of the world and the corruptions of Christianity, saw in many who occupied the papa] chair the very representatives of the false prophet, the antichrist. Nut. more need it. surprise UB to find the same thought pasaing through men's mind& when pretensions which would be ridiculous if they were not blasphemous have been advanced on behalf of the Roman pontiff, till the Church becomes a parody rather than a. witness of Divine truths. It follows ,hat the view here maintained does not exclude the possibility of a future persona.I a.ntichrist, in whom the typical features shall yet find clearer and fuller manifestation than in any previous age. But though all this may be, and though godly men tell us that all these things must be, it appears to the writer infinitely more import.ant to notice the principles which may constitute the antichrist in every age-the denial of the Father and the Son (1 John ii. 22); the denial of the Mediator and incarnate God (1 John iv. 2, 3); the arrogant claim of Divine honours, the specious resemblance to him who is the Lamb of God, the disregard of sacred ties (2 These. ii. 10; 1 Tim. iv. 3); the polll!eBSion of wonderful power a.nd culture (eh. xiii. 11-14). 'l'he spirit which is depict.et! ill one which might well develop one of the elements around U& It would not be impossible to imagine the rankest materialism allying itself with & gorgeous ritual, to 888 the high priests of science acquiescing in the most elaborate of ecelesia.sticil!ID.s, and the a.gnostic in creed becoming so ceremonia.list in worship, till the satire should be only too 11!1.dly true, " I found plenty of worshippers, but no God." Wo should then have every element in human nature allowed its nutriment-for the mind, science; for the emotions, worship; for the conduct, direction. The tripartite nature of man would be thus provided for; but the unity of his manhood would be a.t an end, for the worship would be unintelligent, the moral tone lifeless, because deprived of the vita.I sense of personal respcnsibility, and the intellect uninspired, because godless. Sueh an age would be the reign of that clima.x of a.ntichristia.n spirit which is the perfection of man's J?OWers without God, foreshadowed by the mys- terious number 666, which is seemmg exaltation of all human powers, but which is, in truth, their degradation and their discord. lIL Tu NUMBER or THE BEAST, It would serve but little purpose to recapitulate the various solutions of the number of the beast. An account of them will be found in Elliott (vol. ill.). The most ancient, and perhaps most general, solution sees in the number the equivalent of 4),tenios. Others see in it the numerical equivalent of one of the Roman emperon. Nero, advocated by Renan; Otbo, advocated by an Italian writer, who accounts for the reading " 616" instead of '' 666" by the alteration made by the copyist to suit the na.me of another emperor, Caligula.; r..los K,ua-dp, 616. None of these numerical solutions appears to the writer ad.equate to the whole depth of the seer's meanmg. though the.r may be included in the significa.noe of the qmboL -D. 'I. HOMJLETICAL INDEX
THE REVELATION OF S1'. JOHN THE DIVINE. r: •O•
OHAPTEB I, TBlllOI •.a.o• 'lll1IJdl •J.OB The Work of Works 49 ,lJ;itrodnction: ~e Pnrport of the A Transcendent Being, and a Re- Book ••• ••• ••• 8 markable Character 49 Balow,ti.on and. Song 10 Voices and Visions from Eternity 50 The Outloo~ : the Second Coming of Christ's Ministry on EMth, and his our Lord 12 Existence in Heaven 5S 'l'lj.e August Speaker declaring his Christ enjoining the Beoord of his Nall'lll from the Throne ... •.. u Revelation to Man and expll.\iniug The Saviour's Revelation of himself ••• 16 its Meaning , .. The Extent of ·the Saviour's Medi.a- tonal Dominion ... ... 17 CHAPTER IL The Seven Chnrohee ... •.. 10 Ephesus: the Declining Chnroh ... 68 Revelation. ••• ... 21 Smyrna: Words of Cheer from a Reign- The Benediction on Ministers and ing Saviour to a Suffering Church ... 70 People who observe the Sayi.i:lge of PergamOB: the Impure Church 72 this Book 2S Thyatira.: Viotom for Ohrist reigning Doxology; or, the Upspringing of with him 74 Praise ... 26 The Epistle to the ChlllOh at Ephesus 77 The Mourning at the Coming of the The Stars, the Lamps, and the Lord 80 Lord ... ••• 29 Going back in the Waye of God 82 The Vision of the Lord S2 The Epistle t.o the Ohuroh at Smyrna SS The Eternity and Unohangoobleneas The Severe Law of Chrisi ... 86 of Christ ,., The Epistle t.o the Chlll'Ch at Pe:r- The Living One: an Easter Sunday gamoe ... 87 Sermon 86 Epistle to the Church at Thyatim ... 9{) The "Fear nots" of Christ... •.. S7 The Epistles t.o the Churches: (1) The The Seven Churches: their Common Epistle to the Churoh in Ephesus: Chara.cteristies ... •.. 40 the Decay of Early Love 43 The Revelation ••• The Apostolic Salntation The Vision of the Son of Man ••• ... 43 44 (2) The Epistle to the Chnroh in Bmyma: the Church expoeod to Suffering As)ll)cts of Huwo.n History 44 (3) The Epistle to the Chnroh in Per- Man divinely Dignified Ohri■t and the Soul ... 47 46 gamum: the Faithful Church waning from Internal Decay ... "" u INDEX.