Martin Luther, the great

being able to explain it. Protestant Reformer, after puzzling himself in trying to understand it, said, "Let every one think of it what his own spirit suggests-my spirit can make nothing out of it." It is well known that his contemporary, Calvin, never offered any interpretation of it; and for his silence on the subject, he was applauded by Scaliger, a very learned critic, who flourished during the same century with him, (the sixteenth) and who said, "Calvin was wise, because he did not write upon the Revelations." Zuinglius, another of the Reformers, questioned its authenticity; and it is said that still others, of that time, were rather doubtful about the propriety of receiving it as canonical. It was (as I shall presently show, somewhat in detail) entirely omitted from some versions of the New Testament that were current during some of the first centuries of the Church.

Rev. T. B. Thayer, formerly of Lowell, Mass., now residing in Brooklyn, N. Y., published a few years since a book entitled "The Bible-Class Assistant," from which he omitted all mention whatever, even the slightest and most indirect, of the book of Revelation,—although he offered brief historical comments upon every other book in the Bible.

It is generally considered as prophetic in character, and is sometimes styled the Apocalypse, which signifies a revelation, or vision. Some, however, entertain doubts whether it should be considered as a prophecy, and regard it as merely an enigmatical description of past and

contemporary events. Some parts of it, considered as merely poetical, are invested with much beauty.

If it be a prophecy, one thing is very certain; the author predicted events, not distant, (as is often supposed) but near at hand when he wrote. This is evident from the phraseology with which the book commences: "The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants THINGS WHICH MUST SHORTLY COME TO PASS; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John: who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw. Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for THE TIME IS AT HAND."*

Upon this book, Mr. Millenium MILLER draws somewhat largely, in his Second Advent Lectures; and Elhanan Winchester, with others who flourished before his time, fancied that they had discovered the exact fulfilment of some of the wild and seemingly prophetic imagery of the Revelator. And I think their speculations are about as plausible as many treatises, of much higher repute, upon the subject of prophecy in general.

It is worthy of mention that the numerical word seven occurs with considerable frequency in the book of which we have spoken. It is a term that is often used in many other parts of the Bible. Seven is said to have been,

Rev. i. 1-3.

with the Jews, a sacred and mystical number. I have no doubt that the Jewish Sabbath originated from the superstitious notion that the seventh day in the week was more sacred than the other six. Some one has collated and published in a paragraph, which has passed the rounds of the newspapers, a large number of instances from the Bible wherein the term seven is employed. The following is the list; to which several more instances might be added:

God rested from all his works on the seventh day; "whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him seven fold." Enoch the seventh was translated. Noah took seven of a kind into the Ark, and was seven days in taking them in; his ark rested on the seventh month, and he sent out a dove three times, at intervals of seven days. Pharaoh's dreams were seven years and doubled. The Priest of Midian had seven daughters. The Passover was kept seven days. The children of Israel did not work on the seventh day. God called Moses out of the mount on the seventh day. Seven Priests, bearing seven trumpets, compassed Jericho about seven days, and seven times on the seventh day. Samson's strength lay in his seven locks of hair. Balak built Balaam seven altars three different times, and he offered seven bullocks and seven rams each time. David reigned seven years in Hebron, and the prophet of fered him seven years famine. Saul's seven sons were slain. Solomon was seven years in building the temple. Naaman dipped seven times in Jordan. There were

seven thousand that did not bow the knee to Eaal.

Job had seven sons; and his friends sat seven days, and no one spake a word. Wisdom has hewn out her seven pillars. Nebuchadnezzar was wet with the dews of heaven until seven times passed over him. Daniel speaks of seven weeks. Sara had seven husbands. Out of Mary Magdalene went seven devils. The Revelator mentions seven spirits, seven churches, seven seals, seven trumpets, seven stars, and a number of other sevens.

EPISTLES, &c., OF DOUBTFUL AUTHENTICITY.

The doubtful writings Peter, the second and

It is seriously questioned by some of the learned, whether several of the Epistles were written by those persons whose names they bear. are these: the second epistle of third epistles of John, and the epistle of Jude; with which some have also classed the epistle to the Hebrews, and the book of Revelation.

On the subject of these disputed books, various critical remarks have been offered by Dr. Nathaniel Lardner, the learned English dissenter, who died in the latter part of the last century; and by Prof. Andrews Norton, of Cambridge, Mass., one of the most profound Biblical scholars now living, as well as by other writers of high repute; some observations of each of whom might here be appropriately introduced. Quotations from those only whom I have just specified by name, however, will be sufficient for my present purpose:

Dr. Lardner.

"There have been in former times, and still are, different sentiments among Christians, concerning the number of books to be received as canonical. The canon of the Syrian churches is not the same as ours. JEROME

tells us, that in his time [the fourth century] some of the Latins received the epistle to the Hebrews, and some of the Greeks the book of the Revelation. From CHRY

SOSTOM's works, we perceive that he did not receive the second epistle of St. Peter, nor the second and third of St. John, nor the epistle of St. Jude, nor the Revelation. And there is reason to think, that THEODORET'S canon likewise was much the same with Chrysostom's, and that of the churches in Syria. Nevertheless, we have observed in the course of this work, that about the same time the Egyptians, and the Christians in divers other parts of the world, had the same number of canonical books that we have.

But to come nearer our own time. Calvin, Grotius, Le Clerc, Philip Limborch, and some other learned moderns, have not admitted the epistle to the Hebrews to have been written by St. Paul: though they were willing to allow it to be the work of an apostolical man, and a valuable part of sacred scripture. But I cannot say, that they were in the right in so doing, [i. e. they were not in the right in regarding it as sacred, while they thought it was not written by a regularly commis. sioned apostle.] For it appears to me to have been a maxim of the ancient Christians, not to receive any doc