lypse, and alteration of the Sabbath time,) resulting from that council, illustrate Paul's doctrine of God's judgment upon the Gentile church, if it should “boast against the" original "branches of the good Olive tree;" of which the first fruit” was holy, of course "the lump” (i. e. the nation of Jesus Christ, who was both the root of David, and the righteous branch from God.)

If the city and tower of Babel (“which the children of men builded”) is a type of the anti Christian kingdom in the last days, where is the date of its commencement in the spirit of apostasy, which is a show of wisdom above what is written? Is not the foul mark upon the council of Laodicea? Read the testimony of the Lord God, recorded in the 22 c. of the Apocalypse, and nineteenth verse.

Lif any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the Book of Life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this Book.” Now read the message of the Amen to the angel of the Laodiceans, and then come back to the 11 chapter of Genesis. Babel is the name of the tower which the children of men builded. Babel means confusion; and the name of the city was given by the sacred authority of the Lord who confounded the speech, which was contrary to His Word. Compare with the judgment, “I will spew thee out of my mouth.” It is the spiritual apostasy from Truth now under consideration. The primitive church were all of one heart, and one soul.” Her ministers saw eye to eye, (by the power of one Spirit,) that the Lord would bring again Zion, and appear in His Glory. The Day (which is the day of judgment, wherein restitution should be made to God, and to man, by the True Seed which is Christ,) was exhibited to a minister of this church of the circum

cision; and he was commanded to write the things which he had seen, (N. B. John had not written his Gospel at that time, the things which were connected with the opening of the mystery of the seven stars; and likewise of events appendant to the concerns of the seven churches in every revolution, to the finishing of the mystery of God.

The "great voice” as of a trumpet commanded his servant to write what He saw, (“Behold He cometh," v. 7,) even the glorious Epiphany of the Lord, &c.; and to send the Book unto the seven churches which were in Asia, Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamus, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, Laodicea. A special message was addressed to each Star, which the First and the Last had in his right hand. Six of the seven stars had exhibited signs of falling from their original heavens, (the heights and glories of redemption;) and one of them had no true light at all, although he was held in the right hand of truth; and was set in a golden candlestick, which belonged to the true tabernacle of witness, which is the Lord Jesus Christ. This star was the angel of the church of the Laodiceans. It appears that he rejected the message; and his candlestick was removed from the presence of the Glory of the Prince of the peace of Israel, the first begotten from the dead, and Zion's King; for there was conspiracy of the prophets (teachers) in the church of the Laodiceans, like a roaring lion ravening the prey: they took away the treasure, and the pleasant things: they-devoured souls,” by daubing them with untempered mortar: they have violated the law of God, by profaning His holy things; and have hid their faces from the Great and Glorious Sabbath of the Lord. These things have they done, and the Lord kept silent a long time, in which poor Laodicean teachers have thought He was altogether such an one as them

selves, forgetting His covenants with the fathers, and His promises to their children, that the latter should inherit the Lord's land in the Day of Glory. Oh! this journeying from the east-turning the back on the rising Sun, who came out of Joseph's tomb a glorified body, though still veiling His Glory! Oh! this preference of a plain in the land of Shinar ("change of the city”) to the mountain of the Lord: this building brick for stone, and slime for mortar: this building a city and tower (by the children of men) to reach up to heaven, and give it a name Millennium-What has it done? It has provoked the Lord to confound the one language that was original in the church, when like a dove in the spring she warbled Zion's holy songs, “Behold He cometh,” &c. See Song of songs, 2. 9, 10. The confusion of voices in the religious world, will cease only with the persecution that shall prevail, in the short time of satan's great wrath in the earth. In that bewitching and hateful era, there will be ONE testimony for Jews and Gentiles; and “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches, “Behold I stand at the door, and knock”_"my head is filled with the dew, and my locks with the drops of the night.” Open to me, my sister, my spouse, my elect-Lift up your heads, 0, ye gates, and be ye lift up ye everlasting doors, and the King of Glory shall come in.-And to the Laodiceans He calls, “if any man will hear my voice and open the door, I will come in and sup with him, and he with me. But hark! that

! solemn voice sounds through the world, Babylon is fallen, that great city.” Listen again--"A loud voice" proclaims if any man (Jew or Gentile) worship the Beast, and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead or in his hand, The same (N.B. man) sball «lriok of the wine of the wrath of God which

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is poured out without mixture, into the cup of His indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up forever and ever; and they have no rest day nor night who worship the Beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name. Rev. 14. 9-11. What a forcible testimony to warn of certain judgment unto everlasting misery in the age of satan's imprisonment in the bottomless pit, with the additional horrors of the second death after the last judgment, which falls upon the fearful, the unbelieving, and the abominable, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars; for these shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone. See Rev. 21. 8. “Wine of the wrath of God!” not mixed with water—the latter in the Scripture is symbolical of vexation, disturbance, difficulty, and severe afflictions, as well as a figure of grace, mercy,

and

peace. It is never put for an expression of vengeance on the part of God, nor for the extremity of wickedness on the side of rebellious man. Therefore the wine of the wrath of God, "the wine of the fierceness of His wrath," "poured out without mixture,” are expressions which only concern the “strange act” — strange work of that God, who gave His beloved Son the cup filled with our bitter sins, that we might be saved. If we will, we may drink of the water that Son alone can give; but, if we choose the wine of Sodom, or Babylon, depend in the cup which we fill, (impenitence, pride, unbelief, &c. &c.) there shall be filled to us double of the strong wine of the fierceness of the wrath which burneth like fire, when it is poured without mixture into the cup of Divine indignation; for the latter is “the sin which

is unto death," and the wrath is utter despair. Let us now then attend to the warning voice, "touch not the unclean thing”- come out of Babylon, Egypt, and Sodom, and taste not the grapes of gall, the wine of confusion, spiritual fornication, nor the strong drink of astonishment at the Beast.

It is natural for shortsighted mortals to think it impossible for characters morally correct, to embrace such a delusion as "the Man of sin," because this title announces the acme of iniquity which brought swift destruction upon ancient Sodom; and it is perfectly accordant with the influence of that powerful stimulus self esteem, to exclaim with Hazael “is thy servant a dog" that he should aid the son of perdition, in making war against the humble followers of the Lamb? Religious persons who have only known the Blessed JESUS at Jordan, when the heavens opened, and the Spirit (like a dove) descended upon Him, are not prepared for a baptism of fire; and those who weep at His cross, but do not retire in season to prepare sweet spices and ointments, for the embalming of His body, before the setting in of the Sabbath, are not likely to be looking for the Master at the dawn of His millennial Day. I say, if we have no special reverence for the sacred person that was taken and slain for us; but only the blood which He shed to make atonement for our sins, we are as likely to be overcome with fear as Peter was; and join the rabble to blaspheme and deny the Lord. Indeed nothing short of that state of entire dedication to the true sayings of God," and “testimony of JESUS," which is the "single eye,” filling the body with light, will insure to us the Divine Spirit to help our infirmities, in the trying day of trouble, which is ready to open, by the revelation of the personal Beast from the pit. This entire dedication of the understanding to the "true