The passage does not describe three empires, or three churches, or three great societies, or three organizations of any kind whatever, but three spirits. Now a spirit is something subtle and unseen. Its presence is not perceived; its voice is not heard; its touch is not felt. It comes and goes, but it leaves no footsteps in the sand. It seems, therefore, a great mistake to explain this prophecy by different systems that are conspicuous to the eye, and we must be careful lest, by so doing, we should be thrown off our guard with reference to our real danger. There may be no false system presented to us, and we may be perfectly safe with reference to any definite form of evil, such as infidelity or popery, but there may be any one, or indeed all three, of these deadly spirits imperceptibly breathing poison into our souls. It is this subtlety of spiritual action that makes it so pre-eminently dangerous. If it were all open and before the eye we should know how to avoid it. (2.) The variety. There is not one spirit only, but there are three acting together. We are taught, therefore, that at the time of the drying up of the Euphrates we must be prepared for subtle and seductive power of various forms and characters. If there were only one spirit the danger might assume only one form: but as there are three spirits acting together we should be on our guard against every possible combination. We are not merely to look out for three distinct and separate forms of error, but, as all three act together, they may combine in every conceivable variety. One may act on one mind, two on another, and all three on a third, and so produce the most remarkable and inconsistent combinations. Suppose, _e.g._, that the first was Infidelity, the second Worldliness, and the third Popery. Remember, I do not say that they are, but suppose they were. In some cases you might have avowed Atheism; in some, a life so absorbed in the world that a man does not even take the trouble to be an infidel; and in others pure and unadulterated Romanism. But, besides that, you might find every possible combination. Sceptical opinions might be combined with Romish ritual, and high ceremonial with worldliness of life. Indeed, there is scarcely any form of seductive error that you might not develop by combining in different proportions those three most dangerous spirits. Thus it follows that, though a person may be well on his guard against one, he may be gradually entangled by the other two; and though he may be on the watch against all in their distinct and separate forms, he may be drawn out of a straight path by a beautiful combination of the three, in which according to St. Paul’s illustration, Satan has transformed himself into an angel of light.