n, under the dominion of the _first_ beast
of Daniel, as John was in Patmos under that of the _fourth_; and both
were favoured and employed by the glorious Head of the church in an
eminent part of their ministry. "The word is not bound" when ministers
are in confinement.

The "eating of the book" represents the intellectual apprehension of the
things which it contained.

"Thy words were found and I did eat them,"(Jer. xv. 16.) A speculative
knowledge of the word of God, and especially of those parts that are
prophetical, will afford pleasure to the human intellect, even though
the mind be unsanctified. (Matt. xiii. 20, 21.) But when the prophet
gets a farther insight into the contents as containing "lamentations,
and mourning and woe," like Ezekiel's roll;--the pleasure is converted
into pain. A foresight of the sorrows and sufferings of Christ's
witnesses causes grief to the Christian's sensitive heart. He "weeps
with them that weep," by the spontaneous sympathies of a common and
renewed nature. "Sweet in the mouth as honey, but in the belly bitter as
wormwood and gall."

Upon the apostle's digesting the little book, the Angel interprets the
symbolic action by the plain and extensive commission,--"Thou must
prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and
kings." This commission did not terminate with the ministry of the
apostle, although he may be truly said to prophesy by the Apocalypse to
all nations till the end of the world. This is equally true, however, of
all the inspired penmen of the Holy Scriptures. (Psalm xlv. 17.) But
John is to be considered here as the official representative of a living
and faithful ministry, on whom devolves the indispensable obligation to
open and apply these sacred predictions to the commonwealth of nations,
however constituted authorities may be affected by them. And, indeed,
these messages will prove unwelcome to the immoral powers of the earth,
as in the days of old. (1 Kings xviii. 17.)

CHAPTER XI.

The narrative of prophetic events was broken off at the end of the ninth
chapter. The tenth chapter and the greater part of this, from the
beginning to the thirteenth verse inclusive, present appearances and
actions quite foreign to the events which follow the sounding of the
trumpets. Why is this, the thoughtful student of the Apocalypse will
naturally ask? Why is the regular series of the trumpets suspended? When
the sixth trumpet,--the "second woe,"-