8. righteously fell upon the people of GOD when they rejected the Law and the Prophets, and sealed up the measure of their iniquity by rejecting and slaying HIM of Whom these testified, so those judgments which a rejected Gospel brings, accord in all respects to the sin committed. How solemn is the language of S. Paul in this respect! "For it is impossible for those who Heb. vi. 2— were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the HOLY GHOST, and have tasted the good Word of GOD, and the powers of the world to come, if they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance, seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of GOD afresh, and put Him to an open shame. For the earth which drinketh in the rain which cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessings from GoD: but that which beareth thorns and briars is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing, whose end is to be burned." These spiritual judgments, however, which rest upon apostates, are no doubt often accompanied with temporal calamities, as the book of the Revelation sufficiently testifies, and as we may also learn from the Scriptures of the Old Testament. Isaiah says, Isaiah says, "The earth also is defiled under Isa. xxiv. the inhabitants thereof, because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinances, broken the everlasting covenant. Therefore hath the curse devoured the earth, and they that dwell therein are desolate therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men left, &c." But though temporal visitations may often accompany, or be involved in these spiritual judgments which apostates bring upon themselves, yet the wrath of God is by no means filled up in them, neither indeed can be. Temporal judgments, however awful, Heb. ii. 2- 31. are, when compared with spiritual, but as the small dust upon the balance! the balance! And what language can adequately describe the judicial visitations of GOD which those who reject the Gospel of JESUS CHRIST bring upon themselves! How solemnly does S. Paul show the certainty and terribleness of such a visitation! 4; and x. 28, "For if the word spoken by angels was stedfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense of reward: how shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the LORD, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard Him: GOD also bearing them witness both by signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the HOLY GHOST according to His own Will?" And again. "He that despised Moses' law died without mercy, under two or three witnesses; of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the SON of GOD, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of Grace! For we know Him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto Me, I will recompense, saith the LORD. And again, The LORD shall judge His people. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living GOD." The last plagues, then, commencing, as they do, upon a people to whom have been committed the Gospel of the grace of GOD, and the gift of the HOLY GHOST, though involving temporal judgments, must necessarily be in themselves of a spiritual character. These vials of God's wrath come upon a people who fill up the measure of their iniquity by rejecting the Gospel of His SON. Their being called, therefore, "the seven last plagues in which are filled up the wrath of God,” re veals to us their true import, their awfulness, and the fearful and irremediable condition of those on whom these vials are poured. And those who are the subjects of these plagues, "after their hardness and impenitent hearts, treasure up unto themselves wrath against the day of wrath, and revelation of the righteous judgment of GOD;" in that day, when the LORD JESUS shall be revealed from heaven, taking vengeance on them that know not GOD, and obey not His Gospel, who shall be punished with an everlasting destruction from the presence of the LORD and from the glory of His power. These prefatory observations on the vials will assist us in forming a true idea of those forms of evil on which the vials are poured out. To this we will now apply ourselves by an examination of the twelfth, thirteenth, and fourteenth chapters in which these forms of iniquity are revealed. Rev. xii. PART V. THE FOUR FORMS OF EVIL ON WHICH THE JUDGMENTS ARE THE FIRST, OR SPIRITUAL FORM OF EVIL. 1 AND there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars: 2 And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered. 3 And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. 4 And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born. 5 And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to His throne. 6 And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of GOD, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days. 7 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, 8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. 9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. 10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our GOD, and the power of His CHRIST: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our GOD day and night. 11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. 12 Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time. 13 And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child. 14 And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent. 15 And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood. 16 And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth. 17 And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of GOD, and have the testimony of JESUS CHRIST. In this chapter we have presented to us under a spiritual aspect, the continual struggle which has ever existed between the children of GOD and the children of the wicked one. "And there appeared a great wonder in heaven, a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars." The vision is "in heaven," the region of the spiritual, where the Church of CHRIST dwelleth, being "raised up Eph. ii. 6. together with Him, and made to sit with Him in the heavenlies." The woman clothed with the sun, the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of |