hath prevailed to open the book, and accordingly the Apostle sees him come, and take the book from the right hand of Him who sat on the throne, and successively open its seven seals. This book with seven seals is therefore manifestly the Apocalypse of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him. No other book was seen to be given to him, and we are not at liberty to suppose or introduce another. Thus, the symbolical action of the delivery of the book, as well as the awful solemnities which accompany the delivery, and the words of the celestial symphonies which follow, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof, do all unite in identifying the seven-sealed book with the Apocalypse of Jesus Christ.

It therefore follows, that this book contains the whole Apocalypse, properly so called; that is, the whole prophetic visions of things which shall shortly come to pass discovered to the Church. These visions begin with the first seal, chap. vi. 1, and go down to chap. xxii. 5, the verses which follow being the Epilogue.

It is impossible for us to deny this conclusion, without affirming an absolute contradiction, viz., that two terms which are identical in signification, do yet signify things unequal; or, in other words, that a thing is not equal to itself. We have proved that the seven-sealed book is the Apocalypse. It therefore must contain all the parts of the Apocalypse, otherwise, the whole is not equal to all its parts, which is absurd.

We however arrive at the same conclusion by another process. The book received by our Lord was sealed with seven seals. Now, the number seven is mystical, and imports completeness, perfection, and even infinity. The seven seals with which the book was closed, show, on the one hand, that it was so completely shut as to be inaccessible to the inspection of all creation. But the precise number of the seven seals, (each of which, as we afterwards learn, contains a distinct vision, or series of visions,) imports also that if the whole seven were opened, it must include in it a complete revelation and discovery of the whole mystery of God-the complete series of the things which were about to come to pass.

To affirm, as some writers do, that there are three distinct series, of seals, trumpets, and the little book, is, in effect to

maintain that the seven seals, which have been proved to contain the whole, are yet only a part, i. e. do not contain the whole.

Having thus ascertained that the Apocalypse, from chap. vi. 1, to xxii. 5, is identical with the seven-sealed book, I proceed to lay down a series of propositions respecting its structure, or arrangement, and its interpretation. I remark, however, in the first place, that the first five chapters are, properly speaking, no part of the prophecy, which only begins with the opening of the first seal. The first chapter contains a general Preface: the two next chapters contain seven epistles to the Asiatic Churches, as types of the successive states of the Church Universal during the whole of this dispensation. These epistles are from our Lord himself, as the head of the Church, in which capacity he has an intimate knowledge of all its concerns; and they contain things of the deepest moment to the Gentile Churches-matter of comfort, exhortation, admonition, and promise. The fourth and fifth chapters are a particular Introduction to the seven-sealed book.

Having premised these things, I proceed to lay down the following series of propositions respecting the Apocalyptical arrangement and interpretation.

I. The basis of all true Apocalyptic arrangement is, to place every part of the book within its proper seal.

For, since the seven seals comprehend the whole, it is manifest that every part must belong to one or other of the seals, otherwise, the whole is not equal to all its parts, which is absurd.

II. It is manifest, on opening the book, that the first six seals proceed in a regular series from chap. vi. 1, to vii. 17, when the white-robed multitude having come out of the great tribulation, are seen celebrating the antitypical Feast of Tabernacles in the Temple of God.

These six seals do therefore close with an event which is confessedly and altogether Ecclesiastical.

III. The symbols of the first four seals, consisting each of a single horseman, with subordinate machinery, are homogeneous, and must be applied to objects homogeneous, or of like kind.

IV. But the symbols of the first seal are, as I have shown in the body of this Work, ecclesiastical and not secular.

Therefore, the first seal and the next three seals, which are homogeneous with it, must relate to objects ecclesiastical; to the Church, and not the Empire.

V. The fifth seal also, confessedly, belongs to the Church.

VI. The earthquake of the sixth seal is political, with an intermixture of things ecclesiastical,* being the day of the wrath of the Lamb.

Therefore, the whole series of the first six seals relates to the Church, with the exception of the political earthquake of the sixth.

VII. The political earthquake of the sixth seal is, apparently, introduced into a series of ecclesiastical events, for the purpose of connecting, and as it were dovetailing this seal with the seventh trumpet and seven vials, with which it corresponds in prophetic chronology: the earthquake of the sixth seal being identical with that of the seventh trumpet and seventh vial.

VIII. The seventh seal comprehends the whole remainder of the Apocalypse from viii. 1, to xxii. 5. It, therefore, contains the whole of the trumpets, just as the seventh trumpet includes the seven vials.

IX. The seven trumpets contain the series of events which are to destroy the Roman empire, secular and ecclesiastical, in all its parts, western and eastern, and they subdivide themselves into three parts.

1st. The first four trumpets describe the desolation of a symbolical universe, in its four parts of dry land, sea, rivers and fountains, and celestial luminaries. The smiting of the third part of the universe in these trumpets sets before us the overthrow of the Western empire by the Goths and Vandals.

2d. The fifth and sixth trumpets describe the desolation and overthrow of the Eastern empire by the Saracens and Ottomans.

3d. The seventh trumpet brings in the final and entire desolation of the symbolical universe, by which event is signified the utter destruction of the Mystical Babylon, or Rome, secular and spiritual, and also the remains of the three former

*I do not here enter into the proof of this, seeing, I believe, it is universally admitted.

monarchies. It also introduces the triumphant reign of Messiah and his saints.

This trumpet is brought before us three times. First, it is emblematically represented by the roaring of the angel and the seven thunders, chap. x. 1-7. Secondly, it is given in miniature, chap. xi. 15-19. Thirdly, in detail, chap. xiv.-xix., and indeed the whole remainder of the book down to xxii. 5, belongs to this trumpet.

X. Chapters xi. xii. and xiii. contain the history of the Church in its relation to the Roman empire of the West, and of that Empire in its reciprocal relation to the Church, during the prophetical period of 1260 years. Only the first of these chapters carries down the history somewhat lower, to the great consummation of the kingdoms of this world becoming the kingdoms of our Lord; and the second chapter carries back the history to the day of Pentecost in the travails of the Church for the conversion of the world.

XI. There are in the Apocalypse three earthquakes, the chronology of each of them being distinctly marked. The first, chap. viii. 5, precedes all the trumpets, as the angels do not prepare themselves to sound till that earthquake is passed. The chronology of this earthquake marks it to be that which took place in the time of Constantine. The second earthquake being that of chap. xi. 13, which precedes the passing away of the second woe, is, for the reasons already given, identified with the period of the Reformation. The third earthquake is that of the Day of Wrath, vi. 12-17, xi. 18, 19, xvi. 18. Its first shock was at the French Revolution and fall of the monarchy in 1792. It continues till the Advent, and its most tremendous concussions are yet future, or at least only now commencing.

XII. The opening of the temple in chap. xi. 19, and xv. 5, is one and the same event. As it takes place after the sounding of the seventh trumpet, and prior to the egress of the vial-bearing angels, it establishes a most important point in the Apocalyptic structure, viz., that all the vials belong to the seventh trumpet.

XIII. The first sounding of the seventh trumpet synchronizes with the beginning of the judgment of the Ancient of Days, Dan. vii. 9.

XIV.

At the first blast of the seventh trumpet the proclamation of the kingdom takes place in heaven, chap. xi. 15, and at the same time the sentence of deposition from the kingdom goes forth against the Beast, and this seems to be the reason why in chap. xvii. (the period of the seventh trumpet), he appears without the imperial diadems, which now belong to the Lord Messiah.

XV. At a subsequent period of the seventh trumpet our Lord descends from heaven, not yet wearing the many diadems, Diadnpata moλλa, xix. 12, but simply the crown, repavos. His first acts are to raise his sleeping saints, and receive unto himself his sealed saints, the 144,000 of all the tribes of the mystic Israel ;* and he next reaps the harvest of the earth, ver. 14-16. After this, and before the treading of the winepress, the investiture of the kingdom takes place, as is manifest from his having on his many diadems when he appears at Armageddon. The exact time of the investiture of the kingdom seems to be marked by the voices in chap. xix. 6, "Hallelujah, "for the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth," and these voices being the proclamation of the kingdom on earth, or in the air, are the counterpart of the former proclamation in heaven at the first sound of the seventh trumpet. Immediately after this proclamation is the marriage supper, and the appearance of our Lord with the many diadems, as King of kings and Lord of lords.

In exact harmony with the conclusions of Proposition XV. as to the order of events, the Son of Man is first seen by Daniel, vii. 13, 14, coming with the clouds, and is brought to the Ancient of Days, and then is invested with the kingdom.

The analysis now offered to the readers of this Work, is the same as is to be found in my Strictures on Mr. Irving's Lectures on the Apocalypse, with some corrections, and is the result of thirty years' meditations on this wonderful Book.

To those who are conversant with the writings of the older commentators on the Apocalypse, it will be evident, that I have carefully consulted their works, and have always where it was possible to do so, availed myself of their discoveries. It

* Rev. vii. 4-8, and xiv. 1-5.