purposes, in opposition to Christ, who only has a right to rule. Mark of the beast then is evidently the lust of power. It seems plain to my mind, therefore, that those who do not worship the beast, or his image, are those who submit to Christ; and that those who do not wear the mark of the beast, are those who have put away all lust for power, and laid their entire being at the foot of the cross. I suppose, therefore, that all who have said we will have Christ to reign over us, will live and reign with Him a thousand years; that this is the first resurrection; that the "Lord my God shall come, and all the saints with him," (Zech. xiv. 5,) at that time, and enjoy their millennium together; while the rest of the dead, (the wicked,) live not again till the thousand years are finished."

I believe that "Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection; on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be kings and priests of God, and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years."

I believe that "when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, and shall go out to deceive the nations, Gog and Magog, in the four quarters of the earth." I believe this Gog and Magog to be "the rest of the dead," who "live not again until the thousand years are finished”—that is, all the wicked; that these

will then go up on all the breadth of the earth; i. e., will then be raised from the dead and compass the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city; that fire will come down from God out of heaven and devour them; that the devil that deceived them will be cast into the lake of fire, where the beast and the false prophet are, and will be tormented day and night forever and ever; and that this is the second death.

I believe these things because "thus saith the Lord," in the twentieth chapter of Revelation, and because I know of no shadow of a reason for calling them mysticisms. The opinion that they are mysticisms, I believe to be one of those groundless traditions of men, by which the commandment of God is made of none effect. believe that the doctrine of a first and second resurrection was taught by Christ, in John v. 28, 29: "Marvel not at this for the hour cometh, in the which all that are in their graves shall hear His voice, and shall come forth, they that have done good unto the resurrection of life, and they that have done evil unto the resurrection of damnation." I find, on examination, that the Greek preposition, eis, which in this passage is twice translated, unto, might with equal propriety have been translated, at, and then the passage would have been plain, fully harmonizing with the twentieth chapter of Revelation. I believe, therefore, that Christ meant to teach, that all who are in their

graves shall be raised; those who have done good, at the resurrection of life—those who have done evil, at the resurrection of damnation.

II. How will Christ dispose of the righteous and the wicked, who shall be found on the earth, at the time of His coming?

I believe, from the testimony of Paul, in I. Thess. iv. 14-18, that when Christ comes, bringing all that sleep in Jesus with him,that is, all the saints,—the dead in Christ will rise; that all God's people, who are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord, shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air-and so shall ever be with the Lord. I believe that all the righteous, according to Paul's testimony in 1 Cor. xv. 52, 54, will then, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, be changed from corruption to incorruption, from mortal to immortality, and be caught up with the saints, then raised immortal from their graves. I believe, however, that no such change will then pass upon the bodies of the wicked who are alive at Christ's coming; but then will be fulfilled that fearful prediction of our Lord Jesus Christ, which He declared, in the seventeenth chapter of Luke, shall be fulfilled "in the day when the Son of man is revealed." "I tell you, in that night, there shall be two in one bed, the one shall be taken and the other shall be left. Two shall be grinding together,

the one shall be taken and the other left. Two shall be in the field, the one shall be taken and the other left." When Christ was asked-Where, Lord? "he said unto them, wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together." That is-wheresoever the righteous and the wicked are together when the Son of man is revealed, there shall the righteous be changed to incorruption, and caught up, in the twinkling of an eye, to meet the Lord in the air, while the wicked shall be left.

I believe, with Malachi, the prophet, that the day" will then have come, "that shall burn as an oven, and the proud and all that do wickedly shall be as stubble, and the day that cometh shall burn them up," saith the Lord, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch." I can have no fellowship with any interpretation of Scripture, that can make such a declaration, enforced with "thus saith the Lord," to be a mere figure. I believe that, as truly as the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed by fire and set forth as an example, so truly will all the wicked of the earth be thus destroyed, in fulfilment of the prediction of Isaiah xxxiii. 12. "The people shall be as the burnings of lime, as thorns cut up shall they be burned in the fire." Then also, in fulfilment of Jer. xxv. 33, "The slain of the Lord shall be from one end of the earth, even unto the other end of the

earth; they shall not be lamented, neither gathered, nor buried; they shall be dung upon the ground." Then, also, will be fulfilled the prediction of Ezekiel, (xx. 47, 48,) · "Say to the forest of the south, hear the word of the Lord. Thus saith the Lord God, Behold I will kindle a fire in thee, and it shall devour every green tree in thee, and every dry tree; the flaming flame shall not be quenched, and all faces from the south to the north shall be burned therein. And all flesh shall see that I the Lord have kindled it; it shall not be quenched." The prophet continues, "Ah, Lord God, they say of me doth he not speak parables." Thus even now do the wicked think to escape the force of God's threatenings by calling them parables. But they will learn that the declaration, "thus saith the Lord," is no figure of speech; that the fearful threatenings thus sanctioned, will have a complete fulfilment. At the same time will be fulfilled the words of Daniel, (vii. 9, 10, 11 verses,)—"The Ancient of Days will sit; his throne the fiery flame; his wheels burning fire; a fiery stream issuing from before him; then will the beast be slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flame." Thus it will be seen that "in the hand of the Lord there is a cup, the wine is red, it is full of mixture, and he poureth out of the same; but the dregs thereof, all the wicked of the earth shall wring them out and drink them."