the beast, what is done
by any of these kingdoms, is done by the beast. France was one of the more
prominent of these kingdoms, and at one period, under Napoleon, controlled
the greater portion of the whole.

To war against the witnesses, is to oppose, resist, and endeavor to crush
them; and to overcome them, is to be successful in such efforts.

To kill, when used symbolically and applied to Christians, is to cause
them to apostatize--producing spiritual death, 9:5. When applied to the
Scriptures, it can only denote their prohibition.

The great city, as shown in connection with Rev. 16:19, p. 290, is the
Roman hierarchy:--symbolized by Babylon, and "spiritually called Sodom and
Egypt." By being thus "_spiritually_ called Sodom," some understand that
it is a "spiritual Sodom," &c., which would be a contradiction of terms;
others understand that it is called _figuratively_ by those names, and
deduce from it an argument for spiritualizing the Scriptures; but the use
of the word "_spiritually_," it is believed, will not sanction any such
meaning. It occurs only in two other passages:--in Rom. 8:7, to be
"spiritually minded," is to have a mind in accordance with the will of the
Spirit; and in 1 Cor. 2:14, things "spiritually discerned," signifies that
they are discerned by the aid of the Spirit. The great city, then, is
called by the Spirit, "Sodom and Egypt;" and is so called because of her
licentiousness and idolatries, and her subjecting the saints to bondage.
To crucify the Lord afresh, is to apostatize from his teachings, Heb. 6:6.

In 1793, twelve hundred and sixty years from the date of the Papal
supremacy, the Bible was abolished in France, by the solemn decree of the
government, which declared that the nation acknowledged no God. A copy of
the Bible could not be found in a single bookstore in Paris. Inquiry also
was made for it in Rome, in _all_ the book establishments of that city,
and the invariable reply was, that it was prohibited. All the churches of
Paris were shut, and the church plate was declared the property of the
nation. Professors of religion, at the same time, in large numbers openly
apostatized and embraced infidelity. Says Dr. Croley:--

"On the 1st of November, 1793, Gobet, with the republican priests of
Paris, had thrown off the gown and abjured religion. On the 11th, a 'grand
festival,' dedicated to 'Reason and Truth,' was celebrated instead of
divine service in the ancient cathedral of Notre