and brimstone on Sodom and Gomorrah. In fact, the whole region of country around Rome is underlaid with the proper elements for destruction by volcanic action. Yet we are so unbelieving that the Lord, to strengthen our faith, followed up this utterance by saying, "For strong is the Lord God who judgeth her." I have no doubt the Lord will destroy her in such a manner that when it takes place all shall see that whether literal or figurative, it will be just as complete as though it were by fire.

Then this is followed by the lamentations of the "kings of the earth who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her," mourning for her loss. They stand afar off for fear of the smoke of her burning and her torment, and cry, Rev. 18:10-19: "Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come. And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more: the merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stones, and of pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all thyine wood, and all manner vessels of ivory, and all manner vessels of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble: and cinnamon, and odors, and ointments, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves, and souls of men. And the fruits that thy soul lusted after are departed from thee, and all things which were dainty and goodly are departed from thee, and thou shalt find them no more at all. The mer

chants of these things, which were made rich by her, shall stand afar off for the fear of her torment, weeping and wailing, and saying, Alas, alas, that great city, that was clothed in fine linen, and purple, and scarlet, and decked with gold, and precious stones, and pearls! For in one hour so great riches is come to nought. And every shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off, and cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What city is like unto this great city! And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas, that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate." Here all partisans of the Papacy mourn and weep over her fall.

But, on the contrary, in verses 20 and 24 all heaven rejoices over her overthrow. "Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets, for God hath avenged you on her."

"And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth."

LECTURE XIV

WHEN MAY WE FROM THE SCRIPTURES REASONABLY

LOOK FOR THE COMING OF OUR LORD?

A time to lift up

Difficulties. Yet not entirely in the dark. our heads, and enlargement. The Word preached as a witness. The Gospel has now reached the greater part of the world.

(1) Argument from the continuance of the Papacy. Considered as a civil power. The triple crown of the Pope. His assumptions; continued 1,260 years.

(2) The Papacy as a persecuting power. The two witnesses to be persecuted 1,260 years. The Paulicians. Their faith. The burning of the Bible. The Papacy as an apostate church. Idolatry and superstition and all abominations reached a climax in the seventh century.

(3) The Jews are to be punished "seven times." Moses' charge to Israel. Jerusalem trodden down until fullness of the Gentiles. Zedekiah dethroned, and overthrow of the kingdom. To continue till "seven times." Therefore we are in the "last days."

THE Lord Jesus said, Matthew 24:36: "But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but My Father only." Here we see the folly of all those enthusiasts who fix a definite time for the second coming of Christ. "The day and hour," here used prophetically, would mean that we cannot set any "month or year" in which the Lord will return. And no man having a thorough knowledge of God's Word would think of pointing out the specific period for this event.

Yet the Master did not leave us entirely in the dark. He has told us of certain great things which are to take place before He comes. He said to His disciples there should be "signs in the sun, and moon,

and stars, and on earth distress of nations, with perplexity; men's hearts failing them for fear," etc. And He then adds, Luke 21:28-31: "And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh." "Behold the fig tree, and all the trees: when they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand. So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand." And to keep us from carelessness and indifference he urged us to "watch" and "look" for him, for he would appear when most men would be asleep, and many would doubt, saying, "Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep all things continue as they were from the beginning." Few, if any, Christians are living as though his coming were near; and the wicked have no expectation that he ever will come. Yet we are living in the "last days."

There is a time for the people of God to "look up, and lift up their heads." There are certain events which will convince them that Jesus is nigh, and that He is nigh "for their redemption." It is not a time of sorrow, but of deliverance. It is a time for their enlargement. It is a time for them to take on new life, and cast off the gloom of despondency and darkness; and to be clothed in light. I know there are some Christians who dread the coming of Christ. Just as well to think of the wife dreading the return of her husband, or the mother the return of her long absent

son, as for the intelligent child of God to fear the coming of his Lord. It is to be a day of deliverance from the power of Satan; it is enlarged service for the Master; it is the realization of many a fond dream, and the entering on the glories of the Messiah's reign on earth. It will be truly a time of rejoicing to all the saints.

I. With this let us take up some of the points showing us where we stand in God's great plan. The first thing we consider is the Savior's own declaration that all nations are to have the gospel preached to them before He comes. Read Matthew 24:14: "And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come." He does not say they are all to be converted. So far in the world's history no nation ever has been converted. Nor does He say they are all to receive this gospel; no nation in its entirety has ever done so. But the gospel is to be preached as a witness. I take this to mean that every man in every nation will have heard enough of God's truth to make him responsible for his condemnation if he should be lost. There are thousands of people in the world who have learned enough of God's truth to save their souls, who never attend a church, nor care for God and religion. The Word has been a witness unto them. They know what Christ came into the world for; they know what salvation is; they know theoretically what the scheme of salvation means to the world. Yet they smother all this knowledge in their bosoms and go on unto death. In this sense, God's Word is to be