WE CLOSED to-day with the pouring out of the seven last plagues. I stated that they were all last; that all of them belong to the sounding of the sixth angel's trumpet; that they can not belong to the seventh, for that has reference to the millennial age, when the kingdoms of the earth all belong to the Lord. No wrath is poured out on the nations when they all acknowledge Jesus.

We have been led in the history up to the sound of the sixth trumpet; the coming to life of the witnesses (the Word of the Lord), and their being given to the nations in their living languages; and these vials are not, according to the arrangement, to be poured out until the sixth trumpet sounds. We can not go back, and we dare not go forward from that time, or we get into the millennial age, to have the vials poured out. The sixth trumpet is the last one before the millennium; and we noticed today how clearly they are all being poured out.

"And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters; with whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication." They were all drunk. For centuries past all the kings of the earth, or earthly governments, have been made drunk on Babylon's wine. I know that /242/ sometimes persons are a little intoxicated end do not know it. I have been acquainted with some few that contended that all others were drunk and they were sober. It is somewhat the effect that the wine of Mystery Babylon has, to make the drunk ones think they are sober, and all the rest are drunk. As I am a citizen of one nation, and nations are composed of individuals, I have always feared, since I have read and understood these matters, that I was, myself, a little intoxicated on the wine of Babylon; I could not raise my hand and say that I am entirely sober. And nothing will sober the nations but the sincere and pure milk of the Word, nothing else. To drink largely in the Word of the Lord, will sober the nations, if they will do it. The inhabitants of the earth are made drunk on the wine of Mystery Babylon. He called our attention a time or two to Babylon, without telling much about it, and he is about to show its utter overthrow now.

"So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet-colored beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns." The beast had seven heads and ten horns; and it carried a woman--she was seated on it. "And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet color, and decked with gold, and precious stones, and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication." It was a Church he was looking at, Mystery Babylon, the great Church that ruled over the kingdoms of the earth, that was called Babylon, because she became divided and scattered, the type proves in Genesis. She had in her hand the means of conveying the truth--a. golden cup; but in the place of conveying the truth to the people in that golden cup, she had filled it with her own abominations and filthiness. She might have blessed the world; she had the scriptures and the scholars; she had the golden cup, but she had abused it /243/ "And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF"--no one? No; I read that wrong: "MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH."

It makes me almost tremble to think of John's Vision! The woman drunk, and all the nations drunk; she had made them all drunk. The Church of Christ is called a woman, and Mystery Babylon is called a woman; it is a Church, too. It is the great Church that held the reign over the kingdoms of the earth; and any man that knows from history what Church ruled over the kingdoms of the earth for a long time, can tell what Church this Mystery Babylon is, for that is the one. And there is one painful thought about it; it is seen in the wilderness, where John saw the Church go; it is the Church that John saw flying into the wilderness, that became, instead of the chaste bride of Christ, a "great harlot," and the mother of "harlots." She had in her hand a golden cup--the Word of the Lord--and filled that which contained the Lord's rules with the filthiness of her fornication. That Church that went into the wilderness of error, superstition, and humanism, became the monstrous Mystery Babylon. John said the Church went into the wilderness; and he said he was carried into the wilderness to see her condition there, and he saw Mystery Babylon written on her forehead. Is that the true Church of Christ? No; the true Church of Christ went off into the wilderness, and became a corrupt Church.

I said, in one discourse, the only chance to have the true Church brought out of the wilderness, is to measure individuals by the same old measuring reed; measure their worship by the measuring reed, and measure the Church itself by it, and we have it in its beauty, as at first. Come out, come out, come out of Mystery Babylon! is the Lord's cry; not "Babylon, come out!" but, "Come out of her, /244/ my people, and leave her the hold of devils, the cage of unclean and hateful birds, and of every foul spirit."

This Church was the mother of a family of churches, and she was the mother of harlots; and it would become each one of us to examine closely and see whether the denomination we may hold to belongs to the family that have filled up their cup with humanisms and the commandments of men, instead of the Word of the Lord. I say it would not hurt us to examine it, because, as certain as the Word of the Lord is true, that certain there is a Great Mystery Babylon Church, and she has a numerous family of daughters. But I never saw a person in my life that would own he belonged to the family. Yet some one does and we can not get out of it. That would be utterly impossible for all to get out and be free from this Church, while the numerous family lives; that could not be. We know who belong to Mystery Babylon's family--those that are governed by the doctrines and commandments of uninspired men. That is hard, but it is as soft as I dare fix it. "I speak as unto wise men; judge ye what I say!"

"And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints." It was the same church that had been persecuting, putting people to death, and ruling over all the kingdoms of earth too." And [drunk] with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her I wondered with great astonishment. And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns." This whole chapter is not much else than an explanation given by the Lord himself of the visions John had been looking at.

"The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, (whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation /245/ of the world,) when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is." It seems strange to talk about a beast that was, and is not, and yet is. But by filling up the ellipsis, it does not look so strange. It was in a state of preparation, or in a state of infancy, all along down through the seven heads, five of which had fallen in John's day. Is not yet, John, while you are in Patmos, fully developed, but is to be brought out fully before the world yet; the eighth form of Rome, the imperial Latin kingdom;--it was of the seven; it was, in all the preceding forms of Rome, being brought up to the point of its final and full development. But it was not fully developed in John's day; it was in the days of its infancy--is not yet grown up, but will be matured after a while,--yet is.

"And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth." And this woman was Mystery Babylon, the mother of harlots. She was the corrupt Church ruling over all the earth. Some writers say that the seven mountains upon which the woman sat, were the seven little hills upon which the city of Rome was built. And they have a literal city on seven literal hills or mountains. But, then, here comes in something that would look a little like it might not mean that. In the original, and according to the best scholars we have, and some of our best translations, it goes on and says, These are seven kings or kingdoms; five are fallen, one is standing, and the other--the seventh--has not come yet. That would not answer for the seven hills on which the city of Rome is built.

These heads are mountains, and these mountains are kings, or forms of kingly government. Five of them that were, are already gone; one of them is now ruling; another will come up and last a little while--another form of Rome--and these seven will all give way to the beast John was describing--the eighth form which grew out of  /246/ the seven. "Five are fallen, one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space." And the beast that was growing up when this form is coming on, and is not yet fully developed, even he is the eighth (mountain or head), and becomes a kingdom himself.

"And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition. And the ten horns which thou sawest are kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast."

At the same time the beast--the eighth form, the papal form of Rome--is ruling, these kings rule under him. "These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast"--unto the imperial power that upheld papal Rome.

"These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them; for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings; and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful." Here is an explanation I wish you to notice in the next verse, for I have alluded to it several times in my lectures. "And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues." "Waters" means people; and there is no variation in this rule, used figuratively in this book of Revelation. The waters that the woman sits on and rules over, are the kindreds, tongues, peoples and nations that are under her--the great sea of the human family, and that made the sea of water--the religious world the woman was ruling over--for a long time.

"And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh and burn her with fire." The political powers that upheld her so long, and gave all /247/ their strength to the power that sustains her, will turn against her after a while. That is what the Lord said. "For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast," or the empire that carries Mystery Babylon, "until the words of God shall be fulfilled." And then they will turn against the very power they have sustained so long--the Church they have upheld so long; and that is fulfilling, if not fulfilled before our eyes in history's page. I said before our eyes; I mean the eyes of our understanding. We see in the nations of to-day the fulfillment that the very divisions of the Roman Empire that held up the mother Church so long, have turned against her with all their might--the very kingdoms that held her up for 1260 years have turned against her

"And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth." He had just told of Babylon--what the beast was--the horns and the mountains. They are kingdoms, and under this mother-church abomination, that has the cup full of her abominations--the church of abominations, as I said, and that her overthrow is certain. There is but one Church that ever ruled over the kingdoms of this earth. No man can put his finger on history's page and tell of more than one; and she is the mother of the great family of harlots in tho land. The Roman Catholic Church did that very thing; she ruled over the kingdoms of the earth, and she has a numerous family, as I said. All the divisions of Christendom that are governed by uninspired men, belong to the same family, and make up the Babylon, and will all go down together.

"And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power." After he had seen Mystery Babylon in the wilderness, drunk with the blood of the saints and martyrs, and her numerous family with /248/ her--as he described the beast soon after, with its heads and its horns--he saw "another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory." The light begins to shine.

"And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird." The Lord's people have all left her; they have heard the cry, "Come out!" and the earth is lighted with the glory that this angel brought. He said, "all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies. And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues."

If I had a voice fond enough, or strong to enable me to cry loud enough, I would sing out until all the inhabitants of the earth might hear it: Come out of Babylon, out of confusion--the Lord's people, come out! But the Lord invites them, exhorts them, to come out. She is the hold of devils; she is the cage of every foul spirit. Come out, for heaven's sake! Who would stay there--who that wants the Lord's cause to prosper? Come out! and leave her, as John said she was finally left, as the blood of a dead man--no vitality in her at all. She was corrupted only in one third part at first, when pagan Rome went down in the days of Odoacer; and finally, when the sixth angel sounded his trumpet, she was left as the blood of a dead man. The Lord's people must come out, and keep coming out, until they leave her a cage of devils only. They must come out of all her confusion. Then the angel adds:

"For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath  /249/ remembered her iniquities. Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled, fill to her double. How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow. Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her."

It is not a literal city--it is a Church; the great Church that rules over the kings of earth, is to be destroyed. The Lord uses this figurative language, foreshowing her entire ruin.

We will now read, briefly, the account of her ruin.

"And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning, standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come. And the merchants of the earth" (the same class of merchants John spoke of in the opening of the third seal, that sold the wheat, the Word of God, and the barley--their comments on the Word of the Kingdom; not the merchants of the Lord's house, but of the earthly Church,) "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 of vessels of ivory, and all manner of vessels of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble, and cinnamon, and odors, and ointments, and frankincense, and wine, anti oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves, and souls of men. And /250/ 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 merchants 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 ship-master, 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."

That rich city, that wealthy city, for in her was great riches, has come to naught, and every ship-master--not a third part of the ships destroyed now, but all gone; not a third part of her means of usefulness destroyed now, as when the second angel sounded his trumpet; her means of usefulness are all gone; all her ship-masters are weeping now. Not a third part corrupt now; but she is as the blood of a dead man, all blood now, drunk with blood. Every ship-master, all the company in ships, as many as trade by sea, stood afar off and cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, What city is like unto this great city! This is all figurative language, and has no reference to a literal city, but to the Church--Mystery Babylon--that sat on all the kingdoms of the earth.
 
"And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, Alas, alas, that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ship's in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate.'' And the /251/ wailing may go up; it matters not, the Word of the Lord has gone forth. And the merchants, the penny merchants that were made rich by selling the Word, and their comments on it, for money, trading for all these precious things, joined in the mourning when Mystery Babylon fell, when that rich city fell; they will trade for them no more. The good things have gone from them, and they are bound to go down under the scorching rays of the Sun of Righteousness; the Word of the Lord is shining too brightly for them. These merchants, these penny preachers that traded for the good things of this world, will be out of employment, and then they will weep and wail in vain; Mystery Babylon is bound to go down with all her luxuries, for their merchandise will depart from her, and these penny preachers will stand afar off, looking and wailing. I do not know, but I have seen some of them rather shying off already, for fear of the torment they see is about to come upon her. I speak of everything human, that is not built upon this precious Word of the Lord--belongs to the Babylon that has to go down.

"Rejoice over her, thou heaven," (for you are the Lord's people,) "and ye holy apostles and prophets;" (and those that are built on them,) "for God hath avenged you on her."

"And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all." It shall go down forever. This great Church, that corrupted the world, and made the nations drunk, with all her family of daughters, must go down and be found no more at all.

"And the voice of harpers, and musicians, and of pipers, and of trumpeters, shall be heard no more at all in thee; and no craftsman, of whatsoever craft he be, shall be found any more in thee; and the sound of a millstone shall be heard no more at all in thee; and the light of a candle shall shine /252/ no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth." They were the arch-bishops, arch-deacons, right reverends, doctors of divinity. They were the lords and nobles; they were none of them common traders. "For by thy sorceries were all nations deceived." They had made such pretensions, and so bewitched the world, that they were deceived by them.

"And in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth." After Mystery Babylon is ruined, their blood is found in her, and she has caused the shedding of that blood.

"And after these things," (after Babylon goes down,) "I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, (the Church,) "saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honor, and power, unto the Lord our God: For true and righteous are his judgments: for he hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand. And again they said, Alleluia. And her smoke rose up forever and ever." She is down, and the Lord's people are rising, and shouting, Alleluia to the Lord. The time must come; the Lord has called attention to it again. In the fourth chapter, John gives us an account of the beasts and elders bowing and worshiping. That was the last event named first. Babylon is down! the Lord's people raise the shout, Alleluia!

"And the four and twenty elders and the four beasts fell down and worshiped God that sat on the throne, saying, Amen; Alleluia!" That is the time the beasts and elders bow and worship, when the kingdoms of this world have been turned over to Christ, when Mystery Babylon is down, when the whole earth is full of the glory of God, then the elders, the Lord's people, both Jews and Gentiles, in the four quarters /253/ of the world, are saying, Alleluia! Salvation, and glary, and honor, and power, unto our God who reigns; Amen!

"And a voice came out of the throne, saying, Praise our God, all ye his servants, and ye that fear him, both small and great. And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of many thunderings, saying "Alleluia; for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth." Babylon is down, sunk forever, and all her followers sunk with her.

"Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready." The Church of Christ is measured up again; she is now in her beautiful garments, ready for a marriage to Christ. And John said, Let the Lord's people rejoice. We have not reached the time yet, my brother. Babylon is not down yet, but it is tottering to its everlasting overthrow. Right now we are in the days of the fighting, and woe to the coward that skulks away from his duty! The bride is not yet ready for the marriage to Christ, not dressed up yet, but she will be.

"And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage-supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God." But the preceding verse says that the wedding garment of the bride, that she should be arrayed in, is fine linen, clean and white; and fire linen is the righteousness of saints."

Dress up, for heaven's sake! Let us put on the Lord Jesus in obedience to his requirements; fix up for the marriage-feast--it will be a happy time. Let us amend our ways, and get ready for the marriage.

"And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not; I am thy fellow servant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy." these are prophecies given to tell us what shall /254/ come, that when we see it we may believe that Jesus is the Christ. There is so much infidelity in the world now, that it will take a mighty chain to bind it down at last.

"And I saw heaven opened." He has told of the downfall of Babylon, of her utter destruction, of the Lord's people shouting, Alleluia! while the Lord reigns; and then he sums up the matter, and tells how Babylon went down. Do you want to hear him tell a little about that fight? "And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse: and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True." I said it was the gospel triumph when he first named it, and here is the same white horse again. One might say, "I thought he had been driven from the field long ago." When he first started out, the red horse came out against him, then the black horse, and then the pale horse came out in opposition to him; four trumpets sounded against him; the witnesses were killed, that was all against him. A mighty struggle of 1260 years has been going on, and the white horse not named; and, lo! he is here again in the mighty struggle, in the sound of the sixth angel's trumpet--in the days of the fighting with fire, smoke and brimstone, he is seen again. Who is he? He that sat upon him was called Faithful and True. There is something good about that white horse. What more? His name is called the Word of God. It is the true and faithful Word of God coming out on the white horse. I said that at first, that it was the gospel of peace, the Word of God was coming; and, lo! John tells it here himself; he saw the Word of God coming out.

But not perhaps in all its beauty yet. I am not right certain the nations have ever yet had the faithful and true Word of God since the dark ages commenced. Do not be offended, fellow citizens. We have many translations in the land, in different languages. Wickliffe tried to give a translation a long time since, but the door was shut against /255/ it. Tyndal followed him, and Coverdale; but the door was closed against their translations. I am not certain they were true and faithful to the original, either. Luther tried it, and I reckon old brother Luther gave as good a translation as any man before him had done, but the door was closed against it.

And the Bible that lies before me--this translation of King James--was given by the king of England whose name we have spoken; and some men of all denominations have concluded that there are some things in it not faithful to the original. To say that all denominations find a little fault, one here, and another there, would be literally true.

But one man said to me, I do not believe in meddling with the Bible. One lady said to me, "I believe the Lord made my Bible as it is up in heaven." And a gentleman, in lndiana, said to me, he wanted me to know that King James was one of the twelve apostles, and we had no business to meddle with his translation! Don't you know, fellow citizens, that the Old Testament was written in Hebrew by the prophets, and the New Testament was written in Greek by the Apostles? Not one of you, perhaps, can read the Old or New Testament in the original language. I doubt whether there is a soul in the house to-night that can read the pure old original written by the apostles and prophets. Can vou read Greek or Hebrew? Says one, What will we do about it? The Hebrew was dead in the days of Christ, and the Greek language died soon after; so they remained stereotyped, just so, forever unchangable.

I want to make an illustration right here. Suppose some man would come into the house to-night that could speak the German right fluently, and some person listening to him did not understand a word of German--how could the Englishman understand what the German was saying? If there was some one here that understood German /256/ and English both, to tell him, he could understand it. That would be translating German into English. But suppose he did not understand the German very well--he might make a few blunders in telling the Englishman what the German said. And if another man understood the German better, and the English just as well, could not he give the Englishman a little better translation of the German than the first one did? Could he not come a little nearer the true idea? And if men that did not understand the original languages have given us an imperfect translation, and we have now better and riper scholars in tho Hebrew and Greek, as well as the English, can not they give us a little better rendering? There is not a man, ignorant of the Hebrew and Greek, that can ever have the Word of the Lord until some one translates it for him. We are dependent upon translations in other languages than the Greek and Hebrew. Why, in the name of reason, will men raise their hands against translation when they are reading one given by men not the best of scholars? Why are they unwilling to have a better? Says one, "I am afraid they will meddle with the original." They can not; it is securely kept.

But John said, (I will take the Lord's word for it,) "I saw heaven opened." The door has been closed against almost every translation. Kings, and monarchs, and papal powers, have said, "You must receive this one, but you shall not examine the original." Receive the one to which the king has affixed his signet, or that the pope has sanctioned. I thank God for one thing--that in this, the freest land the sun ever shone on, we have no established church at all. The religious heavens are thrown wide open, and the way made clear for a true and faithful translation of the original scriptures. The God of heaven intends we shall have it and give it to the nations. They are engaged at it now, and have been for several years. The /257/ Bible Union is made up of all denominations that will engage in the work, and they have for their motto, "The true and faithful word of God for all nations"--just what John saw 1800 years ago. That is their motto, the verse that I have read, a true and faithful version of God's Word to all nations. And if they do not give it at once, the way is still clear. There is no king to shut the door, no monarch to say we shall not engage in the work. Certain as there is a God in heaven, the nations will have a true and faithful translation of the Word of God. It is the means God will use to pull down Mystery Babylon. Every word of this translation that is true and faithful to the original, is doing its part of the work; but when we have every word true and faithful, we have the army following.

I think we have nearly all of it here--enough to conquer the powers of darkness, if we fight valiantly. But the Lord is going to give us the true and faithful Word of God- every word every letter of it. John said the armies in heaven followed him on white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.