•I

DISSERTATION

ON THE

SEALS AND TRUMPETS

OF THE
AND THE

PROPHETICAL PERIOD

TWELVE HUNDRED AND SIXTY YEARS.

BY WILLIAM CUNINGHAME, ESQ.

AVTHOR OF KliMARKS ON DAVID I.EVl's DISSERTATIONS ON THE PRO"
FlIECIES RELATIVE TO THE MESSIAH.

SECOND EDI-^ON, CORRECTED AJjl^E^LARGEn.

"and what I SAY ONTO YOU, I SAY UNTO ALL: WATCH."

MARK xiii. 37.

Slontion :

PRINTED FOR T. CADELL AND W. DAVIBS, STRAND ; J. HATCHARD,

PICCApiLLY; BLACKWOOD, AND OLIPHANT & CO.

EDINBURGH: AND OGLE, GLASGOW.

1817.

DISSERTATION

ON THE

SEALS AND TRUMPETS

AND THE

PROPHETICAL PERIOD

TWELVE HUNDRED AND SIXTY YEARS.

BY WILLIAM CUNINGHAME, ESQ.

AUTHOR OF REMARKS ON DAVID I.EVl's DISSERTATIONS ON THE PRO-
PHECIES RELATIVE TO THE MESSIAH.

SECOND EDITION, CORRECTED AND^NLARGED.

AND WHAT 1 SAY UNTO YOU, I SAY UNTO ALL". WATCH.

MARK xiii. 37.

Hontion :

PRINTED FOR T. CADELL AND W. DAVIB6, STRAND ; J. HATCHARD,

PICCApiLLY; BLACKWOOD, AMD OLIPHANT & CO.

EDINBURGH: AND OGLE, GLASGOW.

1817.

y^^l%

27f^^

M'INTOSH, Printer, Lomlon Society's Office, Spitalfields, Loniloii

PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION

The following are the circumstances which gave
rise to the volume now submitted to the public. I was
for some years engaged in a controversy with Mr. Fa-
ber, carried on through the medium of a respectable
periodical work, upon the subject of the commence-
ment and end of the twelve hundred and sixty years,
and some other points connected with the study of
prophecy. Since the close of the above controversy,
I have frequently been advised to re-publish my
papers in a separate volume. But to this it seemed
to me that there were strong objections, as it would
be impossible for any reader to understand what I
had written, without seeing Ukewise the papers of my
respectable opponent. Being sensible, however, of
the great practical importance of the inquiry into the
true era of the above prophetical period, I was
desirous of laying before the public the substance of
what I had written on the subject. But I felt the
strength of the following remarks, which I met with
some years ago, in a review of Archdeacon Wood-
house's Translation of the Apocalypse : " It is
" comparatively easy to give, to interpretations of
" detached parts of the Apocalypse, an appearance of

" truth, which would totally vanish, were they con-
" sidered in connection with the general frame of the
" book. We will not say that the only fair method,
" but we must say that by much the fairest method,
" of interpreting the prophecies of the Revelation,
'* is to compose a continued comment upon the book,
" The reader then feels that he is in some deg'ree
" put in a condition to judge for himself; the conse-
" quence, at any rate, is either a readier detection
" of error, or a more perfect conviction, if the
" interpretation be satisfactory."*

Influenced by a sense of the justice of the above
observations, and having for twelve years turned
my attention to the study of prophecy, I there-
fore determined to aim at giving a connected
view of the whole prophecies of the seals and
trumpets of the Apocalypse, so far as they appear to
have been accomplished ; and to embody in it the
substance of my argument respecting the twelve
hundred and sixty years ; but in such a way as to
divest that argument of the shape and appearance of
controversy. In what manner the above design has
been executed, the public will decide. I could have
wished that more time had been devoted to the exe-
cution of my purpose ; but being much engaged in
secular affairs of various kinds, I had not a choice
in this respect. What is now submitted to the public,
with the exception of the Preface, some of the Notes,
* Christian Observer, vol. v. p. 557, for ISOO.

and the last chapter, was written in the intervals of
business, between the middle of June and of January
last; and I cannot but feel that some parts of the
work have been finished in rather a hasty manner.
But I thought it better to let it go forth as it is, than
to delay the publication of it for another year.
Should this volume reach a second edition, I shall be
glad to avail myself of any critical remarks which
may be made upon it to render it less imperfect.

In this work, I take for granted, that the four
beasts seen by Daniel in the seventh chapter of his
prophecies, signify the Babylonian, Medo- Persian,
Grecian, and Roman monarchies ; and that the
little horn of his fourth beast is a symbol of the
papal power ; and likewise that the Babylon of the
Apocalypse is the church of Rome. These may be
considered as first principles in the study of pro-
phecy, of which no well-instructed protestant ought
to be ignorant ; and it is not reasonable to expect
that every one who takes up his pen on the subject
of prophecy, should return back to prove anew those
first principles which few persons call in question,
and which have already been established in the
writings of the ablest commentators.*

* I have deemed it proper, in this edition of my work, to leave
out all that part of the preface of the first edition, containing stric-
tures on the opinion of the author of A Christian's Survey of all the
primary Events and Periods of the World. The position of that
writer, with respect to the little horn of Daniel's fourth beast, has

In tliese pages the reader will find frequent mention
of the second personal advent of our Lord. 1 am
aware that it is the common doctrine of the present
day^ both among" private Christians and the teachers
of religion, to interpret, in a figurative sense, many
of those passages which I suppose to refer to that
great event. But I have the support of the greatest
writers on prophecy in understanding them literally ;
and the opinion which I now hold on this point, is
not only the result of a long and most attentive con-
sideration of the prophetical scriptures, but was
slowly and reluctantly formed, in opposition to early
prejudices. In the continued prevalence of the
opposite sentiment, which places the second advent
of our Saviour, at the close of the millennium, and
thus supposes it to be yet many ages distant from our
times, we may discern the symptoms of that spirit
of unbelief which our Lord assures us^ shall mark
the period when he appears again. '' Nevertheless,
'' when the Son of Man cometh, shall he find faith
'' in the earth ?"* by which is meant, not faith in
the doctrines of his Gospel in general, but in the
particular promises which relate to the second advent.

been overthrown by the events of the last four years : and with regard
to his opinion concerning the 12C0 prophetical days, the reader will
find some remarks in the prfeface to this edition. Under these cir-
cumstances, it appears to me qilite unnecessary to re-publish my
forinoer strictures, a great part of which are no longer applicable to
the existing state of thirt^s. 2d Edition.
* Luke Xviii. 8.

On this point I shall introduce the following' quo-
tation from King's Remarks on the Signs of the
Times.*

'' On the one hand, the Jews would not appre-
" hend, nor believe, the words of holy prophecy
" written concerning our Lord's first coming, in his
" state of deep humiliation and suffering, being
" dazzled with bright apprehensions of what was
" written concerning his second coming, his coming
''in glory; and on the other hand, the Christian
*' world are now in the contrary extreme, too back-
*' ward to believe and apprehend what is really
" written in the same words of holy prophecy con-
" cerning his second coming upon earth in glory ^
'' being blinded by their constant habit of contending
*' against the Jews chiefly for the former, and by
" the presumptuous mystical application which has
" taken place, by means of applying those holy
" words that relate to the latter, merely to the
" fancied prosperity of the Christian church on
" earth ; though such fancied prosperity is a mis-
" application of the words, in direct contradiction
*' to all the warnings of our Lord himself and of
" his holy Apostles."

I shall now state some of the principles upon
which I proceed in interpreting the Apocalypse.

\st. I assign to the same symbols the same mean-
ing ; or where there is any variation of signification,
* Pages 86 and 27.

VIU

I endeavour to fix the meaning on the principles
/ of analogy.

2d. I apply no prophecy of the Apocalypse to
more than one series of events : i. e. I deny that the
principles of a first and secondary sense, however
it may be admitted in interpreting the unchrono-
logical prophecies of Isaiah, Jeremiah, &c. can be
allowed in explaining the Apocalypse.*

3d. I apply symbols of the same nature, or homo-
geneous, to similar objects.

4z/i. I do not attempt to explain every minute part
of a symbol, but content myself with endeavouring
to seize its great outlines. This rule is well known,
and carefully observed by all judicious expositors of
the scriptural parables. Now I consider the symbols
of the Apocalypse in the light of prophetical pa-
rables.

bth. In ascertaining the places of the different
visions, and their chronological coincidence, I pay
strict attention to the internal marks mentioned by
Mr. Frazer, in his excellent rule for that purpose,
which is as follows :

"The internal marks inserted in the prophecies
'' of the Revelation, may be fitly compared to the
" corresponding loops in the curtains of the taber-
'^ nacle : by observing them, the Levites discovered
"^ the place of each separate curtain, and joined them

* The first and second of these principles are nearly the same with
two of Mr. Faber's rules.

" together, so as to form one tent. So by these
" marks, the attentive reader is able to discover the
'' place of each separate vision — whether it carries
'' on the collateral prophecy, or gives a collateral
" representation of times already mentioned ; and
" to connect them so as to form one connected pro-
*' phecy.

*' Now I find, that after the seventh trumpet
" sounds (Rev. xi. 15), and a brief summary is
" given of the events contained in it in the three
'' following verses, it is said (ver. 19), I saw the
" tabernacle of the temple of God in heaven opened.
" This expression I consider as a mark inserted like
" the loop in the edge of the curtain, where the
*' series of the narration is broken oft\

" Accordingly the same words are repeated (Rev.
" XV. 5), like the corresponding loop in the edge
'' of the other curtain ; then it is said, ^nd the
" seven angels came out of the temple having the
" seven plagues : which shews that the first of these
'^ vials follows after the sounding of the seventh
" trumpet."

To conclude, whether any advances are made, in
the following pages, towards a more perfect expla-
nation of this mysterious book, it is not for me to
judge. But as I cannot hope to have avoided mis-
takes, 1 would desire to imbibe the spirit of the
following passage, from Archdeacon Woodhouse's
Introduction to his work on the Apocalypse ; —

" Truth, in this important research, is, I hope, as
*' it ought to be, my principal concern ; and 1 shall
" rejoice to see these sacred prophecies truly inter-
" pretcdj though the correction of my mistakes
'' should lay the foundation of so desirable a super-
" structure."

March, 1813.

PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION

THE work now offered to the Public in a second
edition, was composed in the year 1812, while the
French power was yet unbroken, and during- the
campaign of Bonaparte in Russia. The author,
having long entertained a persuasion, that the
events of our own times are rapidly unfolding the
intricacies of the prophetic roll of the Scriptures,
has for many years been in the habit of associating
an attentive view of all the passing scenes, which
in this age, have astonished and confounded the
anticipations and calculations of human wisdom,
with the study of the divine word of inspiration.

If, however, it be difficult, as in many cases it
confessedly is, to interpret predictions, which are
already completely fulfilled, it certainly is a more
arduous task, to apply prophecy to events, which
are only in part developed. Some indeed, are so
convinced of the impossibility of success in such an
undertaking, as to reject as rash and illegitimate,
all attempts, to read in the sacred volume the occur-
rences of our own times. But it may be shown,
from the scriptures, that this opinion is wrong. —
Our Lord reproved the Jews, for not discerning the

signs of their own times. Now what were these
si^ns, but the strict correspondence of the events
which they beheld, with the prophetic annunciations
of a former ag-e ? Again, our Saviour, after pre-
dicting in highly figurative language the poHlical
convulsions, which in the last ages were to be the
foreiunners of the second advent, says to his churchy
'' When ye see these things begin to come to pass,
*' then lift up your heads, for your redemption
'* draweth nigh."* But how, in this case also, are
believers to discern the accomplishment of the pre-
dicted signs, unless by comparing the words of
Christ with current events ?

Indeed^ the sentiment I am now refuting, though
it comes to us under the specious guise of humility
and self-diffidence, is in realitv founded on indolence
and sloth, and partakes largely of that spirit of
unbelief, which has usually pervaded the minds of
the great body of mankind, under the most unequi-
vocal indications of the wrath of the Almighty, and
when his judgments have been most conspicuously
poured forth, on a profane and thoughtless world.

What has been said, may be sufficient to vindicate
the legitimacy of the inquiries pursued in this volume.
But when the observations already made, with respect
to the great difficulty of this department of sacred
researches are considered, it will not be matter of
surprise, that 1 should in my first edition, have
* Lnke xxi. IS.

fallen into very important mistakes. These errors
are acknowledojed in their proper places, and it is
therefore unnecessary for me to mention them more
particularly here. I shall however, observe, that '
though the late mighty political changes in Europe^
have entirely contradicted some of my former anti-
cipations, they seem to be in no degree inconsistent
with my general theory. On the contrary, the
present pacification of the nations which occupy
the territories of the western empire, the great
theatre of the Apocalyptic prophecies, appears to
fill up an important chasm in the exposition I had
previously offered, of the vision at the beginning
of the seventh chapter, which 1 consider, to be the
great key to the present state of the world. In other
respects also, my views of the characters of the
present period; of its place in the chronology of
prophecy, and of the nature of the events that are
approaching, not only remain unchanged, but are
more and more confirmed by the events of the last
four years.

The interval which has elapsed since the first
publication of the work, has afforded me an oppor-
tunity of carefully reviewing its principles. But
whatever errors I have been led into with respect to
the meaning of particular passages, I have not as
yet seen reason to abandon any one of my canons of
interpretation ; and after having considered all the
objections that I have met with to my general

XIV

arrangement of the seals and trumpets, I remain sa-
tisfied of its truth. Yet I know too well how
painful and difficult was my own perception of the
system I have attempted to develop in these pages^,
which has been slowly and gradually matured during
a period of sixteen years, to expect that even if true,
it will make a very rapid progress in public opinion.
I am content to leave its fate to time. So far as my
theories are just they will ultimately prevail. If they
be false, they will deservedly sink into oblivion among
the ephemeral novelties of the day. Feeling as I do
very little anxiety on this point, I have not thought
myself called upon to answer the strictures made
upon my interpretations by more recent writers,
where I am unconvinced of their solidity. To un-
dertake such a task would swell the present volume
to an undue size, and for the same reason (as well as
from a sense of the dangers and unprofitableness of
controversy,) I have abstained from any discussion
of the merits of those theories of prophecy which
have lately appeared. The opinion of the more
judicious and enlightened of the students of this
branch of sacred literature, will decide between these
systems and the one contained in this volume.

I am bound here, however, to observe, that the
judgment already pronounced on my work by two very
able reviewers, has very far exceeded the expectations
I had formed when I first gave it to the public: and
as neither of them are known to me ; I take this

opportunity of expressing my thanks to them for the
indulgent manner in which they treated it.

In the preface to my first edition were contained
strictures upon certain opinions advanced in an ano-
nymous work on prophecy, which has since been
avowed by Mr. Granville Penn. That gentleman, in
the Preface to his Dissertation on Ezekiel's Prophecy
of Gog, has done me the honour to notice my obser-
vations. I deem it therefore to be incumbent upon
me, to make a very few short remarks on what he
has said, for as I was myself the assailant in this
instance, were I to make no reply, it might be
construed into want of respect for Mr, Penn. Of
the two primary points at issue, between the great
body of Protestant Commentators and the author of
the Christian's Survey, which formed the principal
subject of my strictures, the first relates to the
meaning of the symbolical little horn of Daniel's
fourth beast, which by the almost unvarying consent
of these Commentators has been applied to the papal
power, but is by Mr. Penn supposed to describe the
late empire of France.

As events have occurred which prove Mr. Penn's
exposition of that symbol to have been fallacious, it
seems quite unnecessary to prolong the controversy
respecting it. The French power has perished, but
the body of the Roman empire survives. Nay the
papal monarchy, thejinal and absolute extinction of
which was pronounced by Mr. Penn to have taken

XVI

place in 1810,* exists still in 1817. That these
events have also disappointed my conjectures, I have
already freely acknowledged. But while they are
fatal to Mr. Penn's system, they leave the body of
mine entire, and overthrow only some conclusions
which were not essential to it.

I shall here, however, as Mr. Penn thinks it in-
cumbent upon me to do it, give a concise view of
the reasons on which is founded the application of
the above symbol to the papal power.

\st. The little horn was seen to arise after the
other horns. f Now the rise of the ten Gothic horns
took place before the end of the fifth century. But
that of the papal power cannot be dated earlier than
the beginning of the sixth century, consequently it
rose after the horns, and in this respect the type
answers the supposed antitype.

2d. The horn was little, and always remained so.
Mr. Penn avers that this is to be interpreted in
respect of the shortness of its duration. But in the
very next vision, viz. that of the ram and he goat
(Dan. viii.), the first horn of the he goat, symbolizing
the individual power of Alexander the Great, is
represented as being notable mTH or great, though
he reigned only twelve years. We may hence infer,
that the size of a horn denotes not, as Mr. Penn
supposes, the period of its duration, but its intrin-
sical physical power. The smallness of the auoma-

* Christian's Survey, p. 90. + Dan. vii. 24.

XV 11

lous horn of the fourth beast indicates therefore, not
its more recent origin, but that its physical power
when compared with that of the others is small.
This corresponds with what history testifies of the
papal dominion. The influence of that power has
never arisen from its physical force, but from its
policy and cunning, pointed out by the eyes of the
horn :* and from its spiritual pretensions, symbolized
by its mouth speaking great things, whereby it ob-
tained a paramount control over the minds of men,
which even in the present period they have been
unable entirely to shake off.f

* Dan. vii. 8.

+ The lale papal bull against Bible Societies, which I here insert,
is in some measure illustrative of the meaning of the expression, that
this horn had a mouth speaking great things. The following is a
copy of this bull.

Translation of the Bull against Bible Societies, issued from Rome,

June 29, 1816, by Pope Pius VII. to the Archbishop of Gnczn,

Primate of Poland.

" POPE PIUS VII.
" Venerakle Brother,

" Health and apostolic benediction.

" In our last letter 1o you we promised, very soon, to return an
" answer to yours, in which you have appealed to this holy see, in
" the name also of the other bishops of Poland, respecting what are
" called Bible Societies, and have earnestly inquired of us what you
" ought to do in this affair. We long since, indeed, wished to comply
" with your request ; but an incredible variety of accumulating cou-
" cerns have so pressed upon us on every side, that till this day we
" could not yield to your solicitation.

" We have been truly shocked at this most crafty device, by which

XVllI

3d. The power of the horn is commensurate in
time^ with that of the beast, in Rev. xiii. which is

" the very foundations of religion are undermined ; and having,
" because of the great importance of the subject, convened for con-
" sultation our venerable brolhren, the cardinals of the holy Roman
" church, we have, with the utmost care and attention, deliberated
" upon the measures proper to be adopted by our pontifical authority,
" in order to remedy and abolish this pestilence as far as possible.
" In the mean time, we heartily congratulate you, venerable brother;
" and we commend you again and again in the Lord, as it is fit we
" should, upon the singular zeal you have displayed under circum-
" stances so hazardous to Christianity, in having denounced to the
" apostolic see, this defilement of the faith, most imminently dan-
" gerous to souls. And although we perceive that it is not at all
" necessary to excite him to activity who is making haste, since of
" your own accord you have already shewn an ardent desire to detect
" and oppose the impious machinations of these innovators; yet, in
" conformity with our office, we again and again exhort you, that
" whatever you can achieve by power, provide for by counsel, or
" eflfect by authority, you will daily execute with the utmost earnest-
*' ness, placing yourself as a wall for the house of Israel.

" For this end we issue the present letter, viz. that we may convey
" to you a signal testimony of our approbation of your laudable
" exertions, and also may endeavour therein still more and more to
'• excite your pastoral solicitude and vigilance. — For the general good
"imperiously requires us to combine all our means and energies to
" frustrate the plans which are prepared by its enemies for the de-
•' struction of our most holy religion ; whence it becomes an episcopal
" duty, that you first of all expose the wickedness of this nefarious
<' scheme, as you already are doing so admirably, to the view of the
" faithful, and openly publish the same, according to the rules pre-
" scribed by the Church, with all that erudition and wisdom in which
" you excel ; namely, " that Bibles printed bi/ heretics are numbered
" among prohibited books, by the rules of the Index (No. II, & III.) ;
" for it is evident from experience, that the Holy Scriptures, when

XIX

admitted by Mr. Penn himself to denote the Roman
empire, in its divided state. The duration of the

'• circulated in the vulgar tongue, have, through the temerity of men,
"produced more harm than benefit:" (Rule IV.) And this is the
" more to be dreaded in times so depraved, when our holy religion is
" assailed from every quarter with great cunning and effort, and the
" most grievous wounds are inflicted on the Church. It is therefore
" necessary to adhere to the salutary decree of the Congregation of
" the Index (June 13th, 1757), that no versions of the Bible in the
" vulgar tongue be permitted, except such as are approved by the
" apostolic see, or published with annotations extracted from the
" writings of the holy fathers of the Church."

" We confident!) hope that, even in these turbulent circumstances,
" the conduct of the Poles will afford the clearest evidences in support
" of the religion of their ancestors ; and this especially by your care
" as well as that of the other prelates of this kingdom, whom^ on
" account of the stand they are so wonderfully making for the faith
*• committed to them, we congratulate in the Lord, trusting that they
" all will very abundantly justify the opinion which we have enter-
" tained of them.

" It is moreover necessary that you should transmit to us, as soon
•' as possible, the Bible which Jacob Wuiek published in the Polish
" language with a commentary, as well as a copy of the edition of
" it lately put forth without those annotations, taken from the
*' writings of the holy fathers of our church, or other learned Ca-
" tholics, with your opinion upon it; that thus, from collating them
" together, it may be ascertained, after mature investigation, what
" errors may lie insidiously concealed therein, and that we may
*' pronounce our judgment on this affair, for the preservation of the
" true faith.

" Proceed, therefore, venerable brother, to pursue the truly pious
" course upon which you have entered; viz. diligently to fight the
"i^jaltles of the Lord in sound doctrine, and warn the people en-
" trusted to your care, that they fall not into the snares which are
" prepared for them, to their everlasting ruin. The Church waits

power of the horn is limited, in Dan. vii. 25, to
three times and a half; that of the beast in Rev.
xiii. 7, to forty-two months, which is precisely
three times (years,) and a half. From this circum-
stance, added to other characteristical resemblances,
it is manifest, and has appeared so to the most
eminent protestant commentators, that this little
horn is a symbol of the same power, as is represented
in Rev. xiii. by the beast with two horns, which
Mr. Penn acknowledges to be the papacy.

4:t/i. The episcopal character of the power, desig-
nated by the horn, is marked by the singular circum-
stance, of this horn having eyes, like the eyes of a
man. There is in this, a manifest allusion to the
Greek word, for a bishop, ttn^Dio'no^, which literally
si2:nifies an overseer.

The argument of Mr. Penn, against this appli-
cation of the symbol, founded on what is termed the
prescriptive belief of the primitive church, seems
entitled to no weight. For we are assured in the

" for this from you, as well as the other bishops, whom our epistle
" equally concerns; and we most anxiously expect it, that the deep
" sorrow we feel on account of this new species of tares which an
" enemy is sowing so abundantly, may, by this cheering hope, be
" somewhat alleviated ; and, together with the apostolic benediction
" which we bestow on you and your fellow bishops, we heartily invoke
" on yourself and them a continual increase of spiritual gifts, for
" the good of the Lord's flock.

" Given at Rome, at St. Mary the Greater, June 29, 1816, the
" 17th year of our Pontificate.

" POPE PIUS VII."

XXI

Scriptures, that even the prophets understood not
their own predictions. This prescriptive belief,
therefore, when strictly analyzed, appears to consist
of nothing more, than the unauthorized conjectures
of the uninspired writers called the Fathers, con-
cerning the manner of the accomplishment of Daniel's
prophecy, before events had thrown light upon its
fulfilment.

The second leading point, wherein Mr. Penn has
seen it proper to deviate from the general system of
protestant exposition, consists in his having denied
that the existence of the prophetical period of 1260
years, can with certainty be inferred, from the
writings of Daniel and St. John. In his reply to
my strictures, he lays much stress upon the period
not being expressly mentioned in the Scriptures.
Now I would ask Mr. Penn, whether the Roman
empire which he discovers in the beast of the Apoca-
lypse, or the papal power which he discerns in the
two-horned beast, be any where mentioned in the
Scriptures by their proper names ? If it be possible,
then, as Mr. Penn himself allows, to form undoubted
deductions from the Scriptures, with respeet to the
prophetical designation of a secular and spiritual
empire, though that empire be not mentioned by
name ; may not the characters likewise of a chrono-
logical period be so clearly marked, and the inter-
pretation of those characters so determinately pre-
scribed, by the analogy of some other similar number.

XXll

with respect to which there is a common agreement
among- Jewish^ and CathoHc, and Protestant expo-
sitors, as to render it not a matter of rational doubt,
what specific period is designed by the number
which is the subject of investigation, even though
that period be no where expressed without the same
enigmatical disguise which is common to the whole
system of prophetical truth, and one of the ends of
which is expressly declared to be, that though the
wise shall understand, yet none of the wicked shall
comprehend the important, but mysterious reve-
lation of the divine purposes ? Now, it was shown
in my former preface, that by such principles the
existence of the prophetical period of 1260 years, is
certainly discoverable from the Scriptures. In his
reply to my strictures, however, the author of the
Christian's Survey wholly passes over that part of my
argument which is derived from the analogy of the
seventy weeks of Daniel with the period in question,
in which much of the strength of my reasoning
consists.

But Mr. Penn reasons, that because a controversy
of some years existed between Mr. Faber and myself,
on the subject of the commencement and close of
that prophetical period, therefore the period itself
is unintelligible in point of fact, and uncertain,
hypothetical and equivocal. This argument would
indeed confine the range of intelligible scriptural
truth, within very narrow limits, for what parts of

XXIH

the evangelical system have not in a similar manner
been the subjects of controversy ? And to quote an
example nearer in point, does it follow (I repeat the
questian) because Daniel's prophecy of seventy
weeks is still the subject of controversy, as to its
commencement and end, that therefore the period
itself is uncertain, equivocal and unintelligible?

I might proceed to offer some remarks on Mr.
Penn's notion respecting the thousand years men-
tioned in Rev. xx. and his mode of explaining the
prophecies regarding the conversion and restoration
of the Jews ; but 1 should thereby be led into too
wide a field of discussion. I shall however very
briefly place before the reader, some of the conse-
quences which flow from Mr. Penn's scheme of the
Millennium. According to his theory, when Innocent
III, preached a crusade for the extirpation of the
Albigenses and Waldenses, when the Inquisition
kindled throughout Catholic Europe the flames of
persecution, when the fires were lighted in Smith-
field, when the festival of St. Bartholomew in
France was dyed with streams of protestant blood,
at all these periods Satan was chained in the bottom-
less pit, and all these events are included in the
MiUennium which he would substitute for the opinion,
which, with whatsoever variation of subordinate
circumstances, is generally received in the protestant
church, an opinion which the author of the Chris-

XXIV

lian's Survey classes with " the decoys of system and
" the fascinations of fancy /"

Mr. Penn further treats the sentiment, that the
Romanempire is to be broken in Palestine, as a fond
vision, and the generally received exposition of the
prophecies respecting the restoration of Israel, as a
Judaizing fiction. But let him not forget, that both
these opinions were entertained by one of the pro-
foundest scriptural critics, and most sagacious inter-
preters of prophecy, that the last or any other age
ever produced ; I mean the late Bishop Horsley. If
Mr. Penn instead of calling these opinions hard
names, had offered scriptural arguments against them,
he would probably have found some at least among
their numerous advocates, prepared to meet him,
and to discuss with a calm and Christian spirit, the
foundation of their own speculations on these high
subjects. But we must protest against either Jerome
or Augustine, or any of the fathers, being cited as
authorities in interpreting prophecies, which were
unfulfilled in their time. With these remarks I shall
take my leave of Mr. Penn, assuring him how much
pleasure it affords me in any instance to agree with
him, which I cordially do, in his practical remarks
upon an event which I no less than he believe to be
near at hand, the second advent of our Lord.
Would that Christians could always agree in all
things ! But since this cannot be in the present

XXV

imperfect state of our knowledge, and diseased
condition of our moral powers, let us at least endea-
vour to infuse into our warfare, as large a share as
may be of a courteous spirit of Christian chivalry, by
imbibing more and more of the meekness and gen-
tleness of Christ.

It only remains for me to add, that in this edition
of my work will be found an engraving, which may,
I hope, assist the reader to understand my scheme of
interpretation.

April 23, 1817.

EXPLANATION OF THE PLATE.

To prevent misconception I shall first state, that this
Plate is not designed to represent the form or shape of the
book with seven seals, seen by the Apostle, Rev. v. 1, but
only its chronological arrangement and proportions, and the
relative places of the different visions.

I wish to hazard no positive conjecture with respect
to the form of the book; but I think it probable that it
consisted of seven distinct rolls enveloped one under the
other, the seventh being the inmost one.

The representation of the Apocalyptic prophecies here
given, is founded upon the simple principle, that the whole
of the book, from the beginning of chap. vi. to the end, is
included within the seven seals. The idea of a separate
codicil, or little book, is rejected, as having no existence
but in the imaginations of commentators.

The first six seals are represented by the same number of
semicircles, following each other in chronological suc-
cession. The seventh seal is supposed to be commensurate
in time with the whole of the preceding six, and is repre-
sented by a semicircle whose diameter is equal to the
whole diameters of the other six.

If the idea of a codicil be rejected, I believe it will be
found impossible to give a representation of the Apocalypse
consistent with truth, without carrying the seventh seal
back to the beginning of the prophecy ; for the vision of
the woman, seen in chap. xii. confessedly belongs to the

xxvm

earliest age of the Church ; and that vision, if (he codicil be
discarded, must be placed in the seventh seal.

The remaining parts of the plate explain themselves.
I shall only add, that I disclaim any merit of originality in
attempting to represent the Apocalyptical periods by a
series of semicircles. I borrowed the idea from a plate in
Medes' Commentary ; but, of course, my arrangement
widely differs from his.

TABLE OF THE CHAPTERS.

Page

Preface to the First Edition ----_--_ ij;

Ditto to tiie Second Edition -.-.--._ xi

Explanation of the Plate .----..... xxvii

Chap. I.— The First five Seals 1

Tlie First Seal 3

The Second Seal ------.-. 5

The Third Seal 7

The Fourth Seal 12

The Fifth Seal 15

Chap. II.— The Sixth Seal 19

Chap. III. — The Sixth Seal, concluded ----- 31

Chap. IV.— The Seventh Seal --.--... 49

Chap. V. — The First Four Trumpets -..--. 55

Chap. Vf.— The Fifth Trumpet, or the first Woe - . 75

Chap. VII. — The Sixth Trumpet, or the second Woe - 89
Chap. VIII. — The Vision of the Angel with an open

Book _._.-..... 97

Chap. IX. — The Two Witnesses ----_.. IO5

Chap. X. — The Sounding of the Seventh Trumpet . - 1^9

Chap. XI. — The Woman and the Dragon . - . . 139

Chap. XII.— The Ten-horned Beast of the Sea - . - I5f5
Chap. XIII.— The Two-homed Beast of the Earth, and

the Image ------_-. 177

Chap, XIV.— On the Prophetical Period of Twelve
Hundred and Sixty Years. — General
Statement of the Subject. — Six Scrip-
tural Propositions laid down - - - 192

XXX

Page

Proposition First, considered _ - - - 199

Proposition Second ------- 210

Propositions Third and Fourth - - - 215

Proposition Fifth 222

Proposition Sixth ------- ib.

Chap. XV. — On the Prophetical Period of Twelve

Hundred and Sixty Years, concluded 245
Chap. XVI. — On the Fourteenth Chapter of the Apo-
calypse 273

Chap. XVII. — The Vision of Seven Angels with the

Seven Vials of Wrath . . - . . 291

Chap. XVIII.— The Effusion of the Vials - - - . 297
Chap. XIX. — Practical Observations on the present
State of the World, in connection with

Prophecy ---..--_- 355

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER I.

THE FIRST FIVE SEALS.

The first four seals exhibit four hieroglyphics, which are distinct
but homogeneous 1

Most interpreters have lost sight of tbe homogeneity of these
seals ib.

Bishop Newton has avoided this error, but there is nothing in the
symbols of these seals to justify his interpretation 2

Archdeacon Woodhouse is the first writer who has rightly inter-
preted these seals ; his scheme adopted in this work ib.

THE FIRST SEAL.

A white horse with a rider crowned, who goes forth conquering
and to conquer 3

This hieroglyphic, describes the triumphant progress of the
Gospel in the three first centuries ib.

The rider on the white horse is by some supposed to be our Lord
himself, this opinion seems inaccurate ib.

Reasons to show that the rider is an hieroglyphical character. . . . 4

THE SECOND SEAL.

A red or fire coloured horse, with a rider, who takes peace from
the earth — A great sword is given to him . 5

Fire and sword are emblems of discord ib.

The hieroglyphics of this seal, indicate that after the first age of
Christianity, a spirit of discord, dissension, and controversy, a
fierce and fiery zeal, should prevail in the church 6

Proofs of the fulfilment of the prophecy from history ib.

Depravity of human nature illustrated by the events of the
second seal T

THE THIRD SEAL.

Archdeacon Woodhouse has pointed out the erroneousness of the
translation of ^vyos in our Bibles, which properly signifies a
yoke ib.

The black colour of the horse in this seal is an emblem of dark-
ness and ignorance ih.

The yoke denotes the imposition of a burthen of rites, cere-
nionies and ordinances 8

XXXll

The chffinix of wheat, and denarius, or penny, explained 8

The prices of wheat and barley in this seal, indicate a spiritual

famine, a scarcity of the word of God 9

Wine and oil mean the influences of the Spirit given only to be-
lievers, who even during the famine of this seal, have an abun-
dant share of these influences ib.

Recapitulation of the contents of this seal 10

It was accomplished in the' rise and prevalence of the Papal

power ib.

Characters of the period called the dark ages, referred to in this
seal 11

THE FOURTH SEAL.

A pale livid green horse — his rider is Death, followed by hell. . . . 12

Remarks on the colour of the horse, and on its emblematical sig-
nification, with which corresponds the character of his rider . . ib.

Terrific import of the whole assemblage of figures ib.

This seal represents the state of the church during the ages of
papal persecution 13

Address of Innocent III. to Philip Augustus of France to extirpate
heretics. — The Albigenses subdued or extirpated ib.

Tribunal of the Inquisition erected — Its consequences ib.

The persecutions of Rome were continued until the revocation
of the edict of Nantz ib.

Detail of slaughters perpetrated in these persecutions 14

Thus did the rulers of the visible church assume the character of
Death, accompanied by Hades 15

THE FIFTH SEAIi.

The language of this seal also is hieroglyphical 16

The souls of the slain martyrs are seen under the altar crying for

vengeance » ib.

This emblem is explanatory of the slaughter of the former seals,

particularly the fourth, and confirms the application of that

seal and all the prior ones to the history of the church ib.

It also describes the aspect of the church immediately before the

dawn of the Reformation — Brief view of that state ib.

White robes are given to the slain martyrs, and they are told to

rest till their brethren to be killed as they were should be

fulfilled 17

Thit denotes the improved condition of the church, after the

reformation ib.

The second part of this seal fills the interval between the refor-

matioOi and the sixth seal and seventh trumpet 18

XXXlll

CHAPTER II.

THE SIXTH SEAL.

In the hieroglyphical language the natural universe is used as a
symbol of the political world 19

An earthquake denotes a revolution ib.

The meaning of the symbolical sun and moon — the stars, the
heaven, mountains, and islands ib.

The remaining language of the passage describes the conster-
nation of the princes of the world, at the approach of the day
of wrath 20

Three passages cited from Joel, St. Matthew, and St. Luke, de-
scriptive of the signs which precede the great day of the Lord 21

Correspondence of the language of the sixth seal with these
passages, and inference thence deduced that it relates to the
great revolution of the last ages 23

This seal is very incongruously referred by Mede, and others, to
the events of the reign of Constantine 23

Its hieroglyphics are of too august a nature, to be applied to these
events ib.

In other respects these events do not correspond with the de-
scription of the earthquake . ib.

Quotation from Vitringa in support of above reasoning 25

A circumstance mentioned in confirmation of the arguments of
Vitringa 26

Further arguments to show that the sixth seal relates to the final
revolution, which is to convulse the nations of Christendom
before the second advent ... 27

This revolution is predicted by Daniel, and the scene of it is to
be sought for in those kingdoms which formed the western
Roman empire 28

It is the same revolution with that mentioned in the seventh
trumpet, and seventh vial ' . ib.

The principle of this exposition is of very remote antiquity —
opinion of Victorinus, of Andrew, and Arethas ib.

The further consideration of the first part of the sixth seal de-
ferred, till we arrive at the seventh trumpet, and seven vials. . 29

Reasons for thinking that the sixth seal commenced at the revo-
lution of France 30

CHAPTER III.

THE SIXTH SEAL CONCLUHED.

The whole of the seventh chapter of Revelation relates to the

period of the sixth seal 31

The effects of the revolution of the sixth seal briefly recapitulated ib.

XXXIV

What is to become of the church of Christ during these de-
solatious 31

The visions seen in Rev. vii. contain an answer to this question ib.

The vision of four angels holding the four winds, and an
angel with the seal of God il>.

Symbolical import of the wind 32

The place of this vision in the Apocalyptic chronology ib.

It indicates a term of peace before the end, for the purpose of
sealing the servants of God 3S

This vision compared with one iaEzekiel, and the mystical num-
ber of 1 44,000 explained ib.

The four angels are emblems of the powers which shall restrain
the calamities of the earthquake — Import of their hurting the
earth ib.

Remarks on the sealing of the servants of God 34

It is probable that we now witness the fulfilment of this vision in
the recent pacification of Europe, by a mighty confederacy
which now occupies France with its armies to preserve the
peace ib.

This interval of tranquillity has been marked by exertions for the
circulation of the scriptures, on such a scale as to mark that
they belong to a period of the extraordinary operations of
the Almighty 37

When the allotted period of peace is past, the commission to hold
the winds shall cease, and the calamities of the earthquake shall
bo renewed ib.

The sealed shall be delivered from these judgments by the imme-
diate hand of God 3i*

The foregoing interpretation of the vision, supported by a quo-
tation from Vitringa 39

Vision of a countless multitude, clothed with white robes, and
palms in their hands, who stand before the throne ih.

This denotes the translation of the church, from the tribulation
of the sixth seal into her millennial rest 40

The chronology of this vision is marked by the circumstance, that
the palm bearers worship in the temple, or holy of holies .... ib.

This proved to be subsequent in time to the destruction of Anti-
christ 41

The passage therefore relates to the establishment of the king-
dom of our Lord, described in the seventh chapter of Daniel. . il).

This manifestation of the kingdom of God, succeeds the de-
struction of the fourth monarchy — Its other Apocalyptical
marks 42

XXXV

it does not take place till the second advent of our Lord 42

The application of this vision to the times of Constantine, is

strained and unnatural ih.

Recapitulation of the contents of the first six seals 44

They give an epitome of the history of the church, from our

Lord's ascension till the establishment of his kingdom ib.

The prophecies of Daniel in like manner, open with a general

epitome of what is afterwards revealed more in detail ib.

Further arguments for the preceding interpretation of these seals 45
That interpretation contrasted with the theory of Mede, and

Bishop Newton '!<>

Scriptural view of the great and solemn importance of the Apo-
calyptic prophecies ib.

Remarks on the interpretation of the first four seals by the above

writers, .and Bishop Newton's view of the third seal stated .... ib.

It is unworthy of the solemn and important nature of the prophecy 47

Archdeacon Woodhouse's view of that seal, commends itself with «

the native force of beauty and of truth 4S

CHAPTER IV.

THE SEVENTH SEAL.

Archdeacon Woodhouse's explanation of the silence in heaven at
the opening of the seventh seal, as indicative of a new series of
prophecies, adopted 49

Seven angels are seen, to whom are given seven trumpets ...... ib.

The seventh seal comprehends the whole of the trumpets ib.

The trumpets are cotemporaneous with the first six seals, and
relate to the great revolutions in the Roman empire, till it is
destroyed to make way for the kingdom of the vSon of Man 50

An angel offers incense, he casts fire on the earth, and there fol-
lows an earthquake .51

Incense signifies the prayers of saints ib.

Fire is a symbol of the influences of the Spirit, and also of the
wrath of God ib.

In this passage it is used in the last of these senses, and denotes
wrath descending on the Roman empire S'i

The effects which follow, denote a political convulsion in that
empire, and a revolution 53

These events occur before the sounding of any of the trumpets. . ib.

Argument hence deduced that the above revolution was that
which took place in the time of Constantine ib.

The above interpretation is new — Argument in confirmation
of it .'j4

c 2

XXXVl
CHAPTER V.

THE FIRST FOUR TRUMPETS.

That which takes place under these trumpets, is the partial de-
struction of a symbolical universe ^^

Archdeacon Woodhouse refers these trumpets wholly to spiritual

objects— Reasons why this cannot be the true interpretation.. 57
Some interpreters refer them partly to the fortunes of the

Roman empire, and partly to the church ib.

They apply the third trumpet in particular to the corruption of

the waters of life ib.

Reasons against this application 5l»

Arguments to show that these trumpets cannot be referred partly

to the church and partly to secular objects ib.

But must apply exclusively to secular objects 59

Accordingly the first four trumpets are applied by the great body
of interpreters to the overthrow of the Western empire by the

Goths and Vandals — this interpretation adopted . ., ib.

Brief history of the fulfilment of these trumpets — In the year 37 6
the Visigoths are transported across the Danube, and admitted

into the Roman empire ib.

They rebel and ravage the provinces, defeat and slay the emperor

Valens ib.

After this battle the Goths never quitted the empire 60

The first trumpet appears to have sounded at the above Gothic

irruption — Remarks on the symbols of that trumpet ib.

The second period of the Gothic invasions commenced oa the

death of the great Theodosius ih.

Alaric invades Greece (i 1

Italy invaded by Alaric and Radagaisus ib.

Rome taken and sacked 62

Gaul invaded by the Suevi, &c ib.

Spain entered and desolated by the same barbarians 63

The Roman provinces of Africa subdued by Genseric ib.

The second period of the Gothic invasions was the fulfilment of

the second trumpet il,.

The third period of the irruptions of the northern nations com-
menced when Attila invaded the eastern empire 64

Gaul invaded by Attila — and Italy 65

These invasions were the fulfilment of the third trumpet r.5

The sounding of the fourth trumpet 66

Rome taken by Genseric ib.

The imperial government subverted in the person of Augustulus
by Odoacer, who is elected king of Italy ib.

XX.VVll

Remarks in confirmation of the foregoing interpretation of the

first four trumpets 66

One circumstance in these trumpets has perplexed interpreters,
viz. that under each trumpet only a third part of the ohject is

destroyed 69

Bishop Newton's explanation of this circumstance is unsatis-
factory ib,

Mr. Bicheno's solution stated and rejected ib.

Observations with a view to remove this difficulty 70

Conclusion of the subject of the first four trumpets 73

Remarks to illustrate the justness of the proportions observed by
the Holy Spirit in the different symbols 74

CHAPTER VI.

THE FIFTH TRUMPET, OR THE FIRST WOE.

In chap. viii. 1 3. is a denunciation of a triple woe to the inhabitants
of the earth, from the voices of the three remaining trumpets 75

The purposes of this denunciation ib.

It is followed by the sounding of the fifth angel ib.

The symbols of this vision belong to things spiritual 76

The star is an apostate Christian bishop, and he is the agent in
opening the pit of the abyss ib.

The smoke of the pit is a symbol of false doctrines and ignorance
which overspread the Christian church, during the fifth and
sixth centuries ib.

Description of these false doctrines ib.

How the sun and air were darkened by the symbolical smoke . . 79

The fallen star, or apostate bishop who opened the pit, was the
Pope, or bishop of Rome 81

The symbolical locusts denote an invading army 82

These locusts come out of the pit of the abyss, or hell itself, the
smoke is only the medium of their .iscent ib.

The whole hieroglyphical description, applies to the rise of the
Mahometan religion and power, and the language of Gibbon
quoted to illustrate this Jb.

Gross darkness of Christendom favoured the imposture of Ma-
hummud ^'^

The locusts were not to hurt the grass, but only those men which
had not the seal of God S4

They had not power to kill, but only to torment men ib.

Other particulars respecting them 85

Remarks on the period of five months, during which they tor-
ment men « 86

XXXVlil

Their king 86

Reasons for rejecting the interpretation of the smoke from the

abyss, which refers it to the false religion of Miihuniniud .... ib.
Inference from the right interpretation of that svmhol. that the

fallen star can be no other th.-m the pope 87

CHAPTER VII.

THT, SIXTH TRUMPET, OR SECOND WOE-

A voice from the four horns of the golden altar, commands the
sixth angel to loose the four angels bound in the Euphrates . . S9

Remarks on the golden altar, and the voice from the altar ib.

This trumpet relates to the overthrow of the Eastern empire by
the Turks ib.

Mede and others lliink the four angels denote four sultanies
united under the Ottoman empire, but this opinion appears
erroneous 90

Another explanation of the four angels suggested 91

But it is not satisfactory — A better one proposed ib.

The Euphrates is a symbol of the Turkish nation which was long
restrained from overrunning the Eastern empire, but at length
was to be the instrument of its overthrow ib.

The power of the Turks is symbolized by the four angels Q2

Observations upon the symbolical import of the number " four" ib.

Remarks on the expression, " an hour, a day, and a month, and
" a year" • 9j'

The slaughter of the third part of the men, denotes the sub-
version of the Eastern empire 94

Remarks on the prophetical description of the armies of the Eu-
phralean angels i b.

Concluding remark on the interpretation which has been given
of the six first trumpets 95

CHAPTER VIII.

THE VISION OF THE ANGEL WITH AM OPEN BOOK.

After the sounding of the sixth trumpet, a prophetic intimation
is given, with a peculiar reference to the Latin church 97

A mighty angel descends from heaven with a little book having
been opened ib.

This angel is our Lord ib.

Reference to a passage in Daniel, and inference from it, that our
Lord's descent belongs to the time of the end 99

Meaning of the time of the end ascertained ib.

XXXIX

Reason of the various circumstances which accompany and follow

our Lord's descent 100

His crying with a loud voice explained, and the seven thunders . ib.
Meaning of the expression, that there should be time no longer 101

The apostle commanded to take the little book and eat it ib.

Inquiry into what is intended by the litlle book 10*2

It is not a codicil or supplementary prophecy, but a part of the
sealed book, and we may conclude that it is the seventh seal. . 103

What is intended by the apostle eating the book lO-l

Why the book was sweet in his mouth, but bitter in his belly . . . ib-

CHAPTER IX.

THE TWO WITNESSES.

The apostle commanded to measure the temple 1 05

An analysis of the spiritual meaning of the different compart-
ments of the temple ib.

The holy of holies is a type of heaven, and of the millennial

church, when the tabernacle of God shall be with men ii).

The holy place is a type of the spiritual invisible church of Christ

on earth 106

The altar of burnt offerings, and the sacrifices offered on it,

are symbols of the sacrifice of Christ 107

The outer court denotes the visible professing church of God. . . . 108
Inquiry as to which of the compartments of the temple is mea-
sured by the apostle ib.

It could not be the holy of holies, but it is the holy place, with

the interior court, and altar of burnt offerings , .. ib.

Meaning of this measurement 10')

What is intended by leaving out the court without the temple . . ib.

The two witnesses ib.

The true spiritual church is here signified by three different em-
l)lems, two witnesses, two candlesticks, aud two olive trees ... ib.

The meaning of this symbolical description 110

What is intended by fire proceeding out of the mouth of the

w i tnesses Ill

And by their shutting heaven and turning waters into blood .... ib.
The beast that ascends out of the bottomless pit, makes war with
them and kills them — After three days and a half they rise and

ascend into heaven 112

Argument to show that the death and resurrection of the wit-
nesses must be already past H 3

This part of the prophecy was accomplished in the events which
followed the dissolution of the Smalcaldic league 11*

hi the year 1546 that leaf^iie falls to pieces ^ 114

In the following year the interim is presented lo the Diet at

Augsburg by the emperor — He procures its reception ib.

Violent measures of Charles to enforce the interim throughout

the empire, and to suppress the reformed worship 115

The death of the witnesses took place when they were silenced. . 110
Towards the end of the year 1551, Maurice of Saxony takes arms
to vindicate the protestaut cause, and advances towards In-

spruck ih-

The emperor Charles V. flies from Inspruck in consternation 117

The peace of Passau secures to the protestants the free exercise
of their religion, which is confirmed by a recess of the Diet

of Augsburg 1'8

Importance of the treaty of Passau ib.

The revival of the witnesses and their ascension into the sym-
bolical heaven were accomplished in these events 119

Other particulars of correspondence between the above occur-
rences, and the prophetic account of the death and resurrection

of the witnesses 120

Recapitulation of the whole prophecy 121

What is intended by the ascension of the witnesses in a cloud 122

At the same hour there is a great earthquake, and the tenth part

of the city falls ib.

The reformation and the events which followed it were this

revolution ib.

Meaning of the fall of the tenth part of the city 123

England was that tenth part which fell from the Romish juris-
diction at the reformation ib.

The slaughter of seven thousand names of men explained 1^24

What is meant by the remnant being affrighted and giving glory

to God 1 V5

The last shock of the earthquake did not take place till the year

1 688, when James II. abdicated the throne 126

Remarks on the great importance of the preceding events in the

kingdom of England ib.

The earthquake being over, it is declared that the second woe is
past, and the third woe cometh quickly — This is a chronolo-
gical mark to distinguish the period of the death of the

witnesses 127

The second woe shown to have passed away in the year 1698 128

The expression " the third woe cometh quickly " explained .... ib.

xll

CHAPTER X.

THE SOUNDING OF THE SEVENTH TRUMPET.

Passage quoted from Mede, to show that the four kingdoms of
Daniel constitute the great Kalendar of prophecy, and area
prophetical chronology of times, reaching down to the finish-
ing of the mystery of God 1 2y

It is very in)portant to ascertain the place which the seventh
trumpet occupies in the prophetical Kalendar of Daniel 130

Daniel informs us that the great enemy of the church in the latter
ages is the little horn of the fourth beast. This horn continues
until the Ancient of Days comes, and the judgment is given
to the saints ib.

Description of these events from the prophecy of Daniel 131

Inference from the above passage, that the sounding of the

■ seventh trumpet takes place at the coming of the Ancient of
Days iu Daniel ib.

Three points of coincidence between the above two events stated,
which prove that they correspond in time 1 32

Though the kingdom of God is established in the days of the
seventh trumpet, yet this is not to be at its commencement-
Dreadful judgments arc first to be executed against the
nations ib.

The eleventh chapter of the Apocalypse, is only an epitome of
events afterwards more largely described 1 33

It contains therefore no detailed account of the seventh trumpet il).

It is briefly noted on the sounding of this trumpet, that the tem-
ple of God was opened ib.

The opening of the temple is of great use in determining the
place of the seven Apocalyptic vials, which are thereby proved
all to belong to the seventh trumpet ib.

There were lightnings, and voices, and thuuderings, and an earth-
quake, and great hail 134

What is signified by these symbols ib.

These events are a part of the third woe ib.

And therefore of the seven vials . . 135

An inference hence deduced, that they are the same with the
similar phenomena, mentioned in the seventh vial ib.

The parallelism of three important passages established ib.

The seventh trumpet appears to have sounded at the French
revolution, and probably on the 10th of August, 1792 ib.

Remarks on that revolution, in its origin, progress, and con-
sequences 130

xlii

And on the taiiguage In which it has been described by those who
have spoken of it without any reference to prophecy 136

Recapitulation of five different particulars, which have been de-
termined in this chapter in reference to the sounding of the
seventh trumpet 137

Conchiding observation respecting llie termination of the great
prophetical period of 1260 years 138

CHAPTER XL

THE WOMA\ AND THE DRAGON.

Apocalyptical description of the woman and the dragon, and her
man child • • 1 39

Introductory observation ■> = ib.

The woman in the twelfth chapter is the true spiritual church of
Christ 140

Her symbolical description explained ib.

The man child signifies the mystic Christ, or Christ formed in his
members 141

Passage quoted from Isaiah, to illustrate the meaning of this
man child >b.

The prophecy received its accomplishment in the conversion of
the Gentiles, within the Roman empire ib.

What is signified by the man-child being caught up to the throne
ofGod 142

Objection to the above interpretation, that it makes the woman
and her child to signify the same thing — Answer to this
objection 143

The dragon is the devil, enthroned in the Roman empire 141

What is intended by his standing before the woman to devour her
child •. ib.

The flight of the woman into the wilderness explained . , 145

Remarks on its accomplishment ib.

War in heaven between Michael and the dragon — The dragon
cast out 146

Two interpretations have been given of this passage : one by
Mede and Bishop Newton, the other by Mr. Faber and Mr. An-
drew Fuller 147

The last of these was adopted in the first edition of this work, but
is now abandoned as erroneous ib.

Reasons, founded on the fifth general rule of interpretation, for
applying the war between Michael and the dragon, to the same
events as the gestation of the woman, viz. the contest between
Christianity and Heathenism, the triumph of the Gospel, and

xliii

the expulsion of Paganism from its authority in the Roman
empire 147

Further reasons for thus applying the passage 150

The heavens called to rejoice at the downfall of the dragon .... ib.

Woe denounced against the inhabitants of the earth and sea .... 151

Meaning of the expression, that Satan knows his time to be short ib.

The dragon persecutes the woman, and Arianism is his first engine
for this purpose ib.

The schism of the Donatists, another means 152

But the most powerful of his weapons is derived from the rapid
growth of superstition, idolatry, and the spirit of ecclesiastical
domination ib.

The woman gradually recedes from the eyes of men, and her final
retreat into the wilderness may be dated from the time when
the emperor Justinian declared tiie pope head of the church in
the sixth century ib.

The dragon casts out of his mouth a flood of waters to carry
away the woman 1 53

The meaning of this symbol ascertained ib.

The passage received its acconipiisliment in the torrent of bar-
barous nations, which broke in upon the Roman empire while
the woman was retiring into the wilderness, and during the
following centuries ib.

How the earth swallowed up the symbolical waters 15 1

Tlie dragon makes war with the remnant of the woman's seed . . 155

CHAPTER XII.

THE TBN-nORNED BEAST OF THE SEA.

Apocalyptical description of the beast 156

The Holy Spirit, in this chapter, shows us the instrujnents through

which, Satan is to act against the church, and the beast is the

first of them ib.

That the fourth kingdom of Daniel, is the Roman empire, is one

of the principles taken for granted in this work 157

The ten-horned beast seen by John, is the same with the fourth

beast of Daniel, but with one important point of difference —

and he represents the Roman empire ib.

The sentiments of various commentators, quoted in support

of this opinion ; ib.

Arguments in confirmation of it I5'.>

The Roman empire, since its division into ten kingdoms, has

formed a species of federal republic 1 60

xliv

Enuineratiou of the ten Gothic kingdoms, into which the Roman
empire of the west was divided 16*^

The kingdoms of Europe, have been ten in number at various
periods 161

The seven heads of the beast considered 1 62

Passage from Rev. xvii. containing a more particular account of
the seven heads ib*

The seven kings which are designated by the heads of the beast,
are seven successive forms of government — The first six of
these forms enumerated ib.

A "-reat diversity of sentiment exists about the seventh form, and
likewise the eighth 1 63

The opinion adopted in the former edition of tliis work stated,

and abandoned as erroneous, and a new solution offered... ib.

The sixth head is the heathen imperial government of the Caesars
— Ou the dethronement of Licinius by Conslantiue, that form
fell to rise no more ib.

The seventh head is the Christian imperial power, from Constan-
tine to Augustulus 164

At the fall of the Western empire, the seventh head received a
deadly wound by the Gothic sword . . 165

Out of the seventh head, grow the ten regal horns ib.

The wound of the seventh head was healed, when the Western
empire was restored by Charlemagne ib.

The restored empire, together with the ten regal horns, con-
junctly constitute the eighth form i G6

The meaning of that part of the description of the beast, that he
was, and is not, and yel is ib.

It signifies the spiritual resurrection of the Heathen Roman em-
pire in an externally Christian form, by its lapse into antichris-
lian idolatry 1 67

A brief view of the fulfihnent of this part of the prophecy ib.

This character belongs to the beast only under his eighth political
form 169

Under this form the beast goeth into perdition 170

This clause illustrated by a concise view of the spiritual and
secular history of the beast, down to the present period ib.

The rise of the beast out of the bottomless pit or abyss, chap,
xvii. 8. shown not to be different from his rise out of the sea,
chap. xiii. 1 171

How the dragon gave the beast his seat and great authority 172

What is intended by the worship paid to the beast 173

xlv

His mouth speaking great things, and his power to continue

forty-two months j -^

He blasphemed God and his tabernacle 1 7.^

It was given to him to make war with the saints ib_

All shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book

«f life 175

The solemn warning given, with respect to the end of the beast,

has reference to his destruction at the great day of the Lord. . ib.
The faith and patience of the saints shall then be peculiarly

exercised 2 76

CHAPTER XIII.

THE TWO nORNGD BEAST OF THE EARTH, AND THE IMAGE.

The Apocalyptic description of these objects 1 7 7

The second beast is an ecclesiastical character and the same as

is afterwards called the false prophet j 78

This beast is the papacy ih.

He grows up out of the earth silently and unheeded ib.

He exerciseth the spiritual power of the first beast before him —

How this was fulfilled ib.

He causeth the earth to worship the first beast 179

He maketh fire to come down from heaven— This denotes the

fire of persecution, which comes down from the symbolical

heaven ib.

He causeth the inhabitants of the earth, to form an image to the

first beast 1 80

Under this hieroglyphic is described the degeneracy of the visible

professing church of Christ, once the chaste spouse of Christ,

but now so corrupted, as to become an image of the beast .... ib.

How this image was formed ib.

How life was given to it 181

The image is both an image of the beast, and an image to the

beast ib.

The image is a symbol of the same corrupt church, afterwards

exhibited to us as a woman, the harlot Babylon the Great .... 182
Why two different symbols are employed to denote the same

object ib.

Passage quoted from a writer in the British Review, illustrative

of the foregoing interpretation 1S3

What is meant by the beast causing men to receive a mark, that

no man might buy or sell, unless he had the mark or name of

the beast, or the number of his name 1 85

The number of the beast explained — It is contained in the Greek

xlvi

letters of the name Lalinus — Passage quoted from Mr. Faber on

this point 186

This part of the prophetic description, was fulfilled by the
decrees of different councils, forbidding men from holding
communion with the Albigenses and Waldenses in buying and
selling 1 87

CHAPTER XIV.

ON THE PROPHETICAL PERIOD OF TWELVE HUNDRED AND SIXTY

YEARS GENERAL STATEMENT OF THE SUBJECT SIX SCRIPTURAL

PROPOSITIONS LAID DOWN.

In chapters xi. xii. and xiii. of the Apocalypse, there is frequent
mention of a certain mysterious period, during which the
enemies of the church were to triumph over her 192

Seven passages of D<iniel and the Apocalypse cited, wherein is
mention of that period il).

Two other texts wherein the same period is alluded to 193

A time, times, and half a time, forty-two months, and twelve
hundred and sixty days, are different forms of expressing one
and the same number, and that number is twelve hundred and
sixty days ib.

Protestant writers on prophecy, almost universally agree that
these days stand for years, and that the true prophetical num-
ber is 12(i0 years 149

Three arguments stated to prove this ib.

The scriptures attach a very solemn degree of importance to
this prophetical period 19A

A careful inquiry into its commencement and termination, is
therefore necessary for elucidating the prophecies of Daniel
and St. John ■ ib.

The mode in which it is proposed to proceed in this inquiry stated 1!)6

Six scriptural propositions laid down, comprehending the various
internal scriptural marks, of the commencement and termi-
nation of the foregoing period ib.

PROPOSITION FIRST CONSIDERED.

The commencement of the 1200 years is to he marked, by giving
the saints, and times, and laws, into the hand of the little horn 1 97

That the little horn is the papacy, has been proved by former
writers on prophecy ih.

The giving of the saints into the hand of the papacy, must be by
some formal act of the secular power 200

Such an act was accordingly issued, in the reign of Justinian,

xlvii

whereby the Roman Poutiff was solemnly acknowledged to be
the head of the church 200

That emperor promulgated a severe edict against heretics at an
early period of his reign ib.

A second edict of the same nature was issued in March 533, and
on this occasion, he formerly addressed the pope as the ac-
knowledged head of the church, for his approbation of his acts SOI

The answer of the pope was also published with the other docu-
ments, and it shows that he understood the reference to him
as a formal recognition of the supremacy of Rome ib.

From the date of Justinian's epistle, in March 333, the saints
were formally delivered into the hand of the papacy, and this
consequently is the true era of the 1260 years ib.

No other recorded act of the secular power exists, conferring a
greater authority on the pope ib.

The supposed grant by Phocas of the title of universal Bishop
rests on no evidence ib

The year 533 being the true era of the 1260 years, it is requisite
next to determine on what principle their termination is to be
computed .' 20S

Two modes of computing time have obtained, the one by com-
plete or past, the other by current time; the last is used in
Asia, and in the scriptures 20f(

Reasons for adopting the last mode, in computing prophetical
time - 209

Following this mode of reckoning, if the 1260 years commenced
in 533, they must have expired in 1 792 ib.

This therefore is the inference from the first proposition, that
the 1260 years commenced in 53 J and ended in 1792 ib.

FRorosnioN second.

At the termination of the 1260 years, the Ancient of Days comes,
and the judgment sits to take away the dominion of the little
horn, to consume and destroy it unto the end - 210

Till the French revolution, the papal power continued to hold
the saints in subjection — Until then, therefore, the judgment .
had not began to sit ib .

At the ft'll of the French naonarchy, in 1792, a series of events
began, which have shaken to its foundation the spiritual power
of the papacy ib-

Inference thence deduced, that the judgment began, and the 1200
years elapsed at that period '-i 1 2

Remarks on the course of things, since the overthrow of Bona-

xlviii

parte, in reference to the apparent recovery of the papal ascen-
dancy 213

And on the extensive efforts for the circulation of the Scriptures,
since the re-estahlishraent of peace 214

Concluding remark, in confirmation of the inference, that the
1260 years ended in 1792 215

PROPOSITIONS THIRD AND FOURTH.

When the witnesses put off their sackcloth, the 1260 years are
ended ib.

When the woman, the church, begins to emerge from the wil-
derness, that period is elapsed ib.

The time when the witnesses put off their sackcloth, must be
marked by a great revival of religion ib.

The lime when the woman begins to emerge from the wilderness,
must be marked by a great progress of religion, and particu-
larly by a revival of exertions for evangelizing the heathen and
Jews... 216

There have been three eras of light in the church; the third is
the present period, and it bears all the marks of the time when
the witnesses put off their stickcloth, sind the woman returns
from the wilderness ib.

A short view of the late events in the church which justify this
inference ^ 217

The conclusion from the whole view is, that the 1260 years are
expired 22 1

The exact apocalyptic period, when the woman begins to return
from the wilderness, is at the opening of the temple, at the
sounding of the seventh trumpet ib.

PROPOSITION FIFTH.

The 1200 years end at the sounding of the seventh trumpet 222

That event took place in the year 179.r, therefore the 1260 years
then elapsed t ib.

PROPOSITION SIXTH.

The times of the Gentiles, or l'.^60 years end, when the signs in

the heavens, mentioned in Luke xxi. 2.5, begin ib.

Introductory remark, on the difficulty of interpreting our Lord's

discourse on the destruction of Jerusalem ib.

This prophecy is given by three evangelists, and to arrive at its

true meaning we must compare them with each other ib.

The prophecy was given in answer to certain questions of four

disciples 223

Bemarks on the opinions entertained by the disciples, respecting

the kingdom of our Lord ib.

xlix

The Jewish nation then expected the Messiah as a temporal de-
liverer i'iii

Our Lord did not at once shock the prejudices of the disciples, on
this point, but gradually prepared them to receive the doctrines
of the cross 224

Still they clung to the expectation of a temporal kingdom '225

When the apostles asked the questions recorded in Matt. xxiv. 3,
they alluded to the coming of our Lord, mentioned in Daniel,
to establish his kingdom and redeem Israel ih.

Remarks on the Greek word, rendered " fVorld" and its corres-
ponding Hebrew word 220

The questions of the disciples more particularly considered — they
were three in number 2-27

The first part of the discourse is introductory to the rest, and was
intended to correct the notion of the disciples, that the glori-
ous reign of the Messiah was near at hand. It closes by an-
nouncing the universal promulgation of the Gospel, immedi-
ately before the end 228

The next part of the discourse declares the sign which shall im-
mediately precede the destruction of Jerusalem 229

Our Lord warns his disciples against false Chrisls if).

The third division of the discourse contains the signs which shall
precede the second advent 230

The signs predicted by our Lord, are in the symbolical, and not
the natural heavens 231

They denote the fall of kingdoms, and the dethronement of sove-
reigns or princes, in the body of the Roman empire in its last
state 232

The awful events which have taken place in Europe, since the
beginning of the French Revolution, are the fulfilment of these
signs ib.

Passage from the charge of Bishop Porteus, in 'the year 1794,
containing remarks on these events ib.

Character of these events, as drawn by a writer of the present day 234

Further description of the events which have fulfilled the signs
in the symbolical heavens 235

St. Luke tells us, that these signs shall be attended with distress
of nations, and roaring of the sea and waves 237

The fulfilment of this part of the prophecy is evident in the uni-
versal distress which now pervades Europe, and in the spirit of
insubordination which marks the present awful period ib.

Thus has our Lord's prophecy been fulfilled, by signs in the
heavens, and by the present condition of the nations of the
fourth monarchy • • -?*

These signs are to continue till our Lord's advent vrith the clouds
of heaven 238

Concluding division of our Lord's discourse. — Passages cited from
St. Matthew xxiv. 3 4. and St. Luke xxi. 34 239

Our Lord appears, in the above passage of St. Matthew, to afGrm
that the whole of the prediction was to he fulfilled during the
generation then living upon earth ib.

This difficulty has greatly perplexed those who have endeavoured
to interpret our Lord's prophecy 240

Mede's attempt to remove the difficulty, by understanding ysvex
to mean, in this passage, a nation, and not a, generation, con-
sidered — and reasons given for rejecting it ib.

Remarks on the word, supposed to indicate the complete fulfilment
of the whole events in that generation 241

The proper sense of that word is not to be completely fulfilled, but
it means commencement, running into subsequent continuance of
action , ib.

And the clause signi<ies that the whole series of events were to
begin to be accomplished in that generation ib.

Thus our Lord gave an answer, as far as it was proper, to the first
question, When shall these things be? but he adds a caution,
that the day and hour of the second advent were unknown to
all but the Father 2J3

The inference from the whole of this prophecy is, that the times
of the Gentiles, or 1200 years, coded at the fall of the French
monarchy, in the year 1 792 ib.

An inference deduced from this prophecy, compared with the six-
teenth chapter of Revelation, that the celestial signs predicted
by our Lord, synchronize with the seven Apocalyptic vials 244

CHAPTER XV.

ON TUB PUDPHETICAL PEKIOD OF TWELVE BUNORED AND SIXTY
YEARS, CONCLUDED*

In this chapter an auxiliary argument will be offered, in aid of
the conclusion, that the 1200 years ended at the French Revo-
lution, founded on another mysterious number, in the eighth
chapter of Daniel 245

In the third year of Belshazzar Daniel saw, in vision, a ram with
two horns — This ram is a symbol of the empire of the Medes
and Persians ib

The establishment of the Medo-Persian empire did not take place
till the year A. C. 53G. — But the rise of the empire may be
dated from the year A. C. 559 246

"the period when Daniel first beheld the rann was, however, later —

and could not be prior to the year A. C. 536 24(i

When Daniel first saw the ram, he was butting westward, north-
ward and southward — These actions refer to a series of suc-
cessful wars 2 J8

Reasons why these wars must be those of Darius Hystaspis, and

no other ., . '^49

The period of the reign of Darius, which will be found exactly
to answer to the actions of the rann, when first seen by Daniel,

must be sometime between the year A. C. 513 and 497 ib.

Reasons for fixing the commencement of the vision in the year
A. C. 508 , 250

Daniel next saw a he-goat come from the west, and overthrow the
ram — This symbol denoted the Macedonian empire under Alex-
ander ib.

The four kingdoms which rose out of the empire of Alexander
were typified by the four horns of the goat ib.

The prophet afterwards saw a little horn come out of one of these
horns, which waxed exceeding great, even to the host of the
symbolical heaven , 251

This horn is a symbol of the Roman power in the east, after its
conquests extended to the territories of the he-goat ib.

An historical statement of particulars, wherein the Roman empire
in the east answered to the character of this horn ib.

Chronological coincidence between the rise of the horn and that
of the Roman sovereignty, within the territories of the Mace-
donian empire 255

Question concerning the length of the vision, cited from Dan.
viii. 13 257

The answer declares that it shall be unto two thousand three hun-
dred days, then shall the sanctuary be cleansed 25>

This period shown to be the whole length of the vision ib.

The cleansing of the sanctuary will receive its accomplishment,
when the church is freed from those Gentiles who tread it under
foot, during the 1260 years ib.

This cleansing must therefore begin at the sounding of the seventh
trumpet ib.

Another argument slated to prove this point, and a consequence
deduced from it, that the vSOO days must be used for years, and
that they end precisely at the same time with the 1260 years. . 259

It follows, therefore, that the 2300 years must have ended in the
year 1792 ...■ ib.

This conclusion is further confirmed by computing the 2300 years

back from the year 1792, for thus calculated they bring us lo
the identical year A. C. 50s, which we have already seen is the
probable date of the commencement of Daniel's vision of the
ram 259

Among the objections to the conclusion that the ISfiO years ended
in 1792, only one seems entitled to much weight, which is
founded on a passage in the last chapter of Daniel — The pas-
sage cited 261

Three different numbers are mentioned in the above passage, viz.
a time, times, and a half; i. c. 1260 days — 1290 days, and 1335
days; i. e. years — All these periods begin together. — The
second contains thirty years beyond the first, and the third
forty-five years beyond the second 262

The 1335 years probably introduce the full glories of the Millen-
nium — An opinion slated that the intermediate period will
probably be signalized by the commencement of the restoration
of Judah ib.

The argument of Mr. Faber, founded on the above passage, is,
that the restoration of Judah will begin precisely at the close
of the 1 260 years 263

Answer to this argument 2C4

The answer confirmed, by passages cited from Winlleand Lowth 265

It may be objected, that we yet see no signs of the Restoration of
Judah, and that it is incredible that so mighty an event should
be accomplished within five years ib.

Answer to this objection, by a reference to the past history of that
people, and to the declarations of prophecy respecting the sud-
denness of their future conversion, and the marvels which shall
accompany their future Exodus ib.

Reasons for concluding that their national conversion is already
beginning 268

CHAPTER XVI.

THE FOURTEENTH CHAPTER OF THE APOCALYPSE.

A lamb standing on Mount Sion, and with him an hundred and
forty-four thousand — A song heard in heaven — None can learn
the song but the 1 44,000 — Their character described 873

The interpretation of this vision given by most expositors rejected ib.

It is applied by Bishop Newton and Mr. Faber, to the state of the
true spiritual church in the wilderness, during the reign of the
beast ib.

This exposition is a natural consequence of the erroneous expla-
nation given by these writers, of the sixth seal 274

111!

Archdeacon Woodhouse has, very iuconsistently with himself,
adopted the same explanation of the vision of the 1 •44,000.... 274

Reasons for rejecting this opinion, and for referring this vision to
the period of the sixth seal, and seventh trumpet, and seven
vials 275

The appearance of the 1-44,000 on Sion, is emblematical of the
trinmphant attitude assumed by the true spiritual church, in
the period of the vials 277

The song which they learn is the Song of Moses and the Lamb,
mentioned in the following chapter — Whatare its distinguishing
features ib.

During this period, the members of the true church shall not,
however, be exempted from suffering — But the church, as a
body shall be saved 278

The church is here presented to us as returned from the wilder-
ness ; but not yet entered into her rest ib.

The church is already assuming, or rather has assumed, the pos-
ture here mentioned ib.

Three angels seen, the first having the everlasting Gospel ; the
second proclaiming that Babylon is fallen; the third denouncing
eternal punishment against the worshippers of the beast 279

Some writers interpret the above vision, of the preaching of
Luther and the reformers of his age — others refer it to an
earlier period 2S0

Reasons for rejecting both these interpretations ib.

The whole of the fourteenth chapter of the Apocalypse belongs to
the period of the seventh trumpet 281

The flight of the first angel denotes a preaching of the Gospel
much more extensive than any that preceded it ib.

It also denotes the diffusion of the written woxd, with a rapidity
before unexampled— and that this circulation of the Scriptures
shall be accompanied with awful and signal judgments of God 282

This prophecy seems now to be receiving its accomplishment ib.

The flight of the second and third angels is yet future 28;j

Some remarks on the mission of these two angels ib

After declaring the purport of the message of the third angel, the
Holy Spirit gives a significant warning, that the events of that
time shall call into exercise the utmost degree of the faith and
patience of the saints — Remarks on this warning 2H4

A voice heard from heaven, saying, Write, Blessed are the dead
which die in the Lord from henceforth 2S5

Remarks on this passage ib.

liv

The S^on of Man sits on a white cloud, with a sharp sickle, and
reaps the harvest of the earth 23(i

This advent of Christ is the same with that mentioned in the
seventh of Daniel and other passages — The reaping of the har-
vest of the earth is the gathering of his elect from the four
winds of heaven aST

This explanation of the wheat harvest is diflferent from that
offered by Mede, Bishop Newton, and Mr. Faber, but it is sup-
ported by the authority of Bishop llorsley 288

Another angel appears, with a sharp sickle — He gathers the vine of
the earth, and casts it into the winepress of wrath — The wine-
press is trodden without the city ib.

This vision coincides with the treading of the wine-press at Arma-
geddon, and with certain passages in Isaiah and Joel ib.

Recapitulation of the foregoing review of the fourteenth chapter
of the Apocalypse 2v^9

CHAPTER XVII.

THE VISION OF SEVEN ANGELS WITH THE SEVEN VIALS OF WRATH.

Apocalyptic description of this scene 291

The fifteenth chapter of the Apocalypse is an introduction to the
prophecy of the seven vials, and contains £ome marks, whereby
we may fix the proper place of the vials 292

Remarks on the scenery of this vision ib.

A practical inference from these remarks 293

Who the harpers in this vision are, and the beautiful fitness of
their being introduced as leading the chorus of praise ib.

The temple in heaven is opened. This denotes the opening of the
holy of holies — Argument hence deduced for the absolute cer-
tainty of the conclusion, that the seven vials all belong to the
seventh trumpet 294

Observations on the ceremonial and awful import of this vision. . il).

The opening of the holy of holies denotes the near approach of the
glorious rest of the church 29i

But not its actual commencement, which is not till the close of
the vials r ib.

The return of the church from the wilderness is denoted by the

• opening of the holy of holies il).

And the entering of men into the holy of holies, coincides with
the marriage-supper of the Lamb 29U

CHAPTER XVIII.

IHE EFFUSION OF THE VIAI-S.

The apocalyptic narrative of their effusion -297

Introductory observations ?99

The Roman empire, secular and spiritual, is the principal sub-
ject of these vials ib.

The sixth vial, which is poured on the Euphrates, is applied by
our most respectable expositors to the destruction of the Otto-
man empire — this application acquiesced in ib.

The seventh trumpet having sounded in 1792, the effusion of the
vials also then began ib.

The consequent difficulty of interpreting the vials, from their
being only in part accomplished 300

The whole vials are poured out on Ihe earth — which is a symbol,
denoting the Roman empire, and including Turkey. — This
earth is an hieroglyphical universe, and it represents the Ro-
man empire as it existed in 1 792 ib.

Reason for the opinion that all the seven vials began to be poured
out at the same time, and that they are synchronical in all their
extent ib.

The first vial is poured out on the dry land, and is followed by a
noisome sore upon the men who have the mark of the beast,
and who worship his image ib.

A sore, in the language of symbols, denotes a grievous moral
disorder 30 1

The sore of this vial signifies the principles of atheism, of anar-
chy and insubordination, into which the nations of Europe so
fearfully drank at the French Revolution 302

Further observations on the consequences of these principles... . ib.

An objection stated to the foregoing exposition, and answered. . . S0.'3

These principles have been the germ of all the calamities of
Europe under the third woe, hence the propriety of the vial
which developes them being placed first ib.

The second vial is poured out on the sea 30 J

The collective bodies of symbolical waters, signifies the whole po-
pulation of the Roman earth. The symbolical sea therefore,
when the empire is in a divided state, must signify the most
numerous people of the Roman world, which is the French
nation ib.

This vial was fulfilled by the revolutionary massacres in that
country, and by the slaughter of the French people in the

Ivi

series of wars, down to the period of the dethronement of

Bonaparte 304

rhe third vial is poured out upon the rivers, and fountains of
water 305

This symbol denotes the other nations of Europe, which have all
drank deeply of the cup of blood put into their hands by the
third angel ib.

The fourth vial was poured out on the sun ib.

The sun in a divided empire, symbolizes the government of the
principal state. This vial denotes therefore, the oppressive
tyranny of the French revolutionary government, which in
every stage of its existence has tormented the men of the
Roman earth - il).

The indirect influence of this tyranny, has been felt in every
corner of Europe 30G

The prophecy is evidently fulfilling, that the men, who in conse-
quence of this vial were scorched with great heat, blasphemed
God, and repented not to give him glory 307

This is evinced in the actual moral condition of Continental and
especially Catholic Europe ib.

Remarks on the state of our own country, as connected with this
vial ib.

The fifth vial is poured out on the seat or throne of the beast . . .SOU

This symbol denotes the power and councils of the head of the
beast 310

In the year 1792, the Austrian sovereign was the head of the beast ib.

The effects of this vial on the Austrian throne until her sovereign
resigned the title of emperor of the Romans, in the year 1806 ib.

The influence of this vial was next felt by Bonaparte, who occu-
pied the throne of the beast after the renunciation of Austria ib.

A review of the effects of the vial upon the councils and power
of Napoleon Bonaparte, until he was a second time driven from
his kingdom, and exiled to St. Helena 311

Reasons for the opinion, that the effects of this vial, are in a
measure felt by all the governments of the bestial empire, and
their subjects 312

Remarks on the symbolical darkness, which now fills the bestial
empire 313

The sixth vial was poured out on the great river Euphrates, and
the water thereof was dried up 315

The Euphrates signifies the nation of the Turks, and the drying
up of its waters denotes the gradual decay of the Ottoman
empire ; ib.

Ivii

Remarks on the fulfilment of this vial in the rapid decay of the
Ottoman power — Its destruction seems to be hastening on by
the immediate hand of God 315

Who the kings of the east are that are mentioned in this vial is
yet uncertain — It seems probable that the Jews are designed. . 3lC>

The seventh angel poured out his vial into the air 317

The seventh vial is the most important of the whole ib.

The symbolical air into which it is poured, signifies the political
and ecclesiastical constitution of the Roman empire ib.

Effects of the vial briefly described in the dreadful political tem-
pest and earthquake of the French revolution, and its conse-
quences, till the late pacification of Europe 318

Coincidence between the above interpretation of the hiero-
glyphics of this vial, and that given by Vilringa 319

Reference to certain conclusions I arrived at, in considering the
sixth seal, and consequence deduced from them, that the ope-
rations of the seventh vial are for the present suspended 320

Observations on the tripartite division of the great city, which is
probably still future 322

On the fall of the cities of the nations 323

Great Babylon came up in remembrance before God, to give her
the cup of wrath 324

Every island fled away and the mountains were not found 325

The hail storm considered 326

The remaining effects of the seventh vial, are contained in chap-
ters xvii. xviii. and xix. the greater part of which is yet future 327

Under the seventh vial, the bestial <>mpire will hp niniilded into

that political shape, which shall prepare it for its last blas-
phemous opposition to the Lamb at Armageddon ib.

An objection to the last conclusion, stated and answered 328

Arguments to show that the vials are synchronical 330

Some remarks on the marriage of the Lamb predicted in chap-
ter xix 334

A short view of the events, which the prophecies of the Old and
New Testament lead us to expect, before the consummation of
the vials ib.

The first of these events, is the conversion and restoration of the
Jews ib.

Two passages cited to prove the restoration of the Jews to Pales-
tine, the first in Deuter. xxx. I — 7 ; the second in Jerem.
xxxii. 37—42 335

The restoration predicted in these passages cannot be the partial

Iviii

one, which succeeded the captivity at Babylon, but is evidently

future 336

Three arguments to prove that the restoration of the Jews is to

take place during the vials ib.

Argument to show that though the conversion of the Jews will
begin before their restoration, it will not be completed till
after that event — nor until the second advent of our Lord, at

the close of the vials 337

Passage cited from Joel in confirmation of the above conclusions 338

General inferences from what has been said 330

During the remaining period of the vials, the conversion of the
Jews will proceed with accelerated velocity, and their restora-
tion will be effected — The Roman empire will assume that shape
which is to prepare it for the last confederacy ; the elect 1 44,000
will be completed: Babylon will fall, and also the Ottoman
empire, and the confederacy of nations will be assembled at

Armageddon ib.

In this awful period the Word of Jehovah will be revealed from
heaven in flaming fire — the elect of God will be gathered to the
marriage-supper of the Lamb, and the final judgments will be

let loose 340

Several passages cited from the Scriptures, which are descriptive

of the closing period of the vials ib-

1st, Rev. xiv. 19,20, — Remarks on this passage 341

2nd, Jeremiah XXV. 15, 16. and 97—38 ib.

Srd, Isaiah xxxiv. 1—8 343

Rem.irks on the awful «l«»errip*inn rnnl-Ainpd in this prophecy S44

4th, Dan. ii. 34, 35 — Observations on this passage 345

Creneral inferences, deduced from the whole of the foregoing
passages, respecting the nature of the events which are ap-
proaching ,.. ib -

The righteous shall be saved in this awful period 347

Observations on the prospects of our own highly favoured nation ib.
Remarks on the harmony between the foregoing conclusions, and

the past analogies of the Divine administration 350

The second causes by which the approaching desolations are pro-
bably to be effected, have long been in active operation 351

Remarks on the progress of un sanctified knowledge 352

Bishop Horsley's remarks on the 46th Psalm, quoted in confir-
mation of the foregoing reasoning «b.

Observations on the near approach of the day of the Lord 353

lix

CHAPTER XIX.

FRACTICAL OBSERVATIONS ON THE PRESENT STATE OF THE WORL»
IN CONNECTION WITH PROPHECY.

Remarks on the extraordinary aspect of the present times 355

The events of the period in which we live, call on us to sit loose

to temporal things ib.

There is now no safety, either for individuals or communities,

but in repentance and faith in the Son of God 356

To this highly favoured country, the voice of these divine judg-
ments is still the voice of mercy 357

The nature of the repentance required by Christianity 358

Concluding observations 359

DISSERTATION,

CHAPTER I.

THE FIRST FIVE SEALS.

THE sixth chapter of the Apocalypse contains
an account of the opening of six of the seals of the
book, which had been exhibited to the eyes of the
apostle John in the preceding chapter. The first
four seals shew to us the same number of hiero-
glyphics, each of which is sufficiently distinguished
from the rest, by its appropriate characters, to mark
that they all relate to dififerent events : but yet, as all
the four hieroglyphics are evidently homogeneous,
or of the same kind, they must, according to the
just principles of interpretation, be applied to ob-
jects of the same nature.

Most interpreters have lost sight of this prin-
ciple in expounding the prophecy of the seals : for
while there is a pretty general agreement among
them, in referring the first seal to the victorious
progress of pure Christianity, in the primitive age

of the church, they usually apply /he three fol-
lowing seals to the history of the Roman empire.
But if the first seal relate to the church, the next
three being homogeneous with it^ must also be
applied to the history of the church.

Bishop Newton has indeed avoided the common
error of violating the principle of homogeneity,, in
expounding the vision of the first four seals ; and
this he does by applying the first seal to the history
of the Roman empire during the reigns of Vespa-
sian, Titus, Domitian^ and Nerva ; and the other
three to the state of the empire in the subsequent
period, down to the accession of Diocletian. But
it may be here observed, as will be afterwards more
fully shown, that there is nothing in the symbols
which can justify this interpretation, since they
are of a nature to be applied only to the church and
things spiritual.

Archdeacon Woodhouse, in his learned work
on the Apocalypse, seems to be the first writer who
has adopted an uniform and consistent interpretation
of that part of the prophecies of this book, which
we are now about to consider. And as 1 have fol-
lowed his scheme in its great outlines, in inter-
preting the first six seals, I think it right to set out
by acknowledging my great obligations to him.
1 may add, that till I saw his work 1 rested in the
commonly received interpretation of the above seals,
the inconsistency of which has been so clearly
pointed out by the learned Archdeacon.

Having made these general remarks, I now pro-
ceed to consider more particularly the prophecy of
these seals.

3 .

THE FIRST SEAL.

The symbol or hierooiyphic exhibited under
this seal is a white horse with a rider, having* a
bow : *' A crown was given him, and he went forth
*' conquering, and to conquer." * The horse, in
the prophetical writings, seems to be the emblem of
victory and dominion. The white colour of this
horse denotes that the conquests of his rider shall
be of a pure and holy nature, white being every
where used as symbolical of true holiness. Thus
in Daniel xi. 15. '' to purge and to make them
"^ white;" and in Revel, iii. 4. ''they shall walk
*' with me in white, for they are worthy." A bow
is the well known instrument for discharafinff
arrows ; and from Psalm xlv. 5. we learn that the
wounds inflicted by arrows, are emblematical of
the spiritual conquests of the Messiah. The crown
with which the rider on the white horse is invented,
denotes royal authority and conquest. The whole
hieroglyphic represents to us the triumphant pro;
gress of the gospel of Jesus Christ in the first and
purest age of the church, comprehending the
greater part of the first three centuries

Those interpreters who iiave adopted this ex-
planation of the first seal, have generally supposed
that the rider on the white horse is our Lord him-
self, but this opinion seems to me to be inaccurate ;
for, if we suppose the rider in the first seal to be
a real personage, we must, according to the prin-
ciples of homogeneity and analogy, understand the
riders in the three following seals, to denote likewise

* Rev. y'u 2.

ii2

real personages. But we shall not find it easy to
fix upon any real characters in history ^ answering
to the description of the riders in the second, third,
or fourth seals. We seem, therefore, to be irre-
sistibly driven to the conclusion, that these riders
are hieroglyphical representations of things future ;
and in order to preserve that consistency of inter-
pretation which is necessary to lead us to the suc-
cessful elucidation of this mysterious book, we
must also, 1 think, conclude, that the character,
exhibited to us in the first seal, is, like those of the
subsequent visions, wholly hieroglyphical ; and we
are thus obliged to reject the idea that the rider on
the white horse is the Messiah in person.*

There is, indeed, a rider upon a white horse in a
subsequent part of this book, who is not a sym-
bolical, but a real personage, f But it is observ-
able, that it is there expressly declared who the
horseman is, in order that we may fall into no
mistakes respecting it ; and 1 see no sufficient
reason for the conclusion which has been drawn
by many writers, from some circumstances of simi-
larity, between the two riders, Ihat they are one and
the same.

* Archdeacon Woodhouse seems to l)e sensible that the rider on
the white horse cannot, with certainty, be pronounced to be the Son
of God. — " We are not yet warranted,'' says the learned writer, •» to
" say that this horseman is the Son of God." Again, " The progress
" of the white horse seems to he rather that of the Christian religion
" in its primitive purity, from the time that its divine founder left it
" on earth under the conduct of the apostles." On the Apocalypse,
page 131.

+ Rev. XIX. 11.

THE SECOND SEAL.

On the opening of the second seal, an hiero-
glyphical representation of a most significant
nature presented itself to the eyes of the apostle :
'^ There went out another horse, red, (or fire-
" coloured) and it was given to him that sat
'' thereon to take peace from the earth, and that
*' they should kill one another ; and there was given
*' unto him a great sword." *

Fire and a sword are both emblems of discord
or dissension, as we may learn from our Lord's
expressions in Luke xii. 49. and Matthew x. 34. 36.
In the former of these passages our Saviour
says, " I am come to send fire on the earth, and
" what will I if it be already kindled." In the pas-
sage last mentioned his words are, " Think not
" that I am come to send peace on earth ; I
'' came not to send peace, but a sword. For I
" am come to set a man at variance against his
'■ father, and the daughter against her mother,
" and the daughter in law, against her mother in
'Maw; and a man's foes shall be they of his own
" household."

From the whole of this passage of Matthew, and
also by comparing the quotation from Luke with
the context, it will be sufficiently evident to the
attentive reader, that the j^re and sword, which our
Lord came to send on the earth, signify those fierce
animosities and disputes, which his gospel, peaceable
and heavenly as it is in itself, would, through (he
wickedness of mankind, and their opposition to the

* Rev. vi. 4.

truth, be instrumental in kindling. The fiery colour
of the second horse, when joined to the description
of the office of his rider^, and of the dreadful weapon
with which he was armed, indicate to us, that after
the first and purest age of Christianity, the spirit of
love and peace should recede from the visible church,
and be succeeded by a spirit of discord, of dissension
and controversy, a fierce and fiery zeal, instigating
Christians to destroy one another.

The ecclesiastical history of the fourth and fifth
centuries^ sufficiently evinces, that such a change
did take place, in the general features of character,
which distinoMiished the Christian church. The
schism of the Donatists and the Arian controversy,
filled the Roman empire, with the most dreadful and
destructive animosities. So much had the Christians
of that age imbibed this spirit, that even the disputes
occasioned by the election of a bishop in the see of
Rome became, in the latter part of the fourth cen-
tury, the source of a dangerous schism, and a civil
war in the city of Rome, which was carried on with
the utmost barbarity and fury, and produced the
most cruel massacres and desolations.*

The historian of the Decline and Fall of the
Roman Empire, in summing up the history of the
ecclesiastical divisions between the years 312 and
361, uses the following words : *' The simple nar-
'' rative of the intestine divisions which distracted
" the peace and dishonoured the triumph of the
" church, will confirm the remark of a pagan histo-
" rian, and justify the complaint of a venerable
'* bishop. The experience of Ammianus had con-

* Mosheim, Cent. IV. part ii. chap. 2.

" vinced him, that the enmity of the Christians
" towards each other surpassed the fury of savage
" beasts against man ; and Gregory Nazianzen
"■ most pathetically laments that the kingdom of
" heaven was converted by discord into the image of
" chaos, of a nocturnal tempest, and of hell itself."*
In how striking a manner does the foregoing de-
scription mark the fulfilment of the vision of the
second seal ! and what a strong proof is here af-
forded of the depravity and wickedness of human
nature, that the pure and heavenly doctrine of the
gospel, should be so perverted, within the short
space of three centuries, as to become the occasion
of such enormities !

THE THIRD SEAL,

On the opening of the third seal the beloved
apostle beheld " a black horse, and he that sat on
*' him having a yoke (^^yoy) in his hand : And I
'' heard a voice in the midst of the four living
" creatures say, a chaenix of wheat for a penny, and
*' three chaenices of barley for a penny, and see
*' thou injure not the wine and the oil."f

To Archdeacon Woodhouse belongs the merit
of having pointed out, the erroneousness of the
translation of the word ^vyos, in our authorised
version. The proper and primary meaning of this
word is, as the Archdeacon justly remarks, " a
yoke," and it is only in a borrowed or secondary
sense that it can be taken to signify " a balance." J

The black colour of the horse under this seal is

* Gibbon, chap. xxi. t Rev. vi. 5, 6.

+ Woodhouse on the Apocalypse, p. 143-4. See also Parkhurst'9
Greek Lexicon, on the word Zvyos.

emblematical of darkness and ignorance. The
yoke in the hand of his rider, is a symbol denoting
the imposition of an oppressive bnrthen of rites,
ceremonies, and human ordinances on the disciples
of Christ, and the teaching for doctrines the com-
mandments of men. The word ^yyor is frequently
used in this sense in the New Testament. In
reference to the attempt made to impose the observ-
ance of the law of Moses on the Gentile converts,
we find the Apostle Peter, in Acts xv. 10. thus
expressing himself: " Why tempt ye God to put a
" yoke on the necks of the disciples, which neither
" our fathers nor we were able to bear ?" St. Paul
also exhorts the Galatians, v. 1 : "^ Stand fast there-
" fore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us
" free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of
" bondage :" meaning by this yoke, as is plain
from the context, the imposition of the rite of
circumcision and observance of the Mosaical law.

The chaenix of wheat was a measure containing
as much as to supply a slender allowance for the
daily food of a man ; and the denarius, or penny,
was the daily pay of a labouring man.* But as
the labouring man has to provide himself with many
other things besides bread, it must be accounted a
period of great scarcity when his whole daily
wages are required to purchase a slender portion of
food. Sixteen or twenty chaenices of wheat were
sold for the denarius, or penny, in plentiful times ;
and when only one cha3nix could be had for that
price, there must have been a great scarcity, or
rather a famine. The voice from the midst of the

* See Archdeacon Woodhouse in loco, from whom the whole of
this exposition is adopted.

living creatures in this seal, that a chsenix of wheal
should be had for a penny, and three chaenices
of barley for a penny, is therefore indicative of
severe scarcity or famine; and as the prophecies of
the seals relate not to temporal, but to spiritual
things, the famine which is here predicted is doubt-
less a famine or scarcity of the word of God, such
as is mentioned in the book of Samuel : " And the
'^ word of the Lord was precious (or rare) in those
" days ; there was no open vision :"* and by the
prophet Amos, " Behold the days come, saith the
" Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land ;
*' not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but
*' of hearing the words of the Lord : And they shall
'■' wander from sea to sea, and from the north even
'' to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the
" word of the Lord, and shall not find it."f

But the voice adds these remarkable words : '^ See
" thou hurt not the wine and the oil." By wine
and o\\, we are probably to understand, those com-
forting and sanctifying influences of the Spirit of
God, which are imparted only to true believers.,
while the word and ordinances, are dispensed to ail,
within the pale of the visible church, whether they
be nominal professors or real disciples. The pro-
hibition to injure the wine and oil signifies, therefore^
that even in the midst of the spiritual famine of the
word and ordinances of God, which should pecu-
liarly distinguish the period of this seal, those who
truly feared God, should still have an abundant
share of the comforting, and sanctifying, and illu-
minating influences of the Holy Ghost, to support

* 1 Sam. iii. 1. ''' Amos viii. 11, IS.

them under eveiy discouraging' and trying circum-
stance. The above prohibition is analogous to the
triumphant declaration of the apostle Paul, that
" neither death nor life, nor angels, nor princi-
" palities, nor powers, nor things present, nor
" things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any
" other creature, shall be able to separate us from
*' the love of God \yhich is in Christ Jesus our
'' Lord."*

To recapitulate the contents of this seal: The
black colour of the horse, the yoke with which his
rider was armed, the proclamation from the midst
of the living creatures, that a chaenix of wheat
should be sold for a penny, and three chaenices of
barley for a penny, and the prohibition to hurt
the oil and wine, unite in pointing out to us a
period, when the grossest darkness and ignorance,
should overspread the visible church ; when a bur-
thensome yoke of rites and ceremonies, and like-
wise of unscriptural articles of faith, should be
imposed upon the necks and consciences of men ;
when there should be a great want and a famine
of the preaching and ordinances of the true gos-
pel in the church : but when notwithstanding this
complicated train of evils, the consolations of the
Spirit, his enlightening influences compared to oil,f
and his gladdening and comforting influences
likened to wine,J^ should not be withheld from
those, who in the midst of surrounding darkness
and superstition, truly set their hearts to seek God.

This prophecy was accomplished in the rise and

* Rom. viii. 38, 39. > 1 John ii. 20. 27.

% Zechariah x. 7. Ephes. v. 18.

11 f

prevalence of the papal power. Even as early as
the fifth century, ignorance and superstition had
made much progress in obscuring the pure light
of the gospel ; * and these evils gradually increased
till they ended in almost banishing that light from
the Christian world. The period during which
they prevailed has been emphatically called the
dark ages, and the spiritual bondage under which
mankind then groaned, is known by the significant
appellation of the papal yoke. During these ages
of ignorance and superstition, the Scriptures were
hidden from the eyes of the people; the worship of
the Virgin Mary, of saints and their images, and
of the bones of dead men, were substituted for the
service of God and of Christ. A burthensome
yoke of rites and ceremonies, of mortifications,
penances, and celibacy, was imposed on men. Yet
in the midst of this darkness an obscure ray of light
sometimes illumined the spiritual horizon : a few
faithful and enlightened men in every age were
raised up by Divine Providence to bear testimony
against the universal corruption, f to whom were
vouchsafed the influences of the Spirit, the wine
and oil, in rich abundance. This light burst forth
with increased and inextinguishable splendour at the
era of the Reformation, and seems, in the present
eventful period, to be extending its benign in-
fluence to those parts of the world hitherto unblest
with tlje knowledge of Revelation. Thus has the
command not to hurt the wine and oil, received its
accomplishment in every period of the church.

* Mosheim, Cent. V. part ii. chap. 4.

+ See Milner's History of the Church of Christ, passim.

THE FOURTH SEAL.

" I BEHELD, and lo ! a pale livid green horse, and
'* his name that sat upon him was Death, and Hell
'* followed with him : and power was given unto
" them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill
" with the sword, and with hunger, and with
" death, and with the beasts of the earth."*

The word used to express the colour of the horse
under this seal, which is rendered " pale" in our
authorised translation, signifies, as Archdeficon
Woodhouse remarks, a grassy-green hue, which,
though beautiful in the clothing of the trees and
fields, is very unseemly, disgusting, and even hor-
rible when it appears upon flesh; it is there the
livid colour of corruption.

This pale livid green colour of this horse is em-
blematical of a state of things even more dreadful
than that of the preceding seal. The character of
his rider corresponds with this idea; his name is
called death, the king of terrors. He is followed
by Hell, not the place of punishment for the wicked,
but the general receptacle of departed souls, which
is the usual meaning of the word aj^r, and in which
sense it is used in that article of the apostles' creed
regarding the descent of our Lord into hell. — Hell
and Death are here personified.

The whole assemblage of' figures constitutes an
hieroglyphical representation, of the most horrible
and terrific nature, and points out to us a period
when the rulers of the visible church should seem to
lose the character of men, and to assume that of

♦ Rev. Vi. 7, 8.

malignant demons and savage beasts, and should
extirpate, by fire and sword, all who dared to prefer
death to the sacrifice of a good conscience. This
seal evidently represents the state of the church
during those ages, when the flames of persecution
were kindled by the papal power, to destroy all who
refused obedience to its tyrannical authority, and
who pretended to judge for themselves in matters of
religion. Early in the thirteenth century, Pope
Innocent III. addressed himself to Philip Augustus,
King of France, and to the leading men of that
nation, soliciting them, by the alluring promises of
the most ample indulgences, to extirpate ail heretics
by fire and sword. Shortly afterwards a crusade
was proclaimed in the name of the pope, against
the heretics throughout the kingdom of France.
An army of cross-bearers took the field against the
Albigenses, and commenced a war, which was
carried on with the utmost cruelty, and ended in the
subjection or extirpation of that religious body in
the southern provinces of France. About this
time also the dreadful tribunal of the inquisition was
instituted, which, in the thirteenth and following
centuries, subdued a prodigious number of those
who were called heretics, part of whom were con-
verted to the church by terror, and the rest com-
mitted to the flames.*

The persecutions of the church of Rome against
the servants of Christ continued, with unabated
fury, down to the period of the revocation of the
edict of Nantz, in every part of Europe where the
secular powers consented to be made subservient to
* Mosheim, Cent. XIII. part ii. chap. 5.

this dreadful tyranny. It is computed, that in the
war against the Albigenscs and Waldenses, in the
fourteenth century, a million of men were destroyed.
From the beginning of the order of the Jesuits to
the year 1580, it is said that nine hundred thou-
sand men perished. One hundred and fifty thou-
sand were destroyed by the inquisition in thirty
years.* The ferocious Duke of Alva is reported to
have boasied, that during his government of the
Netherlands, in the short space of five years and
a half, upwards of eighteen thousand heretics had
suffered by the hand of the public executioner,
besides a much greater number whom he had put to
the sword in the towns he had taken, and in the
field of battle. f At the memorable massacre of
St. Bartholomew, several thousands of protestants
were destroyed at Paris, in the space of three or four
days, by all the varieties of cruel deaths that the
most unbounded malice could invent. The same
scenes were acted in other cities of France, so that
in the space of two months, thirty thousand pro-
testants were butchered in cold blood. J During
the dreadful persecution in France, in the reign of
Lewis XIV. five hundred thousand protestants were
driven into banishment, in the space of a few years,
and the prisons and galleys were filled with those,
who were stopped in their flight. About four
hundred thousand still remained in the kingdom.
They were compelled to go to mass and commu-
nicate. Some, who rejected the host after having

* Mede, Comment. Apocalyptic, ad cap. xiii.
+ Watson's Reign of Philip II. vol. i- p. 392.
X Modern Universal History, vol. xxiv. p. 273.

received it, were condemned to be burnt alive.*
Such of the protestant ministers as returned to the
kingdom, after having quitted it, were condemned
to the gallows or to the rack.f

Thus did the rulers of the visible church assume
the character of Death, accompanied by Hell, or
Hades ; and in this manner was the symbolical im-
port of the cadaverous and putrid colour of the
horse under the fourth seal fulfilled, in the cruel and
bloody persecutions which desolated the Christian
world during the space of four centuries.

THE FIFTH SEAL.

" I saw under the altar the souls of them that
" were slain for the word of God, and for the testi-
'' mony which they held ; and they cried with a loud
" voice, saying. How long, O Lord, holy and true,
" dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them
*' that dwell on the earth ? And white robes were
" given unto every one of them, and it was said
" unto them, that they should rest yet for a little
" season, until their fellow-servants also, and their

* Voltaire, Siecle de Louis XIV.

+ Voltaire, in giving an account of these dreadful scenes of cruelty,
makes the following striking remark : " Cetait un etrange contraste.
" que du sein d'une cour voluplueuse, oii regnaient la douceur de
" moeurs, les graces, les charmes de la societe, il partil des ordres si
" durs et iinpitoyables." He afterwards quotes the following passage
from the letters of the Marquis de Louvois, the minister of Lewis:
" Sa majeste veut quon fasse eprouver les dernieres rigueurs a ccux
" qui ne voudront pas se faire de sa religion; et ceux qui auront la
" sotle gloire de vouloir deraeurer les derniers, doivent etre pousses
•' jusqu'a la derniere extremite." Vide Siecle de Louis XIV.

'* brethren that should be killed, as they were,
'' should be fulfilled."*

The language of this seal, as well as of the pre-
ceding ones, must be considered as hieroglyphical.
The souls of those slain for their adherence to the
faith of Christ, are seen lying under the altar of
burnt offerings, and crying for vengeance against
their persecutors. This emblem is explanatory of
the nature of the slaughter perpetrated under the
preceding seals, and particularly the fourth, and it
shews that the true Church of God was the peculiar
object, against which Death and Hades in that seal
had directed their dreadful instruments of destruc-
tion. It therefore confirms the application of that
seal and all the prior ones to the history of the
Church, and strengthens the arguments by which I
have endeavoured to prove that they have no relation
to the secular affairs of the Roman empire.

The foregoing emblem displays to us, in the next
place, the consequences of the persecutions under
the former seals. It seems descriptive of the aspect
of the Church immediately before the dawn of the
Reformation. About the commencement of the
fifteenth century, history represents the Roman
Pontiffs as having slumbered in a state of perfect
tranquillity, entirely unconscious of the storm that
was approaching. The Albigenses and Waldenses
had been almost extirpated. The feeble remnants
of these intrepid witnesses for the Gospel of Jesus
Christ were reduced to total silence; and the
Roman See appeared to reign in undisturbed and
uncontroulable sovereignty over the Christian

* Rev. vi. 9-- 11.

world.* To such a state of things the hierogly-
phical represent'rition with which the seal opens
seems appropriately to belong. — It represented to
the view of the Apostle John, the souls of the slain
martyrs as being at that time the most prominent
object ; all as it were that remained visible (o his
eyes of the Church of Christ. The whole scene
bore the stillness of death, interrupted only by the
loud cries of the slaughtered saints.

To these slain witnesses white robes were given,
which are emblematical of innocence, purity^ and
justification, through Christ. They were told also
to rest yet a little season, till their fellow servants
also and their brethren, which should be killed as
they were, should be fulfilled. This 1 conceive to be
a continuation of the symbolical representation.
It seems to place before us ihat improved condition
of the Church which was the consequence of the
Reformation, when the Protestants in a considerable
part of Europe obtained not only a complete tole-
ration, but were acknowledged as a religious body ;
and in England, Scotland, and other countries,
gained even a more signal victory over the Romish
Church. But yet it is intimated that this state, how-
ever improved, was one of hope and expectation,
rather than of joy. The cause of the Church was
yet unavenged. The promises of her future glory
remained unaccomplished, and it was therefore ne-
cessary that the servants of God should arm them-
selves with the faith and patience of the saints,
during the remaining period of trial allotted to them

* Mosheim, Cent. XVI. Hist, of Reformation, chap. i. Milner's
Hist, of the Church, Cent. XVI. chap. i.

before the triumphant reign of their Lord. The
second part of this seal thus explained seems to fill
up the interval between the Reformation and the
Sixth Seal and Seventh Trumpet, when the cries of
the martyred saints are completely answered, and
the overwhelming judgments of God are poured
forth on their enemies.*

* The learned Vitiinga gives an explanation of this seal very
similar to the above.

19
CHAPTER 11.

THE SIXTH SEAL

'* And I beheld, when he had opened the sixth
" seal ; and lo there was a great earthquake, and
'' the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and
" the moon became as blood ; and the stars of
" heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig-tree
" casteth her untimely figs when she is shaken of a
" mighty wind : and the heavens departed as a scroll
'' when it is rolled together ; and every mountain
*' and island were moved out of their places : and
" the kings of the earth, and the great men, and
" the rich men, and the chief captains, and the
^' mighty men, and every bondman, and every free-
'' man hid themselves in the dens, and in the rocks
*' of the mountains , and said to the mountains,
" Fall on us, and hide us from the face of Him that
" sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the
" Lamb : for the great day of his wrath is come,
'' and who shall be able to stand ?"*

In the hieroglyphical language of prophecy, the
natural universe is used as a symbol of the political
world ; hence it follows, that a great earthquake
denotes a mighty revolution in the world politic.
The sun and moon, being the symbols of the so-
vereign or imperial power, their obscuration, the
sun becoming black as a sackcloth of hair, and the
moon becoming as blood, signify the extinction of
the imperial power, or its ceasing to exert a benefi-

* Rev. Ti. 12— n.

cial influence on the affairs of men,* The stars
denote sovereign princes^ subordinate to the impe-
rial power, or else nobles and great men.f Their
falling' to the ground^ like the unripe fruit of a fig-
tree when shaken by a mighty wind, signifies the
dethroning of the sovereigns of states, and the de-
gradation of their princes and nobles, by means of
sudden and violent political convulsions. The hea-
ven or firmament, in the natural world, is the me-
dium through which the sun, moon, and stars, com-
municate to us their heat, and light, and influences.
Consequently the symbolical heaven must be that in
the world politic, through which the symbolical sun
and other luminaries act upon us ; i. e, the political
constitutions and governments of the empires and
kingdoms of the world. The passing away of the
heaven, therefore, denotes the utter subversion and
destruction of the political and ecclesiastical consti-
tution of the empire, which is the subject of the
prophecy. Mountains and islands denote kingdoms
and states. When it is said that the mountains and
islands are moved out of their places, it denotes the
subversion and removal of the kingdoms and states
of the world, politic. The rest of the language of
this remarkable passage is so literal as to require
little illustration. It is descriptive of the dreadful
consternation which shall overwhelm the princes and
rulers of the world, during the progress of the ter-
rific convulsions of this seal ; and it shews that they
shall at length be forced to yield to the conviction of

* Faher on the 1260 years, vol. i. chap. 2.

+ See, in illustration of the symbolical language, Jacob's inter-
pretation of Joseph's dream, Gen. xxxvii. 9, 10.

21.

the approach of that awful day of visitation of the
wrath of God, of which we so often read in the pro-
phetical scriptures.

In the prophecy of Joel we are informed, that
^' the sun shall be turned into darkness, and the
'' moon into blood, before the ^reat and terrible ,j
" day of the Lord come."* Our Lord, in his re- f* . z
markable discourse upon the destruction of the
temple, and the signs of his second advent in the
clouds of heaven, predicts these signs in the fol-
lowing language, " Immediately after the tribu-
'' lation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and
" the moon shall not give her light, and the stars
" shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the
" heaven shall be shaken : and then shall ap-
" pear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven :
'' and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn,
*' and they shall sec the Son of Man coming in the
" clouds of heaven with power and great glory." f
The language of Mark is nearly similar. Luke
somewhat varies the description, and connects, in
a chronological manner, the signs in the heavens,
which go before our Lord's second advent, with the
preceding parts of the prophecy. " 'Tf'hey (the
" Jews) shall fall by the edge of the sword, and
" shall be led away captive into all nations : and
*' Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles,
" until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled. And
'* there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon,
'' and in the stars ; and upon the earth distress of
" nations, with perplexity ; the sea and the waves
" rearing; men's hearts failing them for fear, and

*Joelii. 31. t Matt. xxiv. 29, so.

*' for looking after those things which are coming
'' on the earth : for the powers of heaven shall be
" shaken. And then shall they see the Son of
" Man coming in a cloud, with power and great
'* glory. And when these things begin to come to
*' pass, then look up, and lift up your heads, for
"your redemption draweth nigh."* Luke here
tells us^ not only that these signs in the symbolical
heavens shall occur previously to the second advent
of Christ, but also that they are to happen pre-
cisely at the period when " the times of the Gentiles
*' are fulfilled." The meaning of this expression
will be investigated in a subsequent part of this
work.

The passages quoted from Joel and the Evan-
gelistSj are so exactly similar in their import and
form of expression, that there is little reason to
doubt that they refer to the same events ; and
it is apparent that they describe a dreadful series of
political revolutions, which shall convulse the nations
of the world before the great and dreadful day of
the Lord, the day of the second advent. And if
we carefully compare the language in which the
earthquake, and celestial signs of the sixth seal are
described, with what is written, as above, in the
prophecy of Joel and the Evangelists, we shall see
so near an agreement, as cannot but lead us to think
that all these inspired writers, in the passages which
have been cited, describe the same catastrophe ;
and, consequently, that the earthquake of the sixth
seal relates also to the great revolution which is to
take place in the last ages. But, as it has v#ry

* Luke xxi. 24—38.

incongruously been supposed by Mede, Bishop
Newton^ and the great body of modern commen-
tators, that this seal was fulfilled by the change which
took place in the established religion and govern-
ment of the Roman empire, in the time of Constan-
tine, it may be necessary to make some remarks, by
way of refutation of this commonly received in-
terpretation.

The hieroglyphics of the sixth seal, are of too
august a nature to be applied to the events which
happened on the accession of Constantine. It is
said, ** And lo there was a great earthquake, and the
" sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the
" moon became as blood." These symbols indicate
a mighty revolution, including in it the complete
extinction or obscuration of the imperial dignity.
It is true that, in the person of Constantine, the
imperial dignity of Rome, passed from the Heathen
emperors, to a new line professing the Christian
faith. But that dignity itself was neither ex-
tinguished nor obscured by this event : on the con-
trary, it shone forth with increased splendour, after
the defeat and death of the rivals of Constantine.
Momentous in its consequences, therefore, as the
above change confessedly was, it yet seems incon-
sistent with the just rules of interpretation, to apply
to it a symbolical description, which denotes the
complete subversion of the supreme power in the
empire which is the subject of the prophecy.*

♦ I shall afterwards endeavour to shew, that the revolutioa in the
reign of Constantine, was signified by the earthquake in Rev. viii. 5,
and by the fall of the sixth head of the beast and rise of the seventh,
xvii. 10.

It is next said, " And the stars of heaven fell unto
" the earth, even as a fig-tree casteth her untimely
" figs when shaken of a mighty wind." This
symbol is equally inapplicable to the events of the
above period. The rivals of Constant! ne, who
were defeated and dethroned by him, were sharers
in the imperial power. Now this power, though
administered by more than one person, was, by the
constitution of the empire, always considered as
one and undivided ; it must therefore be represented
by the sun, and not by the subordinate symbol of
stars. The fall of the stars from heaven to the
earth, could not therefore denote the fall of the
Heathen emperors, and seems to be more filly appli-
cable to some revolution in the Roman empire, at
a period when there is in it, not only one supreme
imperial dignity, but an indefinite number of regal
powers, sharing among them the territories of the
empire ; recognizing indeed the superior lustre
of the emperor, but exercising within their own
territories all the rights of independent sovereignty.
Such was the political form of the western empire
before the French revolution : but that form no
longer exists. The stars which then shone in the
heavens politic have disappeared : they have been
cast down from their orbits by sudden and awful
violence ; even as the fig-tree casteth her untimely
figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind.*

• since this was written another mighty alteration has been effected
in the state of Europe. The fabric of the revolutionary governments
on the Continent has been overthrown, and a new arrangement
effected, partly on the ancient and partly on a new basis, which has
been produced by the changes of the revolution. I see, however, no
good reason to retract what I advanced in my first edition on th^

The same reasoning' may be applied to shoW;,
that the remaining symbols of the sixth seal cannot,
any more than those which have been considered,
be referred to the revolution in the time of Constan-
tine. The heaven, or political constitution and
government of the Roman empire, did not then
pass away, nor did the mountains and islands, the
kingdoms and states, remove from their places. In
fact, there were at that time no independent king-
doms and states within the limits of the empire; it
formed one undivided kingdom or mountain.

I am happy to have it in my power to support
the above reasoning by the authority of Vitringa,
whose arguments on the subject are accurately
abridged as follows by the author of the Illustrations
of Prophecy : "In the time of Constantine, the civil
" government was not overturned. It is true," says
Vitringa, " some emperors were divested of their
" power. But in this there was nothing new or
'' singular. The same rank and the same title
^' which Constantine had wrested from his rivals, he
" himself continued to retain. ' The imagery of
'' the sixth seal exhibits to us the change and sub-
'* version of the state of some empire, which should
*' be accomplished with a sudden shaking and the
'' most violent commotion.' But the alterations in-
" troduced by Constantine, were executed in a
'' period of profound peace ; and there was nothing
" in them that corresponded to the figures of the

subject. The present stale of Europe seems to lue to resemble an
edifice, hastily built with loose stones, \?ithout mortar or cement
I still believe that we are iu the midst of the last ^reat earthquake.
February, 1817.

" prophet. In the subversion of paganism the
" Christian emperor did/' says Vitringa, '' proceed
'' with moderation and with caution. Many of its
" temples and its shrines continued untouched ; the
*^ art of divination was still publicly practised ; their
" estates, their salaries, their privileges, still remained
" in the hands of the vestals, and the priests, and the
*' hierophants, in the greater cities, and especially
'' at Rome, where an altar stood to the honour of
" the goddess Victory. Public sacrifices were per-
" mitted ; and a large proportion of the Roman
*' senate, many years after the time of Constantine,
" continued in the belief, and persevered in the pa-
" tronage, of the heathen superstitions. Do these,
'' and other things which 1 omit, answer to the
" imagery of the sixth seal ? Whilst men addicted
" to the idolatry of paganism were every where
*' promoted to the highest dignities of the state, at
'' a time when Christian emperors held the reins of
^^ government ; had they any necessity to say to the
" mountains and to the rocks. Fall on us, and hide
'' us from the wrath of the Lamb ? Was paganism
" subverted with violence and a mighty commotion,
" when, long after the time of Constantine, it sub-
" sisted and flourished in the principal cities of the
" empire ? "

In further confirmation of the arguments of Vi-
tringa, it may be mentioned, that the seven first
Christian emperors continued to accept, without
hesitation, the title, the ensigns, and prerogatives, of
sovereign pontiff of the pagan rites, which had been
instituted by Numa, and assumed by Augustus.*

* Gibbon's Decline and Fall, cap. xxi.

The foregoing reasoning seems sufficiently to
refute the common interpretation of the sixth seal ;
and the whole imagery of it shows, when com-
pared with various other passages of the prophetical
writers, particularly those above quoted from Joel
and the Evangelists,* that it relates to that great
and final revolution which is to agitate and convulse
the nations of Christendom before the second ad-
vent of our Lord with the clouds of heaven. Indeed
no other application of this seal, will either cor-
respond with its sublime and terrific imagery, or
its place in the chronology of the Apocalypse ; for
we have seen, that the fourth seal leads us down to
the period of the great persecutions by the papal
power, and that the fifth seal contains the promise
of a day of retribution for the blood of the saints,
when the number of those who were to die as mar-
tyrs for the faith should be completed. Having read
this promise, when we afterwards peruse the account
of the sixth seal, it is quite natural to apply it to the
promised day of recompence, but altogether forced
and unnatural to turn back to the times of Constan-
tine for its accomplishment. Indeed, in what pos-
sible sense can it be said, that the number of the
martyrs was completed in the times of Constantine,
when the greatest and most bloody persecutions of
the faithful disciples of Christ did not take place till
about eight centuries afterwards ?

The sixth seal must therefore be applied to that
main revolution, as it is termed by Sir Isaac Newton,

* See also Isaiah xxxiv. 4 — 8 ; which evidently refers to the de-
struction of the anti-christian powers, and Iq Trhlch the same language
is used as in the sixth seal,

which is immediately to precede the establishment of
the glorious kingdom of Christ upon earth. This
revolution is predicted by the prophet Daniel, under
the symbol of the coming of the Ancient of Days,
and the sitting of the judgment ; the slaying of the
fourth beast, and the giving of his body to the
burning flame.* These events happen immediately
before the coming of the Son of Man, with the
clouds of heaven, to receive that glorious kingdom,
of which we read so much in the writings of the
prophets. The scene of this revolution is therefore
to be sought for within the body of the fourth beast,
or in those kingdoms which formed the Western
Roman Empire. It is the same revolution which is
again mentioned in the Apocalypse, on the sounding
of the seventh trumpet,f and more particularly de-
scribed under the seventh vial,j: between which and
the sixth seal there is a most remarkable similarity.

The principle of this exposition of the earthquake
of the sixth seal is of a very remote antiquity. "'That
" it predicted the great events which were to happen
" at the destruction of Antichrist, was the opinion of
" Victorinus, of Andrew, and of Arethas, whose
" commentaries on the Revelation are still extant.
'' The first of these filled the episcopal see of Pettaw,
'' in Austria, and suffered martyrdom under Diocle-
" tian ; the second, about the close of the fifth
'' century, was bishop of Csesarea, in Cappadocia ;
" and the last is supposed to have been bishop of the
'' same see in the succeeding century." § Vitringa
thus quotes the sentiments of Arethas : " On con-

* Dan. vii. 9— 14. + Rev. xi. 19. + lb. xvi. 17— 'il.
^ IlIustratioDS of Prophecy, chap, xxiii.

►" sidering' this matter, Arethas, after saying' that
^^ some interpreters refer these emblems to the
'' overthrow of the Jewish state, excellently observes,
" Though it be most true that these things icere so,
''yet they shall he more completely fulfilled at the
" coming of Antichrist ; not in the quarter of
" Judea only, but in the whole world. This
(says Vitringa) he " afterwards confirms by the sym-
*' bols of tl>e four winds, which shall in that time
" concur to produce this great catastrophe of
" things." In like manner, the same learned writer
quotes the sentiments of Victorinus, expressed in
the following laconic but decisive sentence ; " This
"is the last persecution ;" by which he means
the persecution of " Antichrist." Now it is well
known, that the ancient fathers connected the com-
ing of Antichrist with the last times, and imagined,
that the second advent of our Lord was to take place
ii.miediately after the revelation of Antichrist. Ac-
cording to this view, therefore, any event which was
placed by them at the coming of Antichrist, was
immediately and indissolubly associated, in their
minds, with the great and dreadful day of the Lord.
Having thus seen, that the commonly received
interpretation of the sixth seal is erroneous, and
that it refers not to any thing that took place in the
time of Constantine, but to the final revolution
which is to precede the second advent of our Lord,
1 shall defer the further consideration of the first
part of that seal till we arrive at the seventh trumpet,
and the seven vials of wrath, in which the revolution
of the sixth seal is more particularly described. In
the mean while I remark, that it appears to me.

that Rev. vi. 12 — 17, and xi. 15 — 19, are com-
pletely synchronical. I shall also so far anticipate
the discussions which will occupy another part of this
volume as^to observe, that I agree with all the later
interpreters of prophecy, in thinking that the
seventh trumpet sounded at the era of the French
revolution. And as I have already endeavoured to
show that the earthquake of the sixth seal is the
same with that of the seventh trumpet ; it follows as
a necessary consequence, that, if these opinions be
correct, the sixth seal also commenced at the revo-
lution in France, and the earthquake therein men-
tioned is to be applied to that revolution.

31
CHAPTER III.

THE SIXTH SEAL CONCLUDED.

It is manifest that the whole of the seventh
chapter of the Apocalypse relates to the period of
the sixth seal ; for the opening of the seventh seal
does not take place till the beginning of the eighth
chapter. The first object to which the attention of
the apostle John is directed, on the opening of the
sixth seal, is, as we have already seen, a mighty re-
volution, which obscures the imperial power in the
Roman empire, and fills its territories with blood ;
which hurls from their thrones the subordinate regal
powers, and annihilates the political and ecclesias-
tical constitution, together with the whole fabric of
the government, and removes the kingdoms and states
of which it is composed, and finally fills the minds of
the inhabitants of the empire with dismay and terror,
on account of the manifest approach of the great
day of the wrath of God.

It is a very natural subject of inquiry, what is to
become of the church of Christ, the collective body
of those who truly fear, and love, and serve God, in
the midst of the awful desolations of this seal ? Are
they to be overwhelmed in the common destruction,
or is it to be with them as with the Christian Jews at
the destruction of Jerusalem ; are they to be pre-
served from those judgments which overtake the
wicked ^ The visions seen in the seventh chapter of
the Revelation contain an answer to these questions.

'' And after these things I saw four angels standing

" on the four corners of the earthy and holding the
'' four winds of the earth, that the wind should not
" blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree.
" And I saw another angel ascending from the east
'' (the rising of the sun), having the seal of the
" living God : and he cried with a loud voice to the
*' four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the
"earth and the sea, saying. Hurt not the earth,
*' neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed
" the servants of our God in their foreheads."*

The wind, when it rages with unrestrained fury,
is an element little less destructive than fire itself.
The wind, therefore, is a fit and proper emblem of
destruction, or of divine judgments. It is thus used
in various passages of scripture. " Upon the wicked
" he shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, and an
^' horrible tempest. "f '' Behold, the whirlwind of
" the Lord goeth forth with fury ; a consuming
" whirlwind : It shall fall with pain upon the head of
" the wicked. "+

In the order of the narrative this vision follows the
earthquake of the sixth seal, and we may hence
infer, that the earthquake begins before the holding
of the winds by the four angels. But, on the other
hand, we learn from Rev. vi. 17. that the earth-
quake reaches to the great day of the Lord ; and as
it seems evident that the sealing of the servants of
God must precede that day ; we may hence conclude,
that the consumjnation of the earthquake, is later in
point of time than the holding of the four winds of
heaven. And it therefore follows that this vision of
the holding the winds, must occupy a period of un-

* Rev. vii. 1—3. + Ps. xi. 6. + Jer. xxx. 23.

defined duration in the midst of the earthquake. It
is an hieroglyphical representation, indicating a short
interval of universal peace before the end, which is
granted for the specific purpose of sealing the ser-
vants of God on their foreheads. All things in the
Roman earth, are shaken and displaced by the first
concussions of the earthquake, which bring the most
awful judgments and desolations upon its inhabitants.
But, according to the almost invariable analogy of the
divine procedure, a term of calm, not perhaps of rest,
is at length afforded, previous to the last dreadful
shock which is to bring utter destruction upon the
wicked.

The emblems of this vision, seem to bear a close
resemblance to those of the ninth chapter of Ezckiel ;
and by comparing it with that passage we discover,
that the sealing of the righteous denotes their being
marked for preservation from the ruin impending
over the world. The mystical number of the sealed
is next given. It consists of 12,000 of each of the
tribes of Israel ; in all 144,000. This number ex-
presses fulness or perfection. It is produced by
multiplying 12 into 12, in allusion to the twelve
tribes of Israel, and the twelve apostles, and by
again multiplying the square of 12, or 144, into 1000,
in order to describe the faithful as constituting an
exceeding great multitude.*

These four angels seem to be the emblems or re-
presentations of those powers whom God will employ
as his instruments, to restrain the calamities of the
earthquake, and thus procure the allotted period of

* Archdeacon Woodhouse /« loco. Faber on the 1850 years. Sth
Ed. chap. X. sect. 5.

universal peace.* When that time is elapsed, they
will cease to hold the winds ; and the torrent of cala-
mity which had already desolated and is about to over-
whelm the Roman earth, shall in consequence be
again let loose. It is probably in this sense, that the
angels are to " hurt the earth/' as the prophets are
said to do those things which they merely denounce. f

The sealing which here takes place, is doubtless
similar in its substantial characters, to that mentioned
in Ephes. i. 13, for in every age of the church, the
true members of Christ have been so sealed. But
yet, in this concluding act of sealing, there appears
to be something more directly and solemnly of a
judicial character. The 144,000 are here sealed
with an express reference to the calamities that are
approaching, in order that they may be set apart as
God's property, and saved from the general destruc>
tion of the ungodly. It seems scarcely necessary
to add, what will naturally occur to the serious reader^
that it is the word of God, whether preached or
diffused in a written form, which is the great
instrument used by the Spirit in sealing the servants
of God. The angel from the east, or rising of
the sun, I conceive to be our Lord himself; and the
seal in his hand, is an emblem of the Spirit which
he gives to his servants by the preaching of the
word.

In the last chapter, 1 endeavoured to show that
the sixth seal commenced at the period of the Freach

• By universal peace, I mean universal as it respects the scene of
the prophecy. There may at the time be v?ars in Asia, or America,
which countries are not within the limits of the Apocalyptic world.

t See Isai. vi. 9, 10. Jer. i. 10.

revolution : and it seems to me that we now witness
the fulfilment of the vision of the holding of the
four winds. After more than twenty years of u -
ceasing- convulsions ; and bloodshed unequalled in
the past history of the world, peace has at length
been obtained by the gigantic efforts of a mighty
confederacy of the nations of Europe,* led on by the

* This confederacy is, without question, the greatest which is
recorded in history, iu the extent of its military resources, and also
the remarkable and almost miraculous unity of sentiment which
prevailed in its military councils, composed of materials which at
first view must have appeared so discordant and heterogeneous.
Nothing indeed can account for the unanimity of the allies in their
operations in the field, but the supposition of a divine influence
presiding over their consultations. The strength of this confederacy,
and the views by which it was actuated, will appear by the following
passages from the report of Lord Castlereagii's speech in the house
of commons, on February 19, 1816, which 1 copy from the Morning
Post newspaper of February 20. " By tlie means Ihey had employed
" they had contributed to bring into the field a confederacy, so great
" and powerful that disaster itself could not have frustrated its
" ultimate object. Nay, had the battle of Waterloo, instead of
" a glorious triumph, proved a day of defeat and ruin, the contest
" might have been protracted, but not changed in its termination.
" The means of the confederacy were so immense that they could not

" fail." " Never had such a confederacy, in extent of military

" strength and ardour of exertion, been witnessed. It appeared, by
'* returns taken at the time when the British army occupied Paris, that
" there was an allied force in the French territory of 1,140,000 men.
" The numbers had been most scrupulously checked by the Duke
" of Wellington, who was charged with the arrangements with the
" French commissioners for their subsistence, and his Grace declared
" that the numbers had not been exaggerated." — " Besides the force
*' brought into action, had the war continued two mouths longer,
" 100,000 Austrians, 250,000 Russians, 70,000 Spaniards, and other
" contingents, would have entered France, which would then have
" contained not less than 1,500,000 foreign troops, combating in the
" cause of Europe."

" The late government of France was a military government, it
" was wholly and entirely impelled, directed, and led by the array,

D 2

four great powers of Austria, Britain, Prussia and
Russia, which after breaking' in pieces the vast

" aud obliged to answer to it for all its operations. He felt, that
" although we might now look to repose under the arrangements
" that had been adopted, it was only by seconding for a length of
" time these operations, by the presence of a strong- military force.
" Unless for the imposing attitude of this body, till the military spirit
" of jacobinism was extinct, the peace could not be secure. The
" principle on which his Majesty's government felt the question of
*' war or peace to hinge was, the continuance of an army of the allies
" in France. But respecting the dissolution of the army of Bonaparte,
" which had now taken place, he should think himself undeserving of
" the attention of that House, if he was not prepared to avow, that
" his Majesty's government, at the time Lewis XVIII. was at Ghent,
" laid it down as a fundamental and positive principle, that that army
" should be totally dissolved ; aUd he should have been liable to the
" charge of being accessary to the resurrection of that army, if he
" had not insisted on its entire extinction. But this grand point was
" effected, and it only remained for us to watch over it for a time, ia
" its state of dissolution; for if any man supposed that it had ceased
" to exist, because it no longer existed on parade, he knew nothing of
" the deep-rooted principles of jacobinism with which it had been

" actuated from the commencement of its disorganizing career."

" The noble Lord, continuing to descant on the attachment of the
" military conspirators to Bonaparte, observed, that he never had been
" one of those individuals who had depreciated his abilities ; but he
" would say, that, if that army had been suffered to exist, it would
" have been perfectly unimportant whether Bonaparte were confined
" or not, for it would not have been difficult to find a chief who would
" soon have led it into its former career."

Did my limits permit me to enlarge these extracts, I might add
other passages to shew that the great purpose of this alliance was the
conquering and securing peace, and also illustrative of the very
remarkable union which existed among the members of the con-
federacy .

Now we know that the expedition of Xerxes into Greece was the
subject of prophecy, see Dan. xi. 2. It cannot therefore be asserted,
with any colour of reason, that the mighty confederacy, which has
broken the gigantic power of Bonaparte and given peace to the
world, is not an event of sufficient magnitude to find a place in the
Apocalyptic history, for surely its importance is greater than wa»

power of the French empire^ and twice driving its
late sovereign from his throne^ now t)ccupies France
with its armies^ and thus restrains the fire of that
revolutionary volcano, which has heretofore been the
source of such incalculable calamities to the inha-
bitants of Europe.

This interval of tranquillity, has also been marked
by another circumstance, which precisely corres-
ponds with the description given in the vision.
The four winds are held or restrained in order
that the servants of God may be sealed, and we
have already remarked, that the word of God is the
instrument used for this sealing. Now the re-esta-
blishment of peace has given occasion to a new
activity, and far more widely extended exertions, in
circulating the sacred scriptures throughout the
European and Asiatic continents, as 1 shall show
more particularly in another part of this volume.
The measures taken for these purposes are also
evidently upon a scale of such magnitude as to mark
that they belong to a period of the extraordinary
operations of the Almighty.*

We are no where informed, how long this inter-
val of peace shall continue. But if the interpreta-

that of the expedition of Xerxes. 1 mention this argument, merely
to anticipate an objection which, I foresee, may be made to my
interpretation of this vision.

* The vision of the holding of the four winds is, by Bishop Newton,
referred to the peace of the church in the reign of Constantine. This
is a natural consequence of the common, but as I have shewn erro-
neous, interpretation of the earthquake, in chap. vi. When it is
considered that the triumph of the church at that time was imme-
diately followed by the Arian controversy and the schism of the
Donatists, it will be seen how little the language of this passage can
justly apply to such a state of things.

tion of the vision which is here given be correct, we
may expect, that as soon as the allotted period is
past, the commission to hold the winds shall cease,
and the calamities of the earthquake shall be renewed
with an overwhelming impetus. From these final
judgments, which are to bring utter destruction on
the Bestial empire, the sealed servants of God
are, however, to be delivered, and there are
many passages which seem to indicate that their pre-
servation shall be effected by the immediate hand
and power of God, exerted in a miraculous manner.*
Our Lord assures us, that after the signs in the sun,
moon, and stars (which are, as we have seen, pa-
rallel with the earthquake of the sixth seal), and at
his second advent, he shall send his angels to gather
together his elect from the four winds ;f and he
commands his disciples to watch and pray, that
they may be accounted worthy to escape those things
which shall come to pass at that period, and to
! stand before the Son of Man. J And since it may
be laid down as a principle, that whatever we are
commanded or exhorted to pray for, will be granted
in answer to prayer, we may infer, that the preser-
vation which the disciples of Christ are directed to
make the subject of their supplications, will be
vouchsafed to them in the awful period mentioned
by our Lord.

The above interpretation of this vision was adopted,
before I was acquainted with Vitringa's commentary.
I am happy to have it in my power, to confirm my
view of the passage, by the authority of that learned

* Joel ii. 31,32. Isai.Ixvi. 14— 16. Ps. Ixxvi. 8, 9. Mai. i v. 1—3.
+ Matt. xxiv. 31. ± Luke xx\. 36.

writer^ who thus expounds it. " A remarkable ad-
'' junct of the judgment shown forth in the emblem
''of the great earthquake is here described, viz.
*' the preservation of the electa professing' the pure
" faith of Jesus Christy from the stupendous calami-
'* ties which fall on the enemies of the churchy in
" the last time. For although there shall be great
'' and terrible commotions in the world : and through-
'' out Europe^ which shall strike the elect themselves
" with fear, yet the Lord assures them in this vision,
*' that he will keep them by his providence, so that
" they shall receive no injury, and that he will
" mercifully preserve his church, which shall shortly
" triumph over all its enemies." Vitringa after-
wards explains the four winds, to signify the
awful commotions of the sixth seal. He supposes
that the four angels may denote the princes, who
shall be the authors of these calamities, and adds,
" By this emblem it is signified, that when these
*' winds are loosed, and break forth from the clouds,
" the whole European world shall be most violently
•' agitated and disturbed. That great empire of
'* Europe,* which has opposed itself to true reli-
'' gion ; the free cities and republics of the empire,
" and the kingdoms of Europe, and the kings,
" princes, and nobles which govern them, shall be
" terribly shaken and suffer damage."

After the vision of the sealing of the elect,
the apostle " beheld, and lo a great multitude,
*' which no man could number, of all nations, and
'* kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before
" the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with

* The Germanic empire.

'' white robesj and palms in their hands ; and
" cried with a loud voice^ saying, Salvation to our
" God, which sitteth upon the throne, and to the
" Lamb." " And one of the elders answered,
" saying' unto me, What are these which are arrayed
" in white robes ? and whence came they ? And I
*' said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said
" unto me. These are they which came out of the
'* great tribulation, and have washed their robes,
" and made them white, in the blood of the Lamb.
" Therefore are they before the throne of God, and
" serve him day and night in his temple : and he
'* that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them.
" They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any
" more, neither shall the sun light on them, nor any
" heat : For the Lamb which is in the midst of the
" throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto
'^ living fountains of waters : and God shall wipe
''away all tears from their eyes."*

We have seen in the sealing of the 144,000, in
the preceding passage, an emblem of the certain
preservation of the church of Christ from the ge-
neral destruction during the period of the sixth seal.
In the passage now quoted we behold described, in
highly figurative, but sublime language, the actual
translation of the church, from the great tribulation
of that period, into that state of millennial rest pro-
mised to her from the earliest ages.

The chronology of this vision is marked by the
circumstance, that the palm-bearing multitude are
described as " standing before the throne, and
'" serving God day and night in his temple ;" that is,

* Rev. ix. 17.

111 the inmost recess of the temple^ or the holy of
hoUes, ill which compartment of the temple the
throne of God is placed. Now in the sequel of this
prophecy it will be seen, that till the sounding of
the seventh trumpet, the temple of God, or holy of
holies, remains shut, and is only opened after it
sounds.* It will further be discovered, that though
the temple of God is opened at the sounding of the
seventh trumpet, yet it continues to be so filled
with smoke from the glory of God, as to be inacces-
sible to men till after the fulfilling, or finishing, of
the seven plagues of the seven last vials of the
wrath of God.f The worship performed in the
temple by the palm-bearing multitude, must therefore
be subsequent to the pouring out of the seven vials.
But as these vials end with the destruction of Anti-
christ, at the battle of Armageddon, the scene of
that multitude "clothed in white raiment, with
** palms in their hands," must also be subsequent to
the destruction of the Anti-christian powers.

By the above chain of reasoning we are led to the
conclusion, that the passage now under consideration
relates to that illustrious appearance and establish-
ment of the kingdom of our Lord, which is thus de-
scribed in the prophecies of Daniel: *' I saw in the
*" night visions, and behold one like the Son of man
" came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the
'^ Ancient of Days, and they brought him near before
" him. And there was given him dominion, and
'^ glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and
" languages should serve him : his dominion is an
''everlasting dominion which shall not pass away,

* Rev. xi. 19. + Rev. xv. 8.

" and his kingdom that which shall not be destroy-
" ed/'* — " And the kingdom, and dominion, and
*' the greatness of the kingdom under the whole
" heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints
" of the Most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting
" kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey

*' him/'t

This manifestation of the kingdom of God takes
place, as the best interpreters are agreed, on the
destruction of the fourth monarchy, or the Roman
empire, in its last shape, as divided into ten king-
doms. The commencement of this manifestation
seems to be predicted in a subsequent part of the
Apocalypse, under the figure of the "^ marriage of
*' the Lamb/'J It is further described where an
account is given of the first resurrection, § and of
the new heaven and new earth, and the descent out
of heaven of the New Jerusalem. || It is apparent,
from the prophecies of Daniel, that this new state of
things does not take place till the second coming of
Christ with the clouds of heaven. 1 And the same
thing may be gathered from the Apocalyptic descrip-
tion of the marriage of the Lamb, already referred
to.

Nothing can be more strained or unnatural than
the application usually made of this sublime vision
to the times of the Roman Emperor Constantine :
nor can any thing have a greater tendency to excite
the scorn of unbelievers, than such an explication of
so important a passage of this mystical book. How-
ever much it may have the sanction of great names,

* Dan. vii. 13, 14. + Ibid. ver. 27. J Rev. xix. 7 — 9.
S Rev. XX. 4—6. I Rev. xxi. f Dan. vii. 13, 14.

the chronological mark above referred to, would
show the commonly received explanation to be erro-
neous,, even were there no other reason for rejecting
it.

In reference to the usual interpretation of this
prophecy. Archdeacon Woodhouse, whom I have
followed in rejecting it, makes the following remarks :
" Having thus formed, upon the scriptural grounds
" above stated, this notion of the application of this
" prophecy, I found myself, when I came to read
" the exposition of some eminent commentators,
'* little disposed to subscribe to their opinions, which
" represent this seventh chapter of the Apocalypse,
'' as containing ^ a description of the state of the
'" church in Constantine's time ; of the peace and
" protection it should enjoy under the civil powers,
*' and the great accession which should be made
'* unto it, both of Jews and Gentiles.' Now the
*' history of this period faithfully related informs us,
" that although the Christian Church was delivered
" from persecution, and advanced in worldly con-
'' sideration and power, yet did it acquire no real
" accession of worth, dignity, or exaltation, by its
" connection with the imperial throne. Nay, from
" that very time its degeneracy and corruption are
" most indubitably to be dated. From that period,
" worldly power and riches became the objects of its
" leaders, not purity and virtue. Many entered the
" Christian church, and obtained its honours and
*' dignities, by base dissimulation of their principles,
" to please the emperor, and recommend themselves
'' to his favour ; and the consequent extension of the
" Christian religion among the heathen nations was,

^' as Mosheim observes^ in name, not in reality.
'^ The worldly professors of Christianity in this cen-
'' tury were so far from fulfilling the prophecy, by
'' washing their robes in white, and by being fed
" and conducted by the Lamb, that they appear
^' rather to have assumed the hue of another leader ^
" the fire-coloured dragon, and to have greedily
^' sought from him those worldly riches, jind that
'' power, which their Lord had refused at his
" hands."

Having, in the preceding pages, endeavoured to
ascertain the import of the first six seals, I shall close
what I have to otfer upon them by a brief recapitu-
lation, and some general remarks. If the exposition
of these seals, which has been offered, be the true
one, it appears that they contain a kind of epitome
of the history of the church,* from the ascension of
our Lord till the time when the kingdoms of this
world shall become the kingdoms of our Lord, and
of his Christ ;f and that the sixth seal offers also a
brief description of the great revolution in the latter
days, which is to precede the establishment of the
kingdom of God.

It is remarked by Archdeacon Woodhouse, in his
valuable work on the Apocalypse, that " this method
" of divine prediction, presenting at first a general
" sketch or outline, and afterwards a more complete
" and finished colouring of events, is not peculiar
^' to this prophetical book. "J We find the same
method followed in the book of Daniel, wherein the
prophetical history of the world is first given in its

* Archdeacon Woodhouse, p. 196. + Rev. x\.

X Archdeacon Woodhouse, p. 197

great outlines, under the vision of the image seen by
Nebuchadnezzar, and is detailed with increasing;
degrees of minuteness in the subsequent parts of the
book. Now it has been justly remarked by Mede,
that the Apocalypse is only an enlarged explication
of that part of the book of Daniel which relates to
the fourth kingdom. It is, therefore, consonant
with analogy to suppose, that as the prophecies of
Daniel open with a general epitome of what is after-
wards more clearly revealed, the same thing should
take place in the Apocalypse.

The history of the Christian church confirms also,
in a remarkable manner, the explanation I have given
of the first four seals ; for if without a reference
to any particular hypothesis concerning the meaning
of prophecy, we turn to the page of history, we
shall find that the church of Christ was first pure
and triumphant; secondly, that it was filled with
quarrels and discord ; thirdly, that it was under the
yoke of superstition and ignorance ; fourthly, that
it was converted into a vast slaughter-house by the
dreadful persecutions of the papal power, and those
secular powers connected with Rome. History
therefore, comes in aid of our interpretation, and
exhibits to us the same series and order of vicis-
situdes, as I have endeavoured to trace in the cha-
racters of the hieroglyphics of the first four seals.
The exposition of the fifth and sixth seals offered in
these pages seems to flow from that of the preceding
ones ; and that of the sixth seal is confirmed, as we
have seen, by many analogous passages in other
parts of the prophetical scriptures. When, also^
we advert to the entire want of homogeneity which

is discoverable in the commonly received interpreta-
tion of these seals^ all the arguments for the scheme
that 1 have adopted derive new strength, and seem
to shcNv, almost to demonstration, that it is the true
one.

If, however, any reasons for confirming the fore-
going interpretation, be still wanting, they will be
suppHed by placing in contrast with it, the theory
of Mede and Bishop Newton. Let the reader ad-
vert to the deep and solemn importance, which is
attached to the sealed book of the Apocalypse. It
is first seen in the hand of God the Father. The
voice of a mighty angel is next heard proclaiming.
Who is worthy to open the book ? And no one was
found in heaven or in earth, worthy even to look
thereon. At this disappointment, the beloved
apostle weeps much, and when, at length, the Lamb
approached and took the book out of the hand of
him that liveth for ever and ever, all heaven is filled
with a rapturous burst, of adoration and praise.*

Having contemplated these mighty preparations,
if we next turn to the pages of the eminent (though
in this instance inconsistent) writers above mentioned,
we shall find, that four out of the seven seals, the
opening of each of which is also marked by a cere-
monial of the most significant nature, are supposed
to relate to certain vicissitudes, of no great moment,
in the secular affairs of the Roman empire during
the three first centuries. I shall select a passage,
from the Bishop's remarks on the third seal, as a fit
specimen of the manner in which this divine pro-
phecy is, by that exposition, debased and secularized,

^^ * See Rev. v. 1—9.

and constrained to imbibe the sordid and grovelling

spirit of earthly objects. After some observations

respecting the capacity and price of the chasnix of

wheat, the Bishop proceeds. " But whatever be

*' the capacity of the chaenix, which is difficult to

" be determined, as it was different, in different

'' times and countries, yet such care and such re-

" gulations, about the necessaries of life, imply

'' some want and scarcity of them. Scarcity obli-

*' geth men to exactness in the price and measure of

•* things. In short, the intent of the prophecy is,

" that corn should be provided for the people, but it

" should be distributed in exact measure and pro-

*' portion. This third period commenceth with

" Septimius Severus, who was an emperor from

" the south, being a native of Africa. He was

*' an enactor of just and equal laws, and was very

*' severe and implacable to offences. He would not

" suffer even petty larcenies to go unpunished ; as

" neither would Alexander Severus, in the same

" period, who was a most severe judge against

" thieves, and was so fond of the Christian maxim,

" Whatsoever you would not have done to you, do

*' not you to another, that he commanded it to be

" engraved on the palace, and on the public buildings.

" These two emperors, were also no less celebrated

" for procuring of corn and oil and other provisions,

'' and for supplying the Romans with them, after

" they had experienced the want of them."

Was it then, we may well say, (after reading the
foregoing passage) for the purpose of discovering
to the church, the state of the Roman markets for
corn and oil, or the efficiency of its police in ap-

prehending thieves, that all these mig^hty preparations
were made in heaven ? Truly the exposition which
includes in it such consequences would be ludicrous,
were the subject itself of a less solemn and im-
portant nature. But the high nature of the theme,
forbids our speaking, even of the errors of those
who have treated it^ excepting in the measured
language of Christian gravity. I shall, therefore,
close this chapter and the subject of these seals, by
requesting the reader again to peruse and compare
with what is here given from Bishop Newton, the
simple but elevated exposition of the third seal,
which I have adopted from Archdeacon Woodhouse,
and I doubt not it will commend itself to his mind,
with all the native force of beauty and of truth.*

* Some persons may perhaps here ohject, that I myself expound
the seven trumpets as having a reference to the secular fortunes of
the Roman empire, and that I am therefore inconsistent in opposing
a similar application of the seals. The answer to this is, that I con-
sider the greal mutatiojis only of the empire to be predicted in the
trumpets, and not those minor changes which Mede and Bp.NevFton
suppose to be referred to in the seals. The Roman empire I consider
to be the subject of prophecy only on account of its connection with
the church, and because while it exists (as it still does) it is the great
enemy of the church, and when it is destroyed it is to make way for
the glorious reign of the Messiah.

49 '
CHAPTER IV.

THE SEVENTH SEAL.

*' And when he had opened the seventh seal,
'' there was silence in heaven about the space of
** half an hour ; and I saw the seven angels which
" stood before God;, and to them were given seven
^' trumpets."*

In the general view which I have taken of the
contents of the first six seals, I have followed Arch-
deacon Woodhouse ; but I am now about to take
leave of my respectable guide, being obliged to
differ from him with reo;ard to most of the remaining'
parts of the Apocalypse. I however coincide with
the learned writer, in the interpretation which he
offers of the silence in heaven, at the opening of the
seventh seal. He explains it as being indicative of
the introduction of a new subject, and a new series
of prophecies ; it seems, as he remarks, to be exhi-
*' bited for the purpose of denoting a change in the
" mode or in the subject of the prophecy ; to dis-
" unite the succeeding scene from that which had
*' gone before ; to unfold a new chain of pre-
" diction. "f

During this awful and portentous silence, a new
scene presents itself to the eyes of the apostle. He
sees seven angels, to whom were given seven trum-
pets. As this is the first object exhibited under the
seventh seal, we may infer from it that this seal re-
lates principally to the sounding of these trumpets,

* Rev. viii. 1, ?, + Archdeacon Woodhouse, p. 200.

and comprehends within itself the whole of the events
signified by the trumpets ; and in this inference
1 have the support of some of the most distinguished
writers on the Apocalypse.* Now, seeing that the
first six seals contain an epitome of the state of the
church, down to that final consummation of all
thinc's on this earth, when " the saints of the Most
" High shall take the kingdom and possess the king-
" dom for ever;"t and that the trumpets cannot
extend beyond this final consummation, it follows
that the seventh seal, and seven trumpets, must re-
late to events which are contemporaneous with the
first six seals, or at least with the last part of them.
And in considering these trumpets we shall discover
reasons for the conclusion, that as the seals give us
an epitome of the history of the churchy so the
trumpets contain an account of the great political
and ecclesiastical revolutions which shall successively
affect the Roman empire, or fourth kingdom of
Daniel, until it is destroyed to make way for the
kingdom of the Son of Man.'j;

* vide Bishop Newton in loco, also Mede on the Apocalypse.

+ Dan. vii. 18.

■•■ lb. vii. 11 — 13. The learned Vitringa makes some introductory
observations on the trumpets, which are well worthy of our attention.
I shall in this note give the substance of them in an abridged form,
as my limits will not permit me to insert the whole passage.

He supposes that, in the trumpets, there is an allusion to the
manner in which the city of Jericho was delivered into the hands of
the children of Israel. They had the promise of the land of Canaan
for their inheritance. But that proud and strong city opposed itself
to their entrance into the promised land. The priests were therefore
commanded by the Lord, to compass the city with seven ram's horns,
and the ark of the Lord, once every day for six successive days: but
on the seventh day they were to march round it seven times, and at
the end of the seventh time the people were commanded to shout

" And another angel came and stood at the altar,
" having- a golden censer ; and there was given unto
" him much incense, that he should offer it, with
" the prayers of all paints, upon the g'olden altar
** which was before the throne. And the smoke of
" the incense ascended, with the prayers of the
" saints, from the hand of the angel before God.
*' And the angel took the censer and filled it with
" the fire of the altar, and cast it upon the earth ;
" and there were voices, and thunderings, and
^' lig-htnings, and an earthquake."*

Incense is a symbol of the prayers of true Chris-
tians. Thus in Malachi it is predicted, in reference
to the times of the gospel : " From the rising of
" the sun unto the going down of the same, my
" Name shall be great among the Gentiles ; and in
" every place incense shall be offered unto my
" Name, and a pure offering : for my Name shall be
" great among the heathen, saith the Lord of
" Hosts."f And in the Apocalypse we are ex-
pressly told, that the vials full of incense, held by
the twenty-four elders, are the prayers of saints. J

aloud, at which instant the walls fell flat down, the city was taken,
and all within it put to the sword, Josh. vi. — In a similar manner,
says Vitriiiga, the inheritance of the world is promised to the church,
(Dan. vii. 18. 22. 27.) but the city and empire of Rome oppose them-
selves to the reign and kingdom of Christ, and between them there is
to be an obstinate contest carried on through many ages. But that
city and empire, founded in blood, idolatry, and superstition, are
destined to be destroyed by various steps, and with peculiar demon-
strations of divine justice and severity, after the example of Jericho.
This (says Vitringa) is declared in the trumpets. — And the seven vials
are to be referred to the seventh trumpet, and answer to the seventh
day of the encompassing of Jericho, when the priests went round it
with the trumpets seven times.

* Rev. viii. 3—5. + Mai. i. 11. + Rev. v. 8.

In the passage we are now considering, the in-
cense which is offered by the angel, with the prayers
of all saints, seems to signify, that their prayers are
such as to find acceptance with God, and that they
are to receive an answer. The answer to them ap-
pears to be contained in the action performed by
the angel in the following verse. Filling the censer
with fire from the altar^ he casts it upon the earth,
and there follow "^ voices, and thunderings, and
" lightnings, and an earthquake." Fire is a symbol
of various significations. When it descends upon
the servants of God it denotes the purifying and
life-giving influence of the Holy Ghost. Thus John
the Baptist assured the Jews, that there came one
after him who should baptize them with the Holy
Ghost and with fire.* On the other hand, when fire
comes down on the enemies of God, it is a symbol
of his destroying wrath. " Whose fan is in his
" hand, and he will thoroughly purge his floor, and
*' will gather the wheat into his garner; but the
" chaff he will burn with fire unquenchable."f

It seems to be in the last of these senses that the
symbol of fire is used in the passage now under
consideration, as we may infer from the context, and
also the effects which follow. The fire is cast upon
the earth, which is, throughout this mystical book,
used to denote the world, as opposed to the cause
and kingdom of Christ ; and since the fourth king-
dom of Daniel;, or the Roman empire, is in an
especial manner the scene of the prophecies of the
Apocalypse, we may conclude, that the fire which
is cast upon the earth by the angel in this place,

* Lukeiii. 17. Corop. Is. vi. 6, 7. + Luke 17-

signifies the wrath of God coming down upon the
Roman empire, in answer to the prayers which had
been offered in the preceding verse. The effects of
the descent of this fire are voices,, and thunderings,
and hghtnings, and an earthquake. We have
ah'eady seen^ in considering the sixth seal, that an
earthquake, in the language of symbols, denotes a
revolution. Voices, thunderings, and lightnings,
in the natural world, happen, as we know, in the
atmosphere, or region of the air. When these
words are used symbolically, they must therefore
signify such convulsions as affect the political atmos-
phere, or region of the government, and the civil
and religious constitution of the empire, which is the
subject of the prophecy. We thus arrive at the
conclusion, that the voices, thunderings, and light-
nings, and the earthquake, mentioned in this
passage, denote a political convulsion in the govern-
ment of the Roman empire, attended with a revo-
lution.

These events occur before the sounding of any
of the seven trumpets. But it is generally admitted
by our ablest interpreters, that the first four of
these trumpets refer to the overthrow of the western
empire by the Goths and Vandals ; and I shall
afterwards give my reasons for concurring in this
commonly received interpretation. The political
convulsion and revolution now under consideration
must, therefore, have occurred previously to the fall
of the western empire. Now history informs us of
only one such event, which happened in the Roman
empire between the period when the Apocalypse
was published, and the fall of the western empire;

and that was the revolution in the time of Con*
stantine, when paganism ceased to be the estabhshed
religion of the empire, and Christianity was em-
braced by the imperial family. This revolution was
so important in its consequences, that the great
body of interpreters have, as we have seen, applied
to it the dreadful convulsions of the sixth seal.
In this application they appear to have erred, but
yet the revolution under Constantine was of suf-
ficient magnitude to render it probable that some
mention should be made of it in the Apocalypse,
and it seems to find its place in the passage we are
now considering.

In this passage we behold the prayers of all
saints ascending up with acceptance before God ;
by which prayers may be signified the cries of the
servants of God under the cruel and long-continued
persecutions of the heathen Roman empire. An
answer to these prayers is sent. Fire, an emblem of
the wrath of God, is cast upon that empire; and
there follow political convulsions, voices, thunder-
ings, and lightnings, and a revolution or earth-
quake, whereby paganism is cast down to the
ground, and Christianity occupies its place as the
religion of the government. The heathen perse-
cutions are thus brought to a period.

The above interpretation is entirely new, as I
have not met with it in any writer whom I have con-
sulted on the Apocalypse : I shall therefore offer
another argument, which seems to me to strengthen
it. The principle of homogeneity requires us to
understand the symbol of an earthquake in the same
sense, wherever it occurs in the prophecies of this

book ; and in considering the sixth seal^ we have
seen that it signifies a revolution : indeed, it is
generally admitted to bear that meaning. It must
therefore be interpreted in the same manner here.
But since the publication of the Apocalypse, only
three revolutions have happened in the Roman
empire.* The first was in the time of Constantine ;
the second at the period of the reformation ; and
the third is that awful revolution, which began by
the overthrow of the French monarchy, and has
since then never ceased to convulse the world. The
earthquake mentioned in the eighth chapter of the
Apocalypse cannot, for chronological reasons, be
referred to the second or third of these revolutions.
It must therefore relate to the first.

* A revolution may be defined as a change in the state of an
empire, arising from internal convulsions. The overthrow of the
western empire by the barbarous nations, and of the eastern by the
Turks, were not revolulions ; they were conque»ts.

56
CHAPTER V.

THE FIRST FOUR TRUMPETS.

" And the seven angels which had the seven
" trumpets, prepared themselves to sound. The
" first angel sounded, and there followed hail and
" fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon
^' the earth ; and the third part of trees was burnt
^' up, and all green grass was burnt up. And the
'' second angel sounded, and as it were, a great
'^ mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea ;
•'and the third part of the sea became blood ; and
" the third part of the creatures which were in the
'' sea, and had life, died ; and the third part of the
" ships were destroyed. And the third angel
" sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven,
" burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the
" third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of
*' waters : and the name of the star is called Worm-
*' wood : and the third part of the waters became
" wormwood ; and many men died of the waters
'' because they were made bitter. And the fourth
*' angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was
" smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the
" third part of the stars ; so as the third part of
^' them was darkened, and the day shone not for
''a third part of it, and the night likewise."*

That which takes place under the first four trum-
pets is the partial destruction of an universe, con-
sisting of dry land, a sea, rivers and fountains, and

* Rev. viii. 6—13.

celestial luminaries. All interpreters of note agree
that this universe is to be considered as a symbolical
one ; but there is much difference of opinion with
regard to the signification of the symbols. The
learned Archdeacon Woodhouse applies these trum-
pets wholly to spiritual objects, and supposes that
they relate to the general warfare which the Chris-
tian religion underwent on its first establishment.*
To this interpretation it may, however, be objected
(and the objection seems conclusive), that if the first
four trumpets relate to the fortunes of the church,
then the sun, a third part of which is smitten under
the fourth trumpet, must be a symbol denoting our
Lord, the Sun of Righteousness ; for there is no
other sun in the firmament of the church. But the
incongruity and absurdity of supposing that any of
these trumpets can affect Him, who, though He
was once dead, is now alive for evermore, and hath
the keys of Death and Hades, is so manifest, that it
at once appears, that an interpretation which in-
volves such a consequence cannot be the true one.
Some other interpreters apply these trumpets partly
to the fortunes of the Roman empire, and partly to
those of the church. In particular, they understand
the third trumpet as denoting the corruption of the
waters of life, or the pure doctrines of the gospel,
by the early heretics and the bishop of Rome. But
wherever water, in the prophetical writings, is ap-
plied to signify the doctrines of the gospel, or the
consolations of the Holy Spirit, it is either deno-
minated the water of life, to distinguish it from
material water, or there is something in the context

* Archdeacon Woodhouse on the Apocalypse, p. 318.

clearly marking that it is to be so understood. Our
Lord said to the Jews, " If any man thirst, let him
♦' come unto me and drink. He that believeth on
'• me (as the scripture hath said), out of his belly
" shall flow rivers of living water."* And when he
conversed with the woman of Samaria respecting
the water of life, though he did not use the expres-
sion living water J he distinctly showed that this
was the nature of the water which he should give^
by saying that it would be in the recipient '' a well
" of water springing up into everlasting life."f
The waters seen by the prophet Ezekiel, in his
vision, J are also sufficiently marked, by their healing
quality, to be the waters of life ; and the river, clear
as crystal, which the apostle John saw proceeding
out of the throne of God and the Lamb, § is ex-
pressly called a pure river of water of life, to dis-
tinguish it from all other water.

In the account of the third trumpet, there -is no
expression which can lead us to suppose, that the
waters which are made bitter by the falling of the
blazing star, are the waters of life. Moreover, we
are obliged, by the principle of homogeneity, to
interpret these four trumpets as relating to objects
of a like nature : we must therefore reject every
interpretation which refers a part of them to the
church, and a part to secular objects : and that some
of them refer to the secular Roman empire, has
been admitted by all the writers whom I have met
with, excepting Archdeacon Woodhouse ; and for
rejecting the interpretation of this learned writer
I have already offered a sufficient reason.

* John Tit. 38. t John iii. 11. % £zek. xlvii. ^ Rev. xxii.

These arguments are, I think, conclusive in show-
ing, that none of the symbols of the trumpets which
we are now considering-, can relate to the church.
They must consequently be applied exclusively to
secular objects, and having in our view the principle
already more than once noticed, that the Roman
empire is the principal scene of the Apocalyptic
prophecies, we shall find no difficulty in referring
this part of the Apocalypse to events which took
place within the limits of that empire^ and have re-
lation to its fortunes.

The first four trumpets have accordingly, by the
great body of interpreters, been supposed to relate
to the overthrow of the western empire by the
Golhs, Vandals, and other barbarous nations. As
I entirely concur with the able writers who have
adopted this explanation, I shall first give a brief
history of the events which seem to me to have
fulfilled the prophecy of these trumpets ; and after-
wards it is my intention to offer some general
remarks in support of my interpretation.

In the year 376, the Visigoths, driven from their
possessions in the countries situated to the north of
the Danube by an invasion of the Huns, were, at
their own earnest solicitations, transported across
the Danube, and admitted into the Roman empire
by the emperor Valens. Scarcely, however, had
they been received, when they rose in rebellion
against the Roman government, defeated the general
of the emperor, and ravaged the country to the south
of the Danube. Uniting their forces with those of
the Ostrogoths and other tribes of barbarians, whom

they invited to cross the Danube^ they, in two years
after their first entrance into the empire^ defeated
and slew the emperor Valens at the battle of Adri-
anople, in which above two-thirds of the Roman
army were destroyed, and they afterwards desolated
the provinces as far as the confines of Italy *

After this fatal battle, the Goths never quitted the
Roman empire. They were^ indeed, for a time^
reduced into a state of apparent subjection by Theo-
dosius the Great. But the period of tranquillity was
of short duration^ and ended with his life.

I conceive, therefore, that the first trumpet sounded
at the time of the Gothic eruption in the reign of
V^alens, A. D. 376. Its sounding was followed by hail
and fire mingled with blood. Hail, in the prophetical
style, is a symbol denoting war, and the ravages of
hostile armies. The fire and blood accompanying the
hail of this trumpet, denote the dreadful and destruc-
tive nature of the wars which should ensue. The
effects of the descent of this hail upon the trees and
the grass are agreeable to the analogy of the symbol,
and denote the ruin which was brought by the
Gothic irruption on the inhabitants of the empire.

The second period of the Gothic invasions com-
menced in the year 395, on the death of the great
Theodosius. " He died in the month of January ;
" and before the end of the winter of the same year
''the Gothic nation was in arms."-}- — "The bar-
'' riers of the Danube were thrown open ; the savage
" warriors of Scythia issued from their forests ; and
** the uncommon severity of the winter allowed the

• Gibbon's Decline and Fall, chap. xxvi. t Ibid. chap. xxx.

^' poet to remark, that they rolled their ponderous
^' waggons over the broad and icy bank of the in-
" dig'nant river." *

In the year 396^ Alaric, the leader, and subse-
quently the king of the Visigoths, marched into
and ravaged Greece. The fertile fields of Phocis
and Baeotia were covered by a deluge of ^' barba-
" rianSj who massacred the males of an age to
" bear arms, and drove away the beautiful females,
" with the spoil and cattle of the flaming villages."
— ''The whole territory of Attica, from the pro-
'' montory of Sunium to the town of Megara, was
" blasted with the baneful presence of the bar-
'' barians ; and, if we may use the comparison of a
" contemporary philosopher, Athens itself resembled
" the bleeding and empty skin of a slaughtered
" victim." — '' Corinth, Argos, Sparta, yielded with-
" out resistance to the arms of the Goths ; and the
*^' most fortunate of the inhabitants were saved by
" death from beholding the slavery of their families,
" and the conflagration of their cities." -}•

Italy was invaded by Alaric in the year 400, and
in the year 406 by a mixed army of Vandals, Suevi,
and Burgundians, under the command of Rada-
gaisus; and though both these armies of invaders
were defeated by Stihcho, the master-general of the
west, Italy and the capital of the empire had but
a short respite. In 408, Alaric entered Italy a
second time, and besieged Rome, which was re-
duced to the last extremity by the ravages of famine
and plague. The imperial city was at this time
spared by the barbarian conqueror for the payment

* Gibbon, chap. xxx. t Ibid,

of a large ransom.' It was besieged a second time
in the following year, and in the year 410, the
Goths, a third time, appeared before the gates of
Rome, which they took and sacked. After enriching
his army with the plunder of the capital of the
empire, Alaric marched into the southern provinces
of Italy, which remained in possession of the Goths
till the year 414, when a treaty was concluded with
Adolphus, the successor of Alaric, in consequence of
which he evacuated Italy, and marched into Gaul.*
In the year 406, the province of Gaul was in-
vaded by the remains of the great army of Rada-
gaisus.f After defeating the Pranks, who opposed
their progress, *' the victorious confederates pur-
" sued their march ; and on the last day of the year,
" in a season of the year when the waters of the
" Rhine were most probably frozen, they entered
'' without opposition the defenceless provinces of
'^ Gaul. This memorable passage of the Suevi, the
** Vandals, the Alani, and the Burgundians, who never
*' afterwards retreated, may be considered as the fall
*' of the Roman empire in the countries beyond
''the Alps; and the barriers which had so long se-
" parated the savage and the civilized nations of the
*' earth, were from that fatal moment levelled
*' with the ground." — " The banks of the Rhine
" were crowned, like those of the Tiber, with
" elegant houses and well-cultivated farms. This
** scene of peace and plenty was suddenly changed
" into a desert; and the prospect of the smoking
*' ruins could alone distinguish the solitude of nature
" from the desolation of man. "J

* Gibbon, chap. xxxi. + Ibid. chap. xxx. % Ibid.

Having spread the dreadful ravages of war
throughout the greatest part of the provinces of
Gaul^ the same horde of barbarians entered Spain in
the year 409. '' The irruption of these nations
*' was followed by the most dreadful calamities."
— '" The progress of famine reduced the miserable
'' inhabitants to feed on the flesh of their fellow-
" creatures ; and even the wild beasts, which mul-
'' tiplied without controul in the desert, were exas-
" perated, by the taste of blood, and the impatience
" of hunger, boldly to attack and devour their human
'' prey. Pestilence soon appeared, the inseparable
"companion of famine: a large proportion of the
'' people was swept away ; and the groans of the
*' dying excited only the envy of their surviving
" friends. At length the barbarians, satiated with
" carnage and rapine, and afflicted by the contagious
" evils which they themselves had introduced, fixed
" their permanent seats in the depopulated country."*

In the year 429, the Vandals under the command
of Genseric, passed from Spain into Africa, and
established themselves in that province: and the
Roman empire in that quarter was entirely sub-
verted by them about eleven years afterwards, when
they obtained possession of the city of Carthage.

The second period of the Gothic irruptions,
which began in A. D. 395, seems to me to have been
the fulfilment of the second trumpet, on the sounding
of which '' a great mountain, burning with fire, was
*' cast into the sea."

A mountain, in the prophetical style, signifies
a kingdom. It is well known that the irruption of

* Gibbon, chap. xxxi.

the northern nations into the Roman empire was of
this peculiar nature, that not bodies of armed men
only, but whole nations of invaders, transported
themselves, with their women and children, their
goods and effects, into the territories of the empire.
Such an invasion, by various tribes of fierce and
impetuous barbarians, who carried fire and sword
wherever they marched, seems to be fitly sym-
bolized by a vast mountain, burning with fire, being
cast into the sea.

The third period of the irruptions of the northern
nations into the Roman empire, appears to have
commenced in the year 441, when the Huns under
Attila, invaded the eastern empire. ^' The whole
" breadth of Europe, as it extends above five hun-
" dred miles from the Euxine to the Adriatic, was
" at once invaded, and occupied, and desolated, by
'' the myriads of barbarians whom Attila led into the
" field." — " The armies of the eastern empire were
" vanquished in three successive engagements ; and
'' the progress of Attila may be traced by the fields
" of battle. The two former, on the banks of the
" Utus, and under the walls of Marcianopolis, were
" fought in the extensive plains between the Danube
*' and Mount Haemus. As the Romans were pressed
" by a victorious enemy, they gradually and unskil-
" fully retired toward the Chersonesus of Thrace ;
" and that narrow peninsula, the last extremity of
" the land, was marked by their third and irreparable
^' defeat. By the destruction of this army, Attila
^' acquired the indisputable possession of the field.
'' From the Hellespont to Thermopylae, and the
'' suburbs of Constantinople, he ravaged without

*' resistance and without mercy the provinces of
" Thrace and Macedonia. Heracleaand Hadrianople
•* might perhaps escape this dreadful irruption of the
'' Huns ; but the words the most expressive of total
" extirpation and erasure, are appHed to the ca-
" lamities which they inflicted on seventy cities of
" the eastern empire."*

In the year 450, Attila invaded Gaul, and ra-
vaged it with fire and sword; but in the following
year he was defeated with prodigious slaughter at
the battle of Chalons. In the year 452, he entered
Italy, and besieged Aquileia, which he took, and
destroyed so completely, that the succeeding gene-
ration could scarcely discover its ruins. The cities
of Altinum, Concordia, and Padua, were also re-
duced into heaps of stones and ashes. Alarmed for
the safety of Rome, the emperor and senate sent
a solemn embassy to deprecate the wrath of the
conqueror: a peace was in consequence concluded,
and Attila evacuated Italy, and died in the following
year.

The successive invasions of the empire by Attila
were probably the accomplishment of the third
trumpet, on the sounding of which ""a great star
" fell from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and
'' fell upon the third part of the rivers and the foun-
"• tains of waters." The star seen by the apostle in
this trumpet appears to have been a comet, which
is a fit emblem of a mighty conqueror. Indeed, in
the symbolical language, a star, when applied to
temporal things, always means a king or a prince :
this star, burning like a lamp, therefore denotes

* Gibbon, chap, xxxiv.
F

a prince armed with the fire of war. The worm-
wood into which the waters were converted by this
star, seems emblematical of the bitter and dreadful
suffering's inflicted on the empire by Attila and his
Huns.

On the sounding of the fourth trumpet, the
third part of the celestial luminaries were smitten
and obscured. This, in the language of symbols,
evidently refers to the extinction of the imperial
government of Rome within the limits of the western
empire, which was effected between the years 455
and 476. In the first of these years, Rome was
taken and sacked by Genseric, king of the Vandals,
who carried away with him immense spoil, and an
innumerable multitude of captives ; among whom
were the Empress Eudoxia and her two daughters.
Rome never recovered this stroke. In the year 476,
the imperial government was subverted, and Au-
gustulus, the last emperor of the west, was deposed
and banished from Rome by Odoacer, the general of
the Heruli, who was elected, and reigned, the first
barbarian king of Italy.

Having thus given a hasty sketch of the series of
events to which the symbols of the first four trumpets
seem to be applicable, I shall now offer some
remarks in confirmation of the foregoing interpreta-
tion. It is important, in considering these trumpets,
not to lose sight of the oneness of the complex sym-
bols which are therein presented to our attention.
To say that these trumpets are all homogeneous, is
not enough : they are more than homogeneous, they
in fact all belong to one undivided subject ; and that
is, as I observed before, a symholical universe, and

we may hence deduce a new argument to show the
impropriety of those interpretations which refer
some of the symbols to spiritual and others to secular
objects. This symbolical universe is viewed as con-
sisting of two great divisions, the terrestrial and
celestial. The first of these must be considered as
representing the territories and population of the
empire, and the second its government or ruling
powers.

It also appears that the terrestrial symbolical
world is considered as consisting of three distinct
parts, the dry land, the sea, and the rivers and
fountains ; but it does not follow, that each of these
portions of the symbolical earth is applicable to dis-
tinct and specific parts of the Roman empire.* The
above division of the symbolical earth seems rather
to be made for the purpose of exhibiting to us the
universality of the desolation of the empire, which
is represented by the symbols. To enlarge a little
upon this idea, it may be observed that the natural
globe which we inhabit is actually divisible into the
above three parts of dry land, sea, and rivers, and

* This remark, and the one made at the beginning of the following
paragraph, receives a very remarkable confirmation from the following
passage of Vitringa's commentary : — " Ego vero lubens concedo,
" imagines symbolicas variis casibus non esse nimis quaesite et anxie
" ab interprete tractandas, sed saspe in complexu, non singulatim esse
" exponendas ; nee abnuo in ipsa hac imagine symbolica id forte alibi
" usu venire: aliis taraen locis et in hac prophetia ubi partes era-
" bleraatis fusius et explicalius recensentur et subjectura ad quod
" emblema referendum est partium emblematis prascipuarum inter-
" pretationem particularem admittit, eadem negligenda non videtur
" cum aliunde constet partes emblematis ut sunt sol, luna, stells,
" iusulae, montes, arbores, singulas per se myslice et alligorice res
" alias significare posse, et ad eas figurandas adhiberi." — Vitringa
Anak. Apocalyp. p. 283.

F 2

lakes. When therefore the natural world is used as
a symbol to denote any particular empire, the de-
struction of that empire, in all its parts, must be
shown by the destruction of the symbol which repre-
sents it in all its parts. Thus if only the dry land
of the symbolical world were destroyed, it would
imply that only a part of the empire was to be af-
fected. But as in these trumpets, the dry land, sea
and fountains, are all affected, it denotes universa-
hty in the desolation of the empire.

In making the above remarks, it is not my in-
tention to maintain that there are no cases in which
the symbolical dry land, and sea, and rivers and
fountains, have specific and definite significations.
In considering the prophecy of the seven last vials
of wrath, which refer to the final destruction of the
Roman empire, I shall endeavour to show that these
symbols are, in the accomplishment of the vials, each
referrible to particular objects. But it is observable,
that the Roman empire, at the period of the pouring
out of the vials, is divided into a number of inde-
pendent kingdoms and states, which considerably
facilitates such a reference. In the mean while
1 shall only remark, that the earth or dry land is in
general a symbol denoting the territorial dominions
of the empire which is the subject of the prophecy ;*
and that the sea, and rivers and fountains, which
together form the collective body of waters, signify,
in the language of symbols, the united population of
the empire, or the " peoples, and multitudes, and
" nations, and tongues," who inhabit it.f

* Faber's Dissertation on the 1260 years, vol. i. chap. 2.
t Rev. xvii. 15.

There is a circumstance with respect to the trum-
pets we are now considering', which seems to have
perplexed all our interpreters. It is, that on the
sounding of each trumpet, only a third part of the
object against which it denounces vengeance is de-
stroyed. I have not, in any author whose writings
I have met with, seen any sufficient reason for this
singular fact. Bishop Newton supposes that there
is in it a reference to the Roman empire, as being
at that time a third part of the known world, and the
Bishop is followed by Mr, Faber in this idea.* But
it may be remarked, that the symbolical universe
seen by the Apostle John, represented not the whole
habitable world, but the Roitian empire in particular,
which is the special subject and theatre of the Apo-
calyptic prophecies ; and in the interpretation of the
vials, Mr. Faber himself admits this to be the case.
" The earth," says Mr. Faber, in his remarks on
the first vial, ''■ is the Roman empire. "f

If, then, the entire symbolical earth denote the

* In his fifth edition, Mr. Faher has adopted a new exposition of
the third part. He divides the Roman empire and symbolical universe
into three parts, the western, the eastern, and the provinces of Africa,
and he supposes the destruction of one of these thirds to denote the
overthrow of the western empire. But this is inconsistent with his
own explanation of the vials ; for in their effusion, the whole earth,
sea, and rivers and fountains, and not a third part of them, are the
objects of vengeance; and yet Mr. Faber limits the eflFects of those
vials to the Latin, or western empire. Neither is it true, as Mr. Faber
affirms, that the western empire alone was subverted under the four
first trumpets: the provinces of Africa were included in the same
calamity, and wrested from the Roman empire by the Vandalic arras.
Mr. Faber's new explanation does not, therefore, afford a satisfactory
solution of the difficulty. See his Dissertation on the 12(50 years,
vol. ii. p. 8, 9.

t Dissertation on the 1260 years, vol. ii. p. 8. 4th Ed.

Roman empire, to suppose that the frequent men-
tion of a third part of this Roman earth, has any
relation to the proportion which the Roman empire
itself bears to the whole habitable world, would be to
introduce the greatest confusion of ideas into the
exposition of the prophecy. Mr. Bicheno thinks
that the third part, so often mentioned in this
prophecy, has an allusion to the division of the
empire into three distinct governments or prefec-
tures, and he quotes Dr. Cressener in support of this
explanation of the difficulty. But were this idea
well founded, it would be incumbent on Mr. Bicheno
to show that each of the trumpets affected only one
particular prefecture ; and as this cannot be done,
I must reject the mode of solving the difficulty which
he proposes.

The following observations upon the point now
under consideration have occurred to me, and I leave
it to the reader to judge how far they serve to re-
move the difficulty. I shall introduce them by a
quotation from Mede's works : '' 1 conceive," says
that learned writer, " Daniel to be Apocalypsis con-
" tracta (the Apocalypse compressed), and the Apo-
" calypse, Daniel explicated, in that where both
''treat about the same subject; namely, what was
" revealed to Daniel concerning the fourth kingdom,
" but summatim and in gross, is showed to St. John
" particulatim, with the distinction and order of the
*' several facts and circumstances which were to
'* betide and accompany the same."* By consulting
the book of Daniel, we learn that the fourth beast,
or Roman kingdom, was to exist in two different

* Works, Book iv. ep. 3?.

states : first, as an undivided empire ; and, secondly,
as divided into ten king-doms, symbolized by ten
horns.* This change in the condition of that em-
pire took place, as is well known, at the time of the
overthrow of the western empire by the Goths and
Vandals. After this overthrow the empire was
divided among' the conquerors, and was formed into
ten kingdoms; but the empire itself, though its form
was varied, did not cease to exist. The imperial
title and power still continued in the eastern empire,
and the title at least was revived in the western em-
pire by Charlemagne ; and has continued from his
time till the present age in an uninterrupted line of
princes. From Daniel we further learn that the
final destruction of the empire is not to take place
till the sitting of the judgment which immediately
precedes, or is synchronical with, the second advent
of the Son of Man with the clouds of heaven ;f
and, in strict harmony with Daniel, the Apocalyptic
prophecies discover to us that the destruction of the
same empire is to be effected by the pouring out of
the seven vials of wrath, after the sounding of the
seventh trumpet, and immediately before the estab-
lishment of the kingdom of Christ,

Now the first four trumpets relate, not to the
final destruction of the empire, but to the overthrow
of the western empire, preparatory to its partition
among the ten kings. After the sounding of these
trumpets, therefore, the empire was still to exist,
though in a different shape ; and hence we discover
a reason of their effects being limited to a part of
each object against which they were directed.

* Dan, vii. 23,24. t Ibid. v. 10—14.

7^'

There is not that looseness or uncertainty in the
language of symbols which many persons suppose.
It is capable of an interpretation almost as strict as
the language of sounds, or of letters, the represen-
tatives of sounds ; though it must be confessed,
that from our more partial knowledge of the symbo-
lical language, the discovery of the true interpre-
tation is often very difficult to us, as is that of the
sense of a foreign dialect with which we have an
imperfect acquaintance.

If the first four trumpets had brought ruin upon
the whole of the symbolical universe seen by the
apostle, it would have denoted the entire and final
destruction of the empire represented by the sym-
bolical world : but as these trumpets were designed
to represent only the subversion of the Roman em-
pire of the west, and not its entire destruction, it
was necessary that their operation should have
certain limits assigned to it.

In confirmation of the above observation, we may
remark, that when the seven vials of wrath are
poured out, which are to bring final destruction
on the empire, there is no limitation of the effects
of the vials. Under the first trumpet, hail mingled
with fire is cast on the earth, and only a third part
of the earth is burnt up. But under the first vial,
which is also poured out on the earth, the effects
reach to the men ; i. e. the men generally, which
had the mark of the beast, &c. Under the second
trumpet only a third part of the sea becomes blood,
and only a third part of the creatures in the sea die ;
but the second vial converts the whole sea into blood,
like that of a dead man, and every living soul dies.

The third trumpet affects only a third part of the
rivers and fountains ; but the third vial turns the
whole rivers and fountains into blood. The first
four trumpets are thus universal in their extent, but
limited in their operation ; and therefore they imply
the subversion, and not the destruction or eradi-
cation of the object. The vials are both universal
in their extent, and unlimited in their operation ;
and thus they signify the utter and final destruction
of the objects against which they are directed.
, The above remarks furnish, I think, a satisfactory
reason for the limitation assigned to the effects of
the first four trumpets. But if it be asked, why the
))roportion of one-third, and neither more nor less,
of the symbolical universe, is the limit which has
been fixed to these effects ? I confess I can only
answer the question, by saying that it has seemed
good to the Spirit of God to select that proportion,
and if any other integral part had been used for the
same purpose, it is quite evident that a similar
question might have been put.

I shall conclude the subject of the first four trum-
pets, with some remarks upon the symbols which
are presented to our view under them. All the
imagery of the Apocalypse is Jewish. Our Lord
himself appeared to John, clothed in the pontifical
robe of the high priest, and in the midst of seven
golden candlesticks, having an evident reference to
the seven-branched candlestick in the tabernacle,
which it was the daily office of the priests in the
tabernacle to trim, and put in order. We afterwards
read of a sea of glass before the throne, in allusion
to the brazen sea in the temple, and of the golden
altar of incense, and the altar of burnt offerings, and

the ark of the covenant. We also read of the Lamb
on Mount Sion.

The general imagery of the book being thus
proved to be Jewish^ it is probable that the sym-
bolical universe seen by John had likewise a Jewish
aspect. This serves to illustrate the justness of the
proportions observed by the Holy Spirit in the
different symbols. Thus, if the sea seen by the
apostle in the second trumpet was borrowed from
Jewish ideas, it must have been either an inland sea,
like the Sea or Lake of Genesareth, or at least like
the eastern extremity of the Mediterranean. A Jew
could have no idea of such a sea as the Atlantic or
Pacific. Hence we perceive, that there is nothing
extravagant in the imagery of the second trumpet :
for it is at least within the limits of poetical proba-
bility, that a vast mountain, burning with fire, being
cast into the Sea of Genesareth, or the extremity of
the Mediterranean, should turn the third part of it
into blood. The propriety of the adaptation of the
different symbols to each other in these trumpets, is
also worthy of our most attentive observation. The
general idea presented by them, is that of the deso-
lation of the symbolical earth, sea, and rivers, by
foreign bodies precipitated upon them, which are
used as symbols of hosts of barbarian conquerors.
Now what could have been selected as a fitter agent
of desolation to the symbolical earth than hail mingled
with fire? What a more proper emblem of the
destruction of an inland sea, than a burning volcano
torn from its basis and cast into the sea ? There is
also a beautiful proportion between the smaller
apparent magnitude of the blazing comet, and the
rivers and fountains upon which it fell.

CHAPTER VI.

THE FIFTH TRUMPET, OR THE FIRST WOE.

'' And I beheld and heard an angel, flying through
" the midst of the heaven, saying with a loud voice,
" Woe, woe, woe to the inhabitants of the earth,
" by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of
'' the three angels which are yet to sound." *

This solemn denunciation seems to be introduced
for the purpose of drawing our attention to the great
importance of the events which were to happen
under the last three trumpets. It serves also as a
chronological mark to show that these three trumpets
are all posterior to the first four, not only in order,
but in time ; and that they belong to a new series of
events. This denunciation is, as it were, the intro-
duction or preface to the three woe trumpets.

It is immediately followed by the sounding of the
fifth angel. The apostle then sees '"a star which
^' had fallen from heaven to the earth, and to him
" was given the key of the pit of the abyss ; and he
" opened the pit of the abyss, and there arose a
" smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great
" furnace, and the sun and the air were darkened by
'' reason of the smoke of the pit." f

I shall premise what I have to offer on the subject
of this trumpet, by saying that I entirely concur
with the great body of commentators, in thinking
that the locusts who appear in it are the Saracens
under the false prophet Mahummud: and I shall

* Rev. viii. 13, + lb. ix. 1, 2.

afterwards give my reasons for holding this opinion.
But in interpreting the symbols which are intro-
ductory to the appearance of the locusts, I feel
myself obliged to dissent from many respectable
writers.

The symbols of this vision evidently belong to
things spiritual. The star is therefore a Christian
pastor or bishop.* His faUing from the heaven to
the earth signifies his fall from primitive purity and
simplicity into apostacy. This star or apostate
bishop is the great agent in opening the pit of the
abyss, or pit of hell, out of which a black smoke
arises, which I conceive to be a symbol of the false
doctrines and gross ignorance which overspread the
Christian church during the fifth and sixth centuries.
These false doctrines consisted chiefly in the ado-
ration of saints, relics, and images, and in rigorous
monastic austerities, the merit and efficacy of which
were highly extolled by the ignorant and super-
stitious clergy, the blind leaders of the blind. The
following account of the slate of the church during
the sixth century, taken from Mosheim, seems suf-
ficiently illustrative of the nature of that symbolical
smoke which issued from the pit of the abyss.
" The public teachers and instructors of the people
" degenerated sadly from the apostolic character.
" They seemed to aim at nothing else than to sink
** the multitude into the most opprobrious ignorance
" and superstition ; to efface in their minds all sense
" of the beauty and excellence of genuine piety ;
'' and to substitute, in the place of religious princi-

* Rev. i. 20. The seven stars are the angels (bishops) of the
seven churches.

**' pleS;, a blind veneration for the clergy, and a stupid
'' zeal for a senseless round of ridiculous rites and
" ceremonies. This perhaps will appear less sur-
" prising when we consider, that the blind led the
** blind ; for the public ministers and teachers of
" religion were for the most part grossly ignorant :
" nay, almost as much so as the multitude whom they
" were appointed to instruct.

" To be convinced of the truth of the dismal re-
" presentation we have here given of the slate of
" religion at this time, nothing more is necessary
" than to cast an eye upon the doctrines now taught
" concerning the worship of images and saints, the
" Jire of purgatory, the efficacy of good works (i. e.
" the observance of human rites and institutions)
" towards the attainment of salvation, the power
" of relics to heal the diseases of the body and mind,
*' and such like sordid and miserable fancies which
" are inculcated in many of the superstitious pro-
" ductions of this century, and particularly in the
" Epistles and other writings of Gregory the Great,
*' Nothing more ridiculous, on the one hand, than
" the solemnity and liberality with which this good
*' but silly pontiff distributed the wonder-working
*' relics ; and nothing more lamentable, on the
" other, than the stupid eagerness and devotion with
" which the deluded multitude received them, and
" suffered themselves to be persuaded that a portion
" of stinking oil, taken from the lamps which burned
" at the tombs of the martyrs, had a supernatural
" efficacy to sanctify its possessors, and to defend
'' them from all dangers both of a temporal and
'' spiritual nature." *

* Mosbeira, Cent. VI. part ii.

The testimony of the historian of the Decline and
Fall of the Roman empire^, may by many readers
be deemed no less important and unexceptionable
than that of Mosheim. Mr. Gibbon concludes the
account of the introduction and progress of the
worship of saints and relics in the Christian church,
in the following- words : " The sublime and simple
'' theology of the primitive Christians was gradually
" corrupted ; and the monarchy of heaven, already
" clouded by metaphysical subtleties, was degraded
" by the introduction of a popular mythology which
'^ tended to restore the reign of polytheism/'

" If/* continues the same writer, '' in the begin-
'•' ning of the fifth century, Tertullian or Lactantius
" had been suddenly raised from the dead, to assist
''*^ at the festival of some popular saint or martyr,
" they would have gazed with astonishment and in-
" dignation on the profane spectacle, which had
"' succeeded to the pure and spiritual worship of a
" Christian congregation." — " The Christians fre-
^' quented the tombs of the martyrs, in the hope of
'' obtaining from their powerful intercession every
" sort of spiritual, but more especially of temporal
•'blessings. They implored the preservation of
" their health, or the cure ol: their infirmities ; the
" fruitfulness of their barren wives, or the safety
•' and happiness of their children. Whenever they
" undertook any distant or dangerous journey, they
'' requested that the holy martyrs would be their
'' guides and protectors on the road ; and if they
'■' returned without having experienced any mis-
*' fortune, they again hastened to the tombs of the
'-' martyrs to celebrate with grateful thanksgivings

" their obligations to the memory and relics of those
" heavenly patrons." *

It will scarcely be disputed by those who have,
given a close attention to the analogies of the lan-
guage of symbols, that the universal prevalence of
the false doctrines, which are described in the fore-
going extracts, might be fitly symbolized by a black-
smoke rising out of the pit of the abyss, or the in-
fernal regions. By this smoke the sun and air were
darkened. As the context relates to spiritual
objects, the sun and air must in this passage be
understood in a spiritual sense, i.e. as belonging to
the church. In the preceding trumpet, a third
part of the sun is smitten. But the sun of that
trumpet is the sun of the political, and not the eccle-
siastical heaven, and therefore denotes the Roman
imperial power. The smiting of the sun in that
trumpet is also quite different from the obscuration
of the sun in this. The smiting of the third part of
the sun, denoted that his body or disk was propor-
tionably affected, and actually shone with diminished
lustre. But the darkening of the sun, in the fifth
trumpet, by means of the smoke from the infernal
pit, does not imply any diminution of lustre in
him ; but only that by means of the smoke, his rays
are intercepted so as to render him invisible.

In the heaven ecclesiastical the sun denotes our
Lord. It is easy to see how the prevalence of false
doctrines in the church, with respect to the medi-
ation of dead saints, and the lawfulness and efficacy
of worship addressed to them, and to their images
and dry bpnes, had the effect of hiding Christ, the

* Decline aad Fall, chap, zxviii.

only Mediator between God and man^ and the Sun
of Righteousness, from the eyes of men. The
saints and their images and rehcs having, by the
influence of the false doctrines which have been de-
scribed, been made to occupy the place of Christ,
he was necessarily kept out of view.* Having so
many other mediators, men had no need of the only
true Mediator, and did not seek him. But the
smoke from the pit darkened the air as well as the
sun. The natural air is the medium of respiration
and life to our bodies, and also the medium through
which the light of the natural sun is communicated
to us. The symbolical air or atmosphere, when the
synibols of the context are used to denote spiritual
objects, may therefore signify the pure and heavenly

* The tendency of saiut-worship, to hide Christ from the eyes of
men, will appear from the following account of the offerings, made
in two successive years, at the altars of Christ, of Thomas a Becket,
and the Virgin Mary, at Christ Church, Canterbury, which I copy
from a note in Dr. Middleton's Letter from Rome. In one year the
offerings stood as follows : —

At Christ's altar 3 . 25 . 6

At Becket's 832 . 12 . 3

At the Virgin's 63 . 58 . 6

The next year's offerings were,

At Christ's altar 0. 0.0

At Becket's 954 . 6 . 3

At the Virgin's 4 . 1.8

The following prayer to Christ is given, by the same author, from
one of the popish liturgies: —

Tu per ThomsB sanguinem,
Quam pro te impeudit,
Fac me Christe scandere,
Quo Thomas ascendit.

These circumstances, it is true, belong to a later age than that of
the first woe, but the idolatry of the sixth century was the same in
substance as that of the twelfth.

truths of the Gospel, which are, as it were^ the ele-
ment of spiritual respiration to the soul of man^ and
also the medium through which the saving light of
Christ, the Sun of Righteousness, is communicated
to us. These pure and heavenly truths were ob-
scured and darkened by the mixture of false doc-
trines, which (like smoke) issued from the pit of the
abyss ; and the liglit of the Sun of Righteousness
could no longer shine through the medium of the
truths of his own Gospel thus corrupted.

Having thus endeavoured to fix the signification
of the symbols, we shall find Httle difficulty in ascer-
taining who was the fallen s(ar, or apostate Christian
bishop, that was the great agent in opening the pit
of the abyss. The acknowledged head of the
Christian Church during the sixth and seventh cen-
turies was the Pope, or bishop of Rome ; and
history informs us, not only that the popes gave no
opposition to the doctrines respecting the mediation
and worship of saints, and the veneration to be paid
to their images and bones, but that they were the
active and most zealous promoters of these doctrines,
and of all the idolatrous practices which pervaded
the Christian church. I conceive the Pope of Rome,
therefore, to be the fallen star, or apostate bishop,
to whom was given the key of the pit of the abyss.
Nor will it appear to us wonderful, that such an
office should be assigned to him who pretended to be
the vicar of Christ upon earth, and the visible head
of the church, when we recollect, that the lawful
head of the Jewish church, the high priest of the
Levitical dispensation, was the chief and principal
agent in the crucifixion of Christ,

The sun and the air havuig been darkened by the
smoke of the pit of the abyss, " there came out ot
" the smoke locusts upon the earth ; and unto them
" was i^'ivcn power as the scorpions of the earth
" have power."*

An army of locusts, in the language of symbols,
signifies an army of hostile invaders. The locusts
mentioned in the prophecy of Joel were so under-
stood by the ancient Jewish interpreters, who were
well qualified to judge of the meaning of their own
symbols.f In the present instance no doubt is left
on the subject, as we are informed afterwards, that
'' the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses
" prepared unto battle," &c.

The next remark which I shall make with respect
to these symbolical locusts is, that though they ap-
peared to the Apostle John to come out of the black
smoke which arose out of the pit of the abyss, yet
they in reality came out of the infernal pit itself,
and the smoke was only the medium through which
they ascended. This appears from the circumstance
that their king, who is afterwards mentioned, is the
angel or messenger of the pit of the abyss. The
fact seems to have been, that the leader of the locust
army, taking advantage of the opening of the pit,
and the smoky darkness which had overspread the
atmosphere, and obscured the sun, came up out of
the pit unperceived, and was only seen when with
his army he issued forth to execute his commission.

The whole of this highly hieroglyphical descrip-
tion is exactly applicable to the rise of the Mahomedan
religion and power ; and it is very remarkable that

* Rev. ix. 3. t vide Dr. Gill on Joel i. 4.

Mr. Gibbon J in describing' these events, makes use
of language, with respect to the state of the Christian
churchy at the time when Mahummud appeared,
which mig-ht ahnost be supposed to have been bor-
rowed from the Apocalypse. '' The Christians of
" the seventh century had insensibly relapsed into
'" a semblance of paganism ; their public and private
" vows were addressed to the relics and images that
'' disgraced the temples of the east : The throne of
'■' the Almighiydcas darkened hy a crowd ofrnarLijrSf
" and saints, and angels, the objects of popular
"veneration;^ and the Colly ridian heretics, who
'' flourished in the fruitful soil of Arabia, invested
" the Virgin with the name and honours of a
" goddess, "f

It may be affirmed, almost without the danger of
dispute, that Mahummud could not have succeeded
in his imposture in an age of light; and that if
superstition and gross darkness had not previously
overspread Christendom, either his impious fraud
had not been attempted, or had been destroyed in
embryo. J It is, therefore, quite agreeable to the
nature of the symbolical language and style, that
the army of locusts should be represented as issuing
out of the black smoke which had previously per-
vaded the symbolical atmosphere.

* The reader will not fail to remark tlie similarity of this language
to that of the Apocalypse : " Tlie sun and the air were darkened by
" reason of the smoke.'''

+ Gibbon, chap. I.

* The passage of 2 Thess. ii. 10, may, without any violence, be
accommodated to the state of the Christian world when Mahummud
appeared; they received not the love of the truth: therefore God,
in just judgment, permitted a lie to prosper in the hand of the im-
postor, todeceive these degenerate Christians.

The next particular respecting these locusts, which
is worthy of observation, is, that " it was commanded
" (hem, that they should not hurt the grass of the
" earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree."
History informs us, that the following formed a part
of the instructions given to the army of Saracens
which invaded Syria in the reign of Abubeker, the
successor of Mahummud : " Destroy no palm-trees,
" nor burn any fields of corn ; cut down no fruit-
" trees, nor do any mischief to cattle, only such as
'' you kill to eat."* But the language of this clause
may further be designed to show us, that these locusts
are not real, but symbolical locusts.

The locust army were to hurt those men which
had not the seal of God in their foreheads. Ac-
cordingly, the ravages of the Saracens were chiefly
confined to those Christian countries where religion
had been most deeply corrupted by saint and image
worship. " The parts which remained the freest
" from the general infection were Savoy, Piedmont,
" and the southern parts of Prance, which were
" afterwards the nurseries and habitations of the
" Waldenses and Albigenses ; and it is very memo-
" rable, that when the Saracens approached these
" parts, they were defeated with great slaughter, by
" the famous Charles Martel, in several engage-
'^ ments,"f

It is said that " they had not power to kill, but
" only to torment men." This seems to refer to
their having no commission to destroy or overturn,
but only to ravage and scourge the eastern empire.
Accordingly, it is observed by Bishop Newton on
* Gibbon, chap. ii. t Bishop Newton, in loco.

this part of the prophecy, that though they besieged
Constantinople, and even plundered Rome, they yet
could not make themselves masters of either of these
cities. They dismembered the eastern empire of
some of its best provinces, but they were never able
to subdue and conquer the whole ; the putting an
end to this empire being reserved for another
power.

It is said that the locusts had as it were crowns of
gold, in allusion probably to the turbans worn by the
Arabians : '' their faces were as the faces of men,
'* and they had hair as the hair of women :" and the
Arabians wore their beards, or at least mustachoes,
as men, while the hair of their heads was flowing or
plaited like that of women.* " The sound of their
" wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses
*' running to battle." This clause shows that the
locusts were symbols of real armies, and not of hosts
of heretics or false teachers, as some have supposed.
The tails of the locusts, like unto scorpions, and
the stings in their tails, certainly denote the poi-
sonous and mortal eifects of the false religion of
Mahiimmud, which always followed the conquests
of the Saracens, as they carried their doctrines
every where with their arms. It may be remarked
here, that it appears from a passage in Isaiah, f that
the tail, in the language of symbols, was understood
as denoting a false or lying prophet; and by a

* Ibid. It is remarkable, that many of the Mahomedan fakeers,
or religious mendicants, in the east, who affect the highest degree of
sanctity, still wear their hair long, and plaited in braids round fite
head, more like women than men.

t Isaiah ix. 15.

common fig'ure of speech^ it may denote the false
doctrines uhicli such a prophet teaches.*

The five months during' which the locusts were to
torment men, may be mentioned in conformity to the
nature of the type, for locusts are observed to live
about five months, f But it has been remarked by
all writers, that from the year (j 12, when Mahummud
first began to preach his false doctrines at Mecca,
till the year 662, when the Caliph Almansor built
Bagdad, and called it tiie City of Peace, there
were exactly one hundred and fifty years, or five
prophetic months of thirty days each ; and that from
this time the Saracens became a settled nation ; they
ceased to make those extensive and rapid conquests
which had distinguished the commencement of their
career, and the wars in which they were engaged
were from henceforth like the common and ordinary
contests of other nations.

By the king- over the locusts, whose name is
Apollyon, 1 think, with Bishop Newton, that we
may understand the false prophet, and the caliphs
his successors. But I deem it not improbable that
Satan himself may be intended.

Having, in the foregoing- remarks upon the fifth
trumpet, adhered in the main to the commonly
received interpretation of it, I shall give my reasons
for differing from some of the most celebrated inter-

* Perhaps because the tails of many venomous creatures are the
seat of their poison.

+ Bishop Newton, in loco. I confess that I am more inclined here
to understand the five months as being mentioned in conformity to
the nature of the symbol, than to consider it as indicating a definite
period of one hundred and fifty years.

preter?-, with reg;ard to some particulars of the pro-
phecy of the locusts.

Most writers have supposed the smoke which
issued from the pit of the abyss, and obscured the
sun and air, to denote the false religion of Ma-
hummud. But to this it may be answered, that
before the appearance of the false prophet, the sun
and air had been obscured by false doctrines, spread
by Christian teachers, and by the gross ignorance
both of the clergy and laity. Mahummud, there-
fore, did not make the darkness ; he found it, and
applied it to his own purposes. Moreover, it is
plain, that the smoke which darkened the sun, &c.
preceded the appearance of the locusts: but the
false religion of Mahummud did not precede his
armies, it accompanied and followed them : and
hence, in the hieroglyphics of this trumpet, its
dreadful eifects are, with tiie greatest propriety,
exhibited to us by the tails of the locusts, like the
tails of scorpions, and having stings. Those who
suppose the smoke to denote the false doctrines of
the prophet, do in effect maintain, that this smoke,
which preceded the appearance of the locusts, and
the tails of the locusts having stings, are different
symbols denoting one and the same thing. But
this would be a violation of all the proprieties of the
symbolical style.

If, as 1 think has been proved, the smoke be not
an emblem of the false religion of Mahummud, then
it is plain, that the fallen star, who opens the pit,
cannot, as has been supposed by Bishop Newton,
be Mahummud. This work of darkness better suits
that fallen and apostate bishop, who calls himself the

Vicar and Apostle of Clirist, and the head of his
church; and the truth of history forces me lo attri-
bute it to him, and no other.*

* Mr. Faber, in the earlier editions of his work on the 1200 years,
explained the fallen star to mean Sergius, the apostate monk, who is
said to have assisted Mahummiid in his work of imposture; but in
the fifth edition he has abandoned this interpretation, and, with a
candour that does him honour, adopted the one given in these pages.
Mr. Faber now, therefore, agrees with nie in supposing the star to
denote the Pope: bnt he still maintains, very inconsistently I think,
as well as against historical verity, that the smoke which darkened
the spiritual atmosphere, was the false religion of Mahummud,

CHAPTER Vll.

THE SIXTH TRUMPET, OR SECOND WOE,

" And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a
** voice from the four horns of the golden altar
*' which is before God^ saying to the sixth angel
" which had the trumpet. Loose the four angels which
" are bound in the great river Euphrates. And
" the four angels were loosed, which were prepared
" for the hour, and day, and month, and year, for to
" slay the third part of the men." *

The golden altar before God, is the altar of
incense in the holy place, upon which, at the time
of the morning and evening sacrifice, incense was
burnt, typical of the prayers of the saints, when
perfumed by the intercession of Christ, The voice
from the four horns of the altar, saying to the angel,
to loose the four angels, who were to be the exe-
cutioners of divine anger under this trumpet, implies,
that the judgments now to be inflicted, were called
for by the prayers of the saints of God, wearied out
with the corruptions of the professing church, and
crying aloud to him to vindicate his own cause. Or
it may signify, that our Lord, the great Intercessor
for his people, now called to God to avenge the
insults offered to his divine majesty, by the idolatry
of the eastern or Greek Christians.

This trumpet manifestly relates to the overthrow
of the eastern empire by the Turks or Ottomans,
and there is almost an unanimous consent among the

* Rev. ix. 13—15.

best interpreters in referring it to that event. Con-
siderable difference of opinion^ however, obtains
among them, with regard to the subordinate parts
of the vision.

Mede supposes that the four angels who are
loosed, denote four Turkish Sultanies, established at
Bagdad, Damascus, Aleppo and Iconium, which
were all at length united under the common empire
of the Ottomans, who finally subverted the Greek
empire by the capture of Constantinople, in the year
1453. tn this interpretation Mede is followed by
Bishop Newton, Mr, Faber, and the great body of
modern writers. I cannot but think, however, for
the following reasons, that it is erroneous.

At the time that the Ottomans overthrew the em-
pire of the East, neither Aleppo, Damascus, nor
Bagdad^ were under their dominion. Syria formed
then a part of the Mameluke kingdom of Egypt.
Nor was it till the year 1517, more than half a
century after the capture of Constantinople, that
Selim I. emperor of the Ottomans, conquered Syria
and Egypt, after defeating the Mamelukes in two
battles, and thus obtained possession of Aleppo and
Damascus.* Bagdad did not become a part of the
Turkish empire, until the reign of Solyman 1, who
took it in the year i534,f

From what has been said, it plainly appears, that
Mede's explanation of the four angels is untenable.
It is in fact contrary to the truth of history, and if
the four angels were symbols representing any par-
ticular kingdoms or nations, we must seek for some
other solution of the difficulty.

* Modern Univer. Hist, vol. xii. p. 240 — 252. + Ibid. p. 293.

We are informed from history, that four different
races of Mahomedan conquerors were instrumental
in overthrovving" the eastern empire ; First, the Sa-
racens, whose conquests we have seen form the
subject of the fifth trumpet : Secondly, the Turks of
the family of Seljuk, who in the eleventh century^ ob-
tained possession of the greatest part of Asia Minor,
by conquest from the Greek emperors : Thirdly,
the Moghul Tartars under Jenghiz Khan, and his
successors, who after subjugating- the whole of Asia,
adopted the Mahomedan faith : Fourthly, the Otto-
mans, whose rise took place about the end of the
thirteenth century. Now the Ottoman power con-
centrated not only its own resources, but all that
remained of the three first races of conquerors in
the northern Asiatic provinces formerly attached to
the Greek empire, and united them under its own
dominion. For this reason perhaps its power might
be represented by the four angels.*

I confess however that the above solution, does not
satisfy my mind ; and 1 shall proceed to offer, what
appears to me a better one. With the great body
of interpreters I conceive, that the Euphrates means
the Turkish nation, which first invaded and con-
quered the provinces of the eastern empire, situated
near that river. They are on that account, and ac-
cording to the style of prophecy, symbolized by the
Euphrates, in the same manner as the Thames might
be used to denote the English nation, or the Forth

* This is very analogous to the interpretation of Vitringa and
Archdeacon Woodhouse. But both these writers exclude the Saracens
from the fifth trumpet, of which they oflFer other, but discordant
explanations. Vitringa interprets it of the Goths invading Italy ;
Archdeacon Woodhouse of the Gnostic heretics.

the people of Scotland.* Though the Turks^ ob-
tained possession of some of the Asiatic provinces of
the Eastern emjjire, as early as the eleventh century,
yet they were by the providence of God and by
means of the Crusades, prevented from then over-
running' the empire. But at length the cup of its
iniquity being filled up, they became the ordained
instruments of vengeance, for its complete sub-
version. To signify both the former limits which
had been assigned to their conquests, and the office
of wrath now committed to them, the power of the
Turks or Ottomans, is represented under the symbol
of four angels, which had been tied up, or restrained,
in the great river Euphrates, but are now to be let
loose, in order that they may slay the third part
of men. It will here however be asked, why is the
precise number of four selected for this end ? 1 answer,
that four is one of the mystical numbers of the Apo-
calypse, denoting what is complete, or entire. f In

* I have already shewn, (see page 68,) that the symbolical waters
signify " peoples, nations, and multitudes," Rev. xvii. 15; therefore
a particular river denotes a particular people: and it is easy to see,
that no river could have been selected so fitly as the Euphrates to
designate the Turks.

+ " Quaternarius enim numerus in Apocalypsi ssepe est mvsticus,
" estque inter numeros plenitudinis sive perfectos qui dicuntur respi-
" ciens quatuor climata cceli." Vitringa in loco.

" This number is used frequently in Scripture to denote universality,
♦' or completion. It has this force naturally from the figure br for-
" mation of the human body, which is so fashioned as to occasion
*' a fourfold division of the objects which surround it; so that under
*' the number four they are comprehended. For instance: a man
" face; one quarter of the horizon, the south, he has the north behind
" him ; his hands extended point to the east and west. Hence is
" derived in Scripture the determination of these four cardinal points,
*' and their corresponding winds, " the four wiads of heaven." And

diap. viii. 1. a period of universal peace in the midst
of the earthquake of the sixth seal, is represented by
four angels, holding the four winds of the earth.
The overthrow of the Western empire is also sig-
nified in chap. viii. by the /owr angels with the four
first trumpets. In a similar manner, as the eastern
empire was to be completely subverted by the Turks,
their power is represented^ under the symbol oifour
destroying angels.

The four angels were " prepared for the hour,
'^ and day, and month, and year, for to slay the third
" part of men." I have seen no explanation of this
note of time, which satisfies my mind. Mede,
Bishop Newton, and others, suppose, that it marks
a prophetical period of 391 years, during which the
conquests of the Ottomans were to be carried on.*
But in every other passage of the scriptures where
a mysterious number is given signifying a particular
prophetical period, it will be found that the number
has in the original Greek no article prefixed to it.
In the passage now under consideration, on the con-
trary, the definite article is prefixed to the first
number of the series, ^TQitA.xcxi/.tvoi us rvv ■Jjpa.v, &c. and the
expression ought accordingly to have been rendered
in our English version, " prcpaied for the hour, &c."
I think that this circumstance overthrows the inter-

*' thus '" the four corners of the land," are used to signify all ihe
"land; whence Philo says, Tlocvrx iv r-n rtr^oi^i. So Pythagoras:
*' Tetras omnium perfectissimus, radix omnium." Archdeacon
Woodhouse on Rev. iv. 4.

* A Jewish year is 360 days, and a month 30 days; these two
numbers being added to the one day, make 391 prophetical days;
and each day being reckoned for a year, in this way a period of
S9\ years is made out.

pretation of Mede, and I am inclined to believe, that
nothing- more is denoted by the expression^ than
that the precise period, when the angels were to
beg-in their devastations, and also the term of their
continuance, were minutely fixed in the divine
counsels.*

I think with Bishop Newton, Mr. Faber, and
others, that the slaughter of the third part of the
men, by the four angels, signifies, the subversion of
the eastern empire. The western empire had al-
ready been exhibited, in the four first trumpets,
under the figure of a symbolical universe, and its
subversion by the Gothic arms was denoted, by the
destruction of a third part of that universe. The
eastern empire is now placed before us as a political
community, under the generic appellation of " the
^' men ;" and its overthrow is in a similar manner
signified, by the slaughter of a third part of '' the
'' men."

The forces of the angels are afterwards described
as consisting of two hundred thousand thousands
horsemen, by which an indefinitely great multitude
is intended ; and it is well known that the Turkish
armies chiefly consisted of horse, particularly in

* Mr. Faber, in tlie first editions of his work, followed the expla-
uation of the hour, day, month, and year, offered by Mede; but in
his fifth edition he has given it up as untenable, and supposes that it
alludes to the circumstance of the precise day of the assault of the
city of Constantinople having l)eeu fixed by Mahomed II. according
to the rules of astrology. " Several days," says Gibbon, " were
" employed by the sultan in preparations for the assault; and a
*' respite was granted by his favourite science of astrology, which
*' had fixed on the twenty-ninth of May as the fortunate and fatal
" hour."

the earlier part of their history. It is said that they
had breastplates of fire, and hyacinth, and brim-
stone ; or in other words, red, blue, and yellow.
This, says Bishop Newton, (from Daubuz) " had a
" literal accomplishment, for the Ottomans from
" their first appearance have affected to wear such
^' warlike apparel of scarlet, blue, and yellow/'
" The heads of their horses were as the heads of
" lions," — This may denote the fierceness and impe-
tuosity of their onset. " Out of their mouths issued
fire, and smoke, and brimstone." — Here there seems
to be an allusion to the enormous artillery used by
Mahummud II. in the siege of Constantinople,
" by the instrumentality of which he chiefly suc-
'^ ceeded in taking- that city, and in thus slaying the
" apocalyptic third part of men."*

It is added that " their power is in their mouth
"■ and their tails : for their tails were like unto ser-
"■ pents, and had heads, and with them they do
" hurt," The power in the mouths of the horses,
seems to indicate the power of inflicting temporal ill.
The powei" in their tails, is however certainly indi-
cative of the spiritual venom of the false religion of
Mahummud, which every where followed their con-
quests. These heads in their tails, are the seat of
their poison, in the same manner as were the stings
in the tails of the locusts of the preceding vision,
and must therefore be interpreted on a like
principle.

I have thus endeavoured to trace the accomplish-
ment of the six first trumpets, in the subversion of
the Roman empire of the west, and its ruin in the

* Mr. Faber in loco.

east, by a series of events, whereof the mighty con-
sequences continue even now to operate, upon the
political, the intellectual and religious destinies of
the human race, and which seem therefore, every
way worthy of tinding a place in this mysterious
prophecy. The narrative being thus brought down
to a very important era in history, new and no less
important subjects are introduced in the following
chapters, which will call for our most earnest atten-
tion.

CHAPTER VIII.

THE VISION OF THE ANGEL WITH AN OPEN BOOK.

After the sounding of the sixth trumpet, relating
to the fall of the eastern empire by the sword of the
Turks, a prophetic intimation is given, that the
plagues of the preceding trumpets did not produce
the effects of repentance on those men who were
not destroyed by them. In this notice there is pro-
bably a peculiar allusion to the corruptions of the
Latin church, and to those more awful judgments
which they should bring down upon the inhabitants
of the Western empire.

A new and august object afterwards exhibited
itself to the eyes of the apostle. " And I saw
*' another mighty angel coming down from heaven,
"^ clothed with a cloud,"* to veil the effulgent
brightness of his glory ; " a rainbow on his head,"
the same emblem which surrounds the throne of
God,f and denotes the covenant of peace ; " his
" face was as the sun, and his feet as pillars of
" fire ;" which particulars agree with the descrip-
tion given of our Lord in the first chapter, '' He
" had in his hand a little book open," or " having
" been opened."

It is easy to see from the above most sublime de-
scription, that this angel is our Lord himself; for
the glorious attributes ascribed to the angel cannot
agree with any other than our Lord. Let the cir-
cumstance also of the angel holding in his hand " a

* Rev.x. 1. + lb. iv, 3,

" little book which had been opened," be compared
with what is said in a former part of the Apo-
calypse : '' The Lion of the tribe of Judah, the
'' Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book,
" and to loose the seven seals thereof;" — " and he
" came and took the book out of the right hand of
" him that sat upon the throne/'* And by con-
necting these passages with the one we are now
considering, it will appear with irresistible evidence,
that the holder of this little book can only be the
Lion of the tribe of Judah ; for it was not given to
any other, even to look on the book, much less to
hold it.

^' And he set his right foot upon the sea and his
" left foot on the earth, and cried with a loud voice,
'' as when a lion roareth : and when he had cried,
" seven thunders uttered their voices. And when
"^ the seven thunders had uttered their voices, I was
" about to write ; and I heard a voice from heaven,
" saying unto me. Seal up those things which the
'' seven thunders uttered, and write them not.
"^ And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea,
^* lifted up his hand to heaven, and sware by him
" who liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven
" and the things that therein are, and the earth and
" the things that therein are, and the sea and the
" things which are therein, That there should be
" time no longer ; but in the days of the voice of
'' the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound,
*' the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath
" declared to his servants the prophets, "f

Having shown above, that the angel seen in this

♦ Rev, V. 5. 7. + ib. X. 2— T.

vision is our Lord himself, I shall now endeavour to
ascertain to what precise period of time this descent
of Christ belong;s.

The whole vision has an evident reference to a
similar one in the conclusion of the prophecies of
Daniel ;* and when the two passages are carefully
compared, and it is further recollected that the
Apocalypse is only a more enlarged prophecy of
the same things as are contained in the book
of Daniel, we shall see reason to conclude, that
the descent of our Lord from heaven to earth,
having a little book in his hand, which had been
opened, and which is afterwards given to the apostle
to eat, i. e. digest and understand, is intended to
signify, that the time is at length arrived when these
obscure prophecies of the book of Daniel, which
were twice declared to be shut up and sealed unto
the time of the end, should be fully understood by
the servants of the Lord. Our Lord's descent,
therefore, belongs to the time of the end.

The time of the end evidently reaches to the close
of the seventh Apocalyptic trumpet, when the king-
doms of this world shall become the kingdoms of
our Lord and of his Christ ;f when also the Son of
Man shall come with the clouds of heaven to receive
the kingdom promised to him in the prophecies
of Daniel : J And the time of the seventh trumpet is
likewise, as has been proved by some of the ablest
interpreters, the signal for the pouring out of the
seven vials of wrath afterwards mentioned. § The
time of the end is also the period which immediately

* Dan. xii. 4. 9. + Rev. xi. 13.

t Dan. vii. 13,14. ^ Rev. xv. 7.

100

precedes *' the times of refreshing," and of " the
*' restitution of all thin^^s ;" until which the heaven
must receive the Son of God, as declared by St.
Peter in the Acts of the Apostles.*

Since, then, the descent of our Lord, which is
now under consideration, belong-s to the time of the
end, and of the seventh trumpet and seven vials, we
may hence discover a reason for the various circum-
stances which accompany and follow this descent.
Our Lord appears clothed with a cloud, to signify
that the hour is at hand, when he shall come with
the clouds of heaven. The rainbow is upon his
head, which is the emblem of the covenant of peace ;
because the blessed time is at length arrived, when
the influence of his peace-giving Gospel shall be
extended from the rising to the setting of the sun.
He has in his hand a little book opened, for the
reason already assigned, viz. that the period is come
when its prophecies shall be completely understood
by the church of God. He sets his right foot upon
the sea, and his left foot upon the earth, to denote
to his servant John, that he is now about to take
possession of the universal kingdom promised to him
by the Father, when all the kingdoms of this world
shall become his kingdom. His crying with a loud
voice, as a lion roareth, is emblematical of the
awful sounding of the seventh trumpet ; and it
seems to signify to us, that the voice of that trumpet
is in effect the voice of the Lion of the tribe of
Judah himself, denouncing vengeance against his
enemies. The seven thunders which utter their
voices, are emblematical of the seven vials of the

* Acts iii. 19—21.

101

wrath of God, which are poured out on the sounding
of the seventh trumpet. The apostle is forbidden
to write what the thunders had uttered, probably
because their contents were to be fully declared and
shown forth under a ditferent symbol, viz. that of
the pouring' out of the vials ; and it did not seem
necessary to the Holy Ghost to describe them twice.

The above conjecture, as to the meaning of the
emblematical roaring of our Lord, is confirmed by
what follows ; for, in evident allusion to the voice
which he had previously uttered, he immediately
swears_, in the awful name of him that liveth for
ever and ever, " That there should be time no
" longer ; but in the days of the voice of the seventh
*' angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery
*' of God should be finished, as he hath declared to
*' his servants the prophets." This seems to be de-
clared in. reference to the finishing of the mysterious
times mentioned in the prophecy of Daniel.* On
this point Mede says expressly, " That those
*' finishing times of the fourth beast, called a time,
" times, and half a time, during which the wicked
"■ horn should domineer and ruflfle it among his ten
"■ kings, are the self-same time which the angel, in
" St. John, forewarneth should be no longer, as
" soon as the seventh angel began to sound," f

These mysterious times being ended, and the
period come when the prophecies of Daniel, and
consequently of the Apocalypse, are to be com-
pletely opened and unsealed, a voice from heaven
commands the apostle to go, and take the little book
which is open in the hand of the angel. The book

* Dan. xii. 7. + Mede's Works, Book iv. ep. 8.

102

is according-ly given him to cat, or tlioroughly to
understand and digest. It ougiit to be remarked,
that in this symbohcal action of eating the opened
book, the apostle, is tlie representative of the church ;
and that the action signifies, that now the sealed
prophecies should be unsealed and understood by
the church of God.

The only thing that remains to be considered in
this vision, is what is siguified by the little book in
the hand of our Lord ; and the determination of
this point has greatly perplexed the interpreters of
the Apocalypse. Whatever were the contents of
this little book (^iCX(af($«ov), it seems, without ques-
tion, that it must be a part of the book (C/fX(oy)
before mentioned, having seven seals. It is pro-
bable that this book consisted of seven distinct rolls
enveloped one under the other, the seventh roll
being the inmost one; and each roll had its distinct
seal. Each of these rolls was most probably consi-
dered as a " little book," or i:,Sxi<xplhor, and it seems
that the little book, which was in the hand of our
Lord when he descended from heaven to earth, was
the roll or seal last opened, viz. the seventh, which
contained the prophecy of the seven trumpets, and
indeed the whole remaining part of the Apocalypse.
The circumstance of its being a little book, " having
" been opened/' as the original properly signifies,
sufficiently evinces that at one time it had been
sealed. But if it had been sealed, either it must
be a part or division.of the book with seven seals, or
there must have been more than one sealed book,
which is exceedingly improbable. For it may be
observed, that the seals being seven,, which number

103

signifies completeness or perfection, this very cir-
cumstance indicates, that when that book with seven
seals should be wholly unsealed, it would com-
pletely reveal and discover the whole of the mystery
of God. Now, if we go into the idea of many in-
terpreters, that the little book was a kind of sup-
plementary prophecy, or codicil to the book with
seven seals, we thereby suppose the book with seven
seals to have been an imperfect prophecy, which is
contradictory to the import of the symbolical descrip-.
tion given of it. Where, in this case, was the fitness
of the exhortation to the Apostle, "Weep not; for
"the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David,
" (lath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the
'" seven seals thereof." For, according to the opinion
which I am refuting, when these seven seals were
unloosed there remained other no less important
prophecies still sealed up.* The idea of a separate
codicil must therefore be rejected, and the little book
opened is certainly a pairt of the sealed book : and
we may conclude, that it is the seventh seal, that
being the one whose contents were now unfolding. f

* Rev. V. 5.

+ A reviewer of my work, in the Edinburgh Christian Instructor,
to whom I feel myself much obliged for the candid and indulgent
manner in which he treats it, has made some remarks upon my
hypothesis respecting the little book. So far as I understand this
respectable writer, he seems to me to wish to establish the identity of
the little book, with that portion of the book of Daniel which contains
his last prophecy, and, in chap. xii. 9, is declared to be closed up
and sealed till the time of the end. Now this identity I have already
admitted, as to the substance of the two prophecies, i. e. in the same
sense that the Gospel of St. Luke may be identified with that of
St. Matthew. But if it -be meant^ that the book in the hand of the
angel was the identical Volume of Daniel's last prophecy, 1 can see
no ground for this opinion. ' On the contrary, its truth seems to be
negatived by the simple circumstance, that St. John's prophecy

104

The giving of this seventh seal to the apostle to eat
or digest^ has perhaps a peculiar reference to his
being made to understand what that mystery of God
is, which is to be finished at the sounding of the
seventh trumpet. Accordingly, no sooner does he
eat the little book, and digest it, than he is com-
manded again to prophesy to many peoples, nations,
and tongues, and kings ; that is, he is openly to
declare to them this great mystery, which forms, as
I conceive, the principal subject of the next three
chapters. And I shall so far anticipate the contents
of these chapters, as to state that this mystery seems
to consist in the wonderful circumstance of God per-
mitting the enemies of Christ to reign triumphantly
in his visible professing church, and to deform,
corrupt, and degrade that church, during the pro-
phetical period of twelve hundred and sixty days.

And hence we discover wljy the contents of this
little book were, so bitter to the mind of the apostle,
which is declared symbolically under the figure of
its making his belly bitter. The apostle felt the
deepest interest in the future fortunes of the church
of Christ, and had therefore an eager desire to learn
the contents of the little book. This eager desire
is described under the symbol of its being in his
mouth sweet as honey ; but when he understood
what the little book actually discovered concerning
the above mystery, it could not but occasion to him
the bitterest emotions of sorrow.

contains many new facts, not mentioned in that of Daniel ; and, ou
the other hand, Daniel's prophecy has many circumstances not in-
cluded in St. John's. It appears to me certain, however, that St. John's
prophecy was the key for opening- or unsealing that of Daniel, as
I have already observed in the preceding pages.

105

CHAPTER IX.

THE TWO WITNESSES.

'' And there was given me a reed like unto a rod ;
" and the angel stood, saying, Rise and measure
" the temple of God and the altar, and them that
" worship therein. But the court that is without
" the temple, leave out and measure it not ; for it
" is given unto the Gentiles ; and the holy city shall
•' they tread under foot forty and two months."*

The tabernacle of the temple of the Lord contained
several parts or divisions. The innermost of these
was the most holy place, or holy of holies, containing
the ark of the covenant, the tables of the law, the
mercy-seat overshadowed by the cherubim of glory.
Into this innermost division of the temple, the high
priest alone was permitted to enter ; and that only
once in the year, on the great day of atonement.f
This holy of holies was a type of heaven, into which
Christ, the great High Priest of our profession, is
entered for us ; and also a symbol of that future and
glorious state of the church upon earth, when the
tabernacle of God shall be with men. Accordingly,
when the state of the church in that j)eriod is exhi-
bited to the apostle, under the appearance of a vast
multitude clothed in white, and having branches of
palm-trees in their hands, it is said, that they are
before the throne of God, and serve him day and
night in his temple^ (i. e. in the holy of holies),
v/here, under the Levitical dispensation, the high

* Rev. xi. 1, 2.

+ Heb. ix. 7.

± Rev. vii. 13.

106

priest only could enter once a year ; and where,
under the evangelical dispensation, Christ is for us
entered, made an High Priest for ever after the order
of Melchisedec. In confirmation of the foregoing'

' observations, it appears, (hat on the sounding of
the seventh trumpet, which introduces the glorious

/ state of the church, " the temple of God was opened
"^ in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the
" ark of his testament." * It was the holy of holies,
therefore, which was opened to common view, other-

V wise the ark could not have been seen. .When the
same glorious state of the church, as had before been
exhibited under the emblem of the palm-bearing
multitude, is again shown forth under the symbol of
a city, the New Jerusalem, it is emphatically said by
the apostle, "- I saw no temple therein." f The
reason of this is plain : the scene is laid in the holy
of holies, the innermost recess of the temple ; there
is not, therefore, and cannot be, any other temple
than He who inhabiteth the temple, even the Lord
God Almighty, and the Lamb. The antitype being
come, the type vanishes away, J

The second division of the temple of God was
the sanctuary, or holy place, which was next to the
holy of holies, and separated therefrom by the veil.
In the holy place were placed the golden candlestick
with seven branches, the golden altar of incense,
and the table of shew-bread. It is easy to perceive
that the holy place was a symbol of the true, spiritual
church of God upon earth. The holy place had no

* Rev. xi. 19. + Ibid. xxi. 22.

, + *' Hierosolyma hsec tola in einphasi esset thronus Dei

" Ipsa itaque tota esset templum Dei." Vitringa in loco.

107

light from without : it was enlightened only by the
lamps of the golden candlestick with seven branches.
This candlestick was a symbol of the Holy Spirit^* i'^v *^
called, in the figurative language of this book, from 7^ 1'
the fulness and completeness of his gifts and ope--
rations, " the Seven Spirits," i. e. the All-perfect ,^^)

and Infinite Spirit of God. In the same manner, "^

the true spiritual church of Christ has no light from
without, but is internally illuminated by the Holy
Ghost. Incense, as we have already seen, is a sym-
bol of the prayers of the saints. It is only in the "^
true spiritual church that such prayers are offered, ^^^
and they are symbolized by the incense burnt upon
the golden altar in the holy place. There was no
way into the holy of holies but through the holy
place : and so there is no way into heaven, the true
holy of holies, but by entering into, or becoming
members of, the true spiritual church of Christ.
The holy place was hidden from the view of those '
without by a second veil ; and thus the true spiri-
tual church of Christ is hidden from the view of the
worldj and is therefore, with strict justice and pro-
priety, called the invisible church. Into the typical
holy place it was not lawful for any to enter but the
priests, and none can enter into the true church (i. e.
become members of it), but they who are made
priests unto God. In all respects the type, there-
fore, answers to the antitype.

Along with the sanctuary, or holy place, the Spirit
of God, in this passage, classes the altar {i. e. the
altar of burnt offerings), which was place<l ir a court
or enclosure immediately before the entrance into the

* Rev. iv. 5.

108

sanctuary. This altar of burnt offerings, and the
sacrifices offered upon it^ were symbols of the sacrifice
of Christ. The altar of burnt otferings was immedi-
ately before the door of the holy place, which points
out to us, that no one can enter into the holy place,
or become a member of the spiritual church, but in
virtue of the atoning- sacrifice of Christ, received by
true faith. The court in which was the altar of
burnt offerings, was open only to the priests and
Levites, and seems to be the same as was called the
priest's court: but it was visible from without to
the people who were in the external court, which
signifies that tlie sacrifice of Christ is to be held up
to the view of all men, in order that they may believe
and be saved.

On the outside of the court of the altar, or priest's
court, was the larger court, accessible to the whole
people of Israel. This outer court, or, as it is here
called, the court without the temple, seems to have
been a symbol of the visible professing church of
'God, as distinguished from the true and invisible
church.

Having thus endeavoured to ascertain what were
the several divisions of the temple of God, and their
symbolical meaning, it is not difficult to determine
which of these parts or compartments were measured
by the Apostle John.

The holy of holies could not be the subject of
this measurement, as it was shut during the period
of the testimony of the witnesses, and was not opened
till after the sounding of the seventh trumpet, as is
declared in the 19th verse of this chapter. What
the apostle is commanded to measure, is therefore

109

certainly the holy place, or sanctuary, and the inte-
rior court, or court of the priests, including the altar
of burnt offerings. These two being symbolical
of the invisible church, the measuring of them by
the apostle signifies, that during the period of forty-
two months, when the Gentiles should tread under
foot the holy city, God would still have a chosen seed
to serve him, who, though small in number, should
yet be well known to him, and precious in his sight.
To measure, signifies to take account of. But the
apostle is commanded to leave out the court that is
without the temple, and not to measure it, as it was
given to the Gentiles, i. e. to men who, though
Christians in name, and pretending to worship God,
and tread his courts, were in character Gentiles ;
and it is added, that they shall tread or trample
under foot, or, as Archdeacon Woodhouse renders
the clause, they shall tread or occupy the holy city
forty and two months. The holy city certainly
means the visible professing church of Christ ;
and the undisturbed occupation of it by Gentiles,
who are unworthy of being measured, or taken
account of, signifies its deep and universal de-
generacy during the prophetical period above men-
tioned, the meaning of which will be investigated
afterwards.

'" And I will give (power) unto my two wit-
" nesses, and they shall prophecy a thousand and
" two hundred and threescore days, clothed in
" sackcloth. These are the two olive trees, and the
" two candlesticks standing before the God of the
'' earth."

The true spiritual church of Christ, or collective

i»0

body of the faithful, is here presented to our view
under three different emblems : First, that of two
witnesses prophesying in sackcloth, the garb of
mourning, during the period of one thousand two
hundred and sixty days, and testifying against the
general corruption and degeneracy of the professing
church : secondly, under the symbol of two candle-
sticks, as holding forth the light of truth to a world
involved in spiritual darkness : and, thirdly, as two
olive trees, to denote the abundant supplies of the
Holy Spirit, at all times given to the true church.
The meaning of the whole passage is, that in the
midst of the general corruption of the visible church,
God would raise up a small number of faithful men,
a truly spiritual church, that should witness for the
truth during the whole period of one thousand two
hundred and sixty days, which is the same as the
forty-two months, when the Gentiles were to occupy
the holy city. History shows that this prophecy
has received its fulfilment ; and for his satisfaction on
this point, 1 must refer the reader to Bishop New-
ton's Dissertations on the Prophecies (in which are
enumerated the faithful witnesses who appeared
even in the darkest ages of the church), and likewise
to Milner's History of the Church of Christ.*

* Mr. Gibbon, after narrating the persecution of the Albigeois,
has the following passage: " The visible assemblies of the Paulicians,
*' or Albigeois, were extirpated by fire and sword ; and the bleeding
" remnant escaped by tlight, concealment, or catholic conformity.
" But the invincible spirit which they had kindled, still lived and
" breathed in tlio western world. In the state, in the church, and
" even in the cloister, a latent succession was preserved of the dis-
" ciples of St. Paul, who protested against the tyranny of Rome,
" embraced the Bible as the rule of faith, and purified their creed

It is said of the witnesses^ that *;' if any man will
*' hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth,
'' and devoureth their enemies ; and if any man will
" hurt them, he must in this manner be killed."
The prophets, in the scriptural style, are often said
to do those things which they denounce. *■' I will
" make my word in thy mouth fire," says the Lord
to the prophet Jeremiah, "^and this people wood,
'^ and it shall consume them." In the above words
respecting the fire proceeding from the mouth of
the witnesses, we may also see the indestructible
nature of the church of Christ, " Lo," said our
Lord, " I am with you alway, even unto the end of
" the world." Every attempt to destroy the church
shall therefore fail of success, and shall issue only in
the ruin of her enemies. In this sense fire may be
said to issue from the mouth of the witnesses.

By the same rules we may explain the language
of the following verse: '' These have power to shut
*' heaven, that it rain not in the days of their pro-
" phecy ; and have power over waters to turn them
" to blood ; and to smite the earth with all plagues,
'' as often as they will." The shutting of heaven
is the shutting up the spiritual chuix-h, so that the
dew of God's word and Spirit shall not descend upon
the apostate inhabitants of the Roman earth.* This

" from all the visions of the Gnostic theology. The struggles of
*' Wickliff in England, of Huss in Bohemia, were premature and
" inefFet lual; but the names of Zuinglius, Luther, and Calvin, are
" pronounced with gratitude as the deliverers of nations." — Declme
and Fall, chap. liv. How striking a testimony is her<" given, by an
enemy to Christianity, of the fulhlmeut of prophecy ! Gibbon
writing an involuntary comment on 8t, John !

* Faber's Dissertation on the 1260 years, vol. ii. p. 59. 4lh Ed.

112

is the consequence of the neglect and contempt
shown to their ministry ; and it is a dispensation of
the same nature as took place in the days of the
prophet Isaiah, when he was commanded to " make
'' the heart of this people fat, and make their ears
"^ heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with
" their eyes, and hear with their ears, and under-
" stand with their heart, and convert and be healed."*
Where a people refuse to repent at the preaching of
the Gospel, God in just judgment withdraws his
Spirit ; and, in the symbolical style, he shuts up
heaven, so that it shall not rain. The witnesses are
also said to turn waters into blood, and to smite the
earth with plagues, because such judgments are in-
flicted on the guilty nations, for refusing to hear
the testimony of the witnesses.

"■ And when they shall be about finishing (or shall
" be accomplishing) their testimony, the beast that
" ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war
" against them, and shall overcome them, and kill
" them. And their dead bodies shall lie in the broad
'' street of the great city, which spiritually is called
" Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was
" crucified. And they of the peoples, and kindreds,
" and tongues, and nations, shall see their dead bodies
" three days and a half, and shall not suffer their
*' dead bodies to be put in graves. And they that
" dwell upon the earth, shall rejoice over them and
" make merry, and shall send gifts one to another,
" because these two prophets tormented them that
'' dwell on earth. And after three days and a half,
*' the spirit of life from God entered into them, and

* I<iaiah vi. 10.

113

'^ they stood upon their feet^ and great fear fell upon
*' them which saw them ; and they heard a great
" voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up
" hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud,
'' and their enemies beheld them."

The death and resurrection of the witnesses, \
whatever events may be intended thereby, happen,
as we learn from the concluding; clause of the above
passage, before the end of the second woe, and con-
sequently before the coming of the third woe. But
the second woe is the invasion of the Roman empire,
and conquest of its eastern branch by the Turks.
At the time when I write this, the Turkish power
still exists, but it has long ceased to exist as a woe;
indeed it is so rapidly declining, that its final ex- \
tinction cannot be very remote. On the other hand,
the third woe is the French Revolution, as I shall
endeavour to prove afterwards, and shall for the
present assume, for the sake of argument. But if J
the second woe be past, and the third woe be come,
tlien the death, resurrection, and ascension of the
witnesses must also be past ; and we thus far are /
enabled, on certain data, to fix the chronology of
these events, and to ascertain one most important
point in the interpretation of the Apocalypse, which
has greatly perplexed the expositors. As it conti-
nues to be the opinion of some writers, that the
death of the witnesses is yet to come, the foregoing
argument serves also to shew that the fears of many
pious and excellent persons on this head are happily
without foundation.

The death and resurrection of the witnesses being
thus past, it only remains to ascertain to what events

114

they apply. After the most attentive examination,
1 rest in the opinion of Mr. Faber^ that this part of
the prophecy received its accomplishment at the era
of the reformation, in the events which followed the
dissolution of the Smalcaldic league. I must refer
the reader to that able writer for the detailed history
of these events, of which 1 shall only give a short
abstract.

At the close of the year 1546, the confederacy of
Smalcalde^ which had been formed by the protes-
tant princes of Germany, for the defence of their
religion, fell to pieces. Only the Elector of Saxony,
and Landgrave of Hesse, remained in arms. On
the 24th of April, 1547, the Elector was totally
routed and taken prisoner by the Emperor Charles
the Fifth, at the battle of Muhlberg. The Land-
grave was ere long obliged to submit likewise, and by
a dishonourable stratagem was seized and confined by
the Emperor.

In the following year, a new system of doctrine,
which was afterwards styled the Interim, and which
had been prepared by the command of the Emperor,
was presented to the Diet assembled at Augsburg, to
receive their sanction as a general rule of faith in
Germany , till a council could be convocated. In the
above system, the obnoxious doctrines of popery
were retained, though they were expressed, for the
most part, in the softest words, or in scriptural
phrases, or in terms of studied ambiguity. The
interim was presented and read in the Diet on the
15th of May, 1548. As soon as the reading of it
was finished, the Archbishop of Mentz, president
of the Electoral College, rose up hastily ; and having

115

thanked the Emperor for his unwearied and
pious endeavours, in order to restore peace to the
churchy he, in (he name of the Diet, signified their
approbation of the system of doctrine which had
been read, together with their resolution of con-
forming to it in every particular. No member of
the Diet had the courage to contradict what the
Elector had said ; some being overawed by fear,
others remaining silent through complaisance.
Charles held the Archbishop's declaration to be a full,
constitutional ratification of the interim, and pre-
pared to enforce the observance of it as a decree of
the empire.*

Some of the most considerable of the protestant
princes of the empire were prevailed upon, or inti-
midated by the Emperor, to receive the interim with
implicit obedience. From the imperial cities he
met with a firmer resistance, but they were com-
pelled one after another to submit. The govern-
ment of the city of Augsburg was dissolved by
force, and a small number of persons appointed to
administer its affairs, who all took an oath to observe
the interim. At Ulm the protestant pastors were
seized by the Emperor, and such of them as refused
to subscribe the interim were committed to prison,
and at the departure of Charles were carried along
with him in chains. f Similar measures were adopted
with regard to the other refractory cities. In most
of the cities of Suabia, the protestant clergy were
ejected by violence. The reformed worship was
almost entirely suppressed through that extensive
province. The people were compelled to attend the

* Robertson's Charles V- Book x. + Ibid.

116

ministration of priests, whom they regarded with
horror as idolaters ; and to submit to the jurisdiction
of magistrates, whom they detested as usurpers.*

The death of the witnesses, as Mr. Faber rightly
argues, took place when they were silenced, and
compelled to desist from bearing testimony. This
was effected by the promulgation and enforcement of
the interim, in the year 1548. About three years
and a half afterwards, or towards the end of the

^ year 1551, Maurice of Saxony, who had long medi-
tated the deliverance of the protestants, and had
been preparing to attempt this object, though he
had concealed his intentions with the greatest care,
commenced his operations by demanding the release
of the captive Landgrave of Hesse. This demand
being eluded by Charles, early in the following
season, Maurice placed himself at the head of his
army, and took the field. He published a manifesto,
containing his reasons for taking arms: and the first
of these was, that he might secure the prolestant
religion, which was threatened with immediate de-
struction. As he advanced by rapid marches towards
Upper Germany, all the towns opened their gates
to him. He every where reinstated the magistrates
whom the Emperor had deposed, and gave possession
of the churches to the protestant ministers whom he

^ had ejected.

P «' No words," says the historian, " can express the

r '' Emperor's astonishment and consternation at events

" so unexpected. "f He attempted to negociate with

Maurice, but without effect. Maurice consented to

a conference with Ferdinand, the brother of Charles.

* Robertson's Charles V. Book x. + Ibid.

J 17

but afterwards rejoined his army, and marched
directly towards Inspruck, where the Emperor then
was, with a view of surprising' him, and obtaining
possession of his person, " Tlie Emperor was in-
" formed of the approaching- danger late in the
" evening, and knowing that nothing could save him
"but a speedy flight, he instantly left Inspruck,
" without regarding the darkness of the night, or
*' the violent rain which happened to fall at the time ;
" and notwithstanding his being so much debilitated
" by the gout, that he could bear no motion but that
*' of a litter, he travelled by the light of torches,
" taking his way over the Alps, by ways almost
" impassable. His courtiers and attendants followed
'^ him with equal precipitation, some of them on
" such horses as they could hastily procure, many
" of them on foot, and all in the utmost confusion.
" In this miserable plight, very unlike the pomp
"^ with which Charles had appeared during the five
"■ preceding years, as the conqueror of Germany,
^' he arrived at length, with his dejected train, at
" Villach, in Carinthia, and scarce thought hirnself
" secure even in that remote inaccessible corner."*

The operations of Maurice had also the etfect of
immediately breaking up the Council of Trent.
The fathers of the council being seized with a ge-
neral consternation, on receiving the intelligence of
his having taken up arms, the German prelates
returned home, and the rest were impatient to
depart. A decree was consequently issued for pro-
roguing the council, and it did not again meet for a
period of ten years.

* Robertson's Charles V. Book x

118

These interesting and important events were
immediately followed by the treaty of Passau ; in
which it was stipulated that neither the Emperor
nor any other prince should, on any pretext what-
ever offer any injury or violence to such as adhered
to the confession of Augsburg, but allow them to
enjoy the free and undisturbed exercise of their
religion ; and that the imperial chamber should ad-
minister justice impartially, both to catholics and
protestants ; and protestants be admitted indiscrimi-
nately with catholics to sit in that court.

The security of the protestants was still further
confirmed by a recess of the Diet of Augsburg^ in
the year 1555^ containing various provisions in their
favour.

The importance of the treaty of Passau cannot
be better shown, than by quoting the following-
observations of the historian of the reign of Charles
the Fifth upon it. " Such was the memorable
•* treaty of Passau, that overturned the vast fabric,
" in erecting which Charles had employed so many
" years, and had exerted the utmost efforts of his
'' power and policy ; that annulled all his regu-
'' lations with regard to religion ; defeated all his
" hopes of rendering the imperial authority absolute
" and hereditary in his family ; and established the
*< protestant church, which had hitherto subsisted
" precariously in Germany, through connivance, or
" by expedients, upon a firm and secure basis."*

« Hist. Charles V. Book x.

Villers, in his Essay on the Reformation, gives the following sum-
mary of the events of this period : — " Enfin le moment arriva (en
'* 1546, I'anuee luSme de la mort de Luther, qui avait fait des efforts

119

If the death of the witnesses happened at the
publication of the interim^ their revival took place
when Maurice commenced his operations against
Charles, At the peace of Passau, they ascended
into heaven (i, e. into the symbolical heaven of the
government), by being legally established and per-
mitted, in common with the catholics, and on an
equal footing, to sit as judges in the imperial
chamber. By the recess of the Diet of Augsburg,
framed on the 25th of September, 1555, they were
yet more firmly established in the political heaven.
It was thereby enacted, that those princes and cities
which had declared their approbation of the confes-
sion of Augsburg, should meet with no molestation
in the exercise of their worship ; and further, that
the Romish ecclesiastics should claim no spiritual
jurisdiction in such states as received the confession
of Augsburg. There were other articles in the
recess equally favourable to the protestants.

" constans pour prevenir toute catastrophe sanglante), ou, debarrasse
" de ses autres ennemis, Charles Quint put engager la lutte avec le
" parti des protestans. Elle fut d'abord heureuse pour lui ; les forces
" et les talens militaires des princes ligues ne repondirent pas a leur
" courage; et I'eclatante victoire de Muhlburg, des la seconde annee
" de la guerre, ou les principaux d'entre eux furent faits prisonniers,
" serablait devoir y raettre fin. Mais a peine Charles commen^ait-il
" a jouir de son triomphe, que Maurice de Saxe lui enleva, par un
" coup aussi impossible a prevoir qu'a parer les lauriers qu'il venait
" de cueillir, et presque tous ceux de sa laborieuse carriere. Peu
" s'en fallut que le prince Saxon ne s'empar&t de la personne mSrne
" de rempereur dans Inspruck. Celui-ci, par la paix signee a Passau,
" en 1552, afFermit plus que jamais I'existence du corps evangelique,
" et vit s'evanouir les beaux projets qu'il avait con^us de ranger
" rAlleraagne sous ses lois." — Essai sur i'Esprit et sur I'lnfluence de
la Reformation de Luther, par Charles Villers, Correspondant de
rinstitut National de France, &c. p. 119.

120

1 have it happily in my power, to illustrate the
foregoing application of the prophecy, by a very
remarkable passage from Fra Paolo Sarpi, the
catholic historian of the council of Trent. After
narrating the events of the contest, which ended at
the peace of Passau, that writer uses the following-
language, with respect to the restoration of the
Protestant pastors. *' But the war still continued
" for a whole year, between difterent princes and
" cities of the empire. It did not however prevent
" the cities, from recalling every where the doctors
'' of the confession of Augsburg, and from restoring
"^ to them their churches and schools, and the free
'' exercise of their religion. And although it might
'' have been thought, that there remained very few
'^ of these doctors and preachers, (who had taken
" refuge under the protection of princes,) and that
" banishments and persecutions had almost ex-
" terminated them ; yet as if they had been again
^' raised from the dead, a sufficient number were
" found to supply all the places."*

This war of the witnesses, and their death, was
to take place in ihe broad street of the great city,
which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where
also our Lord was crucified. The great city is,
as all writers are agreed, the Roman empire. f This
empire bears the name of Sodom and Egypt, on
account of the wickedness of its inhabitants. Withjn
the precincts of the empire our Lord was crucified,

* Fra Paolo Sarpi, Histoire du Concile de Trente, torn. i. p. 612.
The words of the French translation are, " cependant comme s'ils
*^.etoient resuscitez de nouveau."

. '+ See the authorities produced by Mr. Faber ou this point, Diss,
on the 1260 years, vol. ii. p. 80, 81. 4th £d.

121

since at the time of his passion Judea was a Roman
province. Here also he is still crucified again every
day, by the sins of those who profess themselves his
disciples. The broad street of the great city must
signify its principal kingdom. Now at the period
when the events above mentioned took place, Ger-
many was the principal kingdom^ and therefore the
broad street of the great city ; being immediately
subject to the secular head of the empire, and em-
phatically styled " the empire."

The agent who slew the witnesses was the beast
which ascendeth out of the bottomless pit ; and he
is the same as Daniel's fourth beast, and represents
the Roman empire.* This also confirms the above
ideas respecting the death of the witnesses, as the
league of Smalcalde was dissolved, and its most
powerful members defeated and made prisoners, and
the protestant ministers silenced, all by Charles the
Fifth, at that time the secular head of the Roman
empire.

We have thus seen that the events, which hap-
pened in Germany after the dissolution of the Smal-
caldic league, answer in every respect to the pro-
phetical account of the death of the witnesses, their
resurrection and ascension. First, In their chro-
nology ; they happened during the second woe, and
before the arrival of the third woe. Secondly, In
their geography ; they happened in the chief kingdom
of the Roman empire, i. e. the broad street of the
great city. Thirdly, In their character and circum-
stances : the witnesses were then politically slain,
forced to desist from their testimony, and to receive

* Faber's Dissertation, vol. ii. p. OS, 66.

122

the interim. Tiiey stood on tiieir feet at the end of
tittle more than three years and a half. They next
ascended into the political heaven, by virtue of a
solemn treaty of peace, confirmed afterwards by the
Diet of the empire. The agent of their death was
the beastj i. e. the secular head of the Roman
i empire.

It is saidj however^ that the witnesses ascended
up to heaven in a cloud. This may signify^ that
though they triumphed, yet there were many cir-
cumstances which contributed to dim the lustre of
their victory, and to obscure their prospects. There
was much worldly policy and wisdom mingled with
the religious zeal of the protestants. Many dark
clouds also still hung over the protestant cause, and
threatened it with new troubles.

'' And the same hour," (or " the same day," as
Griesbach reads), " was there a great earthquake,
*' and the tenth part of the city fell ; and in the
" earthquake were slain names of men seven thou-
" sand ; and the remnant were affrighted, and
" gave glory to the God of heaven. The second
*' woe is past, and behold the third woe cometh
" quickly."

At the same period as the war of the beast with
the witnesses, and their death, resurrection, and
ascent into the symbolical heaven, there was a great
earthquake or revolution. The reformation, and
the political events which accompanied and followed
it, were this great revolution, which shook the edi-
fice of the papal power and the church of Rome to
their foundations, and produced a mighty and won-
derful change in the opinions of mankind, and the

123

state of the western empire.* During a period of
more than a century and a half, Europe continued
to be agitated by these events ; so that, even by
infidel writers, whose testimony in this respect seems
worthy of particular attention, the reformation has
been deemed of such vast importance as to be consi-
dered one of the greatest events in history. f In
this revolution it is said, that a tenth part of the
city (i. e. the papal city or anti-christian empire)
fell. A tenth part of the city must signify one
of the ten kingdoms into which the Roman empire
was divided, after its overthrow by the Goths and
Vandals. Now of these ten original kingdoms, the
one in which the papal power was completely sub-
verted by the reformation, and which thenceforth
ceased to be a part of the Romish church, was
England. Germany, it is true, was partially re-
formed, and so was France for a time ; but neither
of these kingdoms fell away from the Romish juris-
diction and communion. Holland also, and Scotland,
as well as Denmark and Sweden, entirely shook off
the papal yoke ; but then they were not properly
parts of the Roman empire. ;[: England, then, ap-

* With regard to the political effects of the Reformation, the able
French author above quoted writes as follows: " Le sjst^me des etats
" modernes en ffit ebranle jusques dans ses fondemens. Durant la
" lonj^ue et doloreiise lutte qui s'ensuivit, tout prit une forme et une
" assiette differente. Un uouvel ordre politique sortit de la fermen-
" tation et de la confusion generale; les divers elemens qui le cora-
" posent, longtemps agites en sens divers, ob6issant enfin a la loi de
" gravitation du monde moral, y prirent I'l place assignee par leur
" poids respectifs, mais qui n'etait plus, pour la plupart, I'ancienne
" place qu'ils avaient occupee." — Essai, &c. par C. Villers, p. 3-

t Hume's History of England, chap. xxix.

+ On more mature consideration, it strikes me as probable, that

124

pears to be the tenth part of the city, \vhich fell from
the Romish jurisdiction in this earthquake. The
reformation in England was completed at the same
period as the war between Charles the Fifth and the
league of Smalcalde. The papal power and juris-
diction were indeed abolished by act of parliament
in the year 1534, sometime before the above war in
Germany, and the reformation in that kingdom con-
tinued to advance with gradual steps during the
whole of the reign of Henry the Eighth ; but it was
not completed till the accession of Edward the Sixth,
in 1547, the very year when Charles defeated the
remnant of the Smalcaldic league at the battle of
Muhlburg.

In the earthquake, or revolution, seven thousand
names of men were slain. This has been generally
understood by eminent expositors, as denoting the
abolition either of civil or ecclesiastical titles of
distinction, or orders and offices of men : seven
thousand of these are slain or destroyed, which is a
mystical number, both signifying a great multitude,
and also the utter and linal abolition of the titles in
question. And the prophecy seems to have received
its accomplishment in the abolition of the monastic
orders in the kingdom of England, which fell from
the Romish jurisdiction in the earthquake ; and like-
wise in such parts of Germany as, embraced the re-
formation. Indeed, in another sense, the swarms

the whole of Great Britain, including both England and Scotland,
may be intended by the tenth part of the city. The crowns of these
two kingdoms were united before the earthquake of the reformation
was over. The kingdoms were destined to be united at no remote
period ; and, thus united, to form the great bulwark of true religion
and liberty in the world.

125

of ignorant and profligate monks, which abounded
in every part of Europe before the reformation,
might be called " names of men ; " because, though
they possessed the name, they were without the , ^ ^^//
character of men, and sunk into the lowest degrees /? . A^^^
of vice and immorality. Jurieu understood the '^ '^ *^
phrase, as denoting the utter destruction of the ?l

orders of monks and nuns. "*

The reformation was not only attended with thc/^'^^
consequences above mentioned, but with effects of a
most important nature upon the general state of
religion and. morals. ''The remnant were af-
" frighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven."
In the kingdom of England, which acted so con-
spicuous a part in the important events of that time,
a great reformation took place both in religion and
morals ; Romish idolatry was abolished, and the
worship of God established upon pure and scriptural
principles. But the beneficial effects of the refor-
mation were not confined to that part of Christendom
which embraced the protestant religion. Even the
popes and their clergy felt its influence : they also
vv^re affrighted, and gave unwilling glory to the God
of heaven. A great reformation of manners took
place in the church of Rome itself; and since the
age of the reformation, the Romish clergy, and even
the popes, have assumed a decorum of conduct, and
decency of morals, less unbecoming the character of
those who profess to be the ministers of Christ.*

* " Une portion si considerable des ricliesses et du credit de Rome
" en ayant disparu, le luxe excessif, les flatteurs, les parasites, dis-
" parurent aussi peu-a-peu dans la raeme proportion. Ceia donna
" jour a une reforme de moeurs, a un changement de vie devenu

126

Though the fall of the tenth part of the city by
the earthquake was, in the main, accomplished in
the same period as the war of the beast with the
witnesses ; yet it was not till the revolution in Eng-
land in 1688, the abdication of James the Second,
and the accession of William the Third, that the
final shopk of the earthquake, occasioned by the
reformation, may be considered to have taken place.
England was then finally lost to Rome. The last
attempt to regain her, ended in the expulsion from
the throne of the papal royal family.*

The destruction of the papal power, and the refor-
mation in the kingdom of England, were certainly
events, which, from their great and important con-
sequences — consequences which continue to operate,
even with increasing energy in the present period —
seem to be highly worthy of finding a place in the
prophecies of the Apocalypse ; as much so, to say
the least, as the events that followed the dissolution
of the league of Smalcalde. The church of Eng-

'* toul-a-fait indispensable au clerge Romain. Celui de leglise pro-
* ' testante etail en general pauvre, savant, et exeinplaire. Tant d'yeux
'* ouTerts sur le contraste des deux corps faisaient une loi imperieuse
" de I'adoucir, et mSme de le faire disparaitre." — " II est done tres-
" vrai que cetle eglise (I'eglise Romaine) s'est inapose uue refornae;
" comme aussi 11 est vrai que cette reforme n'est qu'une suite irame-
" diate, et peut-etre forcee de celle operee par Luther, lequel d'apres
" cette consideratfon doit etre regarde corame le reforraateur mSme
" du clerge catholique." — Essai, &c. par Charles Villers, p. 90, 91.
— See also Robertson's Charles V. Book xii.

* Mr. Faber, in the fifth edition of his work on the 1260 years,
has adopted the interpretation of the earthquake, and the fall of the
tenth part of the city, which is here given. — 1 take this opportunity
of acknowledging- my obligations to a writer, under the signature of
Philo, in the Christian Observer for the year ISIO, for the inter-
pretation of this passage which I have adopted.

land has always been one of the props and bulwarks
of the reformation. In the important period in
which we live, she acts a conspicuous part in the
great exertions now making to extend the kingdom
of the Redeemer, and to make known the name of
Christ both to Jews and to Gentiles, throughout the
habitable world. In England also, true religion has
owed much to the zeal, piety, and learning of the
dissenters, who have flourished under the protection
of those principles of toleration which owe their
existence to the reformation.

The earthquake being over, it is immediately
declared, that " the second woe is past, and behold
*' the third woe cometh quickly." This annunci-
ation may be considered as a chronological mark,
to distinguish the period in which the death and
resurrection of the witnesses took place. The first
woe, or the irruption of the Saracens, commenced
about the year 612 ; and at whatever period its end
may be supposed to have taken place, whether in
the year 76'i, as Bishop Newton supposes, or a
century or two later, a very considerable interval,
not less than three or four centuries, intervened „ ^ >
before the sounding of the second woe trumpet. ^^ '""^ '
This event took place about the year 1302, when I
find, by consulting the Modern Universal History,
that the Turks under Othman first invaded the Greek
empire. They continued to be a woe or plague till y /
the year 1697, when they were defeated by Prince -/^i^^. '^
Eugene in the memorable battle of Zenta. This fiu^ /
battle was followed by the peace of Carlowitz, in the ~~
year 1698 ; since when the Turkish empire has
been on the decline, and the Chvistian states have

X..

128

ratiier been a woe to them than they to the Christians.
I am of opinion, therefore, with many able inter-
preters, that the Turkish woe ceased in the year 1698.
It is added, '• Behold the third woe cometh quickly."
The word ''quickly" seems to have a relative signi-
fication in this passage ; and, as we have seen, that
an interval of some centuries intervened between
the end of the first and the beginning of the second
woe, and also that the second woe continued for
a space of three hundred and ninety-six years, if
the third woe happens only one hundred years after
the termination of the second, then it may be said
to come quickly, inasmuch as it happens after an
interval much shorter than that which separated the
second woe from the first. The expression^, " Be-
'' hold the third woe cometh quickly," may further
be intended to keep our attention and expectations
awake, and to mark the third woe (when it shall
come), from its proximity to the second.

129
CHAPTER X.

THE SOUNDING OF THE SEVENTH TRUMPET.

*^' And the seventh angel sounded, and there were
** great voices in heaven, saying". The kingdoms of
*' this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord
'' and his Christ, and he shall reign for ever and
*' ever. And the four-and- twenty elders which sat
*' before God on their seats, fell upon their faces,
" and worshipped God, saying. We give thee thanks,
" O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and
'^ art to come, because thou hast taken to thee thy
*" great power, and hast reigned. And the nations
*' were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time
*' of the dead that they should be judged, and that
*' thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the
^' prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy
^' name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them
'' which destroy the earth. And the temple of God
" was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his
*' temple the ark of his testament ; and there were
*' lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an
" earthquake, and great hail." *

It is justly remarked by Mede, that '' the sacred

*' KALENDAR and GREAT ALMANACK OF PROPHECY

'' consists of the four kingdoms of Daniel, which
" are a prophetical chronology of times, measured
" hy the succession of four principal kingdoms,
"from the beginning of the captivity of Israel
" until the jnystery of God should be finished ;—

* Rev. xi. 15—19.
K

130

" a course of time, during ^vllich the church and
'' nation of the Jews, together with those whom, by
" occasion of their unbelief in Christ, God should
" surrogate in their rooms, were to remain under
" the bondage of the Gentiles, and oppression of
" Gentilism. But these being once finished, ' all
^' the kingdoms of this world should become the
*' kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ.' " —
(Works, book in.)

In considering the earthquake of the sixth seal,
we saw reason for concluding that earthquake or
revolution to be the same with the one mentioned
in the seventh trumpet. Further, it has appeared,
in reviewing the contents of the tenth chapter of the
Apocalypse, that the mystery of God is to be finished
in the days of the seventh trumpet. It is therefore
of great importance to ascertain what place the
seventh trumpet occupies in the great prophetical
kalendar of Daniel ; and when this point shall be
made clear, we shall have advanced a considerable
way in determining some of the great synchronisms
of prophecy. Now, from the prophecy of the four
kingdoms, in the seventh chapter of Daniel, we
learn that the great enemy of the church, in the latter
ages, is the little horn of the fourth beast, or Roman
kingdom, by which horn it is generally agreed that
the papal power was symbolized. This horn, in the
vision of the prophet, continued to prevail against
the saints '' until the Ancient of Days came, and
"judgment was given to the saints of the Most
" High, and the time came that the saints possessed
" the kingdom." * The coming of the Ancient of

* Dan. vii. 21, 22.

131

Days, and the judgment which was consequent
thereupon^, are thus described in the same prophecy :
"^ I beheld till the thrones were cast down/' or
rather, " were set ; " ^' and the Ancient of Days did
^' sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the
" hair of his head iike the pure wool : his throne
"^ was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning
" fire, A fiery stream issued and came forth from
" before him : thousand thousands ministered unto
" him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood
'* before him : the judgment was set, and the books
" were opened. I beheld, then, because of the
'' voice of the great words which the horn spoke :
** 1 beheld even till the beast was slain, and his
" body destroyed and given to the burning flame.
*" As concerning the rest of the beasts, they had their
" dominion taken away ; yet their lives were pro-
"^ longed for a season and a time. I saw in the night
*' visions, and behold, one like the Son of Man came
'^ with the clouds of heaven, and came to the
" Ancient of Days, and they brought him near
'' before him ; and there was given him dominion
"■ and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations,
"^ and languages should serve him : his dominion
"■ is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass
" away, and his kingdom that which shall not be
" destroyed." *

The above passage makes it manifest, that the
sounding of the seventh angel in the Apocalypse
takes place at the same period as the coming of the
Ancient of Days in Daniel. 1 think no person can
deny this who believes the scriptures to be divinely

* Dan. vii. 9 — 14.
K 2

132

inspired, and takes a comprehensive view of the
subject. Let the following- particulars, in which
the two passages correspond with each other, be
compared, and it will no longer remain doubtful that
they both belong to one and the same period : Ist^
At the coming of the Ancient of Days, the judgment
sits to destroy the enemies of the church ; and so,
at the sounding of the seventh angel, it is declared
that the time is come to destroy those who destroyed
the earth. 2dli/, At the coming of the Ancient of
Days, the time is said to be arrived when the saints
should possess the kingdom ; and so at the sounding
of the seventh angel, the period is declared to be
come when God should give reward to his servants
the prophets, and to the saints, and to them that fear
bis name. 3dli/, After the coming of the Ancient of
Days, the Son of Man descends with the clouds of
heaven, and receives a kingdom, that all people,
nations, and languages should serve him ; and so at
the sounding of the seventh trumpet, it is announced,
in the triumphant thanksgivings of the heavenly
hosts, that the kingdoms of this vs^orld are become
the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ.

But though it thus evidently appears, that the
kingdom of God upon earth is to be established in
the days of the trumpet of the seventh angel, yet
we must not conceive that this is to be immediately
after the commencement of the trumpet. It is plain,
from its being called the third woe, that dreadful
judgments are to be executed against the nations
before the joyful part of the trumpet arrives. The
same conclusion may be drawn from the expressions,
" the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come."

133

It is also said, that " the time of the dead (is come)
" to be judged." By this expression we are pro-
bably to understand, that now is come the period
when the blood of the dead saints and martyrs should
be avenged on those who persecuted them, and that
the cup of blood should pass into the hand of their
enemies.

The eleventh chapter of the Apocalypse, which
we are now considering, contains only an epitome of
the great events mentioned in it, and may be viewed
in the light of a sort of table of contents of what is
narrated at greater length in the chapters which
follow : but this epitome, or table of contents, is so
arranged as to contain chronological marks, which
are of much use for the elucidation of the remaining
parts of the Apocalyptic visions.

This chapter, therefore, being only an epitome of
events more fully revealed afterwards, we are not to
expect in it any detailed account either of the woful
or the joyful part of the seventh trumpet. It is
brieily declared, however, on the sounding of this
trumpet, that " the temple of God was opened in
*' heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark
''of his testament." The compartment of the
temple, which is here opened, is, as 1 observed in
another place,* the holy of holies ; for otherwise the
ark could not be seen. The opening of the holy of
holies is indicative of the near approach of that glo-
rious state of the church when the tabernacle of God
shall be with men, of which state the holy of holies
was a type. The opening of the temple is also of
great use in determining the place of the Apoca-

* Page 106.

134

lyptic visions of the seven vials of wrath, which are
afterwards introduced to our view, and an unanswer-
able argument is thence deduced that these vials all
belong to the seventh trumpet : for we find, that
when the vision of these vials is presented to the

~ eyes of the apostle, he first sees the temple opened,

/and then the angels, having the seven vials of wrath
coming out of the temple.* Now^ as the temple is

. opened at the sounding of the seventh trumpet, and
not before ; and as these angels come out of the temple
immediately on its being opened, we may thence cer-

\ tainly infer that chapter xv. 5, 6. is parallel in time
with xi. 19. and that the vials all belong to the
seventh trumpet. The vials are evidently the consti-
tuent parts of the third and last woe, being called the
seven plagues, to signify to us the dreadful nature of
that woe, and to indicate the complete and utter
destruction which will ensue to the enemies of the
church from the effusion of the vials of wiath ; the
number seven being, as we have already seen, of
mystical import, denoting the completeness or per-
fection of that to which it is attributed.

" And there were lightnings, and voices, and
*' thunderings, and an earthquake, aud great hail."
In the language of symbols, these things denote
great political commotions, revolutions, and dread-
ful war. Now, seeing that these events immediately
follow the sounding of the third woe trumpet, they
must be a part of that woe ; and as they are menti-
oned in the eleventh chapter, which is, as we have
observed, a sort of table of contents, or epitome, of
what is described afterwards, we may expect that

* Rev. XV. 5. 6.

135

they will again be related more fully in their proper
place. But the seven vials of wrath have already
been shewn to be the constituent parts of the third
woe ; consequently the lightnings and voices, and
thunderings, the earthquake and great hail, above
mentioned^ must be expected to recur somewhere in
the vials ; and accordingly we find that the same phe-
nomena are seen under the seventh vial^ and are there
related with greater minuteness than in the passage
which we are considering. Therefore the inference
is, that the lightnings^ and voices, and the earth-
quake^ and great hail, mentioned in the eleventh
chapter, are precisely the same with those of the
seventh vial, and consequently that the two passages,
Rev. xi. 19. and xvi. IS — 21. are synchronical, and
describe the same events. The use which is to be
made of this conclusion, will appear when we con-
sider the contents of the seven vials of wrath. We
may further observe, that, as the earthquake of the
sixth seal has already been shewn to be the same
with that of the seventh trumpet ; it follows, that
Rev. vi. 12—17. and xi. 19. and xvi. 18—21. all
refer to the same period.*

The seventh trumpet appears to me to have sound-
ed at the period of the French revolution, and I am
inclined to think, with Mr. Faber and Mr. Bicheno,
that its awful voice began on the 10th of August,
1792, when the French monarchy was overthrown ;
though I deem it possible that its commencement
may be dated a few months earlier, when war was
declared against Austria by the National assembly.

* Vitringa justly observes, ihat the parallelism of these three
passages, is the true key for the interpretation of this mysterious
book. See his Comment, p. 738.

136

The French revolution, in its origin^ progress,
and consequences, is, without dispute, the most
memorable event of a political nature which is
recorded in the histories of nations. The mass of
human misery which it has occasioned within a short
space of years ; the dreadful change which it has
effected in the state of the civilized world ; and the
awful consequences with which it is yet pregnant,
and which are hidden in the womb of futurity* —
combine to place it foremost in the rank of those
events which have been destructive of the happiness
of mankind. If, therefore, the Saracen irruption,
and the Turkish invasion and conquest, be the
first and second woes, the French revolution is
unquestionably the third woe. It is that " great
"^ earthquake, such as was not since men were upon
'' the earth, so mighty an earthquake and so great. "f

I have been much struck by hearing sensible and
thinking men, when speaking of this stupendous
event, describe it in language very nearly approach-
ing to the symbolical style of the Apocalypse; and
this without any direct or intended reference to pro-
phecy. I have heard it compared lo a destructive
volcano, carrying away before it every remnant of
order and social happiness ; and the persons who
have used this figure of speech were quite uncon-
scious of any resemblance between their language
and that of the Apocalypse. A sensible writer in the
Quarterly Review, withoutany reference to prophecy,
expresses himself as follows, respecting the French

* I feel no inclination to retract or modify this expression. It is
evident, that by that revolution a new impulse has been given to the
human mind towards moral evil, which is even yet in active progress.
March, 1817.

+ Rev. xvi. 18.

137

revolution : " VVe live at the commencement of an
''era more distinctly marked by theg'reatand imme-
'' diate revolutions with which it has been ushered in,
" than any other in the annals of the world. No
" precise line of demarcation can be traced through
" the twilight boundaries of ancient and modern his-
" tory ; but the outline which separates this new era
'^ from that which has ended within our own remem-
'' brance, is strongly and conspicuously drawn for
'' future ages. The French revolution has, as it
" were, been the breaking up of the abyss ; and from
" our ark of liberty, which rides securely upon the
"^ waters, we behold every thing around us laid
*' waste by the deluge."

I have thus, in reference to the sounding of the
seventh trumpet, endeavoured to determine the fol-
lowing particulars :

\st, That it synchronizes with the coming of the
Ancient of Days in the prophecies of Daniel, and
the consequent sitting of the judgment to destroy
the power of the little horn,

^Zdly, That it corresponds with the opening of the
sixth Apocalyptic seal^ the great earthquake of which is
the same with the earthquake of the seventh trumpet.

3dly, That it comprises within itself the whole of
the seven vials of wrath, which are the constituent
parts of the third woe.

'ithly, That the earthquake of the seventh vial is
the same with the earthquake of the seventh trumpet
^and the sixth seal.

bthly, and lastly, That there is every reason to
suppose that the seventh trumpet began to sound at
the period of the consummation of the French revo-
lution, in the year 1792.

138

I shall endeavour afterwards to ])rove;, that the ter-
mination of the great prophetical period of twelve
hundred and sixty years is also to be fixed at the
sounding- of the seventh trumpet. But the discussion
of this point may very properly be deferred^ to fornj
the subject of one or more distinct chapters of this
work^ as its importance is such as to render it de-
serving of the most deliberate consideration.*

* I have mentioned Mr. Faber and Mr. Bicheno as concurring with

me in opinion, that the seventh trumpet sounded in the year 1792.

I am happy to add the testimony of another very respectable character

to the same effect, whom I shall not name, as I have not received any

express permission to do it, but whose name would add weight to any

opinion. In a letter which I received from the gentleman alluded to,

last year, he writes as follows: — " I am fully persuaded that this is

i " the period of the pouring out of the vials. Nor do I think, with

" Lowman, that they have been pouring out during the whole twelve

" hundred and sixty years ; but that these seven last plagues all belong

" to the seventh trumpet, of which they are a subdivision. The

" seventh trumpet, therefore, seems to me to have sounded about the

" time of the French revolution, and to wear a double aspect: 1st. Of

" wrath towards Antichrist, I mean the grand papal apostasy in all its

" branches; 2d. Of mercy towards the church, and even the world;

j^ 5' inasmuch as it was the signal of ' the kingdoms of the world becoming

t:.X 9fthose of the Lord and his Christ.' Hence, I conceive, the period of

" the vials is also a period to be distinguished by the spread of the

" Gospel. The wall of Zion will be built, though it be in troublous

" times. The kingdom of Christ will go on, though it be in the face

" of opposition. It is like the reign of David, in which ' the Lord

" prospered him whithersoever he went,' yet had he no rest. Keeping

" up the last similitude, I consider the millenium as the reign of

" Solomon, or the period when God shall have given rest to the

" church round about. Referring perhaps to that period, the reign

" of Christ is called his rest." *

The person above alluded to was the late pious and able Rev. Andrew
Fuller, of Kettering, of whom a posthumous volume on the Apo-
calypse has lately appeared.

* Isaiah si, 10.

139
CHAPTER XI.

THB WOMAN AND THE DRAGON.

" And there, appeared a great sign in heaven, a
^' woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under
" her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve
'" stars : and she being with child, cried, travailing
*' in birth, and pained to be delivered. And there
" appeared another sign in heaven, and behold, a
*' great red dragon having seven heads and ten
'' horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. And
'' his tail drew a third part of the stars of heaven,
*' and did cast them to the earth : and the dragon
" stood before the woman which was ready to bo
'' delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was
*' born. And she brought forth a man-child, who
" was to rule all nations with a rod of iron : and
" her child was caught up to God and to his throne.
" And the woman fled into the wiiderncss, where
" she hath a place prepared of God, that they should
*' feed her there a thousand two hundred and three -
" score days."*

Upon the sounding of the seventh trumpet, it
formed a part of the thanksgivings of the twenty-four
elders, that the time was at length come ^' for de-
" stroying those which destroy the earth." Who
these destroyers of the earth are, has not yet how-
ever been declared ; but a description is given of
them in the two following chapters, the twelfth and
thirteenth, and it is introduced by the above vision

* Rev. xii. 1—6.

140

of the woman and the dragon. The woman is, as
all writers agree^ the true spiritual church of Christ,
'' the Jerusalem which is above, the mother of us
" all."* The church is very often in Scripture re-
presented to us under the figure of a woman, the
spouse of Christ. This woman is clothed with the
sun, " to denote that her spiritual nakedness is only
" clothed by the righteousness of Christ. "f She
stands on the moon, to denote her sublime elevation
above all sublunary objects. She has a crown of
twelve stars, in reference to the twelve apostles of
the Lamb, who are her brightest ornaments. The
woman's being with child, and travailing in birth,
and paining to be delivered, describe to us, in lan-
guage suited to the analogy of the symbols, the
struggles of the church, in her first and purest age,
for the conversion of the Gentiles, and the perse-
cutions she then underwent. " My little children,"
says St, Paul to the Galatians, " of whom I travail
'' in birth again until Christ be formed in you, "J
Some interpreters, and among them the respectable
and learned Archdeacon Woodhouse, understand
the birth of the man-child brought forth by the
woman, to denote the actual nativity of our Lord :
but this interpretation is founded upon a very undue
mixture of literal with symbolical language ; and
besides, as Mr. Faber excellently remarks, it is incon-
gruous with the universal phraseology of scripture,
for our Lord is invariably represented as the
husband, never as the son of his church.

The woman being a mystical or allegorical per-
sonage, we must conceive in like manner of her

♦ Gal. iv, 26. t Faber's Dissert, in loco. ± Gal. iv. 19.

141

man-child ; and this shows, that the interpretation
of Bishop Newton, who by the man-child under-
stands Constantine the Great, cannot be supported.
Mede rightly conceives that the mystic Christ, or
Christ formed in his members, is here to be under-
stood ;* and Mr. Faber remarks, that there is a
passage in Isaiah, which is almost exactly parallel
to the present prediction, and which consequently
may teach us how we ought to understand it.
Speaking of the mystic daughter of Zion, and fore-
telling the restoration of the Jews, and their final
establishment as a nation, Isaiah says: "Before
" she travailed, she brought forth : before her pain
" came, she was delivered of a man-child. Who
'' hath heard such a thing? Who hath seen such
'' things -* Shall the earth be made to bring forth in
*' one day, or shall a nation be born at once ? For
" as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her
" children." t

As the above passage of Isaiah refers, in the opi-
nion of almost all the commentators, to the future
calling and conversion of the Jews, we may justly
conclude, by an argument founded on analogy, that
the parallel passage in the Apocalypse, relates to the
conversion of the Gentiles in the Roman empire ;
and though I am not sure that I can go along with
Mr. Faber in all his remarks on this subject, I agree
with him in the main, in thinking that the prophecy

* Id est, peperlt Christum myslicum, seu Christum in membris suis
formatum, non Mariae sed ecclesize filium.

' In confirmation of Mede's idea may be quoted St. Paul's language
respecting this very woman : " Jerusalem which is abore is the
" mother of us all," Gal. iv. 26.

t Isai. Ixvi. 7, 8.

142

received its accomplishment when the empire became
completely Christian in profession, by the final abo-
lition of paganism. But 1 cannot admit that the
man-child signifies the Roman communiti/, as pro-
fessing Christianity. This profession, in the great
body of those who took on them the name of Christ,
was not of a nature sufficiently pure or elevated, to
admit of the body of the nominal converts being
described under a symbol denoting their being the
genuine offspring of the woman. 1 should rather
say, that the man-child was a symbol of the whole
body of true converts within the Roman empire,
when that empire finally took upon itself the pro-
fession of Christianity. The birth of the child
represents the origin, and infantine state of that
Christian community, which on its reaching maturity
is to possess the empire of the world. Of this man-
child it is accordingly said, that he should rule all
nations with a rod of iron, in reference to the future
power which the saints are to possess over the
nations, on the establishment of the kingdom of
God : " when the kingdom, and dominion and
''greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven,
" shall be given to Ihe people of the saints of the
'' Most High."* The man-child, it is further said,
was caught up unto God and his throne ; by which
we are probably to understand the complete safety
and protection vouchsafed to the church of Christ
in every age. "^ Lo I am with you alway, even to
'' the end of the world. "f Perhaps however this
part of the allegory may rather be designed to sig-
nify, that the glorious dispensation of the reign of

* Dan. vii. 27. + Matt, xxviii, 20.

143

the saints^ was not yet to be discovered to the world,
but was to remain concealed, in the purposes of the
Most Hig-h, until the destined period for the mani-
festation of the sons of God.* Then this man-child,
or the Christian community of the saints^f shall
appear armed with irresistible power^ even the
strength of the Son of God himself, to rule the
nations, and break them in pieces as a potter's vessel.
To the whole of this interpretation it may indeed
be objected, that it makes both the woman and her
child signify one and the same thing, namely, the
Church of Christ. The answer to this is, that in
allegory, it is not uncommon for the same object in
different capacities, to be represented by distinct
types. Thus the animal slain for sin was a symbol
of the Saviour dying for our sins, while the priest
who offered the sacrifice was a type of our Saviour
risen from the dead, and pleading our cause before
the throne of God. In like manner, in the allegory
before us, the woman seems a symbol of the church
in its spiritual character, and its struggles for the
conversion of a lost world, while the man-child is a
type of the Christian community, considered in its
civil or political capacity, as destined hereafter to
rule the world. The saints in heaven have this
double character or office, they are kings and
priests.J

* Rom. viii. 1«. For this itlea I ana indebted to the reviewer of
my work, in the Edinburgh Christian Instructor.

+ Dan. vii. 22.

:[ Rev. V. 10 — Vitringa's interpretation of this passage, is very
analogous to the one I have adopted. He supposes that the woman,
the church, was in pain, and travailed to be delivered of Christ
himself, considered as the Governor and Ruler of nations.

144

The dragon who stood before the woman, is ex-
pressly declared to be the Devil. He has seven
heads and ten horns, which are the well known
emblems of the Roman beast, or fourth kingdom
of Daniel, as will be seen afterwards ; and Satan is
here represented with these emblems, because he
acted through the instrumentalit}' of the Roman
empire in all his attacks upon the woman and her
offspring, and is here considered as seated or en-
throned in that empire.* He has seven crowns on
his heads, to signify perhaps, that from the beginning
to the end of the Roman empire, all its honour and
authority are in eS'ect his.

He drew with his tail the third part of the stars
of heaven, and cast them to the earth. The tail is
the seat of the poison of many venomous animals,
and perhaps for that reason it is made, as we have
seen already, f the emblem or symbol of false pro-
phecies or doctrines. The above action of the
dragon seems therefore to signify the extensive
influence of his false doctrines in causing the bishops
and pastors of the Roman empire to apostatize from
the purity of the apostolical faith. J It is however
inserted here by way of prolepsis, as its accomplish-
ment belongs to a later period.

The dragon stood before the woman, to devour
her man-child as soon as it was born ; or, in other

* Perquem hie intelligendus est diabolus qualem se ostentaret in
Romano populo et imperio. Vitringa in loco.

+ Page 85, 86.

+ Vide Faber, in loco; from whom this explanation is borrowed.
Vitringa supposes that this figure denotes the extensive apostasy
among the bishops and pastors of the church, which was occasioned
by the great persecution in the reign of Diocletian.

145

\vords_, he set in motion every engine of his vast
power, in order to destroy the Gentile church in its
infancy. The birth of the man-child which follows,
and his being caught up to the throne of God, have
already been considered, though not in the exact
order of the prophetical narration.

After the birth of the man-child, the woman fled
into the wilderness, to a place prepared of (lod,
where she was to be fed a thousand two hundred and
threescore days. The sojourning of the woman in
the wilderness, indicates her being in a state of con-
cealment and invisibility, and also of spiritual bar-
renness, no longer bringing forth spiritual children.
Her nourishment in the wilderness is to be like that
of Israel ; she is to be fed with heavenly manna —
the word and ordinances of Christ. But the woman
is to be no longer seen of men, and is to act
no open part in the world. The period during
which she is to continue in her wilderness condition
is twelve hundred and sixty prophetical days, which
is the same with the time, times, and half a time,
or three years and a half, afterwards mentioned ; and
likewise the same as the forty-two months during
which the Gentiles were to occupy the holy city, and
the twelve hundred and sixty days of the prophe-
sying of the witnesses.

History proves that this vision has received its
accomplishment. Shortly after the conversion of
the Roman empire to the profession of the faith
of Christ, the visible church quite altered its appear-
ance. As a community, it seemed to possess none
of its former features, but became universally

146

corrupted. True religion receded from the eyes
of meUj and was at length professed and practised
only in secret. The change was gradual, and was
not completely etfected till the spiritual power of the
popes had attained to some maturity. But it then
was so complete that no Christian church or
community could be discerned^ which possessed
any resemblance to that woman who was clothed
with the sun, and had the moon under her feet, and
a crown of twelve stars upon her head. The woman
had fled into the wilderness.*

*' And there was war in heaven^ Michael and his
" angels fought against the dragon^ and the dragon
" fought and his angels, and prevailed not, neither
*' was their place found any more in heaven. And
" the dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called
" the Devil and Satan, which deceiveth the whole
" world : he was cast out into the earth, and his
'' angels were cast out with him. And I heard a loud
*' voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation,
" and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and
" the power of his Christ : for the accuser of our
" brethren is cast down, which accused them before
" our God day and night. And they overcame him
" by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of
" their testimony ; and they loved not their lives
" unto the death. Therefore rejoice, ye heavens,
" and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters
*' of the earth and of the sea ; for the devil is come

* " L'esprt du Christ n'etait plus reconnaissable dans la constii
" tution de I'eglise chretienne d'occident au quinzieme siecle." Villers,
p, 26.

147

*' down unto you, having great wratli, because
" he knovveth that he hath but a short time."*

Two different interpretations have been given of
this passag-e. Mede and Bishop Newton^ with most
of the older writers suppose^, that the war of Michael
and the dragon in heaven, describes the struggles
between Christianity and Paganism during the three
first centuries, which ended in the expulsion of Pa-
ganism from the imperial government of Rome.
As a consequence of this opinion, they maintain,
that the first mention made of the flight of the woman
into the wilderness, in ver. 6, is in the way of pro-
lepsis, or anticipation, and that her actual removal
thither, does not take place, till after the dragon is
cast out of heaven.

The second class of interpreters, among whom
are Mr. Faber and the late Mr. Andrew Fuller, con-
ceive that the war of Michael, is subsequent to the
retreat of the woman, and denotes the contest between
the principles of light and darkness in the Christian
Church, during the prophetical period of 1260
years, and that the fall of Satan from heaven to
earth, indicates the victory obtained by the true church
at the Reformation.

In the former edition of this work, I adopted
the last of these expositions ; but having been led
carefully to re-consider the subject, I have found
myself obliged entirely to abandon that opinion. For
upon referring to this passage, the fifth general rule
of interpretation laid down in the preface, f 1 could

* Rev. xii. 4 — 12.

+ The rule here alluded to is the one adopted from Mr. Frazer,
and very much of the arrangement of the Apocalypse seems to hang
upon a strict attention to this invaluable canon of interpretation.

148

not but see that the (ith verse, in which it is said
that *' the woman fled into the wilderness/' corres-
ponds in point of time with the 14th verse, in w^hich
we are again told, that " to the woman were given
" two wings as of a great eagle, that she might fly
*' into her place in the wilderness."* Now as
we arrive at the flight of the woman, in the last
mentioned clause, after the narrative of the war in
heaven, and the fall of the dragon to the earth,
it may hence be deduced, that this war precedes
the retreat of the woman, into her wilderness state.
According to this view, the synchronisms of the
first fourteen verses of the chapter, must be arranged
in the manner following.

And there appeared agreat
wonder in heaven, a woman
clothed with the sun, and
the moon under her feet,
and upon her head a crown
of twelve stars. And she
being with child cried, tra-
vailing in birth, and pained
to be delivered. And there
appeared another wonder in
heaven, and behold a great
red dragon, having seven
heads and ten horns, and
seven crowns upon his heads.
And his tail drew the third
part of the stars of heaven,
nnd did cast them to the
earth ; and the dragon stood

And there was war in hea-
ven, Michael and his angels
fought against the dragon ;
and the dragon fought and
his angels, and prevailed
not, neither was their place
found any more in heaven.
And the great dragon was
cast out, that old serpent,
called the Devil and Satan,
which deceiveth the whole
world : he was cast out into
the earth, and his angels
were cast out with him. And
I heard a loud voice saying
in heaven, Now is come sal-
vation, and strength, and the
kincfdom of our God, and

* Mr. Faber gets rid of the argument founded oa this correspond-
ence by placing ver. 14. in a parenthesis; but I deem this to be an
unwarrantable license, tending to introduce confusion into the pro-
phecies of this book, by depriving us of some of its great landmarks^

149

before the woman wbicli was
ready to be delivered, lor
to devour her child as soon
as it was born. And she
brought forth a man child,
who was to rule all nations
with a rod of iron ; and her
child was caught up uiUo
(lod, and his throne.

the power of his Christ, for
the accuser of our brethren
is cast down, which accused
them before our God, day
and night. And they over-
came him by the blood of
the Lamb, and by the word
of their testimony, and they
loved not their lives unto
death. Therefore rejoice ye
heavens, and ye that dwell
in them. Woe to the inha-
biters of the earth, and the
sea, for the devil is come
down unto you, having
great wrath, because he
knoweth that he hath but a
short time. And when the
dragon saw that he was cast
unto the earth, he persecuted
the woman, which brought
forth the man-child.

And to the woman were
given two wings of a great
eagle, that she might fly
into the wilderness, into her
place, where she is nourished
for a time, and times, and
half a time, from the face of
the serpent.

The foregoing arrangement, which seems neces-
sarily to flow, from the application of Mr. Frazer's
rule, to verses 6 and 14, makes it evident, that the
first six verses of the chapter, are parallel in time,
with the next eight. And as it thus appears, that
the war between Michael and the dragon, the

And the woman fled into
the wilderness, where she
hath a place prepared of
God, that they should feed
her there a thousand two
hundred and threescore days.

150

victory of Michael, and the fall of Satan, all pre-
ceded the flight of the woman, they must be referred
in substance to the same events, as the gestation of
the woman, namely, to the contests between Chris-
tianity and Heathenism, the triumph of the Gospel,
and the final expulsion of the Pagan idolatry from
the authority with which it was invested in the
Roman state; and this, as already observed, is the
interpretation which is given of the passage, by
nearly all the older commentators.*

It is evident from the Scriptures, that the worship
of the Pagans, was in effect directed to Satan and
his angels. When at length, through the power of
the heavenly doctrine of Christ, in bearing witness
for which, the confessors of the first ages loved not
their lives unto death, the abominations of Hea-
thenism were cast down from their lofty elevation,
and trampled in the very dust, it might well be said,
that Satan fell from heaven to the earth; and with
him his agents in the Roman empire, the heathen
emperors, and priests, and philosophers, and ma-
gistrates. The heavens and they that dwell therein,
that is, the members of the church triumphant, are
called on to rejoice at this victory of Christ, in the
same manner as in the eighteenth chapter they are

* " Et factum est inquit prjeliuni in coelo, &c, nempe dura pareret
" mulier non postquam peperisset at multi accipiunt. Nam certum
" est ex ver. 14. bellum hoc non gestum esse ante mulieris fugam
" in ereuium." Mede, in loco.

" Ha?c vera et genuina illius temporis fades est quo ecclesia partum
" ilium ederet masculum de quo in superiore viso vidimus. — Pro-
" positura enim Spiritui S. est novo hoc eniblemate nos ducere in
" notitiara illius temporis de quo antecedens prophetia agit." Vi-
tringa, in loco. — The interpretation of Brightman is the same in
substancei

151

exhorted to triumph over Babylon. But it is empha-
tically added, " Woe unto the inhabiters of the earth
*' and the sea," that is, as I conceive, the carnal inha-
bitants of the Roman empire, " for the devil is come
*' unt6 you having' great wrath, because he knoweth
" that he hath but a short time. " From the fall of
our first parents^ Satan had reigned without a rival in
the kingdoms of this world. But now, he found
himself cast out of his seat, in the spiritual heaven
of the greatest empire of the world ; he also knew,
that compared with his past reign, his remaining
time was short; he was therefore filled with wrath,
and immediately set himself to persecute the woman.
Arianism seems to have been the first engine of
the dragon for this purpose. The triumph of the
church may be dated about the year 313, when the
edict of Milan was issued by the emperors Con-
stantine and Licinius.* At this period we may
therefore suppose that the fall of Satan took place.
Now the flames of the Arian controversy, began to
be kindled, about the year 317, or 3l9,f and during
about half a century, the church of Christ continued
to be agitated and torn by this heresy. At length,
in the reign of the great Theodosius, the second
council of Constantinople, which was assembled in
the year 381, defined in a full and determinate man-
ner, the doctrine of the Trinit)^ as it has since been
received, by the great body of professing Christians
of every denomination. From this time, Arianism
was in some degree expelled from the churches in
the body of the Roman empire, and was no more

* Gibbon's Decline and Fall, chap. xx.
+ Mosheim, Cent. IV. Gibbon, chap. xxi.

152

protected by the emperors. It afterwards, however,
took refup;e among' the barbarians, and the catholics
of Africa were exposed to long and cruel sufferings,
under the Vandalic sovereigns, who reigned in that
province, for about a century before its re-union to
the empire, by the arms of Justinian,

The schism of the Donatists, was another of the
means employed by the dragon, for the persecution
of the woman, the true church. But without doubt
the most powerful and successful of his weapons of
warfare against her, were derived from the rapid
growth of superstition and idolatry, and the increase
of the spirit of ecclesiastical domination, in the pro-
fessing Church, In the fifth century, these evils
had made the most melancholy progress. The souls
of departed Christians were invoked, their images
were wort<hipped, their relics and bones were sup-
posed to possess an irresistible efficacy in defeating
the attempts of Satan,*

In this state of things the woman was rapidly
receding from the eyes of men. Her flight (the
meaning of which has been investigated above)
occupied a considerable period. But when early in

* Mosheim, Cent. V. part ii. — The testimony of an enemy of
Christianity may be listened to on this subject. Gibbon, in his
Decline and Fall, chap, xxviii. quotes from Eunapius, a pagan writer
of that age, the following indignant reflections upon the nature of the
popular religion of his day ; and though we may suppose that there
is in them some high colouring, yet the facts themselves are indis-
putable, " The heads salted and pickled of those infamous male-
" factors, who for the multitude of their crimes have suflFered a just
" and ignominious death, are the gods which the earth produces in
*' our days. Such are the martyrs, the supreme arbitrators of our
" prayers and petitions to the Deity, whose tombs are now consecrated
*' as the objects of the veneration of the people."

153

the sixth century^ a decree of the emperor Justinian
was issued, whereby the Pope was formally acknow-
ledg^ed as head of the church of Christ, the primitive
scriptural constitution, government, and discipline,
entirely disappeared : and from this era is probably
to be dated, the final retreat of the woman, into the
place prepared for her in the wilderness.

'^ And the serpent cast out of his mouth waters as
" a flood after the woman, that he mig-ht cause her
'' to be carried away of the flood. And the earth
'^ helped the woman, and the earth opened her
'' mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the
" dragon cast out of his mouth."*

In the Scriptures floods of water sometimes denote
affliction and tribulation ; thus in Psalm xxxii. 6.
Surely in the floods of great waters they shall not
come nigh unto him, and Ixix. 2, / a?n come into
deep waters where the floods overflow me. In
other places they signify mighty nations or armies,
in a state of commotion, or rushing to battle.
Isaiah xvii. 12, Woe to the multitude of many
people which make a noise like the noise of the seas,
and to the rushing of nations, that make a rushing
like the rushing of mighty waters. I am of
opinion that in the passage now before us both these
ideas are combined, and I agree with Bishop Newton
in interpreting the waters vomited out of the mouth
of the serpent, to denote the impetuous torrent of
barbarous nations, which in the period during which
the woman was retreating to the wilderness broke in
upon the Roman empire. By these hosts of ene-

* Rev. xii. 15, 16.

154

mies, and the bitter afflictions and sutferings which
accompanied their progress, Satan hoped to carry
the woman away^ or to destroy the Church of Christ.
'' Amidst these calamities the Christians were the
'' principal sutferers. It is true these savage nations
" were much more intent upon the acquisition of
" wealth and dominion, than upon the propagation
" or support of the pagan superstition ; nor did
" their cruelty and opposition to the Christians
'^ arise from any religious principle, or from an
" enthusiastic desire to ruin the cause of Chris-
" tianity : it was merely by the instigations of the
'' Pagans who remained yet in the empire, that
'^ they were excited to treat with such severity and
*' violence the followers of Christ/'*

From the sixth to the ninth centuries the Chris-
tian church suffered much from similar events. The
conquest of England by the Anglo Saxons, of Italy
by the Lombards, the invasion of the empire by
the Saracens, and the ravages and conquests of the
Danes and Ncrmans, may be considered as the
continuation of the efforts of Satan to overwhelm
the church by successive torrents of symbolical
waters. But all his enterprises proved abortive.
"^ The earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the
" waters." — The barbarous hordes which invaded the
Roman empire settled at length within its territories;
they began to imbibe the principles of civilization,
and with the exception of the Saracens they all em-
braced the Christian faith. Thus did the earth,
which is a symbol of the Roman empire, help the

* Mosheim, Cent. V. p. i.

155

woman by receiving its barbarian invaders into its
bosom, and their gradual commixtion with the
ancient subjects of the empire.

" And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and
''went to make war with the remnant of her seed
*' which keep the commandments of God, and
'' have the testimony of Jesus Christ."*

The efforts of the dragon to destroy the church
having proved ineffectual, we are informed in this
verse^ that he still continued to feel the most ran-
corous hatred against the woman, and he sought out
with the most anxious and malignant activity the
remnant of her seed, or all true Christians, whom
he continued to persecute during the whole prophe-
tical period of the woman's abode in the wilderness.
In the vision which follows, we shall learn what
were the means adopted by the dragon for this nefa-
rious purpose.

* Rev. xii. 1 7.

156
CHAPTER Xll.

THE TEN HORNED BEAST OF THE SEA.

" And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw
'* a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads
" and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns,
*' and upon his heads the names of blasphemy. And
" the beast which I saw was Hke unto a leopard,
" and his feet was as the feet of a bear, and his
^' mouth as the mouth of a Hon : and the dragon
" gave him his power and his seat, and great autho-
" rity. And I saw one of his heads, as it were
" wounded to death ; and his deadly wound was
" healed : and all the world wondered after the
" beast. And they worshipped the dragon which
'* gave power unto the beast, and they worshipped
" the beast, saying. Who is like unto the beast ?
*' Who is able to make war with him ? And there
'* was given unto him a mouth speaking great things
" and blasphemies ; and power was given unto him
*' to continue (or practise prosperously) fort}^ and
" two months. And he opened his mouth in blas-
'' phemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and
'' his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven."*

Having in the preceding chapter described the
enterprises of Satan to destroy the woman and her
seed, the Holy Spirit now proceeds to show us the
instruments through whom Satan was to act in all
his endeavours against the church, during the period

* Rev. xiii. 1—6. '

157

of twelve hundred and sixty years. The first of
these is the beast above mentioned.

It is one of the first principles which I take for
granted in the discussions which occupy these pages,
that the fourth beast of Daniel represents the
Roman empire. This indeed is so evident a truth,
that it has been acknowledged by nearly all the
writers on prophecy, whether Jewish or Christian ;
and if the reader desire further satisfaction on the
subject, I must refer him to the works of Mede and
Bishop Newton.

The ten horned beast seen by the apostle John to
rise out of the sea, is plainly the same with the fourth
beast of Daniel, though with one important point of
difference ; the Apocalyptic beast not having the
httle horn, which forms so conspicuous a part of the
beast of Daniel.* But it will be seen afterwards,
that the place of this Httle horn is supplied in the
Apocalypse by a distinct symbol, a second beast
having horns like a lamb, but speaking like a dragon,
which arises out of the earth. f

If then the beast with seven heads and ten horns
be the same with Daniel's fourth beast, he must
represent the secular Roman empire ; and the ten
crowns upon his horns denote, that when the apostle
first saw the beast, his territories had been already
divided into ten kingdoms by the invasions of the
Goths and Vandals.

Before I proceed to vindicate this opinion respect-
ing the Apocalyptic beast, I shall mention what are the
sentiments of some celebrated commentators with re-
gard to this symbol. Mede and Bishop Newton both

* Dan.vii. 7, 8. 19—26. t Rer. xiii. 11.

158

maintain that the beast is the secular Roman empire,
though they very inconsistently suppose that his
eighth head of sovereignty, which is not mentioned
till the seventeenth chapter of the Apocalypse, is the
pope. This error with respect to the last head, has
been very generally, though not universally, adopted
by protestant commentators, and is refuted with
much strength of argument by Mr. Faber.* " The
*' beast that arose out of the sea," says the learned
Jesuit Alcaser, " evidently relates to the fourth
" beast in Daniel, chap. vii."f '' It is," says Dr.
Cressner, " unquestionable, that the fourth beast
"■ in Daniel is the same with the beast in the Reve-
* lations, and especially in the time of the little
'' horn. "J; — " This beast," says Daubuz, " is the
•' representative of the ten monarchies which arose
''• out of the ruins of the Roman empire." — '' He
'' represents," according to Mr. Pyle, '' the civil
'' powers of the Roman empire." § " How is it (says
" Vitringa) that we are backward in here discovering
'^ the empire of mystical Babylon, or Rome Anti-
'" christian, the persecutor of the saints, which was to
" arise out of the rubbish of the ancient Roman
" empire in the west, and to show itself in ten
'' powerful European kingdoms uniting themselves
'' to Rome for the sake of religion, and becoming
'' subservient for a time to her superstition and
" cruelty. "II

Having produced so many authorities in support

* Dissertation on Prophecies respecting the 12G0 years, vol. ii,
p. 197. 5th edit.

+ Quoted by the author of the Illustrations of Prophecy, p. 51.
+ Illustrations of Prophecy, p. 51. ^ Ibid. p. 54.

I Vitring-a, on Rev. xiii. 1.

159

of this interpretation of the symbol, I shall now give
one or two aro'uments to show that it is the true one.
Daniel's prophecy of the four kingdoms extends
down to that period when the Son of Man shall come
with the clouds of heaven, and establish his universal
kingdom on the ruins of all the preceding empires.
This is evident from the seventh chapter of his pro-
phecies. Now, this coming of the Son of Man
takes place at the period when the body of the
fourth beast is given to the burning flame to be con-
sumed, i. e. when the Roman empire is finally
destroyed.* But, in like manner, it will be found
that the Apocalyptic beast is the great enemy to be
destroyed, when the personal Word of God comes
with his saints, at the period of the treading of the
winepress of the wrath of God at Armageddon, f
which is the same advent as is mentioned in the
passage of Daniel already referred to. Since then
the fourth beast of Daniel, and the beast in the
Apocalypse, are equally destroyed at the coming of
Christ with the clouds of heaven, it follows that
they are one and the same ; and, as the fourth
beast of Daniel is the Roman empire, the Apo-
calyptic beast is also the Roman empire. The only
way of avoiding the above conclusion would be, to
suppose that two different secular beasts or empires
are to be destroyed at the second coming of Christ.
But as there is not the shadow of a proof for such
an hypothesis in the scriptures, it seems never to
have been advanced., The above argument is fur-
ther confirmed by the similarity of the two beasts,
for they both had ten horns, to signify the ten

* Dan. vii. 11 — 13. + Rev. xix. Ifi.

160

kingdoms into which the Roman empire was divided
after the Gothic invasions ; and if one and the same
power was not intended to be represented, it is not
conceivable that there should be such a resemblance
between them. Besides, it is plain from the Pro-
phecies of Daniel, that the Roman empire is the
last kingdom which is to rise up against the church
of Christ; either then we must suppose the Apoca-
lyptic beast to be the Roman empire;, or we shall be
driven to the supposition, that Daniel and St. John
contradict each other, which is impossible. We
must therefore arrive at the conclusion already
mentioned.

After the division of the Roman empire into ten
kingdoms by the Gothic conquests, all the conquerors
embraced the religion of Rome, and submitted to
her laws, and thus became intimately connected with
one another, so that the different states composing
the body of the empire have, down to the present
period, formed a species of federal republic, like
ancient Greece ; which may fitly be represented by
the complex symbol seen by the Apostle John.*

That the Roman empire of the west was actually
divided into ten different kingdoms, has been shown
by different writers on Prophecy : but as some of
the kingdoms have at one time fallen, and at another,
new states have started into existence, it cannot be

* The perpetual correspondence of the Latin clergy, the frequent
pilgrimages to Rome and Jerusalem, and the growing authority of
the popes, cemented the union of the Christian repuhlic, and gradually
produced the similar manners and common jurisprudence which hay©
distinguished from the rest of mankind the independent and even
hostile nations of modern Europe. Gibbon's Decline and Fall,
chap, xsxvii.

161

expected that the same number should always have
continued. About the period of the fall of the
western empire, or shortly afterwards, the following
tribes seem to have been established in its territories :
1st, the Visigoths in Gaul and Spain ; 2d, the Suevi
in Spain ; Sd, the Heruli in Italy ; 4th, the Franks
in Belgium ; 5th, the Burgundians in Burgundy ;
6th, the Saxons in Britain ; 7th, the Huns in Hun-
gary ; 8th, the Ostrogoths in Mcesia ; 9th, the
Lombards in Pannonia ; 10th, the Vandals in
Africa. These may be considered as the ten primi-
tive horns of the beast ; and though the number of
kingdoms has varied from time to time, yet it has
been remarked by Daubuz : '' As if the number
"' ten had been fatal in the Roman dominions, it has
"^ been taken notice of on particular occasions ; as
'• about 1240, by Eberhard, Bishop of Saltzburg^
" in the Diet at Ratisbon. At the time of the
*' reformation they were also ten."* " As the
*' number of kingdoms," says Mr. Whiston, " into
^' which the Roman empire in Europe, agreeably to
" the ancient prophecies, was originally divided,
" A. D. 456, was exactly ten ; so is it also very
" nearly returned again to the same condition, and
" at present is divided into ten grand or principal
" kingdoms or states. "f It is remarkable, that at
the present period also,;}; the number of regal
governments within the limits of the western Roman
empire is exactly ten. They are as follows : 1 . Austria,
2. Bavaria, 3. England, 4. France, 5. Naples,
6. Netherlands, 7. Portugal, 8. Sardinia, 9. Spain,
10. Wirtemberg.

* Illustrationsof Prophecy, p. 52. + Ibid. + Viz. the year IS 17.

162

I shall now proceed to consider another feature of
this beast. He had seven heads. — In the seventeenth
chapter, he is introduced a second time in union witli
the harlot Babylon the Great, and a more particular
account is there given of his origin, and the meaning"
of the seven heads. " The beast that thou savNest^
'' vvas^ and is not: and shall ascend out of the bot-
" tomless pit, and go into perdition : and they that
" dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names
'' were not written in the book of life, from the
'' foundation of the world, when they behold the
' ' beast that was, and is not, and yet is. And here
" is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads
'' are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.
" And there are seven kings, five are fallen, and one
" is, and the other is not yet come, and when he
*' comcth he must continue a short space. And the
" beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth,
" and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.
" And the ten horns which thou sawest, are ten
•' kings, which have received no kingdom as yet:
" but receive power as kings, one hour with the
" beast. These have one mind, and shall give their
" power and strength unto the beast. These shall
" make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall
** overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and
" King of kings : and they that are with hira, are
'* called, and chosen, and faithful."*

The seven kings, which in the above passage are
designated by the seven heads of the beast, have
by the general consent of interpreters been under-
stood to signify the forms of government, under

* Rev. XTii. 8—14.

163

Nvhich the Roman kingdom was successively to
subsist. With respect to the first six of these forms^
no difference of opinion appears to obtain among
^vriters of authority. It is ag'reed that the five,
which in verse 10 are declared to be fallen, were,
1. kings, 2. consuls, 3. dictator, 4. decemvirs,
5. military tribunes with consular authority, and
that the sixth, which was in existence at the time
of the apostle^ was the imperial government of the
Caesars.

There is, however, a great diversity of sentiment
with respect to the seventh form of government,
and likewise the eighth, which is emphatically de-
clared to be the beast that was, and is not, and yet
is. — In the first edition of this work, 1 supposed
the French imperial government of Napoleon Bona-
parte to be the seventh form, and that the eighth was
still future. I now believe that interpretation to have
been totally erroneous ; andafter carefully considering
what has been said on the subject by the best writers,
I at length rest in the following, as being the true
solution of the point in question. It is the same in
substance, as that offered by Dr. Henry More.

I conceive the sixth head of the beast to have
represented the heathen imperial government of the
Ceesars, till the accession of Constantine, and the
consequent establishment of Christianity, as the re-
ligion of the empire: — and that upon the defeat and
dethronement of Licinius, the last of the heathen
emperors, the sixth head fell to rise no more, no
notice being taken of the ephemeral reign of Julian.*

* It is objected to this interpretation, that the heathen imperial
and the Christian imperial powers, bein^ one and the same in form

164

The seventh head appears to denote the Christian
imperial power from Constantine to Augustulus,

jind name, could not be signified by distinct heads. I myself was of
this opinion formerly, but more mature consideration led me to
abandon it. Dr. Henry More's observations on this point are well
worthy of consideration. He says: " Nor is there the least ground
" of any cavil against our last subdivision, which is of emperors into
" Pagan, purely Christian, and Pagan o-Christian, as if there were not
" a cause fundamental enough of this last distribution; whereas, on
" the contrary, there is such a strong opposition betwixt the two first
" members thereof that one outs the other, the seventh king being
" the wounder and killer of the sixth head. And forasmuch as when
" a religion is made the religion of a kingdom or empire, it is in a sort
" the law of that empire; it may be rationally conceived that there
" is even a political difference betwixt a Christian and a Pagan
" emperor. And lastly, be that how it will, it is plain to all men,
" that there is a very eminent and notorious difference betwixt a
" Christian and a Pagan emperor, and of more concernment to the
" church of God, than any political distinction of government. And
*' that which most concerns his church, we may be assured God takes
" most notice of, and therefore would be as likely to distinguish the
" succession of supreme governors by this difference as by any.

" Nay, I think I may safely add, that it is likely that when once
•' the angel had come to the division of the heads, or rather kings,
*' into Christian and Pagano-Christian, he did wholly neglect the
" consideration of the political differences of forms of government
" in the empire, that notion being now impertinent to his design, and
" contented himself with the distinction of them from the account of
" religion only. But till this he numbered according to the distinc-
" tion of political form, they all of them till now agreeing in pure
" paganism. So that the sense of " the beast that was and is not, his
" head is the eighth Icing," seems to be this : that supreme power, be
" the political frame or title of it what it will, which is over the
" beast revived, that is, over the empire, idolatrizing again, all that
" succession, pitch upon it where you will, be it pope, be it emperor,
" is looked upon as the eighth king, or last head of the beast."—
More's Works, p. 5S6. London, 1708.

In the above quotation, by Pagano-Christian the reader will under-
stand, that the stale of the empire, when it relapses into idolatry
under the name of Christianity, is designed. The passage is one of
peculiar value, though I am not sure that I can completely acquiesce
in an the observations which it contains.

165

in whose person the western empire was extin-
guished by the Heruli and Turingi. And in this
eventj we may recognize the infliction of the deadly
wound, on one of the heads of the beast, which
was seen by the apostle, as it were wounded to
death.* It was, therefore, the seventh head that
John beheld thus wounded, and 1 think, that the
wound was still unhealed, when the beast rose from
the sea.

On the seventh head, also grew the ten regal
horns, which occupied the place of the Christian
imperial power, after it had been overthrown by
the Gothic arms.f The healing of the deadly wound

* Rev. xiii. 3. — In the explanation here offered of the deadly
wound of one of the heads of the beast, 1 ha\e the concurrence of
Bishop Newton, Pyle, Gil!, and others, with tliis difference, that they
suppose the sixth head to h;ive represented the Christian as well as
the heathen emperors, and that the deadly wound was therefore
inflicted on the sixth head. The seventh form is variously interpreted
by them, but is most commonly referred to the Gothic kingdoms in
Rome and Italy, which succeeded the Roman empire of the west.
But these were among the horns, and could not therefore be the
seventh head. The eighth king, or form of government, they suppose
to be the papacy ; but the papacy never was the temporal head of the
Roman empire, and therefore this opinion is untenable. It may here
be asked, why the extinction of the western empire by the Gothic
conquests is alone signified by the figure of one of the heads then
receiving a deadly wound, whereas all the former changes of form in
the supreme government are described simply by the first five heads
being fallen. The answer to this is, that when the regal was succeeded
by the consular power, it was effected not by external conquest, but
by internal revolution. The same remark applies to all the sub-
sequent changes, until we arrive at the time of the Gothic irruptions,
when the western empire fell by a foreign sword. This change, which
was different in its nature and origin, might therefore filly be expressed
by a different symbol.

+ The analogy of the four horns on Daniel's he-goat, which grew
up /or, or Mnrfer, the great horn that was broken, Dan. viii. 8, seems

166

was effected at the restoration of the western empire,
in the person of Charlemagne, and the revived
empire of the west, together with the ten regal
horns, which were to receive power with the beast,
(ch. xvii. 12.) seem to have constituted the eighth
kin^, or form of government, which was '' of the
" seven," or one of the seven, being; in fact, the
seventh, or Christian imperial head, healed of its
deadly wound, and sharing its power with the ten
horns, which are inseparable from the head, on
which they grow, and form the constituent parts of
its rule and authority. The eighth king", therefore,
is a sort of complex sovereignty, consisting, not of
the ten regal horns alone, nor of the emperors
alone, but of the two taken together, forming one
federal system, and united by a community of re-
ligion and civil polity. — It follows, therefore, that
when the apostle saw the beast arise out of the sea,
he was under the eighth form of government, though
that form was as yet incomplete, the western empire
not having been revived, till three centuries later.

The next part of the description of the beast, which
demands our attention, is, his being denominated,
*' the beast that was, and is not, and yet is, which
" shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, (or abyss,)
" and go into perdition." The healing of the deadly
wound of one of the heads of the beast, denotes as we
have seen, the revival of the western empire in the
person of Charlemagne ; or as it may be described,

to point out, that we are to look for the ten Gothic horns of the
fourth beast, upon the imperial head that was wounded to death.
This to be sure is out of nature, that horns should grow from a head
so wounded ; but we are to recollect, that the whole circumstances of
the beast are a sort of wonder, or miracle.

167

the secular restoration of the Roman empire, after
it appeared to be destroyed by the irruption of the
Gothic nations. In the clause we are now con-
sidering, is delineated, the spiritual resurrection of
the heathen Roman empire in an externally Christian
form, by its lapse into anti-christian idolatry, after
it had for a time professed the faith of Christ in
a pure form.* A wild beast, which is the proper
signification of 0„f ,ov, is used in prophecy to denote an
empire, which is constituted upon principles, opposed
to those of the kingdom of God, viz. earthliness,
idolatry, and persecution. Any one of these, seems
sufficient to give to a kingdom, the character of
a beast, but if they are all united, they form a
wild beast dreadful and terrible, as (he fourth, or
Roman monarchy is described when seen by Daniel. f
Such, accordingly, was that empire in its heathen
state. It was earthly in its principles ; it bitterly
and cruelly persecuted the saints : it was universally
and grossly idolatrous. But at the conversion of
Constantine, the empire put off these characters
and became lamb-like, protecting and cherishing the
church of God. It thus ceased to be, or ivas not,
TO Qvfiof, the wild beast.

This new character was however too much above
nature to continue long. After a time the empire
relapsed into idolatry. Under the authority of the
emperors, the ten regal horns and the popes, the
adoration of the Virgin Mary and the dead saints,

* For evidence of the essential identity of the idolatry of ancient
and modern Rome, see Middletou's celebrated Letter from Rome,
shewing an exact conformity between Popery and Paganism: also
Dr. fl. More's Works, who enters at large into the subject.

+ Dan. vii. 7.

168

and the worship of their images^ were introduced
in the room of the old Pagan idolatry.* By
an act of the secular head of the empire the
Pope was constituted head of the church, and the
saints were thereby delivered into his hand. All
who opposed the idolatry and tyranny of Rome were
branded as heretics, and subjected to the severest
penalties. Thus the empire again became an
idolatrous and persecuting power ; and not only
re-assumed all the features of the bestial character,
but far exceeded the atrocities of its heathen state,
in the long continued and dreadful war which it
carried on against the church of God. The wild
beast that was, and is not, and yet is, thus became
its proper designation, as being at once expressive
of its past history and present character. f Dr.

* If the reader would wish to see the idolatry of the Romish and
Greek church exhibited in all its naked deformity, he must look at
it not as it was refined and polished by the spiritual alchymy of the
Council of Treat, but as it appears in the acts of the Second Nicene
Council. I might enlarge this note by some quotations, showing the
sottish and brutish idolatry inculcated by that Council, but I content
myself with the following expressions, which will be found in the Acts
of the Council. (Sacro Sanct. Concil. Lutetije Parisiorum, 1671,
torn. \ii. p. bi.) They are taken from the Confession and Recantation
of Thcodosius, bishop of Ammorium, at the Council. — " Let them
" who adore not the venerable images be anathema. — Let them who
" dare to derogate from and blaspheme the venerable images, or call
•' them idols, be anathema. — Let them who teach not the whole of
" the people that love Christ to adore the venerable, sacred, and
" adorable images of all the saints who pleased God in their genera-
*' tion, be anathema. — Let the calumniators of Christians, that is,
" the image-breakers, (iconoclasts) be anathema." — I should pollute
my pages were I to transcribe some of the monstrous legends of
miracles wrought by images, the truth of which were testified by the
bishops who attended this Council. And yet, according to the Romish
dogmas, this Council was infallible ! ! !

+ In this explanation of the revival of the beast, I follow Mede.

169

Henry More ingeniously suggests that tlie above
dcvscription is to be looked upon as the name of the
beastj in the same way as He that is and was and is
to come, is one of Ihe names of God.*

Prom the words of Rev. xvii. 11. I think it may
be inferred, that the above name of the beast, viz.
that He was and is not and i/et is, belongs to him
only under his last or eighth shape, and not under
any of the prior forms of political government.
That name is in effect the description of his spiritual
character in his last state, his political for^n in
the same period being specially marked, as
consisting of ten regal horns, with the seventh
imperial head healed of its deadly wound, f

Bishop Newlon, Mr. Faber, Archdeacon Woodhouse, and other in-
terpreters of note. It differs from my former opinion, which I now
abandon as erroneous.

* More's Works, p. 587. — Vitringa also says, " Esse hoc uomen
" bestia; mysticum et aenigraaticum quod ejus deraonstrat uatura."

t I shall here give my reasons for rejecting Mr. Faber's explanation
of the two last forms of the bestial government, which he supposes
to be the Patriciate of Rome, held by Pepin and Charlemagne,
merging into the Carlovingian imperial dignity in the person of the
last monarch.

1st. Mr. Faber supposes that the beast revived under his sixth
head, and he thereby makes the sixth, seventh, and eighth kings, or
forms of political government, to be all equally the beast that was and
is not, and yet is, whereas the prophecy expressly limits that charac-
teristic to the eighth king.

2d. Mr. Faber supposes that the sixth head continued until ihe fall
of the eastern empire in the fifteenth century, thereby making it in
its last period cotemporize with the seventh and eighth head. This
is contrary to the whole analogy of the preceding part of the pro-
phecy, for it does not appear that any of the two preceding forms of
government existed at the same moment of time.

3d. Mr. Faber further imagines the ten regal horns to have grown
out of the sixth head; i.e. they were, on his scheme, more nearly
connected with the sixth king than with any of the others. But this

It is said of the beast at the end of the same verse
that in his eightli form '' he g-oeth into perdition."
In the above double character^ spiritual and secular,
which conjunctly constitute the eighth form, the
beast remains, until he is finally destroyed by the
seven Apocalyptic vials, the consummation of which
is at the battle of Armageddon. Accordingly,
"we find that the beast has continued to cherish
the principles of antichristian idolatry even to the
present period. The body of empire still adheres, at
least in profession, to the abominations of the Romish
Church. It still therefore is the beast that was and
is not and yet is. So obstinate is the attachment of

is contrary to the words of the prophecy, xvii. 11, 12; from which
I think it evident, that the ten kings receive power only with the
eighth or last form of the bestial government.

I shall, before closing this note, give also my reasons for dissenting
from those writers, (among whom is Mr. Faber) who think that the
deadly wound of one of the heads refers to the beast's ceasing to be,
or putting off the bestial character, at the conversion of Constantine ;
and the healing of that wound, to the lapse of the empire into Anti-
christianism.

1st. If the above event was the occasion of the deadly wound, then
that wound was inflicted on the sixth head, or pagan imperial power.
But the head that was wounded must be the one that was healed, for
the rise of a new head cannot be the healing of the wound of the
sixth head. Therefore, on this scheme, the empire was still under its
sixth head, when it lapsed into Anlichristianism in the sixth century,
i. e. when it became the beast that was and is not, and yet is. But
I have showu above that this is contrary to the words of the
prophecy, which confine that name and character to the eighth form
of government; and it follows, that the explanation of the deadly
wound of the beast, which leads to this false consequence, is itself
unsound.

2d. It seems to me exceeding improbable, that events, so remark-
able as the fall of the western empire and its revival by Charlemagne,
should be left out in the symbolical history of the beast. But unless
they be signified by the deadly wound of one of the heads, and the
healing of that wound, I cannot find that they are mentioned at alK

ITl

its reigning dynasties to these principles, that we have
witnessed since the restoration of the Bourbons in
France a renewal of the idolatrous vow of Lewis XV.
placing that kingdom under the protection of the
Virgin Mary ; and in Spain we have seen the
restoration of the Inquisition. With respect to the
political form of the empire^ it has until the present
age subsisted under its healed imperial head with the
ten regal horns. But at the era of the French revolu-
tion, when the seventh trumpet sounded, and when as
I shall afterwards show the vials also began to be
poured out, a series of dreadful political commotions
took place, in the course of which the sovereign
of Austria was compelled in the year 1806 formally
to resign the imperial titles of Rome ; and then
for the first time since its origin in the person of
Augustus, the title of emperor of the Romans became
totally extinct. From that date till the abdication
of Napoleon Bonaparte in the year 1814, the
imperial power of the W^est, though without its
titles, appears substantially to have rested in his
person. Since his fall to the present moment,
the ten regal horns have reigned without any superior
co-existing power, which can be viewed as repre-
senting the imperial dignity. Whether the title
of emperor of the Romans is to be revived before
the final destruction of the empire at Armageddon,
can be known only by the event. But if its revival
shall take place, it will probably be only of momen-
tary duration, and will with the empire perish
for ever.

One other particular respecting the beast remains
to be considered. Tn the thirteenth chapter he

172

arises out of the sea, but in the seventeenth chapter
he is said to arise out of the abyss, or bottomless
pit, and hence some have supposed tliat there are two
different ascents of the beast. There seems however
to be no ground for this idea. The abyss is
frequently used by the Seventy as synonymous with
the sea.* Now when the empire was overwhelmed
with an impetuous torrent of barbarous nations^ the
waves of a raging; sea may be said to have broken in
upon and covered its territories. Out of this sea or
abyss the beast rose with his ten horns crowned,
when the Gothic governments assumed a settled
aspect toward'5 the end of the fifth or the beginning
of the sixth century. f

Having thus endeavoured to shew what power the
beast represents^ and also the import of his seven
heads and ten horns^ I proceed to the consideration
of the other particulars which are recorded con-
cerning him. It is said that the dragon gave him
his power, and his seat or throne^ and great

* Dr. Henry More cites the following passages to show this sense
of the word ai3t;o-(roi- ; Job xxxviii. 30. xli.23. Ps. cvi. 9. Is. Ixiii. 13.
Jonah ii. 6.

+ I am aware that in the New Testament a^va-g-os frequently sig-
nifies the invisible receptacle of departed spirits, or hades in general,
or that part of hades in particular where the wicked spirits are
reserved in chains unto the judgment of the great day : see Rom. x. 7.
Luke viii. 31. Rev. ix. 1. xxi. 3. This abyss is situated in the
central regions of the earth, and therefore is below the sea. (See
Horsley's Sermon on the Descent of our Lord into Hell.) It is there-
fore not impossible, that in the ascent of the beast two different ideas
might be combined. He might be described as arising out of the
sea, in reference to his secular and political resurrection ; and as
ascending out of the abyss, or regions of condemned spirits, with
relation to his spiritual revival, which was the scheme of Satan him-
self to recover bis lost authority in the Roman state.

173

authority. In interpreting this language^ we must
recollect that it forms part of a description most
highly symbolical or hieroglyphical ; and when stript
of its figures,, it seems simply to denote, that the
beast was the tool and instrument of the dragon,
from whose machinations he derived his strength
and power.

The worship which is said to be paid to the dragon
and to the beast^ signifies that blind and implicit
obedience which the inhabitants of the Roman
empire should give to his will and bis laws in matters
of conscience and religion. '" All the world/' says
Bishop Newton^ " in submitting thus to the religion
" of the beast, did in effect submit again to the
^' religion of the dragon, it being the old idolatry
" with only new names. The worshipping of
" demons and idols is in effect the worshipping of
'^devils."

" And there was given to him a mouth speaking
" great things and blasphemies." He styled himself
the " holy Roman empire/' thus assuming to himself
that which, in strict propriety of language, belongs to
God only. '' And power was given to him to
'' continue/' or rather, as Bishop Newton observes,
"' to practise, to prevail, and prosper forty-two
" months, which being reduced to days, gives
'' twelve hundred and sixty prophetical days, the
" identical time of the prophesying of the witnesses
" in sackcloth, and the treading down of the holy
" city by the Gentiles, and the abode of the woman
" in the wilderness." It does not follow, therefore^;
as Bishop Newton rightly argues, that the beast is
to continue to exist no longer ; but he is to practise

174

against the saints and cliurch of God precisely tliat
lime.

He opened his mouth to blaspheme God, by
promoting' idolatry and by the exercise of an
antichristian authority over the consciences of men.
He blasphemed the tabernacle (i. e. the church of
God), and them that dwell in heaven, which, in
the language of symbols, denotes the members of
the true church, " whose names are written in
'' heaven,"* and who even now by faith sit together
" with Christ in heavenly places. "f The beast blas-
phemed these saints of God, by denominating them
heretics and apostates.

" And it was given him to make war with the
" saints, and to overcome them ; and power was
^' given him over all kindreds and tongues and
" nations." It is sufficiently evident that the Roman
empire made w^ar with the saints, and overcame them.
Throughout the western empire, true Christians
were, during the whole period of the twelve hundred
and sixty years, exposed to persecution and death, if
they dared openly to dissent from the religion of the
state. All the persecutions which papal Rome
stirred up against the saints were carried into
execution by the secular Roman empire, or the civil
powers. It was the secular power which waged
war with the Albigenses and Waldenses in France,
in which a million of men perished. It was the
secular power of Spain which, under the Duke of
Alva, put to death in a few years thirty-six thousand
protestants in the Netherlands, besides^i!^ thousand
which had been butchered for the same reason in the

* Luke X. 20. t Ephes. ii. 6.

175

reign of Charles the Fifth.* It was the secular
government of France, which revoked the edict
of Nantz, and extirp.ated or drove into cruel exile
the protestants of that kingdom. It was the secular
power of the empire which slew the witnesses.
Power was given to the beast over all the nations
and kindreds and tongues of the Roman earth; he
reigned over them with absolute authority, either
through his last head or his ten horns.f

We are next informed that ^' all that dwell on the
" earth shall worship him, whose names are not writ-
" ten in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the
*' foundation of the world." To worship a creature
of any kind, in the language of the New Testament,
means the placing our hearts and affections upon it,
more than upon God ; and to worship the beast,
therefore signifies the placing an implicit faith on
his dictates in spiritual matters, and obeying them
rather than the law of God.

'' If any man have an ear, let him hear. He that
'' leadeth into captivity, shall go into captivity : he
" that killeth with the sword, must be killed with the
" sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the
" saints."

The emphatic and solemn warning which is given
at the beginning of this clause, " If any man have
'^ an ear, let him ear," has relation to what is

* This fact, of 50,000 Protestants having been raurdered in the
Netherlands in the reign of Charles V, I have taken from Fra Paolo
Sarpi. But at the moment when these pages are sent to the press,
I have not access to his work to cite the particular place where the
circumstance is related. For the authorities on which I mention the
other facts, see p. 14.

t Faber, in loco.

176

declared afterwards, that the vengeance of God
shall at length overtake this monster, and that
he shall go into captivity and perish by the
sword, thus coming to an awful end, according to
the just law of retaliation. This is to be effected
by the seven vials of wrath, the consummation
of which will be when the Almighty Word of God
shall tread the w^ine-press of the fierceness and wrath
of Almighty God in the awful day of Armageddon.
What is added respecting the faith and patience
of the saints, seems to be immediately connected with
the preceding clause which declares the manner of
the destruction of the beast; and perhaps it is intended
to signify, that though the hour of the destruction
of the beast will be a time of great triumph to the
church of God, yet it will likewise be a season
of trial to the faithful, when their faith and patience
will in a very particular manner be called into
exercise, so as to distinguish those who are true
saints from mere professors. In confirmation of
which idea, we shall meet with a similar clause
in the following chapter of the Apocalypse, relating,
as I shall endeavour to show, to the same period ;
and it may also be observed, that the solemn warning
of our Lord himself, immediately before his coming
at the great day of Armageddon, " Behold I come
'" as a thief, blessed is he that watcheth and
" keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and
'' they see his shame," seems to imply that this awful
time shall be one of a peculiarly trying nature to true
Christians,

177

CHAPTER Xlll.

THE TWO-HORNED BEAST OF THE EARTH, AND THE
IMAGE.

" And I beheld another beast coming up out of
** the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb, and
*' he spake as a dragon. And he exerciseth all the
" power of the first beast before him^, and causeth
*' the earth, and them which dwell therein, [ to
^' worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was
" healed. And he doeth great wonders, so that he
" maketh fire to come down from heaven on the
" earth in the sight of men ; and deceiveth them
" that dwell on the earth, by the means of those
*' miracles which he had power to do in the sight of
" the beast, saying; to them that dwell on the earth,
" That they should make an image to the beast
" which had the wound by a sword, and did live.
*' And he had power to give life unto the image of
'^ the beast, that the image of the beast should both
*' speak and cause, that as many as would not worship
" the image of the beast should be killed. And he
"caused all, both small and great, rich and poor,
" free and bond, to receive a mark in their right
" hand, or in their foreheads : and that no man
" might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or
'' the name of the beast, or the number of his
" name. Here is wisdom, let him that hath under-
" standing count the number of the beast; for it is
" the number of a man, and his number is six hun-
*' dred threescore and six."*

* Rev. xiii. 11.

178

The second beast, coming up out of the earth,
is evidently an ecclesiastical character, and he is the
same personage as is afterwards called the false
prophet. His lamb-like horns show that he assumes
the appearance of a minister of the Lamb of God;
but his speech^ like a dragon, discovers him in
reality to be a minister of the old serpent. This
beast, as Mede and Mr. Faber rightly judge, is the
papacy, i. e. the pope and his clergy. This opinion
may be confirmed by many other authorities. " The
"former beast," says Dr. Wall, ''represents the
" secular power of the Roman empire (as it was
" now in the ten horns), and this the pontifical."
— " The second beast," says Dr. Cressener, is
** a succession of ecclesiastical persons having the
" supreme power in ecclesiastical affairs."*

The first beast arises out of the sea, i. e. out of
the multitude of the nations of the Roman world in
a state of tumult and confusion ; for this is sometimes
the symbolical signification of the sea. But the
second beast grows up (as it were) silently out of
the earth, by degrees and unheeded.

The second beast exerciseth all the power of the
first beast before him ; by which is intended, not the
political authority, though that was often also wielded
by priests, but the power which the first beast had
to make war with, and overcome the saints. This
power was in fact exercised by the papacy before,
or in presence of the secular powers of the Roman
empire, i. e. by permission of the several princes,
in their dominions, and with their authority. Ac-
cordingly we are informed by history, that the papal

* Quoted by the author of Illustrations of Prophecy, p. 66.

179

power was the chief instigator of the persecutions
of the faithful disciples of Christ within the limits
of the Roman empire^ during the twelve hundred
and sixty years.

He causeth the earth to worship the first beast,
by giving his support to the tyrannical power of
the beast in matters of conscience. History shows
that the support of the civil and ecclesiastical au-
thorities to each other during the reign of the papal
power was mutual ; and in fact, Charlemagne,, who
in his own person revived the empire of the west,
was crowned by the pope, who had a great share,
and acted a conspicuous part, in that remarkable
transaction, thus causing the inhabitants of the earth
to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was
healed.

" He doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire
'' to come down from heaven on the earth," &c. In
interpreting the language of this mystical book, we
ought never to lose sight of its highly symbolical
nature. Fire, in this passage, may denote the fire
of persecution, which the pope and his clergy caused
to come down from the symbolical heaven, or the
civil government, to destroy their enemies, all who
disputed their authority.* There may, however,

* Pope Adrian VI. who succeeded to the Pontificate in the year
1529, while the Reformation was jet in its infancy, was desirous,
in order to deprive the Protestants of the powerful arguments which
they derived from the corruption of the church, to introduce some
reform in the Romish court. On this occasion, many reasons were
offered hy his counsellors to dissuade him from such an attempt.
Cardinal Francis Soderini, bishop of Preneste, made use of the fol-
lowing arguments, which I quote from Paolo Sarpi, the Catholic
writer already mentioned : " II lui dit nettement qu'il n'y avoit nulle
" esperauce de confondre ni de dissiper les Lutheriens par la reforma-

■ n2

180

not improbably be a reference to the false miracles
and lying wonders of the popish clergy.

We are next informed that the second beast de-
ceived the inhabitants of the earth, by means of
the miracles or wonders which he had power to do
in the presence of the first beast, saying to them,
that they should make an image to the beast which
had the wound of the sword, and did live. In this
highly hieroglyphical language is depicted to us the
entire degeneracy of the visible professing church,
once so fair and lovely ; but which, by listening to
the false doctrines of the pope and his clergy, lost
every feature of its original beauty, as the chaste
spouse of Christ : and was so utterly corrupted as
to become transformed into an image or repre-
sentation of the beast, having in it all the distin-
guishing features of the bestial character — idolatry,
blasphemy, and persecution.*

The pope himself and his clergy could not form
the image of the beast, because a church consists
of clergy and people, and cannot exist without

" tion de la Cour de Rome. Que c'etoit au coiitraire le vrai mojeii
" de leiir donner plus de credit," &c. And again, " Que les heresies ne
" s'etoient jamais dissipecs par les reformations mais par les Croisades
" et en excitant les princes et les peuples a les detruire: que
"c'etoit par ce moyen qu' Innocent III, avoit heureusement etouffe
" celle des Albigeois en Languedoc, et que ses successeurs n'eu
" avoient point employe d'autres contre les Vaudois les Picards,
" les Pauvres de Lyon," &c.

* " Ainsi I'esprit si pur et si sublime du christianisme, a qui ne
" convenait qu'une forme aussi pur et aussi simple que lui, fut suc-
" cessivement etoufTe pendant une longue suite de siecles jusqu'au
" seizieme, par une continuelle surcharge d'elemens etrangers qui
" avaient denature son action, et en avaient peu-a-peu fait un corps
" inforrae, d'ou sortaient tous les maux que les erreurs et les passions
•' peuvent produire." — Villers, Essai, p. 2'.^. See also Ibid. p. 2.

181

both. Hence it was necessary that this lamb-like
beast should persuade the people to concur with
him in forming or constituting" the corrupt church
or image of the beast. If they had not given ear
to his false doctrines^ the image had not been formed ;
but they listened to him^ and were deceived, and
the image was made.

The pope and his clergy had power to give life to
the image of the beast, i. e. political life and au-
thority ; and let history say whether the church did
not obtain political life and power by means of the
popes: '' That the image of the beast should both
'^ speak, and cause that as many as would not wor-
" ship the image of the beast should be killed." The
church or image spake by its mouths^ the general
councils and other ecclesiastical assemblies. It did
not itself by its own authority put men to death,
but it delivered them up to the secular power to be
put to death, thus causing them to be killed. The
proceedings of the council of Constance with respect
to John Huss are a very remarkable illustration of
this passage ; after he was degraded by the council,
and his soul committed to the devil, his sentence
was thus pronounced : '' The hohj synod of Con-
"' stance declares that John Huss ought to be given
" up to the secular power, and does accordingly so
'' give him up, considering that the church of God
" has no more to do with him"*

The image is not only an image of the beast, con-
taining in itself all the features of the bestial
character, but it is also an image to the beast, i. e.
the object of the idolatrous veneration of the secular

* Milner's History of the Church of Christ, Cent. XV. chap, ii

\S2

Roman empire. Accordingly the corrupt abomi-
nable church was styled by the secular powers our
Holy Mother the Church. She obtained almost a
paramount influence over the minds of princes, and
was the object of their superstitious esteem and
veneration.

If the above explanation of the Apocalyptic image
be the true one, then the image is a symbol of the
same corrupt church afterwards exhibited to us as a
woman, the harlot Babylon the Great ; in confir-
mation of which idea, it will be found that wherever
the image is subsequently mentioned, there Babylon
is not mentioned ; and on the contrary, wherever
mention of Babylon is made, there the image is
omitted.

As the people of the Roman empire concurred
with the people and clergy in forming the image,
we find it said, in like manner of Babylon, that she
sitteth on many waters, by which are meant peoples,
and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.*

But it may be asked, why, if the image be the
same as Babylon, two different symbols are employed
by the Holy Spirit to denote the same thing ? I
would observe, in answer to this question, that it
hath seemed good to the Spirit of God on every
occasion to adhere to what may be called the pro-
prieties of the symbolical style, and not to violate
natural probabilities in the language of prophecy.
In the thirteenth chapter an account is intended to
be given, in symbolical language, of the share
which both the clergy and people respectively had in
corrupting the visible church of Christ. Now it

* Rev. xvii. 15.

183

would have been a violation of natural probability,
and all the proprieties of the prophetical style, if it
had been said that the second beast persuaded the
inhabitants of the earth, that they should make or
form a woman, because such an exertion of power
is physically impossible. It would be an act of cre-
ation. The formation of the corrupt church is
therefore with admirable propriety signified by the
symbolical act of making an image.

On the other hand, when the destruction of the
corrupt church is intended to be shown forth, in
order to display to us all her abominations, she is
introduced in the form of a bloody and abominable
harlot, riding on a blasphemous wild beast. Each
of the symbols, in its own place, is the fittest that
could have been selected.

I have not met with the above interpretation of
the image in any author whose works I have consulted.
I hope therefore that it will be thoroughly sifted, and
that it may stand or fall on its own merits. I have
never seen any other solution of this Apocalyptical
enigma which satisfied my mind, or I had not sought
a new one. The following passage, however, which
I have met with in a literary journal, confirms, or
at least illustrates, my idea, of the Apocalyptical
image in a very remarkable manner ; and the more
so, as the Reviewer was not at the time considering
a work on prophecy : " We cannot but think," says
the Reviewer, " that the spirit of popery is in a
" degree to be discovered in what may be called the
" high church party of every establishment, though
" we grudge any men a title which seems to imply a
*' stronger attachment to the church than we glory

181

" in professing. Popery is the offspring, not of
*' young dissent, but of old establishments ; not of
'' a poor but a rich, not of an illiterate but a fastidious,
'' not of a zealous but a worldly body. It was the
'■' ambitious scheme of a secular priesthood to grasp
" the sceptre of the world. Its doctrines, its gor-
^' geous rites, its penances and miracles, were all
**^ a sort of machinery, by which men were either to
" be drawn or forced into the power of the priests.
*' The visible church was the great image to be
" WORSHIPPED ; the form was to be considered as of
*' a paramount and almost exclusive importance.
" The Bible was to be locked up ; the people to be
*' kept in profound ignorance ; for all these could
" readily be shaped into a ladder of steps, by which
^' the pope could mount to the throne of Chris-
'' tendom."*

• Review of Butler's Installation Sermon, British Review for 1812,
p. 10?. — The Reviewer of this volume in the Edinburgh Christian
Instructor, having expressed a suspicion of the solidity of my inter-
pretation of the image, I think it due to that respectable work to
make some remarks upon its reasoning on this point. The Reviewer's
objection seems to me to be founded on a misconception, whereby he
confounds two things which are carefully to be distinguished from
each other ; viz. the government or ruling power of the church, and
the church itself. The second beast represents the first of these
objects, or the ruling power in the church, i. e. the pope and his
clergy. The image is on the contrary a symbol of the whole church,
including both clergy and people. To illustrate this I will suppose
that the general assembly or convocation of any particular Protestant
Church were changed into a permRnent body, and that they were to
lapse into idolatry. The Reviewer will grant that the assembly in
that case would become a tyrannical idolatrous power, which might
fitly be symbolized by a beast. Rut it does not necessarily follow that
they would be successful in drawing the body of the church which
they represented into the guilt of their apostasy. That church might
resist all their power and solicitations, and as a body remain true to

185

Having given the above account of the image,
the Apostle John further informs us, that the second
beast caused all men to receive a mark on their right
hand or their forehead, and that no man might buy
or sell (i. e. exercise the common offices of civil life),
unless he had the mark or name of the beast, or the
number of his name. The number of the beast is
also declared to be six hundred and sixty-six, and it is
said to be the number of a man.

The language of this clause is equally figurative
with that of the preceding parts of the chapter ;
and when stript of its figures, it seems to imply,

the protestant cause. Now to apply this reasoniug to the Western
Church iu general : historj informs us that the Popes were opposed
by many of the churches in their wicked attempts to introduce the
worship of images. In the eighth century the council of Frankfort
which was attended by three hundred bishops of various nations,
condemned equally the second council of Nice, and the worship of
images. The British churches followed the same line of conduct.
Had this resistance not been overcome by the Popes, the visible
church within the western empire never would have been transformed
into an image of the beast : but at length the popes overpowered the
efforts of the friends of truth. Idolatry was universally introduced,
and thenceforth the church, as a whole, was marked by all the
features of the character of the first beast, secularity, blasphemy,
idolatry, and persecution, and became therefore an image of the
beast. The Reviewer's idea, that the image was a symbol of the
temporal power of the popes, appears to me untenable for the
following among other reasons. The temporal power of the papacy
was often and most strenuously resisted even by Catholic princes,
and the popes had no authority to kill those who thus resisted them.
The authority of the image on the contrary was universal, so that
whosoever would not worship the image was killed. This seems to
me to have been fulfilled in the power of the corrupt church and no-
thing else, for whatever differences and quarrels arose among Catholic
princes on other points, they all agreed in bowing with implicit sub.
mission to the authority of the church in spiritual matters.

186

that so great was the spiritual tyranny exercised by
the ecclesiastical beast, that he would permit no
person who did not give the most unlimited and un-
reserved obedience to the beast, to exercise the
common offices of society. '* That which does best
" open the mystery of these expressions/' says Dr.
'' Cressener, " is the observation of Grotius upon
" this place^, that it was a common fashion in St.
'^ John's timC;, for every heathen god to have a parti-
'' cular society or fraternity belonging to him ; and
'' the way of admitting any into these fraternities
" was^ \st, by giving him some hieroglyphic mark
*' in their hands or foreheads, which was accounted
" sacred to that particular god ; as that of an ivy
'* leaf, to own themselves of the fraternity of Bac-
*' chus : 2d J by sealing them with the letters of the
*' name of that god : and, 3d, With that number
' which the Greek letters of their name did make
*' up ; for the numeral ciphers of the Greeks Avere
"■' the letters of the alphabet."*

In confirmation of the above remarks, it may be
observed, that in this mystical book, to be sealed
with the seal of the living God, to have his name
written on the forehead, is the distinctive badge of
his servants. f Therefore, to have the name of the
beast, or his mark, or the number of his name, in-
scribed on the forehead or right hand, is the badge
of the votaries of the beast.

With regard to the number of the beast, I adopt
without hesitation the explanation first given of it

* Quoted in the iHustrations of Prophecy, p. 73.
f Rev. iii. 12; vii. 2; xiv. 1.

187

by IrenaeuSj the disciple of Polycarp^ that it is con-
tained in the name Latinus, as expressed in Greek
characters.

A - - - - 30

A ... - 1

T - - - - 300

E - - - - 5

1 - - - - 10
N ... - 50
o - - - - 70

2 .... 200

666

The observations of Mr. Faber on this point seem
to me peculiarly valuable. The ten-horned beast
is, as Mr. Faber observes, the secular Roman
empire, and of this empire the first real or fictitious
founder was Latinus. Hence the Romans were
called Genus Latinum. Their language is the
Latin, The revived western empire and the western
church, to distinguish them from the Greek empire
and church, have always been called the Latin
empire and church ; the service of the Romish
church is also in Latin ; the scriptures themselves
are read in the Latin ; all the official papers of the
church are in Latin : "On these grounds then we
'' have abundant reason to conclude, that Latinus,
" and nothing but Latinus, is the name of the beast;
" for in no other word descriptive of the revived
" temporal beast, or the papal Roman empire, can
" such a fatal concurrence of circumstances be
"^ discovered."*

Having thus ascertained the number of the beast.

* Faber's Dissert, vol. ii. p. 347 ; 4tb edition.

188

it only remains to observe, that we learn from the
history of Christian Europe in what manner this
part of the prophecy was accompHshed. During
those ap,es when the papal power was at its height, all
who refused to hold communion with the corrupt
Latin church, and thus to inscribe themselves with
the mark, and name, and number of the beast, were
exposed to excommunication as heretics, to exclusion
from the common charities and offices of life, and
the loss of life itself. I shall conclude what I have
to offer on this head, by quoting a passage from
Bishop Newton, shewing the literal fulfilment of this
part of the prophecy : "If any dissent from the
*• stated and authorized forms of the Latin church,
'• they are condemned and excommunicated as
" heretics ; and in consequence of that, they are no
" longer suffered to buy or sell ; they are interdicted
" from traffic and commerce, and all the benefits
■' of civil society. So Roger lioveden relates of
•' William the Conqueror, that he was so dutiful to
•' the pope, that he would not permit any one in his
''• power to buy or sell any thing, whom he found
" disobedient to the apostolic see. So the canon of
'' the Council of Lateran, under Pope Alexander
" the Third, made against the Waldenses and
" Albigenses, enjoins, upon pain of anathema, that
" no man presume to entertain or cherish them in
" his house, or land, or exercise traffic with them.
" The synod of Tours, in France, under the same
"pope, orders, under tlie like intermination, that no
'' man should presume to receive or assist them, no
'' not so much as to hold any communion with them
*' in buying or selling; that being deprived of ihti

189

'' comfort of humanity, they may be compelled to
" repent of the error of their ways. Pope Martin
'' the F^ifth, in his bull, set out after the Council of
'' Constance, commands in like manner, that they
" permit not the heretics to have houses in their dis-
" tricts, or enter into contracts, or carry on commerce,
'' or enjoy the comforts of humanity with Christians."*

* The charge of idolatry which is made by protestants against the
church of Rome, may be easily substantiated, not only from the
practice of that church in the dark ages, but from its authorized and
avowed standards in the present day. I refer to the liturgy of that
church, edited by the Rev. Peter Gandolphy, and printed by Keating,
Brown, and Keating, in 1812, and which is presumptuously entitled,
" Liturgy, or a Book of Common Prayers, and Administration
"of Sacraments, with other Rites and Ceremonies of the
"Church, for the use of ali. Christians in the United
" Kingdom ;" by which it is plainly insinuated, that all the protestants
of the United Kingdom who reject this Liturgy, are not Christians.
In this Liturgy the old idolatry of the church of Rome, in adoring
the consecrated wafer and cup in the sacrament of the Lord's Supper,
is still retained, as appears by the following words, taken from the
Directory of the Mass: " After pronouncing the words of consecra-
" tion, the priest Icneelivg adores and elevates the sacred host," (or
consecrated bread) " and the bell at the altar is rung to give notice to
" the congregation.'' In like manner it is said, after the consecration of
the cup, " Here also kneeling he adores and elevates the chalice'^ or cup.

The following words are taken from the Litany in honour of the
blessed Virgin Mary, commonly called the Litany of LoreUo. We
should scarcely believe it possible, that such matter should be
published in this enlightened country, in the nineteenth century, as a
form of Christian worship! But as it has been printed, it is fit
to make it generally known, in order that all men may see thai
the Romish Church obstinately cleaves to its abominations.

" We fly to thy patronage, Holy Mother of God ! despise not our
'• petitions in our necessities, but deliver us from all dangers, ever-
" glorious and blessed Virgin !

Holy Mary, s ^' ^ Mother of divine grace.

Holy mother of God, f 5 VMother most pure,

Holy Virgin of Virgins, ^ >, \ Mother most chaste.

Mother of Christ, ' J^ f Mother undefiled.

190

Mother untouched,
Mother most amiable,
Mother most admirable,
Mother of our Creator,
Mother of our Redeemer,
Virgin most prudent,
Virgin most renowned,
Virgin most powerful.
Virgin most merciful
Virgin most faithful,
Mirror of justice,
Seat of wisdom,
Cause of our joy,
Spiritual vessel,
Vessel of honour,
Vessel of singular devotion.
Mystical rose.

C Tower of David,
Tower of ivory,
House of gold,
Ark of the covenant,
Gate of heaven,
Morning Star
Health of the weak,
Refuge of sinners,
V jO J Comforter of the affiicted,
Help of Christians,
Queen of angels.
Queen of prophets.
Queen of apostles,
Queen of martyrs,
Queen of confessors,
Queen of virgins,
Queen of all saints.

" We fly to thy patronage, Holy Mother of God ! despise not our
" petitions in our necessities, but deliver us from all dangers, O ever-
" glorious and blessed Virgin !

" Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God !

** That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ."

In order to hide from the people the guilt and danger of bowing
down to images, the Romish priesthood have, in some of their
catechisms, as in that of the Rev. Dr. James Butler, revised, enlarged,
approved, and recommended by the four Romish Archbishops of
Ireland, wholly omitted the second commandment; and they
endeavour to conceal this daring corruption of the divine law, by
dividing the tenth commandment into two. In other catechisms,
published for the use of the English Roman Catholics, the second
commandment is indeed inserted ; but it is blended with the first; and
the tenth is divided into two, in the same manner as in the Irish
catechisms. But though in the catechisms last mentioned, the second
commandment is inserted as a subordinate part of the first, yet the
Hebrew phrase, 'Q\l7 n^T\PitVr\ i^7 " T^ffou shall not bow down
" thyself to them" which absolutely forbids every kind and degree of
religious veneration to images, has in the Romish catechisms been
thus translated, " Thou shall not adore them ;" and the framers
of these catechisms presumptuously varnish over their open violation
of the above prohibition in the following manner:

Q. " Is it lawful to honour the images of Christ and his saints?

A. " Yes, if rightly understood ; because the honour given them is

J91

*' referred to the things they represent: so that by the images or
" crosses which we kiss, and before which we kneel, we honour and
" adore Christ himself.

Q. " Do catholics pray to images ?

j4. " No, by no means : we pray before them indeed, to keep us
" from distraction, but not to them; for we know they can neither
" see. nor hear, nor help us.

Q. " What benefit have we then by them?

J. " They movingly represent to us the mysteries of our Saviour's
•' passion, and the martyrdom of his saints." — See Abstract of the
Douay Catechism.

Had the above Hebrew phrase been literally rendered, " thou shall
" not bow down thyself to them,"" the Romish priests could not thus
have varnished over the violation of the commandment. But they
first deceive the people by a translation of the passage not sufficiently
literal, and then they pretend, that in honouring, kissing, and kneeling
before the images, they do not adore them, though in fact they
bow down to them, and thus disobey the letter of the divine law.

There are without doubt many excellent persons who adhere to the
communion of the church of Rome, from the prejudices of education;
but it becomes all such persons to examine the scriptures for them-
selves, and not to put confidence in their priests: for if the Bible
be the word of God, idolatry is a sin of a most heinous nature, and in
those who have the scriptures in their hands it is inexcusable.

192

CHAPTER XIV.

ON THE PROPHETICAL PERIOD OF TWELVE HUNDRED
AND SIXTY YEARS — GENERAL STATEMENT OF THE
SUBJECT SIX SCRIPTURAL PROPOSITIONS LAID DOWN.

In considering' the 11th, I2th, and 13th chapters
of the Apocalypse, we have seen frequent mention
of a certain mysterious period, during which the
enemies of the church were to triumph over her.
This period is also twice mentioned in the book of
Daniel, and it occurs five times in the Apocalypse.
I shall recapitulate the different passages, for the
sake of perspicuity.

1st, In Dan. vii. 25, we are informed that the
saints, and times, and laws, are to be given into the
hand of the little horn of the fourth beast, until
a time, and tijnes, and the dividing of time, i. e.
three years and a half.

2d, In Dan. xii. 7. mention is again made of the
same period, a time, times, and a half, as measuring
the duration of certain events previously predicted.

3d, In Rev. xi. 2, it is said that the Gentiles are to
tread under foot the holy city forti/ and tivo months.

4th, In xi. 3, we are told that the witnesses are to
prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore
days, clothed in sackcloth.

bth, In xii. 6, it is said that the woman, the church,
shall be fed one thousand two hundred and three-
score days in the wilderness,

^th, In xii. 14, we learn that the woman is to be
nourished in her place in the wilderness^ a time,

193

and times, and half a time, from the face of the
serpent.

Ith, In xiii. 5, power is said to have been given
to the beast, to practise prosperously /or(y and tivo
months.

Besides these seven places of scripture, in which
express mention is made of the above prophetical
period, there is an allusion to it in two others. Our
Lord, in Luke xxi. 24, 25, informs us, that Jeru-
salem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles until the
times of the Gentiles be fulfilled. Now it is the
opinion of Mede, Horsley, and other eminent in-
terpreters, that these times of the Gentiles are the
latter period of the Gentile monarchies ; and more
particularly the time, times, and dividing of time of
Daniel, at the end of which the awful convulsions of
the nations are to commence, which sliall imme-
diately precede the conversion and restoration of
Israel.

Again, in Rev. x. 5 — 7. the angel lifts up his hand
and swears by him that liveth for ever and ever, that
there should he time no longer, but the mystery of
God shall be finished when the seventh angel begins
to sound. Mede understands the time here men-
tioned to be the time, times, and half a time of
Daniel ; and that these are to be finished at the
sounding of the seventh trumpet.*

It may not however be obvious to every person,
that a time, times, and half a time, and forty-two
months, and twelve hundred and sixty days, are dif-
ferent forms of expressing one and the same number ;

* Mede's Works, Book iv. epist. 8.
O

194

it is proper therefore to make this plain. A time,
in the style of prophecy^ means a year. A time, and
times, and half a time, are one year, two years, and
half a year, or three years and a half. But the ordi-
nary Jewish year, without intercalary days, consisted
of three hundred and sixty days ; therefore three
years and a half make exactly twelve hundred and
sixty days. In like manner, the Jewish month
consisted of thirty days ; and forty-two such months
contain twelve hundred and sixty days. Thus it
appears, that all of the above numbers, when reduced
to their integral parts, make one and the same
number of twelve hundred and sixty days.

Protestant writers on prophecy are almost univer-
sally agreed in opinion, that these days stand for
years, and that the real prophetical period signified
by them is twelve hundred and sixty years. The
following reasons may be offered in support of this
interpretation.

\st, We learn from the scriptures that days are
frequently taken to denote years. It is said in Num-
bers xiv. S3, " Your children shall wander in the
" wilderness forty years, and bear your whoredoms,
" until your carcases be wasted in the wilderness.
" After the num.ber of the days in which ye searched
*' the land, even forty days, each day for a year,
" shall ye bear your iniquities, even forty years.''
A similar example of days being put for years, occurs
in the Prophecies of Ezekiel.* In the famous pro-
phecy of the seventy weeks in Daniel, the seventy
weeks mean weeks of years, according to the una-

* Ezek. iv 4— G.

195

nimous testimony of interpreters, both Jewish and
Christian, who unite in understanding the period
revealed to be four hundred and ninety years.

2d;, The events which were to take place during the
twelve hundred and sixty days, are of too extensive
and complicated a nature to be accomplished within
the term of twelve hundred and sixty natural days,
or three years and a half.*

3d, It is proved by the event, that the twelve
hundred and sixty days are not natural days, for the
powers whose duration was to be measured by that
period, and the depressed state of the church which
was to continue during the twelve hundred and sixty
days, have in fact existed more than one thousand
years, from whatever time we may calculate the rise
of these powers, or the depressed condition of the
church.

Considering, therefore, that it is established by the
above arguments, founded on the nature of things,
and the analogies of scripture, and confirmed by
the consent of every protestant commentator of note,
that the twelve hundred and sixty days mean the same
number of years ; I remark, in the next place, that
the scriptures evidently attach a very great and
solemn degree of importance to this prophetical
period. We may draw this inference from its being
directly mentioned no less than seven times, and
alluded to in other places ; and likewise from the
reverential and awful manner in which the second
annunciation of these times is given in Dan. xii. 7.
A careful inquiry into the period of the commence-

* See Faber's Dissert, on the Prophecies, vol. i. p. G. 4th edition ;
where this point is argued at considerable length.

196

inent and termination of the twelve hundred and
sixty years, is therefore very necessary for the
elucidation of the Prophecies of Daniel and St.
John.

In proceeding into this inquiry, I shall endeavour
to show, first, what are the internal scriptural marks
of the commencement and end of the twelve hundred
and sixty years, and shall next compare historical
facts with these marks ; thus endeavouring, in the
method of inductive reasoning, to ascertain the true
era of the above period. In this way we may hope
to arrive at a certain conclusion respecting this most
interesting and important subject of inquiry. It will
greatly facilitate what I have in view, if the different
scriptural marks be stated in the form of propo-
sitions. This therefore is the method I shall
adopt.

PROPOSITION FIRST.

The commencement of the twelve hundred and
sixty years is to be ^narked hy the giving the saints,
and times, and taws (of the church J, into the hand
of the little horn.

For the proof of this proposition I refer to Dan.
vii. 25.

PROPOSITION SECOND,

At the termination of the tioelve hundred and

sixty years, the Ancient of Days comes, and the

judgment sits, to take away the dominion of the

little horn, and to consume and destroy it unto the

end.

Therefore, when the judgment begins to sit, then
the ticelve hundred and sixty days are ended.

" 197

I rest the proof of this proposition on Dan. vii. 26,
compared with the 9th, lOth, and 22d verses.

PROPOSITION THIRD.

The witnesses are to prophesi/ in sackcloth during
the whole twelve hundred and sixty years. There-
fore, when they put off their sackcloth, the twelve
hundred and sixty years are ended.

The truth of this proposition is evident from
Rev. xi. 3.

PROPOSITION FOURTH.

The mystical woman, the church, is to be con-
cealed in the wilderness during the whole period of
the txoelve hundred and sixty years. Therefore,
when the woman begins to emerge from the wil-
derness, that period is elapsed.

The proof of this proposition is in Rev. xii. 6.
and 14.

PROPOSITION FIFTH,

The twelve hundred and sixty years end at the
sounding of the seventh Apocalyptic trumpet.

I prove this by Rev. x. 6, 1, wherein the an<^el
swears, in the awful name of him that hveth for
ever and ever, that when the seventh angel, shall
sound, time shall be no longer. This signifies (as
Mede justly argues) that when the seventh angel
shall sound, then the mysterious times of Daniel (i. e.
the twelve hundred and sixty years) shall end.
This interpretation of the passage is shown by the
context to be the true one ; for it is added, that at the
same period the mystery of God shall be finished ;
which cannot be till the twelve hundred and sixty
years of spiritual darkness and tyranny are ended.

1 98

The same thing is further proved by the tri-
umphant language of the elders on the sounding of
the seventh trumpet. Rev. xi. 15 — 18. This lan-
guage is utterly inconsistent with the idea of the
church still remaining under her enemies, and in the
wilderness, which must be her condition if the twelve
hundred and sixty years do not expire at the sounding
of the seventh trumpet.

From the last proposition, the following inference
may be drawn : It has already been proved, in pro-
position second, that the twelve hundred and sixty
years end when the Ancient of Days comes, and the
judgment in Daniel vii. 9, 10. begins to sit ; and we
have now seen that the same prophetical period elapses
at the sounding of the seventh trumpet. Therefore,
as the sitting of the judgment at the coming of the
Ancient of Days, and the sounding of the seventh
trumpet, both synchronize with the close of the
twelve hundred and sixty years, they also synchro-
nize with each other. This confirms the reasoning
contained in a former part of this work, whereby we
arrived at the same conclusion.*

PROPOSITION SIXTH.

The times of the Gentiles (\. e. the twelve hun-
dred and sixtif years) terminate when the signs in
the sun, moon, and stars, and distress of nations,
mentioned hy our Lord, begin.

This proposition is founded upon Luke xxi. 25.
compared with the context, f

* Page i31, 132.

+ " When St. Luke's times of the Gentiles are finished, then shall
" be signs in the sun and moon : the Son of man comes also in the

199

But it has already been shown, in considering the
sixth seal, that the phenomena in the symbolical
heavens, mentioned in Lukexxi.25j and the cor-
responding passages of Matthew and Mark, are
the same with the earthquake of the sixth seal ;*
and the earthquake of the sixth seal is, as I have
endeavoured to prove, the same with that of the
seventh trumpet. Therefore it follows, that the
times of the Gentiles, or twelve hundred and sixty
years, expire also at the commencement of the
earthquake of the sixth seal, and the earthquake of
the seventh trumpet, which further confirms the
truth of the fifth proposition.

Having thus laid down a series of scriptural pro-
positions respecting the commencement and end of
the twelve hundred and sixty years, I shall now go
on to compare these propositions with history.

PllOPOSITION FIRST.

The commencement of the ttbelve hundred and
sixty years is to be marked by the giving of the
saints, and times, and laws, into the hand of the
little horn.

That the little horn is the papacy, has been esta-
blished with such force of evidence by Mede, Bishop
Newton, Mr. Faber, and other writers on prophecy,
that I do not consider it as at all necessary to enter

" clouds of heaven; the redemption of Israel, and the kingdom of
" God, are at hand." Mede's Works, Book iv. epist. 8. — ,, The
" copulative x.xi, verse 25, is to he taken after the Hebrew manner;
" ordinative for turn, deinde, which you know is frequent in the
^' scriptures. " Then shall be signs," &c." Ibid. Book iv. cp. 12.
* Pages 21, 22.

200

upon the proof of it. * The papacy being a spiritual
power within the limils of the Roman empire,
Mr. Faber argues, I think rightly, when he says
that the giving the saints into the hand of the papacy,
must be by some formal act of tiie secular power of
that empire constituting the pope to be the head of
the church. It is not, in fact, easy to conceive in
what other mode the saints could be delivered into
the hand of a spiritual authority, which, in its
infancy at least, must have been in a great measure
dependent upon the secular power for its very exist-
ence, and much more for every degree of active
power which it was permitted to assume or exercise.

Accordingly we are informed, by the unerring
testimony of history, that an act of the secular go-
vernment of the empire was issued in the reign of
Justinian, whereby the Roman pontiff was solemnly
acknowledged to be the head of the church. That
emperor, whose reign was marked by the publication
of the volume of the Civil Law which was afterwards
adopted through the whole extent of the Roman
empire, by the different nations who had divided
among themselves its territories, was no less ambitious
of distinction as a theologian than as a legislator.
At an early period of his reign, he promulgated a
severe edict against heretics, which contained a
confession of his own faith, and was intended to be
the common and universal standard of belief to his
subjects. The severest penalties were enacted by it
against all who refused implicit submission.

A second edict of th« same nature was issued by

* See Preface to the second edition, where some reasons are given
for this opinion.

1201

Justinian in the month of March 533; and on this
occasion he formally wrote to the pope, as the ac-
knowledged head of all the holy churches, and all
the hall/ priests of God, for his approbation of what
he had done. The epistle which was addressed to
the pope, and another to the patriarch of Constan-
tinople, were inserted in the volume of the Civil
Law; and thus the sentiments contained in them
obtained the sanction of the supreme legislative au-
thority of the empire : and in both epistles, the
above titles were given to the pope.

The answer of the pope to the imperial epistle
was also published with the other documents ; and
it is equally important^ inasmuch as it shows that he
understood the reference that had been made to him,
as being a formal recognition of the supremacy of
the see of Rome.

From the date of the imperial epistle of Justinian
to Pope John, in March, 533, the saints, and times,
and laws of the church, may therefore be considered
to have been formally delivered into the hand of
the papacy, and this is consequently the true era of
the twelve hundred and sixty years.

There is no other recorded act of the secular
government of the Roman empire, which confers
a greater authority on the pope than the one above
mentioned. It has indeed generally been supposed
that in the year 606 the Emperor Phocas bestowed
on the pope the new title of Universal Bishop ; but
this seems to have been taken for granted by his-
torians and commentators oh prophecy without
evidence. Paulus Diaconus and Anastasius, the
only original historians who mention the grant of

202

Phocas, do it in such terms as to show that no new
title was given by this emperor, but that he merely
renewed and confirmed the title of head of all the
churches, which had been granted by Justinian^
but was afterwards disputed by the see of Constan-
tinoplcj which wished to appropriate the title to
itself. Besides, it may be observed, that the grant
of Phocas has not been preserved, and it wants the
requisite formality of having been recorded in the
volume of the laws of the empire.*

* In order to enable the reader to judge for himself on the subject
of the acts of the Emperors Justinian and Phocas, concerning the
papal supremacy, I shall lay before him in this note what evidence
I have been able to collect on the subject.

The first religious edict of Justinian seems to have been issued
in the year 52S. It begins veith a short preamble, stating that the
emperor had thought it fit to declare unto all men his adherence
to the tradition and confession of the holy catholic church of God.
It then states the substance of the emperor's faith, and next proceeds
to pronounce an anathema against all heretics, especially the Nesto-
rians, Eutychians, and the ApoUinarians; and from this part of the
edict I quote the following passage: " H£ec igitur cum ita se habeant,
" anathematizamus omnem hferesin, praesertim vcrd Nestorium,
" anthropolatram dividcnteni unura Dominum nostrum Jesum Chris-
" turn, filium Dei et Ueum nostrum, nee diserte et secundum verila-
" tern confitentem sanctam gloriosam semper Virginem Mariam
" Theotocon esse, hoc est, Deiparam," &c. The edict concludes in
the following words: " Si enim aliqui post banc nostrani prjemoniti-
" onem, certo et liquido id cognoscentibuset comperientibus locorum
" episcopis Deo amantissimis, invcnti fuerint poslhac in contraria his
" opinione esse; hi nullius indulgentiae expectent veniam : Jubemus
" enim tales tanquam confessos hjereticos competenti animadversione
" subjugari."

Justinian's next edict is the one upon the occasion of which
he addressed his epistle to the Pope, containing an acknowledgment
of his spiritual supremacy. This edict begins as follows:

" Imp. Justinian. A. Constantinopolitis.

" Cum Salvatorera et Dominum omnium Jesum Christum veruni
" Deura nostrum colaraus per omnia, studemus etiara (quatenus

203

Having thus established that the true era of the
formal recognition of the papal supremacy was the

•' datum est humarue menti assequi) imraitari ejus condescensionem
" seu demissioiiern. Eteiiim cum quosdam invenerimus raorbo atque
" insania detentos impiorum Nestorii at Eutychetis Dei et sanctae
" catholica? et apostolica? ecclesiae hostium, nempe qui detrectabant
" sanctam gloriosam semper Virginem Mariam Theotocon sive
" Deiparam appellare propria et secundum veritatem : illos festina-
" viraus quEB sit recta Christianorum fides edocere. Nam hi
*' incurabiles cum sint, celantes errorem suum passim circumeunt
" (sicut didicimus) et sinipliciorum auimos exturbant et scandalizant,
•' ea astruentes quas sunt sanctee catholicce ecclesiae contraria. Neces-
" sarium igitur esse putavimus, tarn hferelicorum vaniloquia et meu-
" dacia dissipare, quam omnibus insinuare, quomodo aut sentiat
" sancta Dei et catholica et apostolica ecclesia, aut praedicent sanc-
" tissinii ejus sacerdoles; quos et nos sequuti, manifesta constituimus
" ea qufe fidei nostrae sunt; non quidein innovantes fidem (quod
" absit) sed coarguantes corum insaniam qui eadem cnm impiis hsere-
" ticis sentiunt. Quod quidem et nos in nostri imperii primordiis
" pridem satagentes cunctis fecimus manifestum."

In the remainder of the edict, the Emperor gives a statement of his
own faith, and denounces anathemas against Nestorius, Eutyches,
and Apollinarius, and their followers. The edict is dated on the ides
of March, 333. The same edict was addressed to twelve other cities
of the empire, among which were Jerusalem, Cesarea, and Ephesus.

Upon the promulgation of this edict, Justinian addressed an epistle
to the pope, as the acknowledged head of all the holy churches,
which was transmitted by the hands of Demetrius and Hypatius, two
bishops. From this epistle I quote the following extracts:
" Victor Justinianus, plus, felix, inclytus, triumphator, semper

" Augustus, Joanni sanctissimo Archiepiscopo almse Urbis Romjeet

" Patriarchae.

" Reddentes honorem apostolicae sedi, et vestrae sanctitati (quod
" semper nobis in voto et fuit et est), et ut decet patrem honorantes
" vestram beatitudinem, omnia quae ad ecclesiarum statum pertinent
" festinavimus ad nolitiam deferre vestraj sanctitatis ; quoniam semper
"nobis fuit magnum studium, unitatera vestrte apostolic£E sedis, et
" statum sanctarum Dei ecclesiarum custodire, qui hactenus obtinet,
" et incommote permanet, nulla intercedente contrarietate. Ideoque
" omnes sacerdotes universi Orientalis tractus et subjicere et unire
" sedi vestras sanctitatis properavimus. In praesenti ergo qu»

204

year 533^ it is requisite that we should endeavour
to ascertain, in the next place^, upon what principle

" commota sunt (qiiamvis nianifesta et indubitata sint et secundum
" apostolicai vestrae sedis doctrinam ab omnibus semper sacerdotibus
" firme custodita et pra^dicata) necessarium duximus, ut ad notitiara
" TCstrsE sanctitatis perveniant. Nee enim patimur quicquam, quod
" ad ecclesiarum statum pertinet, quamvis manifestum et indubitatura
" sit, quod movetur, ut non etiam vestrae innotescat sanctitati
'* qus caput est omnium sanctarum ecclesiarum. Per omnia enim
" (ut dictum est) properamus honorem et auctoritatem crescere
" vestrse sedis."

The epistle next states the circumstance of certain men having
maintained heretical doctrines respecting the person of Christ, and it
then contains a statement of the faith of the church and of the
Emperor himself on this point, and it concludes as follows : " Susci-
" pimus autem »ancta quatuor concilia : id est, trecentorum decem
•' et octo sanctorum patrum, qui Nica;na urbe congregati sunt:
" et centum quinquaginta sanctorum patrum qui in hac regia urbe
" convenerunt: et sanctorum patrum qui in Epheso primo congregati
" sunt, et sanctorum patrum qui in Chalcedone convenerunt : sicut
" vestra apostolica sedes docet alque praedicat. Omnes ergo sacer-
" dotes sequentes doctrinam Apostolicje sedis vestra ita credunt
" et confitentur et predicant.

" Unde properavimus hoc ad notitiam deferre veslraj sanctitatis
" per Hjpatiam et Demetrium, beatissimos episcopos, ut nee vestram
" sanctitatem iateal, qua* et a quibusdam panels inonachis male
" et Jndaice secundum Ncstorii perfidiam dent'gata sunt. Petimus
" ergo vestrum paternum affectum : Ut vestris ad nos destinatis
" literis, el ad sanctissimum episcopum hujus alma urbis, et patriar-
" cham vestrum fratrera ; (quoniam et ipse per eosdera scripsit ad
" vestram sanctitatem, festinans in omnibus sedem sequi apostolicara
" beatitudinis vestras), manifestum nobis facialis, quod omnes qui
" praedicta recte confitentur, suscipit vestra sanctitas, et eorum qui
" Judaice ausi sint rectam denegare fidem, condemnat perfidiam.
" Plus enim ita circa vos omnium amor, et vestrae sedis crescet aucto-
" ritas! et quas ad vos est unitas sanctarum ecclesiarum inturbata
'' servabitur, quando per vos didicerint omnes beatissimi episcopi
" eorum, quae ad vos relata sunt, sinceram vestrae sanctitatis doctri-
*' nam. Petimus autem vestram beatitudinem orare pro nobis, et Dei
•' nobis adquirere providentiam."

The above epistle veas dated at least as early as the 25th of March,
533 ; for in his letter to the Archbishop of Constantinople, which

505

the termination of the twelve hundred and sixty
years is to be computed^ reckoning their commence-

bears that date, the Emperor mentions his having already written to
the Pope.

The reply of Pope John to the above memorable epistle is dated
the 24th March, 534^ and the following are extracts from it;

" Gloriosissimo et clementissirao filio Jnstiniano Augnsto, Johannes
" Episcopus Urbis Romse.

" Inter claras sapientiae ac mansuetudinis vestrae laudes, Christia-
" nissime principum, puriore luce tanquam aliquod sydns irradiat,
" quod amore fidei, quod charitatis studio edocti ecclesiaslicis
" disciplinis, Romanes sedis reverentiam conservatis, et ei cuncta
" subjicitis, et ad ejus deducitis unitatem, ad cujus auctorem, hoc
" est apostolorum primum. Domino loquente praeceptum est pasce
"oves7nea8: Quam esse omnium vere ecclesiarum caput, etpatrum
" regulsR et principum statuta declarant, et pietatis vestrEereverendis-
*' simi testantur affatus." — * *****

*' Proinde serenitatis vestrse apices, per Hypatium atque Deme-
" trium, sanclissimos viros, fratres et ciiepiscopos meos, reverentia
" consueta suscepimus : quorum etiam relatione comperimus, quod
" fidelibus populis proposuislis edictum amore fidei pro submovenda
" haereticorum intentione, secundum aposloiicam doctrinara, fratrum
" et cbepiscoporum nostrorum iuterveniente consensu. Quod, quia
♦' apostolicae doctrinae convenit, nostra auctoritate confirmaraus."

Upon the same occasion Jus'inian also addressed a letter to the
Patriarch of Constantinople, of which I shall give the first paragraph.

" Idem imperat. Epiphanio sanctissimo et beatissimo Archiepiscopo
" Regis hujus Urbis et Oecumenico Patriarchs.

" Cognoscere volentes tuam sanctitatem ea omnia quaj ad ecclesi-
" asticum spectant statum : necessarium duximus, hisce ad earn uti
" divinis compendiis, ac per ea manifesta eidera facere, quse jam
" moveri coepta sunt, quanquam et ilia eandem cognocere sumus
" persuasi. Cum itaquc comperissemus quosdam alienos a sancta,
" catholica, et apostolica ecclesia, inipiorum Nestorii et Eutychetis
" sequutos deceptionem, divinani antehac promulgavimus edictum
" (quod et tua novit sanctitas) per quod hasreticorum furores repre-
" hendimus^ ita ut nullo quovis omnino modo immutaverimus, im-
" mutemus aut prstergrcssi simus eum, qui nunc usque, coadjuvante
" Deo, servatus est, ecclesiasticum statum (quemadmodum et tua
'^ novit sanctitas) sed in omnibus servato statu unitatis sanctissimarum

206

ment in the above year. Two modes of computino-
time have obtained ; the one is to reckon by complete

" ecclcsiarum cum ipso S. S. Papa veteris Roinse, ad quem siinilia
" hisce perscripsiraus. Nee cnim patimur ut quicqiiaiii eorum, qux
*' ad ecclesiasticum spectaut staturn, non etiatn ad ejusdeni referatur
" beatitndinem : qiiuin ea sit caput omnium saiirtissimorura Dei
" sacerdotum : vel eo maxime quod, quoties in eis locis haeretici
" pullularunt, el sententia et recto judicio illius venerabilis sedis
'• coerciti sunt."

The above documents are to be found at full length in the volume
of the Civil Law, (Codicis lib. I. tit. I.) and by being published in that
collection, they obtained the stamp of public and legislative authority
as the laws of the empire. In these documents we find the emperor
publishing a rule of faith to his subjects of the eastern empire, and
addressing the pope of Rome on the occasion, as the adcnowled^ed
head of all Ike churches (not the western churches only), and request-
ing his approbation of what he had done. We see the pope, in reply,
givin;:; the sanction of his authority, as the acknowledged head of the
church, to the religious edict of Justinian.

Gothofredus, a celebrated civilian, in his edition of the Corpus
Juris, has the following note on the passage of Justinian's Epistle to
the Patriarch of Constantinople, above quoted : " Hinc collige, errare
" eos, qui volunt imperatorum Phocam primum proGregorio Magno
" pontifice, sententiam tulisse contra Johannem Patriarcham Con-
" stantinopolitanum ; quum ex his verbis constet tempore Justiniani
" primatum summo pontifici donatura fuisse."

Gravina, in his work on the Roman Law, entitled, Origines Juris
Civilis, has the following remark: " Cum tamen sciamus, ipso Justi-
" niano teste, qui in Novellis veterem Romam sacerdotii fontera
" appellat, Constantinopolitanum antistitem orientalibus episcopis
" utcunque praslatum, ipsum tamen simul cum cajteris ecclesiis
" Romano paruisse."

I next quote the exordium of an edict of Justinian, being the ninth
of the Novellae Conslitutiones, of which the following is the title:

" Ut etiam ecclesia Romana centum annorum gaudeat pra?-
" scriptione.

Novella Constit. IX.
" Imp. Justin. A. Joanni, viro Iteatiss. ac sanctiss. Archiepisc. et
" Patriarchs veteris Romae.

Priefatio.
" Ut legum originem anterior Roma sortita est, ita et summi pon-
" tificatus apicem apud earn esse nemo est qui dubitet. Unde et no*

207

or past time, the other by incomplete or current
time. The first of these generally prevails in Europe,

" necessarium duximiis, patriam legum, fontem sacerdotii, speciaii
" nostri numinis lege illustrare," &c.

I lastly quote on this subject the words of Justinian in the 131st of
his NovelljE Constitutiones, and entitled, De Ecclesiasticis Titulis et
Privilegiis. Cap. II. " De Ordine sedendi Patriarcharum," runs thus:
" Ideoque sancimus sanctissimura senioris Roiuje Papam, priniura esse
" omnium sacerdotum; beatissimum autem archiepiscopum Constan-
" tinopoleos novEB Romae, secundum habere locum post sanctara
" apostolicam senioris RomjE sedem."

Having thus given a view of the different legal documents, in virtue
of which the pope was constituted head of the church by the emperor
Justinian, I shall now quote the original authorities for the grant of
the emperor Phocas, in the year 606.

The first of these authorities is the historian Paulus Diaconus.

In his work, De Gestis Longobardorum, lib. IV. cap. 36, is the
following- passage :

" Phocas igitur,ut praemissum est, extincto Mauricio, ej usque filiis
" Roraanorum regnum invadens, per octo annorum curricula prin-
*' cipatus est. Hie, rogante Papa Bonefacio, statuit sedem Romanx
" et apostolicae ecclesise caput esse omnium ecclesiarum, quia ecclesia
'' Constantinopolitana primam se omnium ecclesiarum scribebat."

Diaconus writes to the same purpose in his work, De Gestis Ro-
manorum ad Eutropii Historian! Additus, lib. XVII. " Hie (Phocas),
*' rogante Papa Bonefacio, statuit sedem Romana: ecclesiae, ut caput
" esset omnium ecclesiarum: quia ecclesia Constantinopolitana pri-
" mam se omnium ecclesiarum scribebat."

Anastasius writes as follows in his Historia Ecclesiastica et de Vitis
Pontificum, P. II. p. 44. cap. 3. Bonefacius III. Anno Christi 606.
Phocae Imp. 4.

" Bonefacius, natione Romanus, ex patre Joanne Cabaudioce, sedit
" menses octo, dies viginti octo. Hie obtinuit apud Phocam Prin-
" cipem, ut sedes apostolica beati Petri Apostoli caput esset omnium
" ecclesiarum, id est, ecclesia Romana, quia ecclesia Constantinopo-
" litana primam se omnium ecclesiarum scribebat."

I am not aware that any other original authorities for the grant of
Phocas have been quoted. It will be observed that the above quo-
tations, in themselves, are sufficiently meagre, and there is no ap-
pearance in them of any new title having been conferred by Phocas,
but merely a confirmation of the one previously given by Justinian,
which, in the contests for power between the bishops of Rome and

208

and the last in Asia. It" one event were to happen
upon Friday, and another upon Sunday, we should
say that tico days only intervened between the two
events. If a sovereign succeeded to the throne of
a particular kingdom in the year 3800, and died in
1810, we should say that he died after a reign of
ten years.

But an Asiatic computes by current and not by com-
plete time, and he would say, that th7^ee days inter-
vened between the event which occurred on Friday,
and that which happened on Sunday ; and that the
sovereign who succeeded to the throne in 1800, and
died in 1810, reigned eleven years. Many examples
of this mode of reckoning occur in the scriptures.
Our Lord, it is well known, died on Friday and rose
on Sunday, and he is uniformly in the scriptures
said to have risen after three days. Our Lord's
second appearance to his assembled disciples after
his resurrection, is generally allowed to have been
on the Lord's Day, as was his first appearance ; yet
the evangelist John tells us that his second appear-
ance was eight days after the first.* Zedekiah is
said, in 2 Chron. xxxvi. 11. and 2 Kings xxiv. 18.

Constantinople, may very probably have been iu process of time
disputed by the eastern patriarch. Here is also no original imperial
decree or epistle, as in the time of Justinian; and I can scarcely con-
ceive, that after reading the documents of Justinian, any impartial
person who has no system to support will, on the meagre testimony of
Diaconus and Anastasius, maintain that the papal supremacy had its
origin in the reign of Phocas.

I ought to say, in concluding this note, that for the quotations
given above, from Gravina and Anastasius, I am indebted to the
kindness of friends, not having myself seen the works from which they
are extracted.

* John XX. 19. 26.

209

to have reigned eleven years in Jerusalem : but it is
plain from what is said in the following chapter of
Kings, from the 3d to the 9th verses, that the eleven
years of Zedekiah's reign were not complete years ;
and if we even suppose the first to have been a
complete year, and that his reign began on the first
day of it, yet it appears that he was dethroned and
taken prisoner on the ninth day of the fourth month
of the eleventh year of his reign ; and that on the
seventh day of the fifth month, the city and temple
of Jerusalem were burnt to the ground by Nebuzar-
adan. In this instance then the sacred historian,
reckoning by current and not by past time, deno-
minates a period eleven years, which was, strictly
speaking, only ten years four months and eight
days. In like manner, the year of the jubilee was
called the fiftieth year, though in complete time it
was only the forty-ninth.* Indeed, 1 know not
whether any example occurs in the Old or New
Testament of a different mode of reckoning.

In computing prophetical time, I presume that
it must be obvious to every one, that we ought to
attend to those principles on which it hath seemed
good to the Holy Spirit to reckon historical time.
Following then the above mode of reckoning, if
the twelve hundred and sixty years of Daniel and
St. John commenced in the year of our Lord 533,
they must have expired in the year 1792.

This, therefore, is the result of the application of
history to the first proposition, that the twelve
hundred and sixty years actually commenced in the
year 533, and ended in 1792.

* Lev. XXV. S— 10.

'^10

PROPOSITION SECOND.

^t the termination of the twelve hundred and

sixly years, the Ancient of Days comes, and the

judgment is to sit to take away the dominion of the

little horn, to consume and destroy it unto the end.

When the judgment begins to sit, then the twelve
hundred and sixty years are ended.

Till the French revolution, the papal power, not-
withstanding the partial resistance which it expe-
rienced from some of the sovereigns of Europe, con-
tinued throughout all the central territories of the
Roman empire of the west to hold the saints in sub-
jection. Neither in Italy, France, Spain, Portugal,
or Savoy, were the protestants tolerated ; and the
only part of what may be considered a central part
of the western empire, where toleration existed, was
in some of the cantons of Switzerland. Previously
to the French revolution, therefore, it is plain that
the judgment had not begun to sit, to consume and
take away the dominion of the papacy. Europe
appeared to slumber in perfect security ; the pro-
testant faith had lost much ground since the period
of the reformation, nor did there appear any prospect
of its regaining what was lost. Indeed, England
was the only kingdom of the ancient Roman empire
which had wholly embraced the reformation, and
destroyed the papal authority within its dominions.

But at the fall of the French monarchy in 1792,
a series of events began, which have, in the short
space of twenty-five years, shaken to its foundation
the spiritual power of the papacy throughout the
greatest part of the western empire. The monastic
orders have been annihilated, the property of the

211

church confiscated ; the tithes have been abolished ;
many spiritual principahties have been secularized ;
and in France, the Netherlands, and every part of
Germany, the protestants have, by the new consti-
tutions of these kingdoms, obtained not only a com-
plete toleration, but an equal admission to offices of
public trust with their catholic fellow subjects.*

* It is well known, that by the constitutional charter of France
toleration is granted to the Protestants; yet in one of the departments,
that of the Gard, and particularly in the city of Nismes, they appear
to have suflFered grievous persecution. But this one instance of per-
secution, which is perhaps connected with local animosities, and is
also disowned by the government of France, seems not to be sufficient
to overthrow reasoning which is founded upon facts of a more general
nature.

That the progress of the principles of religious liberty throughout
Europe, and consequently the decline of the spiritual power of the
pope, have been very great since the French revolution, may be
gathered from the following facts which 1 have gleaned from the
public papers.

Times, Dec. 2, 1814. — " Congress of Vienna. Among the few
** principles which seem perfectly agreed upon, is one which must
" afford satisfaction to all candid and considerate minds. We allude
•' to the perfect equality which is to be established in Germany,
" between the three great religious persuasions, the Boman, the
*' Lutheran, and the Calvinistic."

The same paper, Dec. 9, 1815. — " Fienna, JVov. 21. Our court
" does not at present appear to stand very well with that of Rome,
'• the Austrian government seeking to guarantee its subjects against
*' the influence of the holy see. The court of Rome has published
*' several notes and memorials, wherein little respect is shewn for
" Austria, who is accused of unjustly retaining Romish provinces.
" With these accusations religious opinions are mingled. The Austrian
" government has renewed all the ordinances passed since the time of
" Joseph II."

London Courier, Sept. 27, 1S15.— " Paris, Sept. 24. A church
" has been opened for the protestants at Venice, The Austrian
" government has granted them the free exercise of their religion in
" the kingdom of Italy, in the same manner as they have long

212

These events seem to afford decisive evidence that
the judgment, to consume and destroy the dominion
of the papacy, began to sit at the fall of the French
monarchy in 1792, and consequently that the twelve
hundred and sixty years then elapsed : for, as the
protestants are now tolerated in the central countries
of the western empire, the period during which the
saints, and times, and laws of the church, were to be
delivered into the hand of the papacy, is evidently
past ; and from what was said before, it follows that
it could only have elapsed at the time of the French
revolution.

It is also agreeable to the analogy of the divine
government to suppose, that wicked men should
be made use of as instruments for the demolition of
the power of the papacy ; and this has been the case
in a very remarkable manner in the present period.
The persons who successively were invested with
the supreme power in France from the fall of the
monarchy, till the recent restoration of the Bour-
bons, and particularly the remarkable individual who
lately reigned in that country, may be considered in
the light of public executioners, to whom a work
of wrath was committed. They have most awfully
fulfilled their commission. But the judgment is still
sitting, and we must patiently wait to see the end.
The period in which we live is pregnant with events
of the most stupendous nature ; and if we may
judge of the future by what is past, the astonishing

" enjoyed that privilege in Austria. It is believed that this inno-
♦' vation in the Italian states has been made under an understanding
" with the holy see."

213

celerity with which events have succeeded each
other, seems to show that the utter end of the papal
dominion is not distant.

It is indeed true, that the course of things since
the overthrow of Bonaparte, seems at first view to
indicate, that the power of the pope is recovering
its ascendancy. The whole authority and influence
of the sovereigns of the house of Bourbon, is thrown
into the scale of the Romish church. In Spain,
Ferdinand has re-established the Inquisition. In
France every effort is used by the royal family, to
restore animation to the expiring cause of Rome.
The order of the Jesuits has been re-established by
a papal bull. The pope has recovered his temporal
possessions. But still, all these efforts made to
prop up a falling edifice, may be fitly compared to
the labours of children to give solidity to houses
built with cards or sand. The spirit of the times
opposes an obstacle to the partisans of the Romish
church, too powerful to be overcome by those
restored dynasties, which themselves bear all the
marks of the decrepitude of age.*

Moreover, though the late change, which is so
glorious in the eyes of worldly politicians, as having
been the means of restoring the ascendancy of
ancient principles, has apparently tended to prolong
the empire of popery, yet let not the Christian over-

* Extract from The Times Newspaper, Dec. 22, 1814. — " Parma,
*' Nov. 26, In the greatest part of the states of Italy where the plan
" had been formed to re-establish the convents, so much opposition
" has been met with from the cidevant monks, that it has been
" necessary to desist from the measure. It is not yet known what
" part the pope will take, or whether he will revoke the ecclesiastical
" pensions."

214

look io it, the marks of the merciful interposition of
God, to procure a respite to the nations of Europe
from the final and overwhelming; calamities of the
third woe, to afford new scope for the circulation of
the sacred volume by those societies which have
been created or invigorated in consequence of the
restoration of peace, and thus to hold out to the
nations the message of reconciliation as a celestial
balm to heal the wounds of a bleeding world.*

It is evident that the interval of peace, has already
been improved for these purposes by the church of
Christ, with quite as much diligence, as it has
been used by the advocates of the papacy, for
strengthening the kingdom of darkness. f Even
therefore, if popery should attempt a new struggle,
it will probably be analogous to the convulsive

» In the year which iramediatelv succeeded the pacification of
Europe, Bible Societies were formed in the following states and
cities: — 1. The Netherlands; 2. Grand Dachy of Berg; 3. Hanover;
4. Prussia; 5. Saxony; 6. Sweden; 7. Denmark: S. Lubeck;
9. Hamburg; 10 Dantzik; 11. Erfurt. In the same year the Russian
SocietT, whose rapid progress augurs so happily for the spiritual
interests of that ^ast empire, was consolidated. Had the power of
Bonaparte continued unbroken, the means of forming these societies
would not have existed, or, to say the least, their operations would
necessarily have been circumscribed within very narrow limits. It
may therefore be safely aflBrmed, that all this incalculable mass of
spiritual good has, as far as second causes are concerned, arisen out
of the triumph of the allied monarchs, and the consequent restoration
of peace to Europe. If then popery has gained somewhat in France,
Spain, and Italy, from the restoration of the old dynasties, that evil
is far more than overbalanced by the triumphs of Christianity in the
north of Europe.

+ There is another circumstance which ought not to escape the
attention of those who are carefully watching the s\gx)s of the times.
I allude to the extensive co-operation of pious and liberal Roman
Catholics, not even excepting the dignitaries of the church, in forming
Bible Societies, particularly in Germany, Holland, and Russia.

215

efforts, sometimes made by beasts of prey, after
they have been mortally wounded. The mortal
wound of the papal power, seems evidently to have
been inflicted at the French revolution ; and con-
sequently, we have every reason to suppose, that
the judgment then began to sit, to consume and
destroy its dominion to the end.

We have thus discovered, that the application of
history to the first and second propositions, leads
equally to the conclusion, that the twelve hundred
and sixty years ended in the year 1792; and as we
arrive at this common result by chains of argument
which have no mutual connection, the great and
interesting fact which is thus proved, receives from
this circumstance, further confirmation, and is estab-
lished on the ground almost of positive certainty.

PROPOSITION THIRD.

The witnesses are to prophesy in sackcloth during
the whole tzcelve hundred and sixty years ; there-
fore, when they put off their sackcloth, the twelve
hundred and sixty years are ended.

PROPOSITION FOURTH.

The mystical woman, the Church, is to he con-
cealed in the wilderness during the whole twelve
hundred and sixty years; therefore, when the
wojnan begins to emerge from the wilderness, that
period is elapsed.

Sackcloth is the garb of mourning, and the pro-
phesying of the witnesses in sackcloth implies their
being in a state of mourning on account of the little
effect produced by their ministry on the apostate

316

inhabitants of the earth. The period, tlierefore,
when they cease to mourn (i. e. when they put off
their sackcloth), must be marked by a great and
powerful revival of religion.

In like manner, the abode of the woman in the
wilderness signifies that the true church shall be
in a barren and unfruitful state, and hidden from
the eyes of men. Therefore the time when the
woman shall begin to emerge from the wilderness,
must likewise be marked by a great and wonderful
progress of true religion ; and as there is not any
more conspicuous mark of spiritual barrenness than
indifference about the salvation of others, when the
period of the barrenness of the woman shall elapse,
it may be expected, that iht desire of Christians
to evangelize the heathen and the Jews, which had
appeared for many ages to sleep, will suddenly
revive, and lead to such general exertions for these
blessed ends, as shall mark a new era in the history
of the Christian church.

Having made these preliminary remarks, let us
next turn to history. There have been three eras
of light in the church : \st, That of the apostles ;
2dlj/, That of the reformation ; 3dli/, The period in
which we now live. We may expect to find each
of these eras marked in the Apocalypse. The first
or apostolic era is accordingly distinguished by the
going forth of the rider on the white horse, in the
first seal, conquering and to conquer. The second
era is pointed out, as I have endeavoured to prove,
by the resurrection of the slain witnesses, and their
ascension into the symbolical heaven ; by the earth-
quake, and fall of the tenth part of the city. The

217

third era has ah'eady been distinguished by events Tft
the church, of so transcendently important a nature,
and of which the future but daily growing conse-
quences are hidden as yet from our eyes, that it
bears all the marks of that period when the wit-
nesses are to put off their sackcloth, and the woman
to emerge from the wilderness.

No attentive observer, indeed scarcely the most
superficial observer, can be ignorant of the great
and wonderful change which has taken place in the
christian church within the last twenty-five years.
This change is so stupendous, that it has attracted
the attention and alarmed the fears even of infidels.
The present period has been distinguished, not only
by a great revival of religion within the church,
but by the formation of new institutions, before
unheard of, for the dissemination of the light of
Christianity over the world. The efforts of these
societies have been attended with the most signal
success. The British and Foreign Bible Society,
instituted only a few years ago, has already given a
new impetus to the moral universe. " It is perhaps
*' only because we live in an age of rapid mutations
" and of gigantic conquest, that we contemplate the
*' movements of this society without astonishment.
" Its operations deserve, with respect to their
" colossal magnitude, to be ranked with the rise and
" fall of empires. A map of its conquests would
" embrace almost every circle of latitude. It has
" visited the earth in almost all its several quarters,
" and there is scarcely a wind of heaven which is
'' not charged with its high commission."*

* Christian Observer, for the year 1810, p. 775; aud if such

218

The general advancement of the cause of Christ
is well described in the following passage from a
respectable periodical work : " In the review of the
" past, to which we are naturally led on this occasion,
'* the circumstance with which we are most forcibly
'' struck, is the different aspect which the Christian
" world exhibits at the present moment, from that
'' which it bore at the commencement of our course.
" Nor is the aspect altered only ; it is improved
" beyond the fondest dreams of the visionary. If we
'' could suppose some calm calculating Christian ob-
'' server to open his eyes, after a ten years' sleep,
*' on the passing scene, would he not find himself
'' almost in a new creation ?

^' For many an age has the church of Christ been
" earnestly praying and longing for the coming of
'' his kingdom, while there have often been no
" cheering appearances to strengthen the faith, or
" support the hope, of the pious worshippers. And
" had not the harp of prophecy soothed the suffering
" world with the prospect of a brighter day — a day
" in which the prayers of the faithful should be fully
" answered, and all the dark and bloody superstitions
" which have deformed the earth, being swept away
•' the light of the Lord should arise on Zion, and his
" glory be seen in the midst of her ; when the Gen-
" tiles also shall come to this light, and kings to the
" brightness of this rising — they might well have
'' despaired to see the goodness of the Lord in the
'^ land of the living.

" To the dawning, however, of this day — the

language might justly be used in 1810, by what forms of expression
shall we describe the progress of this wonderful institution in 1 SI 7.

^19

** hope of all the saints on earth — the joy of all
"^ the angels in heaven — the object of the prophecies
*' and prayers of the church for more than
" three thousand years — a day which transported
" with rapture those who beheld it even in distant
"^ anticipation : to the dawn of this blessed day we
*' seem to be now approaching. It is impossible to
" regard the signs of the times without perceiving
" that the foundation is now laying for a new and
" better state of things. Contemplate the unex-
'' ampled pains which are taken to instruct the poor;
" the glow of holy zeal which is spreading itself
" around for the distribution of the sacred volume ;
•' and the harmony with which Christians of every
" name have united to diffuse its blessed light!
" See Missionaries going forth with a spirit truly
'' apostolic, to carry the glad tidings of salvation to
" every corner of the earth ; the scriptures trans-
" lated into more languages than distinguished the
'' day of Pentecost, and dispersed into more lands
'' than ever the apostles visited ; all sects and parties
'' who bow the knee in the name of Jesus, rising as
" by one consent, yet without any previous concert,
*^ to carry on this labour of love ! Behold our kings,
" and our princes, and the nobles of the land, bright-
'* ening their honours by patronizing this divine
'' work ! But look to the east and to the west, to
" the north and to the south — the whole moral uni-
'' verse is moved. Like some of the effects which
*' have recently been produced in the material cre-
'' ation, by a power hitherto unknown, we perceive
" in every direction the dry bones shaken and starting
'' into life, as if struck by some mighty and per-

220

"^ vading influence. Can the Christian contemplate
"^ all thisj and not be compelled to exclaim, ' This
'' is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our
'^ eyes !'"*

I have chosen to give the above quotation at full
length, as it contains the testimony of an able and
impartial writer, v^^ho occupies an hill of observation,
a watch-tower on the walls of Jerusalem ; and as this
testimony is not given with a view to any particular
interpretation of prophecy, it is on this account
more valuable than any observations which I might
offer, since these might be supposed to receive a
tinge from the hypothesis which I support. If the
above passage contains a faithful picture of the
present state of things in the church, there can
be no doubt that a new era has commenced ; and
as the slaughter, resurrection, and ascension of the
witnesses, belong to the period of the reformation,
the prophetical era into which we have now entered,
can be no other than the putting off the sackcloth of
the witnesses, and the return of the woman from the
wilderness ; because no intervening event of conse-
quence is marked in the Apocalyptic prophecies.
In effect, the woman, the true spiritual church, is
now again discerned by men, in the union of Chris-
tians of all denominations, for evangelizing the
world ; and thus it is, that the members of the
mystic woman are distinguishable from the nominal
worshippers of the outer court. As the beast has
his mark, so has the mystic woman ; and her mark
is that love of Christ, which constraineth his disciples

* Christian Observer for 1811, Preface.

221

to spare no labour or cost in sending forth mes-
sengers, bearing the glad tidings of salvation, to the
most distant parts of the earth.

Since then it is proved, by the events of the
present time, that the witnesses have put off their
sackcloth, and that the woman has emerged from the
wilderness ; it follows as a necessary consequence,
that the twelve hundred and sixty years are
elapsed.

The exact Apocalyptic period at which the woman
begins to return from the wilderness, seems to be
when the temple of God is opened in heaven, and
the ark of his testament is seen.* This happens, as
we have before seen, at the sounding of the seventh
trumpet. f

* Rev. xi, 19.

t During the four years which have elapsed since the original
publication of this work, the whole course of things in the church of
Christ has more and more justified my reasoning under these two
propositions. The stream of divine light has continued to flow with
gradually increasing power. The zeal for the salvation of mankind,
among every denomination of Christians, grows in strength from year
to year, and manifests itself by the progressive increase of the funds
of missionary institutions, even in times of general misfortune and
distress. We have witnessed the strange spectacles, of the Mahomedan
sovereign of Persia giving his sanction to a translation of the New
Testament made by a Clergyman of the Church of England ; the Greek
Patriarch of Constantinople authenticating, by a formal declaration,
the accuracy of an edition of the Modern Greek Testament, printed
in England by the British and Foreign Bible Society; and the Metro-
politans of the Greek, Catholic, Armenian, and Georgian Churches
within the Russian empire, sitting together in their sacerdotal
garments, at the first anniversary of the Russian Bible Society. (See
Eleventh Report of the British and Foreign Bible Society.) Surely
these, and many other facts of a similar nature, loudly proclaim thai
the Church is no longer in the wilderness.

222

PROPOSITION FIFTH.

The twelve hundred and sixty years end at the
sounding of the seventh trumpet.

In the tenth chapter of this work, I have already
given those reasons which lead me to coincide in the
opinion of Mr. Faber and Mr. Bicheno, that the
seventh trumpet sounded in the year 1792, either at
the fall of the French monarchy on the 10th of
August in that year, or a few months earlier, when
the war commenced between France and Austria.
Upon this point, new light will probably break in
upon us as we advance. Since, therefore, the
seventh trumpet sounded in (he year 1792, it follows
that the twelve hundred and sixty years also elapsed
in that year, v.hich agrees with, and confirms the
historical inferences drawn from the whole of the
preceding propositions.*

PROPOSITION SIXTH.

The times of the Gentiles (i. e. the twelve hundred
and sixty years) end when the signs in the sun, and
in the moon, and in the stars, and the distress of
nations, mentioned by our Lord in Luke xxi. 25,
begin.

It is generally allowed, that our Lord's discourse
upon the destruction of Jerusalem, is one of the
most difficult parts of the prophetical scriptures ;
and there is hardly any passage which has more per-
plexed interpreters.

This remarkable prophecy of Christ is given by

* Bishop Newton, Mede, Whiston, and Dr. More, all concur in
thinking that the twelve hundred and sixty years terminate at the
sounding of the seventh trumpet, or at the end of the sixth.

223

three of the evangelists, Matthew^ Mark, and Luke,
The two first of these sacred writers relate the dis -
course very nearly in the same language and order.
St. Luke omits some things mentioned by Matthew
and Mark, and considerably varies the forms of ex-
pression used by them ; he also furnishes us with a
chronological link, connecting the latter with the
first part of the prophecy, and shewing us when the
signs in the heavens which are mentioned in it are to
commence. To arrive at the true meaning of our
Lord's discourse, it is therefore necessary to compare
the different evangelists with each other, parti-
cularly Matthew and Luke. 1 shall endeavour to do
this, in what I am about to offer on this subject.

The whole prophecy was delivered in answer to
certain questions put to our Saviour in a private
manner, not by all the apostles, but by Peter, James,
John, and Andrew ;* the three first of whom seem
on two other occasions to have been favoured in a
peculiar manner above the rest of the apostles, in
being the witnesses of their divine master's transfi-
guration, and of his agony in Gethsemane.

Before we consider the questions of the disciples,
it may be proper to inquire what were at that time
the opinions which they entertained respecting
the kingdom of our Lord,, as this is calculated to
throw much light on the subject of our investigation.
It is well known, that at the period of the appear-
ance of our Saviour, the whole Jewish nation were
in earnest expectation of the promised Messiah.
But they had very erroneous notions concerning
the nature of his mission and kingdom. This arose

* Mark ziii. 3.

^24

from their ignorance of the meaning and end of
the typical institutions of Moses, and their paying
no attention to those prophecies which expressly
foretold the humiliation and passion of Christ.
Overlooking all these things, which were to be
accomplished at the first advent, they most intently
fixed their eyes upon the predictions which related
to the second advent of Messiah, and the prosperity
of their nation in the latter days, under his glorious
reign. Hence their expectation, that Messiah was
about to appear to deliver them from the Roman
yoke, and advance them to glory and empire ; hence
their desire on one occasion to make Jesus a king.*
This also throws much light upon the demand made
by the mother of Zebedee's children, f and the con-
sequent indignation of the other ten apostles, and
upon the disputes which sometimes arose among the
apostles, which of them should be greatest.

Our blessed Lord, knowing the weakness of our
nature, and its inaptitude to receive the sublime
doctrines of his religion too suddenly, did not at
once shock the prejudices which the disciples had
imbibed in common with the rest of the nation.
With inimitable tenderness and condescension, he
gradually opened their minds to the perception of
spiritual truths, and thus in some measure prepared
them for receiving the humble and mortifying doc-
trines of the cross. At length, having fully esta-
blished the apostles in the belief of himself, as the
promised Messiah, he from that time forth % began
to instruct them more explicitly respecting the
nature of his kingdom, and to show that its very

* Johnvi. 15. + Matt. XX. 21. + Matt. xvi. 2).

225

foundation was to be laid in his own humiliation and
sufferings. How averse the disciples were to re-
ceive these mortifying truths, we may discover from
the conduct of Peter on that occasion : and Luke
informs us, that '' they understood none of these
" things ; and this saying was hidden from them ;
^' neither knew they the things which were spoken."

Even after our Lord's resurrection, the disciples
still clung to the expectation of a temporal kingdom^
and their minds were full of it. From this source
proceeded the observation of the two disciples who
were accosted by the risen Saviour on their way to
Emmaus : " But we trusted that it had been he
" which should have redeemed Israel ; " * and also
the question put to our Lord, just before his ascen-
sion, by the whole disciples in concert : ^' Lord,
" wilt thou at this time restore the kingdom to
" Israel?" t

When the apostles therefore asked our Lord the
questions which are recorded in Matthew xxiv.3,
they certainly had in their minds the above notions
of a temporal kingdom, and they alluded to the
coming of our Lord icith the clouds of heaven (to
establish the rule of the saints, and restore the
kingdom to Israel), which was foretold in Daniel ; J
and not to the end of the ivorld, in the common
acceptation of the term, but to the end of the age or
dispensation, during which the four Gentile monar-
chies were to prevail in the world ; at the close of
which period, they knew^ from the writings of
Daniel and the other prophets, that the kingdom of
the Messiah was to be established in glory, and the

* LukexxiT. 21. t Acts i. 6, + Dan. vii. 13, 14.

226

whole nation of Israel redeemed and gathered into
the land of their fathers.

The word rendered " world/' in Matthew xxiv. 3,
is uiujv^ which commonly in the version of the Seventy
answers to the Hebrew 'dl^V, denoting time hidden
from man.* Now it is well known that the Jews
divided time into two portions ; the one they called
\1'\T] 'dl^V, this or the present age, which compre-
hended the whole space of time during which the
four Gentile monarchies were to continue : the other
portion they called S^H dl^V, the age to come,
which they understood was to begin when the
Messiah should reign, as is described in Daniel vii.
io, 14. The close of the HTn 'dl^}), or present age,
was therefore to take place when the fourth or
Roman monarchy was finally destroyed. f

* See Parkhurst's Greek Lexicon, on the word Aiuv.

+ Mede, in his Comment. Apocalypt. ^ives the follawing quotation
from Rabbi Saadias, on Dan. vii. 18: " Because Israel have rebelled
" against God, their kingdom shall be taken from them, and given to
" these four monarchies, who shall possess the kingdom in this age,
" n*n D/iyH* ^"^ shall lead captive and subdue Israel under them
" until the age to come, ^^^r? 'D/^}! "U7> until the Messiah reign."

The word world (says the author of the lilustrations of Prophecy,
in a note) is given up by the majority of English commentators as
an improper rendering ; and in the Latin versions of Jerome, Erasmus,
Beza, and Montanus, aiuvos is translated, not mundi, but seculi.
" Atuv," says Mr. Waple, (on the Revelation, p. 24S,) " signifies an
" age of the world, or some eminent period of it;" and in corres-
pondence with this Dr. Hammond observes (on Luke i. 70), that in
the New Testament " it most commonly is used in a general sense,
" not for the age of man, nor again for an hundred years, but for an
" age of the world, or some eminent part in the division of that." —
" Sometimes," says Leigh, in his Critica Sacra, " it is put for that
" which continues a long time, and of which the end is not so clear;"
and this appears to be the exact meaning which the disciples here
annexed to the word. They inquired what would be the signs of the

221

Having by the^e observations endeavoured to
clear the way for the proper understanding of the
inquiries of the disciples, I now proceed to consider
what their questions were. Matthew xxiv. 3,

cvvTiKuoc rov aiuvos, at the expiration of which another a/av, or
eminent period, was to commence ; and accordingl)', in the writings
of tlie fathers, (see Suicerus) the word a.iuv frequently stood for this
last period, that is to say, for a thousand years. — In an ancient work,
the book of Tobit (xiv. 5.), «'*'>' appears manifestly to signify the
first of these great periods, namely, that which is to continue till the
commencement of the millenium: for it is there said of the Jews,
that when the times of the age are fulfilled (irXn^u'^uai y.»i^oi rov
scicuyos are the words of the Septuagint,) they shall return from all
places of their captivity. In Isaiah, on the contrary, (chap. Ixv. IS.)
the expression, the age to come, signifies the second of these long
periods, namely, the millenium: for, when speaking of the future
restoration of the Jews to their own land, he says (according to the
amended versions of Bishop Lowth and Mr. Dodson), but ye shall
rejoice and exult in the age to come. To verse 6. of chap. ix. of
Isaiah, reference also deserves to be made : for in that verse, accordiu"-
to the best copies of the Septuagint, and agreeably to the existing
Hebrew text, Christ is called, nrxn^ rev //.iXXovros utuios, the father
of the future age. In like manner, in the Vulgate, it is •' pater
^' /uturi seculi." See Mr. Dodson's valuable translation of Isaiah, and
his elaborate note on this verse.

In the Targum on Kings, the period of the Messiah is denominated
the age to come ; and, says Bishop Kidder, " among the other Jewish
" writers nothing is more common than to call the times of the
" Messiah, the Olam Hava, i. e. o ociuy i^sKKuv, or the age to conoe."
Demonstr. of Messiah, vol. iii. p. 381.

I close the note with a quotation from Dr Thomas Burnet. " The
" expression, a,iuv f/.iX>^uv, is either taken, largely, for the times of
" the Messiah in general, or, more particularly, for the times of the
" Messiah's reign. In this last confined and more proper sense, it is
" distinct both from the present age, and from eternity, or that time
" when Christ is to deliver up all dominion into the hands of the
" Father, 1 Cor. xv. 24 — 28. And in this proper sense, viz. taken
" for some age between this present and eternity, it is often used in
" scripture. Christ, it is said, will reign £v rco muvi iA.i>'ko\iri. Eph. i.
" 22, 23."— On the State of departed Souls, p. 282.— Illustrations of
Prophecy, p. 527, Note.

228

"^ The disciples came unto him privately, saying",
'' Tell us when shall these things be ? and \vhat
*' shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end
" of the age ?" Luke and Mark inform us of another
question added to the first. Luke xxi. 7. '' When
'^ shall these things be ? and what sign will there be
'' when these things shall come to pass ?'* We may
therefore, by comparing the diiferent evangelists,
conclude that the questions put to our Lord were
three in number:

\st, When shall these things be ?

2d, What sign will there be, when these things
shall come to pass ?

3d, What shall be the sign of thy coming, and
of the end of the age.

The discourse of our Lord will be found to con-
tain answers to all these questions, though not in
the exact order in which they were put. But as
the minds of the apostles were still deeply imbued
with the erroneous opinion, that his glorious reign
was not far distant, the first part of the discourse
seems to be intended to correct this notion, and to
show that a long period of darkness, persecution,
and calamity, was to intervene before the second
coming of Christ.* This part of the prophecy
may be considered as introductory to the rest, and
extends in Matthew xxiv. from verse 4 to 14. It
concludes by announcing that the Gospel shall be
preached in the whole habitable world o/xot//x,«» for
a witness to all nations, and then the end shall come :
that is, the end of the present dispensation, when the

* I am indebled to Mr. Bicheno for this idea: see his Signs of the
Times, p. 25fi: edit, of IS08.

229

Son of Man comes with the clouds of heaven to
establish the reign of God. This final promul-
gation of the Gospel, which immediately precedes
the second advent, must, it is evident, be more uni-
versal than those which took place, either in the
apostolic age, or at the reformation ; for at both
these eras, many nations of the world remained
ignorant of Christ.

The next part of the discourse contains an answer
to the second question ; '' What shall be the sign
''when these things shall come to pass?" viz. the
destruction of Jerusalem and the temple. In Matt,
xxiv. 15, that sign is declared to be when the
disciples should see the abomination of desolation,
spoken of by Daniel, stand in the holy place. Luke
(chap. xxi. 20) expounds this expression as follows:
" When ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with
•' armies, then know that the desolation thereof is
'* nigh."

This sign was well understood by the Christians
in Jerusalem, and we are informed by history, that
as soon as the Roman armies invested the city, they
all fled from it, in obedience to the warning of
our Lord (given in the next verses of Matthew) ;
and they were thus saved from the destruction which
overwhelmed their unbelieving countrymen. Our
Lord next describes the greatness of the distress
which should then come upon the Jews, and warns
his disciples, in Matthew xxiv. 23—26, not to be
deceived by any of the impostors who should appear
at that time, pretending to be the Messiah ; and he
signifies, that when his real coming shall take place,
there will be no need that one man should carry the

230

tidings to another, for it will be sudden as the
lightning which cometh from the east, and shineth
unto the west. *' l^his sudden and universal noto-
'' riety that there will be of our Saviour's last glo-
'* rious advent, is sigciified by the image of lightning,
" which in the same instant flashes upon the eyes of
" spectators in remote and opposite stations."* In
Luke xxi. 21, our Lord adds, that the Jews " shall
" fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led
" away captive into all nations ; and Jerusalem
" shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the
" times of the Gentiles be fulfilled."

The third division of our Saviour's prophecy,

contains an answer to the question. " What shall

" be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the

"age?" Having predicted that Jerusalem waste

be trodden down of the Gentiles, till the times of

the Gentiles were fulfilled, Christ adds, " Then f

' shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and

' in the stars ; and upon the earth, distress of

' nations with perplexity ; the sea and the waves

' roaring ; men's hearts failing them for fear, and

' for looking after those things which are coming

' on the earth : for the powers of heaven shall be

' shaken. And then shall they see the Son of Man

' coming in a cloud with power and great glory.

' x\nd when these things begin to come to pass,

' then look up and lift up your heads ; for your

* Bishop Horsley's Sermons, voi. i. p. 32, 33.

t " The copulative acci, ver. 25, is to be taken, after the Hebrew
" manner, ordinativ^, for Uini, deinde, which joii know is frequent
" in the scriptures : Then shall be signs." Mode's Works, Book ir.'
p. 12.

23\

-' redemption draweth nigh. And he spake to tliem
" a parable : Behold the fig-tree and all the trees,
'' when they now shoot forth, ye see ar.d know of
" your ownselves that summer is now nigh at hand.
'' So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to
*' pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at
" hand."

The corresponding passage in Matthew begins
at the 29th verse of the chapter already quoted,
and ends at the 33d verse. The expression, " im-
" mediately after the tribulation of those days/'
with which the clause begins, must not be under-
stood as referring alone to the troubles of the Jewish
nation at the siege and taking of Jerusalem ; for
" the tribulation of those days " extends to the
whole time of their ciiplivity and dispersion, even to
the close of the times of the Gentiles.*

I am now to consider the above signs in the sun,
the moon, and the stars, in connection with the
present inquiry concerning the commencement and
end of the prophetical period of twelve hundred and
sixty years.

It is manifest that the signs spoken of by our
Lord, are in the symbolical, and not the natural
heavens ; for we are informed, in the subsequent
part of our Saviour's discourse, that during the
occurrence of these signs, the world in general shall
be immersed in carnal security, and anxious occu-

* This is the sentiment of Mede ; see his Works, in the place
quoted above. It was also the opinion of Bishop Horsley ; see his
Sermons, vol. i. p. 55 : of Episcopius :md Tillotson; see Illustrations
of Prophecy, p. 392. Indeed this supposition is necessary to recoacUe
the two evangelists with each other.

pation about the things of this life, which could
hardly be the case^ if the signs described were in
the natural heavens. Indeed, these signs have never
been understood in a literal sense by any person
conversant in the language of sacred prophecy.

By the signs in the celestial luminaries we are
therefore to understand the fall of kingdoms, and
the dethronement or humiliation of the sovereigns
and princes of those states which are the scene of
the chronological prophecies of Daniel and St. John,
i. e. the body of the Roman empire in its last state.

The awful events which have taken place in
Europe since the fall of the French monarchy, are
evidently the fulfilment of these signs. At a very
early period of the progress of these events, they
appear to have arrested the attention of persons well
versed in the language of prophecy, and to have
excited in their minds suspicions that our Lord's
portentous prophecy had begun to be accomplished.

The late venerable and excellent Bishop Por-
teus, in a Charge delivered to the Clergy of the
Diocese of London, in the year 1794, used the
following words : " The present times, and the
" present scene of things, in almost every part of
" the civilized world, are the most interesting and
*' the most awful that were ever before presented
" to the inhabitants of the earth ; and such as
'' must necessarily excite the most serious reflections
''in every thinking mind. Perhaps all these sin
*' gular events, to which we have been witnesses,
" unparalleled, as they undoubtedly are, in the page
*■' of history, may be only the beginning of things;
" may be only the first leading steps to a train of

2'3S

** events still more extraordinary, to the accomplish-
*' ment possibly of some new and unexpected, and
*' at present unfathomable designs, hitherto reserved
" and hid in the councils of the Almighty. Some
" we know there are, who think that certain pro-
" phecies, both in the New Testament and the Old,
" are now fulfilling ; that the signs of the times are
'' portentous and alarming ; and that the sudden
^' extinction of a great monarchy, and of all the
" splendid ranks and orders of men that supported
'' it, is only the completion in part of that prediction
" in the Gospel, that ' the sun shall he darkened^
' ' and the moon shall not give her light, and the
" stars shall fall from heaven, before the second
" appearance of the Messiah to judge the earth : '
*' all which expressions are known to be figurative
'' emblems of the great powers and rulers of the
" world, whose destruction, it is said, is to precede
" that great event. As to myself, 1 pretend not to
'' decide on those arduous points ; I pretend not
'' either to prophesy, or to interpret prophecy ;
'' nor shall I take upon myself to pronounce whether
" we are now approaching (as some think) to the
" millennium, or to the day of judgment, or to any
" other great and tremendous and universal change
" predicted in the sacred writings. But this I am
" sure of, that the present unexampled state of the
'' Christian world is a loud and powerful call upon
" all men, but upon us above all men, to take pecu-
" liar heed to our ways, and to prepare ourselves for
*' every thing that may befal us, be it ever so novel,
'' ever so calamitous."

Since the above sentiments were uttered by the

234

venerable prelate, ue have witnessed a series of
events the most astonishing' that have ever happened
in the history of the world. I cannot better describe
these events than by quotini^ a passage on the
subject fron» an able writer of the present day.
" The fall of the French monarchy/' says this
author^ " was marked with all the characters of
" SUDDENNESS . and MYSTERIOUS POWER, which pe-
" culiarly appertain to the times of God's extra-
" ordinary visitations. Those characters are thus
'' drawn to our hands by two of the most dis-
'* linguished geniuses of that day, who were living
" witnesses, together with us, of that stupendous
" event.

" In that its acme of human prosperity and great-
'* ness," said Mr. Burke, '* in the high and palmy

" STATE OF THE MONARCHY OF FRANCE, it fell tO thC

*' ground ivithout a struggle."*

" Remember/' said Mr. Gibbon, " the proud

" FABRIC OF THE FRENCH MONARCHY ! Not foUV l/CaVS

" ago it stood founded, as it might seem, on the rock
" of time, force, and opinion ; supported by the
'' triple aristocracy of the church, the nobility, and
" the parliament. The^ are crumbled into the dust,
''■ they are vanished from the earth ! "

" Since the departure of these two eloquent writers
" we have seen a new power, assuming the dignity
" of EMPIRE, suddenly rise up, and establish his
'^ throne upon the crumbled ruins of that proud and
" ancient monarchy ; a power which has finally
" obliterated the name of roman empire; has ex-
" tinguished the papal monarchy; has overthrown
* On the French Revolution.

235

" the dynasties of Spain, Naples, Savoy, and Sweden,
" and the celebrated States of Venice, Tuscany,
" Genoa, and Holland ; has dissolved the Germanic
" Confederacy, has planted new tributary kingdoms
*' in the view of Christendom, and has at last ren-
'' dered himself master and sovereign of the chief city
'^ and principal territories of the fourth and last
" EMPIRE. And are not these signs in the sun, and
" in the moon, and in the stars ? " *

The description of these celestial signs' in Saint
Matthew's Gospel is somewhat more particular than
in Luke. It is said by the former evangelist, " The
" sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall withdraw
'' her light." The eclipse of the sun and moon, in
the language of symbols, denotes the overthrow of
the supreme or imperial powers in the empire which
is the subject jDf the prophecy. " In an empire split
" into many kingdoms, like the Roman empire, the
" sun is the government of that state, which, from
" its superiority of power, resembles the bright orb
" of day in the midst of the stars, or independent
'' kings, of the imperial firmament. "f We have
accordingly witnessed the extinction of the imperial
dignity of the German or Holy Roman Empire, the
representative of the Cajsars. We have also seen

* A Christian's Survey of all the Primary Events and Periods of
the World, from the Coraniencement of History to the Conclusion of
Prophecy. Much of this reasoning may he thought inapplicable to
the present state of things. This is indeed true, if the actual con-
dition of Europe shall prove to he a permanent settlement. But
should it be seen afterwards to have been only a pause in the last
earthquake, as I have endeavoured to show, then the whole of these
remarks retain their original force. March, 1817,

t Faber's Dissert, vol. i. p. 90.

236

the ancient dynasty of France, which took the sun
for its device, with the motto, " Necplurihus impar"
chased from its throne and kingdom, and the reigning
monarch and his consort perisli on a scaffold. Thus
have the sun and moon been darkened. The next
particular mentioned by St. Matthew is, that " the
" stars shall fall from heaven." This signifies the
humiliation of the regal powers within the limits of
the Roman empire ; and in the quotation given
above, there is an enumeration of particulars, wherein
this prophecy has been fulfilled. Our own highly
favoured country has, through the mercy of God,
been exempted from the dreadful evils of foreign
conquest and revolution ; yet the mysterious visitation
of the Almighty upon the faculties of our venerable
and excellent sovereign, has caused the regal star of
our political heaven to fall from heaven.*

To all the events above mentioned, must now be
added, more recent changes of a no less unexpected
and stupendous nature, which are to be regarded as
a new step, in the fulfilment of the signs in the sym-
bolical heavens. A few years ago, the colossal

* How striking and affecting is this dispensation, when we reflect
upon the personal virtues of our sovereign, which had so deservedly
o-iven him a firm hold on the affections of his subjects during a reign
of half a century ! — what a lesson this of the vanity and instability
of human greatness ! — How fervently ought Christians now to pray
for the Prince Regent and his counsellors, that they may be endued
with grace and wisdom from above, to guide the weighty and complex
machine of government in these awful times ! May they be inclined
and enabled fervently to supplicate these heavenly gifts for them-
selves ! and may they know and serve Him, by whom in all times, but
especially in these times, kings reign and princes decree justice I May
they have grace to *' kiss the Son, lest he be angry !" for who shall
*' stand in the day of his wrath ! "

237

empire of Napoleon Bonaparte^ resting; one foot on
the Vistula and the other upon the Tagus, held in its
iron g'rasp the treasures and resources of the Euro-
pean continent, and wielded its military force with
uncontrolled and wanton energy, for purposes which
threatened the world with new and unknown evils.
But this empire has in its turn vanished from the
earth : its sun is now darkened, and the Bourbons
have been restored. But their monarchy does not
now rest as formerly on the basis of prescription and
public opinion. It may be described as hastily
ingrafted on the stock of the Revolution, by the
diplomatic arrangements of the allied powers, and
supported by their armies. A short time may probably
discover whether this edifice is likely to possess g'reater
stability than that which preceded it. Should it again
fall, it will once more plunge Europe in all the
horrors of a revolutionary warfare.

St. Luke tells us that these signs in the sun and
the moon and the stars shall be attended '' with distress
'' of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves
*' roaring, men's hearts failing them for fear, and
" for looking after those things which are coming on
" the earth ; for the powers of the heavens shall be
'' shaken." That distress of nations, in its acutest
and most complicated forms, characterizes the present
period will be disputed by no one : for we are all in
a measure participators of those severe sufferings^
which now overspread the whole of Europe. The
roaring of the sea and waves signifies, in the lan-
guage of symbols, popular clamours and tumults,
and a general spirit of insubordination, looseningf

238

the bands of civil and political society. The shaking
of the powers of the heavens, means the shaking of
the governments and reigning powers. It is suf-
ficiently obvious to all attentive observers, that these
are the precise characters which mark the present
awful period of universal and portentous disorder.
No era in the history of mankind has been so re-
markable as the present one, for a spirit of disorder
and insubordination, and impatience of the restraints
of law, among the lower orders of society ; and it is
but too manifest that all existing institutions are in
danger of being overthrown by the prevalence of
this spirit. It may be said, that the hearts of most
considerate persons, who contemplate these things,
with the exception of that small and happy number,
who put their trust in God, are actually faihng them
for fear, and for looking after the things that are
coming on the earth. No rational person can pretend
to conjecture what is to be the end of the present
state of things, or can look before him without
emotions of fear and alarm.

IMius minutely has our Lord's prophecy been ac-
complished by awful signs in the symbolical heavens,
exactly corresponding therewith ; and by the present
fearful condition of the nations which occupy the
principal territories of the fourth monarchy, a con-
dition altoffether without example in the history of
the world.

We further learn, from the sequel of our Lord's
discourse, that the signs predicted by him are to
continue till his advent with the clouds of heaven.
This advent, it is evident, is the same with that

239

mentioned by Daniel, as taking place on the de-
struction of the fourth monarchy.* The disciples
are warned by our Lord himself, when they see the
predicted signs, to consider them as the certain and
immediate forerunners of liis advent in glory, and
the redemption of his church, and the establishment
of the kingdom of God, no less so than the sprouting
of the fig-tree, and all the trees, is a prognostic of
the approach of summer. Thus he answers the
third question, " What shall be the sign of thy coming,
" and of the end of the age ?"

We now come to the concluding division of our
Lord's discourse. Matt. xxiv. 34. '" Verily, I say
" unto you, this generation shall not pass, till all
" these things be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall
" pass away, but my words shall not pass away.
" But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no not
" the angels of heaven, but my Father only." —
Luke xxi, 34. '" Take heed to yourselves, lest at
" anytime your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting
" and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that
'' day come upon you unawares. For as a snare
" shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of
'' the whole earth. Watch ye, therefore, and pray
" always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape
" all these things, which shall come to pass, and to
" stand before the Son of Man."

Every one must see that there is apparently a
great inconsistency between what is said in the first
part of the above passage of Matthew, and the inter-
pretation of the prophecy which I have offered,
since our Lord here appears to affirm that the whole

* Dan. vii. 13, 14.

240

of the prediction was to be accomplished during* the
generation then living on the earth. This indeed is
the difficulty which, more than any other, has puzzled
and perplexed those who have endeavoured to give
a consistent interpretation of our Lord's prophecy.

The great and justly celebrated Mede, whose ex-
planation of the whole prophecy is similar to the one
given in these pages, in order to do away the objec-
tion arising to it from the above clause, supposes
that yinx, the Greek word in the passage, which is
translated '' generation," does not mean a generation
of co-existing men, but a race or nation, and the
nation spoken of he takes to be that of the Jews.
He, therefore, interprets it as signifying that '^ the
'^ Jewish nation shall not pass away till all these
'' things be fulfilled ;" and refers to the declaration
of God in Jeremiah xxxi. 35, 36. as being parallel
thereto.* That yEVf^ is sometimes used in this sense,
both in the Greek version of the Old and the New
Testaments, is shewn by Mede in the passage of his
Works referred to. But though the above Greek word
occasionally signifies a nation or people, yet this is
certainly not its natural or ordinary meaning; and
where it does occur in the above sense, the context
points out that it is not to be understood in its ge-
neral acceptation.

In this passage, on the contrary, the immediate
context would rather lead us to understand it in its
common meaning of " generation" of cotemporary
men, and as being used in a chronological sense.
Besides, on referring to the version of the Seventy,
it will be seen that ymx is commonly used to translate
• See his Works, Book iy. epist. 12.

2'U

the Hebrew word "ITT, signifying' '^ a generation"
in the ordinary sense of the word : and accordingly,
in most of the Hebrew versions of the Gospels, HTT
bias been used for ysvea, in rendering this identical
passage into Hebrew ; and we may with humility
presume that it was the very word used by our
blessed Lord in deHvering the discourse. And if
this be the case, Mede's translation of it is unte-
nable.

The true solution of this difficulty seems to consist
in a close attention to the word which is supposed to
indicate the cojiiplete fulfilment of the prophecy in
that generation. The original expression for the
clause, " till all these things be fulfilledy" is iws av
Trxvrec TxvTx yiv^rxi. Now tlic most propcr signification
of the verb yyof^xi is not, " to be complete^ fulfilledy"
as it is rendered in the passage before us ; but it
rather signifies, commencement running into sub-
sequent continuance of action. This will appear by
substituting it for other verbs which clearly denote
the accomplishment of action. Thus in the clause
of the ^Ist chapter of Luke, " until the times of
'' the Gentiles be fulfilled," \^ yiyi^^vrxi were substituted
for ziUfuQuai, the sense would be materially altered,
and the phrase would then mean, until the times of
the Gentiles shall be, that is, shall arrive or com-
mence. In like manner, if yi)/mTa.t were to be put
for TEXEcrSa/o-zv, in Revelation xv. 8. the sense would be,
until the seven plagues of the seven angels shall
arrive or begin. These examples show, that the
strict rendering of the clause we are now consi-
dering ought to be, '' this generation shall not pass
^' axaay till all these things shall be, i. e. shall

242

'* begin to be accomplished." The expression, all
these things, must be understood as used collectively
to denote the whole series of events contained in
the prophecy, which whole series began evidently to
receive its accomplishment in that very generation,
by the destruction of Jerusalem and its temple, and
the leading away the Jews captive into all nations.
Thus a difficulty, which has so much perplexed inter-
preters of the scripture, is proved to have no real
existence, and it is shown that the appearance of
difficulty arose solely from a want of closeness in the
translation, and the verb y,to(x.x, being rendered in the
same sense, as if it had been tsMu or irxvifou, to finish
or fulfil.*

* The reader will find the interpretation of the clause, which is
here oftered, fully illustrated in a paper in the Christian Observer, for
April 1811, by Mr. Faber. The subject was for some lime discussed,
between Mr. Faber and the writer of these pages, in the way of private
letters, and the result of these discu.ssions made public by Mr. Faber
in the above paper. For my own part, I confess that I was first
indebted for the idea which led to this interpretation, to a writer in
the Christian Observer, for 1;06, p. 145, 146, who signs himself
" A Plain Honest Man."

Since the first edition of this work was published, another solution
of the foregoing diflScuIty has been proposed by a writer in the Chris-
tian Observer who signs himself C. 0. In the phrase, ov fji.yi ma.^k'K'^n
•n ysvsx xvrv, he proposes to alter the accents on the last word, and
write it xlrv. He adds: " It is well known, that in the most ancient
" manuscripts, written in uncials, or capitals, without points or
" accents, the word is ambiguous, and therefore the alteration that
" I propose is perfectly allowable." — Having made these remarks, he
expounds the prophecy itself in reference to the same events as I have
done, and renders the clause containing the difficulty as follows:
" When these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up
" your heads, for your redemption draweth nigh." — " Verily I saj
unto you, that generation shall not pass away till all be fulfilled." —
The inference he draws from the passage so rendered is, that all the
great and awful events mentioned by our Lord, under the figure of

243

Our Lord havini^ told the disciples, in the
words which have been considered, that the
generation then living should not pass away till the
whole series of events predicted by him began to
receive their accomplishment^ did thus, in etfect,
give an answer, as far as it was proper to do it, to
the question, " lohen shall these things be ?" He
afterwards, however, adds, that that day and hour,
viz, the day and hour of his second advent, were
unknown to all, saving the Father.* And in the
conclusion of this important and interesting dis-
course, our Saviour exhorts the disciples to constant
watchfulness that they might not be taken by
surprise in the day of the second advent ; and that
when that day should come, they might be accounted
worthy to escape the things which should come to
pass, and to stand before their Lord and Master.

The inference to be drawn from the preceding
inquiry into our Lord's prophecy, with regard to the
immediate subject of investigation, must be obvious
to the attentive reader. Since a series of events
exactly corresponding with those awful signs in the
celestial luminaries, which were to take place at the
close of the times of the Gentiles, did actually com-

signs in the sun, moon, and stars, shall occupy a space of time less
than a generation; so that the very same generation which witnesses
the signs in the celestial luminaries, shall also behold our Lord coming
with the clouds of heaven.

1 have thought it right to place this solution before the reader in
justice to the anonymous writer; but I still adhere to the view of the
passage which is given above.

* We find in other passages of scripture the expression, that day,
applied by way of emphasis to the day of the second advent, as being
the day, above all others, to be the subject of contemplation. 2 Tim.
i. 18; iv. S.

244

mence at the fall of the French monarchy, and have
continued to proceed with accelerated velocity to the
present time ; it follows that the times of the Gen-
tiles (i. €. the twelve hundred and sixty years) ended
at the fall of the French monarchy in 1792 ; which
agrees with the conclusions we arrived at, in consi-
dering" each of the foregoing propositions.*

There is also an inference to be drawn, from com-
paring our Lord's prophecy with the account given
in the sixteenth chapter of the Apocalypse, of the
effusion of the seven vials of wrath, which are the
constituent parts of the seventh trumpet. From
Rev. xvi. 15. we learn that the period of the vials
immediately precedes the second advent of our Lord.
In a similar way we have seen, in considering the
celestial signs which mark the close of the times of
the Gentiles, that these signs immediately precede the
second advent : therefore the celestial signs predicted
by our Lord must synchronise with the seven Apoca-
lyptic vials. But since the twelve hundred and sixty
years end when the celestial signs begin, they equally
end when the vials (which are synchronical with the
celestial signs) begin, i. e. at the sounding of the
seventh trumpet, which further confirms the truth of
the fifth proposition.

* " The present period appears to be no other than ' the fulfilment'
" of the regular ' times of the Gentiles ' declared by our Saviour,
" and the commencement of that last, disorderly, concluding time,
" which was immediately to succeed ; when the firmament of the
" Christian world was to be shaken, the luminaries of its ancient
" sovereignties to be obscured or extinguished, its sea of nations
" thrown into universal tumult, and the hearts of men moved by
" a generalanxiety and dread of the things which are coming next
" upon the earth." A Christian's Survey, &c. p. 199.

S45

CHAPTER XV.

ON THE PROPHETICAL PERIOD OF TWELVE HUNDRED
AND SIXTY YEARS — CONCLUDED.

In the foregoing chapter a series of propositions,
which appear to be founded on the scriptures, were
laid down, with regard to the commencement and
end of the above great prophetical period ; and in
each of the historical arguments deduced from these
propositions, 1 arrived at the conclusion, that the
twelve hundred and sixty years ended at the French
revolution. I propose in this chapter to offer an
argument in support of this most interesting fact,
founded on the consideration of another mysterious
number revealed to us in the eighth chapter of
Daniel ; and I shall afterwards consider some of the
objections which have been made to the above con-
clusion, concerning the termination of the twelve
hundred and sixty years.

In the course of this inquiry, I shall be led in the
first place, to the consideration of Daniel's vision of
the ram and he-goat ; but I deem it proper to
observe that it forms no part of my design, to enter
into the full explanation of that vision ; but only so
far as it seems necessary to do so, for the immediate
end 1 have in view, namely, the investigation of the
beginning and end of the mysterious number therein
revealed.

In the third year of the reign of Belshazzar, king
of Babylon, the prophet Daniel saw a vision by the
river of Ulai in the province of Elam. He beheld a

246

ram standing before the river with two horns, one of
the horns higher than the other, and the higher came
up last. He saw the ram pushing westward, north-
ward, and southward ; he did according to his will,
and became great. This ram is, as is afterwards
declared, a symbol of the empire of the Medes and
Persians. The two horns typify these two king-
doms ; the higher horn the kingdom of Persia, which
was of later origin than that of Media, having till
the reign of Cyrus, been only u dependent or
tributary state to the more powerful kingdom of
Media.

The complete establishment of the Medo-Persian
empire did not take place till the year A. C. 536,
when Cyrus began his reign as sole sovereign of the
two kingdoms, on the decease of his uncle Cyaxares.
But the me of the empire may be dated from the
year A. C. 559, when Cyrus was appointed com-
mander of the united armies of the Medes and
Persians, to conduct the war against the empire of
Babylon. From that time a federal union, of the
most intimate nature, was formed between the two
kingdoms, and then it is probable that the ram with
two horns first arose.

The period when Daniel first beheld the ram was,
however, evidently later than this : for he saw him
standing before the river CJlai, or already firmly
established to the west of that river, in those pro-
vinces which had composed the empire of Babylon.*

* The Hebrew word used to express the standing of the ram is
1f2}J^ of which the proper sense is not to stand still, but " to continue,
" subsist, be continued, or supported, in the same state, whether of
" rest or of motion." See Parkhurst's Lexicon on the word.

2ri

This circumstance shows that the date of the vision
cannot be prior to the year A. C. 536 ; for, as I
have said above, the establishment of the empire is
not to be dated till that year.*

That the rani's standing before the river Ulai denoted his being on
ths western side of it, will appear evident for the following reasons-
A French army beaten out of Germany, when it re-crosses the Rhine,
is said in common language to retire behind the Rhine; and vice
versd, it is considered as before or in advance of the Rhine, when it
crosses that river to invade Germany. Now on this principle, as the
ram's chief career of conquest was confessedly to the west of the Ulai
he could not be said to be before that river, till he had crossed it and
advanced into the territories on its western bank. It is further
manifest, that the ram continued to stand before the river, until his
power was broken by the he-goat ; for the decisive battle, wherein
Darius was finally defeated by Alexander the Great, was fought a^
Gaugamela in Assyria, to the east of the Tigris, and considerably to
the westward of the Ulai. It has indeed been argued, from the ram
being spoken of in ver. 6. as the ram which Daniel had seen, standing
before the river, that his position when overthrown by the goat, must
have been different from what it was when Daniel first beheld him ;
but the verb "^n^J^"l» ^^ ^^f- ^> •* in the preterite tense, and the
preterpluperfect sense which our translators have given to it is
altogether arbitrary.

* If the Holy Spirit had intended to show the rise of the empire of
the Medes and Persians, and its first conquests, the idiom of the
Hebrew would have been different ; it would not have been, " I saw
" a ram standing," but would probably have run in this way : " 1 saw
" and behold there stood up a ram with two horns, &c. and he pushed
" westward, &c."

There are several reasons for believing that this vision must be
posterior to the year A. C. 330. 1st. When Daniel originally saw the
ram he already had his two horns, and the Persian horn was higher
than the other one which symbolized the kingdom of Media. It is
added, indeed, by way of explanation, thai the higher horn came up
last; but it does not appear that Daniel saw this circumstance, for
the words plainly imply that the horns were in this state when he
first beheld the ram. I conceive, therefore, that the more recent
origin of the higher, or Persian horn, was made known to Daniel by
the Holy Spirit, perhaps when he wrote down the vision. Now until the
reign of Cyrus, which began A. C. 536, the Scriptures inform us, that

24S

But, further, when Daniel saw the ram, he was
actively employed in butting with his horns " west-

the kingdom of the Medes was higher than that of Persia. Thus in
Dan. V. 31, it is written, that Darius the Mede took the kingdom,
and in chap. vi. 1, that he administered its aSairs, and set over it one
hundred and twenty princes. In the same chapter, ver. 25 — 27, we
have a decree issued by Darius to all the inhabitants of the empire. —
On the other hand, after the accession of Cyrus, Persia was placed
before Media in the acts of public administration, Esth. i. ?. 14. 18, 19.
The sovereign was also thenceforth styled the king of Persia: and
therefore the Persian horn now became higher than the other. But
since this elevation of Persia over Media did not lake place till the
first year of Cyrus, being A.C. 536, and since when Daniel saw the
ram the Persian horn was already higher than the Median, it follows
that the vision of the ram cannot be dated earlier than that year.

2dly, Had the Babylonian monarchy still been in existence at the
commencement of the vision of the ram, the analogy of prophecy
would have required its being introduced on the scene of action in
the shape of a distinct symbol, opposing itself to the establishment of
the Medo-Persian kingdom. The whole chronology of prophecy (as
observed by Mede in a passage already quoted) is marked by the
succession of the four kingdoms of Daniel. Now since when Daniel
saw the ram pushing westward, &c. no symbol specially representing
the Babylonian monarchy is brought upon the scene as opposing the
ram, the conclusion naturally is, that the pushing of the ram belongs
to a point in the chronology of prophecy, when the empire of Babylon
had already been overthrown, and consequently that this pushing does
not relate to the conquests of Cyrus.

3dly, After Cyrus, Darius was the greatest prince who swayed the
Persian sceptre. " There have been few princes more expert than he
*' in the art of governing-, or more experienced in the business of war."
— " He not only restored and entirely confirmed the empire of Cyrus,
" which had been very much shaken by the ill conduct of Cambyses
" and the Magian impostor, but he likewise added many great and
" rich provinces to it, and particularly India, Thrace, Macedonia, and
" the isles contiguous to the coasts of Ionia." Rollin's Ancient Hist,
vol. iii- p. 200. — In the second year also of his reign, the decree for
rebuilding the temple, which is recorded in Ezra \i. was issued, and
in the sixth year it was finished and dedicated. The period in which
he filled the throne of Persia is, therefore, a very remarkable one in
the history of the church, and seems in every way worthy of having

'249

"' ward, northward, and southward, so that no beasts
'^ might stand before him ; neither was there any
'" that could deliver out of his hand, but he did
'' according to his will, and became great." The
commencement of the vision, therefore, belongs to
some period of the Persian empire after its estab-
lishment, when it was engaged in a series of suc-
cessful wars, adding to its dominions to the west, the
north, and the south. Now, as Cyrus made no
conquests after the year A. C. 536, when his empire
was established, this vision cannot belong to his
reign : neither can it be referred to the reigns of
Cambyses and Smerdis, for in their time the kingdom
founded by Cyrus was much shaken. But in the
reign of Darius Hystaspis, the empire enjoyed a
series of uninterrupted prosperity, and Darius added
to his already extensive dominions the provinces of
Thrace, Macedon, and the Ionian Isles, in the north
and west, and India in the south. Darius began to
reign in the year A. C. 521, and died in A. C. 485.
Soon after his death, in the year A. C. 481, Xerxes
undertook his unfortunate expedition against Greece,
from which may be dated the decline of the Persian
empire ; so that after the year 481, the ram ceased
to become great, and his power was gradually di-
minished. The commencement of this vision is
therefore plainly limited to the reign of Darius, for
at no other period after the establishment of the
Persian empire, did it push successfully westward,
northward, and southward, and become great.
It will be found, by a reference to history, that

been selected for the opening of a vision containing matter of so
much importance.

^^50

the period of the reign of Darius, which precisely
corresponds with the actions of the ram, when first
seen by Daniel, must be somewhere between the
years A. C. 513 and 497 ; for it was then, ac-
cording to the chronology of Prideaux, that the
conquests of Darius, signified by the pushing of
the ram, took place. Further, we are told by
Rollin, that the expedition of Darius to India, by
which the ram pushed south, was undertaken in the
year A.C. 508. I learn also from Mr. Bicheno
that according to the chronological tables of Du-
fresnoy, the expedition of Darius into Europe,
whereby he added Macedonia, Thrace, &c. to his
empire, happened in the same year. In the year,
508, therefore, the ram was pushing westward,
northward, and southward; and from this period,
I think, there is every reason to suppose that the
commencement of the vision is to be dated.*

In the next part of the vision, Daniel beheld a
new object, an he-goat with a large horn between
his eyes, which came from the west with great ve-
locity, and overthrew the ram. This symbol denoted
the Macedonian empire, and the large horn between
his eyes represented Alexander the Great. Within
a few years after the death of Alexander, his empire
was divided into four kingdoms, symbolized by the
four horns which arose in the room of the great horn.

* Mr. Faber admits, that the period of the successful pushing of
the ram began in the year A. C. 50S, aud that the date of the com-
mencement of the vision cannot be later than that year: but he
maintains that the vision is to be dated from A. C. 536, the first year
of Cyrus. My reasons for rejecting this interpretation, will be found
in three papers, under the signature of Talib, in the Christian Ob-
server, for November 1808, October 1810, and May 1811.

251

The prophet afterwards saw a little horn come
out of one of these four^ ''which waxed exceeding
" great towards the south, and towards the east,
" and towards the pleasant land. And it waxed
*' great even to the host of heaven, and it cast down
'•' (some) of the host and of the stars to the ground^
" and stamped upon them. Yea, he magnified him-
" self even to the prince of the host, and by him the
'' daily (sacrifice J was taken away, and the place
'' of his sanctuary was cast down. And an host
'* was placed against the daily (sacrifice), by reason
*' of transgression, and it cast down the truth to the
^' ground, and it practised and prospered."

I shall follow the interpretation given by Sir Isaac
Newton and Bishop Newton of this symbol, though
some modern interpreters, and Mr. Faber among
the number, have endeavoured to apply it to the
spiritual empire established by Mahummud.* This
little horn then I consider, with the illustrious wri-
ters above mentioned, to be a symbol of the Roman
empire in the east, after its conquests extended to
the territories of the he-goat. The Romans became
a horn of the goat rising up in his dominions, when
the kingdom of Macedon was reduced into a Roman
province in the year A. C. 148. From Macedon the
Roman conquests extended to the south, to the east,
and towards Judea (the pleasant land), by the re-
duction of Achaia, Asia Minor, and Syria, The
Roman horn waxed great unto the host of the sym-

* In two papers in the Christian Observer, I have given my reasons
for rejecting Mr, Faber's hypothesis respecting the little horn of the
he-goat. See papers under the signature of Talib, in the Christian
Observer for April, and November, 1808.

252

bolical heaven^ and cast down some of them and of
the stars to the ground, when Pompey took the eity
and temple of Jerusalem, slew a multitude of the
priests employed in the sacrifices, and entered the
holy of holies* (A. C. 63.) The Roman horn
magnified itself even to the prince of the host, by
crucifying the Lord of Glory. It took away the
literal daily sacrifice of the Levitical worship, and
cast down the place of his sanctuary, when Titus
took the city of Jerusalem and destroyed the
temple.

Having brought down the narrative to the period
when Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans, the
vision next passes on to the tyranny exercised by the
Roman power over the church of Christ. Ver. 12.
" An host was placed (or set upf) against the daily

* The context shows that the host of heaven is here used to
represent spiritual objects; the symbol therefore denotes not temporal
but spiritual princes, i. e. the Levitical priests, who were stars under
the Old Testament dispensation, even as Christian pastors are called
stars in the Apocalypse.

+ When a commentator on prophecy finds It necessary or expe-
dient, to alter or amend our excellent English version, in order to
prove his own particular hypothesis, it is always a suspicious circum-
stance, and I would advise the reader to exercise in all such cases
a more than common degree of scrutinizing watchfulness. Having
myself, in the clause now before us, somewhat altered our
translation, I by no means wish to be exempted from that degree of
critical jealousy, which such a circumstance calls for. But I have
only changed the rendering of one verb, Tj^J which signifies to give,
to put, to place. The first of these senses is attributed to it by our
translators in this passage, whereas, in two analogous and parallel
clauses, Dan. xi. 31, and xii. 10, they have rendered it to place, or set
up. Believing that the translation in these passages, is the accurate
one, I have in like manner rendered the Hebrew phrase jinjil J<3i^1
«nd a host was placed (or set up) instead of a host was given. My

253

'' (sacrifice) by reason of transgression, and it cast
" down the truth to the ground, and it practised and
" prospered."

In interpreting this clause, we must recollect that
after the city of Jerusalem with its temple had been
destroyed by Titus, there no longer remained a
literal temple, or a literal daily sacrifice, and it
therefore becomes necessary in the period subse-
quent to the above event, to interpret these objects
in a symbolical sense. Now we learn in the New
Testament, that the temple when used symbolically
signifies the church of Christ; Sometimes, as in
1 Cor. iii. 16, it is applied to the spiritual church of
true Israelites, and at other times, as in 2 Thess. ii. 4,
to the visible, external, professing church. The
daily sacrifice of the visible church, is a form of
sound words suited to the pure worship of the
Father, through Jesus Christ the only mediator
between God and man, and also the due adminis-
tration of the sacraments. Of this temple, the daily
sacrifice is taken away, when the form of sound
words is corrupted by worship addressed to other
mediators than Jesus Christ, as to the Virgin Mary

interpretation of the prophecy, however, by no means depends upon
this altered translation. Admitting, that the actual rendering of the
phrase were accurate, the clause might he interpreted to signify that
the host, or priesthood of the professing church, should be given into
thehandsof the Roman power, and by that power, be used as its instru-
ment in corrupting the daily sacrifice, or pure worship of God. If
the reader would see how this was fulfilled, let him look into ecclesi-
astical history, and particularly the acts of the second Nicene Council.
The attentive reader will see from what is contained in this note,
that I consider the host set up against the daily sacrifice, to meaa
precisely the same thing as the abomination of desolation, in the
other passages mentioned, viz. Dan. xi. HI, and xii. 10.

254

and the saints. Tlie worship of the professing
church then ceases to be the daily sacrifice ordained
of God, and becomes an abomination in his sight-.

Upon similar principles we must interpret the
host set up in the spiritual temple. The Hebrew
word J^D^ signifying an army, or a warfare, is used
in the Old Testament to denote the sun^ moon, and
starSj the host of the visible heavens, or the angels
who are the host of the invisible heavens.* In its
symbolical sense, when it is applied to the literal or
Levitical temple, it signifies the priests who therein
ministered before the Lord ; and where it refers to
the Christian church or spiritual temple, the same
word means the bishops and presbyters of the church,
who are expressly called stars, and also angels in

Rev. i. 20.

Now in ths verse of Daniel which I am con-
sidering, the scene of the vision is in the professing
Church of Christ, or spiritual temple. Therefore
the host which is said to be " set up against the
"• daily sacrifice" must mean an antichristian
priestly power, established within the church, and
exercising its authority against the pure worship of
God, casting down the truth to the ground, and
practising and prospering against it. Such was the
papacy. f The pope was, as we have seen in the
last chapter, set up or established as a priestly power,
or host, in the symbolical temple, or professing

* 1 Kings xxii. 10.

+ I would here request the reader to compare with what 1 have
written, the description of the papal power, given by St. Paul,
2 Thess. ii. 3, 4. and to consult Bishop Newton's Exposition of that
prophecy.

255

churchy when he was solemnly acknowledged by Jus-
tinian as head of the church. The pope and his
clergy exercised their authority against the daily
sacrifice of the church, or the pure worship of God ;
they cast down the truth to the ground and cruelly
persecuted the saints, and thus practised and pros-
pered.* This power was set up in the church by
the Roman emperors of the east^ and therefore it
in all respects answers the description given of the
symbolical host in the passage now before us.

In thus comparing the exploits of the horn of the
he-goat, which was at first little, but afterwards
increased by conquest to a gigantic stature, and
reached even unto the host of heaven, with the
history of the Roman empire, in its connection with
the dominions of the he-goat, and with the Jewish
and Christian churches, we discover the most minute
and circumstantial correspondence between them.
Moreover, the rise of the horn was to be at the end
or latter part of the four kingdoms (verse 23), when
transgressors were come to the full. The Romans
accordingly became an horn of (he he-goat, and

* If the reader would see a remarkable illustration, of the manner
in which the papal power exercised its authority against the pure
worship of God, let him refer to the epistles of Pope Gregory 11, to
the emperor Leo the Isaurian in defence of image worship, which Leo
had exerted all his authority to repress. In these epistles, the follow-
ing expressions are to be seen. " Num tibi justura videtur imperator
" has imagines venerari an erroris diaboloci ?" " Non animadvertis
" hunc tuum conatum quo adversus imagines insurrexisti facinus est
" turbulentum et insolens et superbum. Cum ecclesite Dei alta pace
" fruerentur, tu pugnas, et odia, et scandala suscitasti." These
£pistles are to be found in the Acts of the Council of Nice. — Vide Sacro
Sancta Concil. Lutetiae Parisiorum 1671, Tom. y'u. p. 3 — 22. Gibbon
also quotes the Epistles, see vol. ix. p. 1 34.

256

established themselves in his dominions exactly at
the end of the four kingdoms, and when the trans-
gressors of the Jewish nation were come to the full,
as there was at that time a great falling away from
the true religion among the Jews, " the customs of
" the heathen nations were introduced, the youth
'' were trained up and exercised after the manner
*' of the Greeks, and the people apostatized from the
*' true religion, and even the priests, 2 Mace. iv. 14.
'* had no courage to serve any more at the altar,
''but despising the temple and neglecting the sa-
*' crifices, they hastened to he partakers of unlawful
" diversions."*

* Vide Bishop Newton on the Prophecies, Dissertation XV. — It
may be proper to observe, that the first part of the 23d verse is by
the Septuagint rendered as follows : " At the end of their kingdom,
"when their iniquUies are filled up," /. e. the iniquities of the four
kingdoms. Accordingly, in the very year that Paulus ^milius van-
quished Perseus, the last king of Macedonia, and thereby put an end
to that kingdom, the temple of Jerusalem was, by command of An-
tiochus Epiphanes, consecrated to Jupiter Olyrapius, and his image
set upon the very altar : thus the daring iniquities of these kingdoms
were filled up.

I shall here give my reasons for rejecting the application of the
little horn of the he-goat, to the religion and spiritual empire of
Mahummud.

1st. The little horn was to arise at the latter end of the four Greek
kingdoms, symbolized by the four horns of the goat, Dan. viii. 23.
Now Mahummud did not appear till near seven centuries after the fall
of the last of these kingdoms. To get quit of this chronological ob-
jection, Mr. Faber translates the Hebrew phrase in the above clause,
DmD7/lD n^nnj^H in the futurity of their kingdom: that is,
according to his view, in some period subsequent to the termination of
these kingdoms. I myself believe that the word ^^"^")^^^ will bear
no such meaning, nor does Mr. Faber support his argument by the
authority of any version ancient or modern. The literal rendering of
the words is at the end of their reign, or exactly at the period when
their reign or dominion ceases. It is rendered by the Seventy

I have already observed^ that it is not my purpose
to enter into the consideration of the present vision
of Daniel, any further than is necessary to elucidate
the more immediate object of my researches. I now,
therefore, proceed to that part of it which has an
immediate relation to the inquiry concerning the
twelve hundred and sixty years.

Dan. viii. 13. " And I heard one saint speaking',
'* and another saint said unto that certain saint
" which spake. How long (shall be) the vision (con-
" cerning) the daily sacrifice and the transgression
" of desolation, to give both the sanctuary and the
** host to be trodden under foot ?" Bishop Newton
remarks, " In the original there is no such word as

Itt' tcry^ocruv rvs [ZatrriXil^ixs otiiTuv, and no other version that I have
seen gives a different sense.

2dly, The spiritual daily sacrifice of the Christian Church, never
was taken away by the false religion of Mahummud. That religion is
indeed an abomination, but it is an abomination without the church.
Neither the Saracens nor Turks have interfered with the worship or
doctrines of the Greek Church, or refused to tolerate its worship. It
is impossible therefore to show, that they have in any sense whatever
taken away the daily sacrifice of the church, and placed in it the
abomination of desolations. To affirm that the conquest of the
Greek empire by the Mahoraedan power, was the taking away the
daily sacrifice of the Cliurch, is to mingle things secular and spiritual,
in a manner which introduces utter confusion into the symbolical
style of prophecy.

3dly, The Roman power, by conferring on the Pope the title of
Head of the church, and by introducing idolatry into the Greek and
Latin churches, had taken away the daily sacrifice, and placed the
abomination of desolations in both these churches, before the ap-
pearance of Mahummud.

For these reasons, which I advanced nine years ago, and to which
it appears to me that no sufiScient answer has ever been given, I must
continue to think, that the novel application of the foregoing symbol
to the Mahoraedan power, plausible as it certainly is at first view, has
yet no fouadatioQ in truth.

258

''concerning ; " and Mr. Lowth rightly observes,
that the words may be rendered more agreeably to
the Hebrew thus: '^' For how long a time shall the
" vision last, the daily sacrifice be taken away, and
*'^ the transo'ression of desolation continue?" &c.
The answer to this question is, '' Unto two thousand
" three hundred days" (or, evenings and mornings) ;
" then shall the sanctuary be cleansed." Bishop
Newton maintains that, ""as the question was asked,
" not only how long the daily sacrijice shall be
" taken away, and the transgression of desolation
" continue ; but also, how long the vision shall
" last ? so the answer is to be understood, and these
" two thousand and three hundred days denote the
" whole time from the beginning of the vision to
'' the cleansing of the sanctuary." In the justice
of this observation I entirely concur. The cleansing
of the sanctuary is a symbolical phrase^ the meaning
of which cannot be misunderstood. It will receive
its accomplishment when the visible church of Christ
shall be freed from those Gentiles which were to
tread it under foot, during the space of forty-two
prophetical months, or twelve hundred and sixty
years. The cleansing of the sanctuary, therefore,
begins at the same time with the finishing of the
mystery of God,* namely, on the sounding of the
seventh Apocalyptic trumpet, (when the destruction
of the papal power takes place,) and on the sitting
of the judgment mentioned in Dan. vii. 9, 10, for
at that period the wrath of God goes forth against
the apostate nations of the Roman empire, and the
time is declared to be come, to give reward unto his
* Rev. X. 7.

'259

servants the prophets, and to them that tear his name,
and to destroy them which destroy the earth.*

This is further apparent from what is communi-
cated to Daniel, by the angel Gabriel, in the i7th
verse of the chapter under consideration. It is
there said, that the vision (shall be) unto the time of
the end, i. e. it shall reach unto the time of the end.
Now the time of the end is that of the seventh
trumpet, and of the judgment mentioned in Dan. vii.
and also of the seven vials of wrath. Therefore we
may conclude that this vision of Daniel reaches to
the close of the period during which the saints were
to be given into the hand of the little horn, Dan.
vii. 25. I. e. to the end of the twelve hundred and
sixty years. Consequently the two thousand three
hundred days of the vision must be prophetical days,
used for years ; and these two thousand three hun-
dred years end precisely at the same time with the
twelve hundred and sixty years.

Now in the series of scriptural propositions which
were discussed in the last chapter, I arrived at the
conclusion, that the twelve hundred and sixty pro-
phetical years expired in the year 1792, it therefore
follows, that the two thousand three hundred years
which are shown to conterminate with the former
period, must also have ended in the same year 1793.

But if this conclusion be right concerning the
close of these two prophetical periods, then the
commencement of the two thousand three hundred
years, when calculated backward from their supposed
termination, ought to be found to coincide with the
opening of the vision of the ram. Accordingly, if

* Rev. xi. 18,

260

two thousand three hundred years be computed back
from 1792, they bring us to the identical year,
A. C. 50S, when I have endeavoured to show, that
Daniel first saw the rain pushing- northward^ west-
ward, and southward.* These various^ and mutual

* It may, without injury to the foregoing arguments respecting
the dale of the vision of the ram, be admitted, that it would have
been impossible to determine, a priori, the true era from which to
calculate the commencement of the period of 2300 years, without
the help of some fixed data for ascertaining its termination. But as
it has been shown that the 1200 and 2300 years conterminale, and
that the former period ended in 1792, we are thus furnished with the
data we require: and calculating backwards, we arrive at a period
when the Persian empire was in the exact situation signified by the
actions of the symbolical ram, as first seen by the prophet. It is on
the same principle, that the date of Daniel's seventy weeks, and
various other periods mentioned in the scriptures, are calculated :
viz. first, by ascertaining their termination, and then computing
backwards. Thus, it would be impossible to decide, a priori, from
which of the three edicts passed for the restoration of the Jews by
Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes, the seventy weeks are to be reckoned;
or at what precise time the seventy years' captivity in Babylon com-
menced, or the four hundred years during which the posterity of
Abraham were to dwell in Egypt.

The same principle for ascertaining the dates of the prophetic
period in Dan. viii. 14, has been adopted by Mr. Faber ; but as he
has found it impossible to make the number of 2300 tally with his
own supposed end of the I'iOO years, he has on the authority of the
Vatican edition of the Septuagint, adopted the reading of 2400 in
that passage, and this period he computes from the first year of Cyrus,
and supposes it to end in the year 1866. In two papers in the
Christian Observer, I have shown, that there is no support given
to this various reading either by the genuine principles of scriptural
criticism, or by any other edition of the Seventy, for they all, with
the exception of the Vatican edition, agree with the Hebrew text.
Moreover the Vatican manuscript also supports the common reading.
It appears to me, that it would be quite as admissible to found an in-
terpretation of prophecy upon an error which were to creep into
a particular edition of our English Bible, as upon this various reading
of the Vatican edition of the Seventy, which must, upon every sound
principle of criticism, be pronounced a typographical error.

261

Coincidences^ therefore^ both confirm each separate
conclusion to which they have relation, and also give
new strength to all the arguments already advanced,
respecting the commencement and end of the twelve
hundred and sixty years.

Among the various objections which have been
made to the conclusion that the prophetical period of
twelve hundred and sixty years ended in the year
1792/* I am not aware that any is entitled to much
weight, excepting one which is founded on a passage
in the last chapter of the book of Daniel. At the
conclusion of the prophecy contained in the 11th,
and the beginning of the 12th chapter, it is said,
V. 5, '' Then I Daniel looked, and behold there
*' stood other two, the one on this side of the bank
" of the river, and the other on that side of the bank
" of the river. And one said to the man clothed in
" linen, which was upon the waters of the river,
" How long shall it be to the end of these wonders ?
*' And I heard the man clothed in linen, which was
" upon the waters of the river, when he held up his
" right hand and his left hand unto heaven, and
" sware by Him that liveth for ever, that it shall be
** for a time, times, and a half : and when he shall
'' have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy
" people, all these things shall be finished. And I
** heard, but understood not : then said I^ O my
" Lord,, what shall be the end of these things ?
" And he said, Go thy way, O Daniel, for the words

* See various papers on this siihject, by Mr. Fabcr, in the Chris-
tian Observer, for, the years ISOS, 9, 10, and II. See also papers
on the same subject, under the signature of Talib, in the aho-ve
publication, for the years 1807, 8, 9, and 11.

262

" are closed up, and sealed till the time of the end.
" Many shall be purified and made white, and tried,
" but the wicked shall do wickedly, and none of the
'' wicked shall understand, but the wise shall under-
" stand. And from the time that the daily sacrifice
*' shall be taken away, and the abomination that
" maketh desolate set up^ there shall be a thousand
" two hundred and ninety days. Blessed is he that
*' waitethj and cometh to the thousand three hundred
" and five and thirty days. But go thy way till the
*' end be ; for thou shalt rest and stand in thy lot at
" the end of the days "

In the above passage, three different numbers are
mentioned ; the first is a time, times, and a half,
(i. e. the twelve hundred and sixty years) — the second
number is twelve hundred and ninety days — and the
third is thirteen hundred and thirty-five days ; and
in both of the last numbers, the days being pro-
phetical, are to be taken for years. It is now
agreed by most writers on prophecy, that the three
numbers all begin together ; that the second contains
a period of thirty years over and above the first, and
the third a further term of forty-five years beyond
the second. It is evident that the end of the last
period of thirteen hundred and thirty-five years, is
to be a time of great blessedness ; and it probably
introduces the full glories of the millenium after the
binding of Satan. At the close of the twelve hun-
dred and sixty years, we have seen that the judgment
mentioned in the seventh chapter of Daniel and the
destruction of the papacy commenced, and also the
celestial signs mentioned by our Lord, in Luke
xxi. 25. as the forerunners of the redemption of the

263

church. What is to occur at the conclusion of the
intermediate period, is no where expressly revealed,
and we cannot with certainty conjecture ; but it
seems probable that it will be marked by some great
and conspicuous event, which I formerly thought
would be the battle of Armageddon. But events
had not then explained, that the vision of the holding
of the winds in the seventh chapter, indicates a
period of universal peace, before the end, which
necessarily retards the development of the concluding
scenes of the prophecy. I now conceive, that the
close of the intervening period of thirty years may
very probably be marked by the commencement of
the national restoration of Judah ;* and that the
dreadful day of Armageddon, and the treading of
the wine press will take place, at some time between
the end of the twelve hundred and ninety, and
thirteen hundred and thirty-five days. Be this as it
may, the end of the twelve hundred and ninety days,
if the reasoning contained in this and the foregoing-
chapter be just, will be in the year 1822.

The argument which Mr. Faber founds upon the
preceding passage, against my conclusion, with re-
spect to the termination of the twelve hundred and
sixty years, is as follows. The man clothed in linen
declares, in the seventh verse, that '' it shall be for

* It is worthy of notice, that though it was revealed to Abraham,
Gen. XV. 13, that his seed should dwell in a land not their's 400 years^
yet, in Exod. xii. 40, we learn, that the actual period of iheir so-
journing was 430 years. Now as almost every past event of the
history of God's ancient people shadowed forth something futurcj
I am inclined from these passages to infer, that precisely at the end of
Daniel's 1290 years, their present captivity shall cease, that number
being thirty years more than the 1260.

264

"■ a timCj times, and a half; and when he shall have
" accomplished to scatter the power of the holy
" people, all these things shall be finished." Now
Mr. Faber reasons, that we are to conclude from
these words, that the restoration of Judah, '* the
'' accomplishing to scatter the power of the holy
" people/' shall begin precisely when the twelve
hundred and sixty years end ; but the restoration of
Judah is not yet commenced, therefore the twelve
hundred and sixty years cannot be elapsed.

In answer to this argument, I observe that the
angel does not say that the accomplishing to scatter
the power of the holy people shall be at the close of
the time, times, and an half; but he affirms that it
shall be when all the things contained in the pre-
ceding prophecy are finished : when he shall have
accomplished to scatter, &c. " all these things (all the
" things before predicted) shall be finished." Now
the last of the things before predicted, Mr. Faber
himself being the judge, is the fall of the wilful king
between the seas on the glorious holy mountain,
(Dan.xi. 45) which event Mr. Faber places, not at
the end of the twelve hundred and sixty, but of the
twelve hundred and ninety years. Therefore, even
the principles of Mr. Faber, when applied to the
form of expression used by the angel, lead us to
conclude, that the restoration of Judah, "^theaccom-
" plishing to scatter the power of the holy people,"
does not happen till the end of the twelve hundred
and ninety years.

Were my view of this passage singular, I might
have reason to suspect its accuracy, and to acknow-
ledge that there is some weight in the objection of

265 ((U

my learned and respectable opponent. But the very
same interpretation of it is given by Mr. Wintle, as
quoted by Mr. Faber, in his work on the Restoration
of Judah. " Mr. Lowth/' says Mr. Wintle, "• has
" recounted a number of passages in the prophets,
^' which indicate the restoration of the Jews in the
" latter days, or when the fourth monarchy shall
'" expire. At this decisive period, or after the twelve
'' hundred and sixty years of the reign of antichrist
" (popery), and the addition of another short term
" for the restoration of the Jews, will be the end of
" these wonders or marvellous things inquired after
" in the last verse." Wintle on Dan. xii. 7.
" Though the reign of antichrist seems here fixed
'' for twelve hundred and ninety years, which is
" a term of thirty years more than was mentioned in
^' ver. 7, the excess, in the opinion of some, is the
" time allotted for the collecting of the Jews from
'• their captivity among all nations, or the several
'' countries of their dispersions : and at the close of
'' ver. 7, there does seem to be a further period
'* alluded to for this purpose, after the time, times^
" and a half, or twelve hundred and sixty years."
Wintle on Dan. xii. 11.

But some may be inclined to object, that if my
opinion be true, then five years only remain till
the close of the twelve hundred and ninety years,
and as yet we see no signs of the restoration of
Judah ; and that it is incredible, that such a mighty
event should be accomplished within so short a time
as five years. To this objection I reply, that
nothing is impossible to the power of God. The
redemption of Israel out of Egypt was a very sudden

"^66

and unexpected event, and was accomplished in the
space of only one year ; and had it not been for the
unbehef of the children of Israel, in receiving the
evil report of the spies,* they would have entered
into the land of Canaan before two years had elapsed
from the appearance of God to Moses in the burning
bush.f Now we have every reason to believe, that
the future restoration of this wonderful people, in
the marvellous circumstances that shall accompany it,
will resemble their first redemption. From the
consideration of the prophecy, in Isaiah Ixvi. 7 — 9,
Mr. Faber concludes, that " the conversion of Judah
'* will be sudden as that of St. Paul, and general as
*' that of the congregation of St. Peter ;"J and if
their conversion be thus sudden, we may suppose
that their restoration will be no less so. In the pro-
phecy of Micah there is a passage which confirms
this idea. The prophet having uttered the following
prayer for the restoration of the ancient church of
God : ^' Feed thy people with thy rod, the flock
" of thine heritage which dwell solitarily in the
'' wood in the midst of Carmel ; let them feed in
'' Bashan andGilead, as in the days of old ;" this is
the remarkable answer which the Lord condescends
to return to it : '' According to the days of thy
" coming out of the land of Egypt, will I show
'' unto him marvellous things. The nations shall see
" and be confounded at all their might: they shall
" lay their hand upon their mouth, their ears shall

* Numbers xiii.

+ On this point I follow the chronological tables of the Ancient
Universal History.

i Micah vii. M — 17. Mede likewise supposes that the conversion
of Judah will be sudden, like that of St. Paul. See his Works, Book iv.

267

*' be deaf. They shall lick the dust like the serpent,
" they shall move out of their holes like worms of the
*^ earth ; they shall be afraid of the Lord our God^
'' and shall fear because of thee."

From the above passage there is every reason to
believe;, that the future redemption of the Jews will
be accompanied with all those tokens of miraculous
interference which distinguished the exodus from
Egypt ; and consequently that the absence of any
appearances of their immediate restoration, by no
means authorizes an inference that it is at any great
distance. *

* Siuce the above was written, a paper has been published by the
London Society for promoting Christianity among the Jews, con-
taining some very remarkable information concerning the state of
that people on the continent ; and showing that they have a strong
persuasion of the approach of their national redemption. The
Rev. Mr. Nitschke, of Niesky, in Upper Lusatia, communicates to
the Society the following extract of a letter from Mr. Nietz, a
merchant in Riga, dated 5th March, 1811.

" My son was last summer in the Crimea, and returned towards the
*' end of autumn by way of Odessa. In Odessa he heard a report,
" that many Jewish families emigrated through that town. During
*' his journey through Poland he met himself many travelling Jews.
" When he afterwards lodged in a town inhabited by Jews, and met
" there with a German Jew, he entered into conversation with him,
*' and asked him to what country the emigrating Jewish families went.
" He replied, to Palestine, to settle in the country of their fathers,
" having a presentiment that the Messiah would now soon come.
•' The rich of the nation, scattered in different parts of the world,
" made collections for the journey expenses of the poor. This
" account of my son excited my attention; I wrote to one of our
" friends at Wilna, as Poland is the chief seat of this people, and
" asked him concerning these movements, and the probable cause»
*' of them, to which I received, within these few days, the following
" answer.

" ' I have also received interesting accounts concerning the Jews ;
•* there is among them a general desire to return to the land of their
*• fatberi. Many of them are probably impelled by need, a» there is

268

It may also be added, that though as yet there be
no appearances of the restoration of Judah, we have
reason to think that their national repentance, which
w^e learn from Deuter. xxx. 1 — 3 shall immediately
precede the former event, is already beginning. A
simultaneous movement in the Jewish mind is taking
place in various countries. Many Jews in England,
and likewise in different parts of the Continent, have
not only shown a disposition to read the New Testa-
ment, but have become stated contributors to Bible

" a stagnation of all trade here: but many are moved by the cx-
'• pectation of the coming of Messiah in about eight years. The
" same persons from whom I accidentally heard this, told me on
" another occasion, that fifteen years hence probably no Jew would
" be left in this country. In the present times of confusion, this
" memorable people, scattered in all the world, is little noticed; but
" if the above information is confirmed in process of time and more
" generally, that impulse among them is certainly one of the rcmark-
" able signs of the times.' "

The Rev. Mr. Nilschke continues as follows: " This intelligence
" excited my attention ; and as I undertook another journey to the
" German colonies in Poland, in the months of May and June, 1811,
" I resolved to ascertain the foundation of these facts. In two towns,
" which are inhabited by many Jews, I received from their leaders
" the following account : That it was certainly true, that for two
♦' years some hundreds of Jewish families had emigrated from Poland
" to Palestine. Inquiring into the purpose of their emigration,
'* 1 was answered, that they hoped the promises of the prophets
" would now soon be accomplished ; that the Lord ^ould gather the
" people of Israel from all parts of the earth, where they were
" scattered, into the land of their fathers ; and that they would
" there wait for the appearance of the Messiah ; for after their rabbis
«' had often been mistaken in fixing the lime of his coming, they
" now were persuaded that he would come at length. When I
" replied that they might be mistaken, they said. No matter ; if
'• those who now go to Palestine, should not live to see the coming
•' of the Messiah, they however are gathered into the Holy Land
" with their fathers, and whenever the Messiah coujes they will
" be raised from their graves.'

269

Societies. When we connect these interesting and
encouraging facts with the prophecy in Isaiah Ixvi.
7 — 9. and add to them the circumstance, that a
version of the New Testament in pure Hebrew has
nearly been completed for the use of the Jews, and
is indeed partly in circulation among them, and meets
with every acceptance, we have surely reason to hope
that the happy day is near at hand, even at the door,
when the Redeemer shall come out of Zion and
turn away ungodliness from Jacob.*

* 1 select the following facts from the Eighth Report of the London
Jewish Society, and from the Correspondence which has since heen
published in the Jewish Rxpositor, and by the Bible Society.

" In the St. Saviour's and St. Thomas's districts of the Borough,
" there are three or four Jewish families subscribers to the Bible
" Association. In St. George's, a Jew contributed for the purpose of
" obtaining a Bible for a Christian boy who worked with him. A few
" doors from his house, one of the children of Israel, a native of
*' Poland, though himself possessed of a Bible in his vernacular tongue,
" enrolled his name as a subscriber. In the same Association, another
" Jew is mentioned as having become an active member of the Cora-
" mittee.

" The Third Annual Report of the Covent Garden Bible Asso-
" ciation, announces the interesting fact, that among one thousand
" names who have within a few months been added to their lists as
" subscribers, tbey have the happiness to number many of the stock
" of Israel."

Extract from the Second Report of the Aldgate Association.
" Many of the Jews have manifested an anxious desire to obtain
"the English Bible; and others have, with the utmost readiness.
" become free subscribers to this institution. To the Jews alone
" twenty-seven Bibles have been sold, and forty-seven of them are
" now subscribing to this Association."

Extract from a Letter of the Secretary of the Frankiurt Bible Society,

to the Rev. Dr Steinkopflf.

" In consequence of the public advertisement, in which we an-

" nounced the establishment of our Bible Society, the attention of the

" Jews has been drawn towards it, and some expressed their regret

270

" that uo invitation had been given to some of their body to take
" a share in this work."

From the Rev. R. Pinkerton, dated Simpheropol, or Akmechet, in
the Crimea, May 31, O. S. 181(i.

*' The number of subscribers to the Tauriun branch of the Russian
" Bible Society is already upwards of two hundred; of whom seventy-
" six are Mahomedans, and five Caraite Jews." — " I myself, in passing
" through the town of Karasubargar, had a most interesting conver-
" sation with several Jews, who eagerly sought after a copy of the
" Gospels; I was sorry I had none, but told them they were preparing
" for them. The late wars and commotions in the earth, with the
" present wonderful exertions to spread abroad the Holy Scriptures
" among all nations, seem to have made a deep impression on the
" minds of many among the Jews.

" From what I have seen of this people in different nations, I am

" convinced that many among them are prepared to peruse with

*' avidity the Scriptures of the New Testament in their own language."

For the above Letters, see Jewish Expositor for August

and October, 1816.

From the same. Dated Moghiley, on the Dnieper, Nov. 15, 1816.

" Among other interesting things this amiable old man (the Russian
" Archbishop of Minsk) informed me, that there is a great inclination
" among many of the first Jewish families in the province to embrace
" Christianity, that he has already baptized several of them, and has
•' two under his tuition at present."

From the same. Dated Witepsk, Nov. 20, 1816.

" Such of the twenty copies of the two first Gospels in Hebrew,
" which I brought with me from Berlin, as I presented to Jews, were
" always received with joy ; and I am fully of opinion, that the very
" circumstance of their being in the Hebrew language will gain them
•' an attentive perusal among the learned Jews in every country,
" where no writings on the subject of Christianity, in any other form,
•' would be attended to. Before my leaving Moghiley, the Jews in
" that city had sent in 500 rubles to promote the object of the White
♦< Russian Bible Society."

To all the foregoing facts is now to be added a very remarkable
circumstance, which has been made known since these sheets were
sent to the press. The following Ukase was, on Easter Sunday of the
present year, 1817, issued by his imperial majesty the Emperor of
Russia; and when it is adverted to, that under the Russian Govern-
ment there are, according to the calculation of Mr. NovozilzoflF (as
•tated by Mr. Finkertoa in his Correspondence with the Bible Society),

271

upwards of two millions of Jews, the importance of such a decree may
be easily estimated. Certainly it must be regarded as one of the signs
of the times. I copy the Edict from the New Times Newspaper of
May 5, 1817.

" St. Petersburg, April 12. — On Easter Sunday there was published
•' a very remarkable imperial mandate in favour of the Jews who are
"converted to Christianity; the following are some of the chief
" articles : —

" Art. 1. All Jews embracing the Christian religion, no matter of
" which confession, shall have privileges granted them, whatever
" profession they may adopt, suitable to their knowledge and abilities,

" 2. In the northern and southern governments lands shall be
" assigned them gratis, where such as please may settle at their own
" expense, under the name of Society of Jewish Christians.

" 3. This Society shall have its own privileges.

" 4. At St. Petersburg a Board shall be formed, of which Prince
" Alexander Golyzen shall be President, under the denomination of
" Board for the AflFairs of the Jewish Christians, on which and on no
" other magistrates (except in criminal cases), the Society depends.

" 5. This Board is bound to attend to every thing relating to the
" settlements, and to report on it to the Emperor. In the settlements
" of the Jewish Christians, which are given them as a hereditary pro-
" perty for ever, the Society can carry on any kind of professions,
" build cities, villages, or single dwellings, the lands are given to the
" whole community, but not to individuals, and cannot be sold or
" mortgaged to strangers.

" In these settlements the Jewish Christians and their posterity
" have entire religious liberty in the Christian confession of faith
•' which they embrace. The society is under the immediate protection
" of the Emperor, and depends entirely on the Board in St. Petersburg,
" to which alone it gives account. No other local magistracy shall
" interfere with them, their preachers are only under the Board. The
" internal government of the society is under an administration of
" the Society of the Jewish Christians, consisting of two superiors
" and four adjuncts, chosen by the society from its own members, and
*' confirmed by the Board. It manages the internal concerns, the
" Police, &c. has a particular seal ; it may expel improper members
" and receive new ones, but must report on this to the Board. Th«
" members of the Society obtain the rights of citizens in the Russian
'* empire. He may carry on trade at home, and also abroad, con-
" formably to the general laws, establish manufactories, &c. without
" being registered in any Guild. In their settlements the Society may
** brew beer, distil brandy, &c. They are free from billeting of troops

272

" and for twenty years from taxes, are not bound to military services,
" &c. Foreign Jews, who after embracing Christianity join such a coni-
" munity. may leave llie country when they have paid their debts and
" the legal contril)utions for three years on the capitals which they
" have acquired in Russia. This regulation excites the more attention,
" because it is well known that our Ambassadors in Germany are
" expressly ordered to give no more passports to those who desire to
" emigrate."

It also appears by a letter from Dr. Naudi, of Malta, published in
the Jewish Expositor for February last, that a Mr. Murtheim, a Jew,
converted to Christianity by means of the London Jewish Society, and
many others, are employed in promoting the conversion of that people
in dilFerent parts of Africa and Asia. Upon the whole, therefore, there
seems suiBcient evidence to justify the inference, that the national
conversion of the Jews has actually/ commenced.

273
CHAPTER XVI.

THE FOURTEENTH CHAPTER OF THE APOCALYPSE.

'' And I looked, and lo a Lamb stood on the
** Mount Sion, and with him an hundred and forty
" and four thousand, having his Father's name
'' written in their foreheads. And I heard a voice
*' from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as
*' the voice of a great thunder : and I heard the
" voice of harpers, harping with their harps : and
" they sung as it were a new song before the throne,
^' and before the four hving creatures and the elders;
" and no man could learn that song, but the hundred
" and forty and four thousand which were redeemed
" from the earth. These are they which were not
" defiled with women, for they are virgins ; these
" are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he
" goeth ; these were redeemed from among men,
" being the first-fruits unto God and to the Lamb ;
" and in their mouth was found no guile, for they
" are without fault."

In the interpretation of this passage, I am com-
pelled to differ from most expositors of the Apo-
calypse. Bishop Newton and Mr. Faber both
apply the vision of the Lamb with the one hundred
and forty-four thousand, to the state of the true
spiritual church during the reign of the beast.
^' After this melancholy account of the rise and reign
" of the beast, the spirit of prophecy delineates, by
*' way of opposition, the state of the true church

274

" during the same period, its struggles and contests
'' with the beast, and the judgments of God upon its
*' enemies."*

" By these one hundred and forty-four thousand,
'' I understand peculiarly the depressed church in
" the wilderness previous to the time of the refor-
*' inalion.'" f

Believing that both the above writers have erred
in their view of this vision, I remark that their
mistake (if it be one) is a natural consequence of
their erroneous explanation of the sixth seal. They
apply that seal, and the sealing of the one hundred
and foity-four thousand, mentioned in the seventh
chapter, to the revolution in the time of Constantine,
and the peace of the church which was consequential
thereto. They therefore consider this mystical
number of one hundred and forty-four thousand, as
continuing to represent the true church from the
times of Constantine to the dawn of the millenium.
Archdeacon Woodhouse has adopted the same ex-
planation of this vision. In so doing, however, he
certainly seems very inconsistent with himself. The
learned Archdeacon, as we have seen, applies the
earthquake of the sixth seal to the great revolution
which precedes the establishment of the reign of the
Messiah ; and he interprets the sealing of the one
hundred and forty-four thousand, in the seventh
chapter, to signify the preservation of the righteous
in the great day of the Lord: and yet he unac-
countably supposes the one hundred and forty-four

* Bishop Newton's Dissertation on the Prophecies, in loco.
\ Faber's Dissertation on the 1200 years, chap. x. sect. 5

thousand in the fourteenth chapter, having" the
name of the Father written on their foreheads,
(which is the same as their being* sealed with the
seal of the living- God) to denote the true persecuted
and suffering Christian church, which, throughout
the reign of the dragon, the beast and false prophet,
refuses to worship the image, and receive the mark
of the beast.

Now it is evident, that if the sixth seal refers to
the mighty revolution, which is to usher in the great
day of the Lord ; and if the sealing of the one
hundred and forty-four thousand does not take place
till the period of the sixth seal, then the vision of the
fourteenth chapter, which exhibits them to us as
alreadi/ sealed, cannot relate to a time which is prior
to the opening of the sixth seal, i. e. to the time
when they were sealed. The contrary supposition
includes in it a positive contradiction. It makes the
one hundred and forty-four thousand to be scaled,
and not sealed, at one and the same time. As I have
followed Archdeacon Woodhouse in his interpretation
of the great earthquake of the sixth seal, and of the
sealing of the one hundred and forty-four thousand
in the seventh chapter, I must also, in consistency
with that interpretation, refer the vision of the Lamb
with the one hundred and forty-four thousand on
Mount Sion, to the period of the sixth seal, and of
the seventh trumpet and seven vials, which are syn-
chronical with that seal.

In effect, the description given in the passage
before us, of the state of ihese followers of the Lamb,
does not at all agree with the condition of the church
during the reign of the beast.

216

At that time the church is symbolized by two
witnesses clothed in sackcloth, the garb of mourning.
She is also represented as being fled into a secret
retreat in the wilderness; where she is concealed
from the face of the serpent that seeks to destroy
her. On the contrary, the one hundred and forty-
four thousand, in this passage, stand upon Mount
Sion, a station of the most conspicuous elevation,
and the most opposite to a state of concealment in
the wilderness which can well be imagined. The
voices heard by the apostle from heaven, like the
noise of many waters, and of thunder, and the voice
of harpers playing on their harps, are also the
emblems of triumphant songs of thanksgiving, which
it were quite incongruous to suppose applicable to
the condition of the depressed church in the wilder-
ness before the reformation. There is mention
made of voices in heaven, in three other passages of
this mysterious book, but they are all indicative of
the triumphs of the church. The first place, in the
order of chronology, is on the fall of Satan from
heaven to the earth, and the victory of Michael ; *
the second is at the sounding of the seventh trum-
pet ; f the third is on the destruction of Babylon.;};
Now to suppose the same voices to mark a condition
of the deepest depression, and one of the most exalted
triumph, is to introduce contradiction and confusion
into the symbolical style.

This passage then is to be considered as belong-
ing to the sixth seal, and as immediately connected
with the sealing of the one hundred and forty-four
thousand in the seventh chapter, according to the

• Rey. xiii. 10. t Rev. xi. 13. + Rev. xix. 1, fi.

277

excellent rule laid down by Mr. Praser^ whereby we
are to discover the connecting links between the
ditferent visions. In consideri'ig* the seventh chap-
ter, I endeavoured to prove that sealing of the one
hundred and forty-four thousand, indicated the secu-
rity and final salvation of the true church during the
awful convulsions of the great earthquake. Their
appearance with the Lamb on Mount Sion in the
present vision, is emblematical of the triumphant
attitude assumed by the true spiritual church, in the
days of the seventh trumpet and seven vials, to
which the whole of the chapter we are now con-
sidering belongs. These followers of the Lamb are
represented to us as possessing the features of
character which most eminently distinguish his dis-
ciples, and as listening to and catching the immortal
sounds of the triumphant anthem sung by the multi-
tude of voices in heaven, which none could learn
but themselves, the one hundred and forty-four
thousand who were redeemed from the earth.

What are the words of this song is not here
declared ; but it is manifestly the same with the song
of Moses and the Lamb, mentioned in the following
chapter, which belongs to the same Apocalyptic
period, namely, that of the seventh trumpet and
seven vials. The distinguishing feature of this song
is evidently a spiritual discernment of the nature,
purpose, and end of the dreadful and desolating
judgments of God during the period of the seventh
trumpet and seven vials; and a joyful and trium-
phant anticipation of the glorious reign of ihe once
crucified, but now returning Messiah, which shall
immediately succeed the vials. Hence we see the

278

reason why none could learn that song", but the One
hundred and forty-four thousand, for none can
discover the nature and end of the judgments of
God, or discern the signs of the times, but they who
are followers of the Lamb, and taught by the Holy
Ghost.

It is not^ however, to be inferred from the attitude
and employment of the one hundred and forty-four
thousand, that during this time the members of the
true church shall be exempted from suffering. It is
a period of universal tribulation, and in this fiery
trial they also must expect to participate, and in it to
be purified and made white.* But though, as men,
they will suffer many things ; the church, as a body,
shall be saved. Placed high on the towering
eminence of Mount Sion, she shall hear the
thunders of God's judgments, and see the storms of
divine wrath which desolate the earth rolling beneath
her feet.

To sum up the whole of this passage, the church
is here presented to us as returned from the wilder-
ness, but not yet entered into rest ; yet joyfully
anticipating the near approach of her rest, which
shall be ushered in by the marriage supper of the
Lamb. Like Moses on Mount Pisgah, she beholds
the wide extent of the land flowing with milk and
honey, which she shortly is destined to possess.

The church already appears to be assuming, or

* The concluding part of the period of the vials, we have reason to
believe, will be peculiarly trying. To that awful hour our Lord's
words may be applicable : " He that will save his life shall lose it, and
*' he that will lo-^e his life shall save it." Perhaps there may be some
things of a peculiarly sifting nature, which shall distinguish between
the true and false Christian.

279

rather to have assumed, the posture here men-'
tioned.* The evidences of her having- returned
from the wilderness were mentioned in a former
chapter ; and in the increasing discernment of the
signs of the times, in the joyful anticipation of her
approaching triumphs over the powers of darkness,
which we everywhere meet with among' eminently
spiritual believers, are to be seen the evidences of
her having begun to learn the song of Moses and
the Lamb : " Great and marvellous are thy works,
" O Lord God Almighty ; just and true are thy
'' ways, thou King of Saints. Who shall not fear
" thee, O Lord, and glorify thy Name ? for thou
" only art holy : for all nations shall come and
'' worship before thee, for thy judgments are made
" manifest." f

The next clause of the prophecy announces a
preaching of the Gospel, which seems to correspond
in character, with that mentioned by our Lord
as immediately preceding the end.j;

" And I saw another angel fly in the midst of
*' heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach
" unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every
'' nation and kindred, and tongue and people : say-
" ing with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory
*•' to him ; for the hour of his judgment is come:
" and worship him that made heaven and earth, and
" the sea, and the fountains of waters. And there

* The mystical number of 144,000 is indeed not yet completed;
but it is represented as complete by way of prolepsis, as it will aclually
be filled up during the prophetical hour to which the vision has
reference.

t Rev. XV. 3, 4. X Matt. xxiv. 14.

280

" followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen,
*' is fallen, that great city, because she made all
"' nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her
'' fornication. And the third angel followed them,
'' saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the
*' beast, and his image, and receive his mark in his
" forehead, or his hand ; the same shall drink of the
" wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out
'' without mixture into the cup of his indignation ;
*' and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone
"■ in the presence of the holy angels, and in the
'' presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their
" torment ascendeth up for ever and ever ; and
" they have no rest, day nor night, who worship the
" beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the
*' mark of his name."

The above passage is, by some interpreters, sup-
posed to relate to the period of the reformation, and
to have been fulfilled in the preaching of Luther,
and the other eminent persons who were raised up
at that time to expose the errors of the Romish
church. Others, as Mede and Bishop Newton,
refer it to an earlier period. But it appears to me,
that there are insuperable objections to these inter-
pretations. The first angel is instrumental in
preaching the Gospel much more extensively than
the reformers could do. So far were they from
preaching to all the inhabitants of the earth, that
they did not even preach through Ihe whole of
Christian Europe. The reformation was not per-
mitted to enter into some of the most extensive
kingdoms of the Romish jurisdiction. It was en-
tirely excluded from Spain, Portugal, and Italy.

281

Neither could it be said, in consistence with truth,
at the time of the reformation^ that " the hour of
'■' God's judgment was come." There is nothing
indefinite in the language of the Apocalypse, The
hour of God's judgment is a time well known, and
exactly defined in the chronological prophecies of
Daniel and John. It is the period of the judgment
mentioned in Dan. vii. 26, when the little horn, or
the papacy, is deprived of its power. It is likewise
the time of the seventh trumpet, and seven vials,
in the Apocalypse, when God judg-eth Babylon,*
and destroy eth them who destroy the earth. f

The expressions used by the second angel are no
less inapplicable to the time of the reformation. It
was not true that Babylon the Great was then fallen ;
on the contrary, after the first fervour of the refor-
mation subsided, the church of Rome regained much
of the ground which she had lost, and even down
to the period of the French revolution, she continued
to say in her heart, " I sit a queen, and am no
^' widow, and shall see no sorrow." \

The above reasons seem to me sufficient to jus-
tify my rejecting the common interpretation of this
part of the Apocalypse. The fact is, that as the
vision of the one hundred and forty-four thousand
on Mount Sion, belongs to the period of the seventh
trumpet, so the whole remaining part of the four-
teenth chapter is to be referred to the same Apoca-
lyptic season. The flight of the first angel repre-
sents a preaching of the Gospel much more universal
than any that preceded it. In the symbolical lan-
guage of this book; that which is effected in the

* Rev. xvii. I. -I- Rev. xi. IS. % Rev. xviii. 7.

382

providence of God by various instruments, is said to
be done by an angel goin;^ forth to execute it. I
do not conceive^ therefore, that in this passaj2;e we
are to vievv^ the angel^ as being the representative of
any individual minister, but of a series of events in
the church J which are accomplished by lier collective
energies. It is remarkable that this angel goes
forth, not preaching by word of mouth only, but
having the everlasting Gospel, (?*. e. the book of the
Gospel), the scriptures of truth, in his hand. We
may suppose, therefore, that this not only signifies
an extensive promulgation of the word, in the com-
mon use of the term preaching, but likewise that it
points out the diffusion of the written word through-
out the world, in a manner and with a rapidity
before unexampled ; and that this circulation of the
scriptures shall be accompanied, in the adorable and
wonder-working providence of God, with such awful
and signal judgments of the Almighty, as shall be
calculated to strike terror into the minds of all
nations, and shall in effect call out to them with
a voice louder than thunder, •' Fear God, and give
" glory to him, for the hour of his judgment is come."
This interesting prophecy seems now to be receiving
its accomplishment, and will probably continue to be
fulfilled with increasing clearness during the re-
mainder of the period into which we have entered.
We have witnessed a more extensive preaching of
the Gospel than has taken place before, since the
days of the apostles of the Lord, and have seen the
formation of a society for the printing and circulation
of the inspired volume, which has already given a
new impetus to the moral universe, and continues to

28:^

advance with gigantic strides to universal empire.
The scriptures are now printing in more languages
than were spoken on the day of Pentecost, and the
time seems to be at hand, when all the ends of the
earth shall be visited with the healing waters of sal-
vation. We have also seen this preaching of the
Qospel, and distribution of the word, accompanied
with a series of the most awful and tremendous
judgments, which have spoken to us in the loudest
manner, calling on us to "fear God, and give glory
" to him, for the hour of his judgment is come."
The flight of the second angel to declare the fall
of Babylon seems to be still future, and of conse-
quence also the preaching of the third angel. The
second angel is evidently the same with the one
mentioned at the beginning of the eighteenth
chapter, Avho comes down from heaven, and cries
aloud, that Babylon is fallen. The correspondence
of the two passages is to be considered as one of
those internal marks which serve to denote a chro-
nological coincidence. The third angel seems to
go forth about the same time that the apostle hears
the voice from heaven (ch. xviii. 4) saying, " Come
" out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of
" her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues."
The purpose of the mission of the third angel is
indeed not exactly the same with what is thus said
by the voice from heaven ; the one declares what is
the nature of the plagues which shall be inflicted on
the worshippers of the beast and his image, and the
other exhorts the disciples of Christ (and it is the
fnal exhortation) to forsake the communion of
Babylon : but I think the two are synchronical.

284

because they both immediately succeed the pro-
clamation of the fall of Babylon.

The i^oing forth of the second and third angels
being thus future, it does not become us to form
conjectures as to the manner in which this vision
shall be accomplished, whether by the preaching of
living ministers, or by the louder and more awfijl
voice of the divine judgments, accomphshing the
fall of Babylon, and proclaiming aloud the awful
punishment awaiting the worshippers of the beast.
The great city Babylon is evidently falling ; and
though the voice is not yet gone forth that she is
fallen, if we may reason from the analogy of what
has passed on the great theatre of the world, during
the last twenty years, her utter fall cannot be far off.

After declaring the purport of the message of
the third angel, which seems immediately to precede
the final destruction of the beast, in the awful day
of Armageddon, the Holy Spirit gives the following
significant warning that the events of that time shall
call into full exercise the utmost degree of patience
and faith in the disciples of Christ. " Here is the
'■' patience of the saints : here are (hey that keep
" the commandments of God, and faith of Jesus."
The day of the final destruction of the beast and
false prophet, is the same which is, in chap. xvi. 14.
called " the great day of God Almighty." This
day will to the Christian world be even more awful
and tremendous than the day of the siege and de-
struction of Jerusalem was to the Jewish nation.
As the believing Jews were delivered from that
destruction, so shall the true disciples of Christ be
saved in the day of Armageddon : yet their salvation

^285

shall be in such a way as that of Noah from the
deluge, and of Lot from Sodom, i. e. through the
exercise of faith and patience. " They shall indeed
"^ be accounted worthy to escape those things which
^' shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of
" Man."* But it is not easy to say what previous
fiery trials they may be called upon to endure, in
order *' to purge them and make them white unto
*'the end;"t and ''that the trial of their faith,
" being much more precious than of gold that
" perisheth, might be found unto praise, and honour,
'^'^ and glory, at the appearing of Jesus Christ." +
The above warning to the church, of the great need
of patience and faith at this trying hour, seems evi-
dently to coincide with the declaration in chap,
xiii. 10. and the concluding clause of the verse^
'' Here is the ptitience and the faith of the saints ;"
and in considering that clause, I supposed it to refer
lo the awful time when the beast should be slain
by the sword, as is mentioned in the former part
of the verse. The two passages are therefore syn-
chronical.

" And I heard a voice from heaven, saying unto
" me. Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the
'^ Lord from henceforth, yea, saith the Spirit, that
" they may rest from their labours, and their works
*' do follow them."

In the preceding passage, the dreadful end of the
worshippers of the beast and his image was shown ;
here, by way of contrast, is declared the blessedness
of those who die in the Lord. Such seems to be the
practical sense of the passage ; but it has doubtless

* Luke xxi 36. + Dau. xi. 35. t I Pet. i. 9.

286

also a prophetical signification, and points out to iis^
in connection with what precedes and follows, that
now at length the church is about to enter into that
glorious state of rest which was promised by the mouth
of all the holy prophets. Babylon being fallen, and
the beast slain, as is declared in the context ; the
long expected year of jubilee is arrived : the
resurrection of those who had been slain for the
testimony of Jesus, and who had not worshipped the
beast or his image, is now about to take place ; they
are to live and reign with Christ a thousand years :*
from henceforth, therefore, they are emphatically
pronounced blessed. Such seems to me the most
probable interpretation of this very obscure and
difficult passage ; but as it is new, I offer it
with that diffidence which it becomes us to exercise
in the exposition of this mysterious book. This
explanation is, however, quite agreeable to the
analogy of scripture ; for we learn from the prophe-
cies of Daniel, that as soon as the fourth beast is
slain, the saints of the Most High shall take the
kingdom : f and in like manner, in the Apocalypse,
no sooner is the beast, and with him the false pro-
phet, cast into the lake of fire, than Satan is bound,
and the first resurrection takes place.;];

" And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and
" upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of Man,
" having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand
"■ a sharp sickle. And another angel came out of
" the temple, crying with a loud voice, to him that
" sat on the cloud. Thrust in thy sickle, and reap ;

* Rev. XX. 4. + Dan. Tii. 17—22.

+ Rev. xJx. 19—21 ; xx. 1—4.

287

" for the harvest of the earth is ripe. And he that
•^ sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth ;
"and the earth was reaped."

The coming- of the Son of Man with the clouds
of heaven^ or, as Luke expresses it, with a cloud,
is an event frequently mentioned in the scriptures.
It occurs in the prophecies of Daniel,* and in
our Lord's discourse concerning the destruction of
Jerusalem. f It is also predicted at the beginning;
of the Apocalypse.]; This advent of Christ seems
evidently to be intended in the passage before us.
The symbolical reaping of the harvest of the earth,
which is performed by our Lord, 1 consider to signify
the gathering together of his elect from the four
winds of heaven, which he himself assures us, shall
take place immediately on his advent with the
clouds of heaven. § The action of reaping is in the
Gospels more than once used as a symbol of the
gathering in of Christ's elect ; || but never, so far as
I remember, as a symbol of the execution of divine
judgments. The gathering of the elect, here pre-
dicted under the image of reaping a harvest of corn
or wheat, immediately precedes the harvest of the
vintage, (mentioned in the following verses), which
is every where in the prophetical writings used as a
symbol of the wrath of God.H This gathering of
the elect is accordingly also alluded to in chap. xix.
where a more full description of the vintage is given ;
the allusion to it is in the 9th verse, '' Blessed are
*' they which are called unto the marriage supper of

* Dan. vii. 13. t Matt xxiv. 30. Mark xiii. 26. Lukexxi. 27.
+ Rev. i. 7. ^ Vide Matt. xxiv. 31, and the parallel passage

of Mark. fl John vi. 35—38. H Isai. Ixiii. 2, 3. Joel iii. 13.

288

• the Lamb." The call given to the marriage
supper, is probably the same as the gathering
together of the elect. In what manner it will be
accomplished, it were presumptuous for us to con-
jecture : the event only will show.

In the above explanation of the symbolical wheat
harvest, I entirely differ from Mede^ Bishop Newton,
and other writers, and also from Mr, Faber, whose
reasons for his own opinion may be found in his
Dissertation on the Twelve Hundred and Sixty
Years. I have, however, the happiness to coincide
with the eminently learned Bishop Horsley, who
applies the harvest, as I do, to the gathering of the
elect, mentioned by our Lord as taking place upon
his advent with the clouds of heaven.

"^ And another angel came out of the temple,
••' which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle.
<* And another angel came out from the altar, which
'' had power over fire ; and cried with a loud voice
" to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust
'' in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the
" vine of the earth ; for her grapes are fully ripe.
" And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth,
•' and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into
*' the great wine-press of the wrath of God. And
'^ the wine-press was trodden without the city, and
-' blood came out of the wine-press, even unto the
" horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six
'' hundred furlongs."

I think, with Mr. Faber, that the treading of
the wine-press, predicted in this vision, is the same
with that mentioned in chap. xix. where the Al-
mighty Word of God is represented to us, as

289

treading the wine-press of the fierceness and wrath
of Almighty God. It takes place when the beast
and false prophet, and kings of the earth, are
gathered to the battle of that great day of God
Almighty at Armageddon.* It is the same with
the dreadful destruction of the nations in the valley
of Jehoshaphat, mentioned by Joel in his last chap-
ter; and I agree with the above learned writer,
that the scene of this awful catastrophe is to be in
Judea. The same events are also predicted in the
prophecies of Isaiah ; particularly in that vision
where he sees the Redeemer coming from Edom,
with garments dyed in the blood of his enemies,
after having trodden the wine-press. f But I shall
defer the further consideration of this subject till we
come to the effusion of the vials of wrath.

In reviewing the fourteenth chapter I have thus
endeavoured to show, that it refers wholly to the
period of the sixth seal and seventh trumpet, and
contains a general account of the state of the church
during that time; of a great and unusual promul-
gation of the Gospel, which is then to take place ;
and of the warnings which are to be given of the
fall of Babylon, and the awful punishment which
awaits the worshippers of the beast and his image.
It then goes on to state the second advent of our
Lord with the clouds of heaven, the gathering-in
of his elect, and the treading of the wine-press of
the wrath of God in the day of Armageddon. But
for this chapter we should have had no account of
the state of things in the church between the time
of her emerging from the wilderness, and the
* Rev. xVi. 14. I (J. + Isai, Ixiii. 1—6.

290

period when she shall be publicly acknowledged by
her Lord at the marriage of the Lamb. This
chapter, as now explained, therefore supplies an
important want in the Apocalyptic history ; for,
according to the systems of most writers whose
works I have had access to^ it does not appear what
becomes of the church after she returns from her
secret retreat in the wilderness, till she is exhibited
to us in the nineteenth chapter^ as having made her-
self ready for the bridal ceremony.

291

CHAPTER XVII.

THE VISION OF SEVEN ANGELS WITH THE SEVEN VIALS
OF WRATH.

" And I saw another sign in heaven^ great and
" marvellous^ seven angels having the seven last
" plagues ; for in them is filled up the wrath of
*' God. And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled
*' with fire ; and them that had gotten the victory
*' over the beast, and over his image, and over his
" mark^ and over the number of his name, stand on
*' the sea of glass, having the harps of God. And
'^ they sing the song of Moses the servant of God,
^' and the song of the Lamb, saying. Great and
" marvellous are thy works. Lord God Almighty,
**^ just and true are thy ways, thou King of Saints.
" Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy
" name ? For thou only art holy ; for all nations
'^ shall come and worship before thee ; for thy judg-
" ments are made manifest. And after that I looked,
•' and behold, the temple of the tabernacle of the
" testimony in heaven was opened ; and the seven
'■' angels came out of the temple, having the seven
' plagues, clothed in pure and white linen, and
" having their breasts girded with golden girdles.
" And one of the four living creatures gave unto the
" seven angels seven golden vials full of the wrath
" of God, who liveth for ever and ever. And the
" temple was filled with smoke from the glory of
" God and from his power : and no man was able

292

*' to enter into the Icmple, till the seven plagues of
" the seven angels were fulfilled."

The fifteenth chapter of the Apocalypse is an
introduction to the prophecy of the seven vials of
wrath, and it contains some marks whereby we are
enabled to assign to the vials their proper place in
the Apocalyptic visions. The scene of this passage
is evidently in heaven. Those who had overcome
the beast and his image, are seen by the apostle
standing upon a sea of glass mingled with fire.
This is in allusion to the brazen sea in the temple of
Solomon, and is the same sea exhibited to John
when he was at first caught up into heaven.* The
glass of this sea is probably a symbol denoting the
atoning and purifying blood of Christ, in which all
who overcome must wash their robes, and make
them white. f The fire with which the glass is
mingled, denotes the enlightening and sanctifying
influences of the Holy Ghost, which are usually
signified by the symbol of fire. Thus John the
Baptist says to the Jews, " I indeed baptize you with
*' water unto repentance : but he that cometh after
" me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not
" worthy to bear ; he shall baptize you with the
" Holy Ghost and fire." In Acts ii. 2, 3, the descent
of the Holy Ghost on the apostles of our Lord was
announced by "■ a sound from heaven, as of a mighty
" rushing wind,'' — '^ and there appeared unto them

* Rev. iv. 6.

+ *' There may be also a more mystical meaning of this sea
" mingled with fire, the Spirit with the blood of Christ." Dr. H.
More's Works, p. 059.

293

'' cloven tongues, like as of fire, and it sat upon each
" of them."

From the passag'e thus explained we learn^ that
they who overcome the beast and his image do yet
stand before the throne of God, not on the ground
of their own obedience, but only in virtue of their
being cleansed by the atoning blood of Christ, and
sanctified by the Holy Ghost, They are repre-
sented as having the harps of God, and singing the
song of Moses and the Lamb, the words of which
have already been considered. These are certainly
the heavenly harpers, the voice of whose harps was
heard by the apostle in the preceding chapter ; and
they represent the church triumphant in heaven, or
rather that portion of it which had been found
faithful unto death during the peculiar time of trial,
the reign of the beast. There is a beautiful fitness,
in this part of the church triumphant being intro-
duced on the scene of this mysterious prophecy, in
the posture and employment here described; for the
period is now come when the beast and his image,
in whose reign they had fought, and bled, and con-
quered, are to be destroyed for ever ; and their blood
is thus to be avenged. Hence they are, with inimi-
table beauty, described as leading the chorus of
the triumphant anthem, which shall in due time be
re-echoed from the church militant on earth, and
shall swell into louder, and yet louder strains of
praise, till at length it shall be heard '' as it were the
*' voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of
*' many waters, and as the voice of mighty thun-
'* derings, saying, Alleluia, for the Lord God Omni-

*^94

'"potent reigneth."* The song of the harpers is
carried on through the whole period of the seven
vials.

After hearing the words of the song, the apostle
immediately saw the temple of the tabernacle of the
testimony opened in heaven. This denotes the
opening of the holy of holies^ or innermost sanc-
tuary, in which was the ark of the testimony ; by
■which internal mark we learn that this passage syn-
chronizes with chap. xi. 19. where the temple is also
opened ; and as this was not done till after the
seventh angel sounded^ we may hence conclude with
absolute certainty that the seven vials all belong to
the period of the seventh trnmpet, and are the con-
stituent parts of the third woe : for no sooner is the
temple opened than the apostle sees the seven angels
coming out of it, having the seven plagues. They
are clothed with pure and white linen, to denote the
righteousness of the dreadful judgments which they
are to inflict; and their breasts are girded with
golden girdles, to signify their constant readiness to
fulfil the behests of the Most High. The whole
ceremonial of this awful vision is adjusted in such a
manner as is calculated to fiU the mind with holy fear ;
and to show that the dreadful judgments symbolized
by the vials, are inflicted by the immediate hand
of God, one of the four living creatures, or cherubim,
nearest to the throne, gives unto the seven angels
seven golden vials, or bowls, full of the wrath of
God, who liveth for ever and ever.

In a former part of this work, I have endeavoured

* Rev. xix. 6.

295

to prove, that the different compartments of the
temple were symbolical of the several conditions and
states of the church ; and that the holy of holies,
besides being a symbol of heaven, is also a figure of
that future and most glorious state of the church on
earth when the tabernacle of God shall be with men.
Now the opening of the holy of holies, which we
have seen to take place in the passage we are consi-
dering, denotes the near approach of that blessed
period, and might have been supposed to signify its
actual commencement, if nothing had been said to
the contrary. But to prevent this mistake, we are
informed, at the close of the passage, that " the
"■ temple was filled with smoke from the glory of
" God, and from his power ; and no man was able
" to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of
^' the seven angels were fulfilled, or were about to
^' be finished." By this we may understand, that
the above glorious state of the church, which is
symbolized by men entering the holy of holies,
shall not commence till the end of the vials, i. e. till
the treading of the wine-press in the day of Arma-
geddon. The fact seems to be, that the church of
Christ must be purified by judgment before she is
fitted for the glorious rest then prepared for her ;
and accordingly we learn, in another part of the
scriptures, that when Christ takes his fan into his hand,
he will thoroughly purge his fioor, and separate the
chaff from the wheat, before he gathers the wheat
into his garner.* The above opening of the holy

* Matthew iii. 12. — I am always happy to support ray opinions Iiy
the very respectable authority of Bishop Horslcy. That learned

296

of holies denotes, as I have mentioned before, the
beginning of the return of the church from the wil-
derness. The entering of men into the holy of
holies takes place when the elect of Christ are called
to the marriage supper of the Lamb.

writer, in his Commenlary on the Eighteenth of Isaiah, says, that
" God, immediately before the final gathering of his elect from the
" four winds of heaven, will purify his church by such signal judg-
" ments as shall rouse the attention of the whole world, and in the
" end strike all nations with relis:ious awe."

'297
CHAPTER XVHI.

THE EFFUSION OF THE VIALS.

" And I heard a great voice out of the temple,
'' saying to the seven angels. Go your ways, and
*' pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the
" earth. And the first went, and poured out his
*' vial upon the earth : and there fell a noisome and
" grievous sore upon the men which had the mark
" of the beast, and upon them which worshipped
" his image. And the second angel poured out his
*' vial upon the sea ; and it became as the blood of
" a dead man : and every living soul died in the sea.
*' And the third angel poured out his vial upon the
" rivers and fountains of waters; and they became
" blood. And I heard the angel of the waters say,
*' Thou art righteous, O Lord, which art, and wast,
" and shalt be, because thou hast judged thus: for
" they have shed the blood of saints and prophets,
*' and thou hast given them blood to drink ; for they
" are worthy. And I heard another, out of the
'' altar, say. Even so, Lord God Almighty, true
^' and righteous are thy judgments. And the fourth
"angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and
" power was given unto him to scorch men with fire.
'^ And men were scorched with great heat, and
" blasphemed the name of God, which hath power
" over these plagues ; and they repented not, to
" give him glory. And the fifth angel poured out
" his vial upon the seat of the beast ; and his
** kingdom was full of darkness, and they gnawed

298

'' their tongues for pain, and blasphemed the God
" of heaven, because of their pains and their sores,
'' and repented not of their deeds. And the sixth
"^ angel poured out his vial upon the great river
'' Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up,
" that the way of the kings of the east might be
'' prepared. And I saw three unclean spirits, like
'' frogs, come out of the mouth of the dragon, and
'' out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the
" mouth of the false prophet : for they are the
" spirits of devils working miracles, which go forth
" unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world,
" to gather them to the battle of that great day of
" God Almighty. Behold I come as a thief. Blessed
'is he that watcheth and keepeth his garments,
*' lest he walk naked and they see his shame. And
" he gathered them together into a place, called in
'' the Hebrew tongue Armageddon. And the seventh
•^^ angel poured out his vial into the air ; and there
" came a great voice out of the temple of heaven,
*' from the throne, saying. It is done; and there
'* were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and
" there was a great earthquake, such as was not
" since men were upon the earth, so mighty an
*' earthquake and so great. And the great city was
" divided into three parts, and the cities of the
" nations fell ; and Great Babylon came in remem-
'' bra nee before God, to give unto her the cup of
*/ the wine of the fierceness of his wrath. And
" every island fled away, and the mountains were
'"' not found. And there fell upon men a great hail
'• out of heaven, every stone about the weight of
'a talent; and men blasphemed God, because of

299

" the plague of the hail ; for the plague thereof
" was exceeding great."*

When the seventh angel sounds, we are briefly
informed of the great result which takes place under
that trumpet, viz. that the kingdoms of this world
are become the kingdoms of our Lord and of his
Christ, But we are also told that the wrath of God
is then come, and the time to destroy them which
destroy the earth. f The nature of that awful wrath
of God, and the various steps of this destruction,
are pointed out to us in the seven vials of wrath.

As we know from the prophecies of Daniel and
St. John, that the last power which opposes itself to
the kingdom of Christ, is the Roman empire in its
ultimate state, secular and spiritual, it must be that
this empire is the principal subject of these vials of
wrath. But as the restoration of the Jews is also to
take place before the establishment of the kingdom of
God in the world, and the Turkish empire still
occupies the Holy Land ; and as this empire is now
almost the only remaining prop and stay of the false
religion of Mahummud, it would seem that the re-
moval of the Ottoman power is not less necessary
than that of the Roman empire. Accordingly the
sixth vial, which is poured out upon the great river
Euphrates, is applied to the destruction of the
Ottoman empire by our most respectable expositors,
with whom I entirely coincide in so interpreting it.

The seven vials being the component parts of the
third woe, or seventh trumpet, as it has been shown
that the seventh trumpet sounded in the year, 1792,J
it follows that the vials of wrath began to be poured

* Rev. xvi. 1. t Rev.xi. 15—18. % Page 135 — 137.

300

out at the same period. Hence it is, that the inter-
pretation of the vials is attended with that pecuhar
sort of difficulty which arises from their only being-
in part accomplished.

In the first verse the whole of the seven angels
are commanded to pour out their vials on " the
*' earth." We may therefore conclude, from what
has been said before, that this earth is a symbol
denoting- the whole extent of the Roman empire,
and including Turkey. Further, by comparing
the first verse with the remainder of the chapter,
we discover that the earth on which the vials were
poured was a complete symbolical world, having dry
land, a sea, rivers and fountains, a sun, air or an
atmosphere, cities, mountains, islands : each of which
subordinate symbols must have an appropriate sig-
nification. And as the vials began to be poured
out in the year 1792, the hieroglyphical universe
seen by the apostle must have exhibited the Roman
empire as it existed at that period.

As the seven angels all came out of the temple at
the same time, and the apostle '' heard a great voice
" out of the temple, saying," not to the first angel
only, but '' to the seven angels, Go and pour out
" the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth,"
I am of opinion that the whole of the seven vials
began to be poured out at one and the same period ;
and that instead of following each other in chrono-
logical succession, they are synchronical in all their
extent. I shall afterwards offer some arguments in
support of this opinion ; in the meanwhile 1 proceed
to the consideration of the several vials.

The first vial was poured out upon the earth or

301

dry land, and was followed by a noisome and grievous
sore upon the men who had the mark of the beast,
and who worshipped his image. In the language of
symbols, a noisome sore signifies a grievous moral
taint or disorder. In this sense the word is fre-
quently used by the inspired writers of the Old
Testament. Speaking of the dreadful depravity of
the Jewish church and nation, Isaiah describes it
under the emblem of grievous wounds, and bruises,
and putrefying sores, covering them from the sole
of the foot even to the head.* God, in Jeremiah,
speaking of the false prophets, says, " They have
" healed the hurt of the daughter of my people
" slightly, saying. Peace, peace, where there is no
" peace, "f The hurt or sore here spoken of is
evidently a moral one, which the false prophets
were guilty of glossing over, instead of bringing it
home to the consciences of the Jews, and exhorting
them to turn from their sin.

The earth or dry land on which the first vial is
poured, seems to signify symbolically the empire of
the beast in general, and that part of it in particular
which worshipped the image of the beast, or was in
communion with the corrupt church of Rome.;f
Mr. Faber interprets the sore which follows from

* Isaiah i. 0. + Jer. vi. 14.

+ I must here remark, that there arc many worshippers of the heast
and his image, even among protestants. Carnal, worldly-minded
Christians, of whatever denomination, all who secularize the pure and
heavenly religion of the Gospel, professing to believe it, not l)ecause
it has God for its author, but because it is the religion of the state,
are in effect worshippers of the beast. Let all such persons beware,
lest they continue in this dangerous state, for the end of it, if un-
repentedof, is destr action.

302

this vial to signify the delusive spirit of atheism,
or the denial of the Father and the Son, which in so
awful a manner marked the earlier stages of the
French revolution. I think this interpretation is sub-
stantially correct; yet 1 am inclined to suppose, that
not only the atheism of the French revolutionists is
here intended, but likewise those principles of anar-
chy and insubordination, and want of natural af-
fection, which accompanied the avowal of atheism,
and into which spirit all the nations of Europe so
fearfully drank at the era of the French revolution.
That the present period of the world has been
marked, above every preceding one, for the bold
avowal of such principles, will not be denied by any
person who has carefully studied the moral history
of his own times. The spirit of irreligion and con-
tempt of lawful authority still continues to work,
and even this highly privileged country is not without
evidence of the widely extended influence of this
accursed leaven. On the continent these dreadful
principles have had their full sway, and in the de-
voted country of France and its immediate depend-
encies, they have at length produced a degree of
moral turpitude, perhaps unequalled hitherto in the
history of our species. The conduct of the French
soldiery in the invasions of Portugal and Russia,
and the war in Spain, may be called upon to bear
witness to this charge. The awful, and wanton,
and horrid cruelties committed, particularly during
their different retreats, seem to mark the French
armies as consisting rather of incarnate fiends than
men professing Christianity.

We may further remark, that it was the prevalence

303

of the spirit of revolution and infidelity in all the
countries overrun by the French armies, which
facilitated the progress of their arms, and enabled
them to burst through and overwhelm the barriers
erected by the policy of ages, and cemented by the
blood of the nations of Europe, against the undue
aggrandizement of any particular state. It was
these principles, even more than the numbers and
discipline^ and science of the French armies, which
delivered up the hapless countries around them to
a tyranny more dreadful than that of ancient Rome.
I have heard it objected to the foregoing expla-
nation of the first vial, that atheism and infidelity
existed long before the era of the French revolution,
and that therefore it is wrong to state them as then
first coming into operation. To this it may be re-
plied, that before that awful event, the revolution
in France, these principles did indeed exist indivi-
dually, or in individuals, but not nationally ; they
were never before acted upon by any nation as
a body politic : but now they came into political
existence ; they were avowed and brought into
active operation by the government of the largest
and central nation of Christendom. To use the
style of symbols ; before the revolution, the poi-
sonous humours of atheism and insubordination
were secretly working in the mass of the body
politic, but it was then only that these humours
broke out into a loathsome, unsightly, ulcerated
sore.*

These principles of irreligion and insubordination
have been the germ and fruitful source of all the

* For this excellent, simile I am indebted to Mr. F.aber.

304

fearful calamities which have already overwhelmed
Europe under the third woe. There is therefore an
inimitable beauty and propriety in the vial which
developes these principles being- placed first. It is
however but too apparent that the influence of this
vial is not yet past.

The second angel poured out his vial upon the
sea, and it became as the blood of a dead man, &c.
The collective body of the symbolical waters signify
the whole body of nations, and multitudes, and peo-
ples, and tongues of the Roman earth.* Every
distinct body of water, therefore, when the empire
is in a divided state, (as it has always been since the
invasion of the Goths and Vandals), must symbolize
a particular nation ; and the symbolical sea, as being
the greatest body of waters, naturally signifies the
greatest and most numerous people of the Roman
world, which is without dispute the French nation. f
This nation, at the period of the revolution, became
drenched in its own blood, and the whole territory
of France was converted into a vast slaughter-house.
It has been computed that two millions of men
perished in that devoted country within three years
after it became a republic. J Long after the revo-
lutionary massacres had ceased, French blood still
continued to flow in torrents ; and from the acces-
sion of Napoleon to the consular and imperial

* ?ee Rev. xvii. 15.

+ The reader is requested to turn back to the remarks, with respect
to the proportion of the symbols, in pp. 73 and 71.

+ Kelt's History the Interpreter of Prophecy, vol. ii. chap. 3. —
Another account of the loss of lives in France during^ the three years
from 1792 to 1 795 inclusive, which is before me, makes it amount to
more than 2,000,000.

30b

powers^ till his overthrow by the combined forces of
Europe, it successively fertilized the soil of every
country from the banks of the Tagus to the deserts
of Poland and European Russia, in the series of
dreadful wars carried on to glut the ambition of a
ferocious usurper. In particular, during the late
awful campaigns in Russia, Germany, and France,
this and the following vial have received a fearful
accomplishment, in a destruction of the human race
without example in the annals of modern times.

The third vial was poured out upon the rivers
and fountains of water. As the sea, the great body
of the waters, symbolizes the greatest nation of the
Roman earth ; in like manner, the rivers and foun-
tains of waters, must signify the other nations, viz.
Germany divided into many states, Spain, Portugal,
Italy, Switzerland, &c. All these nations have since
the French revolution drank deeply of the cup of
blood put into their hands by the third angel. Spain
only, as I have heard from an officer who
served some years in the Spanish armies, lost two
millions of her inhabitants in her contest with Bona-
parte. How dreadful also has been the effusion of
blood in the different wars between France and
Austria and Prussia, in the late contests between
France and Russia, and in the campaigns which led
to the liberation of Europe ! Our own happy country
has likewise expended much of her best blood in the:
long protracted struggle in which we have been
engaged.

The fourth vial was poured out upon the sun,
and power was given to him to scorch men with fire,
The sun is usually the symbol of the imperial or

306

sovereign! power ; but in ''an empire split into many
'' kingdoms, like the Roman empire, the sun is the
" government of that state which, from its superi-
*' ority of power, resembles the bright orb of day
'' in the midst of the stars, or independent kings of
'^ the imperial firmament."* France was certainly
the state in the Roman empire, at the period of the
seventh trumpet, which possessed that superiority of
power. The symbolical sun therefore denotes the
government of Prance. The limited monarchy of
that country was overthrown in the year 1792, and was
succeeded by the revolutionary government, which,
in every stage of its existence, whether republican
or imperial, has tormented the men of the Roman
earth with a most grinding tyranny.

From the dreadful nature of the late contest, so
long protracted by the ruthless ambition of the
French rulers, have also proceeded those severe
measures of military preparation and finance, to
which all the governments of Europe have resorted
since the commencement of the revolutionary war.
Thus the symbolical sun of France has not only
exercised a scorching tyranny over its subjects and
vassals, but has indirectly become the source of
oppression to the inhabitants of every corner of
Europe. That sun has now however set in blood,
and a pause is afforded to the afflicted nations.
Happy would it be for them, if this interval were to

* Faber's Dissertation, vol. i, p. DO. — Mr. Grauville Sharp, follow-
ing Sir Isaac Newton, thinks the sun is put for the whole species and
race of kings, shining with regal glory; and that this vial is fulfilled
by the boundless increase, throughout all nations, of standing armies,
martial law, unlimited regal will, and the ruinous expense of sup-
porting their armies.

80?

be employed in averting the wrath of God by timely
repentance. Of this however there are no appear-
ances. The sure word of prophecy is evidently
receiving" its accomplishment, that tiie men who
under this vial "^were scorched with great heat^.
" blasphemed the name of God and repented not
'' to give him glory." Every account we receive
of the state of the continental nations, especially of
Catholic Europe, agrees in representing them to have
given themselves up to commit iniquity with greedi-
ness. In this country true religion has, as already
observed, made very great progress within the last
twenty years ; but still there are no indications of
general repentance and reformation ; indeed there
is growing and melancholy evidence, that the reverse
is the case, and that the body of the nation is be-
coming more depraved.* With respect to us also

* It may to some appear a paradox to assert, that true reJigion is
growing in a nation, and at the same time general depravity is in-
creasing. But let it be considered, that this was actually the case
with the Jewish nation, before the destruction of Jerusalem by the
Romans; for we read on the one hand, in Acts vi. 7, ihat " the word
" of God increased, and the number of the disciples multiplied in
" Jerusalem greatly, and a great company of the priests was obedient
" to the faith;" and in chap. xxi. 20, " Thou seest, brother, how
" many thousands of Jews there are which believe :" but on the other
hand we know, both from the New Testament and Josephus, that the
body of the Jewish nation became more and more corrupted, until
they at length reached a pitch of wickedness which can scarcely be
exceeded by human nature, and they thereby drew down upon tjiem-
selves utter destruction.

Now there are many circumstances in this nation, which seem to
assimilate our case to thai of the Jews. Like them we have, in an
unexampled degree, enjoyed the light of divine truth. Many thou-
sands have in consequence become truly religious, and there is a
manifest increase of real scriptural piety, evincing itself by its roost
genuine fruits, love to God and man. While however these things

308

as a nation, it is but too true, that we have not re-
}3ented to give glory to God. How common is it to

afford ground of consolation, it is necessary to view also the other
side of the picture. The general increase of crimes among the lower
orders of the community, and the deterioration of their morals, are
unfortunately matters of notoriety, and have lately been stated in
evidence before a Committee of the House of Commons. One magi-
strate (P. Colquhoun, Esq.) says, in his examination before the Police
Committee on the morals of the metropolis, " With regard to the lower
" orders of society, I think there has been a progressive retrograde from
'* the commencement of the revolutionary French war, particularly
" in all large towns." J. Gifford, Esq. says, in answer to a question
whether the morals of the lower orders are stationary or are on the
decline, " Woefully on the decline." — " Has the number of juvenile
" depredators increased of late years ? Certainly ; I am speaking as
" far as my own experience and observation go. — Can you state to
" the Committee any cause for that circumstance ? The increased
" profligacy of the lower classes of the people."

W. Fielding, Esq. — " I really think that, from the increasing wick-
" edness of the times, from the increasing gin-drinking, from the dirt
" and overpowering multitude of children that are in every part of
" the town, without our being able to clear the streets of a thousandth
" part of them, that there must be a vast increase of immorality
" most assuredly. — Do you then consider, that the increase of crime,
" which according to the different returns that have been laid before
" Parliament seems at present to be an established fact, proceeds from
" a positive diminution of public morals, or from an increase of
" population ? Most assuredly from the profaneness of the times,
" and from the increase of a very profligate population, which has
" met with no impediment, nothing to correct it. It is now going
" on as it was before, notwithstanding all our vigilance and particular
" care."

" This alarming increase of immorality is indeed marked with
" something of a peculiar character. It partakes of a certain portion
" of what may be termed the tinge of civilization: it is less atrocious
*' than formerly ; the crimes are not generally of so brutal a descrip-
•* tion. But the extent of irreligion is much greater, and is now
" combined with an increased organized hostility to subordination
" and good order.

The preceding extracts are taken from, a volume, entitled, ' The
" Basis of National Welfare, in a Letter to the Earl of Liverpool, by
" the Rev. R. Yates." Surely the melancholy facts which they

309

hear all our sufferings imputed to the corruptions
of our Government, and how rarely do we witness
the language of Christian humiliation and sorrow,
for the sins, national and individual, which have been
the real sources of those calamities, with which we
have been visited. But to refuse to see the hand of
God in the inflictions of his wrath, and to impute
them to man, is in effect blaspheming him.

The fifth vial was poured out upon the seat or
throne of the beast, and his kingdom became full
of darkness, and they gnawed their tongues for
pain. A throne is the symbol denoting the power,

disclose afford room for the most serious apprehensions. It is with
nations as with individuals, there is a slate in which they become ripe
for divine judgment, and when they arrive at it nothing can avert the
blow. As it has been energetically said by a writer of the present day,
" When the hour comes, it must strike." — The reader will find a very
able view of the present moral state of the lower classes in this
country, in the Quarterly Review for December, 1812, p. 319 — 356.
If similar evidence could be procured of the state of the higher classes
as to morals and religion, it would probably not in any degree remove
the mournful impressions, produced by the contemplation of the
condition of the lower orders. There is in the highest circles of
society less of the grossness and deformity of vice; but their moral
and religious state may probably be justly summed up in a few words,
" Thei/ live without God in the world." It must also be considered,
that the knowledge and light of the higher classes are greater, and
therefore they are more criminal. Indeed they are responsible for
much of the depravity of those below them, especially of their
domestics and immediate dependents, who are corrupted by their evil
example, and manifest disregard of the ordinances of religion and the
Day of the Lord, which they habitually profane by making it a day
of pleasure or recreation, or selecting it for the performance of
journeys; so that in the lives of those who conform to the fashions
of high life, all distinction between the Sunday and other days is
obliterated, with the exception perhaps of a formal attendance on the
morning service of the Church.

310

the authority, and the councils of an empire ; * and
in the divided Roman empire^ it must mean the
power and councils of its head (the head of the
beast). Now, in the year 179^^ when the seven
vials began to be poured out, the Austrian sovereign^
in his capacity of Emperor of Germany and of the
Romans, was (he head of the beast. The influence
of this vial upon the Austrian throne is sufficiently
apparent. Austria was at the head of all the co-
alitions against France. Her total failure and dis-
comfiture in them, the infatuate blindness which so
often marked her councils, the defeat of army after
army, and the loss of one province after another,
till at length she fell prostrate at the feet of her con-
queror, and her sovereign renounced the title of
Emperor of the Romans — are events well known to
those who have paid any attention to the wonderful
history of the present period. In these events we
may trace the first accomplishment of this vial.

The throne of the beast was next transferred to
France, and the plague of this vial followed its
devoted object, by affecting first the councils of
Bonaparte and lastly his power. It merits our most
attentive consideration, that until (he period when
the renunciation of the imperial titles of Rome by
Austria, rendered Napoleon the virtual represen-
tative of (he Cassars, his enterprises on the continent
of Europe, were crowned with complete success.
But now he occupied the throne of the beast, and

* Rev. xiii.'^. 1*n^ ^ri^'yn gave the beast his povrer, and his
throne, and great authority. The word " throne " is here evidently
used as synonymous with the other two.

311

the influence of the fifth vial began forthwith to be
felt by him. Its effects appeared first in the infatuate
blindness of his conduct towards Spain. That
country was one of the most devoted of his allies.
But not satisfied with the substantial control of its
resources for the purposes of his ambition, he aimed
at its annexation to the French empire, and having
procured an instrument whereby the reigning
king resigned to himself the throne, he trans-
ferred it to his brother Joseph. The Spanish
nation however refused to acquiesce in this trans-
action, and rose in arms against their oppressor, and
from this time may be dated the decline of his power
and resources.

The next glaring instance of infatuation in the
conduct of Bonaparte was his invasion of Russia in
the year 1812 From that enterprise he returned
a fugitive to his capital, after the complete de-
struction, by the hand of Heaven itself, of the best
appointed and most formidable army of disciplined
troops which till then the world had ever seen. But
the heart of this modern Pharaoh still continued
hardened, and he once more advanced into Germany
in the following year. Here again the influence of
this vial on his councils is discernible. Nothing but
infatuation seems to have induced him, after the
declaration of Austria in favour of the allies, to
remain at Dresden till his retreat was nearly cut off",
and he was hemmed in on every side by an over-
whelming force, and was in consequence obliged to
hazard the general action at Leipsick, in which his
power was finally broken. He still however refused
the terms of peace which were offered by the allies ;

312

and in the year 1S14, the confederated sovereigns
dictated at Paris his deposition and exile to Elba.
From thence he again emerged, and suddenly ap-
peared in France in the following spring, only to
sustain a last and irreparable defeat, and to complete
the series of wonderful vicissitudes which had marked
his life, by delivering himself up to that power whose
destruction he had most incessantly pursued. This
man, at whose name the nations so lately trembled, is
now confined as a state prisoner : and by a coinci-
dence too strange not to bear upon it the marks of
divine ordination, the place of his captivity is a
barren rock in the midst of the Atlantic, which is
itself a fit emblem of his past history, St. Helena
being manifestly the summit of an extinguished
volcano.*

In reviewing the character of the Apocalyptic
beast, we however saw, that under his last political
form, the imperial power is participated between the
seventh head healed of its deadly wound and ten
regal horns. I am therefore of opinion, that the
effects of this vial are not limited to that power
representing the head of the beast, but are at this
moment in a measure felt by all the governments of
the bestial empire and their subjects. The dreadful
struggle in which they have been engaged has left
them all in a condition of lassitude and debility,
disordering their finances and surrounding them

* Having myself resided a week in the island of St. Helena, fourteen
years ago, 1 was at the time forcibly struck with the appearances of
its volcanic origin. They are also mentioned in the accounts of it
which have lately appeared. I at that time little suspected that it
was destined to receive so celebrated an inhabitant.

313

with difficult}' and embarrassment. In consequence
of this vial we are informed that the kingdom of the
beast " was full of darkness, and they gnawed their
" tongues for pain, and blasphemed the God of
" heaven because of their pains and their sores^ and
*' repented not of their deeds." Darkness is an
emblem signifying perplexity and misery, and it
aptly describes the present state of Europe, filled as
it is with various and complicated distress. The
decay and embarrassments of commerce, and the
stagnation of manufactures, have every where re-
duced the labouring classes of the community to a
state of the most abject wretchedness. Our own
country has also suffered, not only from these causes,
but perhaps even to a greater degree from the ruin
which has nearly overwhelmed its agricultural popu-
lation. But still our distresses have been light in
comparison with those of the continental nations.*

* It is my wish to support all my inferences from facts, by testi-
mony of an authentic nature. Now with respect to the general
distress which at the present moment overwhelms Europe, those
statesmen who are at the helm of government must possess the most
enlarged information. On this subject I therefore insert the following
extract from Lord Castlereagh's Speech in the House of Commons,
on the 7th of February, 1817, as reported in the Times Newspaper
of the following day : — " He was as little disposed to deny as he was
*' ready to lament, that the country was suffering under the severest
" pressure in every branch of its industry and resources; that this
" distress was as universal as it was severe ; and that from the highest
" to the lowest rank, through all classes of society, the hand of Pro-
" vidence was severely felt. It was rather an aggravation than an
" alleviation of the sufferings of a generous people, to know that they
" did not suffer alone; but if our calamities could be soothed by
" a fellowship in distress, we need only look into Europe to find
" causes of consolation. No state on the Continent, however small
♦' or great, no class of society, were exempt from that pressure and
" exhaustion, which were consequent upon a war of such extent. If

314

In an especial manner the etfects of the fifth vial^
have fallen upon the devoted kingdom of France,
with a heavy and overwhelming weight of calamity,
the extent of which it is difficult for those to estimate
who have no local information. 1 have shown, in
a former part of this volume,* that the number of
the allied troops which actually entered France after
the last renewal of hostilities, was one million one
hundred and forty thousand. And when we take
a view of the necessary consumption of such a body
of men, with its attendant cavalry, artillery, and
baggage horses, we shall be able to form some vague
estimate of the dreadful sufferings of the French
nation. But in the preceding year 1814, also, the
whole line of French territory from the Netherlands
to Switzerland, as well as on the side of the Spanish
frontier, was the seat of war. The various and com-
plicated misery, which followed in the train of these
visitations, added to the previous drain of the popu-
lation, to supply the waste in the armies of Bona-
parte, has filled France with darkness, and thus has
the fifth vial received its awful accomplishment.
But no salutary moral effect has been produced upon
the nations of papal Europe. On the contrary, the
most authentic accounts represent them to be more
and more hardened in depravity. They gnaw their
tongues for pain and blaspheme God because of their

" he compared Great Britain with any of these states, he should be
" led to describe her as comparatively happy. Comparisons of this
" kind, however, could not lighten our distress. Whatever was the
" lot of other nations, our sufferings were severe ; our calamity was
*• great."

* Page 35, Note.

315

pains and iheir sores^ but repent not of their
deeds.

The sixth vial was poured out on the great river
Euphrates, and the water thereof was dried up, that
the way of the kings of the east might be prepared.
A great river, in the language of symbols, denotes
a great and populous nation. It is allowed by the
ablest writers on the Apocalypse, and indeed by
almost all who have written upon it, that the river
Euphrates, in the sixtli trumpet, signifies the nation
of the Turks or Ottomans. Consistency therefore
requires that it should be so understood here, and ac-
cordingly it is so explained by the most eminent expo-
sitors. The drying-up or evaporation of the waters
of the Euphrates, points out to us the gradual decay
of the Ottoman empire, by a species of internal con-
sumption, and not its overthrow by an hostile inva-
sion : for the figure in the last case would be the
turning of the waters of the Euphrates into blood.
It is sufficiently apparent, that for many years past
the Turkish power has been hastening to its disso-
lution by an internal decay of its resources, and of
all the principles of political health. It would also
appear that its destruction is hastening on with more
rapid progress by the immediate hand of God,
which is visible for some years past in the dreadful
ravages of the plague.* We have evidence before

* With respect to the desolation of Turkey by the plague, I have
selected the following information from the public papers.

Times. London, October '29, 1814. — " The ravages of the plague
'" this year at Smyrna have been unusually dreadful. It is stated,
" that in June frequently upwards of a thousand have been buried in
" a day. One third of the inhabitants had left their dwellings and the
" town. Some compute the deaths this year at 50,000; the least

3i6

our eyes, therefore, that this vial has long* since
begun to be poured out on the mystic Euphrates.
Who the kings of the east, or the kings from the
rising of the sun, are, for whom a way is to be pre-
pared by the exhaustion of the waters of tlie Eu-
phrates, is not yet certain. As the event is yet
future the accomphshment only can throw light upon

" computation is 30,000. Smyrna is said to contain from 130,000
" to 180,000 inhabitants. All Asia Minor, Syria, the Islands, &c.
" experienced this year a similar loss of about one-quarter, or one-
" fifth of the whole population. — The crops of corn, &c. remain
" ungathered in the fields, in many places in the interior, for want of
" hands; and several towns and villages have been entirely abandoned.
" In Smyrna, the keys of 800 houses have been delivered to the
" governor, as many families have been altogether extirpated, and
" the government is heir where there is no very near relation."

Morning Post. February 6, 1816. — " Agrara, in Croatia, Jan. 22,
" 181G. We received on the 10th the news, that the plague had
" extended from Turkey into our environs, as far as Dubitza, and
" other places. In the Turkish part of Dubitza most of the inha-
" bitants have perished, but in the Austrian part but few persons have
" been attacked."

The same Newspaper, Feb. 27, 1810. — " A Dutch mail has arrived.
" It communicates the most melancholy details of the ravages of the
" plague in the province of Bosnia, which it has nearly depopulated.
*' This Turkish province, which had hardly a million of inhabitants,
" has lately lost 500,000 persons by the plague. Three years ago,
" upon an exact enumeration of the Catholics, they were found to
" amount to 112,000 souls, of whom scarcely a half are now re-
" maining. The disease has not yet ceased to rage."

From various accounts which have appeared in the public papers,
it would appear, that since the above period the plague has never
entirely disappeared in the provinces of Turkey.

I copy the following paragraph from a Provincial Paper, of No-
vember 1 J, 1816, under the head of London, Nov. 8.

" The accounts from Turkey describe the vast mass of that empire
" as resembling the Roman power in the latest stage of its decline.
" The authority of the government is every where despised through-
" out the provinces of the empire, and of course the very resources
" for enforcing submission must every day become less productive."

S17

it. The general opinion is, that by the kings of the
east, the Jews are intended ; but the late venerable
Mr. Granville Sharp was of opinion, that the risen
martyrs of the first resurrection are designated by
this appellation. I feel myself inclined to adopt the
former opinion, but I do not wish to speak, with any
degree of confidence, of the manner of the accom-
plishment of what is yet future, 1 shall consider the
other events of this vial when I treat of the seventh.
The seventh vial was poured out into the air.
This vial is the most important of the whole. It
has justly been styled the vial of consummation. It
comprises within itself more particulars than all the
other vials : its contents occupy the last verses of the
sixteenth and the whole of the three followins:
chapters of the Apocalypse. In order to interpret
this vial aright, it is necessary to inquire, in the first
place, what is intended by the symbolical air into
which it is poured. It is through the medium of
the natural air, or atmosphere, that the natural sun,
moon, and stars, communicate to us their light, their
heat, and influences ; it is the same air which is in
us the principle of vitality. Now, through what
air, or atmosphere, do the symbolical sun, moon,
and stars communicate to us their influences, their
light, and heat ? I answer, that it is through the
medium of the political and ecclesiastical consti-
tutions of the states. These constitutions are also
the principle of vitality to the body politic. The
political and ecclesiastical constitutions of the states
of the world, are therefore the symbolical air or
atmosphere. Hence it is, perhaps, that Satan (in

318

Ephes. ii.) was called the prince of the power of the
air ; because he ruled, and was seated, and en-
throned in the political constitutions of the world,
which were all framed on principles friendly to the
interests of his kingdom.

I presume, therefore, that the seventh vial is
poured out upon the political and ecclesiastical con-
stitution of the Roman empire, as it was fixed at the
sounding of the seventh trumpet, in the year 1792.
The immediate effects of this vial are voices, thun-
ders, and lightnings, in the symbolical atmosphere ;
a tremendous agitation throughout the government,
and politico-ecclesiastical system of the bestial empire,
destructive of the general equilibrium or balance of
power, and superinducing all the horrors of a poli-
tical storm, I need scarcely add, that this is an exact
description of the state of the Babylonian empire,
from the year 1792, till the late pacification of
Europe ; and if the violence of the tempest has
seemed at times to abate, it has in the succeeding
moment raged even with more awful fury.

*' And there was a great earthquake, such as
'* was not since men were upon the earth, so
•' mighty an earthquake, and so great." — This mighty
earthquake is the effect of the political storm previ-
ously mentioned ; and it most exactly describes that
stupendous and terrific revolution in the Roman
empire, which commenced in the overthrow of the
French monarchy in 1792, and has since extended
to every corner of continental Europe.

The above interpretation of the seventh vial, was
the result of a close attentiofl to the analogies of the

319

symbolical language^ and was first inserted in a
paper 1 sent to the Christian Observer more than
eight years ago. Until after the publication of the
first edition of this work, I had no suspicion that the
very same explanation of the hieroglyphics of this
vial, had been given by another writer. But having
then met with the commentary of the learned
Vitringa, I was both surprised and gratified to find
so very near a resemblance between his exposition
and my own, as might very naturally have subjected
me to the charge of plagiarism. I mention this
circumstance, not only to vindicate myself from
such an imputation, but also because it tends to
show that the language of symbols is not (as many
suppose, of arbitrary or uncertain signification, but
is interpretable upon fixed principles, to ascertain
and define which is the first duty of a commentator,
as the judicious application of that language to the
events of history is the second.

Vitringa maintains that the pouring this vial into
the air signifies the dissolution of the pohticai and
ecclesiastical government of the bestial empire. '' All
" things (says he) shall be so agitated in the political
" and ecclesiastical government of that great empire,
" that the people shall be without air to breathe and
'' to refresh them : for the princes and governors of
" the nations, inasmuch as they cherish their
" subjects, and abound towards them in care and
"^ good management, are as it were the breath of the
" people, like the air which they imbibe and inhale,
" as they are called in Jeremiah (Lament, v. 20).
" That air being violently agitated shall be the
'' occasion of God's inflicting those heavy judgments

320

'* which he has determined against the empire of
"' the beast for its utter subversion."*

Having ascertained the general nature of the
events predicted in the seventh vial, I must now
recall the attention of the reader to certain conclu-
sions at which I arrived, in a former part of this
work. In considering the sixth seal I endeavoured
to prove, that the earthquake which is described in
it, is the same as that of the seventh trumpet and
seventh vial, and that all these passages afford
different views of the last great revolution, which
immediately precedes the second advent. I also
showed, that the vision of four angels holding the
four winds of the earth in the seventh chapter,
relates to an interval of peace in the midst of the
earthquake, which is granted for the purpose of the

* I shall here give a further quotation from Vitringa on the words
of the ISth verse. " Seusus verborum planus est et facilis, effectum
" sive consequens hujus Phialse effusffi, fore maximam totius imperii
" adversarii concussionem et commotionem, conjunctam cum demon-
" stratione clarissiraa Divinaj Majestatis, et terribilibus speciminibus
*' Justitise judiciorumque ejus quse magnum hostibus Ecclesise ejus
" incuterent lerrorem, graviora hoc tempore mala experturis, et gra-
" viorum metu ad suniraas redigendis angustias. Totus antichristianae
•' civitatis et ecclesiae status jam ante concussus, hoc tempore subver-
" teretur, qui terrae motus louge ad hue esset gravior et notabilior
" quam extiterat in subversa Hebraorum Republica et oeconoraia
'' vetere per Romanos dequo Haggai vaticinatus erat ; et cum quo
•* coraparari potest, ftuanto enim Imperium bestise cujus Roma caput
" est, se extendi t latius quippe in plura divisum ampla potentium po-
" pulorum regna; tanto etiam hujus civitatis politicae et ecclesiastical
" destructio et abolitio res esset majoris moliminis et difficilioris
" operae ; et tanto etiam illustriora et sonantiora indicia Divinae Ma-
" jestatis sanctitatisque (quas alibi jam monuimus per voces, Fulgura
" et Tonitrua desigaari,) qu£E cum hoc terrae motu hoc est subver-
" sione status imperii pseudochristiani toti patefierent orbi, omnium
•' percuterent oculos et aures, mortaliumque omnium excuterent stu-
" porera."

321

sealing of the, elect. And from the correspondence
of the late wonderful events on the continent of
Europe, with the description given of the holding
of the four winds, [ concluded that we have actually
arrived at the pause shadowed forth in that vision,
and that the four angels holding the winds, are a ty-
pical representation of the mighty confederacy led
on by four great powers which lately gave peace to
Europe, and continue to occupy France for the pre-
servation of tranquillity.

Now if these conclusions be just, it follows as a
necessary consequence from them, that a corres-
ponding pause must take place in the effects of some
at least of the vials. The elements of discord and
disorder which have hitherto produced such fearful
consequences must for a time suffer unwilling coer-
cion. A period of tranquillity must ensue, in which
however shall be discernible on the one hand the
mingled effects of lassitude and extreme exhaustion ;
and on the other the feverish agitation of revolu-
tionary principles still working, but prevented from
breaking out into action.

I leave it to those who are carefully studying the
moral and political history of our own times, to
judge how far the above description, answers to the
actual state of affairs. I myself believe, for the
reasons already given, that the operation of the
seventh vial is for the present suspended, and that as
it is yet only in part poured out, some passages
of the narrative of that vial, cannot in consequence
apply to any past, or present events, but wait their
accomplishment at a future period, when the cala-
mities of the earthquake shall be renewed with more

, 322

awful fury. The use to be derived from these
remarks will appear in considering' the next clause
of the prophecy. 1 have therefore thought it proper
to introduce them here, rather than in another place.
'' And the great city was divided into three parts."
— Some commentators have supposed, that these
words are to be understood as analogous to the
declaration of God concerning Jerusalem, in Ezek.
V. 12. *' A third part of thee shall die with the
" pestilence, and with famine shall they be consumed
" in the midst of thee : and a third part shall fall by
" the sword round about thee ; and I will scatter a
" third part into all the winds, and I will draw out a
" sword after them." If interpreted in this way, the
tripartite division of the great city must mean its
destruction by three different kinds of plagues. It
seems however more probable, that a division either
territorial, political, or religious, is designed. The
great city signifies the Roman empire as constituting
a great federal state. If by its being formed into
three parts, a religious division be intended, it may
be something similar to what has lately taken place
in the Germanic confederacy, where, as already
observed, one of the first principles settled at the
Congress of Vienna was, that henceforth perfect
equality shall subsist between the three religious
persuasions. Catholic, Lutheran, and Calvinistic.
This principle was never before recognised in its full
extent. But should the tripartite division be one of
a political nature, then it may be analogous to what
has already in some degree been eff'ected. The
European republic is at the present moment distin-
guishable into three political parts: 1st. the great

323

confederacy which occupies France with its armies ;
2d. France : 3d. the other parts of Europe, including
Spain, Portugal, Italy, &c. There is one other mode
in which this division may be formed, viz. a partition
of the whole territories of the Western empire
between three great powers. It is not however easy
to reconcile the idea of such a division as this, with
those passages of prophecy which seem to announce,
that the ten kingdoms which arose in the Western
empire, in consequence of the Gothic irruptions and
conquests, are in one shape or another to continue
until the last great battle. Upon the whole then it
appears to me probable, that the division into three
parts will be either religious, or political, and not
territorial. But I cannot with confidence apply the
prophecy to any thing that has yet taken place.
The division is probably future, and will receive its
accomplishment in events, which are either not begun
or are only in part developed.

" And the cities of the nations fell." — As the
great city signifies the Roman empire considered as
one great federal republic, so by analogy the cities
of the nations must denote the individual political and
ecclesiastical communities and governments, which
form the component parts of that republic. The late
venerable Granville Sharp supposed the cities of the
nations to signify all governments within the Roman
empire which could not be deemed regal ; as those
of Venice, Genoa, the German electorates, the Italian
states of Florence and Parma, the states of Holland
and Switzerland. In either sense of the symbol,
we have seen at least the inchoate accomplishment of
this prophecy, by the fall of nearly all the govern-

y 2

324

ments of Continental Europe since the French Revo-
lution, or by their being shaken to the foundation.
And though in consequence of tlie late settlement of
Europe they have been again erected ; yet the forms
of the greater part of them are no longer the same, or
the basis on which they rest, as well as their civil and
religious institutions, are changed : so that the whole
of this new political fabric may be compared to a
fallen building rebuilt with its old materials, and
somewhat of its ancient shape, but still so altered as
to be substantially different from what it was before.
Above all, the principles which formerly cemented it,
seem to be for ever departed.

And great Babylon came up in remembrance
before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of
the fierceness of his wrath. The great city is Rome
secular, considered as one great federal republic ;
and great Babylon is Rome ecclesiastical, or the
Roman church, viewed as a great spiritual com-
munity.

The awful judgments which have fallen upon the
catholic clergy, the spoliation of the Romish church
in the greater part of Europe, and the seizure of
the ecclesiastical state, seem to be the incipient ful-
filment of this passage. The pope has indeed lately
recovered his temporal principality : but 1 have been
assured, that the territory of the church is beyond
every other part of Italy and Europe, the scene of
the most abject misery. The mere re-establishment
of the papal government under such circumstances
of wretchedness, does not therefore take away from
the evidence, that this part of the vial is receiving
its accomplishment.

3^25

" And every island fled away, and the mountains
'' were not found." — As the cities of the nations si"*-
nify their political and ecclesiastical communities and
governments; I conceive that islands and mountains
mean states and kingdoms, considered in reference
to their individuality of existence, as separate and
independent principalities. If the government of a
nation is overthrown, as that of France at the Revo-
lution, the city which symbolizes it is said to fall.
But if a kingdom by conquest loses its independence,
and is occupied by foreign troops, then the island or
mountain which represents it is said to flee away, or
be removed out of its place. In this sense perhaps
the mountain representing France fled away when
the allied armies took possession of Paris. And in a
similar manner the islands and mountains repre-
senting the greater part of the states and kingdoms
of the Roman empire have fled away since the year
1792.*

* " Sensus est communem hoc tempore et generalem fere rerum in
" orbe Europaeo et maxime in imperio Ronianensi mystico eique
" subjectis regnis et rebus publicis cataslrophen." — " Est interim
" quod hie diligenter observeraus, eadem hsec verba nos jam habuisse
" in prophetia sigilli sexti, quas declarat res in fine sextae vel in initio
*' septinias periodi temporis, libro sigillorum circumscripti eventuras;
" quffique huic nostrsE per omnia parallela est, et ipsum quoque
" emblema hujus phialse declarat ut modo monebam. Ibi nempe
" postquam menlio fuisset facta coeli abolendi, et solis, lunae, ac
" siderum, loco suo aut statu movendorum, excrle additur, cap. vi. 1 4.
" El omnes monies el insulce e locis suis niotee sunt." Quo argumento
*' plane persuademur prophetiam sigillorum aaque ac tubiciniorum
" illam decurrere ad ultima ecclesiae tempora; quia dubitari non
" potest, phialam banc septiraam illud nobis ecclesite tempus demon-
" strare, quod gioriosum iilius statum proxime prajcedet. Esse autem
" eandem prophetiam hanc parallelam prophetiae tubicinii septirai,
" jam observavimus ad prsEcedentes hujus prophetia; pericopas et
*' novo argumento adstruitur ex iis verbis, quae nunc scquuntur. —

326

Where are now the celebrated republics of Venice,
of Genoa, and Holland ? They have disappeared
by being merged into other kingdoms. Where is
the Germanic or holy Roman empire ? — Where the
ancient absolute monarchy of France ? Their poli-
tical forms have undergone such mutations as to
render them no longer the same. Where again is
the mighty empire erected by Bonaparte ? It has
crumbled into dust. Thus have the islands and
mountains begun to flee away. But we are yet only
in the midst of the earthquake, and God has in mercy
granted to us a pause, before the last and most awful
part of the catastrophe. This part of the prophecy
will then be more completely fulfilled.

Sometimes islands and mountains, in the symbolical
style, denote kings and princes. If the symbol be
understood in this sense in the passage before us,
then it has received its fulfilment by the overthrow
of many of the ancient dynasties of Europe in the
first place, and secondly by that of the princes who
reigned as the vassals of Napoleon.

" And there fell upon men a great hail out of
'^ heaven." — Hail in the language of symbols seems to
denote the plague of war ; and this hail out of
heaven shows by what means the dreadful effusion
of blood is to be effected, which forms the subject of
the second and third vials ; and that this is by an awful
tempest of fierce and relentless wars, waged by the
governments, or ruling powers of the Roman world.
I need not say in what a fearful manner this has
been fulfilled, in the wars which have desolated

*' Estque haec vera et cerla clavis hujus libri rede interpretandi, quae
" merito magni facienda est." Vitringa, in loco.

S21

every part of Europe since the year 1792, by the
agency of revolutionary France.

The effects of the seventh vial are detailed more
fully in the 17th, 18th, and 19th chapters of the
Apocalypse; but as the greater part of the contents
of these chapters is still future, we must patiently
wait until events throw light upon them. It would
seem however that under the seventh vial, the bestial
empire will be moulded into that shape, which it
is destined to assume before the beast and his ten
kings are gathered together by diabolical agency, to
the battle of the great day of the Lord. All the
revolutionary changes which take place in conse-
quence of the effusion of this vial into the symbolical
air, will have a tendency to prepare the Roman
empire for that last blasphemous opposition to the
Lamb, in which it shall perish.* I apprehend
therefore that we are not to look for any reformation
in the body of the nations composing the western
empire. Many individuals will probably be awakened
to true repentance, by the awful signs of the times,
and the preaching of the Gospel, but the great
majority of the inhabitants of the empire shall wax
worse and worse, and at length reach a daring pitch
of wickedness, which shall drawdown upon them the
signal vengeance of the Almighty Word of Jehovah
in the day of Armageddon. It would, I conceive, be
very rash to form conjectures, with regard to the
shape which the empire will assume preparatory to
that event. I think however it may be gathered
from prophecy, that its division into ten kingdoms
will continue substantially until that time ; but what
* Rev. xvii. 13, 14. xix. 15—20,

328

power is then to be the representative of the Caesars,
and to head the last great confederacy, seems to me
to be no where declared. At the publication of the
first edition of this work I indeed thought otherwise,
conceiving that the power of France was to remain
unbroken to the end. But events have shown that
I was mistaken, and as 1 conceive the legitimate
province of the interpreter of prophecy, is to explain
prophecies already fulfilled, and not to hazard conjec-
tures as to the manner of the accomplishment of what
is future, I shall carefully abstain from all such con-
jectural expositions, observing only that when the
beast shall be moulded into his last political shape,
then I conceive the organization of that confede-
racy will be complete, which is to be gathered
together by diabolical influence to the battle of
Armageddon.

It may probably occur to the attentive reader, as
an objection to the above scheme of interpretation,
that the gathering together of the last confederacy
to Armageddon, is to take place under the sixth
vial ; and that therefore it is contradictory to sup-
pose that the confederacy is to be formed under
the seventh vial. To this I answer, that there are
probably two reasons why the gathering together of
the confederacy to Armageddon is mentioned under
the sixth vial. The first of these is, that the great
battle, and treading of the winepress, are to take
place in Judea ; and consequently these events have
a natural and close connection with the downfall of
the Turkish empire, which is the subject of the sixth
vial, and they come very naturally to be mentioned
immediately after the fall of that power, of which

329
r

Judea is a province. The second reason is^ that

the waters of the mystic Euphrates are dried up,
that the way of the kings of the east might be pre-
pared, and these kings of the east are probably the
converted Jews. Now there is a foundation for
believing, that the object of the gathering together
of the last confederacy to Armageddon, will be to
oppose the purposes of God with respect to the
Jews ; and if so, there is the greatest beauty and
propriety in that gathering together being intro-
duced under the sixth vial, i. e. under the vial in
which the way of the Jews is to be prepared. On
the other hand, the organization of the confederacy
is placed under the seventh vial ; because it is com-
posed of materials which could have no existence till
a mighty revolution was effected in the politico-
ecclesiastical constitution of the Roman empire, by
the effusion of the seventh vial of wrath on that con-
stitution, ^. €. on the symbolical atmosphere.* The

* It maj' without difficulty be shown, that Mr. Faber's scheme of
the vials, which supposes their effusion to be successive, is radically
deficieut. Mr. Faber, like myself, supposes that a great confederacy
of the kings of the western empire is to be formed under the vials,
and broken at Armageddon. But his scheme does not account for
the formation of the confederacy, which is itself an effect of the wrath
of God poured out on the bestial empire. Now under which of the
vials does Mr. Faber place this special effect of the divine wrath? As
far as I understand his scheme, there is no room in it for that change
in the political form of the western empire, which is to issue in the
hist great combination of its sovereigns against the Lamb. Indeed
from Mr. Faber's scheme, as modified in his fifth edition, the French
revolution, as a si/mbolical earthquake, is altogether excluded, though
he still holds that revolution to be the third woe, and though it
exactly corresponds with his own definition of a symbolical earth-
quake.

The scheme of the vials contained in these pages has been charged
with having a tendency to introduce confusion into the Apocalyptic

330

above arrangement is also entirely agreeable to the
enigmatical form of the Apocalyptic prophecies, and
yet introduces no confusion into them : and if the
vials be synchronical, there is no solid argument
against it.

I shall now offer one or two arguments to show
that the vials certainly are synchronical.

The seven vials are the constituent parts of the
third woe, or the seventh trumpet, and contain all
the remarkable events of that woe. But these vials
contain only one earthquake (or revolution), viz.
that of the seventh vial ; and likewise only one sym-
bolical storm, with its concomitant effects, which is
also mentioned in the seventh vial : therefore the
seventh trumpet contains only one symbolical earth-
quake and storm ; and it follows, that the lightnings,
voices, thunderings, earthquake, and great hail, seen
by the apostle in Rev. xi. 19. are precisely the

arrangement. In order to show how little foundation there is for
this charge, I shall here give a short analysis of my own theory.
Instead of dividing the third woe into seven successive periods,
I suppose all its seven vials to be cotemporaneously poured out, on
the different component parts of the same symbolical world.

The first vial affects the political, religious, and moral principles
of the inhabitants of the empire.

The second and third vials, represent the slaughter of its inhabitants.

The fourth vial affects the imperial power, in its influencial effects
upon human happiness.

The fifth, affects the same power, in its intrinsic authority and
stability.

The sixth, destroys the Ottoman power.

The seventh, dissolves the whole frame of the political and ecclesi-
astical government of the empire.

Now whether the above arrangement be true, or false, must be
established by arguments, drawn from the prophecy itself compared
with events But even if it were proved to be false, I see not, bow
it can be justly said to be confused or indistinct.

331

same with those of the seventh vial.* But the
symbolical tempest and earthquake of Rev. xi. 19.
(which are the same with those of the seventh vial)
immediately succeed the opening of the temple of
God in heaven, which had previously been shut ;
and the effusion of the first vial also immediately

* In this inference, I haye the support both of Mede and Vitringa,
two of the greatest authorities on prophecy ; and their agreement on
this point, is the more remarkable, because in their general arrange-
ment of the seals and trumpets they differ. The only objection to
the foregoing conclusion, which I have met with deserving of notice,
is to the following effect : It is alleged, that Rev. xi. 19, indicates the
convulsions ia France about 1792, not as a part of the vials, but in-
troductory to them, and therefore, the earthquakes, in xi. 19. and
xvi. 19, are totally different. Now in answer to this argument,
I observe, 1st. That it seems evident, if the earthquake of chap. xi. 19.
had been introductory to the vials, it would have been again men-
tioned in chap. xv. 5 — 7. before the vials were delivered to the
angels, and thus the narrative in that place would have been connected
with xi. 19, and the possibility of a mistake in confounding two dif-
ferent earthquakes prevented. 2nd. If the events in France in the
year 1792, were an earthquake, it is unphilosophical to say, that the
earthquake was limited to the first convulsions of the revolution.
All that followed till the dethronement of Bonaparte, was evidently
a continuation of the earthquake. Nay, if the revolution shall
hereafter break out again, it will still be the same earthquake. In
this conclusion, I shall at least, I presume, have the concurrence
of Mr. Faber, who agrees with me in assigning to the earthquake in
Rev. xi. 13, a duration of a century and a half. It is very remark-
able, that an author of the present day, in a pamphlet which has no
relation to the interpretation of prophecy, has termed the French
revolution and its consequences to a late period, a continued earth-
quake. " To say that either the church or the state is free from
" danger, would in times like the present, be an empty and presump-
" tuous boast. The earthquake, by which so many churches, and so many
" states have been shattered into ruin, still continues to heave the
" ground, and it appears evident, that these dreadful convulsions of
" the moral and political world, are by the unseen councils of pro-
" vidence, directed to bring about some great renovation in the
" religious state of man." Three Letters on the British and Foreign
Bible Society, by the Right Hon. N. Vansittart, 1812.

332

follows the opening' of the temple in heaven : *
therefore the earthquake of the seventh vial, which
is the same with that of Rev. xi. 19, must be syn-
chronical with the etFusion of the first vial_, since
they both equally happen immediately after the
opening- of the temple. And the first and seventh
vials being thus shown to be synchronical, all the
rest must be so likewise.

I observe further, that according to the fifth
general rule of interpretation laid down in the pre-
face, we must conclude that Rev. xvi. 16, where the
gathering together of the beast and the kings of the
earth at Armageddon is first mentioned, corresponds
inj time with xix. 19, where John again sees them
gathered together. But the first of these passages
comes in at the end of the sixth vial, and the last at
the close of the seventh vial ; therefore the end of
both these vials corresponds in point of time, and
consequently their effusion must also be parallel.
Now if these two vials are synchronical, no good
reason can be oft'ered against the whole being so.

Having thus endeavoured to show, from the in-
ternal marks contained in the Apocalypse itself, that
the vials are synchronical, I now proceed to draw
the same inference, from the application of the vials
to the awful events of our own times. It is now
generally admitted by interpreters, that the vials
began to be poured out not later than the year 1792.
But exactly at the same time a symbolical earthquake
began to heave the ground, which for twenty-three
years continued to convulse and agonize every part
of Europe. In its awful progress it has been com-

* Rev, XV. b; xvi. 1.

333

puted, that ten millions of our species have been
destroyed by the sword or by violence. The ex-
penditure of Europe in the contest has probably been
at least three thousand millions sterling. AVhen we
add to these things the dreadful destruction of life
by disease, the consequence of war ; the dissolution
of morals, introduced by excess of misery on the one
hand, and on the other by an unlimited intercourse
with the largest and most profligate armies ever
known in history,* and also the terrible destruction
of property, by plunder, confiscation, and fire,
a mass of evil is presented to our imagination, of
which the extent can only be known to that Omni-
scient Being, who sent this awful woe as a visitation
for the sins of the world.

Now it seems utterly incredible, that the earth-
quake or political tempest, which was the moving-
cause, the volcanic crater of all this evil, should be
no where mentioned in the vials of wrath, while its
effects are so fully detailed. But it is not mentioned
in them, unless it be the earthquake of the seventh
vial: therefore the conclusion is, that it is that very
earthquake, and that the seventh vial began to be
poured out in 1792 ; and as the effusion of the first

* A very able and enlightened foreigner, with whom I had many
conversations on the state of the continent before the overthrow of
Bonaparte, observed to me, that " the corruption of manners, and
" depravation of character, is still such on the continent, that
" however melancholy is the conclusion, we cannot avoid forming it,
" that mankind have not yet suffered enough." Speaking of the
slaughter of men in the late war», he said, " The lives of men are now
" thought nothing of. 30,000 men are sacrificed in a day, 10,000 iu
" an affair of advanced posts. One of the dreadful consequences of
" the present system of war is, that nearly all the wounded die. It is
" impossible to provide hospitals for such prodigious multitudes."

334

vial took place in the same year, these two and all
the other vials must be synchronical.

I have said above, that the eighteenth and nine-
teenth chapters of the Apocalypse also belong to
the seventh vial. The first of these chapters con-
tains a sublime description of the overthrow of
Babylon, The nineteenth chapter begins with a
song of praise for her destruction. It next pro-
claims the approach of the marriage of the Lamb,
and announces that his wife, the church, hath made
herself ready ; and declares the blessedness of those
who are called to the marriage-supper. The mar-
riage of the Lamb is the commencement of that
fflorious state of rest of the church, which is the
subject of so great a portion of the writings of the
prophets. It is then that they who are the elect of
Christ, at his second advent, shall enter into the
temple, or holy of holies, into which it is before said
that no man could enter, until the seven plagues of
the seven angels were fulfilled.* This event seems
precisely to synchronize with the destruction of the
beast and false prophet, and their armies, at Arma-
geddon, which is the last great event mentioned in
the nineteenth chapter.

Having now endeavoured to explain the Apoca-
lyptic vials, so far as events seem already to have
reflected light upon them, it may be proper, before
1 close the subject, to take a short view of those
great events, which the prophecies both of the Old
and New Testament lead us to expect, previous to
the consummation of the vials, at the great d.y of the
Lord. The first of these events is the conversion

* Rev. XT. 8.

335

and restoration of the Jews. That the ancient
people of God are to be converted to the faith of
Christ, is a truth universally acknowledged by those,
who have paid any attention to the prophetical
Scriptures; and though the promises of their resto-
ration to the land of their fathers, have by some
interpreters been explained in a spiritual or sym-
bolical sense, yet as I know not any late commen-
tator of note who has adopted this opinion, 1 shall
not enter upon the refutation of it, but content
myself with quoting one or two passages of Scrip-
ture, which seem to me sufficient to establish the
certainty of that great event.

'■' And it shall come to pass when all these things
'' are come upon thee, the blessing and the curse,
" which I have set before thee, and thou shalt call
'' them to mind among all the nations, whither the
'-' Lord thy God hath driven thee, and shalt return
'' unto the Lord thy God, and shalt obey his voice,
'' according to all that I command thee this day.
" thou and thy children, with all thine heart and
" with all thy soul ; that then the Lord thy God will
*' turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee,
'' and will return and gather thee, from all the
"• nations whither the Lord thy God hath scattered
" thee. If any of thine be driven out into the
" utmost parts of heaven, from thence will the Lord
^' thy God gather thee, and from thence will he
'* fetch thee. And the Lord thy God will bring
" thee into the land which thy fathers possessed,
*' and thou shalt possess it : and he will do thee good
" and multiply thee above thy fathers." * " Behold

* Deuter. xxx. 1 — 7.

336

" I will gather them out of all the nations, whither
" I have driven them in mine anger, and in my fury,
" and in my great wrath ; and I will bring them
" again into this place, and I will eause them to
" dwell safely. And they shall be my people, and
" I will be their God. And I will give them one
'' heart and one way, that they may fear me for
" ever, for the good of them and of their children
'' after them." — '' Yea, I will rejoice over them to
'^ do them good, and will plant them in this land
" assuredly with my whole heart and my whole
• soul." *

Now to affirm, as some have done, that the fore-
going promise.fi were fulfilled, in the very partial
restoration which took place after the captivity of
Babylon, seems to me to be a mockery of the Scrip-
tures of truth. The events predicted in these pas-
sages are evidently future, and will only receive
their accomplishment, when God shall set his hand
the second tijne f to gather the remnant of his
people from the lands of their captivity.

Further, that the restoration of the Jews is to
take place during the period of the vials, will appear
for the following reasons; 1st. In Dan. xii. 7. it is
announced, that at the accomplishing to scatter the
power of the holy people, or in other words the
restoration of Israel, all the things contained in that
vision shall be finished. But the last of these things
is the fall of a certain king " between the seas in the
*' glorious holy mountain." J And whether we
follow the interpretation of Mede and Bishop New-
ton, or of Mr. Faber, with respect to the power

* Jerem. xxxii. 37 — 42. + Isaiah xi. 11. t Dan. xi. 45.

337

which is there intended, his fall will in either case
happen at the period of the vials, and consequently
the restoration of Israel, which synchronizes with his
fall, must also take place at the time of the vials.
2dly. In Dan. xii. 1. it is said, that their restoration
is to happen during a time of trouble, such as there
never was since there was a nation. But this from
the chronology of Daniel's vision, can be no other,
than the closing period of the vials. 3d. Th6 pro-
phecy contained in the beginning of the sixty-third
chapter of Isaiah, which manifestly relates to the
national redemption of Israel, describes the treading
of the winepress of the wrath of God in terms so si-
milar to Rev. xiv. 19, 20. and xix. 15. that we cannot
be mistaken in identifying the three passages. But
the two last texts belong to the seventh vial, and
describe the awful carnage at Armageddon : there-
fore the redemption of Israel takes place at the same
period.

From the passage in Deuteronomy quoted above,
I think it is certainly to be inferred, that the con-
version of the Jews is to begin before their resto-
ration. But on the other hand, there is a passage in
Ezekiel,* from which it would appear, that they are
not to be completely sanctified or washed with clean
water, until after their return to their own land.
By comparing both these prophecies, we therefore
discover, that though their conversion will have
commenced before they are restored ; it will not be
completed till after that event. In confirmation of
this conclusion, there is a very remarkable description,
in the prophecy of Zechariah,f of a great national

* Ezek. xxxvi. 24, 25. f Zechar. xii. 9—14.

338

mourning', which is to take placeamong the returned
Jews in their own land, when they shall look on
him whom they have pierced ; and as that text is
evidently parallel with Rev. i. 7,* it follows that they
both relate to the same appearance of our Saviour,
which is clearly that of the second advent. Upon
this passage in Zechariah many interpreters have
accordingly founded an opinion, which I think quite
corrett, that the complete conversion of the Jewish
nation will not take place till our Lord comes again
with the clouds of heaven, at the destruction of
Daniel's fourth beast, or the Roman empire, f which
happens at the close of the Apocalyptic vials.

In exact conformity to these conclusions, we are
taught in the prophecies of Joel, that at the very
time when the Lord shall turn the captivity of Judah
and Jerusalem, he will also gather all nations, and
will bring them down to the valley of Jehoshaphat,
and will plead with them there, for his people Israel. J
" Assemble yourselves and come, all ye heathen, and
'' gather yourselves together round about : thither
" cause thy mighty ones to come down, O Lord.
'' Let the heathen be wakened, and come up to the
" valley of Jehoshaphat, for there will I sit to judge
" all the heathen round about. Put ye in the sickle,
" for the harvest is ripe : come, get you down, for the
*' press is full, the fats overflow, for their wickedness
" is great. Multitudes, multitudes, in the valley of
'' decision : for the day of the Lord is near in the

* Compare with this view the Greek text of Rev. i. 7, and that of
the ScTcnty on Zech. xii. 9—14, and it will be seen that the two texts
manifestly describe the same scene.

t Dan. vii. 12, 13. + Joel iii. I, 2.

339

'' valley of decision. The sun and moon shall be
" darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their
" shining. The Lord also shall roar out of Zion,
" and utter his voice from Jerusalem, and the
'^ heavens and the earth shall shake ; but the Lord
*' will be the hope of his people^ and the strength of
'' the children of Israel."*

The scene here disclosed to our view, is evidently
the same as that described in Rev. xix. 11 — 19. and
all the other parallel passages which have been
quoted : and the great confederacy of the nations
which is overwhelmed at the valley of Jehoshaphat,
is manifestly that consisting of the beast and the
kings of the earth, which St. John saw gathered
together to the battle of Armageddon.

From all that has been said, we have reason to
believe therefore, that during the remainder of the
period assigned for the effusion of the vials, the con-
version of the Jews, which seems already beginning,
will proceed with accelerated velocity. When a
considerable body of them are converted, it is natural
to suppose, that they will pour out the most ardent
and affectionate prayers for their unbelieving bre-
thren, and for the redemption of the nation. Their
supplications shall be answered. God will, in a
manner hidden from us at present, gather together
the whole nation from the countries where they
now sojourn, and bring them into the land of their
fathers, some of them in a converted state, but
perhaps the greater part still being unconverted,
at least in the spiritual sense of that word. During
these events, it is probable that the western Roman

* Joeliii.U— 16.

z 2

empire will have filled up the measure of its ini-
quities, and will finally have assumed that political
organization, which is to prepare it for the last con-
federacy, to be gathered together, by the agency of
three unclean spirits, to the battle of Armageddon.
The number of the elect 144,000, who are sealed for
preservation from the last awful calamities, will have
been completed, by means of that final preaching of
the Gospel, mentioned in Matt. xxiv. 14, and Rev.
xiv. 6, which is evidently begun ; the destruction of
mystical Babylon will also have taken place ; and the
Ottoman empire will probably have fallen. While
the Jews are returning to their own land, or soon
afterwards, the great confederacy of the nations will
be assembled at Armageddon : and under this name
I think, with many eminent interpreters, that some
place in the Holy Land, and probably in the imme-
diate vicinity of Jerusalem, is designated.

All things being now ready, I conceive that in
this awful period, the Almighty Word of Jehovah
will be revealed from heaven with ten thousands of
his saints, in flaming fire, to take vengeance on a
world assembled in arms against his people. At the
same hour the elect of God shall be gathered from
the four winds of heaven to the marriage supper of
the Lamb, and the final judgments shall be let loose
against those nations which have named the name of
Christ, but have not departed from iniquity.

Of the nature of these judgments it would be
presumptuous to speak, excepting in the language
of scripture. I shall therefore proceed to quote some
passages, which seem to me descriptive of the closing
period of the vials, making such short remarks, as

341

may occur to me in reference to the language in
which they are expressed.

"• And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth,
" and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into
'' the great winepress of the wrath of God. And
^'^ the winepress was trodden without the city, and
*' blood came out of the winepress even unto the
*"' horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six
" hundred furlongs." *

Dreadful as are the carnage and devastation which
have already occurred since the commencement of
the vials ; what is here predicted far exceeds in
horror, the most sanguinary scenes which the past
history of the world records. A stream or lake of
blood two hundred miles in extent, and up to the
horses' bridles, is the figure used, and it denotes
a destruction of men, of which we can scarcely form
any clear conception,

" For thus saith the Lord God of Israel unto me;
^' Take the wine cup of this fury at my hand, and
" cause all the nations to whom I send thee to drink
" it. And they shall drink, and be moved, and be
'' mad, because of the sword that I will send among
" them." — " Therefore thou shalt say unto them,
^' Thus saith. the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel :
" Drink ye, be drunken, and spue, and fall, and
" rise no more, because of the sword which I will
" send among you. And it shall be, if they refuse
'' to take the cup at thine hand to drink, then shalt
" thou say unto them. Thus saith the Lord of hosts;
" Ye shall certainly drink. For lo, I begin to bring

* Rev. xiv. 19, 80.

342

" evil on the city which is called by my name, and
'' should ye be utterly unpunished ? Ye shall not
" be unpunished : for I will call for a sword upon
" all the inhabitants of the earth, saith the Lord
*' of hosts. Therefore prophesy against them all
'^ these words, and say unto them. The Lord shall
*' roar from on high, and utter his voice from his
" holy habitation ; he shall mightily roar upon his
'' habitation ; he shall give a shout as they that tread
" the grapes, against all the inhabitants of the earth.
•' A noise shall come even to the ends of the earth :
" for the Lord hath a controversy with the nations,
" he will plead with all flesh ; he will give them
*' that are wicked to the sword, saith the Lord.
'' Thus saith the Lord of hosts. Behold evil shall
" go forth from nation to nation, and a great whirl-
'' wind shall be raised up from the coasts of the
'' earth. And the slain of the Lord shall be at
" that day from one end of the earth even unto
" the other end of the earth ; they shall not be
'' lamented, neither gathered, nor buried ; they
" shall be dung upon the ground. Howl, ye shep-
'' herds, and cry, and wallow yourselves in the ashes,
" ye principal of the flock ; for the days of your
" slaughter and of your dispersions are accomplished,
*' and ye shaH fall like a pleasant vessel. And the
'* shepherds shall have no way to flee, nor the prin-
" cipal of the flock to escape. A voice of the cry
" of the shepherds and an howling of the principal
" of the flock, for the Lord hath spoiled their pasture.
" And the peaceable habitations are cut down because
" of the fierce anger of the Lord. He hath for-

343

" saken his covert as the lion, for their land is de-
'■' solate because of the fierceness of the oppressor,
*^' and because of his fierce anger." *

Similar in its awful import to the above passage,
is the following prophecy of Isaiah : "■ Come near:,
" ye nations^ to hear, and hearken, ye people ; let
" the earth hear, and all that is therein, the world,
" and all things that come forth of it. For the
" indignation of the Lord is upon all nations, and
*' his fury upon all their armies : he hath utterly
*' destroyed them, he hath delivered them to the
" slaughter. Their slain also shall be cast out, and
" their stink shall come up out of their carcases,
" and the mountains shall be melted with their blood.
" And all the host of heaven shall be dissolved, and
" the heavens shall be rolled together as a scroll ;
" and all their host shall fall down, as the leaf falleth
^' off from the vine, and as a falling fig from the fig
" tree. For my sword shall be bathed in heaven,
"^ behold it shall come down upon Idumea,f and
'' upon the people of my curse to judgment. The
'* sword of the Lord is filled with blood, it is made
'' fat with fatness, and with the blood of lambs and
" goats, with the fat of the kidneys of rams : for
'' the Lord hath a sacrifice in Bozrah, and a great
'' slaughter in the land of Idumea. And the unicorns
•'' shall come down with them, and the bullocks with

* Jer. XXV. 15, 16, and xxvii. 38. — I am willing to admit, that
this awful prophecy had an inchoate accomplishment in the destruc-
tion of ancient idolatrous nations ; but I think it quite manifest, that
its main fulfilment is to be in the latter days.

+ It is well known to the students of prophecy, that the Jews by
Idumea understand Rome with its empire. I entirely concur in this
interpretation of the word.

344

'' the bulls ; and their land shall be soaked with bloody
" and their dust made fat with fatness. For it is the
*■' day of the Lord's vengeance^ and the year of re-
'' compense for the controversy of Zion/'*

The attentive reader, in perusing the above pas-
sage, will be naturally struck with the circumstance,
that the sacred penman, or rather the Holy Spirit
himself, who inspired the prophet, to declare this
terrific message to the nations, seems to labour for
expressions, and for imagery, with which to describe
the dreadful carnage which is the subject of this
vision. In one clause it is declared, that the moun-
tains shall be melted with blood. This symbolical
expression, signifies the melting down of kingdoms,
by the blood or slaughter of their subjects. The
entire dissolution of the host of the symbolical
heavens, is next predicted. This is evidently the
same overthrow of the existing political and ecclesi-
astical institutions, which is the subject of the sixth
seal, and of which we have already seen, as it were,
the first fruits. The sword of the Lord is said, in
the clause which follows, to be bathed in heaven.
This predicts a prodigious carnage of the princes,
the governors, and nobles of the nations, who in the
symbolical style are called " heaven," by a metonymy
for the host of heaven. Ver. 6. " The sword of
" the Lord is filled with the blood of lambs and
'' goats, &c." Lambs and goats in this verse, and
unicorns, bullocks, and bulls, in the next, mean all
ranks and sorts of people, the strong as well as the
weakest, who shall all be brought down as beasts to
the slaughter, f

* Isaiah xxxiv. 1—8. + Mr. Lowth, in loco.

345

" Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without
" hands, which smote the image upon his feet that
" were of iron and clay, and brake them in pieces.
''' Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver,
" and the gold broken to pieces together, and became
'' like the chatF of the summer thrashing floors, and
" the wind carried them away, that no place was
" found for them : and the stone that smote the
*' image, became a great mountain, and filled the
" whole earth/'*

The foregoing passage of Daniel, describes the
same events as occur at the consummation of the
vials, and its language implies nothing less than the
utter dissolution of all the states occupying the terri-
tories of Daniel's four empires, so that not a remnant
of them shall be left, and not a vestige of their poli-
tical institutions and governments.

From the whole of the above passages of the
prophetical scriptures, and others, which might be
added did my limits permit their insertion, I think
it may be inferred, that at the closing period of the
vials, judgments more awful in their degree and
extent, than any thing which has taken place since
the deluge, will go forth against the guilty nations
of the world, and especially those of the Roman
empire. The peculiar scene of the treading of the
winepress, will indeed be in the land of Judea,
where the armies of the beast, and his confederate
kings shall be gathered. Yet the visitation of wrath
will not stop there, but according to the prophecy of
Jeremiah, evil shall at the same time go forth from
nation to nation, attended with the most tremendous

* Dan. ii. 34, 35.

346

slaughter, and awful manifestations of the divine
anger, '^for behold the Lord will come with fire,
" and with his chariots like a whirlwind, to render
" his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of
" fire. For by fire, and by his sword will the Lord
" plead with all flesh ; and the slain of the Lord
''shall be many."* ''And the beast was taken,
" and the false prophet, these were both cast alive
" into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. "f

It is well known, that the ancient Jews believed,
that Rome would be destroyed by material fire, like
Sodom and Gomorrah, and in this opinion, they
have been followed by very able protestant divines,
among which number is Bishop Newton, j; And it
might not perhaps be difficult to prove, that some of
our Lord's parables which speak of the destruction
of the wicked by fire, and which are, by our popular
divines referred to the general resurrection at the
close of the millennium, shall receive their accom-
plishment at his advent before the millennium. But
this would lead me into a discussion of too great
length for the present work. I shall briefly observe,
however, that by whatever means it is to be effected,
I think it evident from the Scriptures, that the in-
corrigibly wicked shall be exterminated from the

* Isaiah Ixvi. 15, 16. + Rev. xix. 20.

+ The text of scripture on which the Jews founded this opinion, is
Isaiah xxxiv. 9. It was the opinion also of Mede, that Christ's second
advent, when the millennium is about to commence, shall be " in
" flaming fire, by the divine and miraculous eflBcacy whereof the
*' world that now is shall be refined, and delivered from the bondage
" of corruption which came upon it for the sin of man." See his
Works, Book iii. p. 704. Nearly all the fathers held a similar doc-
trine, for the evidence of which I refer to Dr. Thomas Burnett,
" De Statu Mortuorum et Resurgentium," cap. vii.

347

earth before the commencement of the millennium ;
and hence, all they are pronounced blessed, who
come to the end of Daniel's prophetical period of one
thousand three hundred and thirty five days.*

A question will here naturally suggest itself to the
mind of the reader. What is to become of the
righteous in the awful period described in the fore-
going prophecies ? Now, the answer to this inquiry
has been given, in considering the seventh chapter
of the Apocalypse. We there saw a suspension of
the judgments of the last earthquake, for the express
purpose of sealing the elect 144,000 for preservation,
and in the following vision of the palm-bearing mul-
titude, we beheld the whole assembly of the elect,
standing before the throne, and described as having
come out of the great tribulation. This tribulation
is manifestly that of the closing period of the earth-
quake and vials ; and we are thus assured, that the
righteous are to be preserved during that final display
of divine wrath. In confirmation of this interesting-
conclusion, it appears from Rev. xix. 9, that at the
last scene of judgment, a call is given to the right-
eous to the marriage supper of the Lamb. In this
blessed invitation, which is, I conceive, at the precise
point of time when the palm-bearers come out of the
great tribulation, shall be discerned, according to the
prophecy of Malachi, the difference " between the
" righteous and wicked, between him that serveth
" God, and him that serveth him not/'J

But though the righteous are thus to be saved,
I know not that we are warranted in expecting, that
any of the nations, which have enjoyed and abused
♦ Daa. xii. 12. + Rev. vii. 1.9, + Mai. iii. 18.

348

the full light of the Gospel, will be spared from the
destruction which is to overwhelm the papal Roman
empire. The wicked in protestant countries, and
particularly in our own highly favoured nation, are
much more inexcusable than those who live amidst
popish darkness and superstition ; I can, therefore,
see no scriptural ground for believing, that they will
be more favourably treated. But as this country is
now unquestionably the focus of evangelical light for
the whole world, and as there is also reason to con-
jecture, that we are probably the people marked out
by prophecy, for commencing the conversion and
restoration of Judah, many persons may probably
think, that for the sake of all this good we as a nation
shall be spared. But it ought to be considered, that
in like manner, the divine light of the Gospel first
emanated from the Jewish nation, to the whole
Gentile world, and yet the body of that people
which believed not, were given up to destruction.
The denunciations of those awful calamities, which
are to visit the world before the establishment of
our Lord's kingdom, are without any limitation,
particularly as it respects the nations of the fourth
monarchy. The whirlwind of the Lord is every
where " to fall with pain on the head of the
" wicked."*—'^ Wheresoever" says our Lord; *'the
" carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered to-
'•' gether."f The righteous only, who are first typified
by the 144,000 sealed ones, and are afterwards de-
scribed as a great multitude whom no man could
number,! are brought out of the great tribulation,
as the Christian Jews were saved from the destruction

• Jef. ixx. 23. + Matt. xxiv. 28. J Rev. vii. 9.

349

of Jerusalem. The great progress of real religion
in this country affords indeed much cause for conso-
lation and thankfulness ; and without doubt it has
been already instrumental in averting from us the
cup of desolation^ which has passed from nation to
nation on the Continent ; but unless it be followed
by general repentance, it can afford no well founded
expectation^ that we shall ultimately escape the
judgments, which are about to overwhelm an un-
believing and apostate world. I have observed in
a former passage, that there are at present very far
from being any indications of such national repent-
ance ; and that on the contrary there is melancholy
and growing evidence of the rapid increase of
wickedness and prolligacy in this kingdom. Unless
then we avert our eyes from the plainest declarations
of Scripture, we cannot fail to perceive that our pros-
pects are of a very alarming nature. These consi-
derations ought surely to awaken the Christian to pray
more earnestly for his country, and to quicken his
own diligence, that he may individually be accounted
worthy to escape the approaching wrath, and to
stand before the Son of man.* These views will
also lead us to look with some degree of suspicion
upon those late interpretations of prophecy, so flat-
tering to our national vanity, whereby we are taught
to identify the British nation with the 144,000
sealed ones of the Apocalypse, that are to be
preserved from the calamities of the third woe, and
with the harpers standing on the sea of glass who
sing the song of Moses and the Lamb.f To say
the least of these interpretations, it is neither easy to

* Luke xxi. 30. t Rev. xv. 2, 3.

350

reconcile them with the present moral and religious
state of this country, nor with the emphatical decla-
ration of God to the children of Israel, contained
in the prophecies of Jeremiah, '' I am with thee,
" saith the Lord, to save thee : though Imake a full
*' end of all the nations whither I have scattered
" thee, yet will 1 not make an end of thee : but
"■ I will correct thee in measure, and will not leave
" thee altogether unpunished."*

If indeed we saw any appearances of that deep
humiliation and repentance which are the genuine
and blessed fruits d[ national affliction when duly
improved, we might gladly listen to the tale of peace,
and even amidst the appalling prospects which
surround us, we might take down our harps from the
willows, and tune them to one of the songs of our
Zion. But until such fruits are discernible, it is a
rash and dangerous perversion of the Scriptures to
take to ourselves promises, to which our national
character does not correspond.

I would here call the attention of the reader, to the
close analogy which is observable between the past
dispensations of God to the church and the world,
and the conclusions at which I have arrived, re-
specting the actual prospects of the nations of Chris-
tendom. In every new development of his plan of
mercy and salvation to the human race, it has
hitherto pleased God that mercy and judgment
should as it were go hand in hand. The calling of
Abraham and the birth of Isaac, were nearly coeval
with the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah by fire
from heaven. The exodus from Egypt was asso-

* Jer. XXX. 10, 11.

351

ciated with the desolation of that kingdom by the
ten plagues^ and the destruction of Pharaoh and his
host in the Red Sea. The estabHshment of Israel in
the land of Canaan, was effected by the extirpation
of a great part of the aboriginal inhabitants. The
settlement of the crown of Israel in the person and
family of David was accompanied with dreadful
wars, whereby the remainder of the Canaan itish
nations were brought into subjection or destroyed.
The return of Judah from the Babylonish captivity,
was preceded by the fall of the empire of Assyria.
That dispensation whereby the Gentiles were re-
ceived into the church in the room of the Jews, was
followed by the destruction of Jerusalem with cir-
cumstances of so awful a nature as made it a fit
type and emblem of the judgments of the last days.
In concluding, therefore, that the glorious inaugu-
ration of our Lord in his millennial kingdom, which
is to be ushered in by his second advent with the
clouds of heaven, shall likewise be signalized by the
most terrific displays of the Divine wrath against an
unbelieving world, we not only are guided by the
unerring testimony of prophecy, but we might even,
a priori, without any express assurances to that
effect, have been led to form similar expectations,
from an attentive study of the dispensations of pro-
vidence in past ages.

It remains for me to observe, that the second
causes, by which the approaching desolations are
probably in a great measure to be effected, have long
been in active operation. They consist of those
dreadful principles of political, moral, and religious
insubordination and disorganization, which burst

352

forth at the French revolution, and have ever since
been working, sometimes openly and at others more
covertly, in the body politic. These principles are
the natural and necessary fruit of the general
diffusion of unsanctified knowledge among all classes
of society. As the fall of our species in the persons
of our first parents, proceeded from the desire
of forbidden knowledge, so the last great crisis of
the world will probably arise from the actual dis-
semination of carnal worldly knowledge, or that
false science which will not submit itself to the
revealed will of God, but rises in rebellion against
all divine and human government and authority.*
From this source proceed all those crude schemes
of regeneration, whereby our modern political fa-
natics promise to correct the moral disorders of the
world, and to bring in the millennium of philosophy,
but which, if their execution be seriously attempted,
as it possibly may be at the last great catastrophe,
shall be found to have introduced the most awful
disorder, and shall deluge the world with blood.
Bishop Horsley in his notes on Psalm xlvi. ob-

* Let no one here misrepresent my meaning, as if I were the
enemy of the diffusion of true knowledge. False knowledge, or, as
Mr. Southey well calls it, half knowledge, is a moral poison. True
knowledge is wholesome food. If we warn a man against poison, does it
follow that we mean to starve him ? Half knowledge leads men away
from God, and doubtless it will be one part of the awful punishment
of the celebrated writers of the infidel school, who have perverted
their faculties to the ruin of thousands, to be dragged forth before an
assembled universe, and exposed to shame and confusion of face, as
mere drivellers in all sound reasoning. True knowledge, on the other
hand, is the inseparable associate of religion, it leads to God and to
the cross of Christ, in which centre the full radiance of his moral
perfections.

353

Serves, that the restoration of the Jews will be one
of the first things at the season of the second advent.
He supposes that the river and its streams which
make glad the city of God, may symbolize the
regular government then established amongst the
Jews,* and that the removing of the earth, and the
casting the mountains into the sea, denotes the
breaking in pieces civil government and the disso-
lution of monarchies in democracy, so that at the
very same period when the Jews enjoy the blessings
of a settled state, the rest of the world shall be
plunged in frightful anarchy. The reader will see a
striking analogy between Uiese views of that emi-
nently learned divine, and what I have advanced on
the subject.

How near the last scene of desolation, and the
great day of the Lord may be, it is impossible to say.
Notwithstanding the present pause in the operation
of some of the vials, there are many indications
which to observing minds, unite in testifying that
the last times are rapidly hastening on. '" The
" fourth kingdom is perishing as monarchy never
*' before perished. By disorganization, religious,
'^ political, and social, that empire seems ready to
" explode and vanish for ever/'f And though I have
endeavoured to show, that the restoration of the
Jews must precede the great day of Armageddon,
yet I may be entirely mistaken in my inferences
about the order in which the difterent events shall

* I conceive that this river rather denotes the abundant influences
of the Spirit which shall then be enjoyed by the church. But I com-
pletely agree with Bishop Horsley in applying the Psalm itself tutbe
events of the last time.

t Butt OQ the Seventy Weeks, Appendix, p. 29.

A A

354

happen. Our Lord himself has emphatically assured
us, " Behold I come as a thief, blessed is he that
" watcheth and keepeth his garments, lest he walk
" naked and they see his shame;" and from these
words we may certainly conclude, that he will come at
a time, when few even of his own people expect it.
In the mean while it becomes us to *' gird up the loins
" of our minds,"* and to prepare for that " time of
" trouble such as there never was since there was
" a nation^"^ which shall usher in the redemption of
the church; and be introductory to those scenes of
peace, and glory, and righteousness, for which the
servants of God have prayed, and laboured, and fainted
in every age. No human power or wisdom can
avert the terrific events which are approaching.
But if, through faith in our Lord and Saviour Jesus
Christ, we wash our robes, and make them white in
the blood of the Lamb, then we shall individually
be numbered with that great multitude, who shall
come out of the great tribulation, and with palms
in their hands shall stand before the throne, crying
with a loud voice, ''Salvation to our God which sittelh
^' upon the throne, and to the Lamb.J"

* 1 Peter i. 13. + Dan. xii. 1. + Rev. vii. 9—17.

355

CHAPTER XIX.

PRACTICAL OBSERVATIONS ON THE PRESENT STATE OF
THE WORLD, IN CONNECTION WITH PROPHECY.

Having closed what I had to offer on the Apoca-
lyptic prophecies, I shall add a few practical ob-
servations, to which I am led by the nature of the
conclusions at which I have arrived in the preceding
pages.

The extraordinary aspect of the present times
cannot but arrest the attention and excite the awe
of all thinking persons, whether they believe in the
scriplures or not. But it is the Christian only that
is enabled to see light in the midst of darkness, to
behold undismayed the convulsions which agitate the
nations of the earth; and, possessing his mind in
perfect peace, to rejoice in the near prospect of
a better and brighter day, when " the earth shall be
"full of the knowledge of the Lord;"* and the
Lord shall arise upon Sion, and his glory shall be
seen upon her.

The events of the period in which we live, call
upon us to sit loose to temporal things, and to re-
member that the fashion of this world passeth away.
We have indeed no warrant in the scriptures to
neglect the duties of our secular callings : on the
contrary, we are commanded to be diligent in all
lawful business, and God has in various instances
marked with his peculiar approbation the industrious
performance of worldly duties. When He first

* Isaiab xi. 2.

356

appeared to his servant Moses at Mount Horeb,
Moses was occupied in tending the flock of his
father-in-law Jethro. When the nativity of Christ
was announced by an angel from heaven^ he was
sent to shepherds who kept watch over their flocks
by nig!U in the plains of Bethlehem. The true
secret of Christianity is to attend diligently to all
the duties of life, yet to do it not in the spirit of
the world, but with the temper and feelings of those
who are habitually impressed with the great realities
of eternity — to do all to God, and not to man.
Possessed of such views, the true servant of Christ,
amidst the whirlwinds of divine wrath, which go
forth to destroy the wicked, shaU be enabled to lift
his head above the storm, and to stand unmoved.
He must indeed expect to partake of suffering, in
common with the world in which he lives: but " his
" heart is fixed^ trusting in the Lord."* He rejoices
that '' there is a river, the streams whereof shall
^' make glad the city of God, the holy place of the
" tabernacles of the Most High."f

We may infer from the present state and prospects
of the world, connected with the declarations of
prophecy, that there is no safety either for indivi-
duals or communities, but in repentance and faith
in the Son of God. It is, however, in an especial
manner to the great and the noble, the counsellors
of pi inces, and princes themselves, that the calamities
of the times, and the awful judgments of God,
address ihemselves, as with a voice of thunder.J

* Psalm cxii. 7. + Psalm xlvi. 4.

+ The late discussions respecting the lottery, afford striking
evidence how little our public measures are yet guided by a supreme

357

Nor does this voice sound with less loudness or im-
portunity, in the ears of the bishops and ministers

regard to the revealed will of God. It was not denied that the
principle of this measure was injurious to morality, and that it was
far from being good even as a permanent financial measure; but it
was said, that those who opposed it had not pointed out any thing to
make up the deficiency, which was an evil in the present state of the
country equal to any of the lottery itself. But will God admit the
plea of state necessity for disobedience to his eternal laws ? Or is any
failure of revenue an evil to be compared with that of drawing down
upon our country the divine displeasure ? Or can we hope to prosper
if God frown upon us ? O when shall our senators and statesmen find
out, that the favour of God is a surer defence than fleets and armies
and an overflowing treasury ! In these times the only safe motto,
even for princes and their counsellors, is, Fiat justitia mat caelum.

It is well that our great men encourage Bible Societies by their
presence, and support them by their eloquence. They thereby render
that external homage to the majesty of Divine Truth, which it is
their bounden duty to do. But if they would save themselves, or
save their country, they must do far more than this. They must
fearlessly bring the principles of the Bible into the senate, they must
learn to glory in an entire and unreserved subjection to those prin-
ciples, and make them the rule of their public conduct and the
criterion of their measures. Then might we hope for the returning
favour of the Almighty.

This is the reformation which is necessary to heal the wounds of
the state ; and not as the wicked and designing, or perhaps, in some
cases deluded leaders of the populace would persuade them, a
reform in the representation of the people in parliament: for with
all its defects, the British House of Commons, is probably the purest
representative assembly on earth. The plans of those who call them-
selves Reformers, mean every thing, or any thing, but personal
reformation, and subjection to the revealed will of God. This indeed
is the fatal disease of the age, that men, instead of turning to God
who has smitten them, are occupied with the dangerous and desperate
schemes of state-quackery, learned in the school of that revolution,
which has already deluged Europe with blood. But in these awful
times, the judgments of God are speaking not only to the great, but
also to the lowest of the people, and calling upon them not to reform
the state, but to repent of their sins and refoi'tn themselves ; and if
they obey not the warning voice of these judgments, they will be
taught when too late, the deceitfulness and folly, as well as the guilt

358

of the protestant churches. No human establish-
ments are now safe; we are surrounded with the
ruins of thrones and kingdoms which have crumbled
into dust. Where is the earthly throne under which
we may now take shelter^ and say. Here are peace
and safety?*

Let us however acknowledge, with the deepest
humility and gratitude to God, that to us, of this
highly favoured country, the voice of these judg-
ments is still the voice of mercy calling to repentance.
Hitherto we, and we alone of the nations of Europe,
have been delivered from the devouring sword and
the overwhelming tempest, and our God mercifully
calls on us to take warning by the example of sur-
rounding nations, and to turn to him with our whole
hearts, f

The repentance which Christianity requires, is
not merely an outward reformation. The Gospel
of Jesus Christ calls upon us to feel and acknow-
ledge that we are sinners. In this respect it tells us,
that all men, from the prince upon the throne to the
meanest of the people, are upon a level. None arc
exempt from the corruption of a fallen nature, or the

and wickedness of all those plans of slale-refonn, which are sub-
stituted for the reformation and rc|)t'ntance, required of every one
of the children of men in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

* Much of this language may appear no longer applicable to the
existing state of things. A few years will decide this point. If we
be, as all later writers suppose, in the midst of the third woe, we shall
before long be taught by experience, not to put our trust in present
appearances. April, 1817.

+ Since this was written we have been visited, not indeed with the
sword or pestilence, but with national distress of a very complicated
and alarming nature. Thus God is speaking to us. 3d Edit. April.
1817.

359

pollution of many actual transgressions. The prince,
therefore, and the peasant, the noble and the plebeian,
are equally called upon to acknowledge that cor-
ruption, and to confess these transgressions, to amend
their ways, and to believe in the Son of God, who
came down from heaven to save us from our sins by
the sacrifice of himself upon the cross.

It seems evident that the dashing to pieces of the
nations, like the vessels of a potter, which is men-
tioned in the second Psalm, has commenced. That
Psalm, though it is quoted in the Acts of the
Apostles, in the way of accommodation, as relating
to the opposition made to the kingdom of Christ, in
the days of our Lord's personal ministry,* does
yet properly refer to the events of the last times,
which immediately precede the establishment of the
kingdom of Christ. The solemn and affectionate
counsel which is addressed in the above Psalm, to
the kings and rulers of nations, belongs therefore,
in an especial manner, to the present period. '' Be
" wise now, therefore, O ye kings, be instructed
^' ye judges of the earth : serve the Lord with fear,
" and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he
" be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his
^' wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they
"^ that put their trust in him "

* Acts iv, 85.

ERRATA.

Page 12, line 15, at the beginning, for This, read The. p. 109, 1. 29.
/.prophecy, r. prophesy. P. 203, note, 1. 1. /. immitari, r. imitari. P. 947,
note, 1. 2. /. ths, r. the.

M'INTOSH, Printer, Lonilon Society's Office, Spitalfields, Londoii'

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ries, tlie short explanatory Notes will prove highly
serviceable ; while, on the other hand, the general
Exposition affixed to each chapter will greatly
assist many heads of families in the conducting
of domestic worship."

The Rev. Thos. Mortimer, A.M. Mi-
nister of St. Mark's, Clerkenwell, After-
noon Lecturer of St. Leonard's, Shoreditch,
thus wrote to the Editor in the course of
the work :

" Dear Sir, — Having at length been able to
devote a little time to tlie perusal of your Cottage
Bible, I cannot refrain from expressing my appro-
bation of the candour, the moderation, and Chris-
tian spirit, which appear to pervade the whole."

Letters have been also received from the
following respectable Dhsenling Ministers
of different denominations —

The Rev. G. Burder, Author of " Vil-
lage Sermons," &c. &c. thus writes in a
Letter to the Publishers :—

" Gentlemen, — From the specimen I have seen
of the Cottage Bible, and from my long acquaint-
ance with the Editor, 1 have reason to believe the
work will correspond with the Prospectus— that
it will be conducted with judgment, witli strict
regard to the analogy of faith — that the JJotes
will throw much light on difficult passages, and
that the Observations will be Evangelical, Expe-
rimental, and Practical. I conceive, therefore.

Theological Works, published by

that it will be a useful anil acceptable work, and
furnish many readers with a valuable Commen-
tary, in a small compass, and at a moderate price."

From tlio Rev. Wiw. Jay, of Bath, Au-
thor of" Sermons and Family Discourses :"

" Having examined the early Parts of this
work, and knowing the Writer, I cheerfully unite
in recommending it to Families and Schools ; also
to Sunday-school Teachers, Students, and Treacli-
ers, who have contracted libraries, as compre-
liending the substance of many valuable and ex-
pensive volumes."

The late Rev. J. Ryland, D.D. President
of the Baptist Academy, Bristol, subjoins :

" I fully concur with Mr. Jay in tlie recom-
mendation of this work."

P'rom the Rev. W. Manuel, D.D. late
^Minister of the Scotch Church, London
Wall :

" My perusal of the first six Nos. of ' The Cottage
Eible' enables me to add to the many high re-
commendations that have already been given of it,
my humble, but strong conviction, that it will be
an able and a useful work," &c.

More recently (A'ou.2, 18'i9,) Dr. Manmuil
(now resident near Edinhurgli) thus writes to
the Aidhor:

" I assure you that having now perused the
whole Commentary, my opinion has not been
lessened as to its merits, but highly increased;
and .... 1 consider it a most valuable acquisition
lomy library."

To the Author, from the late Rev. Alex.
"Waugh, D.D. of London :

" Dear Sir,— 1 had received the Prospectus of
the Cottage Eible some time ago, and -was much
pleased witli the plan, and what part of the exe-
cution it contained. The Notes, illustrative of
ancient and oriental customs, will endear it to
;oung people; and the modesty you evince, in
not dogmatising on little points, will restrain the
forwardness of their minds, and teach them hum-
My to wait till more light and evidence be ad-
duced: its size also is convenient for the fire-side
circle. In giving a hint to pass over some chap,
ters, you do no more than a prudent father will
ever do, at his own family altar. I need not add,
the more practical and devotional your remarks
and illustrations are, the better fitted for plain
and unlearned minds, and the more acceptable
especially to country folk, and of retired habits.
I do think the work, by the aid of Heaven, is
likely to be very useful."

The Rev. J^^ Pye Smcth, D.D. Theolo-
gical Tutor of Homerton College, thus also
writes to the Editor :

" Eear Sir,— It is with the greatest readiness
that I embrace the opportunity of bearing testi-
mony in favour of the Cottage Bible. Richly as
our nation is blessed with Expositions of the
Divine Writings, I know of none which combines,
so happily as yours bids fair to do, all the requi-
sites which one desires in a Commentary for po-
pular use. It is concise, yet very comprehensive;
it is critical and theological, practical and devo-
tional ; it is well adapted to stimulate and assist
scriptural studies, to promote free inquiry with
that state of mind which alone can m^ake it truly
free, and to indicate the sources of more ample
information to those who possess the leisure and
the means of ascending to them. It is, indeed, a
great and important work."

From the Rev. Jos. Fletcher, M.A,
Stepney ; Author of '' Lectures on the
Roman Catholic Religion."

" Dear Sir, — Allow me to thank you for the
specimen of ' The C-ottage Bible,' I think very
highly of the plan and its execution, and shall be
very happy to do all in my power to promote its
circulation."

Similar Letters have also been received J

from the Rev. Dr. Morrison, President of ■

the Angio-Chinesfi College, Malacca, late ■
in England; from the Rev. J. Blackburn,
Pentonville ; Rev. Jn. Griffin, Portsea ;

Rev. R. Newman, M.A. Ebley ; Rev. J

W. RoBv, Manchester; Rev. Dr. Cope, 1

AVakelield ; Rev. W. Cooper, Sen. Dublin ; 1
and many others.

The Rev. T. H. Horne, M.A. in the 6th
edition of his admirable " Introduction to j
the Critical Study of the Scriptures," (vol. 1
ii. p. 7/3) calls this M'ork an " unassuming, ^
buthighly useful, as well as cheap Commen-
tary on the Holy Scriptures."

Nor have the Religious Periodical
Journals been less unanimous, as may be
seen by the following Extracts:

The Christian Observer, 1828. — " We

ought to have noticed, at an earlier period, the
completion of this very useful Cottage Bible,
&c. For the size of it, it is the cheapest
work of Annotations on the whole Eible in our
language. It is a concise and popular Commicn-
tary, containing as much of biblical criticism and
illustration as the readers of such a publication
can be expected to require or understand, with a
running practical and devotional Exposition ;
partly original, and partly compiled from various
sources. . . . We cannot withhold our testimony to
the piety, industry, research, and constant desire
to promote a knowledge of the Scriptures, and
the spiritual improvement of the reader, which
are conspicuous throughout."

Christian GuARDiAN,(Apr. 1828.)— "Mr.
W.'s ' Cottage Bible' contains practical reflections
on the Old and New Testaments, critical and ex-
planatory notes on difficult and obscure passages,
prefaces and introductions to the Old and New
Testaments and the principal books, with Indexes,
chronological tables, maps, &c. We are happy to
add that the wliole work is written in an excellent
spirit, and contains much well calculated to in-
struct and edify Christians of every denomination."

Eclectic Review, (May 1826.)—" The
faults in this work are very few. Its excellencies
are numerous; and it is well entitled to our re-
commendation, as a valuable and useful Commen-
tary on the Scriptures."

Dublin Christian Magazine, (Feb, and
March 1825.) — " We have no hesitation in giv-
ing the work our strongest recommendation, on
account of the judgment it displays, and the piety
it breathes. It is likely to be quite as valuable,
and to give quite as good an acquaintance with
the Sacred Scripture, as many works six times
the size and price. Every family that can afford
it should posiess a copy; no Sunday-school Teacher
should be without one, who can obtain it; nor
should the Ministers of the Gospel he deterred by
the homeli) title, " Jhe Cottage Bible," from
procuring it. Tlicy will often find as mucli sa-
tisfaction in consulting it, as more assuming and
more voluminous works."

W. Shnphhvxul R. Mai'sJiall, Stationcrs'-Hall-Court.

Evangelical Mag. (Dec\lS27.)— " The
doctrinal views maintained iu til Cottage Bible
are strictly evangelical, and the Aieral character
of tlie Exposition is highly practiil."

Methodist Mag. (Feb. IS'Jl)— " This vo-
lume (the third) concludes Mr. *lliams's pious
and very useful work. The not are concise
and judicious, well adapted to pbular instruc-
tion. Tlie creed of the author i Calvinistic ;
but the topics which he presses ilon tlie atten-
tion of his readers with the grealst frequency
and earnestness, are those vital iuths of the
gospel in wliich all orthodox ciristians are
agreed ; and he is laudably carefulo give espe-
cial prominence to the all-importai subject of
personal religion."

Congregational Mag. (N(t. 1827.)—
" We are thankful that the life of tfe venerable
author of the work before us has ban spared to
complete an undertaking, which we nailed with
satisfaction ; and which, while in l!)e burse of its
publication, we have often read witl pleasure ;
and now it is happily completed in tVee octavo
volumes, with four valuable maps, clibnological
and geographical indices, historical annexion.

&c. presents, we conceive, all that the ordinary
readers of the Sacred Scriptures can wish for
their elucidation, and at a price which the eco-
nomy of religion will enable even poor Christians
to pay."

Baptist Mag. (June 1825.)—" Kotwith-
standing its humble and unpretending title, this
Commentary promises to rank high, as a work of
great merit and extensive utility."

Home Missionary Mag. (July 1821.)—

" We think the Cottage Bible a valuable work for
those Ministers whose circumstances will not
allow them to purchase many, or larger Com-
mentators; and the researches and selections of
the Author do him great credit."

Sailor's Magazine. — " iMr. Williams has
supplied the great desideratum, which the pecu-
liar state of the popular intellect, and the un-
suitableness of all other Commentaries of the
Bible to meet that state, have so loudly demanded.
....It sometimes condenses in a page the sub-
stance of a volume; &c."

See also the Imperial Magazine ; the Spirit
and Manners of thejge, Jan. 1828 ; the New
Baptist Miscellany, for Aug. 1828, &c. &c.

MARTIN LUTHER'S SELECT WORKS.

COMMENTARYonthePSALMS,

called Psalms of Degrees ; inWhich,
among many other interesting sii^jects,
the Scriptural Doctrine respecting the
divinely instituted and honourabM state
of Matrimony is explained anddefenfled,in
opposition to the Popish Errors of Alinastic
Seclusion and Enforced Celibacy; lly that
eminent Reformer and Champion if the
Faith, Martin Luther. To which ii pre-
fixed, an Historical Account of the Rlotiastic
Life, particularly of the Monasteries of
England, with an Engraving of Moiastic
Habits. 8vo. 10s. 6d. bds.

"The Commentary itself (which is nol now
first published iu English) contains a great deal
of sound practical Divinity; combating, as in all
Luther's writings, the errors and superstitiijns of
Popery. On the 128th Psalm, in particular, (^hich
is incorporated into our Marriage service) he de-
fends, not only the lawfulness of Matrimony, in
opposition to Popish Celibacy ; but the character
of Woman, in opposition to those who consider a
Wife only as a necessari/ evil, and who assert
that ' to bury a wife is better than to marry her!'
Luther, it may be recollected, was charged by the
Papists with a double crime: 1st. In mairying
at all, himself being an ecclesiastic ; and 2d, in
marrying a nun, who was also consecrated to the
church. This great Reformer, however, despised
the clamour of his adversaries ; and when he was
satisfied that he had the prophets and apostles
with him, set very light by Doctors, Popes, or
even Fathers.

— " The Historical Account of Monasteries pre-
fixed by the Editor, appears to be carefully drawn
up, and neatly written ; and is illustrated by a
■well-engraved Frontispiece, exhibiting the dif-
ferent orders of monks and nuns, in their Ecclesias-
tical Costume. The Narrative is also enlivened
by some curious and interesting Notes ; the whole
being calculated to expose the evils of Popeiy,
and shew the necessity of the Reformation."

Evan, Mag, Nov. 1820,

MARTIN LUTHER on the
BONDAGE of the WILL; written in
Answer to the Doctrine of Erasmus on
Free Will. Translated by the Rev. H.
Cole, of Clare Hall, Cambridge. 8vo. 10s.

" The Translator informs us that this work
originated in his ' design to present the British
Church with an English version of a choice selec-
tion from the works of Martin Luther ;' and, nex t
to the Bible, we are glad to see the clergy
appealing to the venerable Reformer. The piece
before us was particularly recommended to the
attention of the translator by the ' unqualified
encomium' bestowed upon it by the late Mr.
Toplady. As to the translation, which is from the
Latin, it was Mr. C.'s determination (and we
can make no question of his ability) 'to deliver
faithfully the mind of Luther, retaining literally,
as much of his own wording, phraseology, and
expression, as could be admitted into the English
version."— £r««. Mag. 182-i.

TRANSLATION of SELECT

WORKS of MARTIN LUTHER; con-
taining his Commentary on the 51st Psalm ;
some Sermons; his Exposition of the IJth
Chapter of St. John; his " Consolations
for the Weary and Heavy Laden ;" his
" Last Words of David;" his " Three
Creeds,or Confessions of Faith;" his" Ex-
planation of the Lord's Prayer;" his
"Treatise on Good Works;" and other
Pieces, which have never before appeared
in the English Language ; — together with
a Selection from his Commentaries on the
Galatians, Romans, Epistles by St. Pe-ter,
and the Psalms ; intended to give at one
View his Description of true experimental
Christianity. In 4 volumes, closely printed
8vo. Price £'-2, 16s. in bds.

Theological Works, jmhlished'ry

SERMONS, AND PRACTICAI DIVINITY.

SERMONS, adapted for Paro-
rliial ami Domestic Use. By the late Rev.
J. P. Hewlett, A.M. Chaplain of Magda-
len and New Colleges, and fifteen years
Curate of St. Aldates, Oxford. 8vo. with
Portrait from an original Painting, 10s, 6d.
boards.

" We cordially recommend these Sermons as
evangelical, judicious, simple, and perspicuous in
their style, and well calculated for village reading,
and tlie purposes of domestic instruction. We
should have been gratified, if, in addition to the
portrait, a brief account of the excellent Author
had been prefixed to the volume. We should
like to know something of a life that was so la-
boriously devoted to the glory of God, and honoured
to be so eminently useful." — Investigator, No. IX.

" The volume before us contains 29 Sermons in
432 pages, consequently they are not long." In
remarking on the 8th Sermon preached in the
close of a wet summer, the Reviewer says: " In
this, as in all the discourses, there is a sweet
savour of that name which is as oiutment poured
forth! and without which, no sermons are likely
to be useful to sinners, cr acceptable to believers."
Evan. Mag. Kov. 1821.

SHORT ^^^d PLAIN DIS^

COURSES, for the Use of Families. By
the Rev. Thomas Knowles, B.A. Rector
of South Somercotes, and late Curate of
Humherstone, Lincolnshire. 3 vols. 12rao.
13s. 6d. bds., 8vo. 16s.

" These discourses recommend Works, but as
they ought to be, practical exhibitions of faith."
Gent. Mag. Aug. 1823.

" Mr. Knowles is advantageously known as the
author of a small volume entitled ' Satan's De-
vices exposed;' and the present publication will
sustain his character as a pious and useful writer."
Congreg. Mag. April 1810.
By the same Author,

SATAN'S DEVICES EXPOSED, in
Four Discourses. Fourth Edit. 2s. 6d. bds.

" Mr. Knowles has our thanks for this little
volume on a most important subject. It is ada[ited
to the instruction and comfort of a large portion
of professing Christians, and deserves a wide cir-
culation." — Eclectic Review, fliarch 1823.

A PARTING MEMORIAL,

consisting of Miscellaneous Discourses,
written and preached in China, at Singapore,
on Board Ship, at Sea. in the Indian Ocean ;
at the Cape of Good Hope, and in England.
With Remarks on Missions, &c. &c. By
Robert Morrison, D.D. F.R.S. M.R.A.S.
President of the Anglo-Chinese College,
Member of the Sociefe Asiatique of Paris,
Author of a Chinese Dictionary, Translator
of the Sacred Scriptures, &c. 8vo. wish an
exquisite Likeness, painted and engraved
by Woodman, 10s. 6d. bds. ; the Portrait on
India Paper, separately, price 2s.

" The volume on our table is equally creditable
to Dr. Slorrison as a divine and a missionary. We
are fully persuaded that the British Churches will
derive much spiritual edification from the perusal
of every part of it,"— iSran. Mas. June 1826,

PRAC.'ICAL SERMONS,

chiefly desiged for Family Reading. By
the Rev. Tumas Blackley, A.M. Curate
of Roiherhai. 3 vols. 12mo. 16s. 6d. bds.

" The subjfts of the discourses are almost all
interesting, Pid the leading doctrines of Chris-
tianity are rought forward to notice in a very
promiueut muner. The author is not one of those
preachers wo rest satisfied with meie formal
statements if the truth, and who leave their
hearers to m ke an application of it to themselves :
but while Ik calls upon them to believe, he urges
upon them lie necessity of exhibiting, in their
daily deporlnent, the influence of the gospel."
Edinburgh Theological, Jlay 1827.

LECTURES on the LORD'S

PRAYHl ; w ith two Discourses on in-
teresting and important Subjects. By the
Rev. Like Booker, LL.D. F.R.S.L. and
Vicar o Dudley. 12mo. 4s. 6d. bds.

" In tiese Lectures the different clauses of the
Lord's Fayer are discussed with brevity, but with
no mtai ability and judgment. To the Lectures
on the Lord's Prayer are subjoined Two Dis-
courses; one " On Suicide," and the other " On
Ilumanty to the Brute Creation;" in both of
which Dr. Booker displays sentiments highly
credilible to him both as a minister and a man."

Quarterly Theological Review, Vol. II.
Ey the same Author,

The MOURNER COMFORTED on
the loss of a Child. 2s. bds.

" Ii a religious view, scenes of mourning are
admiiably instructive; and such beautiful and
affecting remarks as abound in this little work, are
emiu'ntly fitted to aid the cause of piety and
wisdom." — Gentleman's Mag. July 1826.

The BELIEVER'S POCKET

COMPANION; containing a Number of
Passages (chiefly Promises) selected from
the Sacred Writings; with Observations in
Prose and Verse, Tenth Edition; to which
are now first prefixed, Thoughts on Devo-
tional Retirement, and Additional Medita-
tions, by the late Rev. J. Evans, of Bristol.
Price 6d,

SHORT DISCOURSES, adapted

to Village Worship, or the Devotions of a
Family, By the late Rev. B. Beddomb,
A.M. 8 vols. 12mo. 16s. ; 8 vols. 8vo. 24s.
— Each volume may be had separately.

" As a preacher, Mr. Beddome was universally
admired for the piety and unction of his sentiments,
the felicity of his arrangement, and the purity,
force, and simplicity of his language; all which
were recommended by a delivery perfectly natural
and graceful. His printed Discourses, taken from
the JISS. which he left behind him at his decease,
are fair specimens of his usual performances in
the pulpit. They are eminent for the qualities
already mentioned ; and their merits, which the
modesty of the Author concealed from himself,
have been justly appreciated by the religious
public." — Preface to Beddome's Hymns, bi/
Robert Hall, A.M. oj Leicester.

TT'^. Simpkin and R. Marshall, Stationers' -H nil- Court.

DAILY BREAD; or Medita-
tions, Practical and Experimental, for
everv Day in the Year, by more than One
Hundred eminent and popular Ministers of
the last half century, and a few other wri-
ters. The whole adapted either for the
Family or Closet, and containing the Out-
line of Three Hundred and Sixty-Six Dis-
courses. T. Williams, Editor. Second
Edition, 7s. 6d. bds., 8s. bound.

A large portion of these selections is original,
tlie MSS. having been furnislied either by the
HUtliors, or by individuals accustomed to follow
ministers with the pen. Economy both of time
and price has been consulted, and, altogether, Mr.
W. lias produced a work eminently deserving the
patronage of the religious public."

Congreg. Mag.

" Among the Names affixed to these Meditations,
we observe those of Cecil, Fuller, Pearce, Swaine,
Moody, Medley, Dr. Simpson, Hitchin, Shrubsole,
Lambert, (all deceased ;) and among living preach-
ers, Drs. Ryland, Bogue, and ]\Ia3on; Messrs.
Jay, Parsons, Burder, Cockin, Grifiin, lStc. &c.
From these preachers it is not unreasonable to ex-
pect a production of considerable merit, and such
as may be acceptable to pious persons in various

•ways. In whatever way this volume may be

used, we trust that it will promote the edification
of the serious reader ; and with that wish, and that
expectation, we cordially recommend it."

Evan. Mag,

REFLECTIONS on the WORD

of GOD, for every Day in the Year. By
the late Rev. William Ward, Missionary
at Seramporc. l^mo. with a fine Portrait,
6s. 6d. bds., 7s. bound.

" The plan of the work is sufficiently simple.
For every day in the year a text is selected, upon
which the author makes such reflections as its
subject suggests to him. They are short ; con-
sisting generally of one, two or three pages of a
sraairoctavo volume; so that those persons (and
we should hope there are many such) who are dis-
posed to devote a portion of each day to the con-
sideration of sacred subjects, would tind this book
a convenient manual, which would lead them
gradually into a very extensive field of religious
fnquiry. Sometimes the judicious reader will meet
with hints which he may improve, and sometimes
with positions which he may be inclined to dispute.
But he will find every where indications of a mind
thoroughly devoted to the great object of diffusing
religious instruction, of enlightening the ignorant,
awalening the thoughtless, reclaiming the wicked,
improving the goodj"— Quarterly T/ieulogicaC
Revieiv, No. 5.

" This volume was produced by the Author in

his voyage to En.iland, in 1819. The sentiments are

those of truth and soberness, conveyed with much

devotion of spirit, and in simplicity of language."

Home Mission. Mag. June 1825.

ROMAINE'S TREATISE on

the WALK of FAITH, with Portrait,
^ilmo. 3s. Also, his Minor Works, incleding
the Walk, Life, and Triumph of Fai.n. |.-
vols. 24mo. 6s. The Life and T.iuiiph
(separately, lb. 6d. each.— All half-b«.

The POOR MAN'S EVENING

PORTION ; being a Seleetion of a Verse
of Scripture, with Short Observations, for
every Day in the Year; intended for the
Use of the Poor in Spirit, who are Rich in
Faith, and Heirs of the Kingdom. By
Robert Hawker, D.D. Vicar of Charles,
Plymouth. Sixth Edition, corrected by the
Author. 12mo. 5s. bds.

" This volume is an exact counterpart to the
Doctor's ' Jloruing Portion,' and will be highly
acceptable to the numerous admirers of his
writings."

MEDITATIONS and
PRAYERS, selected from the Holy Scrip-
tures, the Liturgy, and Pious Tracts, re-
commended to the way-faring man , traveller,
&c. &c. whensoever unavoidably precluded
from the House of Prayer. Dedicated to
Lord Radstock, G.C.B. &c. By the Rev.
John Watts, A.M. 8vo. 2s. 6d. sewed—
3s. bds.

EVERY MAN'S ASSISTANT,

and the Sick Man's Friend. By the Rev. Sir
J.STONEnousE,Bart. M.D., Rector of Great
and Little GlieveraJ, Wilts. A new Edir.
revised and carefully corrected from the
last Manuscript Notes of the Author, by his
only surviving Son, the Rev. T. Stonehouse-
Vigor, Chaplain to tlie Bishop of Hereford.
12mo. 5s. boards. .

DR. T.GOODWIN'S TRIUMPH

of FAITH, recommended by (he Rev. G.
Burder. New Edition, 12rao. 4s. 6d. bds.

" We consider this one of the most valuable
books which has lately appeared."

Evangelical Magazijie .

MRS. ROWK'S DEVOUT EX-

ERClSESof theH.i^ART. A neat Edition,
royal 32mo. Is. Gd.\ialf-bd. roan.

CALL to the l/NCONVERTED,

to Turn and Live, and accept mercy while
it may be had, as they will ever find
it in their extremity, from the living God.
By the late Rev. iMr. Richard Baxter.
A new Edition, Kith an Account of the
Author, and aPre|face at large, 18mo. 2s. bd.
-4

The CON\^ERSION of the

AVORLD; or the Claims of Six Hundred
Millions of Heathen, and the ability and
duty of the ChurcliCs respecting them. Ly
the Rev. Gordon Hall and Samuel
Newell, American Missionaries at Bom-
bay. 12mo. Is. 6d. sewed.

" This is a tract of no common interest, who-
ther we consider the quarter from which it comes,

or the proposal it contains Though written

for America, it applies almost equally to every
Christian country." — Evan. Mag.

" This is a Missionary Panorama— a. stinging,
stirring pamphlet, which will do more good than
many a fashionable quarto. We most earnestly
recommend the perusal of it to all our readers,"—.
Baptiit Ma%.

Theological Works, published h\j

SYSTEMATIC THEOLOGY.

A DICTIONARY of ALL RE-

LIGIONS, and Religious Denominations,
Ancient and Modern, Jewish, Pagan,
Maliomincdan, or Christian ; also of Eccle-
siastical History. To which are prefixed,
1. An Essay on Truth, the Causes of Error,
&c., by the late Rev. And. Fuller. 2. Ou
the State of the World at Christ's appear-
ance, by Mrs. II. Adams, original Editor of
the Work. And to which are appended, A
Sketch of Missionary Geography, with
Practical Reflections on the whole. By
Thos. Williams. The Third London Edit,
with the Improvements of the Fourth Ame-
rican Edition, and many new articles and
corrections throughout. In 1 vol. 8vo. with
a fine copper-plate Engraving of the Re-
formers, lUs. 6d. boards.

" Tliis book lias passed through several editions

in America. We must confess we have derived

great infoimation and entertainment from the
perusal of it ; and think we may safely recommend
it as an excellent work of reference, for an account
of the many dilVereut sects and persuasions to be
found in the world. We have carefully examined
those articles that have reference to the most im-
portant controversies, and differences of opinion
among believers; and we must say, they seem to
us to be drawn up with great impartiality and
correctness; and the work is certainly valuable
in admitting the representations of sectarists

themselves. We cannot conclude without again

expressing how much satisfaction we have derived
from the perusal of this volume, v^hich contains
more than we could have expected to find in it."
BritUh Critic. Vol. XXVII. p. 437.
" The copious title of thii publication will afford
our readers a general id;a of the nature of the
work: they will be led to form an expectation of
much useful matter, and they will not be disap-
pointed." — Evan. Mag.

" Tills work is written vith no ordinary degree
of ability ; it evinces much labour as well as skill,
and has rarely, if ever, been surpassed in candour
and impartiality."— £r«?j. Register.

" In perusing a number of leading articles con-
tained in the work before rs, we liave observed
that they have no tendency to lower tlie standard
of Religious truth; nor constquently to confound
matters of faith with those of opinion. The
Essay ou Truth, by the late Rev. ^4. Fuller, greatly
enhances its value. Tlie Appendix, containing ' A
brief Sketcli of the State of lleligion throughout
the World,' forms a highly interesting part of tlie
volume." — Methodist Mag,

" The Editor has taken much pains to improve
the work by corrections and additions; the nu-
merous references to authorities are highly valua-
ble."— Cflpi. Mag.

LETTERS to WM. WiLBER-

FORCE, Esq. M.P. To which is added,
an Answer to Meianclhon, by Amicus Pro-
testans. 8vo. 5s. fid. sewed.

" The conduct of Mr. W., in advocating the
Catholic Claims, appears to this Writer higlily in-
consistent; and this he endeavours to prove by

showing that modern Catholics are just as inimical
to the spread of the Scriptures and religious
knowledge as were their predecessors." — Evan,
Mag. 1822.

A SECOND SERIES of LETTERS to
W. WILBERFORCE, Esq. and his de-
fender Melancthon. 8vo. 5s. fid. sewed.

A DICTIONARY of RELI-
GIOUS OPINIONS; or, a Concise Ac-
count of the various Denominations into
which the Christian Profession is divided ;
including Biographical Sketches of the
Founders of the different Denominations,
and a view of the Ecclesiastical Government
peculiar to each Sect. A New Edition,
revised, corrected, and enlarged. By W,
Jones, Author of the Biblical Cyclopaedia,
and History of the Christian Church ; w itli
Portraits of the most eminent Reformers.
12mo. 5s. bds.

" Tlie description of eacli sect is given witli ac-
curacy and candour ; and we can fairly say, that
it is, upon the whole, the best book of the kind
that we have seen." — British Critic.

The SCRIPTURE TESTIMONY

examined and conlirmed by Plain Ar-
guments; or, an Appeal to Reason and
Common Sense, for the Truth of the Holy
Scriptures, in Two Discourses, by David
Jennings, D.D. With a Preface by B.
Cracknell, D.D. Is. sewed.

" These excellent discourses are so well known,
and have been so higlily esteemed, that it will be
sufficient barely to announce their republication.
Tliough many persons have written on the subject,
none have treated it in a more easy and familiar
manner than Dr. J. And we doubt not but it will
please God, who made the preaching and first pub-
lication of these sermons acceptable and success-
ful, still to accompany them with his blessing."

Evan, Mag.

The REFLECTOR, or Christian
Advocate; in which the united efforts of
Modern Infidels and Socinians are detected
and exposed ; illustrated by numerous Ex-
amples : being the substance of the Bushby
Lectures, delivered on appointment of the
Lord Bishop of London, in the Parish
Churches of St. James's, Clerkenwell, and
St. Antholin's, Watling-street, by the Rev.
S. PiGGOTT, A.M. Rector of Dunstable,
Bedfordshire, Chaplain to Lord Viscount
Charlton, and Author of" A Guide for Fa-
milies in Sacred Truth," &c. Svo. lOs. bds.
" On the various attempts which have been made
in modern times to subvert Christianity, and to
\iring Revelation into contempt, Mr. Piggott makes
rrstny spirited observations ; and the survey which
betakes of the subject is at once comprehensive
and just; its language is clear, and its arguments
conv'«cing : of its practical tendency no doubt
can beentertained. We consider its merits to be
highly \cespectable, and, as such, wish it an ex-
tensive iXrculation," — Imperial Magazine, i'icud'-).

TV. Simjikin and R. Blarshall, Stationers' -HaU-Cowt.

RELIGIOUS BIOGRAPHY, POETRY, &c.

MEMOIRS of His Late Majesty
GEORGE III.; written with a special
View to the Progress of Religion, Civil and
Relia;ious Liberty, Benevolence, and gene-
ral Knowledge, during the late Reign. By
Thomas Williams. With a fine Portrait
from Mr. Ackerman's Print, from a Draw-
ing taken by Count Munster, immediately
before the last illness of his Majesty. 18mo.
5s. 6d. boards.

Also, by the same Author,

A BRIEFMEMOIR of herlate Majesty
QUEEN CHARLOTTE; with a Poetical
Appendix, and fine Portrait. 2s. 6d. bds.
Together, in 1 vol. 18mo. bds. 7s.

" This portable volume presents to the view of
the public, a portrait of our late venerable Sove-
reign, drawn, we think, with accuracy, taste, and

spirit We give credit to the Author -when

he says, that ' in selecting and arranging the
numerous facts of which this narrative is com-
posed, the greatest care has been taken to insert
only the most authentic and the most interesting.'
We perceive, also, that this is not a mere pane-
gyric on the Royal character, the writer having
carefully avoided every thing like exaggeration ;
yet, he justly observes, ' the private and domestic
life of the King contains so many bright points,
that a faithful narrative of facts has much the
appearance of eulogy, and forms the best enco-
mium on his character." — Evan. Mag.

MEMOIRS of MRS. HARRIET

NEWELL, Wife of the Rev. S. Newell,
American Missionary to India, who died
Nov. 1812, aged Nineteen Years. Also a
Sermon on her Death, an Account of the
American Missionary Society, and a Mono-
dy on her Death. By Leonard Woods,
U.D. of North America. 18mo. 23. 6d. bds.,
with a Portrait.

" Tliese Slemoirs of Mrs. N. are derived chieflv
from her own writings, and exhibit the character
of a pious, intelligent, and zealous young woman,
eminently qualified for her station. . . .An Ame-
rican correspondent informs us that the life and
letters of Mrs. N. are read with great interest,
and the sale is greater than of any work ever pub-
lished in that country. Poor ]\Irs. N. is doing
more to serve the Jlissionary cause, by her death,
than she could have done by lier life." — Evan. Mag.

SELECT REMAINS of the

Rev. J. M. CLACK, late of Hastings,
Sussex. Also a Brief Memoir, wifh^a
Funeral Oration and Sermon. By J.
Hooper, A.M. one of the Tutors of Hoxton
Academy. 8vo. 7s. bds.

" We have seldom met with so many incidents
of a singular and affecting nature, in connexion
v.ith an individual, who was not permitted to see
many years on eartli, as are presented to us in this
small but respectable volume." — Land. Instructor,

The LIFE of the Rev. JOHN

NEWTON, Rector of St. Mary Woolnoth :
in a Series of Letters to the Rev. Dr.
Haweis. To which is added, a short Sketch
of his Life and Character, from the Conclu-
sion of his own Narrative, till his Death ia
1807. ISmo. 2s. with a Portrait.

PILGRIMS of the NINE-

TEENTH CENTURY; a Continuation of
the Pilgrim's Progress, upon the Plan pro-
jected by Mr. Bunyan ; comprising the
History of a Visit to the Town of Tolera-
tion : with an Account of its Charters, and a
description of the Principles and Customs
of its Inhabitants; under the Similitude of a
Dream. By Joseph Ivimey, with Eno-ra-
vings, and Historical Notes. 12mo. 3s.°6d.
bds.

" The performance is every way creditable to

the talents and information of the writer ; and

we cannot allow ourselves to think tliat even

Bunyan himself would frown on the undertaking."

Evan. Mag. Sept. 1827.

" This publication is ingenious, abounds with
interesting notices of Kouconformity at different
periods, and breathes a very laudable spirit of
religious liberty." — Melhodiiit Mag. Oct. 1827.

" Justice to tlie writer requires us to state, that
his object is not merely to amuse and entertain
tlie reader. The leading doctrines of evangelical
truth are clearly stated, practical religion is
powerfully enforced, and many a wa^'-worn pil-
grim will be refreslied by the exhibition of the
joy and fervour of Christian experience.

" The work is embellished with six neat en-
gravings, and is well printed." — Baptist Mag.

POETICAL SKETCHES OF

BIBLICAL SUBJECTS ; partly Original,
partly selected from our most esteemed
Poets, illustrative of the Sacred Volume.
By Joseph Belcher. 12mo. 5s. bds.

" Some good Selections (of Sacred Poetry; have
recently appeared, among wliicli we have to thank
Mr. B. for what we esteem the very best."

Home Mission. Mag.

" We really think this volume will be an accept-
able present to young persons; and believe it well
calculated for usefulness, in directing their minds
to the contemplation of the Sacred Scriptures, by
exhibiting its most important narratives and pre-
cepts in an alluring form." — Script. Mag.

HYMNS and POEMS, Doctrinal
and Experimental, on a variety of Subjects,
designed for those who know the Plague of
their own Heart, and are fully persuaded
that Salvation is entirely of Grace. By
D. Herbert, of Sudbury. 2 vols. ISmo. 7s.
bds., 8s. bnd. W^ith a Portrait of the A uthor
taken by Wageman, and engraved by
Thompson. Either Volume may be had
separately.

8 Theological Works, puhlishc'd by W. Simpkin and R. Marshall.

CHRISTIAN COUNSEL; or,

a Miinual of 100 Contemplations. By an
Old Divine. 18nio. Is. bds.

" This is the reprint of a work puplislied in tlje
year KillO, bearing the initiaU of" T. S. as its
autlior. It lias heen greatly admired by innst
•who have read it ; and having become very
scarce, has been now reprinted in this very neat
and cheap form. We can most cordially recom-
mend it as highly calculated to promote the
interests of pure and undefiled religion."

Pulpit, No. 346.

ADVICE to YOUTH; contain-
ina; a Compendium of the Duties of Human
Life, in Youth and Manhood. By Hugh
Bl.4ir, D.D. F.R.S., Author of the Ser-
mons, Lectures on Rlietoric, &c. A new
Edition, with a Corollary to each chapter.
Is. 6d. half-bd. in roan.

The DAWN of GENIUS and
VIRTUE ; containing; Anecdotes and Bio-
graphical Sketches of more than an hundred
Persons, eminently distinguished in early
life. Is. 6d. half-bd. in roan.

GOSPEL SONNETS, or Spiri-

tual Son2;s, in Six Paris. By the Rev.
Ralph Erskine, late Ministerof the Gospel
at Dumfermline. 24mo. 3s. bds.

WLSDOMiu MINIATURE, or

the Youno- Gentleman's and Lady's pleasin;^
Instructor; being a Collection of Divine,
IMoral, and Historical Sentences, selected
from the best Authors. Is. 6d. halfbd.

HINTS from an INVALH)
MOTHER to her DAUGHTER, on Sub-
jects connected with Moral and Religions
Improvement in the Conduct of Life, in
various Relations. By Anna Williams.
2d Edition, 12mo. 3s. bds.

" We think these Hints worthy of the perusal,
not only of young ladies, but of parents, and of
those who preside in public seminaries, or engage
in private tuition." — Evan, Mag.
Bv the same Author,

INCITEMENT to EARLY PIETY;
or a Manual of Devotion : with a Selection
of Hj'mns adapted to Youth of both Sexes.
To which is prefixed, a Letter of Maternai
Advice. 18mo. 8d.

SACRED MUSIC.

PSALMO-DOXOLOGIA; anew

and Complete Collection of Psalm and
Hymn Tunes. The whole set for three or
four Voices, with an Accompaniment (in
small Notes) for the Organ or Piano-Forte,
and adapted as well to public Worship as
private Use. 12s. bound, or in twelve
half-bound Numbers, Is. each.

" Psalmo-Doxologia is a collection of between
three and four hundred Psalm Tunes and Hymns,
containing all the established old melodies, and a
great many new ones ; including several of tlie
best and most popular Airs of Handel, Haydn,
Mozart, Pleyel, Eeethoven, &c. &c., arranged for
either three or foui voices, with an Accompaniment
for the Organ, in small notes, instead of a figured
bass. This is the most copious collection that we
liave ever seen for tlie price, and musically speak-
ing, is better executed than works of this kind
generally are. The introduction of the delightful
airs of the great German composers must relieve
congregations from the fatiguing reiteration of the
old tunes, which, though certainly excellent in
themselves, become, like any otlier good thing,
extremely dull if too often repeated, and unless
relieved by a mixture of novelty. A slight bio-
graphical sketch of each covnposcr, and a brief
history of Psalmody, are prefixed to the collection.
The former is in some few instances erroneous, but
it gives a considerable share of interest to the
work." — ITarmu7iicon, I^ o. 7, Jnly 18C3.

" We consider this as the most complete volume
of valuable Tunes for Public Worship that has
ever come under our Notice."

Home Musion. Mag.

" This work contains 347 Tunes, in 282 pages;
besides a brief Introduction to Psalmody, and a
biographical Index of tlie Autliors; including
Arnc, Arnold, liach, Beetlioven, Handel, Haydn,
Mozart, Playel, &c. besides the Authors of the

Locke Collection, and other popular Psalmodists.
We hope this will be found a valuable addition to
Psalm and Hymn Tunes, both for the parlour an(i
the chapel, and supercede much of the trash now
in use. The size of the book agrees with Dr.
Rippon's." — Evan. Mag.

" The Tunes, (in number 347) are intended for
Public Worship as well as private use: such is the
design of the publication. The execution, as we
are informed by a competent judge of IMusical
Science, is, on the whole, judicious and respecta.
ble. In the Compiler's introductory observations
on the proper style of Sacred Music, and especially
of that intended for Congregational use, we en-
tirely concur. — Methodist Mag.

The REV. DR. ADDINGTON'S

Popular Collection of PSALM and HYMN
TUNES, chiefly in Three Parts, adapted
to the Metres of Dr. Watts's Psalms and
Hymns, and the various Collections and
Supplements now in Use. The Fifteenth
Edition, containing all the most approved
Tunes in the Three volumes, in One. To
which is prefixed, a brief Introduction to
Psalmody, and a complete index. 7s. 6d.
half-bound.

The present proprietors of this work
have employed a competent Editor to re-
duce the three volumes into one. Many of
the Plates have been re-engraved ; the
Tunes which originally belonged to the first
volume have (with some few exceptions)
been restored, and the most popular and
useful Tunes in the second volume added,
wilh a fewfrom the (iiird ; comprising now
270 Choice Tunes, with a brief Introduction
to Psalmody prefixed.

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