he  ,himself taught us in 
,luke1 xxi4 #bh3 #8,when these things   
begin to come to  pass1 then look up1   
and lift up your heads1 for your        
redemption draweth  nigh4'  ,if1        
therefore1 you be amongst the people of 
,god1 you need never  be taken by       
surprise4  ,we do not know the exact    
time1 but we may study  the predicted   
signs1 and1 having them before us1 may  
look out for the  second advent just as 
,simeon and ,anna looked out for the    
first4  ,we may  be like the servant of 

,elijah1 going up again and again to the
 hill-top  to watch for the coming rain2
 or like the loving servant watching for
 the  footsteps of the master whom he   
loves1 and perfectly ready1 whenever he 
returns1 to open the door1 and welcome  
him to his home4  ,the ,lord came       
suddenly to ,his temple1 but ,he did not
 come suddenly to ,simeon2 and the      
,lord will come as a thief to the world1
 but if you hold fast to ,his own  word 
,he will never be as a thief to you4    
,i have already said1 it is the world   
that will be found asleep1 and to  whom 
,he will really come as a thief4  ,but  
some man may say1 #8,if there be  these 
signs beforehand1 will they not arouse  
the world as well as  believers8  ,will 
they not awaken society8  ,will they not
 compel men to  prepare8'  ,i answer    
that by another question1 ,do they8     
,there are certain  signs already given2
 do they wake up society8  ,have they   
produced such an  impression as to      
arouse the great mass of worldly men8   

,there are the  ,jews preserved as a    
separate people1 in fulfilment of a     
prophecy given  more than three thousand
 years ago2 what effect has such a      
fulfilment of  ,god's word had in the   
,city8  ,there are all the politicians  
of ,europe at  their wits' end because  
of the decay of ,turkey2 how many even  
of  yourselves have been led thereby to 
look out for the near approach of our   
blessed ,saviour8  ,there is ,rome      
stripped of its temporal power in       
fulfilment of great prophecies given1   
some of them1 more than two  thousand   
years ago2 how many are there that have 
been led by that  fulfilment to look out
 even for the fall of ,babylon8  ,the   
simple fact is1  that these great       
fulfilments1 though conspicuous to the  
eye of those who  study them1 completely
 fail to produce the least impression on
 the deep  sleep of the unconverted     
world4  ,the prophecies are not read2   
the facts  are not compared with them2  
the lessons are not learned2 and the    

soul is  not aroused to preparation4    
,how many are there even in this very   
town on  whom the fulfilment of ,god's  
prophetic word has never produced the   
slightest effect8  ,they are living just
 as they would have lived1 or  rather   
sleeping as they would have slept1 if   
there had been no prophecy  to give the 
warning1 and no history to confirm its  
truth4  ,can you  wonder1 then1 that the
 ,lord ,jesus should come upon such     
persons as a  thief8    ,but ,i trust1  
dear brethren1 that ,he may not come as 
a thief to you1 but  that you may be    
found in the light and awake1 not in    
darkness and asleep2  or1 to use the    
illustration of this text1 that you may 
not wake up naked  to your everlasting  
shame4  ,i am sure you desire when ,he  
comes to be  found awake1 looking out1  
ready to welcome ,him4  ,you wish to be 
found  clothed4  ,oh1 think what it     
would be to be found naked1 when all the
  saints of ,god are standing around you
 in their resurrection robe6  ,we  have 

lately read of poor people startled in  
the night by shipwreck1 and  rushing as 
they were to the deck1 utterly          
unprotected against the bitter  blast of
 the winter's snow-storm4  ,think what  
it would be to be suddenly  aroused from
 your own deep sleep1 to see all that   
you have in the world  wrecked around   
you1 and to find your poor soul quite   
naked1 while the  terrible storm of     
,god's most just judgment beats upon    
you1 and breaks  down every hope of     
escape6  ,oh1 dear brethren1 may it     
never be so with  you6  ,may you be     
amongst those who can peacefully look   
for ,his appearing1  because you are    
clothed in ,his righteousness6  ,may you
 be kept walking in  the light1 and     
cleansed from all sin through ,his most 
precious blood6  ,then you will have    
nothing to fear1 but everything to hope 
for1 in the  thought of ,his coming4    
,then ,he will never come as a thief to 
you1 for  you will be ready at any time 
to open the door and welcome ,him4  ,as 

the  bride delights in the bridegroom1  
so will you delight in ,him4  ,your     
trial  will consist1 not in the dread of
 ,his coming1 but in the difficulty of  
patiently waiting for ,his return1 and  
when ,he comes you will find no         
language to bless and praise ,his holy  
name1 for ,his boundless and  unmerited 
love in having redeemed you by ,his     
atoning blood2 in having  called you by 
,his sovereign grace2 in having forgiven
 you through ,his  finished atonement2  
in having sanctified you by the ,holy   
,ghost2 and in  having preserved you in 
,his own unchanging faithfulness1 till  
,he shall  have finally presented you   
spotless and faultless before the throne
 of  ,his everlasting glory4            
,,jerusalem4      ,there is no city in  
the whole world which fills so important
 a place in  the ,word of ,god as       
,jerusalem4  ,there are several others  
which are more  prominent in the world's
 politics1 but in the great economy of  
,god1 as  revealed in ,sacred           

,scripture1 ,jerusalem stands out       
pre-eminent above them  all4  ,we       
,englishmen think of ,london1 with its  
vast population and  enormous wealth1 as
 the leading city of the world2 but     
except in so far  as it is the capital  
of one of the isles of the sea1 it has  
no place in  prophecy4  ,the ,french    
look upon ,paris as the most beautiful  
city of  ,europe1 and the centre of     
,european influence2 but1 unless it is  
the  predicted seat of the ,beast1 which
 some persons are disposed to consider  
it1 it is literally nowhere in the ,word
 of ,god4  ,and ,rome1 which all  regard
 with something of awe and veneration1  
as being associated with the  most      
thrilling histories of the past1 is     
described in the ,prophetic ,word  as   
the seven-hilled city on which is seated
 the mystic ,babylon1 the great  whore  
of the ,apocalypse4  ,but the whole of  
,sacred ,scripture abounds in  allusions
 to ,jerusalem4  ,history1 poetry1 and  
prophecy are all full of  it4  ,it is   

described as #8beautiful for situation1'
 and #8the joy of the  whole earth4'    
,the people of ,god are taught to pray  
for it1 and the  promise is given that  
those who love it shall prosper4  ,the  
sacred feet  of the ,son of ,god trod   
the pavement of its ,temple1 and we are 
assured  that it will never disappear   
from ,god's great dealings with mankind1
  until the ,new ,jerusalem shall       
descend from heaven from our ,god1 and  
there  shall be new heavens and a new   
earth at the coming of the ,lord of     
glory4    ,it was the sight of this     
beautiful city1 with its magnificent    
,temple  crowning the heights of ,mount 
,moriah1 that drew from our blessed     
,saviour  the remarkable prophecy       
contained in the #bdth of ,st4 ,matthew 
and the #bast  of ,st4 ,luke4  ,the     
disciples had pointed out to ,him the   
buildings of the  ,temple2 and          
afterwards1 as they sat together on     
,mount ,olives1 on the  opposite side of
 the valley1 ,he taught them the vanity 

of all earthly  strength4  ,he told them
 that of the beautiful ,temple not one  
stone should  be left upon another4     
,and ,he also taught them that there    
would be a  lengthened period of        
desolation and humiliation2 for that    
,jerusalem  should be #8trodden under   
foot of the ,gentiles until the times of
 the  ,gentiles should be fulfilled4'   
,jerusalem was to be not merely beaten  
down1 but kept down1 until a certain    
predicted period should expire4  ,but   
while the words distinctly predict a    
long period of desolation1 they no  less
 clearly imply the assurance of an      
ultimate restoration4  ,they teach  that
 ,jerusalem is not to be trodden down   
for ever1 but only till the  times of   
the ,gentiles shall be fulfilled2       
implying1 as clearly as words  can1     
that1 when those times are expired1 the 
,holy ,city shall rise again  in its    
beauty4  ,the words predict a desolation
 for a limited period1 and  at the close
 of that period restoration4    ,i have 

not time to discuss what is meant by    
#8the times of the ,gentiles4'  ,suffice
 it to say1 that ,i believe it to be    
this present ,gentile  dispensation2    
this time of ,gentile power1 and        
,gentile opportunity2 this  time during 
which ,god is gathering out his elect   
people from the ,gentile  world1 and is 
employing a ,gentile ,church in the     
sacred ministry of the  ,gospel of ,his 
grace4  ,it seems to be the time of the 
ingathering of the  ,gentile ,church1   
for it is to last1 according to ,st4    
,paul1 #8until the  fulness of the      
,gentiles be come in2' and it is clearly
 the time of the  exercise of ,gentile  
power1 for they are ,gentiles by whom   
,jerusalem is to  be trodden under foot4
    ,but ,i do not wish to occupy time  
in any discussion of this period1 but   
rather to invite your special attention 
to those ,gentile powers which  have    
trodden ,jerusalem under foot4  ,which  
are they8 and how do they now  stand8   
,what1 then1 are the ,gentile powers    

which have trodden down ,jerusalem8  ,in
  the course of the eighteen hundred    
years of her humiliation there have     
been times during which there have been 
short interruptions in the sway  of the 
ruling powers4  ,but1 looking at the    
period as one great whole1 and  fixing  
our attention on the conspicuous        
outlines of history1 we find that  there
 are two powers which stand out         
conspicuous above all the rest as  the  
great oppressors of the holy city4      
,these are ,rome and the successive     
forms of that ,mahommedan power of which
 the present head is ,turkey4  ,rome    
trod her down at the siege of           
,jerusalem1 and ,turkey holds her down  
now4  ,rome cast her to the ground1 and 
when she was down ,turkey set its foot  
on  her neck4  ,rome hurled her to the  
dust1 and ,turkey now tramples her in   
the mire4  ,rome destroyed ,god's       
,temple1 and actually ploughed up the   
sacred ground on which it stood4        
,turkey maintains on the sacred site the

  mosque of ,omar2 and on that holy hill
 where ,abraham offered ,isaac1 where   
,david offered the oxen of ,araunah1    
where ,solomon built his ,temple1 and   
where the ,lord ,jesus1 the ,son of     
,david1 cast out all that was unholy2   
there1 by ,turkish authority1 now stands
 a ,mahommedan mosque2 and there no     
,jew is permitted to set his foot1 the  
only privilege allowed him being to     
kneel in the ,street of ,wailing outside
 the enclosure1 and there weep for  the 
desolation of ,jerusalem4    ,there is  
something very remarkable in this fact1 
because these are the  two powers       
especially connected with the two great 
predicted apostasies1  ,popery and      
,mahommedanism2 ,rome being the seat of 
the ,popedom1 and the  ,sultan of       
,turkey the recognised head of the      
,mahommedan apostasy4    ,but ,i have no
 time now to examine that connexion1 nor
 is it my present  object to do so4     
,the one fact ,i desire to leave        
perfectly clearly on  your mind is this1

 that ,rome1 and the ,mussulman power of
 which ,turkey is  now the head1 are the
 two ,gentile powers which for the last 
eighteen  hundred years must be charged 
with having trodden down ,jerusalem4    
,and now1 what is the present position  
of these two powers8  ,and how do  they 
stand in ,europe8  ,what is the         
condition1 and what the prospect1 of    
these two great oppressors of           
,jerusalem8    ,as for ,rome1 as a      
political power it has ceased to exist1 
for ,i need not  say that the modern    
kingdom of ,italy has nothing to do with
 it4  ,it is  not built on the old      
lines1 but is altogether a new creation1
 an  extension of the kingdom of        
,sardinia4  ,now there can be no doubt  
whatever  that the vast1 iron-footed1   
undivided1 ,roman ,empire1 of which     
,titus was  emperor at the time he trod 
down ,jerusalem1 has long since passed  
away4  ,different historians may assign 
different dates to its dissolution1 but 
no one doubts for one moment that it is 

dissolved4  ,the power that  trampled   
down ,jerusalem is broken up into ten   
kingdoms1 and the ,imperial  head is no 
more4  ,there is no successor to the    
throne of ,titus1 and the  throne itself
 is in fragments4    ,it is very        
remarkable also that the ,papal head    
which succeeded the  ,imperial has      
within the last few years come also to  
an end as a political  power4  ,after   
the division of the undivided empire the
 ten kingdoms were  to a great extent   
held together by the ,papal head which  
succeeded the  ,imperial4  ,the ,pope   
claimed to be the sole authority from   
which the kings  derived their power1   
and before the ,reformation all ,europe 
acknowledged  his claim4  ,he was       
supposed to hold all the crowns of      
,europe in his hand4  ,but that is all  
over now4  ,the kings have taken away   
his dominion4  ,as a  political power   
the ,papal head has followed the        
,imperial4  ,according to  ,sir ,g4     
,bowyer1 in the ,times of ,nov4 #aj1    

#ahga1 #8,the ,pope has been  dethroned1
 and all his dominions and property have
 been reduced to a  palace1 a church1   
and a garden1' it does not seem1        
therefore1 very  probable that ,rome in 
either shape will ever again tread down 
,jerusalem4  ,we may safely say that the
 first of the two oppressors is no more4
    ,but what shall we say of the       
second8 of that ,turkey which is the    
only  power now treading down           
,jerusalem8  ,i would meet this by      
another  question4  ,is there any       
politician in ,europe who has the least 
expectation of ,turkey remaining in its 
present position for another ten  years8
  ,whatever little political power it   
retains is dying out as fast  as it can 
die4  ,its exchequer is bankrupt4  ,its 
credit is gone4  ,its  character for    
good faith is at an end4  ,its armies   
are unpaid4  ,its  subject populations  
are rising against the intolerable      
burdens of its  injustice and           
oppression2 and the ,turks themselves   

have lost heart in the  melancholy      
conviction that their days are numbered4
    ,thus1 of the two powers that have  
trodden down ,jerusalem1 one is already 
extinct1 and the head of the other at   
its last gasp4  ,the foot of the  ,sick 
,man is the only foot now remaining on  
the neck of ,jerusalem1 and the  ,sick  
,man is dying4  ,surely it is not       
unreasonable to ask the question1       
#8,when he dies1 why should not         
,jerusalem arise and be free8'    ,the  
result is that1 without dwelling on any 
minute detail1 we are brought  by the   
great1 long-continued facts of ,european
 history1 to the most  important        
conclusion that1 in all probability1 we 
are approaching the  time when          
,jerusalem shall no longer be trodden   
down of the ,gentiles1 and  when1       
therefore1 the times of the ,gentiles   
shall be fulfilled4  ,it is  only       
reasonable to suppose1 that when the    
oppressors are taken out of the  way the
 oppression will come to an end2 and1   

therefore1 as one of those  two         
oppressors is already fallen1 and the   
other falling so fast that all  the     
powers of ,europe seem unable to keep   
him in his place1 there is  surely good 
reason to hope that before long the     
captive will be free1 and  that the time
 may not be far distant when we shall   
hear the cry1 #8,shake  thyself from the
 dust2 arise and sit down1 ,o           
,jerusalem3 loose thyself  from the     
bands of thy neck1 ,o captive daughter  
of ,zion4'    ,and it certainly is a    
most remarkable fact that1              
simultaneously with the  consumption of 
,rome and the decay of ,turkey1 there   
has been a wonderful  awakening of      
interest in ,jerusalem and the ,jews4   
,the explorations in  ,palestine are    
very like a fulfilment of the prophecy1 
#8,thy servants take  pleasure in her   
stones1 and favour the dust thereof2'   
and if they are1  there is good reason  
to hope that #8the time to favour her1  
yea1 the set  time1 is come4'    ,but   

the interest in the people is more      
remarkable than that in the  country4   
,before the great ,evangelical revival  
at the commencement of  this century no 
one seemed to have any idea that the    
,jews had any part in  their own        
,messiah4  ,they were treated as an     
outcast people1 and as for  their       
conversion1 no one seems to have thought
 of attempting it until the  formation  
of the ,society for ,promoting          
,christianity among the ,jews1 in  the  
year #ahjh4  ,but now there are         
,christian missionaries labouring       
amongst them in most of the principal   
towns of ,europe1 and1 indeed1 in       
almost all the leading centres of their 
scattered population4  ,the ,new        
,testament has been translated into     
,hebrew1 and very nearly twenty-five    
thousand copies are being annually      
circulated amongst the ,jews4  ,the     
state of feeling towards them has passed
 through a complete revolution1  so that
 of ,england it was said not long since 

by a learned and  influential ,italian  
,jew1 #8,god has blessed1 and will      
bless1 ,england2  because her great men1
 both in ,church and ,state1 take an    
interest in the  children of ,jacob4'   
,such facts are most important in       
themselves2 but  when it is borne in    
mind that this interest in ,jerusalem   
has been  awakened just at the time of  
the consumption of the political power  
of  ,rome1 and has been going on side by
 side with the decay of ,turkey1 it     
certainly ought to lead all students of 
the ,word of ,god to consider  carefully
 whether the times of the ,gentiles may 
not be drawing to a  close1 and the day 
of redemption may not be beginning to   
dawn on  ,jerusalem4    ,but some may be
 disposed to say1 ,how are we concerned 
with ,jerusalem1 and  what does it      
matter to us whether ,jerusalem is      
trodden under foot1 or  free8  ,i fear  
this is a very common feeling throughout
 society1 and that  there are thousands 
and tens of thousands of professing     

,christians who  are perfectly          
indifferent as to the condition of      
,jerusalem4  ,but it ought  not so to   
be1 for if it be a place cared for by   
the ,lord1 it ought to be  also cared   
for by his people4  ,besides which1 even
 on selfish principles1  we should take 
an interest in ,jerusalem2 for1 as our  
position as ,gentiles  in ,christ ,jesus
 is most intimately connected with the  
fall of ,jerusalem1  so our brightest   
hopes in ,him are bound up with its     
recovery4  ,in proof  of this ,i would  
ask you to turn to ,ps4 cii4 #af1 where 
you read1 #8,when the  ,lord shall build
 up ,zion he shall appear in glory6'    
,the return of the  ,lord is1 therefore1
 connected with the rebuilding of       
,jerusalem1 and1  whenever we see ,his  
hand restoring the city1 we should begin
 to look out  in confident hope for the 
glorious and happy day when ,he ,himself
 will  come to take the kingdom4  ,as a 
student of the ,word of ,god ,i should  
be  very much surprised if ,he were to  

come before ,jerusalem is raised from   
the dust2 but when it is raised1 it     
seems clear from ,scripture that there  
will be nothing in the great prophetic  
series any longer to delay ,his         
appearing4    ,so in our ,lord's        
discourse1 as recorded by ,st4 ,matthew 
and ,st4 ,luke1 we  are taught the same 
thing4  ,the object of the discourse is 
not1 as has  been sometimes thought1 to 
confound the taking of ,jerusalem with  
the  ,second ,coming1 but to distinguish
 them1 and to warn the disciples against
  the danger of mistaking the siege of  
,jerusalem for the coming of the  ,lord4
  ,it is the restoration of ,jerusalem1 
not the fall1 which is  connected with  
the ,advent4  ,our ,lord1 therefore1    
distinguishes between  the fall and the 
recovery1 and describes the various     
signs that shall  precede each4  ,so up 
to ,luke1 xxi4 #bd1 we find the         
description of the  desolation1         
concluding with the prophecy1           
#8,jerusalem shall be trodden  down of  

the ,gentiles until the time of the     
,gentiles be fulfilled4'  ,but  in ver4 
#bh we find the promise of the glorious 
recovery in those sacred  words1 #8,when
 these things begin to come to pass1    
then look up1 and lift  up your heads1  
for your redemption draweth nigh4'  ,the
 #bdth verse  describes the desolation1 
the #bhth the restoration1 and the whole
 long  period described as the times of 
the ,gentiles1 with the signs of the    
latter days1 intervenes between the two4
  ,now look at the account of the       
redemption4  ,it includes clearly a     
release from the captivity1 and the     
rise of ,jerusalem1 when the time of its
 treading down shall have come to  an   
end4  ,but that is not all1 or nearly   
so4  ,the redemption there  described is
 identified with the return of the ,lord
 ,himself2 for in ver4  #bg we read1    
#8,then shall they see the ,son of ,man 
coming in a cloud with  power and great 
glory4'  ,those then who pray for the   
peace of ,jerusalem  will rejoice for   

,jerusalem's sake in its recovery4      
,those servants of ,god  who take       
pleasure in her stones1 and favour the  
dust thereof1 will have  their hearts   
gladdened when they see her rebuilt4    
,but that is not all1  or nearly all1   
for whenever that happens1 the whole    
,church of ,god1 and  every member of it
 in every nation under heaven1 may look 
up1 and lift up  their heads1 for the   
,lord ,himself will soon appear4  ,once 
more1 then1 are  we taught our deep     
interest in the decay of ,turkey4  ,when
 ,turkey falls  there is every hope that
 ,jerusalem will rise2 and when         
,jerusalem rises1  the next thing for us
 to look out for will be the ,advent of 
the ,lord4  ,all ,christians1 therefore1
 should rejoice in the decline of the   
,ottoman  ,empire1 for the fall of the  
,mussulman is the hope of the ,jew1 and 
the  return of the ,jew will be the     
blessed harbinger of the triumphant     
advent  of her glorious ,king4  ,rome   
beat down ,jerusalem1 and ,rome1 as a   

political  power1 is no more4  ,turkey  
is now treading her down2 but its decay 
is  begun1 and its days are numbered3 so
 that we may earnestly hope it will  be 
but a little while1 possibly a very     
little while--within the lives of  many 
present--when the great promise of ,god 
shall be fulfilled1 and1  according to  
the prophecy1 #8,the moon shall be      
confounded1 and the sun  ashamed1 when  
the ,lord of hosts shall reign in ,mount
 ,zion1 and in  ,jerusalem1 and before  
his ancients gloriously4'  ,god grant   
that all the  readers of this little    
book may be found looking for ,his      
appearing1 and  ready to welcome ,him   
with their lamps burning brightly1 when 
the cry is  heard1 #8,the ,bridegroom   
cometh6'                                
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,,strangeways1 ,castle ,st4 ,leicester  
,sq4                                    

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,by the same ,author4 #j                
99 99 99 99 99    ,,sanctification3     
being ,expository ,sermons4             
,second ,edition1 enlarged4             
,square fcap4 #hvo4 cloth1 #bs4 #f;d4   
,,the ,,communion ,,and ,,communicant4  
,fourth ,edition1 revised and enlarged4 
,fcap4 #hvo4 sewed1 #f;d4    ,,baptism4 
,as ,taught in the ,bible and           
,prayer-book4       ,sixth ,edition4    
,fcap4 #hvo4 sewed1 #d;d4               
,,inspiration3 its ,nature and ,extent4 
,sewed1 #f;d4    ,,sermons ,,for ,,the  
,,day4       ,fcap4 #hvo4 sewed1 #f;d4  
,,conformity ,,to ,,the ,,world4        
,third ,edition4  ,paper1 #f;d4         
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,,hatchards1 ,,piccadilly4              
,h4 ,,colbran1 ,,calverley ,,road1      
,,tunbridge ,,wells4          ,footnotes
      #bf  ,hume1 ii4 #fg4    #bh  ,i   
was interested1 two days after preparing
 this lecture1 by reading  the following

 sentence in the ,times3 #8,upon every  
temporal consideration  ,rome never was 
so low as she lies this day4'--,times1  
,dec4 #ae1 #ahgc4    #j  ,in this       
edition of the book the 8,by the same   
author0 section appears  at the front of
 the book1 before the title page4  ,it  
has been moved to  the end in the e,text
 for clarity4--,,dp4