the woman, and between thy seed and her seed.". 1t explain1, moreover, all domestic conflicts, all political battlings, and national wars. Evil and good are at war on thi& eanh. This ia the grand campaign, inspiring and explaining all other feuda.-D. T. Were. 7-11.-.The gnat tampaign. "And there was war in heaven," eto. There is undoubtedly "war in heaven "-in the heavm qf our being. War in the soul indi- vidually, war in the soul collectively, war within and war without. We "wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers of this world; against wickedness in high places." 'l'he vision brings to our notice the contending armiu and the contending isauea. . L THll AR¥Il!S IN THE CONTEST. Who are the annies? "Michael and his angels fought~oing forth to war] against the dragon; and the dragon fought' [warred] and his angels (ver. 7). Many expositors will tell us all about Michael and the dragon and their.angels, but I cannot. I take them as the ever-acting repreSM1.f.ativu qf..9()(K],·(ffl(], r:vil. Both have their.Jeaders, their Michaels, and their dragons with their respective followeIS oriangeli,. .Christ and his disciples represent the one. He is the "Oaptain of salvation ; " all his disciples are enlisted as his soldiers, they are inspired with •his purJ)Ol!il. tt.nd tight under,-his banner. The "dragon,." called the devil and Sata'n, and his ¥otaries, i:epre!Nl.nt.the other. There is not a man who breathes-who is not actively engl\ged in one or .other .of thm!e armies. The grand question to determine is,,"Who is OJ) the Lord's sid1i•? "-the side of moral reality, right, and benevolence. ~• He that is .not with me is against me.", · IL 'l'HE 1$1!u11s Oll'·'l'HE CONTEST. l. ·TM one MmY was utterly discomfited.,, What became of them? "And prevailed not; neither was their place. found any, more, 'in heaven" (ver. 8). !).'he prince of this world is cast out. A Stronger than he has entered the palaee, and hids overcome, and." hath taken from him all hia armour wherein he trusted, an<l divided.his spoils."· ' · "Him, the Almighty power HurPd headlong flaming from the ethereal sky, With hideous ruin and combustion, down To bottomleu perdition; there to dwell In ad11.mantine chains and penal fire Who durst de!) the,Omnipotent to arms.• ' (Milton.) 2; The othfn' army was sublimely triumphant. 01lsetve: (1) Th.e triumphant song. "And I heard a·loud [great] voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation,and strength [power], arid the kingdom of -0ur, God" {ver. 10); ·. The celestial p~n proclaims the dili\terance of man,. the reign of God, 1111d the adoration of Christ, and portrays in graphicdeliti:eation ihe miserable victim as'the "accuser of our brethren before God.day and night" {ver.. 10). (2) The triumphant Wllapons. How was the viotory won? (a) By the life of Obrist. "The blood of the Lamb." What tneaneth this? (b} By the Word of truth. "By the word of their testimony" (ver. 11)•. The Divine W-0rd is the all--cotiquering sword. (c) By 11elf-sacrificing love. "They ,Joved not their lives· unto the death" (Vllf, 11). Self-sacrificing love is the inspiring spirit in this warfare. "The God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly" (Rom. xvt 20). .· CoNoLtJSioN,' Evil on this earth, though it is strong, has the multitude and the empire on its side. Although it bas lived long, won victories, and is aotive and vigorous to, this,hour, it will not live for ever. Its doom is sealed, its h~ is bruised, its limbs are witherin1, and its death approaches. What Christ himself saw will one day be witnessed by an adoring univel'llei. "I saw Satan fall like lightning," etc;-D. T'•
.Ver. 11.-Moml oontpled UIOfl tM'<J'U{Jh- (!Arid. • "They overcame him· by the blood of th11 Lamb." It is trit.e, but ever solemnly true, to say tha.t life is a combat. :MOl'81 antagonists ~,the sonl meet us_everywh~re. in all departments of life, oiroles of aociety; spheree of action•. Nay, they nse np w1thm us. These can be only overcome by the "blood of the Lambt that is, by·the self-acrificing life of Christ. -· · · . ' I. IT IS THROUGH BIS BLOOD (OB LD'E) THAT W1I GBT OUR ANTA.GONIIIJI TO •OJlAL EVIL ROUSED. Where do we learn the turpitude, the enormity, the ruinousness of sin; as we learn it in the cross? There, indeed, "sin appears exceeding linfu.L" When we 828 TlIE REVELATION OF ST. JOHN THE DIVINE. [otr. .ut. J-17.