..PL i'i {! .'il \^' 4 - ■r 4 > J LIBRARY Theo logical Seminary, PRINCETON, N. J. Oi>cliild confirms this view. He was to rule all the Gentiles with a rod of IRON. And is it not thus that Christianity rules over the majority of mankind ? The Gentiles are all uncon- verted persons ; all those in whom the enmity of the natural heart to holiness remains ; all whose minds by the effectual operation of Divine grace are not brought into conformity with the law of God, whether they be Christians * Our Lord gave his last great commission to the apostles in the year 33, and it was in March, 313, exactly two hundred and eighty years after- wards, that Constantine published the famous jNIilan edict, by which the profession of Christianity was tolerated throughout the empire. — Gihhon, vol. iii., c. 20, p. 244. THE GREAT RED DRAGON. 41' by profession or not. (See chap. xi. 2.) Now to rule with a rod of iron is to exercise dominion over those who hate the power whereby they are restrained, and who submit to it therefore from fear, not from love. And is not this just that sort of dominion which Christianity exercises over the great mass of nominal Christians? Is it to them a law of liberty and love ? Can it be said with reference to them, " Its commandments are not grievous? " No, they submit to its laws, to a certain extent, it is true ; but their submission is not voluntary. Its holy, heavenly precepts ever have been, and ever must be, to the carnal mind " a rod of iron." They would fain get from under it if they could, but they dare not. Again, this man-child, as soon as born, was to be " CAUGHT UP TO GoD AND HIS THRONE," NoW the throne of God in the symbolical heaven is the seat of power, government, and honour. And if Christianity, therefore, be the man-child, this would imply not merely its toleration in conjunction with Heathenism, but its ascendancy and domination. How this was fulfilled in the history of Christianity after Constantine's edict of toleration will be shown immediately. But it will be proper previously to consider, — 3. The great Red Dragon. — Aiid there was seen another sign in the shy ; and, behold, a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems upon his heads ; and his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and cast them to the earth.— ^ That this dragon is a personification of the great enemy of God and man, that old serpent, called Satan and the Devil, we are expressly told in the ninth verse of this chapter. Nor is the general import of the symbol under which he is here represented at all 42 CHAPTER XII. questionable. A dragon, as the representative of a great empire, hostile to God and his people, is a figiu'e familiar to the ancient prophets. Thus Isaiah, "Art thou not it that hath cut Rahab, and wounded the dragon ?" (li. 9) ; - and so Ezekiel, " Behold, I am against thee, Pharaoh, King of Egypt, the great dragon, that lieth in the midst of his rivers." (xlix. 3.) This dragon, therefore, is undoubtedly the impersonation of Satan, acting through the instrumentality of some mighty empire, by means of which he seeks to destroy both the woman and her offspring, both the Church and Christianity. And can the reader require to be told what empire? There is but one that in this instance can for a moment be thought of. By the general consent of expositors, this great dragon is Satan acting by the ancient Heathen Roman Empire, which, as the embodiment of Heathenism in the possession of the supreme power, stands opposed to the Church of Christ, and the religion of which she is the depositary. But what, then, is the specific meaning of the seven diademed-heads, and the ten horns, and the third part of the stars, M'hich the dragon's tail cast to the earth? This being the first time that mention has been made of these heads and horns, although the same emblems are twice again employed, first in the description of the wild beast from the sea (c. xiii.), and then of that from the abyss (c, xvii.), showing plainly some analogy and connexion between the dragon and those two beasts, I think it may be well here to examine into this subject a little more closely, in order to ascertain what that analogy and connexion is ; for the having clear views on this point will materially assist us in THE GREAT RED DRAGON. 43 determining the true meaning and application of those two other symbolizations. Let us first notice the points of agreement between the dragon and the two beasts, and then those of difference. The points of agreement are these : They are all three wild beasts (for the dragon is drjpcou^ a wild beast), and therefore fierce and cruel ; they have all three also seven heads and ten horns : these are the points of agreement. The points of difference are — 1st, In the beasts themselves : the one is a dragon ; the second is a beast of a triplex form, partaking of the lion, the leopard, and the bear ; the third is not called by any name, but is designated generally as a scarlet- coloured beast. 2dly, In their origin : the dragon has no beginning, but stands in the sky fully developed in all his proportions, showing that the power of which he is the representative was already in existence when the apostle wrote ; the second beast arises from the sea ; the third comes up from the bottomless pit. 3dly, The dragon has seven diadems upon his heads ; the sea-born beast has ten diadems upon his horns^ and none upon his heads ; the other beast has no diadems at all, either upon his heads or horns. Lastly, The dragon draws with his tail a third part of the stars of heaven ; the second beast has for his coadjutor a two-horned lamb- like beast ; and the third is ridden by a harlot. Now, what may we infer from these circumstantial points of agreement and difference between these three sym- bolizations? It is obvious that there must be some relationship between the beasts — some respects in which they are essentially identical. The seven heads and ten horns on each of them put this beyond doubt. On the other hand, the differences are so marked and palpable, 44 CHAPTER XII. that it seems no less obvious that, notwithstanding this essential identity, there must be circumstantial diversity. And how is this to be explained ? It appears to me that it is to be explained in this manner : These tlu'ee symbolizations represent, locally and territorially^ one and the same empire, — here is the point of agree- ment ; but they represent it in different stages of its existence, and under different phases and aspects, and hence the diversity of circumstances. The dragon is this empire, of which Rome is the centre, in its Heathen form. The beast from the sea is this same empire restored, after it had apparently been utterly destroyed, with a nominally Christian ruler for its head. The beast from the abyss is still territorially the same empire as the preceding, but it has no common head; it consists of ten separate dynasties, held together, not by one supreme ruler, but by a mysterious power, symbolized by a harlot who rides the beast, and, for a time, guides him at her pleasure. This, it seems to me, is the most natm'al and satis- factory explanation of these three symbolizations. That the beast from the sea is the successor, and not the contemporary of the dragon, we are distinctly told. The dragon gives him his seat and his power, (c. xiii. 2.) And I think it is no less evident that the beast from the abyss is the successor, and not the contemporary of, or identical with, the seven-headed beast from the sea. The duration of the latter is limited to twelve hundred and sixty prophetical days, which expire with the slaughter of the witnesses, but the former is seen upon the stage long after the witnesses are slain, and, together with the false prophet, is engaged in the last great conflict at Armageddon, (c. xix. 19.) THE GREAT RED DRAGON. 45 As, then, the beast from the sea succeeds to the place of the dragon, so, I think, we may infer that the beast from the abyss takes the place of the former, and comes up at the expiration of the twelve hundred and sixty years appointed for his continuance. To enter into further particulars now would be prema- ture. I merely wish to give the reader a general idea of the light in which, as it appears to me, these three symbolical beasts are to be regarded. In few words, the dragon is the ancient Roman Empire, with Heathen- ism dominant ; the sea-born beast, the revived empire under the rule of the Popes and the Emperors ; the beast from the abyss, the ten kingdoms of the Papacy without a secular head, influenced and governed by the Romish Church, to whose direction, regarded purely as a spiritual power, they for a time submit themselves. Thus viewed, the seven heads of this dragon will signify, as they are afterwards explained by the angel, (c. xvii. 9), the seven hills on which ancient Rome stood. And, perhaps, in this place, they are to be limited to this meaning.* Eor although they are said by the angel also to represent, as seen on the beast from the abyss, seven Icings, or forms of government, yet as these heads in the present instance have all of them diadems, the symbol of despotic power, upon them, it seems more consistent to suppose them to represent the unity and concentration, as it were, of the Imperial power in the seven-hilled city of Rome.f The ten horns are, of course, here exhibited anticipatively ; they grow out of the seventh head, and * So Vitringa: "Duas res igitur in Apocalypsi notant Septem Capita: Populum Romanum in Septem montibus habitanteni, et Septem Reges. Prior obtinet in hoc emblemate Draconis ; posterius in emblemate liestia;." t The fact that Rome was built upon seven hills, and was designated distinctively the city of the seven hills, is so well knoAvn that it scarcely 46 CHAPTER XII. can have no existence at present ; but they are shown upon the dragon just to mark the connexion before alkided to between him and the two other beasts. (See c. xiii. and xvii.) With regard to the tldrd part of the stars drawn by the dragon's tail, and cast by him to the earth, there is some difficulty. A comparison of this passage with Isaiah xiv. 12, and Daniel viii. 10, leaves no doubt, indeed, as to the general meaning of the figure. In the former, the King of Babylon is represented as saying, " I will ascend into heaven ; I will exalt my throne above the stars of God ;" which the context shows is simply a vain-glorious boast, that he would exalt himself above all the kings of the earth. In the latter, it is said of the little horn, " And it waxed great, even to the host of heaven ; and it cast some of the host and of the stars to the ground :" a plain prediction that this little horn, originally an insignificant power, would rise above other powers greater than itself, and subdue them. Hence, then, we gather beyond question the import of the imagery before us. The casting the stars of heaven to the ground is but a metaphorical way of expressing the subjugation and destruction of kingdoms. Divested of figure, the sense of the passage might be expressed thus : " And he drew after him a third part of the rulers (or kingdoms) of the world, and triumphed over them," The difficulty is as to the third part. Mr. Elliott's hypothesis, that it refers to the third part of the empire — first, under Maximin, as opposed requires proof. The following line from Propertius, quoted by Vitringa, may suffice : — " Septem Urbs alta jugis toti qute pra;siclet Orbi." " The lofty city on seven hills, which governs the whole world." THE GREAT RED DRAGON. 47. to the other two-thirds under Constantine and Licinius, and then, after Maximm's death, to the same third under Licinius, as opposed to Constantine, — is not, to my mind, satisfactory. Por how coukl that com- paratively small portion of the empire under Maximin be with propriety represented by the seven-headed dragon ? Or what were the stars of heaven which either Maximin or Licinius cast to the earth? What kingdoms or princes did they subdue ? I think, there- fore, that in this instance we must understand by the symbolic heaven here alluded to, the whole political heaven then visible to men; i.e., all the kingdoms of the then k/iowji world, and consequently, that the third part of the stars represent the kingdoms of the earth conquered by and subject to Rome, I am quite aware that this application of the symbol is open to objections, and, in particular, may seem inconsistent with my own explanation of the third part of the heavens smitten under the fourth trumpet. The cases, however, are somewhat different. Li that instance the context shows that the whole to which the third part has reference is the Roman territory ; but here the great dragon is himself the ivhole empire, and the third part of the stars, therefore, which his tail draws cannot be the third of that empire. It appears, then, that this vision represents generally the early struggles of the Church with the Heathenism of Rome, and the triumphant establishment of Chris- tianity on the Imperial throne. Let us now consider its particulars in detail, and endeavour to trace as we proceed their fidfilment. 48 chapter xii. Historical Fulfilment. The first circumstance that calls for notice is that stated in the fourth verse. The dragon stood before the woman to devour her child as soon as it was born. Now, if this child be Christianity, and its birth the introduction of the Christian religion into the Roman world by Constantine, then it would follow, according to the prophecy, that no sooner Avould Christianity be ushered, as it were, into life, than an attempt would be made, by that power of which the dragon is the impersonation, to destroy it. And what, then, are the historical facts connected with this subject ? They may be given in few words. In 387, Constantine died, leaving the empire to his three sons, all of whom, like himself, professed and upheld Christianity. But at the expiration of twenty-four years, Julian, the nephew of Constantine, commonly called the Apostate, became sole Emperor. And now, then, it was that the seven-headed dragon sought to devom' the new-born man-child which had been already caught up to the Ihrone of God. The distinguishing featm^e in Julian's character was hatred of Christianity, and the one grand object of his brief reign, its extirpation. He warred not against Christians, but against their reli(/ion ; he attacked not persons, but a system. Hence, instead of imitating his Pagan predecessors by putting Christians to death, he endeavoured to bring them over by argument, and the still more powerful persuasives of worldly honours and emoluments. Almost innnediately upon his assuming the purple, he published an edict of toleration, the pro- fessed intention of which was to permit the free exercise of all religions, but the real object, the re-establishment THE DRAGON SEEKS TO DEVOUR THE MAN-CHiIiD. 49 of Heathenism and the abolition of Christianity.* The means employed by him for this purpose were of the most artful character, and savoured strongly of Satanic guile and subtilty. While pretending to the strictest impartiality, he discouraged in every possible way the profession of Christianity, and by holding out the promise of honours and power to those of the noble and wealthy, and of donations in money to the lower orders, who should retm'u to the religion of their forefathers, endeavoured to allure them back to the Heathen temples. On the other hand, although avowedly disclaiming per- secution, he subjected Christians to many hardships, and threw every obstacle he could in the way of their advancement. He deprived the clergy of all the immu- nities, honours, and revenues which had been bestowed upon them, and transferred them to the service of Pagan temples and priests ; he forebade any Christian to lectiure in the public schools of science or literature, or to teach the arts of grammar and rhetoric ; he even imposed a direct tax on all persons who should refuse to sacrifice to the gods of the empire ; and, finally, as if to verify the prophecy to the letter, he endeavoured to abolish the very name of Christianity, commanding, by a public edict, that Christians should no longer be called Chris^ tians, but Galileans.* • The reader will do well to mark the correspondence between the proceedings of Julian in regard to Heathenism, and of James II. in regard to Popery. The first act of the reign of both princes was a pretended EDICT OF TOLERATION. What makes the parallelism the more striking is, that in both instances direct persecution had been previously tried. We would recommend this fact to the consideration of liberals of every description. " Surely in vain is the net spread in the sight of any bird." * Waddington, c. viii., p. 126. A full account of the arts employed by Julian for the restoration of Paganism will be found in the " Decline and Fall," c. xxiii. This, taken conjointly with the history of Constantine, VOL. II. E 50 CHAPTER XII. Thus, then, did this apostate emperor think to devour the offspring of the Church as soon as it was born. Vain, however, were his efforts. It was the potsherd contending with its maker. In the language of Dean Waddington, — and I would beg the reader to observe, how the historian unconsciously adopts the apocalyptic metaphor, — " the religion of Julian had long been held in derision by all reasonable men ; its energy had long passed away from it, and its feebleness was the decrepitude of old age. The religion of Constantine was young and progressive, — the only weakness which it acknowledged was that of immaturity." In other words, it was the new-horn man-child. Julian's reign was brief. Before the expiration of two years he was killed in battle, fighting with the Persians. Under a series of Christian emperors his successors, Christianity rapidly spread throughout the empire, until at length, in 390, Theodosius published his celebrated edict, in which he forbad, under severe penalties, the worship of the heathen gods, and established Christianity as the religion of the empire, on a firm and immoveable basis.* And thus, then, was the man-child " caught up to God and his throne !" is perhaps one of the most subtle and dangerous attacks ever made upon Christianity. The author's object is to infuse the poison of Infidelity by insinuating the superiority of philosophy to revelation, as exemplified in the two Emperors respectively. And if his history were in every respect true, the inference would be almost unavoidable. But it is not true. The characters and motives of both princes are misrepresented throughout. The account of the death of Julian, in particular, taken from Ammianus, is a manifest composition of the historian, and no more to be relied on than Xenophon's narrative of the last hours of Cyrus. Instead of a true philosopher, Julian was a vain man, inflated with self-conceit, and addicted to the most absurd superstitions. — See Moshehn, cent, iv., c. 13. * " The last edict of Theodosius inflicted a deadly wound on the super- etjtion of the Pagans. This prohibitory law is expressed in the most THE FLIGHT OF THE WOMAN. 51 But what now becomes of the sun-clothed woman? This is the next subject that claims attention. The FLIGHT OF the WOMAN INTO THE WILDERNESS. It wiU be observed that this circumstance is referred to twice ; in the sixth verse, and again in the fourteenth. Com- bining the information given in both passages we get the following statement : " And to the woman were (/iven two loings of the great eagle that she might jlee into the wilderness, to a place prepared for her hy God, there to he nourished for a time, times, and dividing of time ;" or, as it is expressed in ver. 6, "/or twelve hundred and sixty days." Now assuming the woman to be the Church, — the true Church, the chaste and undefiled spouse of Christ, — there can be no mistaking the general import of this imagery. It can mean nothing less than this, that the Church regarded as composed of true believers, or spiritual persons, after having given birth to Christianity, would gradually disappear from the eyes of mankind, and ceasing to be sustained by the ordinary means of grace (which we may infer from hence would be withdrawn altogether, or be so perverted as to become unprofitable), would be nourished in secret by the spiritual food supplied to her directly from God himself ; in other words, that the ChmTh would become invisible to the world, and no longer stand out a distinct and separate body, but consisting of isolated individuals only, scattered here and there, be known to him alone who seeth not as man seeth, but looketh at the heart. And further, it is implied, that during the interval absolute and comprehensive terms. 'It is our will and pleasure,' says the Emperor, ' that none of our subjects shall presume in any city, or in any place, to worship an inanimate idol, by the sacrifice of a guiltlesa victim.'" — Decline and Fall, vol. v., p. 116. E 2 52 CHAPTER XII. between tlie figurative parturition of this woman, and her withdrawal, i.e., between the public introduction of Christianity into the empire, and the entire disappearance of the Church of Christ as a corporate body from human observation, she would be upheld and supported by some mighty secular power (symbolized by the wings of the great eagle), and thus be preserved from utter destruction by the flood of waters cast out after her, before she reached her retreat. How strikingly these prefigurations were verified in the history of the Church during the reign of Theodosius, the most justly, perhaps, of all monarchs surnamed the Great, will be shown immediately. With regard to the period of the woman's continuance in the wilderness, the very nature of the case, as before remarked, forbids us to interpret it with strict arith- metical precision. I mean, that as her disappearance could not be instantaneous, neither, probably, would her re-appearance ; and, therefore, that we must not attempt to fix the exact day or year for either one or the other. It seems to me that this period is purposely expressed in the second instance by the larger and less definite mode of reckoning of a time, times, and the dividing of time, to show that it is to be understood somewhat loosely; and, in fact, that the duration of the Church's retirement and invisibility, was to correspond in a general sense with the sackcloth prophesying of the witnesses, and the continuance of the power of the wild beast from the sea. Supposing, then, we date the commencement of those events somewhere in the sixth century, this also will be about the date of the woman's flight. And so, in point of fact, we find, as has been already shown, it was just at this time that the historian of the Church of Christ THE FLIGHT INTO THE WILDERNESS. 53 began to look almost in vain for its characteristics amongst its professing members. " I am endeavour- ing," says Milner, writing of the close of the fourth century, and as if he had the very figure of the Apoca- lypse in his mind, — " I am endeavouring to catch the features of the Church wherever I can find her in this obscure region!' — (Chap, xii.) And, again, at the end of the twelfth chapter of Century Five, " But I am disgusted with the prospect : it grows worse in the East to the end of the century. Possibly in the vieAv of some private and obscure scc7ies in the next chapter, the reader may find something more worthy of his notice." Yes ; the true Church was beginning to be found only in the wilderness. But was there, then, to be no visible Church all this time ? Assuredly there was. There was to be a visible Church, but not the sun-clothed woman, with her crown of twelve stars ; not the Church " built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner-stone ;" — but she, who is afterwards seen "with kings of the earth, in filthy whoredom joined." " The harlot arrayed in purple and scarlet, having in her hand a golden cup full of abomi- nations, and drunk with the blood of the saints." Let the reader carefully note the facts connected with these two symbolical women. The one flees into the wilder- ness, the other comes out of it (c. xvii. 3) ; the one hides herself in obscurity, the other thrusts herself forward to the observation of men. And what, then, is the inference, but that whilst the chaste spouse of Christ would for centuries be lost sight of, an adulterous counterfeit would usurp her place, and pass herself off 54 CHAPTER xn. as " the sole representative of the Church of the hving God?" The next subject for consideration is, — THE WAll IN HEAVEN. Vers. 7 — 12. — " And there loas war hi heaven, Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon fought and his angels,'' &c. In considering these verses y^Q must bear in mind that the apostle is still relating what lie saw, and not what was told him. Attention to this circumstance will assist us in fixing the chronology of the war of which we have here an account. It could not have been before the birth of the man-child, because up to that period the dragon was standing before the woman> to devour her offspring as soon as it was born ; nor could it have been after her flight into the wilderness, for previously to that the dragon had been cast to the earth, and he was then seen pursuing after the woman. This war, therefore, must have taken place between these two events. That is to say, some time between the year 313, when by the edict of Constantine, Christianity, the man-child, was born into the empire, and the commencement of the fifth century, when the woman began to flee into the wilderness. But what was this war ? The reply to this inquiry involves the consideration of two points, — The theatre of the conflict; and, the parties engaged in it. 1. The war was in heaven, i.e., in the sky. Not in the heaven where the righteous are, and where God manifests his glory ; but in the symbolical heaven, where the red dragon was seen ; the political heaven of the Roman empire • the place of honour, dignity, and power. In THE WAR m HEAVEN. 55 other words, it was a war in high places, between the great potentates of the earth, belonging to the same dominion. 2. The parties engaged in it were Michael,* the prince of angels, and his followers, and the dragon and his agents, not immediately and personally, but as represented in the princes who at that time ruled over the Roman world. The representatives of Michael and his angels were those princes and their followers who contended for Christianity ; the repre- sentatives of the dragon and his satellites, those who fought for the continuance of Heathenism. And was there, then, a conflict of this kind carried on in the early part of the fourth century, just after the publica- tion of Constantine's edict in favour of Christianity? This question has been already in part answered in the commentary on chapter vi. ; it may be proper, however, here again to take a brief survey of the history of that period. It will be remembered that in the year 314 the Roman world was governed by two Emperors, Constan- tine and Licinius.f Connected as they were by family alliances,! and exhausted as we might suppose they would be with the civil wars carried on with their former colleagues, it was to be expected that they would have lived peaceably together. But to this, * Michael means in Hebrew, W7io is like to God ? Or it may be rendered not interrogatively, He who is as God. It is not quite clear whether Michael is the name of a created angel, or whether it is a title of the Great Angel of the Covenant, the Lord himself. (Compare Gen. xlviii. 16; Dan. x. 13.) t " The Roman world was now {i. uissa77ces qui auroient regne successivement sur les Gaules : — les Celtes, dont le symbole etoit un lion, les Remains designes par I'aigle, et les Francs par le crapaud, a cause de leur marais."' — " Monde primitif compare avec le Monde 3foderne," by M. Court de Gobelin, (Paris, 1781), pp. 181, 195. This is interesting, as illustrating at least the fact that the distinguishing of nations by particular animals used as armorial bearings was a common and familiar idea. Mr. Elliott informs us further, that three f7-ogs were the old arms of France, and gives a drawing of the Shield of Clovis, the device on which is, as he thinks, three /ro<75. But crapatid, the word employed by M. Court in the above quotation, means a toad, not a frog; and the three figures on the armorial shield of Clovis, as well as on his banner, as represented in the drawings, are, I think, evidently meant to represent 92 CHAPTER XIII. that of the Gauls or Celts we have not, that I am aware of, any certain information ; but as they came originally from the centre of Europe, emerging, as it were, from the vast forests that once covered those regions, there is nothing, to say the least, improbable in the idea that the hear may have been their national device, as the leopard and the lion were of the two others. Assuming, then, this to have been the case, we shall at once have got a clue to the solution of the enigma involved in the triplex form of this sea-born wild beast. It is an empire or power coming from the West, composed of three nations, having for their national devices respectively the tlu-ee animals here named. And such an empire was that founded by the Prankish King, Clovis, which became eventually, as we have seen, the image of the ancient Roman Empire, and was the beast to whom the dragon resigned his throne and his authority. Eor the founda- tions of that empire were laid in the consolidation under one ruler of the three originally independent people of Gaul, — the Belgians, the Aquitani, and the Celts, — who being thus united together, formed a power fitly symbol- ized by a beast, combining in itself the national emblems by which, when existing in a state of independence, they were distinguished from each other. Here then, it seems to me, we have a satisfactory explanation of this hitherto , unexplained mystery. And surely it is no slight confir- mation of the view we have taken of this beast, to find it thus supported by agreements in minute particulars toads, not frogs. A strange device certainly for the shield of a mighty conqueror. But is it imijossible that these three toads may have been intended to symbolize as in derision the three ancient possessors of Gaul, whom Clovis conquered ? That they were his own arms appears to me doubtful, since on the other side of the shield we observe thven Jiairs-des- lis, the proper arms of the French kings. THE TEN HORNS OF THE BEAST, ETC. 93 Which could hardly have been anticipated. I do not see how it is possible to explain the triplex form of this beast on the supposition that it symbolizes the Papacy ; for what relation is there between an ecclesiastical or spiritual domination and any of the three animals of which this beast is composed ? " Ten horns, and upon his horns ten croivnsT — These horns grew out of the highest, or seventh head. Now the head being the symbol of a kingdom or empue, the horns growing out of it must symbolize lesser kingdoms, into which it would eventually be divided. If, then, the seventh head be the Empire of Constantino revived by Charlemagne, these ten horns with crowns upon them must represent ten kingdoms or dynasties into which that empire would be divided, or, rather, in which its strength would consist ; for the horns, although repre- senting independent kingdoms, are said to " give their power and strength unto the beast." (Chap. xvii. 13.) We must look for these ten kingdoms, therefore, not in the wide range of the ancient Roman Empire, one-third of which, at the time the beast arose from the sea, had been taken away by the Saracens, and another third of which was about to be taken away by the Turks, but within the boundaries of the revived Western Empire. It is the kingdoms which " (/ive their potoer to the beast" that are the ten horns on his head. Now, passing by the earlier periods of the history of the empire,* * It is a remarkaljle circumstance that as the barbarous nations who dismembered the Roman Em2)ire, taken in conjunction with the ancient Romans, were ten in number ; so there have always been about that number of Christian kingdoms within its limits. I subjoin several lists of these kingdoms as given by different writers : — 94 CHAPTER XIII. what is the actual state of things at the present time ? Let the reader refer to the map prefixed to this volume, and he will find that there are at this very moment ten kingdoms within the territories occupied by the Empire of Charlemagne, which at different times have given, or now give, their support to the Papacy. Their names are these : — 9. 10. MEDE, A.D. 456. The Britons. The Saxons in Britain. The Franks. The Burgundians in France. The Visigoths in Spain. The Sueves in Gallicia and Portugal. The Vandals in Africa. The Alemanes in Germany. The Ostrogoths in Pennonia. The Greeks in the remainder of the empire. BISHOP LLOYD. Began 1. Huns . 356 2. Ostrogoths . 377 3. Visigoths . 378 4. Franks . . 407 5. Vandals . 407 6. Sueves and Alans . . 407 7. Burgundians . . 407 8. Herules and Rugians . 476 9. Saxons . . 476 10. Lombards . 526 SIR ISAAC NEWTON. 1. The Vandals and Alans in Spain. 2. The Suevians in Spain. 3. The Visigoths. 4. The Alans in Gaul. 5. The Burgundians. 6. The Franks. 7. The Britons. 8. The Huns. 9. The Lombards. 10. Kingdom of Ravenna. BISHOP NEWTON's list IS AS FOLLOWS: — The Ten Kingdoms or Oovernments in the Eighth Century. 1. The Senate of Rome, who re- volted from the Greek Em- perors. 2. The Greeks in Ravenna. 3. The Lombards in Lombardy. 4. The Huns in Hungary. 5. The Alemanes in Germany. 6. The Franks in France. 7. The Burgundians in Burgundy. 8. The Goths in Spain. 9. The Britons. 10. The Saxons in Britain. THE BLASPHEMY OF THE BEAST, ETC. 95 1. France, 6. Austria. 2. Spain. 7. Sardinia. 8. Portugal. 8. Naples. 4. Belgium. 9. Switzerland (Catholic).* 5. Bavaria. 10. Rome. Thus we in a manner see with our own eyes the ten crowned horns springing out from the head of the sea- born beast. 3, 4, 7, 8. " And all the loorld wondered after the least, and they worshipped the drayon, &c., aiid they worshipped the beast, saying ^ ho,. — "Wondered after," i.e., looked at him with reverence, and awe, and admi- ration. The word is the same as is used in 2 Thess. i. 10, where St. Paul, speaking of the second advent of our Lord, says, " He shall come to be glorified in his saints, and TO BE ADMIRED {Oaviiaa-Orjvai) in all those that believe." And so the other word here employed, wor- shipped, signifies much the same thing. It does not mean that they gave him divine honour, but that they bowed down before him and submitted to his authority. And this was to be done not by a few only, but by all kindreds and tongues and nations. How this was accomplished in the revived empire of the Latins we have already seen in the extract from Gibbon. The head of that empire was declared to be the rightful Sovereign of the whole earth, and "the contrary opinion," adds the historian, "was condemned, not as an error, but as a heresy." The language, therefore, of the prophecy was fulfilled to the letter. 5, 6. "And there was yiven to him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies ^ &c. — To blaspheme is to * Of the twenty-two Cantons twelve are Protestant and ten Roman Catholic. 90 CHAPTER XIII. speak injuriously of any one. To blaspheme God, liis tabernacle, and his people, is to speak words that are injurious to God and his Church. This the holy Roman, or Latin Empire did, when, in the name and as the representative of God, the head of it sanctioned, encouraged, and even commanded the perse- cution to death of those holy and devoted men who at the risk of their lives stood up boldly to vindicate the truth against the corruptions of the Romish Church. Let it be observed, however, that it is not the beast him- self who speaks, but another who speaks for him. " There was given unto him a mouth," i.e., one that spoke for him. Just as we read, Exod. iv. 16, God said to Moses, " Aaron thy brother shall be to thee instead of a mouth." Now, if we refer to chap. xix. 20, we shall find that this mouth is " a false prophet," an ecclesiasti- cal person, who speaks, or pretends to speak, in the name of God. But did the Popes as the spokesmen of the holy Roman Empire ever speak in the way described ? Let us hear their own words. The first document I shall quote from is a letter addressed by Pope Pius V. to the King of Prance on the subject of the St. Bartholomew massacre. It runs thus : — " The public joy of this city hath very much aug- mented our pleasure, which at the first certain intelli- gence of so great a victory rejoiced, and does rejoice, as if some domestic slaughter and intestine calamity were removed. It now only remains that yoiu- Majesty in such prosperous circumstances should remit nothing of your usual diligence, application, and perseverance, nor afford our common enemies an opportunity of confirming their courage, and collecting again their forces. Moved, therefore, by oiu: paternal care for your welfare, and by THE BLASPHEMY OF THE BEAST, ETC. 97 our office, we admonish you not to be moved by any prayers so as not to itif id just punishment in those things which are ordained by law, lest, if thus influenced by private reasons, you should yield more to flesh and blood than to a just vengeance, the anger of God should burn against you, as it did against Saul, in proportion as he has imparted to you of his goodness. For what would this be but to make the blessings of God, that is to say, the victory obtained, of no effect, the first fruit of which victory consists in this, that by a just animad- version the wicked heretics, the common enemies, being removed out of the way, its former peace and trancpiillity may be restored to that kingdom. Dated, St. Peter's at Rome, under the Fisherman's seal, the 20th day of October, 1559."* Thus speaks the Roman Pontiff, the mouth of the beast ; and is not this to blaspheme God and his taber- nacle, and those that dwell therein? Who were the subjects of that treacherous massacre which the Bishop of Rome thus speaks of in terms of approving exulta- tion ? Men of God ; pious, virtuous, spiritually en- lightened men, whose only crime was that they protested against the worship of saints and images, and other unscriptural practices. For this sole cause were they dragged from their beds in the dead of night, and, with- out notice or trial, slain in the open streets with horrible barbarities. Is not the calling an act like this a good and pious act pleasing and acceptable to the Almighty, blasphemy against God ? And when the Pope charges * " Pii Quinti Pont. Max. Epistol," lib. 3, Epist. 45, Antwerpise, 1640. For this and many other quotations from Roman Catholic writers I am indebted to a useful work published by the Reformation Society entitled, " A Sketch of the Romish Controversy," by G. Finch, Esq. London : G, Nonnan, 27, Maiden-lane. VOL. II. H 98 CHAPTER XIII. such men with being " wicked heretics^ the " common enemies " of God and man, is not this to blaspheme his tabernacle and them that dwell therein ? 5. '^ And power was given unto Mm to continue forty and two months." — This, as before observed, is mani- festly the same period as that of the treading down of the holy city by the Gentiles (c. xi. 1, 2), and of the twelve hundred and sixty days sackcloth prophesying of the witnesses (ver. 3), and of the woman's abode in the wilderness (c. xii. 6, 14) ; for forty-two months is twelve hundred and sixty days, or, in the symbolical language of prophecy, twelve hundred and sixty years. We are not, however, I think, obliged by the terms of the pro- phecy to interpret this period with strict mathematical accuracy. As it was foretold of our Lord that he should rise from the dead after three days, although he actually lay in the grave but one whole day and part of two others, so the dm^ation of the beast's power may be purposely foretold in this manner to intimate that it would be about the period of twelve hundred and sixty years. Tor as a prophetical month is thirty years, supposing an event to occupy the full space of forty such months and part of two others, its duration might with strict propriety be said to be forty-two months, although ten or even twenty years should be wanting to complete the exact number of forty-two multiplied by thirty. Calculating, then, on this principle, can we make it appear that the Franco-Latin Empire, founded by Clovis, and which I have assumed to be the wild beast from the sea, continued for the period here speci- fied ? I think we can. A circumstance which occurred at the commencement of the present century throws much light upon this point of the prophecy. In the year THE DURATION OF THE BEAST. 99 1806 Francis, the reigning Sovereign of Austria, laid aside the Imperial dignity, and declared the ties dissolved which bound the various princes to him as Emperor and to each other as allies. This remarkable event is thus noticed by Menzel in his " History of Germany : " — " On the 12th of July, 1806, sixteen princes of western Germany concluded, under Napoleon's direction, a treaty, according to which they separated themselves from the German Empire. On the 1st of August Napoleon declared that he no longer recognised the Empire or Germany ! No one ventured to oppose his omnipo- tent voice. On the 6th of August, 1806, the Emperor Erancis II. abdicated the Imperial Crown of Germany, and announced the dissolution or the Empire in a touching address, full of calm dignity and sorrow. The fall of the Empire that had stood the storms of a thousand years was, however, not without dignity. A meaner hand might have levelled the decayed fabric with the dust ; but fate, that seemed to honour even the faded majesty of the C^sars, selected Napoleon as the executioner of her decrees. The standard of Charle- magne, the greatest hero of the first Christian age, was to be profaned by no hand save that of the greatest hero of modern times." * Thus, then, it appears that the Empire of which Clovis laid the foundations, and which was the beast the apostle saw rising out of the sea from the west, ceased to exist on August the 6th, 1806. Now if we subtract 1260 from 1806, this will bring us to a.d. 546. But it * Menzel's "History of Germany," translated by Mrs. Hon-ocks, vol. iii., p. 235. See also Sir Walter Scott's " Life of Napoleon," vol. v., p. 277. He observes, " 'J'he Germanic League had subsisted since the year 800, when Charlemagne received the Imperial crown from Pope Leo the Third." (P. 273.) H 2 100 CHAPTER XIII. was in the year 53G that Justinian formally conceded to the sons of Clovis the countries beyond the Alps, thus establishing the sovereignty of the Franks in the Western or Latin portion of the Empire at the precise period, within ten years, to which I consider the rise of the sea-born wild beast is to be assigned.* It must not, however, be supposed that the mighty fabric, begun by Clovis and consolidated by Charle- magne, was finally and for ever destroyed wdien Francis I. resigned the Imperial dignity. That Empire, of which he was the elective Sovereign, was of so extraordinary and unique a character, that although it then lost its political head, it still continued to exist, in a sense, as a corporate body in what its own members designate the Holy Roman Universal Church, and contains, perhaps, still within its politically headless trunk the elements of life and strength. f This subject, however, will be re- sumed and more fully considered in the commentary on chapter xvii., to which the reader is referred. Ver. 10. ''He that leadeth into cajjtivity shall go into captivity" &c. — This caution appears to have a twofold object. Eirst, to warn the tyrannical, persecuting power symbolized by the beast, of the judgments wdiich await it ; and, secondly, to comfort the saints under the sufFer- * " Twenty-five years after the death of Clovis, Justinian generously yielded to the Franks the sovereignty of the countries beyond the Alps, and established on a more lawful, though not more solid, foundation the throne of the Merovingians." — (" Decline and Fall," vol. vi., p. 339.) This fact is thus announced in the table of contents : — Final establishment OF THE French Monarchy in Gaul, a.d. 536. t It is not a little remarkable that the Bible Society, by means of which the Scriptures, the two witnesses, have been exalted, as it were, to heaven, was instituted tlie very year before the Emperor Francis pionounccd the Holy Homan Empire dissolved. The Bible Society was instituted in 180o; Francis abdicated in 1806. THE TWO HORNS. 101 ings they would have to endure from that power. The persecuting character of the beast and his final end are distinctly pointed at in the words, He that leadeth into captivity, &c. This implies that the power symbolized by the beast would put men in prison and slay them with the sword, and thus think by the weapons of a carnal warfare to establish Christ's kingdom ; but it intimates no less plainly that it would itself be destroyed by that very instrumentality it had employed for bringing men into subjection. And how strikingly has all this been verified to the letter in the history of that politico- ecclesiastical empire which arose in the west in the sixth century ? It was established by the sword, and it fell by the sword. The swords of Clovis and of Charlemagne raised it up, and the sword of Napoleon levelled it with the ground. But how many thousands of Christ's faith- ful servants did that power during its continuance shut up in prison, how vast were the multitudes it slew ! The prophecy intimates it would be so. " Here is the patience and faith of the saints;" — but where is their patience and faith ? It is seen in the patient endurance of the persecutions of the beast, and in their patient waiting upon the Lord during the long period of twelve hundred and sixty years, not attempting to take the sword of vengeance into their own hands, but waiting his time until he should see fit to fulfil his promises and vindicate their cause. Ver. 11. " T(oo horns llhe a lamb." — In addition to the remarks already made on these two lamb-hke horns it may be well to observe, as confirmatory of our inter- pretation of their meaning, that Papal writers themselves have discerned in them the two great pillars on Avhich the strength of the Papacy rests, namely, its temporal 102 CHAPTER XIII. and spiritual powers combined. Thus Dante in the thirteenth century has these remarkable words : — " The Church of Rome Mixing two ffovermnents that ill assort, Hath miss'cl her footing, fallen into the mire. And there herself and burden much defiled." Caryl's Dante, — Purg., cant. 16, 1. 314. And again : — " Ah, Constantine ! to how much ill gave birth ; Not thy conversion, but that plenteous dower, Which the first wealthy Father gained from thee ! " Ibid., Hell, c. 19, 1. 167. It seems clear from hence that Dante plainly saw the evils resulting from the union of the temporal and spiritual, or, rather, ecclesiastical and civil, powers in the person of the Pope. That these are the tAvo powers signified by the lamb-like horns, I cannot entertain a doubt. No other interpretation fully satisfies all the requirements of the symbol. The Pope claims obedi- ence as a civil magistrate, and supreme authority as an ecclesiastical ruler, in virtue, as he pretends, of his being the vicar or representative of Christ ; and it is in this character, not as a temporal prince, that he exercises all his power. Therefore is he described as having " two horns like a lamb." Ver. 11. '^ And he spoke as a dragon!' — The di'agon was the symbol of the ancient Heathen Roman Empire. The language of that Empire was, "Away with the atheists,'* (so they called the followers of Christ,) — " the Christians to the lions." And has not this also, strange to say, ever been the language of the Papacy? De- nouncing all who refuse to submit to its usurped authority as heretics, impious and accursed, its speech concerning them has always been, " Away with them to SPEAKS AS A DRAGON. 103 the flames ; tliey are not fit to live." Let one specimen suffice. " Let those Catholics who, taking up the cross, have armed themselves for the extermination of the Heretics, enjoy the same indulgence and be furnished with the same holy privilege as is granted to those who go to the Holy Land."* Thus spoke Pope Innocent HL by the fourth Lateran Council, and are not these the words of the dragon ? For who M^ere these " Heretics " that were to be thus exterminated without mercy from the earth? Who were they but the Savonarolas, the Wicklifs, the Luthers, the Melancthons, and others like them ; holy men of God, and faithful followers of Christ, who by the innocency of their lives and the fervency of their piety adorned Christianity and honoured their Saviour? These were the men whom the fourth Lateran Council, with the Roman Pontiff at its head, speaking in the name and on the authority of Christ, declared ought to be " exterminated." Is not this the lamb-like beast with the dragon's voice ? f * " LabbjBi et Coss.," torn, xi., p. 147. See " Sketch of the Romish Controversy," p. 340. t The Bull of Pope Pius VII. against Bible Societies may be adduced as another exemplification of more modern date to the same effect. This Bull is addi'essed to the Archbishop of Gnetzn, Primate of Poland, and in it we read as follows : — " In our last letter to you we promised to return an answer to yours in which you have appealed to this Holy See respecting what are called Bible Societies. We have been most truly shocked at this most crafty device, whereby the very foundations of religion are under- mined, &c. According to the rules prescribed by the Church, Bibles printed by heretics are numbered among jjrohibited books, by the rules of the Index (No. ii. and iii.) ; for it is evident from experience that xiiE Holy Scriptuees When circulated in the vulgar tongue have, through the temerity of men, produced MORE harm than benefit. " Given at Rome, at St. Mary the Greater, June 29, 1816, the seven- teenth year of our Pontificate." Is it not something like blasjihemy against the name of God to speak thus of his Word ? 104 CHAPTER XIII. Ver. 13. "And he doeth (jreat wonders, so iUat he maketh fire come down'' &c. — That is, he makes pretensions to miraculous powers, and assumes to himself authority to denounce the wrath of God against all who presume to oppose him. That this is the sense, and not that he really works miracles and does actually call down the fire of Divine wrath, is obvious from hence, that he is said thereby to deceive those that dwell upon the earth ; but if the miracles were real and the fire the actual manifestation of the wrath of God, there would be no deception in the case. The sense, therefore, clearly is, as I have said, that \\le from that time to this has been too generally followed. (See the extract from his writings liereafter given.) 118 CHAPTER XIII. upon, by cQmputing it, or adding the letters composing it together, in order to ascertain whether or not they make the prescribed number. This latter is clearly the right mode of proceeding. Por it would perhaps be easy to find a hundred names the letters of which amount to the specified sum; but what would this avail, sup- posing none of them should answer to the description of the beast? What, then, does the beast represent? Now, it has been shown, and it is, 1 believe, generally admitted, that it represents, not a person, but a kingdom — a tyrannical, persecuting power, opposed to the dominion of Christ, and hostile to his people. Such, in fact, is the meaning which this symbol has everywhere in the Bible. I am not aware that there is a single exception. Thus the four beasts of Daniel (c. vii.) are explained by God himself to symbolize four kings, or kingdoms. And so again, c. viii., it is said, " No beast shall stand before him ; " i.e., no kingdom. I think, then, we may assume, that the beast here spoken of is a kingdom ; and, consequently, that the name of the beast is the name of a hingdom. No other word, therefore, or words, but the true, proper, and usual designation of a kingdom can be the name of which we are in search. It has been shown, further, that this beast symbolizes a kingdom of a very peculiar character — a kingdom partly secular and partly spiritual, partly owing its strength to political and partly to eccle- siastical power. A kingdom, moreover, that was to rise up out of the ruins of the ancient Roman Empire, whose place it would occupy, and of which it would be a sort of image. Finally, it has been shown, that one such kingdom, and one only, did arise somewhere about the commencement of the sixth centmy, when the THE NUMBER 666. 119 foundations of a politico-ecclesiastical empire, such as has been described, were laid by Clovis, which empire was fully consolidated and completed in the year 800, by Charlemagne. But now comes the grand question — " What was the proper, usual, and distinctive name of this new empire?" Now I think this question may be answered in the very words of history : " After the restoration of the Western Empire by Charlemagne and the Othos, the namesailfe of Pranks and Latins acquired an equal signification and extent ; and these haughty barbarians asserted, with some justice, their superior claim to the language and dominion of Rome."* It is, then, an historical fact, that the Franco-Roman Empire, established by Charlemagne and his successors, claimed the title of Latin, and in contradistinction to the eastern portion of the ancient Roman world, was called The Latin Empire. The head of this empire was called the Latin Emperor, to distinguish him from the Greek Emperor ; and the Church, which was co-extensive with the empire, was called the Latin Church ; and, as a consequence, every dominion springing out of this new-formed politico- ecclesiastical empire, took the name of its parent, and was called also Latin.! Now if these premises are correct, and being founded on historical evidence of the highest authority I see not how they can be disputed, it follows, that the true and proper designation of that very remarkable ecclesiastico- political dominion established by Charlemagne and the • " Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire," c. liii. See also the extract from Menzel's " History of Germany," before given. (P. 111.) t See, as an exemplification, the heading of chap. Iviii., which runs thus: "Origin of the First Crusade. Characters of Latin Princes. Institution of the French, or Latin, Kingdom." 120 CHAPTER XIII. Pope of Rome is, The Latin Empire, or Kingdom.* And will this name then answer the other conditions of the enigma and give the required number ? Here is the next thing we have to do. Having found what we suppose to he the name of the beast, let us now compute its number. But before doing this, another point must be con- sidered, namely, in what language the name of the beast to be expressed, whether Greek or Hebrew. For although St. John wrote the Apocalypse in Greek, it is a remarkable circumstance that he frequently uses Hebrew proper names. In fact, in almost every instance where names are mentioned, both the Greek and the Hebrew are employed. Thus in chap. ix. 11, "And they have a king over them, the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, and in the Greek he hath his name Jpolli/on." \ So in chap. xii. 9 we read, " That old serpent, which is called the Devil and Satan," i.e., the Devil in Greek, and Satan in Hebrew. (See also chap. xx. 2.) | Although, therefore, we might be disposed at a first glance of the question to assume that the name of the beast would be a Greek name, certainly no valid reason can be assigned why it should not be a Hebrew one. * The only other name by which it is ever designated in history is that of The Empire, or The Germanic Empire. But this title does not convey so truly and accurately the character and extent of that dominion represented by the symbolical wild beast of the Apocalypse as the above mentioned. It is, in fact, too restrictive, inasmuch as it embraces the civil or political empire only, whereas the name of the beast ought to comprehend both ])owers concerned in the formation and establishment of that compound dominion of which it is the symbol. t Both names have the same meaning, and signify DESTROYER. \ In c. xvi. 16, however, we have a Hebrew name alone : " lie gathered them together unto a place called in the Hebrew tongue, Ai-mageddon." THE NUMBER G66. 121 But why should it not be both Greek and Hebrew ? I thmk this highly probable. For, since in three other instances — the only others in which a characteristic proper name occurs — we have the name given in both languages, we might almost conclude that the name of the beast also would be enigmatically given in both languages. But is it at all likely that any name both in Hebrew and Greek would answer to the numerical con- dition of this name ? That is to say, that any name should be found the letters of which both in Greek and Hebrew being added together would make the number six hundred and sixty-six ? It is not at all likely. It is highly improbable ; and, in fact, apparently impossible, since the Greek and Hebrew letters do not represent the same numbers. But if such a name should be found, — if a Greek and Hebrew name containing the number 666, and at the same time being a suitable designation for the kingdom symbolized by the beast, should be forthcoming, this circumstance would certainly go very far towards establishing the correctness of the conjecture. Let us, then, now proceed to compute the number of the name, — The Latin Kingdom. In Greek this name is, — 'H AariVT) BaaiXeia. (He Latine Basileia,) In Hebrew, — (Ha-malcuth lia-Latinain.) * The learned reader will perceive that I assume the name that is to be sought for would be expressed in the Syro-Chaldaic Hebrew, not in the Mosaic. And this, I think, no one who is qualified to form a judgment upon the subject will dispute. This was the Hebrew our Lord and his apostles spoke, and is the only Hebrew we meet with in the New Testa- ment. Talitha citmi (Mark v. 41); Ephphatha (lb. vii. 34); Aceldama 122 CHAPTER XIII. We now place the letters of these names one under the other, and add them together : — GREEK. HEBREW. IT (H(e) . . 8 n (Ha) . . 5 A (L) . . . 30 13 (m) . . 40 a (a) . . . 1 b (al) . . 30 T (t) . . . 300 D ( c) . . 20 I (i) . . . 10 1 (u) . . 6 V (n) . . . 50 n (th) . . 400 V (e) . . . 8 B (B) . . . 2 n (Ha) . . 5 a (a) . . . 1 b ( 1) . . . 30 a (s) . . . 200 12 (at) . . . 9 I (i) . . . 10 s ( i) . . 10 X (1) . . . 30 3 (n) . . 50 e ( e (short) . 5 K (a) . . . 1 L (i) . . . 10 s ( i) . . 10 a (a) . . . 1 666 7 (n) . . . 50 666 Thus it appears that both these names bemg correctly and grammatically spelt, without the alteration, addition, or omission of a single letter, give the prescribed number. Is there not something irresistibly convincing in this? (Acts i. 19) ; Abha (Rom. viii. 15) ; and Maranatha (1 Cor. xxi. 22) ; as also Abaddon and Harmageddon (Rev. ix. 11 ; xvi. 16) are all of them Syro-Chaldaic Hebrew; and I think, therefore, we may without hesitation conclude that, if the name of the beast is to be found in Hebrew, it will be in that dialect of the language ; that is, in other words, in the HcbreAv of the New Testament. In this dialect a kingdom is either maVrD , or Nmsbn . (See Dan. ii. 37 ; iv. 17, &c.) But the plural is expressed by ''N , as, e.g., ""NTC3 (c. iii. 8), the Chaldeans. TPIE NUMBER 6Q6. 123 Something almost amounting to mathematical demon- stration ? Let us briefly recapitulate the argument. The beast is a kingdom. The name of the beast, therefore, is the name of a kingdom. This kingdom was to be one of a very peculiar character, being formed by two great powers, — the one political, the other ecclesiastical — acting in concert and combining together to support each other. Such a kingdom arose in the eighth century, and was established by the co-operation of the King of the Franks and the Bishop of Rome. This kingdom is frequently called by historians the Latin kingdom, and such is, in fact, its distinctive and appropriate designation. But this name, when expressed in Greek or Hebrew, is a number, and that number, when the letters of the name in both languages are added together, is six hundred and sixty-six — the number of the name of the beast ! Have we not here, I again ask, something like mathematical demonstration? Can we doubt that we have found the solution of the enigma? What makes this result the more remarkable is, the number of letters in the names, and the difference in the mode in which the same name is expressed in the two languages. In the one case, there are fifteen letters in the name, in the other fourteen ; in the one case, according to the Greek idiom, the name is, T/ie Latin Kingdom ; in the other, according to the Hebrew idiom. The Kingdom of the Latins ; and yet, notwithstanding this variation, the nmnber of both names is the same. Every person must admit that this is a most remarkable and curious coincidence. To my mind it is much more. 124 CHAPTER XIII. It is a clear demonstration that the true name of the wild beast from the sea is this and none other.^ In conclusion, I would suggest the importance and propriety of treating this subject with seriousness and reverence. The name of the beast has not unfrequently been made the occasion of much unbecoming levity, and that not only by Infidels, but even by men professing to believe in the Divine inspiration of the Scriptiu-es. This is manifestly wrong. Nothing that is written by inspira- tion of the Holy Spirit can be a fit topic for ridicule. But what is there here, indeed, to give even a shadow of ground for such profanation ? On the contrary, is there not much to awaken a feeling of profound reverence and to fill the mind with wonder and admiration ? It has been well observed, that " the discoveries of the microscope display the infiniteness of the knowledge and wisdom of the Divine mind no less than the discoveries of the telescope,"! and that " the more we know of the extent of nature, the loftier the conception we have of him who * It may be proper to state that this solution is not altogether new, although, as far as I am concerned, it is original. It &-st occurred to my mind about fifteen years ago, and I was not a little surprised and grati- fied shortly afterwards to find it adopted by Dr. Adam Clarke in his Commentary, to whom it was suggested by another person of the same name. He considers it almost the only point of Apocalyptic interpretation in regard to which there can be no doubt. Neither of these writers, how- ever, were aware that the Hebrew name gives also the required number. Had Dr. Adam Clarke been acquainted with this fact, it would doubtless have greatly strengthened his conviction. f " The one led me to see a system in every star, the other leads me to see a world in every atom. The one told me of the insignificance of the ■world I tread upon, the other redeems it from all its insignificance, for it tells me that in the leaves of every forest, and in the flowers of every garden, and in the waters of every rivulet there are worlds teeming with life, and numberless as are the glories of the firmament."— 2>cA»)o-»a (The Italian Church) is specious ; but every person acquainted with Greek wiU see in a moment that, in order to make out the required number, an « is changed into an ». The feminine of IraAixo? is IraXmn, not lT«A»>cfl5, and the conjectm'e, consequently, is worth- less.* With regard to A-Trofoimq, which has the high sanction of Mr. Eaber's name, there are three strong, and, in my opinion, insuperable objections against it. In the first place, it is not the name of a kii^gdom. Now it has been proved that the beast is the symbol of a kingdom, or at least, of a poicer or dominion of some kind or other, and its name, therefore, must be the name or appellation of a kingdoi|j or dominion. Secondly, the name of the beast must, I think, be definite and designative, i.e., it must be a name which, when known, points out the particular power or dominion of which it is the appellative, and can properly be * In the Doric dialect, indeed, the a is used for 77 ; but St. John wrote in the Attic, and I can see no reason for supposing that he would adopt a different dialect only in this instance. 128 CHAPTER XIIl. applied to no other.* But «7roraT»i?, an apostate, is not clesignative. It may belong to any Church, any nation, or any individual ; and, consequently, when we have got it we have not made a single step in advance towards determining who or what the beast is. This objection seems to me to be fatal. But, thirdly, it is very doubtful whether, in computing the number of a name, it be allowable to join the letters ^^, is 1160. Upon these grounds then we must, I think, put this word aside, notwithstanding the high authority by which it is supported, as untenable. There remain, therefore, only h^-nwoz [Lateinos) and n''''n'n {Romiith). These being the two names which have been most generally adopted, they will require more particular examination. The first was originally suggested by Irenaeus in the second century, and is the most ancient conjectural name on record. It is remarkable, however, that Irena3us himself was not satisfied with it, and no sooner proposes it than he virtually rejects it, and suggests ai^ther as preferable, although to us, that his second conjecture has not even the slightest appearance of truth. f Now Irenaeus * This is Mr. Faber's own idea. For he himself says, " Let the precise name be what it may, it is a name descriptive of the secular lloman Empire." — Recapitulated Apostasy, Prefocc, p. vii. 1833. t The whole passage is as follows : — " Certius ergo, et sine periculo est, sustinere adimpletionem prophetite quam suspicari et divinare nomina OTHER NAMES OF THE BEAST. 129 must have had some reason for thus immediately giving up a v^^ord which he had just before pronounced to be very like the truth [palde verisiviile) ; he must have felt that there were some strong objections against it, or he would not have said, " Nevertheless we will not say much about it ; " or, " We will not boast of it." What the specific objections to the word in Irenseus's mind were, it is impossible for us to say ; but it is very clear that objections did exist, and that he by no means felt that confidence in this name which most subsequent commentators who have adopted it appear to have done. But the truth is, there are objections, and these so quaeiibet, quando multa nomina inveniri jjossunt habentia prsedictum numerum : et nihilominus quidem erit hsec eadem questio. Si enim multa sunt qusc inveniuntur nomina, haljentia numerum hunc ; quod ex ipsis portabit qui venit, quseritur. Quoniam autem non propter inopiam notninmn hdbentium numerum nominis ejus dicimus haec, sed propter timorem erga Deum et zelum veritatis : 'Evav6as enim nomen habet numerum de quo queeritur : sed nihil de eo affirmamus. Sed et Lateinos nomen habet sex- centorum sexaginta sex numerum : et valde verisimile est, quoniam novissimum Regnum hoc habet vocabidum. Latini enim sunt qui nunc regnant : sed non in hoc nos gloriabimur. Sed et Teitan, prima syllaba per duas Graecas vocales e et i scripta, omnium nominum quae apud nos inveniuntur, magis fide dignum est. Etenim praedictum numerum habet in se, et literarum est sex, singulis syllabis ex ternis Uteris constantibus, et vetus,etremotum; neque enim eorum Regum qui secundum nos sunt, aliquis vocatus est Titan : et divinum putatur apud multos esse hoc nomen, ut etiam sol Titan vocetur ab his qui nunc tenent : et ostentationem quandam continet ultionis, etvindictam inferentis; quod ille simulat se male tractatos vindicare. Tale autem et antiquum, et fide dignum, et regale, magis autem et tyrannicum nomen. Cum igitur tantum suasionum habet hoe nomen Titan, tantam habet verisimilitudinem, ut ex multis colligamus ne forte Titan vocetur, qui veniet. Nos tamen non periclitabimur in eo, nee asseverantes pronuntiabimus, hoc eum nomen habiturum : scientes, quoniam si oporteret manifeste praesenti tempore praeconari nomen ejus, per ipsum utique editum fuisset, qui et Apocalypsim viderat." — Irenseus, "Adv. Hceres." 1. v., 0. 30, p. 448, fol., Oxf., 1702. VOL. II. K 130 CHAPTER XIII. palpable and manifest, that it is surprising so many men of sound judgment and accurate minds should have been able to get over them. In the first place, Axnivog is not correctly spelt. It is most true, that the long i of the Latins is a contraction of the diphthong ei, and in old Latin writers it is so written ; but in no instance is Latinus spelt by any Greek writer with the diphthong,* although the name is found even in so ancient an author as Hesiod. We have, therefore, no authority for the insertion of the t, and I cannot but think that it was solely on this ground Irenseus so readily gave the word up. He felt, that when correctly spelt, it did not give the required number, and that the e was inserted merely to make up the deficiency ; and therefore, although, as far as the ruling power pointed to was concerned, the conjectm'e seemed to him ve7y prohahle, he renounces it with the significative words, " sed non in Jwc nos ffloriabimur." f But, secondly, Latinus is not designative of the beast. It is either the name of a particular person, or it signifies, generally, a Latin, a man of Latium. But it has been proved that the beast is an empire, or kingdom, and, consequently, that the name of the beast must * See this abundantly proved by Mr. Faber, in his letter in the " Pro- testant Magazine," on the untenableness of the name Latinus, Feb., 1849. He quotes the following line from Hesiod : — ^'■''A.ypiov r]8e Aarifov dfii)fj.ova re Kparepov re." Theogony, 1. 1013. t Nothing can show more strikingly how much the judgment may be warped by a preconceived opinion than Bishop Newton's gloss on these words of Irena?us : — " But in this we will not glory ; i.e. (says the Bishop), as it becomes a modest and pious man, in a point of such difficulty, he will not be too confident of his explication ! " Surely the learned Prelate could hardly have read the words of Irenaeus which immediately follow. OTHER NAMES OF THE BEAST. 131 be the name, the distinctive and proper designation of a kingdom. Now, as Lateinos is not, and cannot be, the designation of a kingdom, neither can it be the name of the beast. It is curious that the very same objections He against the supposed corresponding Hebrew name, n'«'*m~i. This is assumed by most commentators to be the Hebrew feminine of Roman, and is supposed to signify either the Roman beast, or the Roman kingdom. But the fact is, that the proper feminine of Roman is not n"'''D'n {Romiith), but TX^t:i'\-\ {Romith) ; just as the feminine of Aram is n"^a-is {Aramith), and of Jew nmn"^ {Jehudith). (See Isaiah xxxvi. 11.) Consequently the real number of RoMiTH is 656 instead of ^^Qi, a •» having been inserted to make up the ten deficient.* But independently of this objection, Romith is really not a name. It is no more a name than the word En(jlish, or French, standing by itself, is a name. The British Empire is a name, and the Trench Republic is a name ; but an adjective standing alone can never be a name. It appears, then, that none of these words answer to the required conditions. To say the least, they are none of them quite satisfactory. I believe it may be safely affirmed that the warmest and most decided advocates of Lateinos always have had, and ever will have, their secret misgivings. Whether any similar assertion will be made hereafter of those who adopt the solution now pro- posed, time will show. Tor myself, I entertain not the slightest doubt that the name of the beast is in the Hebrew tongue, — * Besides, if Lateinos he the name of the beast, it is clear Romith cannot be. For Lateinos means a Latin {man) ; Romith a Roman {woman). K 2 132 CHAPTER XIV. r«3^tDbn m^bnn (Ha-Malcuth Ha-Latinain.) (The Kingdom of the Latins.) But in the Greek tongue he hath his name, — 'H AanvT] Bac-iXeia. (He Latine Basileia.) (The Latin Kingdom.) CHAPTER XIV. General remarks on the contents of this chapter. The visions of this chapter are not a continuation of the prophetic narrative, but retrospective and supple- mentary. This is evident from the proclamation of the third angel (ver. 9), who denounces the wrath of God upon any man who should worship the beast and his image. The beast, therefore, is still in existence when this angel goes forth to make his proclamation ; and, consequently, the period of the visions of the former part of the chapter must be contemporaneous with that of the two beasts of the preceding. In fact, the visions of this chapter are placed side by side with that vision in the way of antithesis, in order to throw light upon it. We were there called upon to contemplate the outward visible Chm'ch oppressed and deceived by two tyrannical powers, the one political, the other ecclesiastical, working conjointly, and subject- ing all Christendom to their dominion. What, then, it might be asked, becomes of the true Chm'ch during this season of darkness and oppression? Is it wholly GENERAL REMARKS. 133 annihilated? Does it cease altogether to exist? No; even in the hour of Satan's greatest apparent triumph he is not really conqueror. The promise of Christ still holds good, and the gates of hell do not prevail. This is that cheering truth which is now by a sublime dramatic representation set forth before the apostle. Turning away his eyes from the contemplation of worldly kings and potentates, he looks towards the promised land i the land endeared to him by a thousand tender recollections ; the land which had been trodden by the feet of the Son of God ; the land where he had walked by his side, and held him by the hand, and leaned upon his bosom, and had heard from his lips such words as man never before uttered : thither it was that the beloved apostle was now in vision transported, and looking towards Mount Zion, he saw there, instead of wild beasts, and names of blasphemy, and all the ensigns and accompaniments of tyranny, falsehood, and hypocrisy, a Lamb,, and with him a hundred and forty- four thousand chosen ones standing on the mount, having the Father'^ name in their foreheads, harping with their harps, and singing a song of praise and triumph. St. John could not well mistake the import of this vision. He could not but see in this select company, so distinctly marked out as the children of God, the representatives of the true Church, " the remnant according to the election of grace," who, dm'ing the twelve hundred and sixty years of the reign of the beast, would separate themselves from the communion of a corrupt Chm'ch, and follow Christ. And here, then, we have the key to the meaning of all the visions in this chapter. If this company rcpresent "the few 134 CHAPTER XIV. 1 5. amongst the faithless faithful found" during a time of con'uption and apostasy, the visions which follow^ must relate to events belonging to the close of the same period, and which would occur either during the course of the twelve hundred and sixty years' reign of the beast, or immediately after their termina- tion. And so, in fact, we shall find it to be. Let us now proceed to the examination of details. The contents of this chapter may be divided into five portions, each of which will demand a particular consideration : — 1. The hundred and forty-four thousand. 2. The three angels flying in the mid-heaven. 3. The voice from heaven. 4. The angel of the harvest. 5. The angel of the winepress. THE HUNDRED AND FORTY-EOUR THOUSAND REDEEMED ONES. Vers. 1 — 5. Most modern commentators identify this company with the hundred and forty-four thousand sealed ones of chap. vii. I have already expressed my doubts upon the subject ; and, in fact, the only strong ground for this opinion is the sameness of the number in the two cases, whilst there are many things decidedly against it. The hundred and forty -four thousand of the seventh chapter are sealed from among the tribes of Israel ; but here, there is no allusion to Israel. Thei/ were sealed in their foreheads ; these have the name of God written in their foreheads. Thei/ were associated wdth a great multitude from every nation and kindred ; these are a distinct company standing by themselves, aloof from all the rest of the world. And lastly, what THE 144,000 REDEEMED. 135 is the most important distinction of all, they were before the throne of God in heaven ; these stand upon Mount Zion, and are therefore on earth. I cannot think, then, that it necessarily follows that these two companies represent the same individuals merely because they are numerically the same. This single point of resem- blance is not, surely, sufficient warrant for assuming their identity, seeing that there are so many points of difference. In fact, to make them identical is, I should say, to destroy altogether the order and force of the prophecy. The hundred and forty-four thousand sealed ones of the seventh chapter are " the remnant according to the election of grace" from amongst the Jews, after the Jews, as a body, should have been utterly cast off; these are a similar elect remnant from among the Gentiles, after the Gentile Christian Church should, by its corruptions and apostasy, have incurred a similar judgment. The great apostle of the Gentiles, in his Epistle to the Church of Rome, had plainly hinted at the possibility, not to say probability, of such a result. " If God," says he, " spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he spare not thee. Behold, therefore, the goodness and severity of God : on them which fell, severity ; but towards thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness : otherwise, thou also shalt be cut off." (Rom. xi. 21.) Here, then, we have a clear intimation that the like thing to what had happened to the Jewish Church might happen to the Gentile Church. And so it proved. The Gentile Church did not "continue in God's goodness." That is to say, it did not continue to hold fast the great foundation- truth of the Gospel, "The just shall live by faith." 136 CHAPTER XIV. 1 5. (Rom. i. 17.) But forsaking the rigliteousness of God, it went about (like the Jewish Church of old) to establish a righteousness of its own, and thus inevitably brought down upon itself the threatened judgment. It " also was cut off." But though cut off as a whole, there still remained some living branches, which being united to the true vine by faith, continued to bring forth fruit to the glory of God. This, then, is that chosen remnant now symbolically exhibited to the eye of the apostle, — the few enlightened, spiritually-minded men who, from the days of Vigilantius to the period of the Reformation, lamented the corruptions of the professing Church, and protested against them. Everything that is said of these hundred and forty-four thousand will be found to admit of a satisfactory explanation on this hypothesis. 1. The number. It has already been shown (c. vii.) that this number implies limitation and 'paucity, not plenitude and multitude. Taken absolutely, indeed, a hundred and forty-four thousand is a large number; but out of all the tribes of Israel, as was before observed, it would be but a fraction, and when compared with that great multitude seen by the apostle, which no man could number, it is manifestly small. And thus it must be regarded here. All the world wonder after the beast; but the followers of the Lamb are few in nmuber, as but a hundred and forty- fom' thousand to the millions of the human race who walk in the way of error. 2. They stand with the Lamb on Mount Zion. That is, they stand fast in the liberty whereAvith Christ has made them free, and do not suffer themselves to be "again entangled with the yoke of bondage." "For THE 144,000 REDEEMED. 137 the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ." Of this grace and Uberty Mount Zion is the typical representation, as Sinai is of the law.* And, therefore, do this small elect remnant stand with the Redeemer upon that holy mount. Casting aside the traditions of men, and every slavish bond which the pride and self-righteousness of the natural mind have formed, they hold fast by Christ, and rejoice in the glorious liberty of the children of God. The great quarrel of Protestantism (I use the word in its largest sense) with the Church of Rome has ever rested mainly on this ground. When Luther first began to preach free justification by faith in the atone- ment and righteousness of Christ, he did but proclaim in a louder voice what Vigilant ius, and Savonarola, and WicklifF, and Huss, and others like them, had said long before. He stood with them on Mount Zion,, and looking towards Sinai with its fiery terrors and a\d\A denunciations, he proclaimed, in the words of the apostle, " Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us." 3. " Ilavinj/ Ids Fatlier s name written in their fore- heads!'— They are, then, the children of God and the brethren of Christ. In contradistinction to the wor- shippers of the beast, who compels his followers t& receive his mark in their right hands and in their foreheads, these have the name of their heavenly Pather inscribed in legible characters upon them : that is, his image is seen in them, and they reflect his likeness, * " Ye are not come unto the mount that might be touchetl, and that burned with fire ; but ye are come unto Mmmt Zion, and unto the city of the living God," &c. (Heb. xii. 22; compare also Gal. iv. 21 — 31.) 138 CHAPTER XIV, 1 5. They so cause their Hght to shine before men, that " they see their good works," and are compelled to acknowledge " that God is in them of a truth." This was strikingly accomplished in the Waldenses. Even their enemies admitted that their lives were irreproachable and exemplary. " Of all the sects that arose in this century (twelfth)," says Mosheim, " none was more distinguished by the reputation it acquired, by the multitude of its votaries, and the testimony which its bitterest enemies bore to the probity and innocence of its members, than that of the Waldenses." And again : " The purity and simplicity of that religion which these good men taught, the spotless innocence THAT shone forth IN THEIR LIVES AND ACTIONS, and the noble contempt of riches and honours which was conspicuous in the whole of their conversation and conduct, appeared so engaging to all such as had any sense of true piety, that the number of their disciples and followers increased from day to day." * Thus, then, they had indeed the name of their heavenly Father, as it were, written in their foreheads ; so mani- festly did the holiness of their lives prove them to be " the sons of God." 4. (Vers. 2, 3.) "And they sang, as it loere, a new song'' &c. — Not really a new song, but as it were " new." It seemed to be a new song, because it had been long forgotten by the professing Church, and had become in a manner obsolete. For this song was really as old as Christianity. It was the very song which had been sung by the Church from the * Eccles. Hist., cent, xii., c. xi. Gibbon bears a similar testimony: "A confession of simple worship and blameless manners is extorted even from their enemies." (Vol. x., c. liv., p. 187.) THE 144,000 REDEEMED. 139 beginning, when the Lamb opened the seven-sealed book, and the whole company of the redeemed gave him glory. (Chap, v.) Then it was a neiv song. Por mitil Christ had suffered on Calvary the song of redemp- tion could not be sung. This song, however, for many centuries had not been heard in the professing Chm'ch ; or if heard at all, it was in a low distant whisper proceeding from the embosomed valleys of the Cottian Alps, scarcely audible to the greater portion of Christen- dom, and which when heard was stifled in a loud murmur of scornful disapprobation. But now that the glorious theme is about to be again revived in the Church, the voices of the small remnant, which had been heard only as in a distant whisper, wax louder and louder ; the harps are tuned, and the symphony is begun ; and at length the full chorus of praise bursts upon the ear of the apostle as " the voice of many waters, and as the sound of great thunder." This was fulfilled at the commencement of the sixteenth century, when so many Churches threw off the Papal yoke, and virtually casting in their lot with the despised heretics of the vaUeys, joined with them in giving the sole glory of man's salvation to Christ. " And no man could learn that song hut — the redeemed!' — None can sing of Christ's love but those who have experienced it. Therefore, the song of redemption cannot be taught. A man may get it by rote. He may repeat the words, " Thou hast redeemed us to God by thy blood;" but none can learn that song, to sing it with the heart and the understanding, but those who know the blessings of redemption ; who are " washed, sanctified, and 140 CHAPTER XIV. 1 5. justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of their God." 5. (Ver, 4.) " These are they which loere not defiled with women," &c. — That is, who have not been con- taminated by the corruption prevaiHng around them,, and have not joined in the idolatrous practices of the professing Church ; but have maintained the unadul- terated truth of the Gospel, and the worship of God through Christ, in all its primitive simplicity and purity. That this was strikingly fulfilled in the Waldenses, and others like them, all history testifies. One of the charges brought against them by their enemies was, that they refused to honour the Virgin Mary and the saints, and despised their images. In this respect,, then, they were virgins. Por the worship of images and the invocation of saints, as practised in the Church of Rome, involve spiritual pollution just as much as the idolatries of the ancient Jewish Church. The two things in principle are the same. Whether prayers are off'ered to Ashtaroth and Baal, or to the Virgin Mary and St. Peter, makes little difference. In both cases, the creature is unduly exalted, and the Creator dishonoured. In both cases, the members of the Church who do such things are guilty of unfaithfulness to their God, and become in his sight degraded and polluted.* To understand this verse literally would be contrary to all analogy. The language here employed is mani- festly figm-ative, as it is in the next clause ; and we might as well interpret that to imply the literal following of a lamb, as deduce any argument from this in favour of monastic vows and constrained celibacy. f * See Ezek. xvi., xxiii. f Yet there may be an indirect allusion here to the practices of monks THE 144,000 REDEEMED. 141 6. " These are they that follow the Lamh whithersoever he goeth!' — This is another characteristic of this small remnant of true behevers. In contradistinction to the rest of the world, who submit themselves to the dominion of the beast, and follow where he leads, (c. xiii. 3, 4,) these acknowledge the authority only of the Lamb, and taking him for their guide they tread in his steps. And how strikingly was this fulfilled in those small congre- gations of pious men who in the dark ages of the Christian dispensation separated themselves from the despotic rule and spiritual tyranny of Rome I " Give us," said they, " the commandments of Christ, not the traditions of men. The words of the Lord Jesus, as they are recorded in the New Testament, are the standard of our faith, and the rule of our lives. What- ever doctrines you can prove to us from them, we will believe -, whatever things they direct to be done, we will do. These are our principles. According to them, by God's grace, we will live, and for them we are pre- pared, if so it must be, to die." Such, in substance, was the language ever addressed by the early witnesses to the truth of the Gospel, to their Romish adversaries. Nor were they mere words of course. They did follow Christ, even to prison and to death. Although he led them often to the cold dungeon with its clanking chains, and to the stake with its blazing faggots, they did not and nuns, and the actual results of tiiie monastic system. How that system worked (and still works) has been already shown in the commen- tary on c. ix. 20 ; and I think, therefore, we are warranted in assuming that one of the characteristics of these hundred and forty-four thousand redeemed ones, as distinguished from the corrupt mass of professing Christians around them, would be, freedom from those detestable vices to which, while pretending to superior purity, the followers of the Papacy were addicted. 142 CHAPTER XIV. 1 5. shrink back. They drank of the bitter cup of which their Master had drunk, and cheerfully submitted to be baptized with that baptism of fire and of blood where- with he had been baptized. Dreadful, indeed, and almost incredible, is the record left us of the sufferings of those who in the days of Rome's pride and triumph dared to set at nought her decrees, and to keep the commandments of Jesus Christ. No mercy was there showed to age or sex. " Kill them all !" was the reply given, when the soldiers asked how they were to distin- guish heretics from Catholics. " Kill them all," said the abbot to whom the question was proposed ; " God will know his own."* No one can read the history of that dark period with an unprejudiced mind, and not be struck with the resemblance between the characters and sufferings of those simple-minded disciples of Jesus, and the primitive Christians. Both trode in the steps of their Divine Master in their lives, and were made conformable to his death. The world hated them, as it hated him ; and they, like him, " endured the cross, despising the shame." And let us not forget that we also must still " follow the Lamb whithersoever he goetli," if we would here- after share his glory. If we would reign with him, we must also suffer with him. If we would wear his crown, we must bear his cross. He has left to all his disciples an example that they should tread in his steps ; nor can we hope to follow him to his throne in heaven, unless we first follow in that track of self-denial, and patient endurance, and active benevolence, which by his life on earth he has so clearly marked out for us. 7. ''These were redeemed from amonrj men, the jirst * " Waddington's Hist.," p. 338. THE 144,000 REDEEMED. 143 fruits to God, and to the Lamb." — How the "first- fruits ?" I see not how those commentators can answer this question who identify this company with the hundred and forty-four thousand sealed ones of the seventh chapter. Por they are associated with a great multitude whom no man could number, all of whom stand before the throne of God, and how then can they with propriety be called frsf -fruits, seeing that the first- fruits were but as a handful compared with the full harvest? But if we regard this virgin company as representing those few sincere Christians who in the middle ages maintained the faith and worship of the Gospel in its purity, in opposition to the corruptions of the Romish Church, then the explanation is easy. They are the "Jirst-fruits," not of that harvest of Jews and Gentiles, the seed of which was sown by Christ himself in person, and the apostles, and which was reaped during the three first centuries ; — but they are the first-fruits of that second, and still more abundant harvest, which was to be reaped and gathered in, when " the everlasting Gospel should again be preached to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people ;" and the in-gathering of which forms one of the subjects of the latter part of this vision. These " first- fruits," then, are those small bands of protestants, (protestants in heart and principle, though not in name,) who in the valleys of Piedmont, in Prance, in Bohemia, and in England, before the period of the Reformation, held the truth of the Gospel in its primitive purity, and were an earnest of the plentiful harvest which would be reaped in after-times, when the Reformation sun should shine in full splendour on the earth. 8. Ver. 5. " Jnd iu their mouth was found no guile, 144 CHAPTER XIV. 1 5. for they are faultless before the throne of God." — Guile- lessness and sincerity ever have been, and always will be, the distinguishing characteristics of the people of God. " Blessed," says David, " is the man in whose spirit is no guile." (Psalm xxxii.) And the testi- mony of our Lord himself concerning the true Israelite is, that he is guileless. " Behold," said he, ^' an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile." (John i. 47.) On the other hand, deceit and hypocrisy ever have been, and will be to the end, the charac- teristics of Satan and his emissaries. (John viii. 44 -, Rom. iii. 13.) And is it speaking uncharitably to say, that these last, deceit, hypocrisy, and fraud, have from the first been the foundation and pillars of the Romish system? Did it not begin with a falsehood and a forgery ? * and has it not ever since been upheld by lies ? Do not the priests themselves, as a body, despise the mummery by which they delude the people ?f This, then, I imagine, is the reason why guilelessness is the characteristic here particularly mentioned as belonging to the redeemed remnant from apostate Clu'istendom. Such, in point of fact, was their peculiar characteristic. "' They were," says Milner, speaking of the Cathari, which was a generic name for all who on scriptural principles renounced the prevailing errors of the Latin Church, '' a plain, unassuming, industrious race of Chris- * The falsehood was, that Christ appointed Peter the visible head of the Church on earth, and that the Bishops of Rome were his successors. The forgery was, the false decretals, and the pretended donation of Con- stantine. (See vol. i., p. 390.) f It is asserted by Blanco White, in his work addressed to Roman Catholics, that to his certain knowledge a large majority of the priests in Spain were Infidels. This may be an exaggeration, but such an assertion •would hardly be made by a man who was once himself a Spanish priest, without some foundation. THE 144,000 REDEEMED. 145 tians, condemning, by their doctrine and manners, the whole apparatus of the reigning idolatry and super- stition."* (Cent, xii., c. iii.) Such also, as we have seen, was the testimony even of their enemies. And who will deny that guilelessness and truth were the characteristics of the men who took the chief part in the Reformation? It is sufficient to mention the names of Wickhf, of Huss, of Ridley, of Luther, of Zwingle, of Knox, — who will deny that these were men without guile ? " Faultless before God." — Faultless, absolutely, we know none can be. " If we say that we have no sin we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." But the sincere believer in Christ is faultless in two respects : he is faultless, as clothed in the imputed righteousness of Christ ; and he is faultless, as being free from those sins which his enemies often lay to his charge. And it is in this latter sense, I conceive, that the word is here used of this redeemed remnant, and is true of the Waldenses and other early protesters against Romish corruptions. Their adversaries charged them with being heretics, and rebels against God and Christ ; but the charge was false. They were not heretics ; they were not rebels ; in the sight of Him who searches the reins and the heart, they were guiltless of these charges, and they stood before his throne, " sanctified and justified, in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of their God." • " In a piece entitled, ' The Noble Lesson,' written in the twelfth century by one of the Cathari, we have some beautiful illustrations of their Christian simplicity. ' If a man,' says he, ' love those who desire to love God and Jesus Christ ; if he will neither curse nor swear, nor act deceitfully, nor live in lewdness and injustice, — they presently say, "The man is a Vaudes; he deserves to be punished."'" — Milner's Hist. Church, Cent, xii., c. iii. VOL. II. L 146 CHAPTER XIV. 6 12. Thus, then, it appears that everything that is said of this chosen remnant of redeemed ones, — redeemed from the midst of a corrupt and apostate Church, — agrees well in all respects with the history and character of those simple-minded Christians in the Valleys of Pied- mont and the South of France, who from very early times denounced the corruptions of Rome, and main- tained the truth of the Gospel in its purity. I shall now conclude these remarks with an extract from Milner, strikingly confirmatory of the foregoing views : — " Such was the provision of Divine grace, — to take out of a corrupt and idolatrous world of nominal Chris- tians, a people formed for himself, who should show forth his praise, and who should provoke the rest of mayikind hy the light of true humility and holiness; a people singularly separate from their neighbours in spirit, manners, and discipline ; rude, indeed, and illiterate, and not only discountenanced, but even con- demned by the few really godly men who adhered altogether to the Romish Church — condemned, because continually misrepresented. Nor do I know of a more striking proof of that great truth of the Divine Word, that, in the worst of times, the Church shall exist, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." (" Church Hist.," cent, xii., c. iii., sub fine.) We could hardly have a better commentary on the words before us than is contained in this extract. Sect. II. — Chap. xiv. 6 — 12. THE THREE ANGELS FLYING IN THE MID-HEAVEN. " And I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting Gospel'^ &c. — The farther we advance in this Divine book, the more nearly we THE THREE ANGELS. 147 find ourselves concerned, and the more deeply interesting, in consequence, it becomes. The prophecy is now approaching to the events of our own times, and is thus invested with a personal importance and interest pecu- liarly great. May the Spirit of wisdom and truth still be om* guide ! The last symbolic vision having exhibited to the apostle a select remnant of true believers, reserved by God to himself during a period of almost general apostasy, he is now privileged to see indications of brighter and more glorious days. Three angels flying in the midst of the sky follow one another in quick succession, each of them bearing an important announce- ment to the inhabitants of the world. The first brings with him the everlasting Gospel to proclaim to every nation upon earth ; the second, announces the approach- ing fall of the mystical Babylon ; the third, w^arns men of the danger of identifying themselves with the beast and his image. Now the first point to be determined here is, the chronological position of these angels. Supposing them all to belong to about the same period, as they mani- festly do, when does the first angel go forth ? It must strike every considerate reader that there is an apparent difficulty in this. For how comes it to pass that an angel is now seen going forth to proclaim the Gospel as if for the first time, to all mankind? Had not the commission for its universal proclamation been given long ago ? Had not our Lord charged his apostles, ere he left the earth, to go into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature ? Why, then, this new commission? What means the appearance of this angel at so late a period in the prophetic history, L 2 148 CHAPTER XIV. 6 12. charged afresh, as it were, with the proclamation of the self-same Gospel in almost identical terms ? This anomalous circumstance admits, I think, of but one explanation. It implies that there had been an inter- ruption to the preaching of the Gospel. That the Church had been unfaithful to its trust, and had ceased for an indefinitely long period to proclaim that Gospel which had been committed to its care. On no other ground can we account for the appearance of an angel charged with such a commission at this period of the prophecy. And this consideration explains also the meaning of the epithet given to the Gospel. It is called the " everlasting Gospel," because, although it now appears to be a new thing, so long had it been hidden and lost sight of, being buried beneath the traditions of men, yet it is the same unchangeable Gospel as was preached from the beginning, and such will ever continue. This epithet Avould imply also, that another spurious Gospel, lU^e the truth, but not the truth, had been proclaimed in the interval, and that this proclamation of the everlasting Gospel would only be a return to the faithfid preaching of the Word of God. And to what period, then, shall we assign the com- mencement of this renewed commission? Did this angel appear alone, I should be inclined, I confess, to date his commission from the beginning of the present century ; for at no period in the history of the Church since the days of the apostles, has the missionary spirit been more universally and strongly developed than within the last fifty years. But as this angel is followed by two others, one of whom proclaims the fall of Babylon, and the other of whom forewarns men of the judgments about to come upon the worshippers of the THE THREE ANGELS. 149 beast and his image, we must, I think, assign an earlier date to this first angel, and ascribe his going forth to the period immediately antecedent to the Reformation. And in point of fact, it was then that the everlasting Gospel began again to be publicly proclaimed. The true Gospel has, indeed, all along been preached more or less. But it was, as it were, in a corner. But when Luther lifted up his voice, and proclaimed that man is " justified by faith, and not by the deeds of the law," then did that more public and general announcement of the Gospel commence, the sound of which gradually waxed louder and louder, and spread itself more and more widely, until at length, as we now see, it " has gone out into all the world, and its words have reached to the ends of the earth."* The preaching of Luther, therefore, and the early Protestants, is not to be con- sidered as the complete fulfilment of the commission given to this angel, but rather as the commencement of it. The angel then went forth as in the sight of all men, bearing the everlasting Gospel. From that time to this he has been seen, as it were, flying in the mid-heaven. The proclamation of the glad tidings of pardon and life by the grace of God in Christ has been open, public, and general, and " all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of God." Nor should we omit to notice the peculiar terms in which this angel proclaims the Gospel. It is not, * " Luther," says D'Aubigne, " was the first who boldly and publicly raised the standard of truth against prevailing error, and invited general attention to the fundamental doctrine of the Gospel, salvation by grace ; thus introducing his generation to that path of knowledge, faith, and life, from which a new world has arisen, and commencing a real and saving change." — Hist, of the Hef or f nation, vol. ii., p. 394. (Walther's edition.) 150 CHAPTER XIV. G 12. " Believe, and be saved." But it is, " Pear God, and give him glory, and worship him who made heaven and earth." And why does the messenger of the everlasting Gospel speak thus ? It may be said, " Because he is supposed to be addressing Heathen, and he thus exhorts them to turn from idols, and to serve the living and true God." Yes ; this would be a satisfactory answer had the Gospel never before been preached, and were this angel now going forth for the first time to proclaim it ; but, as we have seen, this is not the case. This angel is commissioned to preach to those "that dwell upon the earth," — i.e., the Roman world (as I believe the word always means in the Revelation), and he goes forth many centuries after the empire has become professedly Christian, It is, then, with Christendom that his commission commences ; and it is nominal Christians, in the first instance, who are exhorted " to worship him who made heaven and earth." And why, then, we again ask, this exhortation? We answer, because it was needed. Christians by name had virtually, although not avowedly, forsaken the worship of the only true God, through the one Mediator, Jesus Christ, and, like the Jewish Church of old, had turned to idols. This is no libel. Let any man go at this day into a Romish Church, and he will see every devout Catholic falling down upon the knees and bowing the head with reverence to the image of the Virgin Mary. Is not this worship? And who does not know that the number of saints in the Roman calendar, each and all of whom have their votaries, equals, if not exceeds, that of the demi-gods of Heathen mythology? thp: three angels. 151 Well then, when such things universally prevailed, might men be exhorted to vi^orship Him only " who made heaven and earth."* Vers. 8 — 11. "And there foUoived another angel^ sayiiig, Babylon is fallen, is fallen^' &c. — The manner in which these angels are introduced, shows, as before intimated, that they all three belong to about the same period. And it should be observed, that they are rather the precm'sors of the events to which their proclamations severally relate, than the agents of their accomplishment. They declare what shall he, but they do not themselves fulfil the prophetic announcements of which they are the bearers. Nor are we to infer that these three angels necessarily imply three distinct and separate agents. The distinction is to be referred rather to the subject of the messages than to the messengers. I mean, we are not to infer that the appearance of these three symbolic angels, or messengers, one after the other, implies that different individuals would appear, at several times, and in different countries, proclaiming the things ascribed to them, but only that such pro- * In addition to the testimony already adduced (c. ix. 20) on the subject of saint- worship, I would request the reader's attention to the following translation of part of two hymns in the Hours for the use of Salisbury, printed in 1 520 : — " O Holy Mother of God, who justly hast deserved to conceive, whom the whole world could not comprehend, wash away our faults by thy pious intervention, that being redeemed by thee we may be able to ascend to the seat of eternal glory, where thou abidest with thy Son for ever." — Fol. 4. " Illustrious Martyr George, praise and glory become thee ! endued with skill in arms, by whom the royal damsel, when in distress before the vile dragon, was preserved : we beseech thee, with our inmost heart, that with all the faithful we may be joined to the citizens of heaven, and being washed from all our filth, may be with thee in gloiy," &c. — See Buniefs Hist, of Refor., Collection of Records, No. 29. 152 CHAPTER XIV. 6 13. clamations woiild successively be made at the period to which the vision belongs. That is to say, contem- poraneously with the renewed preaching of the true Gospel, there would be prophetic announcements of the approaching fall of the mystical Babylon,* and denunciations of the wrath of God upon all who should submit to the dominion of the beast. How accurately and how wonderfully all this was fulfilled in the preaching and acts of Luther, the following extracts sufficiently attest. Let the reader observe especially the puhlicity of what he said and did. It was indeed as an angel flying in mid-sky, and speaking to all the world : — "On the 17th of November (1520), a notary and five witnesses assembled, at ten o'clock in the morning, in one of the halls of the Augustine Convent, in which Luther resided. There the public functionary, Sarctor von Eisleben, being in readiness to take a minute of his protest, the Reformer, in a solemn tone of voice, spoke as follows : — " ' I, Martin Luther, an Augustine, &c., do appeal ♦from His Holiness, Pope Leo, to a general Council. " ' I appeal from the aforesaid Pope Leo : first, As an unjust, hasty, and oppressive judge ; secondly. As a heretic and apostate, misguided, hardened, and con- demned by Holy Writ ; thirdly. As an enemy, and Antichrist, an adversary of the Scriptures, and an usurper of their authority, who presumes to set up his own decrees against all the declarations of the Word of God ; foiuthly, As a contemner, a calumniator, a blasphemer of the Holy Christian Church, &c. * It will be observed, that I assume for the present that Babylon means Rome. This will be proved hereafter. See c. xvii. THE THREE ANGELS. 153 " ' Wherefore I most humbly beseech the most serene, ilhistrious Charles, the Roman Emperor, the Electors, &c., to adhere to this my protest, and unite with me to resist the Antichristian proceedings of the' Pope, &c., and Christ our Saviour will richly reward them with his grace. But if there be any who set my entreaties at nought, preferring obedience to the Pope, an impious man, rather than to obey God, I do hereby disavow all responsibility on their account, having given a faithful warning to their consciences ; and I leave them to the final judgment of God, together with the Pope, and all his adherents.' " Such was Luther's protest against the Bull of Leo X. Thus publicly in the sight of the world "^ did he proclaim the approaching fall of Babylon, and denounce the adherents of the beast and his image. But he did not stop here. The prophecy was to have in him a still more palpable and remarkable fulfilment. " Luther, however," continues the historian, " though this recent act might have seemed the very extremity of daring, had another and still bolder measure in contemplation. He was determined that in nothing would he be behind Rome. On the 10th of December, a placard was affixed to the walls of the university of Wittemberg. It con- tained an invitation to the professors and students to repair at the hour of nine in the morning to the west gate, beside the Holy Cross. A great number of doctors and youths assembled, and Luther, putting himself at their head, led the procession to the appointed spot. A scaffold had already been erected. One of the * " This protest," adds the writer above quoted, " was circulated throughout the whole of Germany, and found its way into most of the Courts of Christendom." 154 CHAPTER XIV. 6 12. oldest among the Masters of Arts now set fire to it. As the flames arose, the dreaded monk approached, clothed in his monk's garment, and holding in his hands the Canoji Laio, the Decretals, the Clementines, the Extravagances of the Popes, together with the Pojje's Bull. The Decretals being first consumed, Luther, lifting up the Pope's Bull, said aloud, ' Since thou hast afflicted the Lord's Holy One, may fire unquench- able afflict and consume thee ! ' — and thereupon he threw it into the flames. He then with much com- posure bent his steps towards the city. On the follow- ing morning, the hall of the academy was more than usually crowded. A deep solemnity prevailed. Luther proceeded with a portion of his commentary on the Psalms, which he had begun in the month of March in the preceding year. Having finished his lecture, he paused for a few moments, and then he said, with great vivacity, ' Be on your guard against the laws and statutes of the Pope. I have burned the Decretals, but that is mere child's play. It is time, and more than time, that the Pope himself were burned, — I mean,' he immediately subjoined, ' the Papal chair, with all ITS FALSE DOCTRINES, AND ALL ITS ABOMINATIONS.' Assuming then a more solemn tone — ' If you do not with your whole hearts resist the impious usurpations of the Pope, YOU cannot be saved. Whosoever takes pleasure in the Popish doctrine and worship, will be LOST TO ALL ETERNITY IN THE WORLD TO COME.' "* How striking a fulfilment of the prophecy have we here ! Por what was this public declaration of Luther to the doctors and students at Wittemberg but an echo * See "Hist, of the Great Reformation," vol. ii., pp. 177—182. (Wal- ther's edition.) THE THREE ANGELS. 155 of the words of the angel, who said with a loud voice^ " If any man worship the beast and his image, he shall drink of the wrath of God for ever." Yes, it was indeed with a loud voice that this great champion of the truth of God proclaimed, not only " the everlasting Gospel," but the downfal of Babylon, and the judgments pre- pared for all who should cleave to her. By a strange fatuity, the enemies of the truth took the most effectual means they could adopt for spreading far and wide that light which they desired to extinguish. Shortly after the scene at Wittemberg, Luther was summoned by a solemn decree to appear at Worms before the diet of the Empire, with the Emperor at its head. It was on that occasion, after he had finished his defence, and declared his determination not to retract anything he had written, unless it could be proved to be contrary to Scripture, that he ended his address with this brief but noble peroration : " Here I stand ; I can say no more ; God help me ! Amen." The effect was wonderful, and the results glorious to the cause of truth. " Thus," says the historian, " did Luther pronounce the sublime words that, at the distance of three centuries, still make our hearts bound within us. God had gathered together these kings and prelates to bring publicly to nought their wisdom. In their desire to overawe this poor monk, they had raised him on a platform in sight of a ivhole nation : the attempt to give publicity to his defeat had only served to enhance his victory over his enemies."* " The day of the Diet of Worms," says Matthesius, " is one of the most glorious given to the earth before its great catastrophe." " The conflict at Worms," adds • " Hist, of the Reform.," vol. ii., p. 318. (Walther's edition.) 156 CHAPTER XIV. 13. the historian whom I have been quoting, " resounded FAR AND NEAR, and as the report of it traversed Europe from the northern countries to the mountains of Switzer- land, and the towns of England, Erance, and Italy, many seized with eagerness the mighty weapons of the Word of God."* These extracts require no apology, and need little in the way of comment. They establish beyond con- tradiction the three points following: 1st, That the public preaching of the Gospel, which has since become so general, extending literally to all nations, began with Luther and other Reformers in the sixteenth century ; 2dly, That the approaching fall of Rome, the mystical Babylon, was then publicly proclaimed ; 3dly, That the wrath of God was denounced upon those who should join with the Emperor and Pope in persecuting his people, and upholding a corrupt Church. And that, too, just in the order of the prophecy, the Gospel first, and then the denunciations against Babylon and her abettors. May God give us grace still to listen to that voice, the echoes of which, at the distance of three cen- turies, yet warn us that, " Whosoever takes pleasure IN Popish doctrine and worship, and defends the impious usurpations of the Pope, will be lost to ALL eternity."! * " Hist, of the Reform.," vol. ii., p. 345. f See above. Do we affirm, then, it may be asked, that every member of the Church of Rome will eternally perish ? God forbid. Luther, I imagine, never meant this : and far would I put away that nari-ow- minded sectarianism which would enteilain such a thought. In speaking of the Church of Rome and its members, we must make a distinction between belonging to its communion and partaking of its spirit. That there have been, and are, Roman Catholics who may justly be called holy and pious men, is unquestionable. But then, these men — such, for example, as Paschal, Quesnel, and Fenelon — did not worship the beast and his THE DEAD IN THE LORD ARE BLESSED. 157 Ver. 12. — " Thus far is the patient endurance of the saints" &c. — The sense of this verse is, " Up to this period the faith and patience of God's people will be severely tried. As long as the apostate Church, aided by the secular arm of the civil governor, shall continue dominant, — i.e.^ whilst the beast and the false prophet reign (see c. xix. 20), the saints will have to endure persecution and affliction, but when their dominion shall have come to an end, then will the afflictions of the Church cease, and the faithful servants of Christ enter into that rest which he has prepared for them." Ver. 13. — '' And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, ' Write, Blessed from henceforth are THE dead who die IN THE LoRD,' " &c. — There is something startling in an announcement like this at such a juncture. At first sight, it seems to have no connexion either with the visions that go before or those which follow after, but to stand an isolated apophthegm, containing, indeed, an important truth, but, we might almost think, out of its pi'oper place. What can the blessedness of the dead in the Lord have to do with the fall of Babylon, and the judgment of the beast? Or, to divest the question of metaphor, with the destruction of the Latin Church and Empire ? Upon closer examination, however, w^e shall find that this announcement is not only in its proper place, but is to us at this present moment full of meaning and image. They professed to reverence, it is true, the Roman See, but they were, notwithstanding, men of altogether a different spirit from that which characterizes the blind worshippers of Papal authority. More especially, they did not approve of the persecution of, so called, heretics, nor of any of those tyrannical and unjust measures by which the Church and Court of Rome has endeavoured in all ages either to enslave the minds of men, or destroy their bodies. 158 CHAPTER XIV. 13. solemn interest. Let it be borne in mind, that the vision of the three angels flying in the mid-heaven, although it begins at the Reformation, carries ns forward to a period far beyond it, and brings us, in fact, to our own times. For the flight of these three angels lasts until the Son of man appears sitting on the white cloud, and until the angel also with the sharp sickle, to reap the clusters of the vine, appears ; which events, as I shall endeavour presently to show, are near at hand, if not already in progress. So that this announcement, coming in between the two visions, belongs, if our theory be correct, to our own days, and is addressed specifically to the Church at the present time. But this is not all. There are other considerations which render it peculiarly deserving of our most attentive consideration. In the first place, the speaker is God himself. The voice which uttered these words was the same as at the beginning had testified of the coming of Christ in the clouds of heaven, (c. i. 8.) The very voice which had borne witness to Jesus when he was baptized in Jordan, saying, " This is my beloved Son," &c., and had also borne a similar testimony, when he was transfigured on the mount, in the hearing of John, who would doubtless recognise the voice as the same Avliich he had then heard. This is that voice which here speaks to us. It is, therefore, the witness of the Father, accom- panied by the witness of the Spirit, to the certainty of the resurrection, and of the believer's blessedness. For we must not confound the two testimonies together, as if all that is here written was uttered by the voice from heaven. It was only the first sentence that was so uttered. The latter clause is the response of the Spirit, speaking in and through St. John, to the heavenly THE DEAD IN THE LORD ARE BLESSED. 159 voice. So that we have here, as in the baptism of Christ, a clear intimation of a Trinity of persons in the Godhead. The Father bears witness by an arti- culate voice from heaven to the blessedness of those who die, being united by a living faith to the Son, and the Spirit confirms this testimony. Just as St. John says in his epistle, " There are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost," and that record is, " That God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath Hfe." (3 Epis. v. 7—11.) All this shows how deeply interesting and important a truth that is which is here announced. But is it a new truth? Why, then, is it here introduced, and that with so much solemnity ? Here is a question of grave consideration. There must be a reason for this solemn republication of a truth which was familiar to the Church from the beginning. Let us try and search out the reason of it. Now, I think three reasons may be assigned why we are thus solemnly reminded of this truth at this period of the prophetic history. First, because an erroneous opinion directly opposed to it had crept into the Church, and had been made the occasion of much superstition, and the most shame- less abuses on the part of the priesthood. I allude to the doctrine of purgatory, joined with the practice of saying masses for the dead to deliver them out of purgatory. This doctrine, which is notoriously that of the Church of Rome, is here most clearly refuted and condemned. The dead in Christ are pronounced blessed, that is, happy,* and it is declared that they * The Avord in the Greek is not fuXoyjyroi, but fxaKapioi, which means strictly the same as our English word hajjpy, and implies a state of actual present enjoyment. 160 CHAPTER XIV. 13. rest from their laboui's ; which is manifestly inconsistent with the idea of their suffering the pains of purgatory after death. To affirm that this apphes only to a select class of Christians who have attained to an extraordinary degree of holiness, is a perfectly gratuitous assumption. There are really but two classes of persons in the world, those who are in Christ, and those who are not in Christ. According to the words of the apostle, " He that hath the Son hath life ; but he that hath not the Son of God hath not life." Those, therefore, that die in the Lord are all, without exception or limitation, happy after death. They cease from their sufferings for ever, and their works follow with them. This consolatory and cheering truth the Church had for many centuries lost sight of, and, in fact, had positively contra- dicted by its invention of the doctrine of a purgatorial fire. And therefore was it necessary that this great and cheering truth should be proclaimed by a direct voice from heaven, that it might come home to the hearts of God's people w^ith all the freshness and all the power of a new communication from the fountain- head of wisdom and knowledge. But, Secondly, another reason why this announcement is here made, may be, to show the connexion between the fall of the mystical Babylon, and the second coming of Christ and the glorification of believers. " Blessed," it is said, " are the dead that die in the Lord from HENCEFORTH :" from now, from this period ; i.e., from the time that the fall of Babylon commences. Their final reward and eternal glorification will then be so near, that their death will be but as a short repose from labour and suffering, from which they ^vill soon wake up to receive from the hand of Christ that recompense of grace which he Avill bestow upon his THE DEAD IN THE LORD ARE BLESSED. 161 faithful servants. This, it appears to me, is the force of the word henceforth. It is intended to convey, I imagine, the idea of nearness in point of time. As if it had been said, "When Babylon shall begin to fall, then shall the blessedness of the righteous be at hand." Just as our Lord says, " When these things begin to come to pass, then lift up your heads, for your redemption draweth nigh." * 3. There is, however, a third reason perhaps, and that an important one, why this announcement is made at this particular juncture. It may be intended to inti- mate that the encouragement contained in it will be needed at this period. That before the final destruction of the Romish Church and Empire, the sword of perse- cution will again be drawn, and the upholders of Gospel truth will once more be called upon to lay down their lives in its defence. Just as the charge to the Church of Smyrna, " Be thou faithful unto death," involved in it a prophetical warning that they must be prepared to die, so may this announcement involve in it a similar prophetic warning. Shovild this be the case — and may God avert from the Church such a calamity ! — we have at least the consolation of knowing that this persecution will be the last, and of short continuance. If there is to be another era of martyrs, its duration will be very brief, and it will * This also is Mede's view. " That word," says he, " a-aapn, from henceforth, is used, not with reference to the subject of the preceding vision, but of the following." As if he had said, " Now we have arrived at that event which alone remains to be fulfilled; at that time when the dead in the Lord shall be raised to a life of blessedness." He likewise thinks that those that die in the Lord, means specifically those who suffer martyrdom for Christ's sake, and he would render the words, as Beza does, qui pro2)ter Dominmn, sen Domini causd, moriunfur, "who die for, or in the cause of the Lord." (See Mede's Works, p. 519.) VOL. II. M 162 CHAPTER XIV. 14 16. soon be followed by the advent of Christ and the resurrection of the righteous ; and then will commence that period of glory and blessedness to which the Church has been looking forward for nearly two thousand years. (See 1 Thess. iv. 13 ; 2 Thess. i. 7.) " But their ivorhs do follow loith them" That is to say, as evidential, not as meritorious. Their works follow them as proofs of their faith and love, and of their meetness for the enjoyment of the presence of their Lord, not as deserving a recompense. As if it had been said, " They die, indeed, and disappear from the eyes of men : but let not any one think that their works die with them, and are forgotten by God; they follow them to the grave, and will appear with them when they stand before the judgment-seat of Christ " to receive the things done in the body." Let us deeply ponder these solemn announcements. If there is something of the awful in them, there is far more that is cheering. Whilst the voice from heaven proclaims the dead in Christ blessed, we seem to hear the harpers tuning their harps and preparing to join in the song of Jubilee, the chorus of that great multitude whose voice is as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, " Hallelujah ! the Lord God omnipotent reigneth." (Chap. xix. 6.) THE ANGEL OF THE HARVEST, VerS. 14 16. " And I looked, and behold, a lohite cloud," &c. — Most commentators regard both this and the succeeding vision as visions of judgment. This opinion is supported chiefly by a parallel passage in Joel, where the same images are employed, and manifestly signify the judg- THE HARVEST IS REAPED. 163 ments of Jehovah upon the enemies of liis people.* I cannot, however, consider this argument as conclusive. It does not follow, because both images in that place prefigure judgments, they must do so here. The circum- stances of the case are different ; and there are many considerations connected with the present vision which clearly prove, to my mind, that it is a vision of mercy rather than of judgment. Or, perhaps I should say, a vision relating to the glorification of the Redeemer, not to the destruction of his enemies. Let us attend to the particulars. " 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." Now, there is nothing here indicative of wrath and judgment, unless it be the epithet given to the sickle. A shar]) sickle may seem to imply that the harvest for which it is destined is a harvest of tares for destruction, not of wheat for preservation. But this does not follow. The sword which proceeds out of the mouth of Christ in the first vision is a sharp two-edged sword, and yet we know that that sword, which is the "Word of God," is employed fidly as much as an instrument of salvation, as it is of condemnation. It is as sharp to pierce the heart of the awakened man, and produce conviction of sin and " repentance unto life," as it is to slay the hardened and impenitent. There is no sufficient reason, then, for concluding that this is a vision only of judgment, merely because the chief actor in it has in his hand a sharp sickle. This epithet may be * " 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." (Joel xiii. 13.) M 2 164 CHAPTER XIV. 14 16. • intended to signify, as I think it does, the rcq. with which the predicted harvest will be gathered in. And I am the rather disposed to take this view, because every other circumstance of the vision favours it. The iDlilte colour of the cloud, the golden crown upon the head of him who sits upon the cloud, and the very attitude of sitting, are all of them accompani- ments suitable rather to an act of mercy than of judg- ment. I conclude, therefore, that this vision prefigm'es that plentiful ingathering of souls which shall take place in the latter day, and to which the preaching of the angel with the everlasting Gospel to all nations would be preparatory. Regarded in this light, there are three points that demand a more particular consideration. First, the chief subject of the vision, the harvest of the earth. What is meant by the words, " the harvest is fully ripe," may be gathered from a similar expression of our Lord in the Gospel of John, who, seeing the Samaritans flocking to him in multitudes, with minds prepared to hear and receive the truth, said to his disciples, " Say ye not, there are yet fom* months, and then cometh harvest ? Behold, I say unto you. Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields, for they are white already to harvest." (John iv. 35.) Now, here the rijjeness consisted in the state of mind of these Samaritans, i.e., a predisposition, the result of the woman's report accompanied by the secret workings of Divine grace, to believe in Jesus and receive the Gospel from his mouth : and this predis- position, let it be observed, is expressly ascribed by himself to the labom's of others : " Other men have laboured, and ye have entered into their labours." So then in the case before us, the ripene&s of the harvest THE HARVEST IS BEAPED. 165 of the earth signifies, I imagine, a preparedness in the minds of its inhabitants generally to receive the Gospel as the Word of God; which preparedness will be the result of its previous universal proclamation to the whole human race. The minds of men will be brought into something like the same state as that of the nations of Canaan, when they had heard of the drying up of the waters of the Red Sea and the river Jordan, " whose hearts," we read, " melted within them." Only the melting of heart preparatory to that harvest of which we are speaking, will be in the hope of salvation, not in the fear of destruction. Eor the consequence of this preparedness will be, as already intimated, an ingathering of souls from all nations of the earth. I mean, not that all men will be converted. This, I think, we must not anticipate. But only an immense multitude, a multitude so vast that it will bear the same relative proportion to those converted on the day of Pentecost, as the harvest does to the first-fruits. And this great ingathering, it should be remarked, is to take place previous to the treading of the winepress of God's wrath, or the destruction of the antichristian secidar and ecclesiastical empire symbolized by the beast and the false prophet. And hence it would seem that this harvest is not that spoken of by our Lord in the parable ; for that, we are expressly told, is the end of the world, and will be a harvest for separation and judgment, not of ingathering of souls to be saved into the Clim-ch, as this, I think, manifestly is. The second point requiring consideration is the reaper of the harvest. There is a peculiarity in the mode of expression which makes it doubtful whether Christ 1G6 CHAPTER XIV. 14 16. himself be intended. It is said, " One sat on the cloud nice the Son of man." Now, may not this way of speaking be purposely employed to intimate that it was not Christ whom the apostle saw, but only his repre- sentative ? The person of our Lord was so familiar to St. John, that had it been He himself who was now in vision presented to him sitting upon the cloud, he would at once have recognised him, and would hardly have said, " one like to the Son of man."^ May not this word, then, be purposely used to signify, that this angel of the harvest is not Christ himself, but, as it were, a semblance of him, or his deputy and representative? And if so, if this angel be not Christ himself, but one bearing a near resemblance to him, may he not be the symbol of the Jewish people, now converted, and changed into preachers of that Gospel which they once sought to destroy ? Many considerations favour this view. We have every reason to believe that the Jews will be the great preachers of the Gospel in the latter day. " For if," says the apostle, " the casting of them away were the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be but as life from the dead?" (Rom. xi. 15.) See also that remarkable passage in Zechariah, in which it is said, " ten men out of all languages of the nations shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, AVe will go with you ; for we have heard that God is with you" (cap. viii. 23). They also, as being the kinsmen of Christ, of whom as concerning the flesh he came (Rom. ix. 2), may with peculiar propriety be regarded as his repre- sentatives, and as more like him in respect of his liumanUy than any otiiers. Nor are "the white cloud," and " the golden crown," according to this view, without THE HARVEST IS REAPED. 167 tlieir specific meaning. For the lohite cloud may be the symbol of God's grace and mercy, now again extended to his ancient people ; and the golden crown may signify the honour about to be put upon them, and their exaltation in the sight of all nations. This last-mentioned emblem, indeed, assuming that the Jews, now converted and about to be sent forth as missionaries to the Gentile world, are symbolized by him avIio sits upon the cloud, .would be peculiarly appropriate. For we learn from Ezekiel (c. xvi. 12), that it was customary to put an ornamental crown upon the head of the bride when she was adorned in her bridal attire.* And of David going forth in the confidence of victory, it is said, " Thou settest a crown of pure gold on his head." (Ps. xxi. 3.) Now, if we put these two ideas together, that of a bride adorned for her husband, and of a warrior going forth to victory, we shall perhaps have a just con- ception of the meaning of this symbol, which will then signify the Jewish nation received again into union with Christ, and thus crowned by him as a bride, and also about to go forth in his name to subdue the world to him, and gather in a harvest of souls from all mankind. This view of the passage is greatly strengthened by what follows, and which is, 3. The third point deserving consideration. An angel comes forth from the temple, and in a tone of authority * The whole passage is deserving of attention, as illustrative of the clause under consideration. The 67th Psalm also bears upon the subject. The lifting up of God's countenance upon the Jews is connected Avith *' his way being known upon earth, and his saving health among all nations." And the conversion of the Gentiles is, in fact, foretold under the image of a harvest. " God be merciful to us, and bless us " — (it is Jews who are supjiosed to utter this prayer) — " then shall the earth yield her increase." 168 CHAPTER XIV. 14 16. bids him who sits upon the white cloud, thrust in his sickle, and reap. Now, the temple here is the Christian Church, and the angel who comes out of it is, probably, the representative of its ministers. If, therefore, the angel on the cloud be Christ, we have the servant speaking in a tone of authority to his Lord, and commanding him what to do."* But is there not a want of congruity and propriety in this ? Can we conceive of any created being, even an arch- angel, much less a man, addressing the Lord of glory thus ? On the other hand, if we regard the angel with the sickle as the representative of converted Israel, the kinsmen of Christ according to the flesh, nothing can be more appropriate than the whole imagery. The ministers of the Church call upon them to arise and fulfil the office assigned them, and gather in the harvest which the labom's of others have prepared. Just as our Lord said to the apostles, " Lift up yom* eyes ; behold the fields , are white already to harvest. I send you to reap that whereon ye have bestowed no labour." Such appears to me to be a probable interpretation of this vision, the accomplishment of which is yet future. * Vitringa, who never, like too many commentators, slurs over difficul- ties, although he may not always be happy in his solutions of them, saw this objection to the common interpretation, and suggests that this angel reaper may represent those princes and commanders who, about the period of the Reformation, favoured the cause of truth, and whom God employed in the execution of his purposes. His words are, " Interpretes passim hie cogitant de Christo : quorum etiam aliqui ut suam banc senten- tiam tanto adstruant fortius, abutuntur phrasi^Y/V hoviinis, quam Christo propriam ])utant: etsi satis constet, eam hie indefinite usurpari. — Nego circumstantias hujus cniblematis huic sententiae favere. Imo, Quia hie angelus, mandatum accepit metendi at alio angclo, quod minus commode ad Christum refertur, &c. Quare nihil commodius videtur, quam sub hoc cmblematc intelligei-c Heroes et Principes quorum opera Dcus in exequcn- dis suis illis judiciis utetur." — Comm., p. 666. THE TREADING 0¥ THE WINE-PRESS. 169 I would not, however, speak dogmatically. If the angel sitting upon the cloud be Christ himself, then we must understand the call upon him to arise and reap rather as an invitation than a command ; or, as Vitringa remarks,* it may be meant to intimate, that Christ, as man, does nothing without an express direction from his heavenly Father. Vers. 17 — 20. The treading of the wine-press. — " A?id another angel came out of the temple, that which was in the ski/, he having also a sharj) sicJde," &c. — This is unquestionably a vision of judgment ; but who are to be the subjects of the predicted judgments, and who the executors, is not so clear. There can, however, I think, be little doubt but that the vine is the emblem of the professing Church, and, consequently, that it is upon nominal Christendom that these judgments, fore- told in such terrific imagery, will fall. The figure of a vine is constantly employed, both in the Old and New Testament, to represent the visible Church. Thus in Psalm Ixxx. 8, " Thou hast brought a vine out of Egypt : thou hast cast out the Heathen, and planted it'' (See also Deut. xxxii. 32 ; Isa. v. 2 ; Jer. ii. 21 ; Ezek. xv. 2.) This vine or the earth, then,— not the true vine, the vine which is of a heavenly origin, and bears heavenly fruit, but the vine of the earth, — is a type of the outward Christian Church, now by her sins and iniquities become ripe for God's judgments. It is a fearful picture, and may well excite much anxious inquiry on our part, to whatever section of the Church we may belong. It * Si per angelmn mcssorem intelligamus ipsum Christum Regem, quae hie dicuntur, significabiint, Christum Ilegem nihil agere earum rerum qua3 ccck'siiL' ejus spcctant, nisi secundum j)n'scrij)/u)n mandatu)», sive, qua ipse phrasi passim usus est, voluntatem Patris. — Coaun., p. 667. 170 CHAPTER XIV. 17 — 20. is generally assumed by Protestant commentators, that the threatened judgments will fall exclusively on the Chiu-ch of Rome. And there is one circumstance in the symbolic drama which makes it highly probable that Rome and the Roman territory will be the principal scene of their execution. 1 allude to the terrific figure by which the immensity of the slaughter is represented. The blood which flowed from the wine-press formed a stream so deep that it reached to the bridles of the horses, and extended a distance of sixteen hundred furlongs, or two hundred miles. Now, it is not to be supposed that this is a mere figure of speech — a definite number put indefinitely for a very great distance. It may be readily admitted, that the flowing of the blood up to the horses' bridles, is an hyperbole ; * but the mention of the specific number, sixteen hundred, is altogether a diff'erent thing, and must, I think, have a definite and specific meaning. The territory on which this tremendous manifestation of God's displeasure against his professing Church will take place will be sixteen hundred furlongs in length. This seems to be the natural and obvious import of the circumstance. Let the reader, then, take a map of Italy, and measm'e the extent of that portion called the " States of the Church," — he will find it to be exactly two hundred MILES. There is surely something ominous in this. It would be impossible, perhaps, to fix upon any other * We meet with the same sort of hyperbole even in history. "What is more common, e.(j., than the phrase, " the streets flowed with torrents of blood?" And Bishop Newton, in commenting on this passage, says, " The Jerusalem Talmud, describing the awful slaughter which the Roman Emperor, Adrian, made of the Jews at the destruction of the city of Eitter, saith, 'the horses waded in blood up to the nostrils.' " — Diss, iii., Rev. xiv. 20. THE TREADING OF THE WINE-PRESS. 171 territorial boundary which so accurately corresponds with the given measurement.* I think, therefore, we are warranted in assuming that the territories of the Papal See will be the central locality on which this awful display of God's wrath will take place. But what, then, mean the words, " without the CITY?" This clause appeared to me at first sight, I confess, to involve a great difficulty. Por if the treading of the wine-press takes place without the city — that is, Christendom, — how, I asked myself, can Rome and its neighbourhood be the appointed locality, seeing that it is in the very centre and heart of the city ? Upon further reflection, however, this difficulty vanished. Por the mention of the sixteen hundred furlongs shows that the word citij here is to be taken in a literal, not a figurative sense, and therefore that the phrase, " without the city," means without the walls of the particular city referred to. But if so, it may be asked, and Rome be the city intended, are we to infer that the predicted slaughter will take place only in the Roman territory, and not within the walls of Rome itself? Such, I should say, is certainly the obvious import of the prophecy. Nor is there anything improbable in the supposition that this may be the case. On the contrary, if Italy, and the States of the Church in particular, are to be the theatre * The dimensions of Palestine, or the Holy Land, indeed, are about the same ; and hence some have supposed that the vicinity of Jerusalem, not of Rome, will be the scene of these judgments. And if by the city is meant Christendom, — and I would not say positively that this may not be its meaning, — then, in all probability, Palestine Avill be the territory on which this tremendous conflict will take place. In that case, the locality of the wine-press-treading and of the battle of Armageddon will be one and the same. And there are passages in the Old Testament which favour the idea that Judaea will l)e the theatre of that last great conflict. — See Joel iii. 172 CHAPTER XIV. 17 — 20. of the last great final war, it is liigUy probable that the chief slaughter will be witliout the city, and that the decisive battle will be fought in the territories of Rome, not within its walls. It seems, however, to be inti- mated, that the adherents of Rome, after their defeat, will be enraged with her, and turn their arms against her, and having burnt her with fire, destroy her alto- gether from the face of the earth (c. xvii. 14, 15; xviii. 9, 10). But here we get into the region of unful- filled prophecy, and it is safer not to speculate. Events will shortly show what these awful prefigurations mean, by their accomplishment. In the meantime, let us not overlook the instructive lesson which this prophecy conveys, in whatever way it is understood. There is a solemn warning addressed to us all in the words, " HER GRAPES ARE FULLY RIPE." Thcsc words remind us, that there is a point of iniquity beyond which the long-suffering of God will not permit any one to proceed — a fixed period for the endurance of the Divine mercy which cannot be extended, — and that when that point is reached, and that period is expired, whether nations, or churches, or individuals are concerned, their doom is sealed, and their destruction becomes inevitable. Thus it was with the antediluvian world (Gen. vi. 6), — thus it was with the nations of Canaan, of whom God said, negatively, " For the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full " (Gen. xv. IG),* — thus it was also with the Jewish Church in our Lord's day (Matt, xxiii. 32), — > and thus we fear it will be with the professing Christian Church : it will fill up the measure of its iniquity, and then will its destruction come. * See a strikiiiij sermon of Saurin's on tliis text. THE SEVEN LAST PLAGUES, OR THIRD WOE. 173 CHAPTER XV. THE SEVEN LAST PLAGUES ; THE SONG OF THE CONQUERORS OF THE BEAST; THE TEMPLE OF GOD IS OPENED. ''And I saio another sign in the shy, great and loonderfid ; seven angels having the seven last plagues^' &c. — Vers. 1 — 4. This vision is introductory to the third and last woe. In order to get a clear understanding of its meaning, and of the chronological position it occupies in the Apocalyptic history, it will be necessary briefly to advert once more to what is said in other places concerning these woes. The word woe, the reader will remember, is first used in chap. viii. 13. After the sounding of the fourth trumpet, which announced the fall of the Western Empire, an angel was seen flying through the midst of heaven, crying 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." The fifth trumpet then sounds, and when it has ceased sounding, we have the following announcement : " One woe is past : behold, there come two woes more hereafter " (c. ix. 12). The sixth trumpet then sounds, but when it ceases there is no announcement similar to that in the former instance, but the supplementary visions of the angel standing on the land and sea, and of the two witnesses, bringing us to the period of the Erench Revolution. When these details are finished, mention is again made of the woes, and the speedy approach of 174 CHAPTER XV. the third woe is thus announced : " The second woe is past : behold, the third woe cometh quickly" (c. xi. 14). The seventh trumpet then sounds, but instead of a woe we have songs of rejoicing, and the kingdoms of this world are declared to have become " the kingdoms of the Lord." Yet this also is a woe trumpet, for it had been expressly said, " Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabitants of the earth, by reason of the voices of the trumpets of the THREE angels which are yet to sound." The third angel's trumpet, therefore, contains the last woe. Where, then, is this woe to be sought ? It must be identical with the seven last plagues , " for in them is filled up the wrath of God." This is clear beyond dispute. The seven plagues of the seventh trumpet, therefore, constitute the one woe which gives it the title of a woe trumpet, and the glorious things which occur on the sounding of this trumpet come after the woe, and are not the immediate results of its sounding. Let it, then, be borne in mind, that the prophecy on which we are now about to enter relates to events subsequent, not only to the conquests of the Saracens and Turks, who were the agents of the first and second woes, but to the prophesying of the Avitnesses and the great earthquake, in which a tenth part of the city fell. So that, if we have been right in our interpretation hitherto, the events symbolized by the vials are events which take place immediately after the outbreak of the first French Revolution in 1789, and fill up the interval between that epoch and the full and final establishment of Christ's kingdom upon earth. Having thus fixed the chronological position of these vials, let us consider the details connected with them. THE SEVEN LAST PLAGUES, OR THIRD WOE. 175 Now the reader will observe that the first fom* verses of this chapter are purely introductory. They are a sort of prelude, or overture, to the symbolic drama which follows ; or, to vary the figm-e, they are as a table of contents prefixed to the chapter of the book to which they belong. The first verse informs us, that the seven angels, about to be more fully described (v. 5, G), are the bearers of the seven last plagues ; and the three following verses contain a song of triumph, sung in the way of anticipation by the conquerors of the beast and his image. Or, rather, it is the rehearsal of the song to be sung after the vials have been poured out, and the antichristian power symbolized by the beast and his image has been destroyed. But w^hat means the sea OF glass mingled with fire, and who are they that stand upon it? These two points demand consider- ation. 1. It is obvious that the word sea here is not to be understood in its usual sense, as signifying a large collection of waters. It means rather an immense vessel, like that of brass made by Solomon, and used by the priests and Levites for the pm'poses of ablution. (1 Kings vii. 23.) This sea the apostle saw was clear and transparent like glass, and fire was mingled with the waters which it contained. The conquerors over the beast stood upon its edge, or rim, as if they had just emerged from the mingled water and fire beneath their feet. The symbolic meaning of which things seems to be this : The sea of glass mingled with fire, like the burning bush seen by Moses, is an emblem of the condition of the Church in this world. Abstractedly considered, the Church is pure and free from flaw, like fine glass (Ephes. v. 26, 27), 176 CHAPTER XV. but it is continually exposed to tlie fiery trial of afflictions (1 Pet. iv. 12); the afflictions, in fact, which it goes through are the means of its purification. In this place, however, the fire has probably a definite specific meaning, and signifies those peculiar trials to which the true Chm'ch of Christ, that Church the members of which are not known to man, but whose names are written in heaven, wiU be exposed in its final contest with the apostate Church of Rome. The mention of fire in connexion with the sea, implies a baptism with fire as well as with water ; or, in other Avords, the cleansing effect of persecution and suffering combined with the purifying influences of the Holy Spirit.* So that the leading ideas here are still those which run through the whole book of prophecy from the beginning, the bruising of the heel of Christ in his people, and the crushing of the head of the adversary : the sufferings of the Church first, and then the glory. The mention afterwards of " the Song of Moses," reminds us of the Israelites standing upon the borders of the Red Sea, and looking upon their enemies as they lay dead upon the shore, whilst they themselves were in safety; and perhaps this is meant to signify that the Protestant Churches of Em'ope, which shall continue faithful to their principles, and maintain the truth of the Gospel in opposition to the corruptions of Rome, shall thus stand, as it were, in a place of seciu'ity, whilst the judgments of God are being executed on the adherents of the Papacy. (See the epistle to the Chm-ch of Philadelphia, c. iii. 10.) 2. But is no particular Church or nation designated * Thus our Lord : " Ye shall indeed be baptized -with the baptism I am baptized with." (Matt. xx. 22.) And again, " For every one (i.e., every disciple of mine) shall Ik; salted with^'z-e." (^Nlark ix. 49.) THE SEVEN LAST PLAGUES, OR THIRD WOE. 177 by the conquerors of the beast and his image ? Perhaps not. They may mean, generally, as already intimated, all the members of evangelical Churches, as distinct from the Church of Rome. If any particular Church be intended, it is not perhaps presumptuous to hope it may be our own. Indeed, there are some circum- stances in the vision which may justify us in indulging this pleasing anticipation. Separated by a narrow sea from the continental nations, it is possible that Ave may be privileged to behold " the desolations which the Lord hath made in the earth," whilst we ourselves are exempted. Yet, on the other hand, our national sins almost forbid our entertaining such an expectation. All will depend, doubtless, upon our continuing, both eccle- siastically and politically, both as a Church and a State, to maintain our Protestant principles. If we do this — if we hold fast that which our ancestors nobly won with their blood, and bequeathed to us as the most valuable of blessings, freedom of thought, liberty of soul, and, above all, the unrestricted circulation of the Bible in our own language, then may we hope that the fire which is mingled with the waters in the sea of glass will not reach us, but, like the waters of the Red Sea, consume om' enemies, while we stand upon the sea-shore, singing, as the Israelites of old, songs of triumph and deliverance. Ver. 5 — 8. " And after that I looked, and, behold, the temple .... was opened," &c. — This is not a new vision, but a more detailed account of the seven angels mentioned in the first verse, the circumstances of whose appearance are now related. After the anticipatory song of victory had ceased, the apostle looked upwards, and saw the inner part of the temple, in which was the ark of the testimony, opened, VOL. II. N 178 CHAPTER XV. 5 8. and the seven angels of whom he had before spoken, in the attire of priests, issuing from the temple ; one of the living creatures then gave them each a golden bowl, or basin, filled with the wrath of God ; upon which a cloud of smoke came over the temple, and no one could enter into it until the angels had poured out the vessels of wrath upon the earth. The meaning of which things appears to be this : the seven angels, who are the ministers of God's judgments, come out of the temple and are attired as priests, to signify that the judgments of which they are about to be the execu- tioners are retributive judgments, inflicted as a just punishment on those who have " blasphemed God, and his temple, and those that dwell therein." The opening of the temple and the discovery of the tabernacle of the testimony, identifies this vision with that of chapter xi. 19, of which it is the development, and indicates, that the outpourings of the Divine wrath upon the adversaries of the Gospel, will be attended by manifestations of peculiar mercy and favour towards the spiritual Israel, the true Church of the living God. But the covering of the temple with a cloud of smoke, so that no man could enter in during the time that the vials were being poured out, implies, that until God's judgments are executed there will be no open manifesta- tion of his mercy.* His people will be safe, but it will be within the temple, hidden, as it were, beneath the clouds and darkness that surround the Divine majesty when his judgments are in the earth. (See Isaiah xxvi. 20.) * Thus we read in Numbers xvi. 42, that before the breaking forth of the plague, " a cloud covered the tabernacle, and the glory of the Lord iippeared." THE FIRST VIAL. 179 Such appears to be the import of the symbols em- ployed in this introductory vision, which, like all the other introductory visions, carries us forward to the end, and contains a comprehensive summary of the more minute details which follow. CHAPTER XVI. THE FIRST VIAL, OR BOWL, VCrS. 1, 2, ^^ And I heard a great voiced' &c. . . . ''And the first loent and i^oured out his vial on the earth," &c. Before entering upon the details of this chapter I would recal a few leading points to the reader's recol- lection. Let it be remembered, then, that these vials are the third woe, the second woe being that of the Ottomans or Turks, which ceased towards the close of the last century ; and, consequently, the commencement of this vial-woe cannot be dated before that period, nor much after it. Let it also be remembered, that the earth is the ancient Roman loorld, now divided into ten kingdoms, and which form the theatre of the symbolic drama. In order, therefore, fully to reaHze what the apostle saw, we must imagine ourselves, as in a former instance, looking down from the sky upon the south of Em-ope, with its several modern kingdoms of France, Spain, Italy, &c., with their seas, rivers, and inhabitants spread out before us, and visible to the eye. Further, let it be borne in mind, that the vessels employed for the outpouring of God's wrath were not N 2 180 CHAPTER XVI. 1, 2. what we mean by vials, but bowlsy or basins, which would therefore be discharged not slowly and gradually, but rapidly and at once, indicating the comparative rapidity with which the predicted judgments would be accomplished. Having made these preliminary general remarks, we will now proceed to the consideration of details. The first angel poured out his vial upon the earth, and the effect was, the appearance of an ofiensive and painful ulcer upon the men who had the mark of the beast. Now the men who have the mark of the beast are, as we assume to have been proved, the members of the Romish, or Latin Church. What, then, may this ofiensive and painful uJcer signify? It is generally supposed by modern commentators to mean that gross species of Infidelity which showed itself in so revolting a form in Roman Catholic countries, and especially France, towards the end of the last century. And this is, I conceive, the true interpretation of the symbol. No one can suppose that the ulcer is to be understood literally. But if it be a figm-e, what can represent more accurately and forcibly the moral evils of modern Infidelity, particularly as exhibited in the schools of French philosophy ? A running ulcer is a sore occa- sioned by corrupt humours of the body which, having been for some time circulating in the veins, are at length concentrated in a particular spot, and bursting the skin, discharge themselves with much pain to the afilicted party, making him at the same time loathsome and offensive to others. Now how striking and accurate an emblem have we here of that moral ulcer with which the kingdoms of the Papacy have for the last fifty years and more been afflicted ? The corrupt humours, the THE FIRST VIAL. 181 cause of the ulcer, had long been circulating in the members of the body politic subject to the dominion of Rome, but being widely diffused they did not show themselves, nor was their existence generally perceived, until the period of the French Revolution. Then the moral poison became, as it were, concentrated in a particular part of the body, and bursting through all restraints by the additional force which it had thus acquired, it showed itself in all its malignity and offen- siveness. And surely never was there a system of morals (if such it may be called) which more justly deserved to be characterized as " a noisome and grievous sore," than that of modern Infidelity. To show that this application of the prophetic symbol is not a mere arbitrary assumption, I would ask the reader's attention to a few extracts from a sermon * of an eloquent writer and preacher of the above-named period, who, without intending any reference to the prophecy, has used precisely the same imagery as that here employed, and in tracing up the history of modern Infidelity has furnished us, in fact, with a lucid exposition of this first vial. Speaking of the origin of modern Infidelity, he says : *' Has real Christianity anything to fear ? Have not the degenerate manners and corrupt lives of multitudes in the visible Church been, on the contrary, the principal occasion of scandal and offence? Infidelity, without intending it, is gradually removing this reproach ; pos- sessing the property of attracting to itself the morbid HUMOURS WHICH PERVADE THE ChURCH, Until the Christian profession on the one hand is reduced to a * " Modern Infidelity considered with respect to its influence on Society," a Sermon by llobert Hall, M.A. 1801. 182 CHAPTER XVI. 1, 2. sound and healthy state, and Scepticism on the other exhibits nothing but a mass of putridity and disease." (P. 81.) Again ; " Infidelity has no individual subsistence given it in the system of prophecy. It is not a beast, but a mere putrid excrescence of the Papal beast : an excrescence tohich ihough it may diffuse death through every vein of the body on which, it grew, yet shall die along with it. Its enormities will hasten its overthrow." (P. 72.) Once more, speaking of the fruits of Prench Infidelity, he says : " Settle it, therefore, in yom- minds, as a maxim never to be effaced, or forgotten, that Atheism is an inhuman, bloody, ferocious system, equally hostile to every useful restraint and to every virtuous affection ; leaving nothing above us to excite awe, nor round us to waken tenderness, it wages war with heaven and with earth : its first object is to dethrone God, its next to destroy man." (P. 51.) Then, as to the bursting forth of this moral virus, its showing itself, as it were, on the social body generally, how striking is the same writer's language. " The efforts of Infidels," he observes, " to difiuse the princi- ples of Infidelity among the common people, is another alarming symptom peculiar to the present time. Hume and Gibbon addressed themselves solely to the more polished classes of the community. Infidelity has lately grown condescending ; bred in the speculations of a daring philosophy, and the stagnant marshes of a corrupt Christianity, and afterwards nursed in the lap of voluptuousness and of courts ; having at length reached its full maturity, it boldly ventures to challenge THE FIRST VIAL. 183 the suffrages of the people, soHcits the acquaintance of peasants and mechanics, and seeks to draw whole nations to its standard." (P. 69.) These undesigned testimonies from a contemporary witness of such unquestionable power as a writer, are, to my mind, satisfactory and conclusive. They prove beyond dispute, that there is nothing forced or unnatural in that interpretation which makes this " noisome and grievous sore," the atheistical Infidelity of the Con- tinental school; but, on the contrary, that it was indeed, in its effects on the body politic, a noisome and grievous sore, occasioning intense suffering to the nations themselves among whom it prevailed, and making them an offence and a nuisance to others. But it may be objected, that the Infidelity of the French Revolution was not confined to the Papal king- doms. It spread its poison, it may be said, far and wide, and even Protestant and scriptm-ally enlightened England did not escape, — how, then, was the prophecy fulfilled which confines the breaking out of the sore to the men that have the mark of the beast ? Now we admit the fact affirmed. We admit that Infidelity did show itself in a revolting form at the close of the last century in England, as well as in other countries. But we cannot allow that it ever became that " noisome and grievous sore " in this country which it did in France and Spain, and other Papal kingdoms. The boil never broke forth, so to speak, upon the social body generally. The poison may have been in the veins, but it was neutralized and over-mastered by an antidote more pow- erful than itself. And here lies the great difference, as regards the results of Infidelity, between Roman Catholic countries, and our own, and other Protestant 184 CHAPTER XVI. 3 7. countries. In them, it is " a noisome and grievous sore " breaking out, like the boils on the Egyptians, all over the body, and affecting the whole population ; but in Protestant countries, where the Gospel is fully preached, and the Scriptures are freely circulated, this moral virus loses its power, and instead of corrupting the whole social body, is gradually absorbed, and event- ually thrown off by the healthy vigour imparted to the mass of the population by the word of truth. Infidelity never has flourished, and never will flourish amongst a people thoroughly imbued with scriptural knowledge. But where the Scriptures are withheld from the laity, and the authority of the Church and of the priest is substituted for the authority of the Word of God, there it meets with a congenial soil, and, accordingly, both history and experience testify that Popery and Infidelity ever go hand in hand together.* It is a part of the just retribution of God, that those who, under the veil of truth, " speak lies in hypocrisy," shall themselves be tormented by the greatest of all lies, the pretended philosophy of Atheism ! Vers. 3 — 7. " And the second angel poured out his vial upon the sea,'' &c. — The attentive reader will, doubtless, have observed a general analogy between the first four vials and the first four trumpets. In both * This may appear to some persons an unjust and groundless calumny. But if the reader be disposed so to view it, just let him consider what has been the actual practice of the two parties, the Papal and the Infidel, in our own country, and especially in the Houses of Parliament, for the last fifty years. Have they not banded together? In every question affecting religion, has not the Infidel supported the Papist, and the Papist the Infidel ? And how is tliis to be accounted for unless we admit some sort of inexplicable relationship between them? Simile agit in simile; and on no other principle can this singular but indisputable fact be explained. THE SECOND AND THIRD VIALS. 185 cases, the earth, the sea, the rivers, and the sun, are successively affected. But although the same parts of the political universe are affected respectively by the trumpets and the vials, there are some marked points of difference in the results in each instance, and it is important to the right understanding of the prophecy that these points of difference should be noticed. The effects of the sounding of the first trumpet were hail and fire mingled with blood cast upon the earth, and the burning up of every green thing ; the effects of the outpouring of the first vial are, " a noisome ulcer among the men that have the mark of the beast." Now here is a plain and striking difference. The one implies the devastations of war ; the other is manifestly the symbol of a moral evil : and it would be absurd to argue against such an application, because in the former instance the earth and its productions must have a more literal interpretation given to them. The same difference is also observable between the results of the second trumpet and the second vial. Both affect the sea, and in both instances the sea becomes blood ; but in the one case it is simply blood, in the other, it is the blood of a dead man. Now this difference is not accidental. The blood of a living man, jlowing in red streams, is a different emblem from the blood of a dead man, black, coagulated, and stagnant. The one denotes great slaughter in war, and destruction of human life by the sword ; the other, I imagine, is rather to be understood in a more spiritual sense, as denoting, i.e., moral death, a total stagnation of all the powers and functions of man, regarded as a moral and religious being. In like manner there is a difference between the 186 CHAPTER XVI. 3 7. results of the third trumpet and the tldrd vial. Both affect the rivers, but in the one case they are made hitter, and those who drink of them die ; implying, as I have endeavoured to show in commenting upon the passage, corruption in doctrine; in the other, they are turned into blood, and the men of the earth drink of the waters mingled with blood, and the retributive justice of God is commended in thus giving those blood to drink, who had shed the blood of saints and prophets. Which plainly seems to signify that this conversion of the rivers into blood, is symbolical of an immense destruction of human life by the shedding of blood. I cannot, therefore, agree with Mr. Elliott and some other interpreters, who explain the second vial of the destruction of the maritime forces of the Papal kingdoms by Great Britain, adducing, in the way of proof, the victories of Hood, Howe, and Nelson. It is unquestion- ably true that the naval strength of France and Spain was by these victories almost annihilated. But that is not the point in question. The real question is, whether, admitting the fact just stated, the sea's becoming as the blood of a dead man is a suitable prophetic symbol of such fact. I think not. I cannot see why a sea of black, coagulated, stagnant blood should symbohze the destruction of navies. But what then does it signify ? It seems to me that it must have a pm'ely figm-ative meaning, and that it signifies, therefore, a state of moral, or spiritual, death prevailing generally amongst the mass of the people. The blood is the life. The health of the body depends upon the circulation of the blood. Stag- nation of the blood involves in it disease and death. But ia sea is a symbol of people, and nations, and tongues, (Chap. xvii. 15.) And what then can a sea changed as THE SECOND AND THIRD VIALS. 187 into the blood of a dead man as a symbol signify, bnt the cessation of all tlie functions of spiritual life amongst the people to whom the emblem refers ? I would interpret this vial, therefore, of that general stagnation of religious feeling amongst all classes in Roman Catholic countries, especially France, Spain, and Italy,* which succeeded the French Revolution, and was consequent upon the breaking forth of the moral ulcer of the former vial ; or, in other words, of the diffusion of those atheistical opinions of which that ulcer is the symbol. That there was at that time an extraordinary deadness as to religion in all Popish countries, is a matter of fact too notorious to require any proofs. The people generally were in- different to spiritual things, or, in other words, to what- ever was connected with the knowledge of revealed truth, the worship of God, and the salvation of the soul. The whole social body was, in short, in a state of spiritual torpor, and could be likened to nothing better than a vast collection of stagnant waters, resembling, in out- ward appearance, " the blood of a dead man," " exhibit- ing," to use the words of the writer before quoted, " nothing but a mass of putridity and disease." With regard to the third vial, the language employed in describing its effects seems to point, as already inti- mated, to the plentiful shedding of blood by the sword of war. The phrase " rivers of blood " is familiar to our ears, and is constantly employed by historians in describing the field of battle. And perhaps, therefore, this vial may have had its fulfilment, as many modern com- * Countries bordering iqjon the sea are sometimes in Scripture called the sea. Thus Isaiah Ix. 5 : " The ahundaiice of the sea shall be converted unto thee." This vial, therefore, may be supposed with some probability to have especial reference to the countries above named. 188 CHAPTER XVI. 8, 9. mentators think, in those terrific and sanguinary conflicts which were fought by the French armies on the rivers of Italy, Germany, and Austria. The destruction of life in these conflicts was immense, and it has been truly observed, that there was scarcely a river of any note in the countries just named which was not tinged with human blood. I am inclined, however, to think that the imagery may have a yet more specific bearing, and relate more particularly to the slaughter of the clergy of the Romish Church during the prevalence of the revo- lutionary frenzy. My reasons for supposing that the rivers and fountains of water symbolize the clergy have already been given (see vol. i., p. 295), and there seems to be peculiar propriety in this application of the emblem here. For assuming that the ulcer of the first vial represents infidelity breaking out and showing itself in its most virulent form amongst certain individuals, from the rationalistic character of their minds peculiarly sus- ceptible of its influence, and that the sea of stagnant blood represents the people at large brought by the influence of infidel principles into a state of decdii-lihe torpor as regards all the feelings and exercises of religion, then will the rivers and fountains of water naturally symbolize the clergy, and their becoming blood wiU indicate the shedding of their blood by violence. Now it is notorious that the Popish clergy were the especial objects of attack to the revolutionary mobs both in Paris and elsewhere ; it is also an indisputable fact that they have ever been the chief instigators of persecution, and that it is at their suggestion that temporal magistrates have shed the blood of saints and of prophets. Whilst, therefore, Ave cannot read of the sufferings of the French clergy without feelings of horror mingled with com- THE FOURTH VIAL. 189 passion, it is impossible not to see in them an example of the retributive justice of God. Vers. 8, 9. — " And the fourth an(jel poured out his vial upon the sun'' &c. — The sun, as a political symbol, represents a principal state or kingdom. And as these prophecies have reference to the territory occupied by the revived Western or Latin Roman Empire subsisting at this period under its ten horns or dynasties, this sun will signify the greatest and most conspicuous of those dynasties. It will be observed, however, that the effects of this vial upon the symbolic sun on which it is poured out, are not such as we should have anticipated. Instead of extinguishing it, or in any degree diminishing its brightness and heat, as in the case of the fourth trumpet, it increases them. " And power tvas given unto him to scorch the men * with fire!' Now there can be no mistake as to the import of this imagery. The sun ordinarily diffuses a genial light and heat over the earth, imparting a healthy, acceptable warmth to the animal and vegetable kingdom ; but if the strength and number of its rays were to be greatly increased, the heat would become intolerable, and mankind and all living things would be literally " scorched with fire." Applied, then, to a symbolic sun — that is, a principal kingdom — this imagery implies such an increase in the power and resources of that kingdom as shall make it a scourge to the neigh- bouring nations, enabling it to scorch and burn them up, as it were, by the superior strength imparted to it. And where, then, shall we seek for the fulfilment of this prophecy? The reader will probably have antici- pated the reply to this inquuy. Any person acquainted with the history of Europe during the seventeenth and • i.e., the men who had the mark of the beast. 190 CHAPTER XVI. 8, 9. eighteenth centuries, if asked, which of the Papal kingdoms shone forth most conspicuously about this period, so as to be entitled to be called by way of distinction the sun in the political firmament, would instantly name France; nor have I a shadow of doubt that France under the imperial rule of Napoleon is the sun on which this vial is poured out. Independently of the general consideration just mentioned, the pre-eminence of France amongst the continental kingdoms, which would itself entitle it to this distinction, there are two others of a more particular and definite character which appear to me to be con- clusive. The one is, that France by her reigning monarch did at one period of her history assume to herself this distinctive title. It is an historical fact that Louis XIV. bore upon his banners a sun as an emblem of France, with this inscription, " Nee pluribus impar." And incredible as such a thing may appear, it is stated on good authority that the principal reason alleged by him for going to war with Holland was, that Van Beunning, a Dutchman, had caused a medal to be struck, representing himself and a sun, with these words sub- scribed, " In conspeetu, meo, stetit sol,'' "At sight of me the sun stood still." * Now this is one of those remark- able coincidences between the language of prophecy and the facts of history which furnish a clue to the meaning of the former, and put a stamp of probability, not to say certainty, on that scheme of interpretation which brings such coincidences to light. That the French monarch should have assumed as his device a sun, taken in connexion with the fact that France did unquestionably at the period to which the prophecy belongs shine forth as by far the most conspicuous of all the ten kingdoms * Siecle dc Louis XIV., cap. 9. THE FOURTH VIAL. 191 of Papal Clmstendom, are circumstances which, to say the least, favour very strongly the above application of this prophetic symbol. This view is still further corroborated by events. France did become a sun to scorch the nations her neighbours. The Erench Empire under Napoleon fulfilled the prophecy almost to the letter; and what deserves especially to be noticed is, that it was the men tvho had the mark of the beast that felt most severely the scorching heat of its fiery rays. Spain, Italy, and Austria were the countries in which the sun of Lnperial Erance shot forth most fiercely its tormenting and destructive fires. To show in detail the fulfilment of the prediction would be to write a history. Let the reader who may have any doubts upon the subject peruse Alison's, or almost any other writer's narrative of the campaigns of Bonaparte from the year 1796, when he gained his first victory at Monte Notte, to 1814, when he abdicated at Eontaine- bleau. This I conceive is the period occupied by the fourth vial. It was during this period that Erance, like a consuming fire, burnt up the nations round about her, and it was at the close of this period that she herself was consumed by the fire which she had kindled, and the vial of Divine indignation, which in the first instance, like oil pom^ed upon burning coals, had caused her to blaze forth with destructive fury on all around her, proved also to herself a vial of wrath. Instead of occupying the reader's time by extracts from the history of that period, the events of which are fresh in the memory of many living, I shall content myself with transcribing the following passage from the eloquent writer before quoted ; and coming, as it does, from one who lived in the midst of the desolating eff'ects of a war 192 CHAl'TER XVI. 8, 9. he so well describes, it possesses peculiar claims to our interest and attention : — " If ever we are expected to he still and know that he is God," observes the preacher, "it is on the present occasion, after a crisis so unexampled in the annals of the world, during which scenes have been disclosed and events have risen, so much more astonishing than any that history had recorded or romance had feigned, that we are compelled to lose sight of human agency, and to behold the Deity acting, as it were, apart and alone. " The contest in which we have been lately engaged is distinguished from all others in modern times by the number of nations it embraced, and the animosity with which it was conducted. Making its first appear- ance IN THE CENTRE OF THE CIVILIZED WORLD, LIKE A FIRE KINDLED IN THE THICKEST PART OF A FOREST, it spread during ten years on every side ; it burnt in ALL directions, GATHERING FRESH FURY IN ITS PRO- GRESS, TILL IT INWRAPPED THE WHOLE OF EuROPE IN ITS FLAMES ; an awful spectacle not only to the inhabi- tants of the earth, but in the eyes of superior beings ! We are met to express our devout gratitude to God for putting a period to a war the most eventful, perhaps, that has been witnessed for a thousand years."* Can we desire a better exposition of the prophecy before us than this? "The centre of the civihzed world," in the retrospective view taken by the preacher, what is it but another form of expression for " the sun " of the Apocalyptic universe ? And when it is added that " a fire kindled in this centre, spread in all directions until it inwrapped all Europe in its flames," * See a sermon preached on Tuesday, June 1, 1803, being the day of thanksgiving for a general peace, by Robert Hall, M, A., p. 1 8. . THE FOURTH VIAL. 193 what is this but saying in other words that " power was given to him to scorch men with fire?" "And men blasphemed the name of God,'' Sfc. — History has hitherto, alas ! abundantly verified this melancholy prediction. The miseries inflicted upon the Papal kingdoms by the republican and imperial armies of France, have not had a salutary effect. They continue what they were. They still " blaspheme the name of God," by associating with his name, "who is jealous, and will not give his glory to another," the names of men and angels, invoking their aid, and asking their mediation and intercession, to the dishonour of the one only true God, and the one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus. This is blasphemy. To put the creature thus on a level with the Creator, — to say, in one and the same breath, " Lord, have mercy upon us," and, " Holy Mary, pray for us ! Holy Mother of God, pray for us ! We fly to thy patronage, O holy Mother of God ! Despise not our petitions in our necessities, but deliver us from all dangers, O thou ever Ijlessed and glorious Virgin ! " * — this, I say,, is blasphemy ; and this is what the members of the Church of Rome have done for centuries, and still do to this very hour.f They have not, therefore, yet repented "to give him glory." * See " The Litany of the Blessed Virgin," contained in the " Catholic Christian's Manual," published by James Duffy, Dublin. t The very last official document of the Papacy relating to this country, is sufficient proof of this. The Apostolical Letter of Pius IX., appointing bishops in England, concludes thus : " AYe again invoke, as OUR inter- CESSOKS WITH GoD, the Most Holy Mother of God, the Blessed Apostles Peter and Paul, with the other heavenly patrons of England, and especially St. George the Great, &c. Given at Rome, this 29th day of September, 1850." VOL. II. 0 194 chapter xvi. 10, 11. The Fifth Vial. Ver. 10. "And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the throne of the beast ^ &c. — Before entering upon the consideration of this vial, I would direct the reader's attention to an important chronological differ- ence between these vials and the trumpets. After the sounding of the fourth trumpet, an angel is heard in the mid-heaven, proclaiming three distinct woes to the inhabitants of the earth, " because of the other angels who were yet to sound," — implying a pause in the prophetic history, and plainly intimating, that the three woes proclaimed would be consecutive, not simultaneous, and follow each other at distinctly marked intervals. But we meet with nothing of the kind here. These vials, or bowls of the Divine wrath, are poured out upon different parts of the symbolic universe without the slightest pause, until we come to the sixth ; and as the effusion of a liquid from a shallow open vessel is the act of a moment, we may, I think, infer, not only that the judgments prefigured by these six vials are to be almost, if not altogether, simultaneous, but also that they are to be of comparatively short duration. Assum- ing these principles to be unquestionable, we now proceed to the interpretation of this fifth vial. The fifth vial is poured out upon the seat, or rather throne, of the beast. Now the beast is the revived Western Roman Empire, that politico-ecclesiastical dominion which was established by the Popes and the kings of Trance, during the sixth, seventh, and eighth centuries. The seat, or throne, of the beast, therefore, is Rome. Eor it is said of this beast that the dragon gave him "his power, and throne, and great authority.'* THE FIFTH VIAL. 195 (c. xiii. 2.) The outpouring of this vial, consequently, must in an especial manner affect Rome and the Roman territories. Its glory is to suffer a temporary eclipse, and all the states and kingdoms connected with it are to undergo at the same time, as a necessary consequence, a like temporary obscuration. So that at the very time that the chief of the Papal kingdoms is blazing like a meteoric sun with an unnatural and hurtful splendour, scorching the neighbouring states by the intensity of its heat, the Papal dominions generally are to be involved in darkness, and their inhabitants are to " gnaw their tongues with pain." Now, at first sight, these things seem almost con- tradictory. It seems almost impossible that the light and heat of the sun, in a political firmament, should be increased, and the consequence be the darkening of that firmament. Yet so it was ; and the exactness with which this apparently self-contradictory prophecy has been accomplished, is truly wonderful. The effusion of this vial began, I conceive, almost simultaneously with the first, in the year 1796, when the French armies under Napoleon entered Italy. Prom that hour the obscuration of the Papacy, and the several kingdoms connected with it, commenced. As the sun of France arose and increased in dazzling splendour, Rome and all its satellites faded away ; and just in proportion as the glory (falsely so called) of the one shone forth, were the others involved in darkness. Italy, Naples, Spain, and Austria, were the countries at that time most closely connected with the Papacy. They were the stars in its firmament. But how did these one by one fade away before the Imperial sun of Napoleon ? First of all, the Pope was obliged to o 2 196 CHAPTER XVI. 10, 11. purchase an ignominious peace by the payment of a milhon pounds sterhng, the sacrifice of a hundred of the finest pictm-es and statues in the Papal gallery, and the cession of Ancona, Perrara, and Bologna, with their respective domains. On the 10th February, in the following year, the French entered Loretto, and despoiled that celebrated shrine of all the treasures that remained in it ; the most valuable articles having been previously sent to Rome. The Papal troops fled in every direction, and the Pope in despair confirmed the terms of the treaty he had before made, but had not fulfilled, agreeing to pay a million and a half sterling, instead of the million originally stipulated. On the 10th February, 1798, a French army entered Rome. On the 13th of the same month, Rome was declared a Republic, and Pope Pius VJ. formally de- posed from the temporal sovereignty. Having refused to sign his abdication, he was forcibly removed from the capital, and died a year afterw^ards at Valence, on the Rhine, a prisoner in the hands of the French. The short period of the republican government was one of indescribable distress to the people of Rome. " Death, suspension of commerce, and consequent poverty, military despotism, and unrestrained licen- tiousness, attended by a general confusion of society," says the historian, " were the characteristics of that time." Upon the death of Pius VI., the Romish Church was for six months without a head. At length, the Cardinals having assembled at Venice, a new Pope was elected, on the 14th of March, under the title of Pius VIL THE PIFTH VIAL. 197 In 1805, this Pope, at Napoleon's bidding, reluc- tantly repaired to Paris to be present at liis coronation, as Emperor of Prance and King of Italy. On the 17th of May, 1809, Napoleon issued a decree, in which he united all the estates of the Church to the Prench Empire, leaving the Pope only his palaces, and an income of two millions of francs (80,000/. sterling) ; thus depriving the Roman Pontiff of all temporal sovereignty. In reply, the Pope issued a bull of excommunication against him and his abettors, dated June the 9th, 1809. On the 6th of July, the Pope was again seized in his palace, and carried as a prisoner, first to Grenoble, and then to Pon- tainbleau, where he remained, under circumstances of great indignity,* till the abdication of Napoleon, when he was restored to his capital and his kingdom. And here, therefore, this fifth vial probably ends, its effusion having occupied the space of nearly twenty years. It should be observed, however, as before intimated, that all the states and kingdoms connected with the Papacy underwent during this period a temporary eclipse. Spain, Portugal, and all the kingdoms of Italy, were deprived of their hereditary Roman Catholic sovereigns, and Napoleon, or his nominees, occupied their respective thrones. On the 2d of December, 1806, the sun of Austerlitz, as it has been called, arose, and one of the consequences of that disastrous battle was the withdrawal of the princes who composed • It is asserted bj' some Avriters, that Napoleon, in one of his confer- ences with Pius, lifted his hand and struck him on the face ; but this has been denied, as it is said, on the authority of Pius himself. See Pacca'a " Memorie Storiche," part iii., c. 1. 198 CHAPTER XVI. 10, 11. the Confederation of tlie Rhine from the influence of Austria, whose Emperor, finding himself deserted by his principal supporters, resigned in 1806 the Imperial dignity.* Thus, one by one, " the lights " of the imperio-papal dominion were extinguished, and the outpoiu-ing of this vial upon the throne of the beast, was followed by the " darkening of his kingdom." " And they gnawed their tongues for pain, and blas- phemed the name of God, and repented not," &c. This is strong language ; too strong, it may perhaps seem to some persons, to be applicable to the followers of the Papacy under the chastisements inflicted upon them by the French armies. It will be found, however, upon exami- nation, to have been fully verified. To " gnaw the tongue for pain," is a figurative mode of expressing the impotent rage of despair. Unable to retaliate upon his tormentors, a man vents his hatred and rage upon himself and gnaws his own tongue, thus giving himself bodily pain to relieve his mental anguish. And did not the adherents of the Pope, and the Popish clergy in particular, thus "gnaw their tongues for pain" when they saw the princes Avho upheld them fall one after another before the victorious troops of Napoleon ? — when the shrines were despoiled of their richest treasures, the fairest provinces of the Papacy laid waste, and the roar of the Infidel-republican artillery was heard at the gates of Rome itself? — when the sacred blood (as was })rctended) of their patron saint was made to flow, by the threat that if it did not flow within twenty-four hours the city would be bombarded ? f — * See, for the particulars here related, Sir Walter Scott's " Life of Napoleon," Alison's " History of Europe," and Botta's " Storia d'ltalia." f The story is, that whereas at a certain festival the blood of the saint, which was kept in a vial, was accustomed to flow ; upon this not taking THE FIFTH VIAL. 199 when even their images shed tears,* as they affirmed, at the impious sacrileges committed by the invaders, and priests in despair came with halters about their necks begging to be led at once to the gallows ? That such events as these must have filled them with madness we know; but what could they do? They could but look on in despair, and " gnaw their tongues." And did they repent ? No ; to this hour they have not repented. They continue still to blaspheme the name of God and to do the same deeds. Do we not still hear of weeping Madonnas and images that move their eyes? And will any man affirm that the priests who manage these things believe them? And if they do not believe them, what are they but daring hypocrites who, under the mask of religion, deceive the people and dishonour God. Does not the Pope still claim to be the "ruler of the universal Church?" Does he not to this hour affirm that this universal sovereignty was committed to him by Jesus Christ, and does he not blasphemously style himself his vicar upon earth ? f And whilst " the prophets thus prophesy place as usual, the priests affirmed that the cessation of the miracle was owing to the presence of the French armies, and that the blood would remain stagnant until they were withdraAvn. When the French General heard of this, he sent a message to the effect above stated; upon the receipt of which the blood began instantly to flow. * The priests had an image of the Virgin Mary at this place (Ancona), which they exhibited to the people in the act of shedding tears, the more to stimulate them against the impious republicans. On entering the place, the French were amused with discovering that the Madonna's tears were a string of glass beads FLOWING by clockwokk within a shrine which the v/orshippers were too respectful to approach very nearly." — Family Library — Napoleon, vol. i., 91. •j- See, for example, the commencement of the last Apostolical Letter of Pius the IXth. " The power of kxjling the universal Church, committed by our Lord Jesus Christ to the Roman Pontiff, in tlie person 200 CHAPTER XVI. 12. falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means," do not "the people love to have it so?" What effect, then, have all the evils inflicted upon Papal Christendom by the noisome sore of French infidelity, and the scorching heat of Trench artillery, had, but that of hardening them in their sins ? SIXTH VIAL. THE DRYING UP OF THE EUPHRATES. Ver. 12. " A?icl the sixth a??(/el ])oured out his vial itpon the great river Euphrates^' &c. — Before entering upon the exposition of this vial, let me request the reader to bear in mind that St. John actually saw what he here describes. It was not with him as with us, who merely read the apostle's narrative of the vision, and wdio are apt to imagine in consequence that he saw no more than we do ; and that he is, therefore, rather writing a prophetical allegory than giving an account of a symbolic drama which was acted before his eyes. It was not, I say, thus with the apostle. He is not writing, like Bunyan, an allegory of his own imagining, but he is describing scenes which really passed before him in vision, " falling into a trance, but having his eyes open." Consequently, upon the effusion of this sixth vial, he saw the river Euphrates, that great river which, rising to the south of the Euxine, had overflowed its banks, and forsaking its natural channel, had shot its waters across the Sea of Marmora, until they reached even to the Danube : he saw, I say, the waters of this great river gradually of St. Peter," &c. Have we not here falsehood and blasphemy combined ? Does the Pope really believe in his heart that the power of ruling the universal Church was committed by Christ to the Moman Pontiff in the person of St. Peter ? THE SIXTH VIAL. 201 dried up, and its channel left bare ; so that what had hitherto been an impassable watery barrier to the inter- course of the nations on either side, became e^sy of access, and men might pass over dry shod. This was what St. John saw. And what then might these things mean ? Taking the Euphrates to be the symbol, as it undoubtedly is, of an empire, there cannot, I imagine, be a shadow of a doubt as to what empire it represents. In fact, there is an almost universal agreement among commentators upon this point. An hundred and fifty years ago Mede wrote thus : " What then shall we say that this Euphrates, whose waters are to be dried up, is? It is, in my opinion, the Ottoman Empire, which will then (i. e., just previously to the drying up of its waters) be the only barrier to these new enemies from the East, and the defence of the beast on that side." (" Mede's Works," fol., p. 529.) About the same period Eleming also wi'ites to the same effect, as follows : " The sixth vial will be poiu-ed out on the Mahommedan Antichrist, as the former was on the Papacy ; and seeing the sixth trumpet brought the Tm'ks from beyond Euphrates, froiii the crossing wliich river they date their rise, this sixth vial dries up their waves and exhausts their power, as the means and way to prepare and dispose the Eastern kings and kingdoms to renounce their Heathenish and Mohammedan errors, in order to their receiving and embracing Christianity." (" Rise and Eall of the Papacy," p. 54. Johnstone, Edin., 1846.) Now, when it is considered, that at the time these writers lived, the Turkish Empire was in the height of its power, and showed no symptoms of decay, 202 CHAPTER XVI. 12. it must be admitted that their speaking so decidedly as to its removal out of the way being symbolized by^ the drying up of the "waters of the Euphrates, is no slight proof that this application of the prophecy, the fulfilment of which we are now witnessing, is correct, and not a mere arbitrary assumption, founded rather on a fancied agreement between it and passing events, than on any intrinsic evidence derived from the prophecy itself. But, indeed, the grounds for this application and interpretation of the symbol are clear and satisfactory. For the Babylon of the Revelation is not only the city of Rome, but it is the revived Western Roman Empire. (See ver, 19 of this chapter.) And as, then, the Euphrates ran through the ancient Babylon, thus forming a boundary on either side, so must that Empire of which it is the symbol, be some Empire bordering upon the territories occupied by ancient Rome.* And what Empire can this be but that of the Ottomans or Tiil-ks ? They, as we have seen, were the foiu* angels bound on the river Euphrates ; and the loosing of them was, in fact, only expressing by a different metaphor the same thing as would have been signified by that river's overfloAving its banks. Nor is this application of the emblem a mere modern conjecture ; it is as old as Isaiah, * This view of the meaning of the symbol was taken by Roman Catholic writers, and seems to have been almost proverbial, three hundred years ago. For in a poem by Fracastoro, written in honour of Leo the Xth, we find these lines : — " Now greatly just, he rushes on to arms, As patriot ardour or religion warms ; Back towards his source Euphrates rolls his tides, And Nile his head in secret caverns hides." — Quoted in Hoscoe's Life of Leo X., vol. ii., c. xvii. Euphrates is here the Turkish Empire, as the Nile means Egypt. THE SIXTH VIAL. 203 who, in foretelling the invasion of Judaea by the Assyrians, makes the Euphrates the symbol of that people and their king. " Now, therefore, behold, the Lord bringeth up upon them the waters of the RIVER, strong and many, even the King of Assyria; and he shall come up over all his channels, and go over all his banks." (Isa. viii. 7.) The bearing of these words of Isaiah on the passage under consi- deration is obvious, and they appear to me to fix its meaning beyond dispute. The great river Euphrates is, then, the Ottoman Empire, which, rising like a small stream in the thirteenth century, flowed onwards and onwards, still deepening and widening in its course, until at length it overwhelmed the Eastern Empire of the Cassars, and nearly swept away all vestiges of Christianity, proving thus an almost insuperable barrier to the progress of the Gospel in that direction. But if the Euphrates be the symbol of the Turkish Empire, the drying up of its waters can signify nothing else but the gradual diminution of its internal resources, and the contraction of its territorial limits; the waters in this case being the symbol of the population, and the banks of the river of the boundaries of the Empire. That this vial thus interpreted is in the course of fulfilment, is abundantly evidenced by the most indisputable facts. It is a matter of notoriety that the population of the Turkish Empire is continually decreasing. The births do not exceed the deaths in the ordinary course of natiu-e ; whilst a varietv of causes combine to make the number of deaths out of the ordinary course far greater than in other 204 CHAPTER XVI. 12. countries. In proof of tlie correctness of these statements the following may suffice : — " That the human race in Turkey does really fade away, and perish beneath the eye of the observer," says Mr. Hartley, " may be fiu-ther evidenced by the circum- stance that Constantinople is supposed to have diminished in population by 300,000, since the year 1812." (" Researches in Greece and the Levant," p. 9.) The same writer states, that " recently a large Maho- medan population was diffused throughout the Morea : they filled its towns and its villages, and were even residing in the open country. Now, the whole of that population has been swept away from the surface of the soil." (Ibid, p. 17.) " Within the last twenty years," says Mr. Walsh, " Constantinople has lost one half of its population. It will be considered no exaggeration to say that within the period mentioned, from three to four hundred thousand persons have been prematurely swept away in one city of Europe, by causes which were not operating in any other — conflagration, pestilence, and civil com- motion." (Dr. Keith's " Signs of the Times.") The evidences of the diminution of the territorial extent of Turkey are still more conclusive. In 1822 the Greeks declared themselves free, and in 1829 their independence was acknowledged, and thus Greece was severed from the Ottoman Empire. In 1827, the battle of Navarino was fought, in which the Tm'kish fleets were destroyed, and the command of the sea in those parts taken from them. In 1828, Russia declared war against Turkey, and, after a succession of victories, obtained the cession of Moldavia and Wallachia, whilst at the same time not a THE SIXTH VIAL. 205, Turk was permitted to reside to the north of the Danube. In 1829, the French took possession of Algiers, and thus converted a province of Turkey into a French colony. About the same time Mehemet Ali, the Pacha of Egypt, rebelled against the Sultan, and Egypt also virtually ceased to be a part of the Ottoman dominions. Thus the outspread waters of this mystical Euphrates receded, or rather were driven back in every direction, and obliged to return to their proper channels. And what is the actual condition of Tm'key at this moment ? It owes its existence to the intervention of England and Russia; by the latter of which powers it is destined, probably, to be one day overthrown.* It- is curious, indeed, to observe how the conjectm'al language of uninspired politicians of modern times accords with the infallible declarations of ancient prophecy. " The fall of the Ottoman Empire," says M. De Laniartine, " is at hand. Constantinople awaits new decrees of fate. I discern from hence the Russian fleet, daily pressing near and more near to the city and the port. The Greeks are returning under the name and in the costume of the Russians ; and Providence has marked the day when the last assault made by them upon the walls of Constantinople will reduce that splendid city to a ■ * Nothing can be more striking than the change which has taken place of late years in the condition of the two nations. In 1711, Russia seemed to lie at the mercy of the Sultan. The Czar, Peter the Great, surrounded by an army of Turks, was saved by the address and presence of mind of his wife Catharine, who, when he had given himself up in despair, pro- posed and obtained a treaty of peace on honourable terms. (See Voltaire's " Charles XII.," b. 5.) But now what is Turkey ? A prostrate foe lying at the feet of its giant rival, waiting to receive its death wound as soon as may be judged convenient. 206 CHAPTER XVI. 12. mass of flames, smoke, and ruins." ("Pilgrimage to the Holy Land in 1832, 1833," vol. iii., p. 16.) " That the loay of the kinf/s that are from the East might he prepared!' These words inform us of the design of Providence in the weakening, if not total abolition, of the Ottoman power. It is to prepare the way for the admission into the Church of "the kings from the East." Now the grand question here is, who these " kings from the East " may be. Mede, and most modern expositors consider that they are the Jews, whose conversion and restoration to Palestine they suppose to be thus foretold. And, undoubtedly, the restoration of the Jews to their native land would be greatly facilitated by the removal or subjugation of the Turks. But I cannot find that we have the slightest ground for such an application of the words. The Jews are nowhere in Scripture called by this title, nor can any reason be assigned why they should be so designated. In fact, the expression " from the East," is used with reference to Judaea, which was at the time when the Revelation was given the centre of Christendom, and it cannot, therefore, denote its own inhabitants. On these grounds, I incline to the opinion of Eleming and Archdeacon Woodhouse, who explain " the kings of the East " to mean the kingdoms of the East, Avhose con- version to Christianity they think is here foretold. This interpretation appears to me to be natural and satis- factory. Throughout the Apocalypse kings are put for kingdoms, the person for the thing. (See next chapter.) But if this be the meaning here, it is clear that " the kings from the East " will signify the eastern nations and their rulers. And who that looks around upon the state of those nations, but nuist perceive THE SIXTH VIAL. 207 evident indications of their approaching conversion ? India and China have ah-eady begun to " stretch out their hands to God ;" and I think we may infer from this prophecy that the destruction of the Turkish Empire will be followed by the conversion of the Arabs and Persians, and all the other kingdoms of the East. And viewed in this light, how striking a proof have we here of the Divine inspiration of the Apocalypse? This prophecy assumes that the kingdoms of the east will not be converted to Christianity until towards the end of the present dispensation, thereby implying that the kingdoms of the West will have been previously con- verted. And what are the facts of the case ? Whilst the Gospel has diffused its light steadily and widely in the western hemisphere, reaching even to the most distant coasts of America, it has not only not spread to an equal extent in the eastern world, but even in those countries where its light once shone brightest it has been extinguished, and, until very recently, all attempts for the conversion of the nations of the East have failed. What but the prescience of him to whom " all his works are known from the beginning of the world " could have foreseen these things ? THE THREE FROG-LIKE SPIRITS. Ver. 13. ''And I saio three unclean spirits, lihe frogs" &c. — The going forth of these three unclean spirits is manifestly contemporaneous with the drying up of the Euphrates ; and if, therefore, the interpretation above given of the sixth vial be correct, these three unclean spirits must at this very hour be engaged in the execution of their mysterious and hateful mission. This consideration invests the prophecy now before us with 208 CHAPTER XVI. 13 — 16. peculiar interest. We are living in momentous times. The world is upon the eve of a contest and convulsion such as has never yet been witnessed. We must take our part in that contest ; we must be prepared for that convulsion. It behoves us, therefore, to study the prophetic announcements God in mercy has given us in relation to these things, that that day may not come upon us unawares, but that like good and faithful servants we may be found fulfilling the respective tasks assigned us. Let us, then, enter upon the consideration of this deeply interesting subject with that solemn earnestness which its importance calls for. These three unclean spirits go forth from the mouth of the Dragon, and the Beast, and the False Prophet. Not one spirit only from the mouth of each, but an immense multitude of three classes of unclean spirits ; one class from the mouth of the dragon, another class from the mouth of the beast, and so on. Now the first point to which I would direct attention here is, the sudden and somewhat abrupt introduction of the designation, the FAjiSE Prophet. No mention has been previously made of such a person, at least under this title ; yet the use of the definite article, in connexion too with the dragon and the beast, implies that this is not the first time he has been spoken of in this book. Where then are we to look for him? A comparison of chapter xiii. 11 — 14, with chapter xix. 20, will enable us at once to answer this question. " And I beheld," says the apostle, " another beast coming up out of the earth .... and he dcceiveth them that dwell on the earth bi/ means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast!' But in chapter xix. we read, " And the beast was taken and THE THREE UNCLEAN SPIRITS. 209 with him the false prophet that icrouglit miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had the mark of the beast." Hence it is obvious that there is some relationship between the beast from the earth of chapter xiii. and the false prophet ; and, in fact, that if they are not absolutely identical, (as I do not think they are,) they symbolize, in some respects, one and the same thing. But it has been shown that the beast from the earth represents the Papacy as an ecclesiastical temporal power, in contradistinction to the purely secular dominion of the emperors. Consequently the false prophet is the Pope, regarded abstractedly, i.e., not as a person, but in his official capacity as the pretended head of the Church, and the infallible teacher of the true doctrine. In this capacity he sustains the character of a prophet, that is, a teacher of religion. But inasmuch as he does not teach the piu-e, everlasting Gospel of Christ, but a Gospel adulterated and cor- rupted with human inventions, he is n. false prophet, and like those of old, proclaims lies in the name of God.* Having thus determined who the false prophet is, let us now turn our attention to the dragon and the beast. With regard to the dragon, there can be no demur or difficulty. The dragon is the impersonation of Satan, the old serpent in his undisguised form, the avowed enemy and adversary of God and man. The * As an illustration and exemplification, we may take the fifth article in the creed of Pope Pius IV., which says, " I profess that in the mass there is offered to God a true, proper, and propitiatory sacrifice for the living and the dead." This is an essential article in the doctrine of the Bishop of Rome. But it is an ai-ticle directly opposed to the great and fundamental truth of the Gospel, namely, that Christ by one offering hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified. Whoever, therefore, teaches such doctrine is a false prophet. VOL. II. P 210 CHAPTER XVI. 13 16. spirit which proceeds out of his mouth can be none other than a spirit of blasphemy and open hostility to Christ and his people. It is a God-denying and Christ- denying spirit ; a spirit animated with hellish enmity against the Bible and the God of the Bible; against the Church, and the Sabbath, and aU religious ordi- nances ; — against everything, in short, that is not like itself, " earthly, sensual, and devilish." But what of the beast ? Here, as it appears to me, there is more difficulty. I have already stated my reasons for not acceding to the views of those expositors who identify the beast from the sea with the beast from the abyss. (See chapters xi. and xiii.) But if they are not identical, from the mouth of which of them does this frog-like spirit proceed? In regard to this question, the thoughts which have presented themselves to my own mind are as follows. I admit, then, that at first sight it seems most natural to suppose that the reference is to the beast from the sea, since it was to him the dragon resigned his seat. But to this hypothesis, it strikes me, there are two objections. The dm'ation of the sea-born beast is limited to forty-two months, or the twelve hundred and sixty years of the sackcloth-prophesying of the wit- nesses. Now, has not that period already expired? Have not the witnesses ceased to prophesy in sackcloth ? And has not the beast, in fact, in that specific form at least in which he rose up out of the sea, ceased to exist? It has, I trust, been satisfactorily shown that he did cease to exist when, in 1806, the head of the holy Roman or Latin Empire, Francis of Austria, pub- licly renounced the Imperial dignity, and declared the Empire dissolved. (See p. 98.) But if so, then it is THE THREE UNCLEAN SPIRITS. 211 very certain the beast in this place cannot be that from the sea, seeing that at the period when these frog- hke spirits are supposed to go forth he would be no longer in existence. Another objection, it seems to me, is this : the false prophet is not so called until he appears associated with the beast and his army in chapter xix. ; but that beast is unquestionably the beast from the abyss, and I think, therefore, we must assume that it is from his mouth, as the associate of the false prophet, that the second class of frog-like spirits proceed, and not from the mouth of the sea-born beast.* But this being admitted, what shall we say is the class of spirits specifically symbolized as issuing from the mouth of the beast from the abyss ? The reply we give to this question must, of course, depend upon the view we take of the beast itself. I have already stated my conviction that this beast is the embodiment of the Infidel-democratic principle as exhibited in the French Republic of 1789. (See chap, xi.) This point, how- ever, will be more fully discussed in the next chapter, particularly in the analysis of ver. 10. Assuming for the present that this idea is founded in truth, the class of spirits which proceed from the mouth of the beast is at once determined. It appears, then, supposing the foregoing views of the Dragon, the Beast, and the Palse Prophet to be correct, that these three unclean frog-like spirits are the spirit of Atheism, the spirit of Democracy (as opposed to all restraints of law both human and Divine), and the spirit of Popery. And are there, then, any clear indications * Of course, if we make the two beasts absolutely identical, this objection does not apply. p 2 212 CHAPTER XVI. 13 16. that these three spirits have gone forth in our clays ? With regard to the first and the last there can, I think, be no question. That the spirit of Atheism and the spirit of Popery are at this hour exercising a great and unwonted influence over the minds of mankind, is rather a matter of fact than of opinion. When we speak of Atheism, we mean Infidehty in general, or the denial of revealed religion. It signifies little what form, or name, this denial may assume. Whether it be called Deism, or Rationalism, or Socialism, essentially it is the same thing. It is the old lie revived, " Yea, hath God said ye shall die ? Nay ; ye shall not die." This is the basis, the very essence, of all Infi- delity. And whatever men may pretend, however they may attempt to conceal their denial of a Deity under the specious names of Pantheism or Deism, to deny the truth of his Word, is to deny God himself. If there be but one living and true God, and that God is Jehovah, the God of the Bible, then to deny the Bible to be his Word, or to deny its testimony, is Atheism. We cannot, then, but see this class of unclean spirits going forth into all the world in the multifarious forms, and under the several names before mentioned.* Nor * Few persons, perhaps, are aware of the extent to which Infidel principles are silently (that is, by the instrumentality of the press) being diffused amongst us. The simple fact that twenty-six Sunday newspapers (besides various blasphemous and immoral publications) are printed in London alone, the sale of which is said to amount to forty-five thousand numbers weekly, speaks volumes. A Sunday newspaper, as its very name implies, must almost necessarily be the vehicle of Infidelity in some form or other. The circulation of Infidel tracts amongst the lower orders is also another powerful engine of evil. The character of some of these tracts is blasphemous beyond conception. Take the following specimens : " It is most monstrous blasphemy to attribute to the all-wise Creator of this glorious universe the foolish and obscure records of a small, remote, THE THREE UNCLEAN SPIRITS. 213 is their operation confined to Christendom and European nations. It appears, from authentic accounts, that the same spirit is at work amongst the population of India, and I think we may discern indications of a similar agency in operation in China. The inhabitants of the Heathen countries where Christianity is preached, are made to see the absurdities of their own religion, but instead of becoming Christians, they too many of them become Infidels. There is a manifest tendency in mankind to pass from the extreme of superstition to the extreme of indifference, and from believing any and all rehgions to believe in no religion at all. This is that spirit of Atheism now abroad, and which is the more dangerous because it often cloaks its real character under the specious covering of philanthropy and liberal Christianity.* As to Popery, it surely needs no reference to written statements and testimonies to prove that it is sending and barbarous eastern tribe." " Religion of all kinds is hurtful to the happiness of most amongst those who entertain it." " When we consider the vice, crime, and misery that prevail in the world, the idea of an intel- ligent Creator is chimerical!" (From tracts circulated in Islington.) • I allude particularly to the system of the German Neologists, which, as far as it is intelligible, appears to be nothing more or less than a refined and subtle Atheism. It is well described by one of their own countrymen in the following striking apostrophe : " Is the god of the Bible-hating and froward generation of the present day — is the god of most of our philosophers and poets, of our politicians and journalists, of very many of our seminaries and universities, of our modern scientific institutions — is the god of our polished circles and fashionable assemblies, — is such a god any better, anything more real, than the deity of Baal of old ? What mean those fashionable expressions, ' heaven,' ' fortune,' &c. ? And is this indeed the god of our rationality, and so many of our literary men and illuminated dreamers ? It is ; and the belief of no better a god than this spreads from them through all ranks ; and no marvel ; for a god such as this, that does not concern himself about the affairs of men, is the very thing they want." — Krummacher' s Elijah, p. 82. R. T. Soc. Ed. 214 CHAPTER XVI. 13 16. forth its emissaries into all parts of the earth to dissemi- nate its peculiar tenets, and gather in members into the bosom of the Romish Church. Recent events and transactions in our own country are sufficient evidence of this as far as we are concerned, and the statistics of our colonies, and of other countries, prove that the agents of the Papacy are as actively engaged in every other part of the world as they are in England. AVlierc are they not to be found ? Where is the nation upon earth of any importance, amongst whom some of these distinctly-marked representatives of the false prophet are not to be met with? We see them with their long robes, close-cut hair, and sombre impenetrable countenances, walking our own streets. We hear or read of them in the crowded cities of Hindostan, and in the wilds of Africa; in North America and China; in Australia, New Zealand, and the islands . of the Pacific. Everywhere are these emissaries of Rome at work, — and that in a specific and peculiar character. Not as the ministers of Christ — ^not as evangelists — not as the messengers of God, proclaiming the glad tidings of salvation in the name of Jesus. It is not in any of these characters they appear amongst us. But as the servants of the Pope, and the opponents of Evangelical religion* — as the upholders and defenders of the Holy Roman Catholic Church, of which the Rishop of Rome is, as they say, the divinely-constituted ruler and head ; — this is the character under which they * It is a remarkable and striking fact, that the Papists unite with the Heathen, just as the Jews did of old (see Acts xiv. 19), in opposing the Gospel. In proof of this, I adduce the following extract from the con- clusion of the Report of the Church Missionary Society for 1851 : "In the missionary field Popery appears in juxta-position with Pagan idolatry, and the close alliance and kindred xympathy between the two is every- THE THREE UNCLEAN SPIRITS. 215 appear. They preach under the authority, and for the honour, of the Roman Pontiff. They are his mouth, and he speaks by them ; and however they may attempt to deceive us by the occasional introduction of the name of the Saviour, their real objects are the establishment of the universality of the Romish Chm"ch, the exclusive authority of the Romish priesthood, and the spiritual supremacy of the Roman Pontiff. These, therefore, are the unclean spirits which proceed out of the mouth of the false prophet. In regard, then, to the spirits of Atheism and of Popery, the case is clear. We see them with om' own eyes, flitting about everywhere in their proper, undisguised, and unmistakeable forms. But is the case less clear as regards the democratical Spirit? Has not that also gone forth within the last half-century in, as it were, a palpable, tangible shape ? And that, too, as the avowed and determined opponent of Christ and the Gospel? Where do we meet with a Chartist or a Radical who is not also an Infidel ? Republicans, we know, there have been in all ages, nor would it, perhaps, be easy to prove that there is any necessary and essential antagonism between Democracy, abstract- edly considered, and Christianity ; but that the principle of modern Democracy, as held and disseminated by modern Chartists and Socialists, is opposed to Evange- lical truth, there cannot surely be the shadow of a doubt. And how widely that principle is being diffused through- where apparent. In South India is witnessed the interchange of idol cars between Romanists and Hindus for their religious processions ; and the train of attendants is made up of both parties. In China, the symbols of the Christian name are mingled with the idol-dragon on the so-called Christian altar. But more frequently is this alliance manifested in their united i)ersecution of the Gospel, and of all who embrace it." 216 CHAPTER XVI, 13 16. out Europe, and especially the Papal kingdoms, at this moment, is matter of too great notoriety to require any laboured proof. According to the testimony of the most keen-sighted and experienced politicians, the prevalence of the democratical (I would say, antichristian democra- tical) spirit is the characteristic feature of the day. In confirmation of this statement, I adduce the words of two of the once leading men in Prance: "Nations, like individuals," says M. Lamartine, "have different ages. The principles which rule have different phases. Monarchical, aristocratical, constitutional, republican governments, are the expression of these different degrees of the maturity of the genius of nations. They demand more liberty as fast as they feel them- selves capable of supporting more; they demand more equality and democracy in proportion as they are inspired by more justice and love for the people,"* Such were the sentiments expressed by the most distinguished man of the Revolution of 1848. Let us now hear the words of another distinguished man belonging to the same period — M, Guizot. After explaining at some length the causes which have led to the empire which the term democracy has acquired over the public mind in Prance, the author closes his first chapter with the following reflections : " Such being the fact, the empire of the word Democracy is not to be regarded as a transitory or local accident. It is the development — others would say, the explosion — of all the elements of luunan nature throughout all the ranks and all the depths of society, and, consequently, the open, general, continuous, inevitable struggle of its good and evil instincts, of its virtues and its vices, * Manifesto of the Minister of Foreign Aflairs, 1848. THE THREE UNCLEAN SPIRITS. 217 whether to improve or to corrupt, to raise or to abase, to create or to destroy."* Thus we have the concurrent testimony of these two eminent men as to the fact of the new and unparalleled power which the democratic principle — by which, if we would call things by their right names, I think we must understand a spirit of lawlessness and insubor- dination— has acquired of late years in France. And it is sm-ely not a little remarkable that the latter writer should speak of it as the power of a word. It would seem almost as if he had the Apocalyptic image in his mind, and were illustrating the issuing of the frog-like spirit from the mouth of the beast. Let it be observed, also, that it is in France that this word originates, and is supposed to have such magic power. Yet its influence is not to be confined to that country. The events of the last four years have shown that the democratic, anarchical principle, is widely spread and deeply rooted throughout Europe, not excepting our own country ; and although its more violent actings have for the present been suppressed, it is not for a moment to be supposed that it is alto- gether extirpated and destroyed. Such, then, as it appears to me, is the explanation we must give of these unclean, frog-like spirits. But why are they likened to frogs? Many reasons might be assigned for the selection of this unsightly symbol, but perhaps the three points of resemblance principally intended are these : 1st, The places where they live and procreate ; 2dly, Their numbers ; and, 3dly, The time of their coming forth. Frogs are bred in stagnant waters : and so Infidelity, * Guizot on Democracy. 218 CHAPTER XVI. 13—16. to use the metaphor of the writer before quoted, is " a noxious spawn, bred in the stagnant marshes of corrupt Christianity." And it is from the same siagnant marshes that the emissaries of Rome issue. Romish doctrine would never have found so numerous a body of advocates actuated by one spirit, as the Jesuits,* for example, had not the living waters which spring from the Scriptures of truth ceased to flow. Those waters were stopped and throAvn back by the opposing current of human tradition, and thus the Church becom- ing, in a manner, a stagnant marsh, brought forth plentifully these unclean frog-like spirits of Infidelity and corrupted Christianity. Again, frogs are exceedingly proUfic. When they find a suitable locality, and are suffered to remain undisturbed, they multiply to an incredible extent. And is there not reason to fear that these three unclean spirits are casting their " noxious spawn " throughout the length and breadth of the earth at this very horn", and that already the stagnant waters are filled with their loathsome progeny coming into life ? Lastly, the time when frogs move about and croak * Vitringa thinks that the Jesuits are specifically and exclusively meant by these unclean spirits. "Any one," says he, "accustomed to judge of things, not by the outward appearance, but according to truth, may see a strong resemblance between these spiritual frogs (Rmias S2nrituales) and seducing monks, the servants of the beast, and those especially who have sprung up in these last times of the Church, — that is, the followers of Loyola. For it is clear, that both they themselves {i.e., Loyola and Francis Xavier) and their first followers were involved in detestable error and superstition, and that their disciples grew into an immense multitude, and filled all the marshes of the Moinish Church, and that they diffused their pestiferous doctrines, which even Komanists them- selves shrink from with horror through the whole of Europe, and even carried them to the utmost bounds of the earth, to the great dishonour of the Christian name." — Com. on Apoc, p. 725. THE THREE UNCLEAN SPIRITS. 219 is during the darkness of night. As soon as the sun arises they are silent, and flee away and hide themselves. And thus also it is with the upholders and disseminators of falsehood in every form. The Infidel, the Socialist, the Jesuit, cannot stand before the light of the Sun of Righteousness. They dare not encounter a scripturally-enlightened people. But it is when the light of Scripture is withdrawn, or when, if it shines in a land, the people do not open their eyes to it, that they have power, and coming forth inflated with an absm'd idea of their own importance, fill the air with the sound of their vain jangling. Thus, then, may the emissaries of philosophic Atheism, and Popish superstition, and lawless democracy, be com- pared to frog-like, unclean spirits. And viewed in this light, we may entertain a hope that as long as the Bible is freely cumulated amongst us, and scriptural truth made the foundation of the education given to the people at large, we shall not, as a nation, sink down into that stagnant state of moral corruption which engenders these unclean spirits and favours their growth and increase. " TJie sjnrits of dcemons doing signs!' — The origin of Infidelity and of Jesuitism* is one and the same. Both are alike opposed to the truth of God ; although so different apparently in outward form, both equally spring from hatred of the truth, being the offspring of him who * The spirit of Romanism and the spirit of Jesuitism are identical. Yet there may be Romanists, like Paschal, who, as was before observed, are not actuated by a Jesuitical spirit. These men see and admit the evils of Jesuitism as strongly as any Protestant, although they do not see the evils of Romanism. The fact is, they are not essentially Romanists, and as I would willingly except such men, I should prefer always, if it could be done without causing misapprehension, calling the system peculiarly Romish, — Jesuitism rather than Romanism. 220 CHAPTER XVI. 13 16. was a liar from the beginning and is the father of every lie. Hence the men who are actuated by a Jesuitical spirit, as well as those who are actuated by an Infidel spirit, are the embodiment of a dsemoniacal influence, and may, therefore, rightly be called " the spirits of daemons.'* That the Romish priests " do signs," — that is, pretend to perform miracles (for that the pretence, and not the actual doing of miracles, is meant is obvious from the very nature of the case), — that the priests of the Church of Rome, I say, pretend to miraculous powers, is almost too much a matter of notoriety to require specific proofs. Dr. Milner, one of the apparently most candid and impartial defenders of Romanism, not only admits the fact, but glories in it. His statement of the case is well deserving of consideration, as showing that the claim to the possession of miraculous powers in the Church of Rome is precisely what it was in ages of the darkest superstition. " The Catholic Church," says he, " being always the beloved spouse of Christ, and continuing at all times to bring forth children of heroical sanctity, God fails not in this, any more than in past ages, to illustrate her and them by unquestionable miracles. Accordingly in those processes ivJiich are constantly going on at the Apostolical See for the canonization of new saints, fresh miracles of a recent date continue to be proved with the highest degree of evidence." He then proceeds to adduce, amongst other examples, the follow- ing : — " Joseph Lamb, of Eccles, near Manchester, on the 12th of Aug., 1814, fell from a hayrick four yards and a-half high, by which accident the spine of his back appears to have been broken. Certain it is, that he could neither walk nor stand without crutches, down to the 2d of October. On that day, having prevailed upon WORKING SIGNS. 221 his father, who was then a Protestant, to take him in a cart with his wife and two friends to Garswood, near Wigan, where the hand of F. Arrowsmith, one of the Cathohc priests who suffered death at Lancaster for the exercise of his religion in the reign of Charles I., is pre- served, and has often caused loonderful cures, he procured himself to be conveyed to the altar rails of the chapel, and there to be signed on his back with the sign of the cross by that hand, w^hen, feeling a particular sensation and total change in himself, as he expressed it, he exclaimed to his wife, ' Mary, I can walk ! * This he did without any help whatever, walking first into an adjoining room, and thence to the cart which conveyed him home."* Such are the powers to which the Church of Rome lays claim, and such are the miracles her saints perform. Armed with such incontestable proofs as these (as she affirms) that God is in her of a truth, she sends forth her ministers to bring in new recruits, and to collect her forces for the day of the great battle. It is a subject of deep and solemn interest. That this mustering of antagonistic forces is at this moment going on, that these three unclean spirits are now abroad in the earth busily engaged in carrying on the work assigned them in their respective spheres, what man who knows anything of the social and moral condition of Europe and the world at large can doubt ? In corroboration of these views I will now adduce the sentiments of a philosophic historian and a Christian statesman, and perhaps I cannot better • Milner's " End of Religious Controversy," p. 248, Sm. Ed. Derby, 1844. Dr. Milner was a Roman Catholic Bishop, and wrote the above work in 1816. In the same place he relates as a fact the restoration of the amputated breast of a woman who was at the point of death from a cancer, at the intercession of St. Alfonso Liguori. 222 CHAPTER XVI. 15. conclude this subject than m the words of the latter : — " To what this state of things may lead the future alone can show. Were we to look only at the efforts of the hierarchical party and of its opponents, we should be led to fear that a deadly war was ready to burst out between them afresh, to convulse the world and to revive the old animosities in all their bitterness." Such are the senti- ments respecting the coming futm-e expressed by Ranke towards the close of his " History of the Popes." The statesman to whom I refer is Lord Shaftesbmy (better known as Lord Ashley), who, on March 18, 1851, thus addressed the House of Commons : — " A struggle is now begun which the youngest man in this House will not live to see terminated. It is the quiet though, perhaps, final conflict of antagonistic principles. Can any one doubt it ? Look at the state of the Continent and of the great powers. Everywhere there is preparation for a religious war. This realm of England may stand alone, but it will not give way by submission, no, not for an hour. Wliat may be the issue to the empire, no man can foretel ; but for ourselves, happen what may, we will, by God's blessing, stand immovably on our immortal faith, which we have neither the right nor the disposition to surrender." The Caution. — Christ comes as a thief. Ver. 15. '^'^ Behold I come as a thief," &c. — There is something peculiarly solemn and awakening in the manner in which this hortatory caution is introduced. It comes in as a parenthesis uttered by Christ himself between the going forth of the frog-like spirits to the kings of the earth, and the actual assembling of the combatants. But if our view of the prophecy be correct, THE CAUTION. 223 these frog-like spirits are even now abroad, and we are living at that very point of time to which the parenthesis belongs. We are the men to whom this caution is addressed. How solemn the thought ! And yet how joyful and full of glorious hope ! The coming of Christ is probably not far distant ; that glorious advent when we shall see him as he is ; — when he shall descend from heaven with the voice of the archangel and the trump of God (1 Thess. iv.) ; and he " will change our vile body that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body " (Phil. iii. 21) ; and so shall we be for ever with him. But this coming will take the men of this world by surprise j it will be like the coming of a thief, and when they are saying, " Peace and safety," this stupendous manifesta- tion of the glory of the crucified Nazarene will burst upon them ! (1 Thess. v. 2.) And will this coming, then, be a mere figurative spiritual coming — nothing more, in fact, than the gradual though universal preva- lence of Christianity all over the world, just as we now see it in those countries which are nominally Christian ? I cannot think it. Is there anything terrible in such an idea even to the most irreligious ? Supposing that our Missionary and Bible Societies, by the instrumentality now employed, should at length succeed, under God's blessing, in evangelizing the whole earth, would such a consunnnation be like the coming of a thief in the night ? Would it be attended with the " sudden destruction " of the adversaries of the truth? (Compare Matt. xxiv. 43, 44 ; 2 Thess. i. 7, 8 ; 2 Pet. iii.) These considerations appear to me almost conclusive in regard to that much contested question, the pre- millennial advent of Christ. It is certain that the mil- lennium will follow immediately after, not precede, the 224 CHAPTER XVI. 15. events of the seventh vial. But this cautionary announce- ment belongs to the sixth vial, or, at least, it comes in be- tween it and the seventh vial. Is it then to be supposed for a moment, that the thousand years' reign will, notwith- standing, intervene between the fulfilment of the seventh vial and the thief-like coming here announced ? Is not this caution obviously intended to awaken in our minds a sense of the nearness of that coming when the events of the sixth vial shall be accomplished, and thus to set us on the watch that we may be prepared to meet the Lord when he comes ? That, as St. Peter expresses it, we may be " looking for and hasting to the coming of the day of God?" All these cautions, warnings, and exhortations, would surely be nugatory and superfluous, were that " blessed hope and glorious appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ," of which we read so much in the New Testament, nothing more, as some affirm, than a figurative spiritual advent. (See c. xx.) " Blessed is he that ivatcheth, and heepeth his (gar- ments" &c. — The preceding clause reminds us of the nearness of the Saviour's advent ; this intimates a season of peculiar danger about the same period to his professed disciples. That danger is, lest their garments should be taken from them, or be soiled, and they " should walk naked, and their shame appear." Now " the fine linen is the righteousness of the saints." (Chap. xix. 8.) The garments of the believer, wherewith his soul is clothed, and in which he hopes to appear in the presence of God without fear, are the imputed righteousness of Christ, and the imparted holiness of the Spirit. Deprived of these, he is naked and miserable. (Comp. chap. iii. 17.) *' AU his righteousnesses are filthy rags." He is spiritually witliout clothing, and unfit to appear before THE BLESSEDNESS OF THOSE WHO WATCH. 225 Him who is of purer eyes than to behold iniquity. To keep our garments, therefore, is to keep fast hold by faith of Christ's righteousness, and to keep ourselves also unspotted from the pollutions of the world. It is to maintain the faith of the Gospel with the lips, and the holiness of the Gospel in the life. It is to be witnesses for Christ in the midst of much sin, without being con- taminated by the moral pollution with which we may be surrounded. And is not this caution peculiarly needed at the present period ? Yes ; if ever there was a time when it behoved the Christian to be especially on his guard, it is the present. The spirit of Infidehty, of false Christi- anity, of Latitudinarian indifference, and Antinomian pro- fession is widely spread amongst us. It is almost impossible to avoid being infected in some degree by the prevalence of these evils. The doctrine of imputed righteousness is explained away, and that holiness, the fruit of the Spirit, " without which no man shall see the Lord," has insensibly melted away into worldly con- formity. Christians are no longer a peculiar people. There is no longer a broad line of demarcation and sepa- ration between the Church and the world ; between the spiritually-minded and the carnally-minded. But as it was in the days before the flood, " the sons of God mingled indiscriminately with the children of men," so it is now. Well, then, does it become every earnest Christian to " watch and be sober." Whilst we may hope that as the world and the Church become more and more amalgamated together, the latter will impart of its purify- ing salt to the former ; there is much greater danger, it is to be feared, lest the world should communicate the taint of its corrupt leaven to the Church, and all the peculiarities of Christian doctnne and Christian morality VOL. TI. Q 226 CHAPTER XVI. 16. be destroyed. The season of ease and security is never the season of safety. And as we Hve in such a season, we stand in need of peculiar watchfulness. The attentive reader cannot, indeed, fail to observe a remarkable cor- respondence between the language here used and that addressed to the Church of Laodicea. " I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire and wliite raiment that thou mayest he clothed, and that the shame of thy naked- ness do not appear." Thus does the Lord address the Laodicean Church ; and then he immediately adds, "Behold, I stand at the door." So here, we have the announcement, " Behold, I come quickly," followed by the beatification, " Blessed is he that keepeth his gar- ments," &c. These correspondences in the subject- matter of the two addresses point to a correspondence also in respect of time, and show that both belong to the same period. Ver. 16. '^ And they gathered them together ^^ &c. — The Authorized Version in this place, as was before remarked, is unquestionably incorrect. The proper translation is, not " he gathered," but " they {i.e., the unclean spirits) gathered them." Much has been written on the subject of the name Armageddon (or, rather, Harmageddon),* and many con- jectures have been hazarded as to the particular spot intended. But since there is not, and never has been, any place called by this name, it is evident that it has respect rather to the event itself, than to its locality. Harmageddon means, Mount of Manifestation, and the * It is a Hebrew name compounded of two words in , a mountain, and ^iiTO , which latter word, although not found in the Old Testament, signifies, I imagine, mantfestntiun, being derived from Tjn , he revealed, or announeed, as Abaddon is derived from i^n , he destroyed. THE SEVENTH VIAL. 227 import therefore of the name here seems to be this, that when the enemies of Christ and his people shall be gathered together as one band intent upon their destruc- tion, and fully determined in all the confidence of victory " to root out the remembrance of them from the earth," he will show himself visibly to them to their utter amazement and confusion, and then accomplish on them that destruction which they had thought to inflict upon his Church. The battle of Armageddon, therefore, will probably be a conflict in which the Lord Jesus himself will be personally engaged. I say probablt/, because I think it would be presumptuous to speak with dogmatic positiveness in such a case. The manifestation may not be a personal manifestation, although I am inclined to think it will. But whether it will be personal or not, this we know, that the conflict will not be with the weapons of man's warfare, nor the result doubtful. " The kings of the earth may set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against his anointed ones," but "he that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh, the Lord shall have them in derision. Then will he break them with a rod of iron, and dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel." (See more on this subject chap. xix. 17 — 2L) The Seventh Vial. — xvi. 17 — 21. ''And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air," &c. If we have hitherto proceeded upon a right principle of interpretation, the effusion of this vial must have already commenced ; or if it has not commenced already, it cannot be far distant. I am inclined to think that its eff'usion has commenced, and that we are at this moment Q 2 228 CHAPTER XVI. 17 — 21. witnessing its accomplisliment. This consideration, whilst it invests this part of the revelation with additional interest, makes the business of the expositor the more difficult. It is seldom that contemporary interpretations of prophecy prove correct. The grasp of prophecy is grand and comprehensive. It seizes upon prominent, analogous events, distant from each other, it may be, in point of time, and makes one of them. And their oneness and correspondence is perceived when viewed from a distance, although when seen separately and close at hand, this correspondence may not be discernible. Hence the difficulty of interpreting pro- phecies which relate to events of our own times. We stand, if I may so say, too near the picture to form a correct idea of it. We see, as it were, but one object in the landscape, and although we may perceive an exact resemblance between that one object and the thing it represents, to judge of the j^icture as a whole, we must stand farther off, and take a more com- prehensive view. In interpreting this seventh vial I would wish to keep in view the principle just laid down, and I would ask the reader to do the same. Let it be borne in mind, that if the events of this vial are now in progress (1852), we can only see them, as I may say, one at a time ; and it is impossible, therefore, for us at present to view the prophecy, and the whole of its historical accomplishment, at one glance. The first thing that deserves notice is the element in the symbolic vmiverse affected by this vial. It is pom'ed out into THE AIR. Now the idea which this circumstance at once conveys, as regards the operation of this vial, is that of universalitij. The air surromids the whole mystical city, and is breathed by every inhabitant alike ; THE SEVENTH VIAL. 229 the effects of this vial therefore Avill be co-extensive vAdth the boundaries of the city, or empire of the beast, every part of which will be involved in the judgments it announces. 2. Upon the effusion of this vial there came a great voice out of the temple in heaven from the throne, saying, " It is done," and there followed " voices, and thunders, and lightnings." This vial, therefore, completes the prophetic narrative. In it, the mystery, the hidden purpose, of God is finished. The voice from the throne, proclaiming, " It is done," implies, that under this vial, everything is comprehended which is to take place previously to the coming of Christ and the establishment of his kingdom. I see not what other meaning can be ascribed to this remarkable announcement. And this is, therefore, a point deserv- ing the attentive consideration of those persons who are disposed to doubt concerning the pre-millennial personal advent of Christ. The " It is done," (yeyove) must have reference to some great event, or epoch, the completion of which is thus announced. Now, in the Acts (c. iii. 19), we find St. Peter addressing his Jewish brethren thus : " Repent ye, therefore, and be converted, that yom- sins may be blotted out, and the times of refreshing may come* from the presence of the Lord; and he may send Jesus Christ, who was before preached unto you, whom the heavens must receive until the time of the restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of aU * This translation is in exact accordance with the Greek ottws civ eXdaxri Kaipoh I do not think it necessary to enter into a laboured argument to prove that ottmv here means that, or in order that, not ivhen. Let any one who disputes it adduce a single instance in which, with the particle av and a verb in the subjunctive, ottcos has any other meaning. 230 CHAPTER XVI. 17 21. his holy prophets since the world began." The resti- tution OF ALL THINGS, therefore, by the advent of Christ, is the completion of aU the prophecies. This, consequently, is the epoch to which these words have reference. When the contents of the seventh vial shall be fully poured out, then wall the wrath of God against this sinful and rebellious earth be ex- hausted. Then will his tabernacle again be with men, and man, as Adam did in Paradise, will again hold familiar converse with his Maker. Then will " sinners be consumed out of the earth, and the ungodly come to an end." (Ps. civ. 35.) This blessed consummation, however, so full of glorious promise, will not take place immediately. The announcement, " It is done," like the song on the sounding of the seventh trumpet, is anticipatory. It looks to the end, and leaping over the intervening judgments under this vial, speaks of the events belonging to it as accom- plished as soon as its contents are poured out. But the " voices, thunders, and lightnings," show that judg- ments yet remain to be executed. They are the harbingers of God's wrath, and imply that this vial, like its predecessors, will bring with it mourning and woe to the members of a corrupt Church, and the inhabitants of nominal Christendom. " And there loas a great earthquake^ &c. — In a pamphlet published in 1848, I endeavoured to show that the Revolution which took place that year in Prance was the first shock of the earthquake here foretold. I am still inclined to be of the same opinion. It docs not folloAv, because the commotion occasioned amongst the nations of Europe by that great political earthquake has in some degree subsided, that the THE SEVENTH VIAL. 231 earthquake is at an end. It often happens in natural earthquakes, that the last great and most destructive shock is preceded by movements and tremblings of a less terrific character. Days sometimes intervene between the first indications of the approach of the awful visitation and its arrival. So it may be in the present instance. I cannot, indeed, but regard the events which took place in France in 1848 as the precursors of a greater revolution in the political and social aspect of Europe than has ever yet been witnessed. For this earthquake is to be " such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake and so great." Now, it would be a manifest exaggeration to affirm that the Revolution of 1848 answers to this description. It was not greater than that of 1789. In fact, taken in all its bearings, it was not equal in importance with that first great revolution. Either, therefore, that great political con- vulsion, the effect of which was felt throughout the Continent, — for it made all Em'ope heave convulsively and tremble, — was only the first shock of this mighty earthquake, or its heavings have not yet commenced. If that loere the first shock, the second probably will not be long in coming. But as days are reckoned for years in this mystical book, it may be yet some time before that second shock is felt. When it does come, it will be attended probably with a shaking of the Papal kingdoms such as the world has not yet seen. What may be the precise nature of the changes and accompanying events which will then take place, no man can say ; their general character is, however, exhibited in the prophecy. They are, it will be 232 CHAPTER XVI. 17 — 21. observed, five in number: 1. The division of the great city into three parts ; 2. The fall of the cities of the Gentiles ; 3. The judgment of Babylon ; 4. The disappearance of the islands and mountains ; 5. The descent of hail-stones of unexampled size. Whether these events will occm' exactly in the same order in which they are here placed, may admit of doubt. They may be all nearly contemporaneous, or the order may be reversed, and the last may be the first, and the fore- runner of the rest. We wiU consider them, however, in the order in which they stand, 1. The division of the great city. — The great city, it must be borne in mind, is Papal Christendom in Europe, or that portion of the ancient Roman Empire which acknowledges the spiritual supremacy of the Pope. (See c. xvii.) This " great city " consists at present of the kingdoms and countries contained in France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Austria, and Germany. The division of this city into three parts, would seem to imply, that the several nations composing it wiU be formed into three great kingdoms, or republics, the lesser which now exist, being swallowed up in the greater. It would be presumptuous to pretend to determine beforehand how this division will be effected, but it seems highly probable that the two leading powers concerned in it will be Austria and Erance, between whom, as the champions of different religious principles, and different systems of govern- ment, there will perhaps be a long and terrific contest. As England formed no part of the Empire of Charle- magne, and as she is, besides, separated geographically from the Continental nations, she will not perhaps be THE SEVENTH VIAL. 233 a party concerned in this tripartite division,* although whether she will be involved in the conflicts and judgments connected with it will depend, I imagine, entirely upon her maintaining her distinctiveness as a Protestant nation, and not identifying herself in any degree with Rome in her principles and practices. For the " great city " is Roman Catholic Christendom in Europe ; and if, therefore, we hold fast our Protestant principles, and keep aloof from Rome, we shall not be " partakers of her plagues," But if we unite ourselves with her, and thus become a part and parcel of the great Babylon, destined to drink the cup of his wrath, we shall assuredly partake with her of that cup. We may hope, however, and it is allowable to indulge the pleasing anticipation, that England will not ally herself with Rome, but still continue to be, as she has been for the last three hundred years, the defender of Evangelical doctrine, and the upholder of the Protestant cause against all the open and concealed attacks of the Romish Church. 2. " The cities of the Gentiles fell.'' — As the "great city " is Papal Christendom, " the cities of the Gentiles " must signify, I imagine, Heathen countries or kingdoms. If so, this falling of the cities of the Gentiles is only another way of announcing the destruction of Heathen- ism, or that " the kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of the Lord." So that, at the very time * Dr. Gumming supposes that the three great leading Powers will he England, France, and Russia. (" Apoc. Sketches," p. 427.) But Russia never formed any part of the "great city," and it is very doubtful whether England, even before the Reformation, ought to be considered as contained within its boundaries. 234 CHAPTER XVI. 17 — 21. that a political revolution of unparalleled violence is sliaking the kingdoms of Europe, we may look for something like a general conversion of the Heathen nations. 3. " And Babylon the Great loas remembered,'' &c. — " Babylon the Great " is the city of Rome itself (see c. xvii. 5 — 18), and we must conclude, therefore, that the destruction of Rome — its utter destruction, its annihilation from the face of the earth, after the example of ancient Babylon, — will be one of the accompaniments, or effects, of the great earthquake of the seventh vial. But this subject will be more fully considered in the remarks on chap, xviii., which chapter is only a dramatic enlargement and exposi- tion of this clause of the prophecy. 4. "And every island fed aivay^ &c. — Islands and mountains, as standing out from the land and water and raised above the general level, represent rulers and potentates ; kings, princes, and magistrates ; their entire disappearance seems to imply the total abolition of all distinctions of ranks and classes, and, consequently, the overthrow of all existing social and political systems, excepting those only which are founded on the chime- rical idea lately adopted in France, of liberty, equality, and fraternity, in its wildest and most dangerous sense. If this view of the prophecy be correct, all the Papal States of Europe, (for it is to them, I imagine, the prophecy exclusively belongs,) are destined ere long to become republican in their constitution ; and perhaps this "fleeing away of the islands," &c., may be con- nected with the division of the great city into three parts, in which case the Continental nations will form THE SEVENTH VIAL. 235 themselves into three vast republics, the two great Powers before mentioned taking the lead.* It will be remembered, that in chap. vi. 14, we have the same imagery, only there the islands and mountains are merely moved out of their places, here they disappear altogether. 5. " And there fell upon men great hail,'^ &c. — Hail is a symbol of the devastations of war proceeding from the north. (See c. viii. 7.) And hence it would seem that the northern nations are destined once more to pour down their semi'barbarous hordes upon the fertile plains of the south of Europe. The enormous size of the hailstones plainly signifies, that this last northern tempest will exceed in violence any that have preceded it, and be more terrific in its residts. The immense resources of Russia, with her half a million of cavalry at her command, all united under one head, who is looked upon as a god upon earth,! point to that country as the probable instrument destined ere long to accomplish this part of the pre- diction. Nor can even the worldly politician fail to see in the existing circumstances of the Russian Empire * M. De Lamartine, in his " France and England ; or, A Vision of tlie Future," supposed to be written in 1943, assumes that Spain, France, and Italy, will then constitute a republic, resembling the United States of America, the deputies of which will meet in congress at Marseilles. It is curious to observe how the views of this visionary writer accord with the announcements of prophecy. If the countries above mentioned should ever form one united republic, it is not difficult to foresee which will make up the other two. t " The Emperor of Russia, if he could feed them, might unite half a million of horsemen." " The peasant and the soldier are taught always to associate the name of God and of the Emperor ; and the soldier, in the re(ju}ation prayers, is made to call the Emperor, ' Our God upon earth.' " — Bevelationsfrom Russia, Introduction, pp. 12 and 27. 236 CHAPTER XVII. the gathering of the dark storm which will assuredly one day burst with unexampled fury upon those nations and kingdoms " who blaspheme God and the Lord Jesus Christ," by acknowledging the Roman Pontiff to be his vicar and representative upon earth. The reader will observe, that the foregoing verses contain only (as in the case of the seventh trumpet) a programme of the events of the seventh vial, which are exhibited in detail in the three following chapters, the continuity of the prophetic narrative being first broken off to introduce a graphic representation of the harlot Church sustained by the secular power. CHAPTER XVII. THE HARLOT BORNE UPON THE SCARLET-COLOURED BEAST. In the preceding chapter mention is made of " great Babylon," and in chap. xiv. 8, an angel is seen flying in the midst of heaven, saying, "Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city." But although Babylon has thus been twice named, nothing definite has been said respecting it. No clue has been given by which to determine what particular city is thus designated. The apostle, however, would naturally feel great interest on this head. Babylon was a name associated in the mind of a Jew with captivity, servitude, abominable idolatry, and blasphemy, and the fall and destruction of any city, or polity, to which this name could be rightly applied, would therefore involve an era of THE HARLOT ON THE SCARLET-COLOURED BEAST. 237 much glory and blessedness to the Church. The preceding announcements, then, concerning Babylon must have excited an anxious desire in the mind of St. John to understand the mystery hidden under this name — to know what particular city, or polity, or Church, was intended by this mystical appellation. Nor was he to remain long in ignorance. One of the angels with the vials is sent to give him the desired information, and that, with a minuteness and particularity so exact, as to remove all doubt and obscur- ity from the subject. Indeed, the vision now about to be presented to the apostle, whether we regard the grandeur and comprehensiveness of the outline, or the minuteness of detail in the filling up, is perhaps one of the most wonderful of the many " wondrous things " contained in the Bible, and carries with it the clearest internal evidence of its Divine origin. At the same time, it must be admitted that this portion of the Apocalypse is not without its peculiar difficulties, and demands the most patient and accurate investigation on the part both of the commentator and his readers. May the Spirit of truth guide us in the interpretation of it ! We have here two principal subjects presented to us for our contemplation, the woman and the beast THAT carrieth HER, Let US cousidcr first, the sym- bolical meaning of the former. It may be as well to observe in the outset, that there is no difference of opinion between ourselves and Roman Catholics as to the city represented by this woman. They admit it to be Rome ; only they maintain that Rome Pagan, not Rome Papal, is 238 CHAPTER XVII. intended.* This circumstance very much narrows the field of inquiry, and materially diminishes the number of proofs required to establish the Protestant interpretation of the prophecy. Por it being admitted on both sides that Rome is that great city which, at the time the apostle wrote, " reigned over the kings of the earth,"! the only question to be determined is, whether the description here given belongs to Rome as an idolatrous Heathen city, or as a nominally Christian city. Let us then now, with a view to the determination of this point, consider this description in detail. 1. To behold this harlot the apostle was ''carried away into the wilderness!' Now, how shall we explain this circumstance on the supposition that the city of Pagan Rome, or Rome regarded as a Heathen religious community, is signified? Need the apostle, in that case, have been carried into the wilderness ? Was not Rome at that time a flourishing city standing in a rich and fertile neighbourhood? It is impossible to give any satisfactory account of this circumstance on the above supposition. But what then does it mean, supposing Christian Rome to be intended ? In that case * Certissimum est nomine Babylonis Roraam urbeni significari. It is most cei-tain that the city of Rome is signijied by the name of Babylon, (Baronius ad Ann. 45.) Johannes in Apocalypsi passim Romam vocat Babylonem. Et aperte colligitur ex cap. xvii., Apocalypseos. John in the Apocalypse everywhere calls Rome Babylon. And this is clearly collected from c. xvii. (Bellarmin. de Rom. Pont., 1. iii., c. xiii. Quoted by Bishop Newton in his " Diss, on the Prophecies." Rev. xvii.) f This is so manifest that it scarcely requires any proof. Independently of other considerations, the fact that the Jews were accustomed to call Rome Babylon is almost sufficient in itself to identify the two names. (See Schottgen. Hor. Heb., i., p. 1125, as quoted in Dr. Kitto's "Biblical Cyclop.," Art. Babylon.) THE HARLOT ON THE SCAllLET-COLOURED BEAST. 239 the import is obvious. This city, viewed in the character ill which she is now about to be exhibited, that is, as the counterfeit head and representative of the true Church, the spouse of Christ, has as yet no existence. She is not, therefore, visible to the world. She cannot be seen but by our being carried, as it were, out of the world into a desert. And just as the apostle had seen the woman clothed with the sun, the symbol of the chaste spouse of Christ, flee into the wilderness, and thus become invisible to the world, so is he now carried into the same wilderness to behold her counterfeit, the apostate adulterous Church, prepared to come forth from her place of concealment, and show herself to the eyes of mankind adorned with all the meretricious ornaments of an abandoned woman. Such, I think, is obviously the import of this carrying away into the wilderness. For this symbol, in the case of the woman clothed with the sun, undoubtedly signifies a place of conceal- ment ; and consistency requires that we should give it the same symbolical meaning here. In St. John's days the apostate Clutch, although even then ''the mystery of iniquity had hegun to ivork," was unseen ; the true Church was the visible Church ; but the time was coming when they were to exchange places : the true Church would flee away, the adulteress would sit in her seat and assume her name."* * This seems to me a more satisfactory explanation of this circumstance than that given by Mr. Elliott and some other commentators, who suppose that the wilderness refers to the change which took place in the condition of the country in the neighbourhood of Rome, after the incursions of the northern invaders had made it desolate. It is quite true that the Campagna, or territory around the city of Home, is represented as having been converted in the sixth century into a wilderness. But this woman is not represented as reigning over a wilderness, or dwelling in one. On the contrary, she rides upon the necks of kings, and sits upon many 240 CHAPTER XVII. 2. The apostle tlien, being carried in spirit into a desert place, saw there the vision here described. A woman with a bold immodest countenance appeared sitting upon a scarlet-coloiu:ed wild beast having seven heads rising one above another, like the heads of the beast before seen ascending from the sea, and upon the topmost head ten horns. This woman was splen- didly attired and richly adorned, her garments being of purple and scarlet, and her arms and neck covered with a profusion of pearls and diamonds, and other precious stones. Further, she held in her hand a golden cup filled with a luscious intoxicating wine, which made those who drank of it enamoured of her, so that they were blind to her grossness and lewdness, and fired with impure passion, became her devoted slaves, being led about by her at her will. Furthermore, this woman had her name inscribed in large letters upon her forehead, as follows : — A MYSTERY : BABYLON THE GREAT : THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS, AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. Finally, this woman trembled and tottered as one intoxicated ; and she was in fact drunken, but not with wine or strong drink, but with the blood of holy men, witnesses for the truth of the Gospel, whom she caused to be slain. Such was the description (or manner, Kpcfia *) of this waters, which are people. The wilderness, therefore, simply signifies her place of present concealment at the time when the vision was granted. • See the translation and note. THE HARLOT ON THE SCARLET-COLOURED BEAST. 241. strange woman now presented to the mind's eye of the entranced apostle, who stood gazing upon her in silent amazement, not unmingled with sadness and awe, being utterly unable to comprehend the meaning of the vision. Now let us here pause, and consider how far these things can be explained on the Roman Catholic hypothesis, that this woman is the symbol of Pagan Rome. Did Pagan Rome make men idolaters? Did she entice men away from the worship of the living and true God by meretricious arts and appliances, and persuade them by subtilty to adopt her religious rites and ceremonies ? No ; she never did anything of the kind. So far from it, so far from making men idolaters, and thus being the mother of their abomina- tions, she found them idolaters ; all the nations she conquered, with the exception only of the Jews, were essentially of the same religion with herself ; and so far from forcing upon them, or persuading them by subtilty to embrace her own religious rites and ceremonies, she in many instances adopted theirs ; and in every case, not excepting even the Jews, she allowed each nation to worship the gods of their respective countries according to their own customs. How, then, could she be said to have made the inhabitants of the earth "drunk with the wine of her fornication?" Or, with what propriety could she be called " the mother of harlots, and abominations of the earth?" Purthcrmore, this woman's name was, mystery ; does this apply to Pagan Rome ? Was there any mystery about her ? Did she conceal her real character ? Did she profess to worship Jehovah the one true and living God, and veil her idolatrous practices under specious names and hair-breadth distinctions between VOL. II. R 243 CHAPTER XVII. the worship which may be given to the creature, and that which is due only to the. Creator ? In what sense, then, was she a mystery ? It is impossible to give a satisfactory explanation of these things on the hypothesis that this woman is the symbol of Pagan Rome. But how easy and how clear is the explanation of them on the Protestant hypothesis ? We affirm that this woman is both the city and the Church of Rome, and that the beast that bears her is the secular power ^ that politico-ecclesiastical empire known ordinarily by the name of the Holy Roman Empire,* which at the same time that it supports the Church, is ruled and guided by her, and is at once her champion and her slave. Such is a general summary of the interpretation we would give of this vision. Let us now descend to details, and see if they do not bear us out in this view. First of all, then, as to the leading feature in the character of this woman, she is evidently a personifi- cation of AN IMPOSTURE. She is not what she appears to be. She wishes to pass herself off for a chaste matron, whereas she is really a wanton adulteress, living in sin, and corrupting others. The name on her fore- head, and the cup in her hand, imply this. For her name. Mystery, shows that she hides her true character ; and her having this cup in her hand points her out, according to the ordinary use of such symbols,! as one -* For a particular account of the rise and formation of this empire, see c. xiii. ■f In the ancient allegory entitled, " Kf/ST^Toj Iliva^," or " The Picture of Cehes," written by a disciple of Socrates about 300 years before the Apocalypse, there is a symbolical representation of Deceit very similar to this, the explanation given of which shows how these things were then understood. The picture is a votive offering laid up in the temple of THE HARLOT ON THE SCARLET-COLOURED BEAST. 243 whose object is to impose upon men and deceive them. She "makes men drink of the wine of her adultery." And can we have a more exact portraiture of the Church of Rome than this? Ostensibly and avowedly she is the holiest and purest of Churches. - She is, in fact, according to her own showing, the only holy and pure Church. The name she gives herself, and the title she claims is, " The Holy Roman Catholic Church, the Mother and Mistress of all Churches."* Thus she arrogates to herself the honour of being the only true Church of Christ, and shuts out from the pale of salva- tion all Churches that do not call her " Mother," and acknowledge her supremacy. But what is she really? Is she not an impure, adulterous Church? A Church which, by her example, her exhortations, her commands, and her anathemas, has for centuries corrupted all Christendom, and infused the leaven of self-righteous- ness and idolatry into the great mass of professing Christians ? Has she not, in short, made the inhabitants of the earth "drink of the wine of her fornication"? This, I grant, is strong language, and it may seem a Saturn, and is supposed to be an allegory of human life. At the entrance of the first inclosure, which represents the beginning of life, crowds of persons are seen pressing through the gate. " And dost thou see," proceeds the expounder of the allegory, addressing Cebes, " a throne placed near the gate by which the multitude are entering, upon which a woman sits of an artificial appearance and a persuasive look (TreTrAaa/xei/ij Tw ftSei, KCLi iridavT] (f)aivoiJ.€i^r)), and having in her hand a certain cup?" " I see her," said I; " but who is she?" "She is called Deceit," said he, " seeing she leads all men astray." " But what," said I, " does she then do ?" " She makes all men drink," he replied, '• by the power of her cup." " What," I asked, " does she make them drink ? " " Error," said he, "and ignorance." "And what then?" "Having drunk in these they enter upon life." One might almost suppose that Cebes had in his eye the same mystical woman as St. John. * Creed of Pope Pius IV. R 2 244 CHAPTER XVII. harsli and bigoted thing to speak thus of a Church which has contained within its pale a Pascal, a Bourdaloue, and a Fenelon. But we must never judge of the character of a corporate body by a few great names; they may be brilliant exceptions. Would we form a correct idea of what the Church of Rome is, we must look, not at its Pascals and Penelons, (for even Sardis had its " few names,") but at its popes and cardinals, its doctors and its councils, and, above all, at its army of Jesuit priests. These are the men who represent the true character of the Chiu-ch of Rome, and embody the essentials of her principles. Now will any man venture to affirm that holiness and virtue, simplicity of worship and spotless purity of manners, characterize the lives and principles of those men ? Let us look at the Church of Rome, for example, in the age of its glory, imder the Pontificate of Leo X. Never did Rome make greater pretensions than at that period. Never did she bear herself more haughtily, or assert more strenuously her claim to be regarded as " the Mother and Mistress of all Churches," than at the commencement of the sixteenth century. Her boast was that heresy was extirpated ; that catholic unity pre- vailed everywhere ; and that not a single dissentient voice was raised against the doctrine, the discipline, and the ceremonials of the Holy Roman Church. These, then, according to Rome, were the palmy days of the Church. Now, if ever, she would exhibit the power of the Gospel. Now, if ever, she would show herself to be the imma- culate spouse of Christ, " not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing ;" but being delivered from the pesti- lential influence of heresy, and the disorganizing effects of schism, be a living exemplification of that holiness THE HARLOT ON THE SCARLET-COLOURED BEAST. 245 without which no man shall see the Lord. And such she was in pretence and profession, and according to the representations of her deluded admirers. To read the compositions of the orators and poets of those times, we might suppose that the millennium had com- menced, and that the Church was, indeed, become " a pe- culiar people, redeemed from all iniquity, and zealous of good works." But what are the real facts of the case? Surely never did the Church present a more melancholy spectacle than at the period of which we speak. Never were the people more corrupt, or the clergy more depraved. Great, indeed, was the outward splendour of the Church. She was literally " arrayed in purple and scarlet, and decked with gold and precious stones ;" but when we turn to the page of history, we find that all was false and hollow, and that whilst using the sacred names of God and Christ, and making the most pompous pretensions to sanctity, she was polluted by the most hateful crimes that ever disgraced human nature. It is difficult to substantiate these charges without going more fully into the history of those times than is justifiable in a commentary like this ; at the same time, as one of the most frequent complaints of Roman Catholics is, that we bring grievous accusations against their Church which we are unable to prove, I will endeavour to condense within as small a compass as possible such leading historical facts gathered from good authorities, as may seem best adapted to give a correct idea of the religious and moral condition of the Church at this period. Let us, then, look first at the governing body of the Church, the College of Cardinals, with the Pope at their 246 CHAPTER XVII. head. These may be regarded as the representatives of the Church ; and splendid, indeed, as to externals was the spectacle they presented to the world, clothed in their robes of scarlet, and dwelling in magnificent palaces.* But who, and what manner of men, were they in themselves? I intreat the reader to peruse attentively the following description of some of the leading men amongst them, drawn by a candid and impartial writer : — " The eldest member of the college was Roderigo Borgia, who had enjoyed upwards of thirty-five years the dignity of the purple. The private life of Boderif/o had been a perpetual disf/race to his ecclesiastical functions. In adhering to his vow of celibacy he had alleviated its severity by an intercourse with a Roman lady of the name of Vanozza, — by whom he had several children." Another member of the college was " Rafaello Riario, Cardinal of S. Giorgio, who, under the directions of his great uncle, Sixtus IV., had acted a principal part in the bloody conspiracy of the Pazzi. In assuming his seat among the Fathers of the Christian Church, Giovanni de Medici found himself associated with one who had assisted in the murder of his uncle, and attempted the life of his father !" A third "was Pierre d'Aubusson, upon whom that honour had been conferred as a reward for having sur- rendered into the custody of the Pope an illustrious * " By the example of the Sujireme Pontiff, who well knew how to unite magnificence with taste, the chiefs and princes of the Roman Church emulated each other in the grandeur of their palaces, the sump- tuousness of their apparel, the elegance of their entertainments, and the number of their attendants." — Itoscoe's Life of Leo X., c. xiv., vol. ii., p. 81. Bohn's ed. THE HARLOT ON THE SCARLET-COLOURED BEAST. 247 Turkish fugitive who had taken refuge with him to avoid the rage of fraternal resentment." (Roscoe's " Life of Leo X.," c. 1.) Such were some of the men who composed the governing body of the Church in this the day of her glory. As for the supreme Pontiff himself, some idea may be formed of his feelings and character from the following facts : He was nominated a cardinal ichen a hoy of thirteen, and three years afterwards was admitted a member of the sacred college, and assumed the insignia of his rank. At the age of thirty-eight he was elected Pope. In the third year of his pontificate a conspiracy was discovered at Rome to take away his life by poison ; " and," says the writer above quoted, *' if the name of religion had not already been suf- ficiently prostituted, the Christian world might have shuddered to hear that the authors of this crime were found among the members of the Sacred College." The chief conspirator was Cardinal Alfonso Petrucci, who at first thought of assassinating the Pope icith his own hand, but being deterred by the difficulty of effect- ing his purpose, not by any horror of the crime, resolved to have recourse to poison. The conspiracy having been revealed to the Pope by means of intercepted letters, he took immediate measm'es for the apprehension of the conspirators. The remainder of the story shall be told in the historian's own words : " Leo, under the pretext of considting with Petrucci on family concerns, required his presence in Rome. Conscious of his guilt, Petrucci manifested some reluctance in complying with this request, but Leo removed his apprehensions by granting him a safe conduct, at the same time under- taking by his solemn j^Tomise to the Spanish ambassador 248 CHAPTER XVII. not to violate his own act. Confiding in these assur-' ances, Petrucci repaired to Rome. On his arrival, he was introduced in company with the Cardinal Bandinello de Sauli, into the chamber of the Pope, where they were both secured, and committed prisoners to the castle of St. Angelo. The Spanish Ambassador remon- strated. But Leo alleged that no instrument of safe conduct, however full and explicit, could be allowed to avail a person who had conspired against the life of the Supreme PontiiF." "The painful task of punishing the authors and principal promoters of this conspiracy yet remained. On the day of Pentecost, Leo having again assembled the cardinals, addressed them in a long and pathetic oration, in which he intimated, that although he might legally and properly have proceeded to degrade and punish the guilty, yet he had determined to pardon them. He then went to attend the celebration of mass, after which his disposition and intentions seemed to be changed, and it was thought that he had been instigated to convert the punishment of the offenders into a SOURCE OF GAIN. Oil the twentieth day of June, he proceeded to degrade the three cardinals from their dignities, and to deprive them of their goods and eccle- siastical preferments ; after which, to the terror and astonishment of all the members of the Sacred College, he delivered them over to the secular power. On the following night Petrucci was strangled in prison. The subordinate instruments of this treachery w^ere also sentenced to death, and, after suffering excruciating torments, were finally strangled, and their bodies quar- tered." " Upon strict grounds of positive law," adds the THE HARLOT ON THE SCARLET-COLOURED BEAST. 249. historian, " the execution of Petrucci may, perhaps, be justified : but the shameful violation of every principle of humanity, exemplified in the execution of the subor- dinate instruments of his guilt, can never be sufficiently execrated," (" Life of Leo X.," c. xiv.) Such, then, was Leo in his public capacity as the supreme ruler of the Church. And what Avas he as a private individual ? Perhaps there is no more sure criterion of a man's character than his recreatioae and amusements. These show the real congenialities of the inner man, and mark in an unmistakeable manner the ciu-rent of the feelings. How, then, did Leo spend his hours of relaxation ? " His favourite amusements were hunting, hawking, and fishing, in which he engaged with all the earnestness of the keenest sportsman. An unsuccessful chase, we are told, seemed to be one of the heaviest misfortunes, and those who were hunters for pontifical favour always found that the best time to present their petitions was after his exertions in the chase had been crowned with success. After the more violent exercises of the field, he amused himself with music and cards, interspersed with the witticisms of jesters and the antics of bujfoons I " " It seems to have been his intention," says one of his biographers, " to pass his time cheerfully, and to secure himself against trouble and anxiety by all the means in his power. He therefore sought all opportunities qI pleasure and hilarity, and indulged his leisure in amusements, jests, and sing-, mg. * Such was the man at the head of the holy (!) Roman Church, and such were his coadjutors in its government at the commencement of the sixteenth century. And let • " Life of Leo X.," vol. ii., p. 390. . , • 250 CHAPTER XVII. it be borne in mind that Leo was not one of the had Popes. On the contrary, he was one of the best of them, and compared with some of his predecessors — as Alex- ander VI. for example, who was notoriously guilty of murder, and incest, and every abomination — he was as an angel of light. Yet this very best specimen of the Church's pretended head, what was he ? But it may be said, What have these things to do with the hsi^lot on the scarlet-coloured beast ? Because Pope Leo was a worldly-minded man of pleasm-e who took delight in jests and field-sports, and because the Cardinals were many of them assassins and traitors, and destitute of every principle of religion and virtue, does it follow that the Church of Rome is an apostate and adidterous Church, fitly symbolized by a bloated intoxicated harlot ? We answer. Yes ; these things have much to do with each other. The Church of Rome claims to be the only true Church of Christ, and she affirms that holiness is the great characteristic of that Church. Is it nothing then to the point that the head of the Romish Church and its principal members, in her best days, were worldly- minded politicians, refined sensualists, and treacherous murderers ? ' Still it may be said, the Pope and Cardinals were not the Church. True ; but were the rest of the clergy any better ? Or were the people any better ? Was not the whole body corrupt ? What must have been the general character of the Church when a deacon proved guilty of murder could insure legal absolution for a sum equivalent to about 5/. ? When a bishop might assassinate with impunity by paying three hundred livres? And when any ecclesiastic might violate his vows of chastity under the most aggravated cu'cumstances for a third part of that THE HARLOT ON THE SCAULET-COLOURED BEAST. 251 sum ? * It is impossible to conceive the horrible state of society which such a system must inevitably produce. Take the following facts as a specimen : — " In several places the priest paid to the bishop a regular tax for the woman with whom he lived and for every child he had by her. A German bishop who was present at a grand entertainment publicly declared that in one year eleven thousand priests had presented themselves to him for that purpose. It is Erasmus who records this." f We would gladly cast a veil over such facts as these coidd they be concealed without weakening the cause of truth. But we must not sacrifice truth out of considera- tion for a fastidious refinement, and it is arguments drawn from such gross and palpable facts as these which tell most upon the minds of men in general, and come home with most power to the feelings and under- standing. But supposing the morals of the clergy and laity of the Chm-ch of Rome to be ever so corrupt, does this prove her to be the harlot of the Apocalypse ? No, not in itself; there may unquestionably be soundness of doctrine and correct ritual observances in a Church where great moral corruption prevails, and, in that case, it would scarcely be allowable to call the ofF-sets of such a Church by the opprobrious name given to a dissolute woman. But it is not so with the Church of Rome. Her teaching and practices are as corrupt, as contrary to the doctrine of Christ, as her morals. The corruption of the one is, in fact, a natural consequence of the other ; * " A deacon guilty of murder was absolved for twenty crowns. A bishop or abbot might assassinate for three hundred livres," &c. — Robert- son's Chaj-les XII., b. 2. t " Hist, of the Great Ileformation." D'Aubigne, Vol. i., p. 41. Walther's Ed. 252 , CHAPTER XVII. she is corrupt in morals because she is corrupt in her doctrine. She has departed from the simphcity of Christian truth, and therefore she has departed from Christ himself, and in the homely but expressive language of Scripture, "hath gone to seek many lovers." Take in proof of this the following testimony of one who was himself a long while a monk, and who speaks therefore from personal knowledge and experience : — " The sufferings and merits of Christ were looked upon (says he) as an empty tale, or as the fictions of Homer. He was regarded as a stern judge prepared to condemn all who should not have recourse to the intercession of saints, or to the Pope's indulgences. Other intercessors were substituted in his stead, first, the Virgin Mary, like the Heathen Diana; and then the saints, whose numbers were continually augmented by the Popes. These intercessors refused their mediation unless the party was in good repute with the monastic orders which they had founded. To be so, it was necessary not only to do what God had commanded in his Word, but also to perform a number of works invented by the monks and the priests, and which brought them in large sums of money. Such were the Ave Marias, the prayers of St. Ursula and of St. Bridget. Bones, arms, feet, were preserved in boxes of silver or gold ; they gave them to the faithful to kiss during mass, and this increased their gains."* " At the chm'ch of All Saints, at Wittemberg," adds the historian, " was shown a fragment of Noah's ark ; some soot from the furnace of the three children ( ! ) ; a piece of wood from the crib of the infant Jesus ; some hair of the beard of the great St. Christopher; and * Myconius quoted by D'Aubigne, "Hist. Reform.," vol. i., p. 36. THE HARLOT ON THE SCARLET-COLOURED BEAST. 253 NINETEEN THOUSAND Other relics, more or less precious. At SchafFhausen was shown the breath of St. Joseph that Nicodemus received on his glove. Those who farmed the relics overran the country. They bore them about in the rural districts and carried them into the houses of the faithful. They were exhibited with pomp in the churches. These wandering hawkers paid a certain sum to the proprietors of the relics with a per centage on their profits. The kingdom of heaven had disappeared, and men had opened in its place on earth a market of abominations." * Now when we consider that all these things were done with the sanction of the Metropolitan Church, and in fact emanated from Rome as from a common centre, are we not fully justified in giving her the opprobrious name affixed to her, as we believe, by God himself in this book ? Might we not indeed with a few slight altera- tions adopt the language of the sentence last quoted, and say of the Church of Rome, " The Chmxh of Christ, the chaste spouse of the Redeemer, had disappeared ; she had fled into the wilderness ; and men had substituted for her a Church of their own devising — a Church which was a market of abominations on earth ? " But there is one other point that remains yet to be noticed. This woman was " drunk with the blood of the saints, and of the witnesses of Jesus." Now it is quite unnecessary to adduce further historical proofs that Protestants, or, as the Church of Rome would call them, heretics, have been put to death in great numbers. The facts before mentioned, that more than one hundred thousand persons were slain in the Netherlands alone for * Ibid, p. 37. 254 CHAPTER XVII. their religious opinions,* and that the Inquisition in Spain committed upwards of thu'ty-two thousand indi- viduals to the flames in the space of a few years, is sufficient evidence as to the bloodshedding. The only questions therefore that can be raised in connexion with this subject are, 1st, whether these things were done by the Romish Church; and 2dly, whether the sufferers were indeed saints. That the men who have been put to death at various times under the name of heretics, have been so put to death at the instigation of that Church of which the Pope is the recognised head, will perhaps appear to most readers a mere truism, and not therefore requiring any direct proof. Yet the Church of Rome not only denies that she has ever put any one, whether heretic, Jew, or Pagan, to death, but she disclaims the power to do so, and even affirms that she abhors the idea of per- secution for conscience sake ! f Who, then, w^e may ask, slew Huss, and Jerome, and Latimer, and Ridley, and Cranmer, and the Lollards in Belgium, and the Waldenses in Piedmont, and the * " Decline and Fall of the Rom. Emp.," b. xvi., ad finem. t " I begin with expressly denying that the Catholic Church maintains a claim of punishing heretics with penalties, im^^risonment, tortures, and death, and I assert on the contrary that she disclaims the power of so doing." — "End of Religious Controversy," Letter 49. By Rev. John Milner, Bishop of Castabala. Nothing can be more thoroughly Jesuitical than this letter. The writer begins with plumply denying the charge that the Church of Rome is, or ever has been, in principle, a persecuting Church. He then affirms, that all who have ever been put to death as heretics were put to death by the civil magistrate as offenders against the laws of the country. (Which of course in a sense is true, for how could the Church, i.e., the clergy, p\;t men to death without the sanction of the law ?) And having thus slurred over this charge, he proceeds to retort it on Protestants, and affirms that Luther, Zuingle, and Calvin were greater persecutors than their opponents. THE HARLOT ON THE SCARLET-COLOURED BEAST. 255 thirty -two thousand heretics in Spain ? Not I, says the Chui'ch of Rome ; I had no hand in it. I simply pro- nounced them heretics, and deUvered them over to the secular arm. So far from wishing to shed their blood, I commended them to the clemency of the civil magistrate and to the mercy of God. " Shake not then, 0 Huss, thy gory locks at me, for thou can'st not say 'twas /did it." Thus, like him of old who talked so loudly of his zea for the Lord, with the bleeding heads of her victims piled on either side of her, she asks with insufferable calmness and effrontery, " Who slew all these ? " But will such detestable hypocrisy and sophistry as this pass ? No ; we have a canon of the Church which speaks out the truth plainly and unblushingly, and stands to this day an unimpeachable witness that flatly contradicts the plausible statements of the Romish Church on the subject of per- secution. " If the temporal Lord, when required and admonished by the Church, shall neglect to purge it of this heretical impurity, let him be bound with the chain of excom- munication by the metropolitan. And if he neglect to make satisfaction within the year, from that time let the bishop declare his vassals to be absolved from fealty to him, and expose his lands to Catholics, who, when the heretics are exterminated, may possess them without dispute and keep them in the purity of the faith !" " But as for those Catholics who, having taken up the cross, have armed themselves for the extermination of heretics, let them enjoy the same indulgence, and be guarded by the same sacred privilege as is granted to those who go to the succour of the Holy Land." * * Concil. Later. 4, Labboei et Coss., torn. 11, p. 147. (Parisiis, 256 CHAPTER XVII. Such is the authoritative declaration of the Church of Rome on the subject of putting heretics to death. And yet she says, " I did it not." Why, might not the Jewish high priest and Sanhedrim with much more show of reason say of om- Lord's crucifixion, " We did it not. It was Pilate, not we, that crucified Jesus of Nazareth, Why bring ye this man's blood upon us ? " But what says the plain-speaking man of God ? " This Jesus ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain." Yes; and was he not right? The priests indeed had said, "We have no power to put this man to 1671.) Dr. Milner (not Milner the historian of the Church of Christ, but Milner the Roman Catholic Bishop) refers to this Council, and his remarks upon it ax-e truly characteristic. " From this canon," he observes, " it has been a hundred times over argued against Catholics, not only that the Church claims a right to exterminate heretics, but also that she requires those of her communion to aid and assist in this work of destruction at all times and in all places." Certainly, such seems to be the obvious bearing and practical meaning of the canon. How, then, does Dr. Milner explain it in any other sense ? " First, it must be observed," says he, " that this Council was, in fact, a congress of Christendom, temporal as well as spiritual. We must, in the next place, remark the principal business which drew them together. It was the common cause of Christianity and human nature, namely, the extirpation of the Manichean heresy, which taught that unnatural lusts were lawful, but not the propagation of the human species ; that perjury M'as permitted to them, &c. This detestable heresy was supported by the Counts of Thoulouse, Comminges, &:c., as also by numerous bodies of banditti, called Kotarii, whom the Albigenses hired for this purpose. Thus strengthened, they waged open war with Christianity, morality, and human nature itself. They even cast the Bible into the lakes, &c. It was to put an end to these horrors that the great Lateran Council Avas held in the year 1215, when the heresy in question was condemned by the proper authority of the Church. It is remarkable, however, that the decree of the Council regarded only the prevailing heretics of that tiine, the Albigenses, Cathari, Brethren of the Free Spirit," &:c. — (" End of Religious Controv.," let. 49.) Thus, according to this statement, all the Albigenses were unnatural monstei's, who taught that marriage was unlawful, &c. Is it not melancholy to see a man of intelligence and education defending a bad cause by calmly asserting such gross and palpable falsehoods ? THE HARLOT ON THE SCARLET-COLOURED BEAST. 257 death. We have no king but Caesar." But would Csesar have put him to death but for them ? Was it not because they said, " We have a law, and by that law he ought to die," that Pilate at length gave him over to death ? And did not the whole guilt of his blood there- fore rest on them ? And where is the difference between this case and that of the delivery of heretics by the authority of the Church to the secular magistrate ? Would the civil magistrate ever have executed heretics if the Church had not first declared them worthy of death? Their blood, then, rests upon her, the instigator of their slaughter, rather than upon the magistrate who, under her direction, wields the sword. 2. But after aU, were they saints and witnesses for Jesus whom the Chm-ch of Rome has at various times put to death? That they were holy men, even their enemies, some of them at least, admit. " If," says Bernard, " you ask them of their faith, nothing can be more Christian ; if you observe their conversation, nothing can be more blameless." * Here we have a double testimony, both to the purity of their doctrines and the innocence of their lives. And, in fact, what crimes were they charged with? Take as a specific example John Huss. What were his offences? They were eight in number. He maintained that the communion ought to be administered in both kinds ; that the bread remains after consecration ; that the Church does not mean the Pope and the clergy, &c. These were the mortal sins with which this heresiarch was charged. But was this all ? Was there no stain upon his moral character ? None whatever ; not a spot did even his bitterest enemies ♦ " Milner's Church Hist.," cent, xii., c. 3. VOL. II. S 258 CHAPTER XVII. pretend to have discovered in the Kfe of this holy and virtuous man. Yet this is the man whom the Council of Constance condemned to be publicly deposed and degraded " as an obstinate and incorrigible heretic." Whom the prelates appointed for that purpose by the Council, stripped one by one of his sacerdotal robes, and whom, having placed a paper crown upon his head, marked with hideous figures of daemons, and the super- scription, Heresiarch^ they " pronounced to be cut off from the ecclesiastical body, and then consigned him, as a layman, to the vengeance of the secular arm, having first of all devoted his soul to the infernal devils." * And how did he act under this unjust and demoniacal treatment ? " On his way to the stake he repeated pious prayers and penitential psalms ; and when the order was given to kindle the flames he only uttered these words, * Lord Jesus, I endure with humility this cruel death for thy sake, and I pray thee to pardon all my enemies ? ' " Was not this a holy man ? Was not this a witness of Jesus? But Huss was only one of many ; — who can count the myriads of innocent men like him that the Church of Rome has slain ? Let us now recapitulate. This vision presents us with a symbol having a double meaning and application ; the symbol of a Chui'ch, and of a city.f It is admitted on * Animam tuam devovemus infernis Diabolis. See Waddington's Hist., vol. ii., p. 595. t It is obvious that this woman cannot be merely a symbol of a city regarded as an assemblage of houses and streets filled with inhabitants. The exposition, therefore, given by the angel of the meaning of this symbol in the last verse must be considered as only an exposition in part, intended especially to mark out the specific locality which would be occupied by this symbolic woman, the centre, as it were, of her authority THE HARLOT ON THE SCARLET- COLOURED BEAST. 259 all hands that the city symbolized is Rome. And we affirm that the Church symbolized is the Roman Catholic Church. And have we no ground for making this assertion? This woman, though polluted by her adulteries and defiled with innocent blood, is richly and magnificently adorned, and to the ordinary eye presents a splendid and attractive external. And have we not then here a true and faithful representation of the character and condition of the Church of Rome for the last twelve hundred years? Splendid indeed has she been as to externals. Enriched by contributions from all parts of the civilized world, her churches, her shrines, and her cathedrals have glittered with gold and shone with pearls and precious stones; nor can anything be conceived more dazzling and gaudy than the ceremonials of her w^orship. But we have seen, notwithstanding all this, that in her best and most palmy days she was but a specious adulteress, wallowing in her iniquity, and turning away the minds of men from Christ, the one only Mediator between God and man, to a host of inferior mediators and secondary intercessors. We have seen, that at the very time that she was expending millions upon her cathedral dedicated to the chief of the apostles, and that her altars were embellished by the talents of a Raphael and a Michael Angelo, her recognised head was a worldly-minded, pleasure-loving politician, her sub- ordinate rulers sensualists and assassins, and her whole body ecclesiastical a mass of moral corruption ! We and power. Regarded, therefore, as the symbol of a city, she is Rome ; but in another point of view, she is the embodiment of that system of ecclesiastical polity of which Rome is the fountain-head and centre ; just as the seven heads of the beast are both the seven hills on which Rome was built, and the seven forms of government which prevailed at different periods. s 2 260 CHAPTER XVII. have seen, moreover, that at her instigation, if not actually by her hand, multitudes of holy men, faithful witnesses for the pure Gospel of Christ, have at various times been put to death. And what, then, is the true and proper appellation of such a Church ? The name she gives herself suggests her most appropriate designation, and condemns her out of her own mouth. She calls herself — The Holy Catholic, Apostolic, Roman Church, THE Mother and Mistress of all Churches. But surely her proper name is — " Babylon the Great, The Mother of Harlots and of the abominations OF THE earth." * * It may strengthen the conviction of the truth of this conclusion in the minds of some readers to know that the above application of the prophecy is not confined to Protestants. So early as the twelfth century Dante, a Roman Catholic, in a passage partly before quoted, writes thus : — " If reverence of the keys restrained me not, Which thou in happier time did'st hold, I yet Severer speech might use. Your avarice O'ercasts the world with mourning, under foot Treading the good, and raising bad men up. Of shepherds like to you, the Evangelist Was ware, WHEN HER WHO SITS UPON THE WAVES With kings in filthy ■whoredom he beheld ; She who with seven heads tower'd at her birth. And from ten horns her proof of glory drew. Long as her spouse in virtue took delight. Of gold and silver ye have made your god, Differing wherein ^rojw the idolater, But that he worships one, a hundred ye f Ah, Constantine ! to how much ill gave birth. Not thy conversion, but that plenteous dower, Which the first wealthy father gained from thee ! " These words are supposed to be addressed by the poet to Pope Nicholas V., who is represented as in hell, standing in a hole with his head downwards, his feet being on fire, which was the punishment of those guilty of Simony. — See Gary's Dante, Hell, cant. 19, I. 154. THE SCARLET-COLOURED BEAST. 261 The Scarlet-coloured Beast. — xvii. 8 — 14. We have already seen that the generahty of modern commentators,* and Mr. EUiottin particular, identify this beast with that of the thirteenth chapter. But in my remarks on that chapter I have shown that, notwithstand- ing a generic resemblance between these two beasts, there are some strongly marked points of difference. Now these points of difference undoubtedly have a meaning. For, as I have before had occasion to observe, there is nothing more astonishing about the Apocalypse than the minute accuracy with which the prophetic symbols employed in it are described. Nothing is said in vain. And I think, therefore, we must not confound the sea and the abi/ss as though they meant the same thing, or suppose that the absence of the crowns from the horns of this beast and his scarlet colour, have no specific signification. Disposed, therefore, as I was once to acquiesce in the opinion of the absolute identity of these beasts, further consideration has compelled me to abandon that idea, and has convinced me that they do not symbolize one and the same thing. Another obvious error, as it appears to me, into which numerous commentators have fallen in regard to this beast is, the assuming that it represents the Papacy. The beast is ridden by the woman, that is, the Church ; but the Pope is the head of the Church ; how then can he in his official capacity be fitly represented as ridden by her ? Neither this beast, nor that from the sea, can with any propriety, as it seems to me, symbolize a spiritual, or ecclesiastical power, seeing that there is nothing of a spiritual or ecclesiastical character about * Mr. Faber and Mr. Hatley Frere are the principal exceptions. 262 CHAPTEll XVII. 8 — 14. them. The entire portraiture in both instances is mani- festly that of a secular, not a spiritual, empire. In that we are now considering the ivoman is the Church (including of course its head), the beast the secular empire, over which she exercises spiritual dominion. This subject is one of so much interest and import- ance, that I shall make no apology for repeating the statement of my views of these two beasts, already summarily given in the commentary on chapter xiii. I am inclined, then, to think, that the seven-headed dragon, the triple-formed wild beast from the sea, and this scarlet-coloured beast, all represent, as to \i'& primary origin and the seat of its power, one and the same empire ; that is to say, that mighty fabric of secular dominion which was founded by Romulus seven hundred years before our Lord's advent, and which, by the appointment of God, was to exercise so powerful an influence over the destinies of mankind to the end of time. The correspondence in the number of heads in all the three symbols puts this point, namely, their identity as to a common origin and seat of power, beyond all question. In fact, we are expressly told that the dragon gave to the beast from the sea his seat, or throne, and authority; so that the empire of which that beast is the symbol, is undoubtedly a continuation of that empire of which the dragon is the symbol. But this beast from the abyss is also evidently a continuation of the same empire ; for he also has seven heads and ten horns, like the beast from the sea, plainly indicating an essential identity between them, although circumstantially they may differ from each other. I should say, therefore, that these three beasts (for the dragon may be so called) represent THE SCARLET-COLOURED BEAST, 263 the same secular dominion, only under different aspects and phases. All three are a persecuting power, opposed to Christ and his people. The dragon is that power in Pagan Rome. The beast from the sea is that power in the nominally Christian Roman Empire established by the kings of France and the Popes. And the beast from the abyss is still essentially that same power, only different in form and circumstances. And what then, it may be asked, is that form, and what those circum- stances? This is no easy question. Whilst I cannot agree with Mede, and most modern commentators, in considering the abyss, or bottomless pit, and the sea to mean the same thing, and the two beasts which respectively issue from them to be absolutely identical, I freely confess that there are difficulties connected with any other interpretation which are not easily solved, although, perhaps, those difficulties may arise from our present ignorance, and be fully cleared up by future events. An examination of particulars will enable me to state those difficulties as they occur, and at the same time to offer what appears to me to be the most satisfactory explanation of this deeply interesting, wonderful, and most important prophecy. Let us first carefully read over the text as it stands : — Vers. 7 — 15. — "And the angel said to me, 'Where- fore dost thou wonder? I wiU tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns. The beast that thou sawest was, and is not, and is about to ascend out of the bottomless pit, and to go away to destruction : and they that dwell upon the earth, whose names are not written in the book of life 264 CHAPTER XVII. 8 14. from the foundation of the world, shall wonder, seeing the beast that was, and is not, and yet is. Here is the mind that hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, whereon the woman sitteth. And they are seven kings : the five have fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he shall have come, he must continue a little. And the beast that was and is not, he is also an eighth, yet is of the seven, and goeth away to destruction. And the ten horns which thou sawest, are ten kings, which have not yet received dominion, but receive power, as it were kings, at the same hour with the beast. These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength to 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 those that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.' " Now, before attempting any exposition of this expla- natory discourse of the angel, it may assist in the understanding of it to divest it of its figurative terms, and express the meaning more fully in a paraphrase, thus : " The beast which thou hast now seen, is a symbol of that empire which was before represented to thee by the great red dragon, and afterwards, in another stage of its existence, by the seven-headed beast from the sea, and which then was a mighty empire exercising dominion over the earth, causing all men to give it reverence, and slaying with the sword those who refused to submit to its authority. This empire, however, at the period of the world's history at which we are now arrived, is not. It no longer exists in the form in which it was then exhibited to thee ; that is, it has lost its character as a wild THE SCARLET-COLOURED BEAST. 265 beast, having ceased to persecute and slay the people of the Lord; and we may therefore say of it, It was, hut is not. Nevertheless, it is not altogether destroyed. After having ceased to exist as a wild beast apparently for a time, it will once more reappear, and actuated by the spirit of him who dwells in the bottomless pit, it will again show itself a wild beast, persecuting the people of the Lord and shedding innocent blood. And in this it will have the approval of all the inhabitants of the earth, excepting only God's elect people. Tor men in general will look with wonder and admiration on this empire in its new form, and out of hatred to Christ and his true disciples, will commend its proceedings in regard to them. " But let me admonish thee, before I proceed any further, that to understand these things demands much thought and consideration, and a mind enlightened by Divine wisdom ; apply, therefore, all the powers of thy understanding to what I am now about to tell thee. " Tke seven heads of the beast are seven mountains, whereon the city of which the woman is the symbol is built. They represent also seven kings, or forms of government, of which five have already passed away, the sixth is that which at present exists, and the seventh is not yet come, and when it is come and is fully established, it must continue for some time.* And the beast which I said represented the same empire as the beast from the sea, but in another aspect and under different circumstances, which empire at the period we have now arrived at has apparently • See this point fully considered in a separate section, on the DuRATTOX OF THE Seventh Head. 266 CHAPTER XVII. 8 14. ceased to exist : this beast is an eighth king, or form of government, and yet is not altogether new, being one of the seven which have ah-eady passed away; and this also shall endure only for a time, being appointed like all the others to be destroyed when God shall set up the kingdom of his Son. " Moreover, the ten horns thou sawest represent ten lesser kingdoms and dynasties, which at this present time are not in existence, but which will come into being, and be formed into separate kingdoms, about the same time with the rise of the empire prefigured by the beast from the sea. These ten kingdoms, or powers, shall give their united strength to the support of that empire in both its forms ; both as the beast from the sea with its ten crow7ied horns, and as the beast from the bottomless-pit with its ten uncrowned horns ; and shall combine with it in endeavouring to crush the Lord and his people, but in vain. Their impious attempts will issue only in the establishment of his kingdom and their own destruction ; for he is Lord of lords and King of kings." • Such is, I believe, a faithful paraphrase of the angel's words in this place. We now come to the historical explanation of these things. It will be seen from the foregoing paraphrase, that I suppose this beast from the bottomless pit to be a revival of what was called the holy Roman Empire, begun by Clovis in the sixth century, and completed by Charlemagne and the Pope in the last year of the eighth ; a sort of continuation, in fact, of that empire. Now, let it be borne in mind, that that was a politico-ecclesiastical empire, claiming dominion over the whole earth, and which, in the thirteenth THE SCARLET-COLOURED BEAST. 267 chapter, is called the Image of the beast. I would lay miich stress upon the designation politicO'eccle' siastical. This must never be lost sight of. If we regard the empire symbolized by the image of the beast either as a purely ecclesiastical, or a purely political empire, we shall form an erroneous conception of it. It is neither one nor the other — it is neither the empire nor the Papacy, taken alone, — but it is the result of the joint working of them both. That empire, then, being both a political and ecclesiastical power — the head of the one being the Emperor, and of the other, the Pope, — cannot be wholly destroyed as long as either head exists. The beast, it may be said, has two heads, and the cutting off of one of them does not therefore necessarily involve its utter extinction. Taking, then, this view of the subject, what is the historical explanation of the prophecy? The beast that loas, is the holy Roman Papistico-imperial Empire, which rose as out of the sea in the sixth century, and which came to an end, as we have seen (see c. xi. 13), at the commencement of the present century, in the year 1806, after having existed, from its first beginning under Clovis, forty-two months, or twelve hundred and sixty prophetical days, more or less. That specific empire, therefore, has now run its appointed course. It has ceased to exist, and is not. Still the empire of Rome is not at an end. It has lost its secular head for the present, but it retains, notwithstanding, the principle of life in its mutilated trunk, being kept from utter extinction by the vitality it receives from its other, the ecclesiastical head (the beast from the earth), which yet remains. In the mean time, a new element has arisen in the political 268 CHAPTER XVII. 8 14. world; that element is the democratic principle, com- bined with Infidelity. This element sprang up in France, and first manifested itself in its full propor- tions in the Revolution of 1789. Prom that time to the present hour it has been in constant action, working especially upon the minds of the subjects of the Papacy, and continually urging them to destroy all Governments that have in them the smallest particle of the monarchical or aristocratical principle, and to establish everywhere pure republicanism. And here, then, I think, we have the germ of the scarlet-coloured beast from the abyss. Democracy joined with Infidelity, or, in other words, impatience of aU human control, coupled with contempt for the authority of God, involve in them the very essence of hellish rebellion ; and an empire, or community, constructed and governed on such principles, may well be said to ascend out of tlie bottomless pit. This beast came up, as I have just intimated, in the year 1789,— only sixteen years before that from the sea ceased to exist, of whose destruction it was the cause,* and whose place it is destined, I believe, to occupy. But will Democracy and Infidelity ever suffer them- selves to be over-ridden by the Papal Church, and combine for her exaltation and support, as the scarlet- * Francis, the last of the emperors (as before stated) was compelled to resign the Imperial dignity by Napoleon Bonaparte, who may be regarded as the concentration and representative of Infidel Republicanism. " On the 1st of August, 1806," says Menzel, "Napoleon declared that he no longer i-ccognised the Emperor of Germany. The fall of the empire that had stood the storms of a thousand years, was not, however, without dif^nity. A moaner hand might have levelled the decayed fjvbric Avith the dust, but fate, that seemed to honour even the faded majesty of the Ccesars, selected Napoleon as the executioner of her decrees." — Hist, of Germany, vol. iii., p. 235. THE SCARLET-COLOURED BEAST. 269 coloured beast is represented in the vision upholding the harlot, and being ridden upon by her ? — Why should they not? Have we not, in fact, seen this strange and improbable combination of antagonistic principles and agencies verified in part in our own days? It was republican Infidel Prance that in 1793 slew the witnesses, and it was republican Infidel France that in 1849 replaced the Roman Pontiff" upon his pontifical throne. Let us not, then, imagine, that Democracy and Popery, or even Infidelity and Popery, are elements of so uncongenial a nature that they cannot mingle. Democracy and Infidelity may think it to be for the furtherance of their objects to offer the right hand of fellowship to the Papacy, and the Papacy may think it expedient to accept the proffered alliance, the common object of all the three being the destruction of Evangelical truth. There is no moral impossibility, therefore, involved in the idea that this scarlet-coloured beast may symbolize the ten European Papal kingdoms which once supported the Romish Church as monarchies, now supporting it as republics ; at least, for a time, although the result of so unnatural an alliance must eventually be its destruction. Viewed in this light, the specific differences between this beast and that of the thirteenth chapter, as well as all the other particulars connected with its history, admit of an intelligible and satisfactory explanation. The seat of this beast, the heart and centre of its vitality and power, is still the city of Rome. And therefore it is represented with seven heads, which, by the angel's interpretation, are the seven hills on which Rome is built. But these seven heads represent 270 CHAPTER XVII. 8 14. also seven kinds of rulers, or forms of government, the scarlet-coloured beast itself being an eighth. In order, then, to make good the interpretation which assumes the beast to represent the Papal kingdoms of Europe republicanized, it must be shown, that supposing the holy Roman (Latin) Empire, as it was called, and which was dissolved in 1806, to become one vast republic, this would answer to the symbol, and be rightly denominated an eighth head, or, rather, form of Government.* Now, what are the historical facts connected with this subject ? They may be stated in very few words. Rome was originally governed by kings. Monarchy being abolished, it became a republic, and was governed by two consuls chosen annually. To these succeeded dictators ; then, for a short time, decemvirs ; and after them, military tri- bunes, f These, then, were the five forms of govern- ment which had fallen when St. John received the Revelation. The sixth was that of emperors, which was then in existence. The seventh, not yet come, was that of the Erankish monarchs, commencing with Clovis, and ending, as we have seen, with Erancis of Austria, in 1806. This head, it will be observed, was to continue a little. | That is, it was to last a * It should be observed, that the angel does not say that the beast from the abyss is an eighth head, but an eighth king, or form of govern- ment. He could not, in fact, be an eighth head, seeing there were but seven. The scarlet-coloured beast, therefore, is an emjiire having Rome for its centre, but not united under one secular head. t Tacitus, the greatest of Roman historians, commences his history by enumerating these five forms of government in the order above stated : " Urbem Romam a principio reges habuere. Libertatem et consulatum L. Brutus instituit. Dictaturae ad tempus sumebantur: neque decem- viralis potestas ultra biennium, neque tribunorum militum consulare jus diu valuit." — Ann., 1. 1. \ See the separate section at tlie end of this chapter. THE SCAULET-COLOURED BEAST. 271 considerable time. The other heads did not any of them continue very long. As Tacitus says, non diu valuerunt ; they did not endure for any great length of time. But this loas to be enduring. And, accord- ingly, it did last for more than a thousand years. And then came the beast from the bottomless pit. The Democratic Infidel system of government, of which it is said, that " it is of the seven, and goeth away to perdition." Now this expression, " of the seven," implies that it would be like one of the previous seven. And it is notorious, that the French revo- lutionists founded their republic upon the model, as they supposed at least, of ancient Greece and Rome. The whole system of modern Democracy is a fancied restoration of those principles of freedom and liberty according to which Rome was governed under its consuls. Its motto is. Liberty, Equality, Fraternity. But it has in it no element of a religious character. There is fundamentally no acknowledgment of God. On the contrary, its fundamental principle, vox populi, vocV Dei, in its own sense, is essentially atheistic. For this means reaUy nothing more than that the voice of the people is the substitute for the voice of God ; thus making the people their own God. Now, if this view of the beast be indeed the true one, the differences between it and the former beast are easily explained. It comes from the bottomless pit, because it is not a secular kingdom beginning in any specific locality, but a princijple, emanating from the prince of darkness, and fixing itself in the hearts and minds of men. Its horns are without crowns, because it disclaims all regal and aristocratical authority — all distinctions of rank and birth, — the only 272 CHAPTER XVII. 8 14. title it acknowledges being that of citizen. And hence, perhaps, it is represented as all of one colour, to intimate, that it owns no shades of difference among its members. Nor is it difficult to discern why that colour should be red. Who has not heard of the Red Repubhcans ? It is fearful, indeed, to contem- plate the meaning of the colour in this connexion.* It can portend nothing else than bloodshed and slaughter. And who will venture to affirm that a persecuting Democratic Infidel Power, secretly insti- gated and guided by the Papal Church, is an impos- sibility? But I forbear to speculate further in this matter. That the spirit of Democracy in its most unbridled form, is abroad among the nations of Europe which formerly constituted the revived Western Empire, is an indisputable fact. That it will one day gain a general ascendancy, and overturn all existing Govern- ments amongst those nations, may seem highly im- probable; and yet, I fear, this is a result to which we must look forward. f Certain it is, that the demo- cratical principle is daily fixing its roots more and more deeply in the minds of the inhabitants of Papal Europe ; nor will it be satisfied until it is either thoroughly subdued, or has obtained the mastery. On this point, let me again quote the words of one, the best qualified, perhaps, of all men living to form a correct estimate * See the separate article on The colour of the beast. ■\ Recent occurrences in France and Austria seem to render the pre- valence of Democracy on the Continent a less probable event than ever. We must not, however, judge by outward appearances. A few years, or even months, may totally change the political aspect of the European kingdoms. There are hidden Jires and wider currents at work, the operation of which is slow and gradual, but the final results of which are, to borrow M. Guizot's metaphor, a " sudden explosion." THE SCARLET-COLOURED BEAST. 273 of the extent to which this principle prevails on the Continent. The subject, it will be remembered, is the empire of the term Democracy over the public mind in France, the causes of which having been ex- plained, the author proceeds thus : — " Such being the fact, the empire of the word Democracy is not to be regarded as a transitory or local accident. It is the development, — others would say, — the explosion, of all the elements of human nature throughout all the ranks, and all the depths of society ; and, conset[uently, the open, general, continuous, in- evitable struggle of its good and evil instincts; of its virtues and its vices, — ^whether to improve, or to corrupt, — to raise, or to abase, — to create, or to destroy." (Gaizot on Democracy, c. i., sub fine.) Now, with such a testimony before us, who will say that the idea of a Continental Papal republic is alto- gether chimerical ? Popery can unite * itself with Democracy as easily as it can with despotism, and the example of America, where it has of late been making such rapid strides, is sufficient proof that there is no essential antagonism between Romish supremacy and republican liberty. With regard to the ten horns, it will be seen that according to the paraphrase given of the angel's words, these ten horns represent ten lesser kingdoms, which were to come into existence about the same time with the Carlovingian Empire, and unite together in uphold- ing that combined system of ecclesiastical and political • Have we not had clear proof of this in the late French Revolution ? Did not the priests take part with the Republicans when they saw them the stronger party ? Where was there a tree of liberty planted, that there was not a priest to bless it ? VOL. II. T 274 CHAPTER XVII. 8 14. dominion of which the empire and the Papacy were the practical development. They were to be of one mind, and give their strength and power to the beast.* Now it has already been shown, that the Empire of Charlemagne was formed out of ten kingdoms into which the Western Roman Empire was divided after it had been overturned by the barbarous nations from the north in the fifth century. And it has also been shown, that the territory Avhich that empire occupied continues to this day to be divided into ten kingdoms, all of them subject to the Papacy. f Consequently, what we may anticipate is, that these ten kingdoms, having renounced altogether the monarchical and aristocratical form of government ; in other words, having abolished all hereditary distinctions and privileges, and having be- come pui-e democracies, will still upheld for a time the dominion of Rome, and assist her in opposing the pro- * There is a passage in Voltaire's " Age of Louis XIV." strikingly illustrative of this part of the prophecy. It is headed, " Of the States of Europe before Louis XIV." " The Christian part of Europe (excepting Muscovy) had long been in such a situation, that it might be considered as one great republic, divided into several states, some monarchical and others mixed ; some aristocratical, others popular, but all corresponding with one another, all having the same foundation for their religion, although divided into several sects ; and all having the same principles of political and natiu-al law, unknown in the other parts of the world." — Siecle de Louis XIV., c. i. t The Empire of Charlemagne extended from the Ebro on the Avest, to the Elbe, or Vistula, on the east ; and from the Duchy of Beneventum on the south, to the Eyder, the boundary between Germany and Denmark, on the north ; and consequently comprised within it the countries now called France, Spain, Italy, Germany, and Hungary. (See " Decline and Fall," vol. ix., p. 180.) It is in these countries, therefore, that we must look for the ten horns of the beast, and not in the more extensive territories of the ancient Roman Empire. It is a remarkable fact that to this day the influence and dominion of Rome is confined within the above-named limits. (See the map prefixed to this volume.) THE SCARLET-COLOURED BEAST. 275 gress of evangelical truth by persecuting, and, perhaps, putting to death, the faithful preachers of the Gospel. This union, however, between the Papal Church, and the democratical states of the empire, will not be of long continuance. " The horns which thou sawest on the beast, these shall hate the harlot, and make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire." Here, let it be observed, it is not the beast that destroys the harlot, but the ten horns. Implying, I imagine, that it is when they shall cease fro be joined together by a common bond of union ; when they shall cease, that is, to acknowledge Rome to be the mother and mistress of all Churches, then it is that they shall begin to hate her, and war against her, and consume her with fire ; both the city of Rome itself, and that Church of which she is the centre and head. Such, I am inclined to think, is the true interpre- tation of this deeply interesting and important prophecy. There are two points, however, here, which call for a fuller and more accurate discussion than I thought it expedient to give them whilst endeavouring to present the reader with a connected comprehensive view of the meaning of this symbolic beast ; these are, the colour of the beast, and the duration of the seventh head. To these I would now direct attention. And, first — THE SCARLET COLOUR OF THE BEAST. The question is, whether this scarlet colom* implies the splendour of Royal magnificence, as exhibited, for example, in the pomp and costliness of the Papal Court, or whether it has not rather a moral meaning, and does not point to the san(juinary character of the power of which this beast is the symbol. Mr. Elliott, the T 2 276 CHAPTER XVII. 8 14. most able advocate of the former view, contends that the original word (kokkivov) is synonymous with Trop^ypeo?, purple, and that it refers, probably, not to the colour of the beast himself, but of his trappings, or housings, which he supposes may have so entirely covered his body as to have made him appear to be of the colour of his trappings. But admitting that kokklvo^;, scarlet, was a Royal colour, as well as 7ropj)vpeoj of Jesus." 310 " CHAPTER XIX. 9 10. — This is a remarkable declaration. The angel assigns it as a reason why he ought not to be worshipped, that he was a fellow-servant with the apostle, being one of those who had the testimony of Jesus ; " for," he adds, " the spirit of prophecy is the testimony of Jesus." And what docs this teach us, but that the one great end for which prophets of old were inspired, and angels at different times came from heaven to earth, was to testify of Jesus ? The argument of the angel, in short, is this : Inspired men, as prophets, bear witness to Jesus. We do no more. We speak and act by the same spirit, and our testimony is the same as theirs. We are, therefore, your fellow-servants, and are neither entitled to, nor desire Divine honours, which are due to God alone. The Battle of Ar-mageddon, vers. 11 — 21. The subject of this vision is unquestionably that great battle, or warfare, the preliminaries of which were alluded to in chapter xvi. 16. There, "three unclean spirits like frogs" are seen proceeding "from the mouth of the dragon, and of the beast, and of the false prophet;" who "go forth to the kings of the earth, and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of the great day of God Almighty." "And they gather them to a place called in the Hebrew tongue, Ar-mageddon y But in the 19th verse of this chapter we read : " And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army." This conflict, therefore, on the description of which we are now entering, is, beyond all controversy, that conflict which is to be carried THE BATTLE OF All-MAGEDDON. 311 on at Ar-mageddon. And what then will be the nature of that conflict ? ^¥]lo will be the actual combatants engaged in it, and what its results ? These are questions more easily asked than answered. I have already expressed the diffidence I feel in regard to this subject (chap. xvi. 16) ; and I must candidly acknow- ledge that the more I consider all the difficulties connected with it, the less disposed I am to speak dogmatically. The first point that demands particular investigation, is the nature of that manifestation described in the eleventh and five following verses. Will this mani- festation be literal or figurative ? Will our Lord appear in person to confound his enemies by the glory of his majesty, or, is all that is here said to be understood in a purely spiritual sense? There are some circumstances which seem to favour both views, but, I think, upon the whole, the weight of evidence preponderates in favour of the figm-ative interpretation.* The two circumstances which seem to be least recon- cilable with the idea of a purely spiritual interpretation, are, the treading of the wine-press, and the slaughter of the enemies of the Lamb. It is difficult to give a satisfactory explanation of the language employed in describing these occurrences, on the figurative hypothesis. The treading of the wine-press, it is true, is a figure, and the call upon the birds to come and devour flesh is a figure, but they are figures which imply * This opinion may, perhaps, seem to be inconsistent with what was said respecting the coming of the bridegroom and the marriage supper. But it should be observed that the above remark applies only to this particular jiassage, which appears to me to relate to events antecedent to the celebration of the marriage su])p' r. See notes on c. iii. V, 14 — 22. 312 CHAPTER XIX. 11 21. terrible realities ; nor does it seem probable that those realities will be accomplished in the figm*ative de- struction of the wicked involved in their conversion. The treading of the wine-press of God's wrath, is an act of judgment, not of mercy, and the fowls of the air being filled with the flesh of the slain, implies great destruction of human life ; and, certainly, the former of these acts, appears to require the personal manifestation of Christ for its accomplishment. On the other hand, the white horse, — the many dia- dems,— the name written, — the vesture dipped in blood, -■ — and, above all, the sword proceeding out of the mouth, wherewith the remnant are slain, — are manifestly pure figures, and would best consist, perhaps, with a figurative interpretation. The beast, and the false prophet also, are not persons, but kingdoms, or powers, and their being cast into a lake of fire, can signify, therefore, nothing more than their entire destruction ; the idea of a literal fulfilment involving in it, not only imjyrohahUitij, but impossibility/.* After revolving all these circumstances in my mind, the view I am inclined to take of this subject, beset as it * The reader will do Mell to compare with the above, Dan. xii. 11, 12 : " I beheld then, because of the voice, of the great words which the horn spake ; I beheld even till the least loas shin and his body given to the hurniiui Jtame. As concerning the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away ; yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time." But in v. 20 we read : "But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, (viz., the dondnion of the fourth beast,) to consume and destroy it to the end." Thus, it appears, that the giving the beast's body to the flame, is the taking away his dominion. Now the parallelism of this passage in Daniel, with the one under consideration, is obvious; and, I think, therefore, we may assume, that the casting of the beast and false prophet into the lake of fire, is the taking away of their dominion. THE BATTLE OE AR-MAGEDDON. 313 obviously is with difficulties until they shall be un- ravelled, by the fulfihnent, is as foUows : — ■ The opening of the heavens, and the appearance therein of the great head of the Church, seated upon a white horse, having his eyes as a flame of fire, his raiment dipped in blood, a sharp ^woyA proceeding out of his mouth, and many diadems upon his head, and the armies in heaven following, seated also upon white horses ; may signify the great triumphs of the Gospel at this period; — the exaltation of Christ and his Church, folio Aved by the general acknowledgment of him, in all his offices, as Prophet, Priest, and King. The mention of the white horse, carries back our thoughts to the open- ing of the first seal, when the Lord first went forth by his apostles, " conquering and to conquer," and in the assurance of victory was crowned with the laurel crown. At that time he was not recognised by man- kind as Lord of all ; on the contrary, he was despised and rejected by the majority of men, especially by the kings and princes of the earth. But now, they are com- pelled to acknowledge his divine majesty — their diadems are taken from their heads, and placed upon his, and they bow down at his name, and " confess that he is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." These triumphs, however, will not be achieved with- out opposition and conflict. The enemies of piety will endeavour to stop the progress of the Gospel and the as- cendancy of truth, by force and violence, and the conse- quence will be warfare and carnage. A great battle must be fought, in which an immense slaughter of the impious adversaries of the Lord and his people, such a slaughter probably as the world has never yet wit- nessed, will take place. Nor are we left altogether 314 CHAPTER XIX. 11 21. without a clue to direct us as to the locality of this' slaughter, and the instruments by which it wiU be effected. The proclamation of the angel, standing in the sun, is remarkable, and full of fearful meaning. Let it be attentively considered : " And I saw one angel* standing in the sun ; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in the mid-heavens : Come, and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God : that ye may eat the flesh of kings," &c. Now, who is the one angel? And, who, or what, are these birds ? And of what is this sun the symbol ? I wiU give what appears to me to be the meaning of these things, although the explanation I have to off'er must be taken in the way of conjecture rather than of positive assertion. Pirst, then, as to the sun. — It will be remembered that this symbol, c. xiv. 8, was supposed to signify the French Empire, f I think, most probably, it has the same meaning here. In fact, how should it have any other meaning ? The analogy of the case requires that the same interpretation should be given in both in- stances. But if so, then will France be the theatre on which this terrific manifestation of God's wrath against the impiety of men will take place. And there are circumstances which warrant this conclusion. " It is a righteous thing w\i\\ God to recompense tribulation to them that cause trouble to others." (2 Thess. i. 7.) * The Greek is em ayyiKov, and the word one therefore, must be emphatic, although it is not easy to determine the sijecific meaning of the emphasis. f The reasons of this application of the sj-mbol will be found at page 189. It should be borne in mind that Fleming gave the same inter- pretation a hundred and fifty years ago. See "llisc and Fall of the Papacy," p. 51. THE BATTLE OE AR-MAGEDDON, 315 Now France was the sun whicli, under the fourth vial, scorched other kingdoms with its burning heat, and inflicted incalculable miseries upon the nations of Europe. It is quite in accordance therefore with the mysterious dispensations of His providence, who "visits the iniquities of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fom^th generations," to suppose that France is yet destined to pay to mankind a terrible retribution in blood for all the blood of others she has caused to be shed.* True, she has, it may be said, already paid that retribution, at least, in part. But it is, I fear, only in part, and we may therefore look for still more awful scenes in that distracted country, than any that have yet been witnessed. But the birds of prey, who are they? And the one angel, who is he ? With regard to the former, they are undoubtedly the armies and soldiery of the diflPer- ent nations of Europe, who are thus invited to assemble together against a common enemy, and glut themselves, like ravenous birds, with the spoils of the slain. And we may infer therefore from hence, that at the period to which this prophecy refers, there will be a general combination of all the European powers against that one nation symbohzed by the sun. And these, therefore, are the instruments destined to effect the extinction of this symbolic sun ; which, having scorched others, will be quenched in its own blood. As to the one angel, it would be presumptuous to * So Fleming : " If they inquire whether the sun of the Pojjish kingdom is not to be eclipsed himself at length? I must positively assert he will, else this vial (the fourth), were not a judgment upon him and the Romish party. Therefore, we may justly suppose that the French monarchy, after it has scorched others, will itself consume by doing so." — P. o2. 316 CHAPTER XIX. 11 21. attempt to determine its precise signification. It pro- bably means some great European power, which will take the lead on this occasion, and assemble together the armies destined to accomplish the destruction of the Infidel kingdom and the Papacy. It should be ob- served, however, that these armies are not the followers of him who sits upon the white horse, but " the fowls thatjli/ in the mid-heaven;" earthly-minded, carnal men, who, although employed as instruments in eff'ecting the purposes of the Lord, are none of his ; and who, at the very time that they are doing his work, will be thinking only of theii' own ambitious ends. Just as it is said of Sennacherib ; " Howbeit he meaneth not so, neither doth his heart think so," (Isa. x. 7.) So these nations, in destroying the Infidel kingdom and the Papacy, will not mean to promote the glory of God and the triumphs of the Gospel, but they will be the unintentional and unconscious instruments of accomplishing the purposes of the Almighty. And will this then, it may be asked, be the groat battle of Ar-mageddon? Will all the lofty-sounding Mords used in reference to that battle, and all the mighty preparations spoken of in connexion with it, resolve themselves into an ordinary contest between hostile nations, carried on according to the usual mode of warfare, and differnig in nothing from battles in general, excepting that it will be on a grander scale than that of any previous conflict, and the slaughter more terrific? I confess myself unable to give a definite reply to these inquiries. Whoever reads this portion of the Revelation attentively and carefully, will, I am sure, feel with myself, the many difficulties which encompass the subject. As I have already said, the THE BATTLE OF AR-MAGEDDON. 317 mention of ravenous birds, and their being filled with the flesh of the slain, implies great bloodshed and destruction of human Hfe ; but " the remnant being slain by the sword, which proceeds out of the mouth of him who sits upon the horse," would lead to a different conclusion ; that sword being no carnal weapon of warfare, but the Word of God. Perhaps the true solution of the difficulty may be this : that those who escape from the terrific conflict which will take place at this period, will be figuratively slain by the preaching of the Word, and being converted to God, will cease to live as his enemies. In that case, the clause, " and all the fowls were filed tvith their fesh," must be referred, not to those slain by the sword from the mouth of Christ, but to those slain by the sword of war. It will be observed, that I do not consider the eleventh and following verses, to involve of necessity a personal manifestation. Yet I would not say that a personal manifestation will not take place at this period. It is a remarkable fact, that, although the Apocalypse begins with the announcement of the per- sonal advent of Christ, it is impossible to fix upon any particular passage in the latter part of the book in which that advent is distinctly and unequivocally to be discovered. This is evidently intentional. A. veil of obscurity is thrown around that great event, in order that the exact period of its arrival may not be discernible, and that the Church may always be expecting and preparing for it. 318 CHAPTER XX. 1 6. CHAPTER XX. 1—6. * The Millennium. There is no question in theology on which the minds of men of sound judgment and earnest piety have been more divided than on that which respects the nature of the millennium. It is, however, a striking fact, and deserves, I think, to be well considered, that there was no difference of opinion on this subject amongst orthodox Christians until the third century. The doctrine of the personal millennial reign of Christ, and of the literal resurrection of the saints at his pre-millennial coming, appears to have been generally received by the Church for upwards of two hundred years.* It was Origen, a man of extraordinary endow- * The following is the well-known testimony of Justin Martyr on this head, contained in his dialogue with Trypho the Jew : Trypho. " But tell me truly, do you really believe that this Jerusalem will be again rebuilt ? and do you expect that your people, being collected together and exalted, will live in great happiness with Christ, together with the patri- archs and prophets, and those who were of our race, and even some of those who were proselytes before your Christ came ? Or, whether you have made this concession only that you may appear to have the advan- tage of us in this discussion ? " Justin. " I am not reduced to such straits, Trypho, that I must speak otherwise than I really think. I have before acknowledged to thee, that I and many others with me are of opinion, as you well know, that what you have just said will come to pass. But on the other hand, I have told you that there are many not holding the pure and godly doctrine of Christians, who do not acknowledge it ; by Avhom I mean to designate those who are indeed Christians by name, but in reality are atheistical and impious heretics, inasmuch as they teach things altogether blasphemous, impious, and foolish. For although you may have con- versed Avith some who are called Christians, who do not admit this doctrine, but even dare to speak evil of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob ; and who say that there is no resurrection of the dead, but that the souls of the pious ai-e received into heaven as soon as they die; think THE MILLENNIUM. 319 ments, undoubtedly, but not of the soundest judgment, who first advocated with abiHty, and recommended by the authority of a great name, the doctrine of the spiritual reign and figurative resurrection. Now this is, I think, an important fact. It shows, at least, that the millennial hypothesis is the most natural and obvious ; otherwise, how shall we account for its having prevailed for so long a time without ever having been even called in question ? And when it is added to this consideration, that some of the soundest and most sober-minded expositors have strenuously advocated this hypothesis, it surely ought to make men hesitate before they venture to condemn it as wild and visionary. Great names, indeed, are worth nothing in support of positive error ; but in every doubtful case they ought to have their weight, and when equally balanced on any disputed question, should repress that spirit of con- temptuous dogmatism in which both parties are too apt to indulge. Let it be borne in mind, then, that if the figurative and spiritual scheme of the millennium has in its favour Origen, and Jerome, and Augustin, and Vitringa, and Whitby, and many other great names, that which explains the thousand years' reign and the first resurrection, of a personal reign and a literal resur- rection, numbers amongst its supporters, Justin Martyr, Irenseus, Tertullian, Bishop Newton, and, above all, he whose authority in this case outweighs all the rest, not that they are Christians ; just as no man of a right mind would say that the Sadducees, and others like them, are Jews. But I, and as many Christians as are right-minded in all things, {6p6oyva>fiovfs koto. Travra) know that there will be a resurrection of the flesh, and a thousand years in Jerusalem, rebuilt, adorned, and enlarged ; as the projihets Ezekiel, Isaiah, and others, declared." — Dial. s. 80, p. 306. 320 CHAPTER XX. 1 6. Joseph Mede.* This question, therefore, must stand exclusively on its own merits, and be decided by an appeal to the written testimony itself, f Having made these preliminary remarks, in the hope that they may tend to diminish the strength of pre- judices and partialities, I will now give a summary account of the two systems according to which the millennial reign is explained respectively by the two schools of modern interpreters, usually distinguished by the title of Millenarians and Anti-millenarians. According to the latter, this whole prophecy is purely figurative. The descent of the angel, the binding and shutting up of Satan, and the resurrection of the saints, are all to be understood in a spiritual sense. Their idea, therefore, of the millennium is, that it will consist simply in the prevalence of true Christianity throughout the world. They suppose that Satan being figuratively bound, and Christ reigning spiritually in the hearts of his people, immorality and vice of every kind will entirely cease ; and that all mankind being brought under the power of true religion, the inhabitants * Whitby, in his " Dissertation on the true Millennium," says, indeed, that Mede gave up the personal coming; I cannot, however, find any such renunciation in his works. He says expressly, " I differ fi"om both {i.e., Piscator and Alstedius,) in that I make this state of the Church — • the millennium, — to belong to secundus adrentus Christi, or Dies Jiidicn magni, when Christ shall appear in the clouds of heaven, whereas they make it to precede the day of judgment." — P. 772. •j- Dr. Wordsworth, in his " Lectures on the Apocalypse," insists very much upon the fact, that for a thousand years, namely, from the fifth century to the Reforination, this doctrine was completely exploded. But this argument is surely rather in favour of the millenarian view than against it, for that thousand years was just the period of the greatest darkness, the period during which the Scriptures were kept out of siglit, and the traditions of men substituted for the revealed truth of God. THE MILLENNIUM. 32l of the world will form, as it were, one great community of Christians, and sin and sorrow for a time be banished altogether from the earth. With respect to the souls of those who " were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and who had not worshipped the beast," they explain this to signify that persons of like character with the victims both of Heathen and Papal persecution will be raised up ; men in whom the old martyrs may be said to live again, — ^just as Elijah was said to live again in John the Baptist, — and who will reign with Christ figuratively, he reigning by his Spirit, and they, as members of his mystical body, reigning with him. This happy state of things they think will be brought about, not by miraculous agency, or by any sensible manifestation of Divine power, but by the means usually employed in the conversion and instruction of mankind, that is to say, the preaching of the Gospel, and the ordinary secret influences of the Holy Spirit ; and, con- sequently, they do not suppose that the millennium will be preceded by any great and striking events clearly indicative of some special interference on God's part in the government of the world ; but that it will be introduced gradually and imperceptibly, so that the period of its commencement will scarcely be known, the thousand years of its continuance being merely a round number, used to express about that time, or a very long period. Such, I believe, is a fair account of what may be called, by way of distinction, the anti-millenarian scheme* The millenarian hypothesis, on the other hand, is * See, e,g., Scott's Commentary in loco, and Jefferson on the Mil- lennium. VOL. II. Y 322 CHAPTER XX. 1 6. as follows ; — Millenarians believe that the millennium will be an entirely distinct and new dispensation : — that it will be ushered in by the personal advent of Christ from heaven in Divine glory and majesty ; that at his coming he will call the righteous dead* from their graves, and at the same time change the living righteous, and that both will rise together to meet him in the air; (1 Cor. xv. 51 ; 1 Thess. iv. 13 — 18 ;) and that they will then descend with him, and live with him upon earth in the enjoyment of happiness like to that which Adam enjoyed in Eden before he fell, only of a higher and more perfect kind. They do not, however, pretend to determine what will be the precise nature of the employments of the righteous in the millennial kingdom, or how the government of it will be carried on. All that they consider to be clearly revealed is, that Christ will be personally present with his people upon earth ; f that all believers, both those who may be alive at his coming, and those who have died previously, will be clothed with glorified, immortal, incorruptible bodies like his own ; that sin and evil of every kind will be entirely banished from the world, and that this state of blessedness will continue without interruption during a period of a thousand years. Such are the sentiments entertained concerning the millennium by the two great parties whose views on this * Some think that those only will be raised who have suffered martjT- dom in defence of the truth against Heathen and Papal idolatry ; but I can see no reason for confining the privilege to such. In other places the expression used is, the dead in Christ ; and here it is not only those who were beheaded for the witness of Jesus that rise, but those who have refused to worship the beast and his image. f There are some who believe in the literal resurrection of the saints, but do not hold the personal reign. This I cannot understand. The two things must, I think, stand or fall together. THE MILLENNIUM. 323 question are opposed to each other. Let us now consider the arguments and objections respectively adduced on either side. In favour of the figurative and spiritual interpretation it is urged, that the whole of the Revelation being a book of figures, it is irrational and inconsistent to understand what is here said of the resurrection of the saints and their reigning with Christ literally ; more especially as it was not the bodies of believers, but the sods which St. John tells us he saw ; that the resurrec- tion is always spoken of in other parts of the New Testament as a general simultaneous restoration to life of all the dead, both the righteous and the wicked; that it seems highly improbable that the saints in heaven should be called down to live again upon earth, which must of necessity involve a lower degree of happiness than that which they previously enjoyed; that it is difficult to conceive how, after so miraculous a demonstration of the power of Christ, and the truth of Christianity, the inhabitants of the world should again become wicked; and, lastly, it is argued, that there is no intimation here of the personal advent of Christ in the clouds of heaven, but, on the contrary, that his glorious appearing as the Judge of all mankind is evidently described as a subsequent event in the eleventh verse. Such are the principal arguments used by those who advocate the figurative scheme; and it must be ad- mitted that they have their weight, and deserve to be attentively considered. Let us endeavour to examine them with impartiality. 1. The Revelation is a book of figures, &c. This is unquestionably true ; but yet it is not altogether figur- Y 2 324 CJIAPTER XX. 1 6. ative. There are some parts of it which must be taken Uterally, and that too in the very midst of symbol and metaphor. As, for example, the description of the last judgment in this chapter is partly literal and partly figurative. The great white throne, and the books, and the lake of fire, are probably figures, but the resurrec- tion, and the standing of the dead, small and great, before God, and the act of judgment, are not figures ; they are literal realities which will actually come to pass. And so throughout this chapter, it will, I think, be found, that as regards the act or event itself, the prophecy is literal, but as regards the mode of its accomplishment, figurative. On this principle, then, we must interpret the passage relating to the first resur- rection. The event itself, the resurrection of the righ- teous from amongst the dead prior to the general resurrection, is a real fact, and will be literally accom- plished ; but, as in every other case, it is foretold in figurative language, and the apostle, therefore, speaks of the souls, not the bodies, as being seen by him.* 2. With respect to the second objection, that the resurrection is in every other part of the New Testament spoken of as general and simultaneous, this is alto- gether a misconception. So far from it, in every other * It should be observed, however, that the word soul has a different meaning in English from the words Ti5p3 and •^v)(r], which are the Hebrew and Greek words generally supposed to stand as its equivalent. By the word somZ we commonly understand the immaterial, immortal part of man, but the above words signify rather the iirinciple of animal life, that which is common to man with the inferior creatures, and is supported by food, and liable to death. (See Matt. vi. 25; Gen. i. 24—30.) Con- sequently, when it is said, that the souls of those ivho hod been slain lived, the natural meaning is, that the very parties Avho had been put to death, whose animal life had been for a time extinguished, Avere restored to existence. THE MILLENNIUM. 325 place but one, we think that two distinct resurrections are manifestly implied, as will be more fully shown hereafter. 3. As to the improbability of the righteous being called to leave heaven and dwell again upon earth, this is an objection founded entirely upon a gratuitous assumption, namely, that the souls of the righteous in the separate state of existence must necessarily be happier than they would be reunited to their bodies, and dwelling again with Christ upon earth. I would simply ask. How do we know this ? Have we any scriptural authority for assuming that the body, however perfected, even although made like the body of Christ, must involve sin, and act as a clog upon the soul, and a hinderance to happiness? (Phil. iii. 21.) 4. The fourth objection being avowedly founded on our ignorance, cannot be allowed much weight ; it will, however, be more fully considered in the remarks on the passage to which it relates. 5. With regard to the absence of any clear intimation here of the personal advent of Christ in the clouds of heaven, as previously foretold, this objection, it must be admitted, appears, at first sight, to have great force. It shoidd be observed, however, as was before remarked, that neither in any other part of the Apocalypse have we that glorious advent symbolically represented in vision ; and hence no argument against its taking place previously to the millennial reign can be derived from the absence of any such symbolical representation here. We know that this advent must take place at some specific point of time during the period of the apoca- lyptic history, and no reason can be assigned for its 326 CHAPTER XX. 1 6. not preceding the millennium ; on the contrary, there is every reason for supposing that it will. But is it so certain that we have here no intimation of the personal advent ? For the solution of this question, let us, divesting ourselves of preconceived opinions, go at once to the fountain-head and examine the text itself. " And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand," &c. Now, the question is, whether this angel is the Lord Jesus Christ himself, or only a messenger- angel, his representative ? In a book so full of allegory as this, we certainly might be warranted in assuming, at a first glance, that this angel, like most, if not all of the preceding, is not a person, but a symbolic agent intended to represent, as in a visible picture, the moral operations of Divine Providence, the putting forth of the power of God at this time in restraining the actings of Satan. There are, however, some things about this angel which indicate that he is the personal representative of Christ himself. He has the key of the bottomless pit, and he binds Satan ; but who but the Lord Jesus has " the keys of death and of hell?" (Chap. i. 18.) Who but he can "bind the strong man and spoil his goods," and dispossess "the god of this world" of that throne which he has so long held upon earth? Nor is it any objection to such an application that he is called an cmgel ; for this is the very term by which our Lord is designated by the prophet Malachi, when speaking of his coming to purify his Church : " The Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger THE MILLENNIUM. 337 {i.e., angel) of the covenant, whom ye dehght in." (Chap. iii. 1.) So St. Paul, " The Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel." (1 Thess. iv. 16.) Our blessed Lord, in .fact, is frequently everywhere in Scripture called an angel, as being the agent and executor of his Father's will and purposes. I grant, however, that these circumstances would not afford sufficient ground for concluding that the personal coming of our Lord is here foretold, had we nothing but the verse before us upon which to build this conclusion. But it is far otherwise. In fact, the great subject of the New Testament, next to the atonement, is the personal coming of Christ, and the resurrection of his people to participate with him in the glories of his kingdom. The Revelation itself begins with it. ''Behold, he cometh with clouds, and every eye shall see him!' This great event is never lost sight of throughout the book, but is that to which the believer's attention is continually directed as the consummation of his hopes. See especially the three last Epistles to the Churches. So also in the Acts, and in the inspired writings of the apostles, we find the personal manifestation of Christ constantly and prominently brought forward, and spoken of as that upon which the believer's mind ought always to be fixed. The passages to this effect are far too numerous to quote at length ; I shall content myself with the three following, from the writings of the three great apostles : — " Ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear. 328 CHAPTER XX. 1 6. then shall ye also appear with him in (/lory'' (Col. iii. 3.) " Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptation : that the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appear- ing of Jesus Christ.'' (1 Pet. i. 6, 7.) " Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God : therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be : but we know that, lohen he shall app)ear, we shall be like him ; for we shall see him as he is!' (1 John iii. 1, 2.) Now, the reader will observe that in all these places the personal appearing of our adorable Redeemer is plainly spoken of as connected with the accomplishment of the Christian's hope, and the consummation of his blessedness. " A^'lien Christ shall appear — then shall ye also appear with him in glory." " That the trial of your faith might be found unto praise, &c., at the appearing of Jesus Christ." " We know when he shall appear we shall be like him." * No man can for a moment suppose that the appearance here alluded to is a fgurative one. I cannot imagine that such an idea can find place in any one's mind. It is certain, then, that our Lord will at some * Compare also Matt. xiii. 41— 43, xix. 28 ; Acts iii. 19—21; Rom. viii. 18—23; 1 Cor. i. 7; Phil. iii. 20, 21 ; 1 Thess. i. 10; iv. 13—17; 2 Thess. i., ii. ; Tit. ii. 12, 13 ; 2 Peter i. 16, iii. THE MILLENNIUM. 329 lime or other appear personally upon earth, and that this personal manifestation will be accompanied with a glory and blessedness to the Church far surpassing anything we have yet witnessed. Now, where shall we find this personal manifestation in the Revelation if not here ? There are but two other places which can have any reference to it ; these are, the description of the rider on the white horse in the preceding chapter, and of the great white throne in the eleventh verse of this chapter. I have already given my reasons for thinking that the first of these should rather be understood figuratively ; and in the last, there is no intimation of a comin(/, but only of an act of judgment. The apostle makes no mention of any new manifestation of the Judge ; his language rather implies that the Judge had previously come, and having arranged the preliminaries of the great assize, if I may so speak, now takes his place upon the judgment throne, and summons the world before him. But if that " glorious appearing of the great God and om* Saviour Jesus Christ," for which the Chm-ch has been so Ions waiting, be not referred to in either of the passages just noticed, then must we look for it in this place, where the angel of the covenant descends from heaven, and with his own hand binds the ancient enemy of God and man. Further, this view is confirmed by another considera- tion. All parties admit that the millennium will be a period of great and unmingled blessedness. It seems evidently, in fact, to be the time of that " manifestation of the sons of God," for which the apostle tells us the " earnest expectation of the creatmi' is, and has been, waiting. But have we any reason to think that 330 CHAPTER XX. 1 6. such a state of things will take place, until the Lord himself is revealed from heaven ? Are we not rather expressly told that the tares will be allowed to remain mingled with the wheat to the end of the world ?^ (Matt. xiii. 30, 39.) And does not our Lord intimate, and indeed the whole tenor of the New Testament lead to the conclusion, that the Church wdll be in a state of mourning and affliction until he returns to the earth to gladden it once more with his presence ? f What would a millennium be, in fact, without the presence of the Lord? Will any one say that we may see him by faith, and enjoy his presence spiritually in the soul, although he be not personally present with us ? And what Christian will dispute it ? But surely something more than this must be meant by the living and reigning with him hereafter spoken of. If this be all, every believer now lives and reigns with Christ ; for by his Spirit he is quickened into spiritual life, and by his grace he crucifies the flesh with its affections and lusts : and why then should those be pronounced peculiarly blessed who have part in the first resurrection ? But are we not taught that the view which even the most exalted Christians now have of the Savioiu", is dim and imperfect ? Does not the great apostle himself declare, that while present in the body, we are absent from the Lord; and that * Tov aiovos, the present dispensation ; that is, the dispensation of the Spirit, during which Christ is personally absent from his Church, and governs it by the Spirit. t Let the reader who has any doubt carefully compare the following passages: Matt. ix. 15; John xvi. 16 — 22; 1 Cor. iv. 5; 2 Thess. i. 6, 7. The last quotation is peculiarly striking. The apostle seems to hold out no expectation to the Church of perfect rest, until " the Lord Jeaus shall bo revealed from hearen" THE MILLENNIUM. 331 we are saved by hope? And what is tliat hope to which he alludes, but " that blessed hope of the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ?'' My object in these remarks, let me observe, is to show that there is no such thing as perfect blessedness for the Church, such as appears to be described as belonging to the millennial period, without the presence of its Lord and head. And truly, setting aside the testimonies of Scripture, I see not how all our divisions are to be healed, all the pride and selfishness which, alas ! we see too plainly " remain in them that are regenerate," is to be counteracted and subdued ; and perfect union, harmony, and peace to be secured to the Church, but by the presence of the Lord himself, and by that perfect and entii-e renovation of body as well as soul, which we are assured will take place in the believer at his coming.* Can there be such a thing as perfect happiness as long as "the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh," and the believer has thus to fight against sin in his members? And yet, if the Church dming the millennial period is to consist only of men like the martyrs and confessors, regenerate indeed, but still carrying about with them a corrupt and sinfid nature, must they not still " groan, being burdened?" And can we then suppose that it is with reference to such a state that the Holy Spirit declares so emphatically, ''Blessed and holy is he that hath part in it?'' Let not former prejudices prevent * " Our conversation (TroXirev/xa) is in heaven, from whence also we look for the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body." (Phil. iii. 20.) 332 CHAPTER XX. 1 6. the reader from giving to these suggestions that consi- deration which I think they deserve. I pass on now to the first resurrection. Let us carefully analyze the words of the prophecy itself : — "And I saw thrones^ and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them : and I saw the souls of those that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the Word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image ; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection." Mysterious and enigmatical as is the Revelation generally, these two verses seem to contain as plain a statement as any in the Bible. There is nothing about it which looks at all like metaphor and figure. The obvious import of the prophecy appears to be, that the martyrs of Heathen persecutions, and those who shall have kept themselves from Papal iddlatry and pollution, shall at the time referred to be restored to life, and reign with Christ a thousand years ; and that the general resurrection shall not take place until the thousand years are expired. No one, I think, who had never heard of the millenarian controversy, would feel any doubt as to this being the true interpretation. Another interpretation, however, as we have seen, has been given to the passage, and this reign of believers with Christ has been, and is, by many, explained to signify only a figurative restoration to life of the martyrs in men of like mind. Such was once, I acknowledge, my own view; but a long and careful examination of the text, and other passages bearing upon the subject, has convinced THE FIRST RESURRECTION. 333 me that it is erroneous. The argument which has had most weight with me, and which appears to me ahnost irresistible, is founded upon the apostle's own interpretation of the meaning of what had gone before : " This is the first resurrection!' How shall we explain these words on the hypothesis of a figurative resurrection? If the first resurrection be only figura- tive, must not the second be figurative likewise? And, on the contrary, if the second resurrection be a literal one, which none will dispute, then must not that which by way of distinction is called the first, be a literal resurrection also ? What propriety would there be in thus distinguishing them numericaUy, supposing them to be in character totally and entirely unlike ? This is not according to the ordinary use of language. The definite assertion, " This is the first resurrection," unquestionably implies merely precedency ; not a diff'erence in respect of character from the second, but of time. Nor can I understand, as before remarked, why so emphatic a beatitude should be pronounced on him who has part in this resurrection, if it be merely a figurative one. If the millennium be only a more general prevalence of true piety all over the earth, will individual Christians be so much happier then than they are now, as that their state should call forth such strong and expressive language as this : " Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection?" Wliat resurrection? Will piety alto- gether cease ere it takes place ? W^ill there shortly be no true Christians upon earth ? And if not, in what sense can the (jradual increase of real religion be called a resurrection ? 334 CHAPTER XX. 1 6. Again, who are the rest of the dead, that live not till the thousand years are finished ? They are, undoubtedly, all the remaining dead in a literal sense ; those of whom the apostle speaks, when he says, " I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God." Is it not then doing a most unjustifiable violence to plain language to explain the rest of the dead, as applied to true believers, one way, and as applied to mankind in general, another ? I mean, is it not obvious, that in the same sense as the dead who had not risen before the expiration of the thousand years, arose after they had expired, the others, not included among them, had arisen, previous to their commencement ? The rest of the dead lived not again till a certain period, necessarily implies that there were some from among the dead who did live again before that period com- menced. But it has been argued, that the resiu'rection is everywhere else represented as a general event, in- volving the simultaneous resuscitation of all, both the righteous and the wicked, and that it is unreasonable to build a doctrine upon a single doubtful passage, which seems opposed to so many others. But is it really so ? Does the language of the New Testament, generally, on the subject of the resurrection, lead us to expect that all the dead will rise at one and the same moment ? A careful investigation of the subject will, I am inclined to think, lead to a contrary conclusion. The words of our Lord, John v. 28, which are often quoted to prove that the righteous and wicked will rise together, will be found, upon consideration, to affirm nothing as to time : he simply declares that all shall THE FIRST RESURRECTION. 335 rise ; whether together or separate, he does not say. In two other places in which he alludes to the sub- ject, there seems a manifest intimation of a resurrection peculiar to the righteous. Thus, Luke xiv. 14 : " They cannot recomjpense thee, hut thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just." Why of the just ? Does not this imply that the resurrection of the just will be a distinct event from the resurrection of the unjust ? The other passage is much stronger ; it occurs in our Lord's well-known answer to the Sadducees, Luke XX. 34 : *' Jesus, answering, said unto them. The children of this world marry and are given in marriage : but they which shall he accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry nor are given in marriage ; neither can they die any more!' Now, what does this mean — " they which shall he accounted tvorthy to obtain the resurrection from the dead?'* We shall find it difficult to explain these words on the supposition that there is but one resurrection common to all ; for how, in that case, can it be a privilege of which some only shall be thought worthy ? • The same thing appears to be implied by St. Paul, 1 Cor. XV. 23, 24, which passage I would have the reader consult himself. It is not a little remarkable, that throughout this chapter, the apostle does not make a single allusion to the resurrection of the wicked. I do not say that this cu'cumstance proves that their resurrection is a subsequent event, but it is certainly singular that in so full a statement upon the subject there should not be the slightest mention of any but the righteous. 336 CHAPTER XX. 1 6. But the clearest intimation to be found in the apos- tohc writings of the prior resurrection of some, is per- haps the following, contained in Phil. iii. 11 : " If, by any means, I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead."* What is that resurrection of the dead to which the apostle so earnestly desired to attain ? Certainly not the resiKrection from the death of sin to the life of righteousness, for that he had already attained, t (Col. iii. 1.) Nor could it be the general resurrection he referred to, for how could there be any danger of his not attaining that which will be common to all ? He must necessarily, therefore, refer to a resur- rection which would be the peculiar privilege of a few only ; and what other can that be than this first resur- rection of St. John ? j These are some of the grounds, then, on which I am disposed to maintain the personal reign of Christ with his risen people during the millennium. It will, perhaps, be asked, supposing the literal resurrection be admitted, will all the faithful, who have lived from the beginning of the world rise, or only martyrs and confessors ? As far as my own opinion goes, I should say, all ; for, although those are particularly specified who had been beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and had not wor- * The original is peculiarly emphatic, tt;^ t^avaaraa-iv twv vexpav. (Some MSS. of authority read ttjv sk tcov veKpMv, the risixg tip out from a7no7ig the dead. See INIiU's Greek Testament.) t Probably it was thus that Hymenasus and Philetus interpreted the doctrine of the resurrection, saying, " it was past already," and, so the apostle tells us, " overthrew the faith of some." See 2 Tim. ii. 18. X I have sometimes thought that, perhaps, the reason why the doctrine of the resurrection, as taught by the apostles, excited such violent opposition on the part of the Jews, was, because they maintained not Only a general, but a particular resurrection, of which the living members of Christ's Church would alone be partakers. See Acts iv. 2 ; xxiii. 6. THE FIRST RESURRECTION. 337 shipped the beast and his image, this may have been intended to afford especial encouragement to those who might be exposed to Heathen and Papal persecutions : the Scriptures generally intimate that all true members of Christ will be glorified together,* and this is certainly the most encouraging view of the subject. Another question that may be asked, is, where the risen saints will live, and how ? But to attempt to enter into these minute details would be absurd and unprofitable. It was by presumptuous speculations of this nature that some of the ancient fathers brought the doctrine of the millennium into contempt. f A more reasonable and interesting question is — why do we understand, in this place, a thousand years to mean a thousand ordinary years, whereas everywhere else in this book we interpret a day to stand for a year, according to which computation a thousand years would be 800,000 ? In reply, with reference to this seeming inconsistency, we may remark, that, in those other places, the whole of the language employed is evidently mystical and figurative ; — the locusts, the horsemen, the loitnesses, the beasts, are all pure figures, and, therefore, * See Matt. viii. 11 ; 2 Tim. iv. 8. The latter passage is : " and not to ME ONLY, hut unto ALL them that love his appearingr The above was Cyprian's opinion, who quotes the fourth verse of this chapter at full length, and then observes, that the second part implies that not only martyrs, but all the faithful servants of God will rise. Works ; fol., p. 283. De exh. Mar. t When some of the primitive millenarians maintained, for instance, that the risen saints would participate in all sorts of sensual pleasures, we cannot be surprised that sober and spiritual-minded Christians should have looked upon their tenets with abhorrence. Yet the abuse, or mis- apprehension of a doctrine, ought never to be admitted as an argument against it, for, on this principle, what truth is there that might not be brought into question ? VOL. II. Z 338 CHAPTER XX. 1 6. the time of their continuance is expressed mystically ; but Christ and his people are not figures, and therefore the period of their reign is expressed in the ordinary manner. Lastly, it may be objected, that the millennium con- tinues only a thousand years, but the happiness of the righteous will be for ever. In this, however, there is no real difficulty. The period of a thousand years is employed, not to limit the duration of the believers' blessedness, for that will indeed be eternal, but with reference to the general resurrection, which will not take place until the thousand years are expired. Having thus stated, without reserve, the millenarian scheme of interpretation, I would again remind the reader that these views appear to have been generally received hy the orthodox Christian Church, during the two first centuries.^ This is an important fact, and ought to have its due weight in this controversy. It is hardly conceivable that an opinion generally re- ceived in so early an age, should not have some foundation in truth. That it is not a doctrine embraced only by weak-minded, superficial men, is sufficiently proved by the fact, that such profound scholars and * See the quotation from Justin Martyr, p. 318. The words in the original are : — " Eyo) Se, Kai ei Tii'fs fiat opdoyvaifiopes Kara Travra xpio'Tiavoi, Kai crapKOS avaaracriv yeveafadai eni(TTape6a, Kai ^i\ia fTrj iv lepovcrakrjp. oiKohopodtKTi], KOI KO(Tpr]d((,ar}, Kai TrXarvvdeKTrj." " But I, and all Christians, tvho are exactli/, and in all things orthodox, know there will be a resurrection of the Hesh, and a millennium, in Jerusalem, built, adorned, and enlarged." — Dial, cum Try})-, p. 306. See Whitby's treatise of the true millennium, p. 690, who, sti'ange to say, adduces this passage to show that the first resurrection was not the generally received opinion of the Church. See also the Bishop of Lincoln's Justin Martyr, p. 104. THE MILLENNIUM. 339 excellent divines as Joseph Mede, Bishop Newton, &c., received and maintained it. It is certainly not a doctrine very agreeable to our present philosophical views concerning a future state. I say philosophical, because it appears to me we are too apt to form our ideas upon this subject, rather from the dogmas of philosophy than the statements of Scripture. Our expectations of a future state of happiness are founded, if they can, properly speaking, be said to have any solid foundation at all, on the philosophical idea of the immortality of the soul, rather than on the scriptm^al promises of the resurrection of the body. Perhaps the reason why the personal coming of our Lord, and the resurrection of his people before the millennium, is so repugnant to the ideas of many even pious persons, is owing to this circumstance : they have taken their opinions, not from the Bible, but from " the doc- trines of men." Another reason, it may be, of the dislike entertained to the doctrine of the personal advent is, that there is something in it exceedingly terrible to those who have not the love of God in their hearts. Death is a far less awful subject of contemplation to the worldly- minded professor of Christianity, than the second coming of Christ. In the one case, he expects gradually to sink down to the grave, and to have time given him to prepare to meet his God ; he thinks, also, per- haps, that sickness, and the prospect of death, will work in him a sort of indefinable but happy change, whereby he will be rendered fit for the enjoyment of heaven : but, in the other case, he can hope for nothing of the kind; he knows that the coming of the Judge will z 2 340 CHAPTER XX. 1 6. be " as a thief in the night ; in a moment, in the twinkhng of an eye ; " and, that there will be no time for those to prepare who have not previously "made themselves ready." The appearance of our blessed Lord also will put an end to all the ambitious schemes and desires of self-aggrandizement, entertained, too often, even by those who not only preach the gospel, but have some real piety in their hearts ; who yet, notwithstanding, " love to have the pre-eminence ; " and are, therefore, unconsciously it may be even to themselves, the less desirous of the appearance of the great Head of the Church, who will instantly assign to all their proper places, and give to " every man accord- ing to his works." Like children left to themselves, we contend about trifles, and being all, in a sense, equal, desire each one to be greatest. Oh ! how would the manifestation of our adorable Lord, in a moment put an end to these our strifes and divisions, and heal our petty animosities ! But then it would put an end also to the pretensions of the proud, self-sufficient, earthly-minded professors of Christianity, and consign all who may have thrust themselves in among the guests without the wedding garment, to that outer darkness, where shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Is it not our want of heavenly-mindedness, and purity, and altogether ihjiciencij of Christian character and unlikeness to Christ, which makes the thought of his appearing a fearful, rather than a joyful anticipation ? But, as a commentator, I have, perhaps, indulged too much in reflections of this kind. Li conclusion, I would observe, that I am not insensible to the force THE MILLENNIUM. 341 of some of the objections which have been urged against the foregoing views of our Lord's second coming. That which has occurred to my own mind as involving the greatest difficulty is, how to reconcile the personal advent of Christ before the millennium, with the representation given of that event by St. Peter in his second epistle. His words certainly seem to imply that the destruction of the earth by fire, and its subsequent renovation, will take place at the time of the Lord's coming (see c. i. 16; c. iii. 4 — 13); but, in c. XX. 11, and c. xxi. 1, of this book, that destruction and renovation are represented, apparently, as not occurring till after the conclusion of the millen- nium. Here, I confess, is a difficulty, of which I can offer no solution. It may, however, be partly owing, as before remarked, to that veil of indistinctness and obscurity which is purposely, I imagine, thrown over the time of our I^ord's appearing, in order that, being to us uncertain, we may be continually expecting and pre- paring for it. The consideration of this and similar difficulties, connected with the pre-millennial advent and literal resurrection of the saints, should keep those who advocate these doctrines, humble and diffi- dent ; and make them ready to give to every man that asketh them a reason for the hope that is in them, with meekness and fear. If we know, that " when Christ shall appear, we shall be like him, and see him as he is ;" let us remember, it is written also, " every man that hath this hope in him, purifieth himself, even as he is pure." 1 John iii. 3. ^42 CHAPTER XX. 7 10. THE POST-MILLENNIAL CONFLICT. Vers. 7 — 10. " And when the thousand years are expired^ &c. This portion of the Revelation and what remains to the end of the chapter, is so beset with difficulties, that I almost shrink from attempting anything in the way of exposition or elucidation. That men should pretend to dogmatise, as some do, in a case like this, is, indeed, surprising, and argues no little presumption. Every person who has carefully studied the subject, and compared what is here written with other parts of Scripture, must, I think, feel that there are obsciu-ities and apparent inconsistencies in this and the following chapter which the event alone can clear up, or which, at least, we might suppose would be sufficient to restrain the dogmatism of the self-confident expositor, and make every man express his sentiments, whatever they may be, with diffidence and modesty. It will be my endeavour, in the few remarks I have to offer, to avoid offending against the rule now laid down. I write with diffidence, and I trust the reader will receive what is written with candour. At the expiration of the thousand years of millennial peace and blessedness, Satan is to be again loosed out of his prison, and to go forth and deceive the nations that are in the foifr quarters of the earth, called by the names of Gog and Magog, whose number is as the sands upon the sea-shore ; and these nations being deceived by him, will congregate together in countless multitudes, and in their impiety and madness make a combined attempt against the Church, thinking to destroy and utterly annihilate it ; but fire will THE POST-MILLENNIAL CONFLICT. 343 come down from lieaven and consume them, and thus an end will be put in a moment to their impious and daring attempt. Now the difficulty is, to reconcile this statement with any view, however low, of the millennium. The mention of the nations, or Gentiles, in the four quarters of the earth, would imply, that during the millennial period there will be vast multitudes of ungodly, unconverted men in the world ; for their number is likened to "the sand upon the sea-shore ; " and they are said to be in, or oti, the earth when Satan is loosed. But where are these ungodly, unconverted men to come from ? * Is it * Some persons think that the nations in the four quarters of the earth are the wicked dead now raised again to life, who, returning to the world with the same feelings as they had at death, will show that their enmity to Christ and his people is unchanged, by immediately attacking the righteous and seeking to destroy them. The only circumstance that gives the slightest ground for such an idea is the immense number of these nations, which cannot easily be accounted for on any other hy])othesis. The most satisfactory explanation of this matter on the anti-millenarian scheme, is that given by Thomas Scott, the commentator. It is certainly entitled to consideration : — " At the end of the millennium God will remove the restraint which had been laid on Satan and his angels, for reasons which we are not competent to understand ; perhaps, among others, to show that the long-continued happy state of the world was not the effect of any essential amelioration of human nature, but of an immediate divine influence on the minds of men by regeneration, ' to the praise of the glory of his grace.' Being loosed out of his prison, this great deceiver will again exert himself, and soon excite agents who, with all earnestness, subtilty, and sagacity, will corrupt the Gospel, and seduce men into apostasy, idolatry, heresy, infidelity, and vice : and thus the old generation of believers dying, the succeeding race through many nations ' in the four quarters of the earth,' will be deceived by him : and having themselves departed from the faith, they will be instigated to hate and persecute such as adhere to it. Thus the spirit of Antichrist will rise again after the thousand years are expired. Then religious wars will be undertaken, and at length the Avhole multitude of the apostate nations, even Gog and Magog, as risen again (Ex. xxxviii. 2), will 344 CHAPTER XX. 7 — 10. conceivable, even taking the lowest view of the millennium, that, after Christianity has achieved such signal triumphs as even the anti-millenarians admit it will achieve ; after it has subdued all other religions, and been acknowledged as the true religion by all the inhabitants of the earth, for a thousand years, and changed men's characters, and put an end to all wars, discord, and strife : is it conceivable, I say, that the great mass of mankind should on a sudden again become Infidels, and be persuaded to seek the destruction of a religion that will then have stood a trial of seven thousand years, and have proved itself so incontestably to be of God? I see not how these things are to be explained. One thing, however, is clear, that this last struggle Avill be short and decisive. The Lord God will take the battle into his own hands, and the avenging fire from heaven will for ever put an end to all further attempts to disturb the tranquillity of his people. In this second loosing of Satan, it must be allowed, there is something exceedingly mysterious and incom- prehensible. But " God's ways are not as ours.''' The whole history of man is a mystery far too deep for us to fathom. That some wise and beneficent purpose is to be accomplished by what appears to us so strange and inexplicable, we cannot for a moment doubt. Let us be content, then, for the present, to remain in ignorance, and not perplex ourselves by vain conjectures on a subject which seems to be purposely confederate against the Church, and come to fight against her vith armies innumerable as the sand of the sea." Of course, this explanation assumes that the millennial reign and the first resurrection will be purely figurative. THE POST-MILLENNIAL CONFLICT. 345 veiled in obscurity. " What we know not now we shall know hereafter;" in the meantime, it is our wisdom to wait patiently upon the Lord in the doing of his will. Respecting "Gog and Magog" little or nothing is known, and it seems to be a mere waste of time to hazard conjectures on a subject which after all we can say or write, must remain enveloped in obscurity, Magog was the second son of Japheth (Gen. x. 5), and mention is made both of Gog and Magog in Ezekiel xxxix. ; but that prophecy is almost equally obscure with the one before us, nor do they throw any light upon each other. A more important circumstance, as affording a clue to the right interpretation of the millennium, and of the succeeding chapter, is the mention of " the camp of the saints," and " the beloved city." The reader cannot but have observed that in one or two instances in this book the inspired writer speaks, as it were by anticipation, of things not yet in existence. Thus, the witnesses were to be slain by the beast from the bottomless pit, of whom no previous mention had been made, although he is fully described afterwards. (Chap. xi. 7, xvii.) So here, " the beloved city" must, I think, refer to " that great city, the holy Jerusalem," the beloved spouse of the Lamb, of which we have so large a description in the next chapter. But if so, then the descent of this city out of heaven, and everything relating to it, must belong to the millennial period, and the city itself be a type of the Church during the millennium, and not, as Scott and other anti-millenarian expositors suppose, of the heavenly state. This point will be 346 CHAPTER XX. 11 15. more fully considered hereafter ; but I direct attention to it now as being one of considerable importance with reference to the question of the pre-millennial advent and personal reign. If that city be the type of the Church during the millennium, then there can be little doubt that Christ will be personally present with it throughout that period. THE THRONE OF JUDGMENT; THE GENERAL RESURRECTION, VCrS. 11 15. This portion of the Revelation is of so sublime and heavenly a character, and at the same time so plain and practical, that the commentator feels almost afraid of offering any remarks upon it, lest, like Uzzah, he should be touching the ark with unclean hands ; or, like the men of Bethshemesh, be attempting to look too closely into that which, by its sublime simplicity, seems to repel a vain curiosity and forbid too near an approach. To enter into an exact analysis of a passage like this, and attempt to discuss minute particulars, is as if a man should set himself to examine the quality of each separate stone in St. Paul's or Westminster Abbey, instead of fixing his eyes with calm composure on the magnificent grandeur of the whole building. I think it, therefore, safer and better to leave the reader to make his own reflections, and draw his own conclusions. Whether the setting up of the great white throne, and the passing away of the earth and the heaven, be occurrences that precede, or follow after the millennium, is comparatively a question of little importance ; but whether, when the judgment takes place, our names Avill be found in the Book of Life ; whether, when " the sea shall THE NEW HEAVEN AND EARTH. 347 give up the dead that are in it, and death and hell shall give up the dead that are in them," we shall awake to everlasting glory and joy, or "to shame and everlasting contempt" (Dan. xii. 2), are questions of infinite moment, and of universal interest. Let us endeavour to realize the solemnities of that great day. Let us bear in mind that the placing of the throne, and the opening of the books, and the lake of fire, although symbols and figures, are symbols and figures of realities, and those, realities in which we are every one of us individually concerned. There is not perhaps a more solemn and awakening sentence in the whole Bible than this : " Whosoever was not FOUND WRITTEN IN THE BoOK OF LiFE WAS CAST INTO THE LAKE OF FIRE." Pausc, reader; pray over it, and lay it to heart. CHAPTER XXL THE NEW HEAVEN AND EARTH ; THE DESCENT OF THE NEW JERUSALEM; THE BLESSEDNESS OF THE RIGHT- EOUS ; THE FINAL PORTION OF THE UNBELIEVING. Ver. 1. "And I saw a new heaven and a new earth ; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away^' &c. — This portion of the Revelation, like that imme- diately preceding, is also of almost too heavenly and sacred a character to bear the touch of the human commentator. There are, however, particular points here on which I shall venture a few remarks, although I would do so with reverential diffidence. 348 CHAPTER XXI. 1 8. This new heaven and earth which St. John now saw, must, I think, unquestionably be regarded as identical with that new heaven and new earth, con- cerning which St. Peter says, " We, according to his promise, look for a new heaven and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness." And what, then, are we to understand by these expressions ? Were this new heaven and new earth mentioned only in the Revelation, I should be inclined to take the language in a purely figurative sense, as signifying merely a moral renovation of the world ; but the context in St. Peter will not admit of such an inter- pretation. He tells us, that "the earth and the heavens that are now are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men " (2 Pet. iii. 7), and, that at the coming of the day of the Lord, the elements shall melt with fervent heat, and the earth also, and the works that are therein, shall be "burnt up " (v. 10). Now this language cannot be mere metaphor. The heavens and earth that are noic, here plainly mean the present earth, and the sky, or atmosphere, by which it is surrounded. Por that these terms are not to be taken in their largest sense, as sig- nifying the Avhole visible creation, is obvious. The destruction and renovation of this our globe, which is but a speck in the immensity of space, will assuredly not involve the destruction of the whole material universe. The heavens and the earth, therefore, spoken of by St. Peter, are simply the earth and the sky in their vulgar acceptation, the former of which he declares " will be burnt up," and the latter " pass away with a great noise." " But," he immediately adds, " we according to His promise look for a new heaven and a new earth." THE NEW HEAVEN AND EARTH. 349 And can this, then, be 2<. figurative eartli and sky ? Surely not. In that case it would not be a new earth, &c. ; it would be none at all. The new heaven and earth, therefore, must be like the former, — a portion of the visible material universe. The new earth will be this present earth restored to its more than primeval beauty and excellence, and the new heaven will be this present sky, or atmosphere, purified and renovated, and fitted to impart immortal vigour to the risen glorified bodies of holy and happy beings. In this new earth " there will be no more sea," which may be taken both in a literal and figurative sense. It is not improbable, that when this earth shall come forth from that tremen- dous conflagration described by St. Peter — a conflagra- tion in which the hardest rocks shall melt like wax, and every organized substance on its surface shall be consumed, — it is not, I say, improbable, that the eartli will come forth from that conflagration without any of those immense collections of waters which now separate countries and nations from each other, and render the intercourse of individuals not only difficult, but impracticable ; and that the whole company of the redeemed will be like one great family, united under a common head, and joined together, as it were, by innumerable living links, touching and communicating with each other, so that there shall be no break, no separating bar, no vacant gap, between the extremities of the chain, or, rather, the manifold radii of the vast circle, the Lord Jesus Christ himself being the common centre and point of union. But this circumstance has also (if not exclusively), no doubt, a figurative meaning, and implies the absence, both of the wicked themselves, and of the 350 CHAPTER XXI. 1 8. disturbances and troubles they occasion. For "the wicked are like the troubled sea, whose waters cannot rest " (Isaiah Ivii. 20) ; and when " they shall be con- sumed out of the earth, and sinners come to an end " (Ps. civ. 55), then will this tempest-tossed world be at rest, and God will once more "rejoice in his works." I have said, that " the new heaven " will probably be the present sky, or atmosphere, regenerated, as it were, and made new; by which I mean, purified from all those noxious vapours and hurtful spiritual influences (Eph. ii. 2), which now infect it, and make it the medium both of natural and moral evil. And there can, I think, be no doubt, that if the earth is to be the abode, though only for a limited time, of the risen righteous, a great change will pass upon it, and that the quality and composition of the atmosphere, which will then, pro- bably, as now, constitute an essential element in the support of life, be altogether different from what it is at present. But these are mere speculations. To some persons, perhaps, the idea of a new earth, such as is here sup- posed, may appear altogether chimerical, if not physically impossible. But let us take care, that in our philo- sophical reasonings on this head we do not err, like the Sadducees, "not knowing the Scriptures or the power of God." Will no changes, then, ever take place in this oiu" world excepting such as are produced gradually by the agency of those chemical and mechanical causes, acting accorcUng to certain fixed immutable laws which have been in operation ever since the creation? Shall the earth remain essentially what it now is for ever? Will " day and night, summer and winter, seed time and harvest," continue to succeed each other to all THE NEW HEAVEN AND EARTH. $51 eternity? This is an opinion no believer in Revelation can entertain. We are expressly told, that " the earth and all things that are therein shall be burnt up," and that instead of being annihilated, as some seem to think, it will be renovated. And why should this seem a thing impossible? Why should we doubt the power of Him who made the world what it now is, to make it a thousand times more beautiful and glorious, a suitable dwelling-place, in short, for pure, holy, and immortal beings ? For my own part, I can see nothing in this idea opposed to sobriety and right reason, unworthy of the majesty of God, or beneath the dignity of redeemed and glorified man. So far from it, it appears to me to be most agreeable to reason, and most suitable to the character of the eternal, immutable Creator, and the hereafter condition of man, to assume that it will be so. For nearly six thousand years this earth has been a theatre for the display of human folly, depravity, and rebellion, exhibiting to the rest of creation an example of the apparentlt/ successful endeavours of a fallen malignant spirit to mar the work of God, and frustrate his purpose in creating the world and man upon it. (Compare Gen. i. 31, and vi. 5, 6.) But will this be permitted ? Will Satan really triumph, and oblige the Lord of all things to destroy the work of his hands, and annihilate a world which he created to be the abode of holy and happy beings ? Is it not much more reasonable to suppose, and does not Script m'e favour the supposition, that that portion of the creation which has been the scene of Satan's triumph, will be the scene also of his defeat? That, as the earth has been the theatre for the exhibition of the wickedness of debased and fallen man, so it will be the theatre like- 352 CHAPTER XXI. i S. Avise for the manifestation of the righteousness of redeemed, sanctified, and glorified man ? Nothing less than this can, I think, verify the language of the apostle in that well-known passage in the eighth chapter of the epistle to the Romans : " The whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now, but the CREATION* itself shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God." The creation here is manifestly the earth and its inhabitants, and its deliverance from " the bondage of corruption," can import nothing less than its being made free from all those physical and moral evils to which it is at present subjected. The eighth Psalm, as interpreted and illustrated by St. Paul, Heb. ii. 5 — 9, declares the same truths, f " The world to come," of which the apostle there speaks, is this world renewed and restored to more than its primeval glory ; and this world, he teaches, is to be subjected, not to angels, but to the second Adam, the man Christ Jesus, to whom all things will be put in subjection. And what are all the Psalms which speak of the reign of Messiah, the Anointed One, but so many pro- phetical descriptions of the renovated earth, with Christ and his people reigning upon it? See especially from Psalm xciii. to Psalm c. Let the reader attentively * Gr. f] KTiais avTT], the same word as in the next verse, and therefore should be translated by the same English word. t " For unto the angels hath he not put in subjection the world to come, whereof we speak. But one in a certain place testified, saying, What is man that thou art mindful of him, or the son of man, that thou visitest him ? Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet. But now we see not yet all things put under him. But we sec Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour," &c. THE NEW HEAVEN AND EARTH. 353 peruse those eight Psalms with this impression on his mind, — that is to say, that they are descriptive of the personal reign of the Lord Jesus with his redeemed people, — and he will find, if I am not mistaken, a flood of light thrown upon them.* * The following extract from Augustin's " De Civitate Dei," as showing the views of that eminent man on the above subject, may be interesting to some readers. It occurs in the 16th chapter of the 20th book, entitled, " De ccelo novo, et terra nova," of which the following is a literal transla- tion : — " The judgment being ended, with which he (St. John) announced the wicked would be judged, it remains that he should speak also of the good : And I satv, said he, a neto heaven and a new earth. For the first heaven and the first earth have passed away, and there is now no sea (et mare jam non est). This will take place in the order in which, as by anticipa- tion, he had before said, that he saw one sitting upon the throne from whose face the heaven and the earth fled away. That is to say, those having been judged who were not written in the book of life, and sent away into eternal fire, then shall the form (Jigura ) of this world by the conflagration of mundane fires pass away, as the deluge was caused by an inundation of mundane waters. By that mundane conflagration, therefore, as I have said, those qualities of corruptible elements which correspond with the corruptible nature of our bodies, will by burning utterly perish, and the substance itself (of the earth) will have those qualities which, by a wonderful change, are suited to and agree with immortal bodies, so that the world renewed for the better shall be well adapted to men renewed for the better, even as regards the flesh. As to what is said, and there is now no sea, whether this means that it will be dried up by the intense heat, or whether that the sea itself will be changed for the better, I cannot pretend to say." In the 18th chapter, again, he writes thus on 2 Pet. iii. : " At that time (i.e., the deluge) Peter saith that the world which then was perished, not the earth only, but the heavens also, whose place the waters, by displacing them, occupied. Therefore the whole, or nearly the whole, of the windy atmosphere (which he calls heaven, or rather the heavens— thdX is, these lower heavens, not those highest heavens, in which are placed the sun, and moon, and stars), had been converted into moisture, and in this manner perished with the earth, whose former sui'face had been destroyed by the deluge. " But," saith he, " the heavens and the earth which are now, are reserved by the same word unto fire," &c. " That is, as the heavens and the earth, or world, which perished in the deluge was replaced from the same water, this same world is reserved unto the day VOL. II. A A 354 CHAPTER XXI. 2 8. But I will not enlarge further upon this point. I would simply suggest one inquiry in connexion with this subject, namely, whether professing Christians in general are accustomed to look forward to the final accomplish- ment of God's purposes with that intense earnestness and interest which their importance to every one of us indi- vidually demands ? and whether we should not be less worldly-minded, less selfish, covetous, and ambitious, and, as a consequence, far more holy andy«r happier, if w^e were to live more by faith, endeavouring to attain to a realizing view of " the riches of the glory of the inherit- ance of the saints" (Ephes. i. 18), that "new heaven and new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness?" The Descent of the Holy City. — xxi. 2 — 8. " And I, John, saw the holy city, neio Jerusalem, descending from God out of Iteaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband'' &c. — The holy city, which is more fully described hereafter, is another name for the bride, the Lamb's wife. And its descent from heaven is only a figurative mode of expressing that descent of believers with Christ, which will take place when he shall descend from heaven with the voice of the archangel and the trump of God, and bring those with him who have died in the faith. (1 Thess. iv. 14.) But the mention of this circumstance here throws some farther light upon the question of the pre-millennial advent. It is evident that what the apostle now saw is supposed to take place after the creation of the new heaven and earth. But it is no less plainly evident that the preparation of the bride and of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. For he does not liesitate to call that the destruction or perdition of men because of the great change it involves, although their nattire will remain for ever in eternal punishment." THE DESCENT OF THE HOLY CITY. 355 of the nuptial supper, are pre-millennial events, which occur immediately after the destruction of the apostate Church. (Chap. xix. 1.) But we know that the nuptial feast involves the presence of the bridegroom ; and it would seem therefore an inevitable conclusion from hence, that the second advent and the renovation of the earth will precede the millennium. Yet, on the other hand, the heavens and the earth do not flee away until the placing of the great white throne (c. xx. 11), and that, apparently, does not take place till the general resur- rection, and, consequently, not until after the expiration of the thousand years. How are these thhigs to be reconciled ? The only explanation I can suggest is this : — It does not follow of necessity that the general resm*- rection of the dead, described in ver. 12, occurs imme- diately upon the setting up of the great white throne. The whole millennial period may intervene between the setting up of that throne and the general resurrection. No good reason can be assigned why we should not assume this interval of a thousand years between the events of the eleventh and twelfth verses. It may be asked. If the judgment of the dead is not then to take place, why is the throne of judgment set up ? I answer. Why should it not be for the judgment of the Hving ? This consideration, I am inclined to think, affords the true solution of the difficulty. The judgment of the quich will precede the judgment of the dead, and occupy that period of a thousand years dming which the saints will reign with Christ as co-sessors with him in judg- ment. This view of the subject is greatly strengthened and confirmed by our Lord's own representation in the twenty-fifth chapter of St. Matthew. " When," says he, " the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all his holy A A 2 356 CHAPTER XXI. 2 8. angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory, and before him shall be gathered all nations." Now there is no mention here of the resurrection of the dead. He sits upon the throne of judgment, but it is the living only apparently that are now summoned before him. Does not this correspond with that view of the subject just mentioned ? Why should our Lord studiously avoid any allusion even to the resurrection of the dead in this place, but on the ground that the resurrection is not to take place immediately on his coming ? These, however, are matters of speculation. In the eagerness of our discussion on such points, let us not lose sight of the " glorious things which are here spoken of the city of God." Whatever difficulties may be con- nected with the interpretation of certain portions of this sublime and heavenly book, one thing is clear, that God has here revealed to us by the Spirit that he has prepared for those that love him, " such thinf/s as eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, and such as never entered into the heart of man!' To know that God shall again dwell among us and hold familiar converse with man as he did with Adam in Eden ; to know that in the renovated earth "there will be no more death, nor sorrow, nor pain;" that " we shall be heirs of God, joint heirs with Christ," and inherit as his chikken ''all things^' all things belonging to his everlasting kingdom — all the glory, and beauty, and excellence of that inheritance which has been preparing for six thousand years, and which he pur- chased for us with his own blood — this surely is enough. Oh, had wc faith but as a grain of mustard-seed, the glory of that light which promises like these shed upon the darkness of the future, would surely cast the false lustre of things present into the shade, and they would no longer THE NEW JERUSALEM. 357 occupy, as they too often do, the whole sphere of our mental vision, but, dwindling into their proper dimen- sions, they would be lost to view in the contemplation of the " things unseen and eternal." CHAPTERS XXL 9—27; XXII. 1—5. The New Jerusalem. The subject of the last eighteen verses of this twenty- first chapter, and of the first five of the next is one, and the chapters, therefore, ought not to have been divided. The whole portion is a figurative description of the redeemed and glorified Church under the symbol of a city. And here we see the exactness of order and admirable consistency with which the Revelation is written. There is, as has been before remarked, a wonderful uniformity of arrangement in the construction of its several parts throughout, showing the infinite wisdom of the mind by which it was contrived. In nothing is this more apparent than in that portion of the book now before us. It will be remembered that after the apostle had witnessed the outpouring of the vials of Divine wrath upon great Babylon, " The mother of harlots and of abominations of the earth," one of the angels com- missioned to execute those judgments came to him and talked with him, and having carried him away in the Spirit into the wilderness, showed him a representation of the apostate Churcli, under the figure of an adulterous harlot adorned with all the meretricious ornamciits of 358 CHAPTERS XXI. 9 — 27 ; xxii. 1 — 5. her profession, and triumphing in the intoxication of prosperity and power. In exact accordance with such an arrangement, and as a sort of parallehsm with the former vision, the apostle is again called away by one of the seven angels with the vials to behold the holy city, the real Church, the pure and spotless bride of Christ, descend from heaven. Now in this we see oneness of an'angement, order, and consistency. The Church is first exhibited as a chaste matron in her primitive beauty and simplicity. (Chap, xii.) But she flees into the wilder- ness, and is hidden for a season from observation. An adulterous counterfeit now takes her place, and assuming her name and prerogatives, presents herself to mankind as the beloved of the Lord, the one only spouse of the anointed Redeemer. But her false pretensions are exposed and her end foretold. (Chaps, xvii., xviii.) And now the adulteress being removed out of the way, the true wife again appears upon the scene, " prepared as a bride adorned for her husband." When, however, the apostle is called to contemplate her in her glory and beauty, it is under the similitude of a citij, not of a woman, that she is presented to him. And in this also we see the same oneness of arrangement, and the same order and con- sistency. For as the false and counterfeit Church is first presented to us under the figure of a licentious woman revelling in luxury and intoxicated with prosperity, and afterwards when her fall is foreshown, nnder the symbol of a city laid in ruins and made desolate ; so the true Church is first presented under the similitude of a woman travailing in pain, and at length fleeing away into a wilderness ; but now that her season of exaltation and glory is come, she is brought before us and described under the symbol of a city coming down out of heaven THE NEW JERUSALEM. 359 from God. It will be observed, therefore, that both Churches, the true and the false, the real and the pretended, are each represented inidcr two symbols, and called by two names. The one is, BahyloR the Great and the Mother of Harlots ; the other is, Neio Jerusalem and the Bride, the Lamb's Wife. These things are so plain and obvious that "he who runs may read them; " and nothing but a wilful and judicial blindness could have hidden them for so long a time from the great body of professing Christians. But it is with the members of the Romish Chm'ch as with the Jews, " their minds are blinded, so that until this day, in the reading of the Scriptures, the veil remaineth untaken away." May it be speedily removed ! In offering a few remarks upon this sublime picture I shall not attempt the explanation of particulars. It is to the grand effect of the representation as a Avhole we must look, rather than to the minutiae of its details. That we have here an emblematical description of the glorified Church, and not of a literal city, is so obvious, that it is amazing how such an idea as the latter could ever have entered into the mind of man. What the apostle saw was, THE Bride, the Wife of the Lamb, and she is described as a city simply, I imagine, because this emblem admits of more amplification than that of a woman, and affords a more varied groundwork for setting forth the glory of the Church in the latter day. Viewed in this light nothing can be more sublime than this description. A city composed of precious stones and pearls, having its streets paved with transparent gold, and surrounded by lofty walls hard as adamant and of dazzling brightness, gives an idea of richness, beauty, endurance, and security which nothing can 360 CHAPTERS XXI. 9 27 ; XXII. 1 — 5. surpass. The following arc the prominent points in this description which seem to demand especial notice : — Ver. 12. " And tioelve gates ^ and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel." — The mention again of the twelve tribes of Israel, and that in con- nexion with Jerusalem, seems to indicate that the Jews will now be restored to favour, and stand as watchmen at the gates of the heavenly city, inviting men to enter, and welcoming all who present themselves. At every gate there is an angel, a messenger of the Lord, and that angel is a Jew ! This is a cheering thought. God then " hath not cast off his ancient people." No, he will " yet have mercy upon Jacob, and will yet choose Israel," and in the period of millennial blessedness the Jew will share with the Gentile the imsearchable riches of redeeming love. Ver. 16. " And the city lieth foursquare, and the length thereof is the same as the breadth," &c. — That is, there are no irregularities, no inequalities in this city ; all is order, harmony, and quietness. " In Christ there is neither Jew nor Greek, bond nor free, male nor female, but all are one in him." Differing, if I may so speak, in size ; differing also in degree and quality ; yet are the stones of this spiritual city so put together that they seem, as it were, but one substance. The members of the glorified Church will indeed have but one heart and one mind, and thus they will be " builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit." Ver. 22. " And I saw no temple therein .- for the Lord God Almi gilt g and the Lamb are the temjjle of it." — What a thought is this ! No temple ! Will there then be no worship there ? Yes, it will be all worship ; every day THE NEW JERUSALEM. 361 will be a Sabbath; every moment will be filled with prayer and praise. How, then, will there be no temple ? Because " the Lord God and the Lamb are the temple thereof." They will be everywhere present and m everything. The creature will visibly reflect the glory of the Creator, and no secondary agency as a medium of intercourse between God and man will be needed. Earthly material temples and ordinances are but the visible things by which " the invisible things of God " (Rom. i. 20) are brought sensibly before our eyes, and they are necessary now because in the present body " no man can see God and live." (Exod. xxxiii. 20.) But it Avill not be so hereafter. In the risen glorified body " we shall be made like Christ, and see him as he is." (1 John iii. 2.) And thus the manifested presence of the Lord everywhere will supersede the necessity of all secondary channels of communication ; churches, and temples, and ordinances Avill be unnecessary; the light of God's countenance will shine directly upon the inhabitants of that holy city, and their worship will not be stated and occasional and of brief duration, but un- interrupted and perpetual, one eternal Sabbath. " The Lord God and the Lamb are the temple of it." This is perhaps the most sublime idea that was ever put into the mind of man. To use the language of an eloc(uent writer, " We cannot find words in which to express our thoughts of the grandeur of the imagery which represents the Almighty as the temple of the city. A temple filled with Godhead ; its walls his attributes, its roof his majesty, its gates his eternity ! And to worship in this temple ; to live in this temple ; to worship God in God. Oh ! there is a wonderfulness here which with all our strivings we cannot reach. For who can imagine to 362 CHAPTERS XXI. 9 — 27 ; xxii. 1 — 5. himself the Everlasting Creator condescending to become as a sanctuary to the children of men ! Yet let not the majesty of the statement prevent om- taking to ourselves its comfort and its instruction. In place of going up to the house of God, I am to go hereafter to God himself; the house of God is to be God. The Lord God and the Lamb shall be the temple of that glorious city." Ver. 23. "And the city hath no need of the sun nor of the moon," &c. — This confirms the view taken of these symbols, chap. xii. 1. The city is the Church. The sun and the moon must be something then whereby the Church has received light previously to her glorification. Now, under the old dispensation the light of the Chm'ch was the law. (Ps. cxix. 105.) And under the new it is the Gospel. But in her state of millennial blessedness the Church will need neither the law nor the Gospel. God will communicate knowledge and truth immediately and directly from himself, Avithout the intervention of any secondary instrumentality whatever. And how inconceivably blessed a state will that be when Divine and heavenly light will come into the soul — the eye of the mind, as the natural light now enters into the eye of the body, and we shall perceive spiritual truths as by intuition, without that long and laborious process which is now required to attain even to a child's knowledge of the things of God ! When Ave shall no longer see through a glass darkly, but face to face ; when we shall know, not in part only, but even as ive are known ! Vers, 24 — 27. "And the nations of those that are saved shall walk in the light of it. And the kings of the earth'' &c. — These verses seem far more suitable to the millennial than to what is commonly understood by the heavenly state of blessedness. In fact, I see not how THE NEW JERUSALEM. 363 those words, " And the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it," can be explained on the supposition that the apostle is here describing the con- dition of the blessed in heaven. The meaning evidently seems to be, that all the potentates of the earth shall at the time referred to be subject to Christ, and, acknow- ledging him to be the Lord of all, shall lay their riches and glory at his feet to be disposed of as he will. As it is said in Zechariah, " In that day shall the Lord be king over ail the earth, and there shall be one Lord, and his name one." (Chap. xiv. 6.) This prediction has never been fulfilled, but, like that we are considering, seems manifestly to belong to the millennial period. So likewise does that other prediction of the same prophet, " And in that day there shall be upon the bells of the horses holiness unto the Lord, and there shall be no more the Canaanite in the house of the Lord," which corresponds with the words of St. John : " And there shall not enter into it anything that defileth, and that maketh an abomination and a lie ; " nothing, i.e., pol- luting, false, or deceitful ; nothing offensive to God or hurtful to man ; but those things and persons only shall find a place in that city which are pure, real, and true. Blessed and glorious state ! Hasten, O Lord, the fulfil- ment of these great and precious promises. Chap. xxii. 1. "And he showed me a pure river of icater of life," &c. — There is a manifest correspondence between this part of the description of the " beloved city," and that given of Eden, Gen. ii. This may be designed to teach us that man will be restored, not only to what he had at first, but to more than his original inheritance. In Eden immortality Avas assured to man by free access to the tree of life, which was in the midst of the garden ; 364 CHAPTERS XXI. 9 — 27 ; xxii. 1 — 5. but in this new Eden there is not only the tree of hfe, but THE RIVER OF THE WATER OE LIFE alsO, flowiug continually from the throne of God and the Lamb. A beautiful emblem this of the Holy Spirit flowing in rich abundance from the Father and the Son, and refreshing the Church by his gracious influences. This is that river of God's pleasure of which his people will hereafter be privileged to drink from the fountain head ; and it would appear from hence that the life of the believer will then be sustained by direct communications of the Spirit from the throne of Deity. The life of Adam was a physical life — a life produced and sustained by physical means and appliances ; but the life of the glorified believer in Christ will be a spiritual life, communicated in the first instance, and to all eternity sustained, by the life-giving influences of the Holy Spirit. Ver. 2. ''In the midst teas the tree of life,'' &c. — The " twelve manner of fruits " on this tree, shows that the enjoyments of the redeemed and glorified man will be suited to his nature and condition. They will not weary by repetition nor clog by their sameness, but partake of that agreeable variety which seems necessary for the continued happiness of all beings endued with the higher moral and intellectual faculties. The healing virtue in the leaves of the tree may symbolize the purifi- cation of the soul from its spiritual diseases, — that is, all the moral evil with which it is now infected, and its con- sequent perfect restoration to primeval unsullied purity. Ver. 4. "And his name shall be in their foreheads " — In other words, they shall be made like him. The Divine image shall be re-stamped upon them, and all the moral perfections of the Godhead so far as they are com- nnmicable to the creature, shall be visibly seen upon CONCLUDING ADDRESS. 365 them. And therefore shall they " see his face." See HIS FACE ! Blessed and glorious hope ! Who can con- ceive the transcendant joy which that vision will produce in those who are privileged to behold it ? If we could but catch a glimpse of that countenance now, the sight would so amaze us by its splendour and ravish us by its ineffable beauty, that we should never again for a moment forget it ; it would fill the mind's eye to the exclusion of every other object, and all the petty vanities of the present time would be annihilated. Gracious Lord, grant us this vision, though it be through a glass darkly ! Begin the writing of this thy name upon our foreheads now, that we may wake up hereafter in thy perfect like- ness, and see thee as thou art ! Conclusion of the Book. — xxii. 6 — 22. The prophetical portion of the Revelation may be said to end at the fifth verse of this chapter. The remaining sixteen verses consist of various detached sentences addressed in the way of exhortation, encouragement, and warning to persons of different characters, containing matter of the highest interest and importance, and deserving of the reader's most earnest and anxious con- sideration. Vers. 6 — 10. ''And he said unto me, These loords are true and faithful," &c. — This repetition of the declaration, c. xix. 9, shows that what follows respecting the falling down of St. John to Avorship the angel belongs to the same period in the prophetic narrative, and, therefore, that he did not, as is generally supposed, offer worship to the angel a second time. This is certainly highly improbable, since only a few minutes could have elapsed between the first and second attempted act of adoration, and it is scarcely to be conceived that John would in so short an 366 CHAPTER XXII. 6 21. interval have forgotten the denial and reproof he had just before received. Nor does the manner in which the cii'cumstance is related require that we should so understand the apostle's statement, which is, in fact, a repetition of what he had before written, and does not involve a repetition of the act described. It is as if he had expressed himself thus : — " And I, John, when I had heard and seen these things, fell down [cis I before said) to worship before the feet of the angel," &c. But if these are indeed the true sayings of God, what shall we say of those Avho neglect and despise them? What shall we say of those who speak of " breaking seals " and " sounding trumpets," as if any attempt to expound the Revelation were only a fit subject for ridicule ! There is an approach to profaneness in this way of talking which ought carefully to be avoided. May we not say with reference to such irreverence, " He that despiseth despiseth not man but God?" Has God said, " Blessed is he that observeth the sayings of this book," and shall man presume to treat them with contempt ? " Seal not the tvords of the propheci/,'' &c. — St. John having now finished writing, or being supposed to have finished writing, the things he had heard and seen, is commanded not to seal the roll on which these things were written, but to leave it open for the reading and meditation of all. This implies, not only that the pro- phecies were about immediately to commence their course of fulfilment, but that they were immediately to be studied with a view to ascertain their meaning, and verify their accomplishment. It will be remembered it was otherwise with Daniel. His prophecies were to be " closed up and sealed till the time of the end," (xii. 9,) i.e., until the end of the Jewish dispensation and CONCLUDING ADDRESS. 367 beginning of Messiah's kingdom. And accordingly they were sealed up until Christ came. Ver. 11. " He that is uiirighteoiis let him he unrighte- ous'' &c. — No one will suppose that these words are to be taken as an encouragement to the unrighteous man to continue in the practice of iniquity. They are spoken rather in the way of warning and dehortation. The sense is, " Let the unrighteous man if he will, if he be determined upon his own destruction, continue in his unrighteousness ; let him, if he will, persist in his ungodliness, wickedness, and impurity ; but let him not think that he will eventually escape punishment : it is but for a lohile that he will be permitted thus to go on with impunity : the time is coming when every man shall receive according to his works, and then will he find that I have power to punish as well as to reward." So that, in fact, we have here that solemn appeal of St. Paul in the second chapter of the epistle to the Romans, only in another form : " Thinkest thou, O man, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God? Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and long-suffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance ? But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judg- ment of God ? " Such is precisely the import of the words before us, and which are therefore a gracious remonstrance addressed to careless men who are sinning with a high hand. On the other hand, there is encouragement given to the righteous. " He that is righteous let him be righteous still,'' &c. Here, it will be observed, the " righteous is the man who doeth righteousness ^ 3G8 CHAPTER XXII. 6 21. (1 John iii. 7,) that is to say, the term riyldeous is here used with reference to the behever's character and works, — the outward manifestation, so to speak, of justification, or the proofs of his being in a justified state ; not with reference to the grounds of his righte- ousness. Just as in the passage above referred to, the apostle says, "He that doeth righteousness, is righteous." So tliat the sense might be expressed thus : " But whilst I warn the unrighteous man against presuming upon his present impunity, as supposing that the time of retribution will never come ; I would cheer and encourage the righteous under the conflicts and trials which beset their path. Let none such be dis- heartened. Let them persevere steadily in the way of holiness and virtue, whatever enemies may oppose them — whatever difficulties and hinderances they may meet with. The race will soon be run ; the conflict will soon be over ; the time of my coming to judge the world is at hand ; and then shall they find that my word is true ; that I am as able to reward and bless those who love and serve me, as I am to punish those who hate and blaspheme me : then shall the world know that I will give to every man according to his works." 13 — 15. " I am the Alpha and Omega, ^c. ; blessed are those that do his commandments, that theg may have right to the tree of life!'' — It is the Lord Jesus who still continues to speak, and who thus, therefore, declares himself to be, as the Almighty Father had done previously (c. i. 8), " the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and end ; " " making himself, indeed, equal with God." (John v. 18 ; x. 33.) For that it is Christ who here speaks, is evident, from his using CONCLUDING ADDRESS. 369 the pronoun in the third person, " Blessed are they that do his commandments!' The Son of God came to declare to us the will of his Heavenly Father, and "the words which he spake, were not his," as the man Christ Jesus, but " the Father's who sent him. " (John xiv. 24.) Therefore does he say, " Blessed are those that do his commandments," the command- ments, i.e., of my Heavenly Father, delivered to them by me ; " that they may have right to, or power over, the tree of life!' Let us not, in order to maintain the consistency, as we may imagine, of a system of om' own constructing, pervert the plain meaning of Scripture, and shrink from the natural and obvious interpretation of a passage like this. We know that it is " not by Avorks of righteousness we have done, but of God's mercy that we are saved." (Tit. iii. 5.) " All our righte- ousnesses are filthy rags ;" (Is. Ixiv. 6 ;) and to attempt to found any claim to God's favour and acceptance on them, would, indeed, be building upon the sand. What, then, mean this and similar declarations, many of them uttered by the mouth of our Lord himself? If we are not saved by om* own works ; if all our righteous acts are but filthy rags, how can they entitle us to eat of the tree of life? But is this the truth here affirmed? Is it really asserted that the believer's good works give him a right to eat of that tree ? Let us look at the words again : " Happy are those, doing his commandments, that their power may be over the tree of life, and they may enter in by the gates into the city."* Now, does this assert the merit of good works? Surely not; nothing of * This is the exact literal rendering of the Greek : MaKo/jtoi o\ TToiovvTes ras evToXas cIvtov, iva 'dcrrai fj t^ovaia dvTcip ini to ^vXov T7/s ^(OT]S, K. T. X. VOL. II. B B 370 CHAPTER XXII. 6 21. tlie kind. It simply pronounces those persons blessed who are engaged in doing the commandments of God, and it declares that such persons only are entitled to eat of the tree of immortality, and to enter into the glorified Church of the redeemed. And is not this the universal language of Scripture? Does not our Lord say, "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he that doeth the will of my Father in heaven."* Are * I cannot, therefore, attach that importance to the reading of the Alexandrine and another ancient MS., which is done by Mr. Tregelles, who thinks that to have brought to Hght one such various reading, would repay the labours of a Hfe. For the satisfaction of the reader, I will give his remarks on this passage in his own words : " As an instance of the result of labour purely critical, in a passage where every Christian reader may in some measure appreciate it, I may refer to Rev. xxii. 14; — all may feel the difference between the state- ments of the readings : ' BLESSED ARE those who wash THEIR BOBES, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city ;' how different from, ' Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life,' &c. ! The common text can be understood by means of other Scriptures in such a way as not to contradict grace ; but a soul that values the salvation which God has provided in the blood of Christ, finds in the declaration, 'Blessed are those who wash their robes,' that on which it can repose, as having the gospel of the grace of God in Christ's redemption, brought before it with a rich unction. How beautifully have we thus the holiness of those gates of pearl, through which nothing that defileth shall ever enter, set in immediate con- nection with that cleansing through which a title is given to enter in, as ransomed, forgiven, and saved ! To me it would be a reward for years of toil, to be the means of bringing one such text forward with the full light of clear and certain evidence bearing on it." — Int. to the " Hevelation, translated from the ancient Greek text," p. xxiii. It is, however, to my mind, very doubtful, after all, whether the reading of the Alexandi-ine MS. is the true reading. Taking all cixxumstances into consideration, I should say, it is more probable, that men zealous for the doctrines of free grace, should have altered the original words, as thinking them opposed to their system, than that the opponents of grace should have changed them to suit theirs. The words, " Blessed are CONCLUDING ADDRESS. 371 we not constantly told, that without holmess no man shall see the Lord? There is nothing inconsistent with the doctrine of grace in this. It is not a man's works; it is not his holiness, that entitles him to live for ever in eternal happiness ; nevertheless, without works, and without holiness, he can have no com- munion with God. And this, then, is the true meaning and interpretation of such passages as these. The right, or power, to take of the tree of life, is inseparably connected with the doing the command- ments of God, as they are made known to us by our Lord Jesus Chiist ; and therefore is it said, " Blessed are they that do his commandments," &c. Yet, it is not the doing of the commandments that gives the title, or right, to partake of the tree, it is only a necessary condition, without which none can be admitted to that high privilege. " Without are dogs and sorcerers,'' &c. — Love and TRUTH, are the two prominent features in the divine character. In fact, they comprehend everything. That " God is love," that " he cannot lie," are the pillars and ground of all his moral perfections. And thus then, also, it is with those who are born of God, and made his children by adoption and grace. Love is in their hearts, truth on their lips. The Israelite, indeed, hath in him no guile. Such only shall dwell with him and behold his face with joy. those that wash their robes," &c., are only a repetition of the sentiment in c. vii. 14, and express a truth, which no Christian can for a moment hesitate to receive ; but the declaration, " blessed are those ivho do his commandmenis, that they may have right to the tree of life,'^ does, at first, stagger us, and I can well understand how a transcriber, jealous of any glory being given to man, might set himself to consider whether there might not be some error in the text. BB 2 B72 CHAPTER XXII. 6 21. Hence, it is said, " without are dogs," &c., i.e., whosoever is fierce, revengeful, malignant, impure, hypocritical, and false. Such persons, whatever reli- gious pretensions they may make, show themselves to be the genuine offspring of him who was a liar and a miu-derer from the beginning, and with him, therefore, are they doomed to dwell for ever. Ver. IG. /, Jesus, have sent my angel, &c. — See c. i. 1, and c. ii. 28. Ver. 17. ^^ And the Spirit and the bride say. Come thou ; and let him that heareth, say. Come thou ; and let Mm that is athirst coyne, and take of the ivater of life freely.'' — This is explained, by the generahty of commentators to be an invitation to all persons to come and partake freely of the blessings of the gospel covenant. But, were this the case, the verb would probably be in the plural, " Come ye :" as in Isa. Iv. 1. " Ho ! every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters ! " The two first clauses, therefore, are to be regarded, I imagine, as a response to the announce- ment of the Redeemer, v. 12. He had said, "Behold, I come quickly." The Spirit and the Bride, that is, the Church speaking under the guidance and in- fluence of the Spirit, takes up the words and answers with joyful acquiescence, " Come." And the apostle in the fervour of his mind, calls upon all who should hear of this blessed and glorious coming, to join in the prayer of the Church, and say, " Come." And then, as if to silence every unbelieving doubt, and banish every causeless fear, he adds, in the name of his Lord, an unconditional invitation to every sincere but timid seeker after divine truth, to come and partake freely of the water of life, — that river, clear CONCLUDING ADDRESS. 37S as crystal, which he had just described as proceeding out of the throne of God and the Lamb. Hence I think we may infer, that previously to our Lord's coming, not only there will be an extra- ordinary outpouring of the Spirit upon the Church and mankind at large, but that the Church will be led to expect and pray for his coming. This idea is in perfect analogy with the method of God's dealings in times past. Thus, when he was about to deliver his people from Egyptian bondage, the spirit of grace and supplication was first poured out upon them ; they called unto the Lord, and he sent them a deliverer ; and their deliver- ance is expressly declared to have been an answer to prayer ; yet the precise day on which it would take place had been determined upon and announced four hundred and thirty years before. (Ex. ii. 23 — 25, and xii. 4L) So also Daniel, when the set time for the deliverance from Babylon was arrived, was led to offer up supplications in the name of the Church for the accomplishment of the promise. (Dan. ix.) And thus also we may assume it will be when the end of the Church's captivity in the spiritual Babylon draws near, and her Great Deliverer is about to appear. The eyes of his believing people will be directed heavenwards. The Church will be looking anxiously for the return of her Lord, and will be frequent and earnest in her supplications to him- to fulfil his promise and hasten his coming. Nor will he come until he hears the anxious petition sent forth from ten thousand longing hearts prepared to welcome him with joy. Gracious Lord ! pour upon thy Church this spirit of grace and supplication ! Let the joyful response to thy promise even now begin. Let the Spirit and the Bride say, 374 CHAPTER XXII. G 21. " Come !" and do thou prepare oiu' liearts for the realization of this blessed hope, and thy glorious appearing I Vers. 18, 19. ''For I testify unto every one'' &c. — It would seem as if the Lord foreseeing that this portion of his Word would be especially liable to the cavils of unbelief, the neglect of rationalistic latitu- dinarianism, and the adulterations of presumptuous criticism, added this solemn caution, for the express purpose of checking the rashness of the daring emendator, and stimulating to watchfulness the careless transcriber.* Let it be borne in mind, however, that this caution applies not only to presumptuous transcribers and critics, but to all persons who speak contemptuously of this heavenly book, or endeavour in any way to detract from its authority. Ver. 20. " He that testifiefh these things, saith, Surely, I come quickli/." — Three times is this testimony repeated within the compass of a few verses. Surely, then, there must be something more in this coming than is commonly supposed. Why, I again ask, this frequent repetition ? Why are we so constantly reminded that the time of the Lord's coming is at hand, if that coming be only figurative? — if it be a coming only in the enlargement of the Church, and the increase of true religion ? No ; it cannot be thus. The Spirit of Truth would never have employed langua-ge which, in its plain and obvious meaning, would lead us to look upon the day of Christ's coming as ushering in an event at once * It is a striking fact, that the text of the Revelation has come clown to us in a state of remarkable purity. The only various readings of any real importance, that I am aware of, are the two before particularly noticed, c. xi. 1, and c. xxii. 14. It would appear, therefore, that the caution has not been given in vain. CONCLUSION. 375 the most momentous, most glorious, and most joyful that has ever taken place since the foundation of the world, if that coming were nothing more than a gradual extension of Gospel light. Every Christian, indeed, must rejoice in the progress of truth, and it is delightful to contemplate the probability of a general diffusion of the knowledge of God amongst all nations of the earth ; but this is not an event which seems in any sense or degree to correspond with the solemn announce- ment, " Surely, I come quickly." Centuries, it is true, have elapsed since this announcement was first made, nor is it yet fulfilled ; and the scoffer may begin to say, "Where are the signs of his coming?" But we should always remember that words of time have a very different import in the mouth of the infinite Jehovah, from what they have when used by us his finite creatures. To him with whom " a thousand years are as one day, and one day as a thousand years," centuries are as minutes, and minutes as centuries. He looks on the future as we look on the past. To his infinite mind, grasping eternity and all events and things belonging to it, a thousand or ten thousand years are but as a short parenthesis in that boundless dm'ation which has neither beginning nor end. And even as addressed to us short- lived creatures, who measure om' age by years and days, the declaration, " Behold, I come quicHi/," is still true. For quick will that coming be in comparison of the eternal dm^ation which shall succeed it : quick also will it be as compared with the four thousand years, or more, which preceded the first coming : and, which is perhaps the true sense, quickly will it follow upon the accomplish- ment of the other prophecies contahied in this book. To attempt to fix the precise point beyond which the 876 CHAPTER XXII. 6 21. second advent cannot be delayed, is indeed miM^arrant- able presumption, but to treat the subject with super- ciHous indifference, is little less than avowed Infidelity. Does not that disposition so generally prevalent to regard the coming of Christ to judge the world as indefinitely distant, argue an unwillingness to think of his coming at all ? Do we thus usually put off in thought to as distant a period as possible those events the arrival of which we earnestly desire and long for? Reader, examine the state of your own feelings on this subject. Are you " waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ?" (1 Cor. i. 7.) Do you "love his appearing?" (2 Tim. iv. 8.) Are you looking for it as to that " blessed hope " (Tit. ii. 13), the fulfilment of which shall be the beginning of eternal glory, the con- summation of yoiu* joy? Remember the solemn pro- phetic inquiry of your Divine Master : " When the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth ?" What- ever may be your opinions on those points of theory and speculation, in regard to which even the best and wisest men are not agreed, see at least that your feelings in respect to " the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ," accord with those of the beloved apostle, that in reply to the announcement, " Behold, I come quickly," you may be able to respond with heartfelt earnestness, "Amen; even so, Come, Lord Jesus!" The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with us all / Amen. APPENDICES. A. On the Genuineness and Authenticity oe the Apocalypse. B. On the Date of the Apocalypse. C. Analysis of Modern Commentaries. APPENDIX A. ON THE GENUINENESS AND AUTHENTICITY OF THE APOCALYPSE. Before we enter upon the immediate consideration of the subject of this Appendix, it may be well to premise that the genuineness of any ancient writing rests upon two species of evidence, the one usually called external, the other internal. External evidence is the testimony to be derived from other contemporary, or nearly contemporary, writings. Internal evidence is that which is contained in the work itself. The external evidence, for example, that " Macbeth " and " Julius Cassar " were both written by Shakespear, is the concurrent testimony of his contemporaries; the internal evidence of their genuineness is the similarity in the language, style, and thoughts of the two plays. The same remarks apply to the " Iliad " and " Odyssey " of Homer, to the plays of Sophocles and Euripides, and all other ancient writings. The force of this testimony is so plain and strong that it seems to be universally admitted. Although more than two thousand years have passed since some of the authors just mentioned wrote, no one thinks of questioning the genuine- ness of those works which are usually ascribed to them, and which have come down to us. It is obvious, in fact, that the longer any book has been received as the undoubted produc- tion of any particular writer, the broader and firmer must the foundation become upon which its authenticity rests. Pro- vided, therefore, the genuineness of a work be not questioned somewhere about the time of its publication, or soon after, supposing it to be a work of importance and mucli read, its authority becomes established on an immoveable 380 APPENDIX A. basis, which it is next to impossible should be shaken in after ages. Having made these preliminary remarks, I shall now pro- ceed to show that we have amply sufficient evidence, both external and internal, to establish the genuineness and authen- ticity of the Apocalypse beyond all question. With this view let us consider first the external evidence. External Evidence in favour of the Apocalypse. 1st. It was generally received as the undoubted work of St. John during the second century ; that is, for more than a hundred years from the time of its first publication. The writers whose testimony is most unquestionable and satisfactory in confirmation of this assertion are Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, Theophilus, and Tertullian. Justin wrote and flourished about the year 140, and is the earliest of the fathers of whose writings any considerable portion has reached our times. He quotes the Revelation, and expressly ascribes it to St. John ; nor does he intimate that any doubts were entertained by the Church in his days respecting its authenticity. On the contrary, he affirms that ** as many Christians as were in every respect orthodox" (opdoyvco/jbove'i Kara nravra,) believed in the millennial reign, which opinion he establishes by referring to the Revelation of St. John ; * whence we may infer that those Christians who were " in every respect orthodox," received the Revelation as a divinely inspired book, for from what other quarter could they have derived their expectations con- cerning the millennium ? Nothing can be more satisfactory, therefore, than Justin's testimony. Irenaeus wrote a little later than Justin. He was a disciple of Polycarp, who had seen and conversed with St. John, and may, therefore, be supposed to have heard from tlie apostle himself whether the Apocalypse were his writing or not. Now there are twenty-two chapters in the book of Revelation, and Irenaeus quotes from thirteen of tliem, producing more * " Dial, cum Tryph.," p. 306, Ed. Paris, 1636. AUTHENTICITY OF THE APOCALYPSE. 381 than twenty-four passages ; some of considerable length.* What stronger witness can we require than this ? Theophilus was Bishop of Antioch about a.d. 170. His works have not come clown to us, but Eusebius informs us that in a treatise he wrote against the heresy of Hermogenes, he " adduces many testimonies out of the Revelation of St. John." j- TertuUian flourished about the close of the second century. *' He quotes, or refers, to the Apocalypse in above seventy passages of his writings, and he appeals to it expressly as the work of the Apostle John. He defends the authenticity of the book against the heretic Marcion and his followers by asserting its external evidence. He appeals to the Asiatic Churches, and assures us, that though Marcion rejects it, yet the succession of bishops traced to its origin will establish John to be its author." ;J; Several other orthodox writers belonging to this period might also be mentioned, as Melito, Bishop of Sardis, who, as we are told by Eusebius, "ivrote a Commentary on the Re- velation ; "§ Apollonius, a pious and learned Phrygian, "who," says Eusebius, "alleges passages out of the Revelation ; "|| Athenagoras, the contemporary of Poly carp and Justin Martyr, who is proved by Lardner to have been acquainted with the Apocalypse.^ But I deem it unnecessary to dwell any further upon this point. Let the reader consider the following fact, and say whether it is not of itself sufficient to establish the above position. There are nine ecclesiastical writers of note belonging to the period immediately succeeding the publication of the Apocalypse fragments of whose works have reached us, viz. : — * Archdeacon Woodhouse, " Diss, on the Apocalypse," p. 28. See also Lardner's " Cred. Gosp. Hist.," art. Irenaeus. t " Hist. Ecc.," 1. iv., c. 24. X Tertul. " Adv. INIarcion," lib. iv., c. 5. Quoted by Dean Woodhouse, p. 51. § " Hist. Ecc," 1. iv., c. 26. II Ibid, 1. v., c. 18. ^ " Cred. Gosp. Hist.," art. Athenagoras. 382 APPENDIX A. Justin Martyr. Melito. Athenagoras. Apollonius. Hermias. Clement of Alexandria. Theophilus. TertuUian. Irenaeus. Of these, eight mention the Revelation and distinctly acknowledge it as the genuine work of St. John. The only remaining one has left nothing behind him but a small imperfect tract, a satire on the philosophy of the Gentiles, in which, as might be expected, we find no allusion to this book either for or against. 2d. The most distinguished writers of the third century have quoted and received the Apocalypse as the work of St. John and divinely inspired. The writers of this century are Minucius Felix, Hippolytus, Origen, Gregory Thaumaturgus, Cyprian, and Methodius ; to whom may be added Dionysius of Alexandria, although his works have perished, excepting some fragments preserved in Eusebius. Of these, Hippolytus wrote two books in defence of the Revelation,* for about this time its genuineness began to be questioned by heretics. Origen, the most learned and acute of all the fathers, quotes it frequently, and in his catalogue of the books of the Old and New Testament, ascribes it without any hesitation to St. John.f Methodius also commented upon it. ;j: Cyprian has quoted it upwards of ninety times, which quotations contain passages of some length from almost every chapter, § and it was universally received by the African Churches. The testimony of Dio- nysius will be noticed hereafter. * Lardner, vol. ii., p. 412. f His words are, " What shall I say of John, who leaned on the breast of our Lord Jesus, who wrote one Gospel, and confessed that if as many had been written as might have been written the world could not have contained them? He wkote also the Revelation, being commanded to conceal and not to write the words of the seven thunders." — Eus. H. Ecc, 1. vi., c. 25. X Lardner, vol. vi., p. 629. § See the Index of Quotations prefixed to his works, Ed. Bremae, fob, 1690. AUTHENTICITY OF THE APOCALYPSE. 383 Thus it appears, then, that we have the concurrent testi- mony of all the principal ecclesiastical writers of the second and third centuries in favour of the genuineness and authen- ticity of this book. Now when it is considered that it is not a history, like the Gospels, inscribed indefinitely to the Church at large, nor an epistle addressed to some particular Church, but a revelation of the purposes of God which was to be confided to the custody of seven Churches specifically named, and to whom it was to be sent immediately upon its publication, which very circumstance would make a forgery so much the more impracticable ; what stronger external evidence can we require of its being the true and genuine work of St. John, and entitled consequently to be received with reverence as a canonical book of the Scriptures, unless it should appear that it contains in itself its own refutation of its claim to inspiration ? In other words, that the external evidence in its favour is counterbalanced by the internal evidence against it ? This is, therefore, the next point for our consideration. Internal Evidence of the Authenticity of the Apocalypse. In examining into the internal evidence of the books of Scripture, one thing must be taken into consideration as belonging to them especially and peculiarly, which is this, — that although written by different men in different ages they were all composed and dictated, if I may so speak, by one author, so that the variety to be found in them consists purely in the style and subject-matter, not in the sentiments and doctrines. As the whole Bible was written under the inspiration of one Spirit, even the Spirit of Truth, one part of it cannot contradict another ; and, therefore, if any particular book can be proved to contain assertions which are contrary to the general tenor of the rest of Scripture we may at once reject it. On the other hand, a perfect correspondence between the sentiments, doctrines, and phraseology of any one book with all the rest is, so far as internal evidence goes, conclusive in its favour. Hence, with reference to the books of Scripture, more particularly those of the New Testament, 384 APPENDIX A. several of which were written by the same persons, two kinds of internal evidence are to be considered, — that which refers to the sameness of the Sjnrit, and that which refers to the sameness of the particular author writing under the influence of the same Spirit. For although all the sacred penmen were inspired by one Spirit, there is unquestionably a great variety in their styles and modes of expression. St. John writes in a different style from St. Matthew, and St. Paul in a different style from both. The internal evidence, therefore, of the genuineness of an inspired book will necessarily be of a two- fold character. There will be the internal evidence of its inspiration, arising from its general correspondence with the rest of Scripture ; and the internal evidence of its being written by that particular author whose name it bears. Let us then now try the Revelation by these criteria. First, as to its general correspondence with the rest of Scripture, thereby showing it to have been written by inspi- ration of the same Spirit. Is there anything in the Apoca- lypse contrary to the general tenor of the Bible ? Does it teach anything opposed to the doctrines set forth in other parts of the inspired volume ? Rather, may we not affirm that, whilst it contains nothing of an opposite tendency, there is no truth of vital importance connected with the sal- vation of man which may not be learnt from it ? I have no hesitation in making this assertion, and whoever carefully and attentively examines for himself will find it to be true. But if so, is not this fact in itself almost sufficient evidence of the Divine inspiration of the book ? We may conceive of an uninspired yet pious writer composing a work which should contain nothing contrary to the truth ; but is it to be imagined that any man not under the immediate influence of the Spirit would write a book such as the Revelation, which is anything but a theological treatise, and introduce into it, as it were incidentally, all the great truths of religion ? But it is not only the doctrines that distinguish the Sacred Scriptures from all other writings ; there is in them a certain majestic simplicity, an unaflfected loftiness and sub- limity, which, as it is indescribable, is likewise perfectly AUTHENTICITY OF THE APOCALYPSE. 385 inimitable. This is so striking a characteristic of the inspired writings, that although many attempts have been made to imitate them, all those compositions which men at various times have endeavoured to palm upon the world for the productions of the Holy Spirit, betray their mere earthly origin by the want of it. But can this be said of the Apocalypse ? Rather, is not this peculiar and inimi- table characteristic of inspiration most distinctly and con- spicuously manifest throughout it in every part ? Take, for example, the first five chapters, — what can be conceived more truly sublime and magnificent, and that without the slightest appearance of labour, or art, or affectation of any kind ? We may safely challenge the whole world to produce anything that will bear a moment's comparison in this respect with the vision of the fifth chapter. We need not, however, rest the argument solely on the super- human sublimity of this book. Another characteristic of the inspired writings equally inimitable, is the authority with which they speak. Addressing us in the name of God, they do not found their claim to our attention upon human arguments directed to the reason and intellect, but, taking a higher ground, they speak to us as the oracles of the Almighty, and that with a majesty and authority which asks, and commands, implicit faith and obedience. And is it not so in the Revelation ? What book of Scripture is there which speaks with more authority ? or which, by its own inherent majesty, commands more the attention and respect of the reader ? If this be a characteristic of inspiration, as I think none will deny, is it not pre-eminently so of the Apocalypse ? As far then as regards correspondence with the other admitted canonical books of Scripture, the internal evidence of its being written by inspiration of the same Spirit is complete. All the most marked and striking characteristics of inspiration emphatically belong to it. With respect to the internal evidence of its having been written by St. John, that point will more properly come into consideration under the next head. VOL. II. c c 386 APPENDIX A, Objections urged hy Michaelis and others against the Apocalypse. Having thus shewn the weight of evidence both external and internal, by which the genuineness and authenticity of the Revelation are supported, I shall now briefly consider what has been said on the other side. The great opponent in modern times of this Book is Michaelis ; he derives his objections chiefly from Eusebius, who, in the seventh book of his Ecclesiastical History, c. 25, gives at some length the sentiments of Dionysius of Alexandria concerning it.* These objections may be comprised under the following heads : — 1. The excessive obscurity of the book, which is so great as to render it totally unprofitable. 2. The Revelation does not mention the Catholic Epistles or Gospels, nor do they allude to it. 3. The Apostle John does not speak of himself by name either in his Gospel or Epistles, but the writer of the Revelation names himself more than once. 4. There is a difference between the style, sentiments, and phraseology of the Revelation, and the other acknow- ledged writings of St. John. Such are the objections adduced by the learned against * This Dionysius was Bishop of Alexandria about A.D. 270. He was a good man, but a great opponent of the Cliiliasis, who had indeed many of them fallen into most gross and pernicious errors, making the millen- nium a sort of Mahometan paradise. It is not surprising that men of pious minds should have shrunk from such doctrines, and that they should have looked with some suspicion upon that mysterious book from M'hich their advocates prelended to have derived them. It is difficult, notwith- standing, to say what were the real opinions of Dionysius and Eusebius concerning the Apocalypse. Sometimes they speak of it, the latter especially, as an unquestionably inspired book ; at other times their language would imply that they thought but lightly of it. Their state- ments are, in fact, inconsistent and contradictory. I imagine the truth to have been that their private feelings were against it, but yet they dared not reject as spurious a book so generally received by the Church. (See » Eccles. Hist.," 1. iii., c. 24, 25, and 39 ; 1. vii., c. 25.) AUTHENTICITY OF THE APOCALYPSE. 387 the authenticity of this Divine book : the fii-st and the last will require some notice ; but the other two appear to me to be so exceedingly frivolous as scarcely to be worth mentioning. That cause must be weak indeed which is obliged to have recourse to such arguments.* With respect, then, to the obscurity of the Apocalypse, I may candidly admit that this did at one time appear to me to be an objection against it ; but it is an objection which I am persuaded no one will entertain for any length of time who studies the book itself. Upon this point I would remark, first, that the obscurities of the Revelation are not so great as has sometimes been represented ; and, secondly, that however great those obscurities may be, they do not prevent the book, as a whole, from being most interesting and profitable to those who read it with humility and devotion. Does it follow, that, because there are some parts of it " hard to be understood," therefore the whole is unprofitable ? Is not the experience of thousands a prac- tical argument to the contrary ? Shall any one presume to pronounce that to be an unprofitable book which multi- tudes have found to be full of consolation and instruction ? Rather, have we not here a remarkable proof of its Divine inspiration, that, notwithstanding its obscurities, which are confessedly many, it ever has been, and still is capable, perhaps almost more so than any other book of Scripture, of kindling devout affections, and confirming the faith of the Christian ? But these obscurities, as before remarked, have been exaggerated. Admitting that great doubt and dif- ficulty attends the interpretation of particular parts, there can be none as to the general bearing of the whole. The persecutions of Christians, the apostasy of the Church, the universal promulgation of the Gospel, and the final triumph of Christ and his people, are as clearly and dis- tinctly foretold as they well could be. And why should the difficulties of the Apocalypse on minuter points be con- * If the reader wishes to see this subject more fully treated, he may consult " Home's Intr.," vol. iv., p. 479. Or, Woodhouse's " Prel. Diss.," c. viii. c c 2 388 APPENDIX A. sidered as an argument against its inspiration any more than similar difficulties in Isaiah, Ezekiel, Zechariah, against theirs ? As to the difference in style, &c., between this book and the other acknowledged writings of St. John, no one will dispute that there is a dijfference. But is it not easily accounted for by the difference in the subjects? Should we expect the same style in a history and a poem by the same writer ? And is there not as great a difference between the Gospel of St. John and the Apocalypse, as to the subject- matter of them, as between a poem and a history ? Besides, throughout the latter, it is not the apostle who writes ; he acts merely as an amanuensis, setting down what Jesus Christ dictated to him by the angel. Taking this circumstance into consideration, can the slightest importance be attached to the above objection?* Such, then, are the arguments adduced by its adversaries against the inspiration and authority of this Divine book. To counterbalance the weight of evidence derived from the almost universal consent of the Church during the two first centuries after its publication, from its agreement in the peculiar characteristics of inspiration with other parts of Scripture, and from other considerations equally strong in its favour ; they say, " It is obscure ; it is in some respects * Notwithstanding, so far as it was probable a resemblance could exist between writings of so different a character by the same author, Buch resemblance is to be found. I give the following examples from Home's " Introd." Compare : — ev. i. 1 with John xii. 33 ; xviii. 37. i. 5 J) 1 John V. 7. i. 7 )) John xix. 37. ii. 7 )» vi. 32. ii. 10 » XX. 27. ii. 17 >» vi. 32. v. 6, 12 )> i. 29, 36. xii. 9 » xii. 31. xix. 13 » i. 1. xxi. 6 » vii. 37. xxii. 14 »» i. 12. AUTHENTICITY OF THE APOCALYPSE. 389 unlike the other writings of St. John; and it makes no mention of the Gospel." Why, who does not see that objections like these are mere captious cavils, and lighter than vanity itself? But if the genuineness and authenticity of the Apocalypse be established upon so sure and immove- able a basis, then does it not become a duty on the part of all those who have opportunity and ability, to study it with that reverence and attention which the importance of such a communication demands ? APPENDIX B. ON THE DATE OF THE APOCALYPSE. Although the foregoing scheme of interpretation is not at all affected by the date of the Revelation, yet, as the commentaries of some modern expositors, particularly that of Mr. Elliott, are based upon the assumption that it was given to St. John at a specific period, I think it desirable the reader should be put in possession of the principal historical facts and arguments connected with this question. The generally-received opinion is, that the Apocalypse was communicated to St. John, and written by him, towards the end of Domitian's reign, about a.d. 96, or 97. This opinion, it must be admitted, rests upon very strong traditionary evidence. Irenaeus, writing in the middle of the second century, says, speaking with reference to the name of the beast: "If it ought to have been publicly proclaimed at the present time, doubtless it would have been proclaimed by him who wrote the Revelation. For it was not seen a long time ago, but almost in our own age, towards the end of the reign of Domitian."* This tradition is several times alluded to by Eusebius, who speaks of it as generally believed. Thus he says, 1. iii., c. 18, "About this time, * ovbe yap npo ttoXXoO ■}(p6vov icopddr], aWa (Txe8ov em rrjs r]fieT€pas ytveas, irpos rw TeXet rfjs Aop.friavov apx^is. (Advers. Hoer., 1. v., p. 449, ed. Grabe.) It may be as well to observe, for the information of general readers, that although Irenseus wrote in Greek, the principal part of his works have come down to us through the medium of a Latin trans- lation alone. Fragments of the original only have been preserved. Li the best editions, these are printed as far as they go, and the hiatus filled up by the Latin. Hence it happens that we find him sometime quoted in Greek and sometimes in Latin. ON THE DATE OF THE APOCALYPSE. 391 John the Apostle and Evangelist is said to have been banished to the Isle of Patmos. Irenasus, in his fifth book against heresies, writing of the epithet of Antichrist, men- tioned in the Revelation of St. John, says expressly, ' If his name ought publicly to have been proclaimed,' " &c., quoting verbatim the passage above cited. Again, in chap. 23 of the same book, he says, " As yet the Apostle and Evangelist whom the Lord loved, remained alive in Asia, who, after the death of Domitian, having returned from the Isle of Patmos, governed the Churches in Asia. That he lived to that time, the confirmation of two witnesses shall sufiice. They are worthy of credit, such as have governed the Church with sound doctrine. These are Irenaeus and Clemens Alexandrinus. The former, in his second book against heresies, writes thus : ' All the elders bear witness, who lived together with John, the disciple of our Saviour in Asia, that he delivered these things. He remained with them in the time of Trajan.^ Also, in the third book of the same argument, he declares the same in these words : ' The Church of the Ephesians planted hy Paul, confirmed by John, who remained there until the time of Trajaiu Clement in like manner signifies the time." * Now, were there no counter considerations, these tradi- tionary statements would at once settle the question as to the date of the Revelation. But there are counter considerations, and these I will now proceed to lay before the reader. The first is that derived from the testimony of Epipha- nius, who wrote about the middle of the fifth century. He expressly afiirms that St. John saw the Revelation in Patmos in the reign of Claudius. Some persons, it seems, had objected to the authenticity of the Revelation, on the ground that some of the Seven Churches addressed were not in existence when it was written. In reply, Epiphanius says : " See ye not, my good friends, what he says concerning the women {i.e.. Churches) who were deceived by the semblance of a prophetess, and wlio * See " Hanmer's Eusebius," 1. iii., pp. 45, 46. 392 APPENDIX B. deceived many, but whose mistake was not hidden from the Holy Spirit, who spake beforehand by the mouth of St. John of what was done after the saint had fallen asleep, since he himself prophesied in the time of Claudius Csesar, when he was in the island of Patmos."* The second difficulty in the way of the received tradition, is derived from the subscription to the Syriac version of the Apocalypse, which states that St. John wrote it in the island of Patmos, in the reign of the Emperor Nero, before the destruction of Jerusalem. Thus it seems that there were three traditions respecting the time when the Revelation was written ; one, which ascribed it to the reign of Claudius, about a.d. 57 ; a second, which assigned it to the reign of Nero, A.D. 67 or 68 ; and a third, which makes it to have been written towards the end of Domitian's reign, a.b. 97. It is argued, however, by the advocates of the latter date, that little or no importance is to be attached either to the testimony of Epiphanius or the subscription to the Syriac version. Epiphanius being a notoriously careless and inaccurate writer, and having lived three hundred years after St. John, his testimony, it is said, possesses no weight or authority when set against that of Irenseus ; and as for the anonymous subscription to the Syriac version, since the Apocalypse was not translated into that language until the sixth century, it is of no force or value. Consequently, we may assume that both are merely the gratuitous assertions of individuals who knew nothing about the matter, and that the generally- received tradition in the Church was as stated by Irenseus. This, however, does not appear to me to be so clear. If there were no variation in the traditions of the Church on this head, whence did Epiphanius and the Syriac • " Non videtis, O boni, quod de miilieribus dicit in prophetiae opinione deceptis, et multos decipientibiis, quorum fraus non latuit Spiritum Sanctum, sed pra>vaticinatus est prophetiis per os Sancti Joannis quod factum est post Sancti Joannis dormitionem quum ipse vaticinatus sit in temporibus Claudii Ceesaris quando in Pathmo insula erat." — Ejnjjhan. contra Hoer. I. Cornario Literj). Ha silt., p. 214, 1. ii., H. 51. ON THE DATE OF THE APOCALYPSE. 393 translator, or copyist, derive their information ? Is it to be supposed for a moment that they asserted, — the one, that the book was written in the reign of Claudius, the other, in that of Nero, of their own minds ? That, in fact, the date was a pure invention of their own ? And if such a supposi- tion is manifestly improbable, not to say incredible, how shall we account for the fact, that they assign a different date from that of Irenseus, but on the supposition that there were different traditions on the subject ? What makes the testimony of Epiphanius the more remarkable, and gives it a weight which it might not otherwise possess, is the circumstance that incidentally occasioned its introduction. It was in answer to an objector who denied the authority of the Revelation on the ground that it speaks of Churches not in existence when it was written, that Epiphanius alludes to its date. Now if there had been an authentic and universal tradition that it was written in 97, why should he not at once have stated the fact ? Why should he, as it were, have created a difficulty, or at least have increased one supposed already to exist, by inventing an earlier date of his own ? But is it at all probable then, that the Revelation was really given so early as the reign of Claudius ? I think not. The solution of the difficulty connected with this early date given by Epiphanius is by no means satisfactory. The seven Churches must, I think, have had a real existence when the testimony concerning them was delivered. I would not say, indeed, that the hypothesis of Epiphanius is altogether impossible and absurd, but it is certainly unnatural. This consideration, however, does not affect the argument to be derived from it in favour of two or more traditionary opinions on dus coeuntes, excusso I'hilippi jugo, se vindicarent in libertatem? Id sane DURUM est, et a phrasi prophetica alienum. Aliud est cadere, aliud occidi." — Ibid. * I almost wonder that Mr. Elliott should lay any stress upon this circumstance, seeing that both forms of expression are equally gram- matical, and appear to be used indiscriminately in the Greek Scriptures. Compare, e.f/., 1 Kings xix. LS, wiUi ]vomans xi. 3. In the Septuagint we have eTrru ;(tXiaSey ; but St. Paul, in quoting this very passage, uses the numeral adjective. COMMENTARIES ON THE APOCALYPSE. 477 of the Dutch provinces (supposing it possible that they could be intended by the seven thousand names of men, which I cannot think) — I say the simple fact that the revolt of these provinces did not begin until more than fifty years after what Mr. E. would call the earthquake of the Reformation, and that their independence was not declared till 1609, almost a hundred years after the earthquake, is of itself sufficient to invalidate his whole argument, independently of the numerous other objections against it which meet us on every side. For the slaughter of these seven thousand names is obviously a contemporary event with the earthquake itself and the fall of the tenth part of the city ; how then could it be fulfilled in an event which did not take place till nearly a hundred years afterwards ? I might notice further the forced and unnatural explana- tion, as it seems to me, given of the last clause of this prophecy : " And they gave glory to the God of heaven," which Mr. E., to avoid a difficulty, refers to the witnesses, not to the affrighted remnant. According to this view, we must separate the last clause of ver. 12 from the words immediately preceding ; and instead of, " And they ascended up into heaven in the cloud, and their enemies beheld them," we must read, "And they ascended up into heaven in the cloud, and gave glory to the God of heaven." Now, I ask, can that interpretation be the true one, which requires so strained and unnatural a division of words and sentences ? I must then still think, that unless some more satisfactory explanation can be given of the slaughter of these seven thousand names, in consistency with the rest of Mr. Elliott's exposition of the two witnesses, the whole scheme must fall to the ground. Chap. XII. The only material objection I have to make against Mr. E.'s exposition of this chapter relates to his views of the sun, and moon, and twelve stars, and of the man-child. That the sun is the symbol of the highest Imperial dignity (the Augustus), the moon of the next in rank (the Ccesar, i. e., Licinius), and the twelve stars of the twelve superior bishops of the Christian Israel, 478 ELLIOTT. appears to me to be more than questionable. Why in that case is the moon under the feet of the woman ? Nor can I admit that the man-child is a fit emblem of Constantine and his successors. The words "all the Gentiles" must, it seems to me, be taken in a more comprehensive sense than this interpretation would give to them. The term Gentiles, throughout the Apocalypse, means, not Heathen Idolaters, as contradistinguished from Jews, but unconverted, unholy persons ; and can it with any show of truth be said, that the professedly Christian Roman Emperors ruled these with a rod of iron ? I leave it, however, to the reader to decide whether my interpretation of these symbols, or Mr. Elliott's, most commends itself to the understanding and judgment. Chapters XIII. and XVII. Having in my Commentary fully considered the question of the identity of the beasts from the sea and the abyss, and stated my reasons for dissenting from Mr. Elliott on this point, it is unnecessary again to go over the subject in detail. I will only state that after a calm and careful review of the arguments for and against, I feel more strongly impressed than ever with the conviction that the two beasts are not, as to their symbolical meaning, abso- lutely identical. There is one circumstance in particular noticed by Mr. Elliott, as establishing the identity of the two beasts, which, as it strikes me, very plainly points to a distinction between them. I allude to their both being associated, as he assumes, with the false 2yrophet. This point of resemblance is thus stated and argued upon by him : — " They are each alike associated with some professedly Christian, but really apostate, ecclesiastical or priestly power, which acted to it as its chief help and minister, viz., the heast from the sea tvith the two-hor?ied lamh-like beast, the beast from the abyss with what is called ' the false projihetJ' Nay, I may add respecting this \Q.st-noi\ce(}i false prophet, that both by the attachment to it of the definite article, as by the way of reference, and by its being specified also as the same that did the signs before the beast, and deceived them that received the mark of the beast and that worshipped his image, COMMENTARIES ON THE APOCALYPSE. 479 — it is positively and directly identified with the two-horned lamb-like associate of the beast from the sea, and by consequence the beast it practised before, or heast from the abyss, just as positively and expressly with the beast from the sea itself of chapter xiii. For it is said, * The beast was taken, and the false prophet that did the signs before him ; ' and also that it was the same beast whose image was worshipped, and whose mark received." (Vol. iii., p. 70.) Now this statement, as regards the main matter of fact, is perfectly correct ; but not so, it appears to me, the inferences drawn from it. It is most true that both beasts have an attendant minister associated with them, who works miracles before them, and that this attendant minister, under the name of the false prophet, is said to he taken, together with the beast from the abyss, before whom he had wrought signs ; but although this points to some essential resemblance between the false prophet and the two-horned lamb-like beast, it does not necessarily involve their representing circum- stantially the same person or power ; it does not forbid, i.e., the supposition that the two-horned beast may represent the same ecclesiastical person or power symbolized under one form as the false prophet represents under another form. And this, in fact, is, I am inclined to think, the true view of the subject. The two-horned lamb-like beast is the Papacy as it existed in the days of Hildebrand and afterwards, in the possession of temporal as well as spiritual dominion, a political as well as an ecclesiastical power, and therefore repi'esented by a wild beast with lamb-like horns. But the false prophet is the Papacy, or, rather, the Pope, deprived of his temporal dominion, and acting exclusively in the character of a false prophet, i.e., a religious teacher. Just as the beast from the sea is the Holy Roman Empire under the Emperors, and the beast from the abyss the same empire territorially, not united under one temporal head, but subsisting in the form of independent dynasties, having the false prophet for their religious teacher and spiritual head. So that, supposing this view to be correct, the Popedom before its destruction will cease to be a temporal power, and the ten Papal king- 480 ELLIOTT. doms that are now, having probably become democracies, will act in concert with the Pope as their spiritual giiide and director. Thus then, as it appears to me, this argument regarding the identity of the false prophet with the earth- horn lamh-liJce beast, makes rather for than against the idea that there is a circumstantial diversity between the beast from the sea and that from the abyss. A diversity, let it be observed, corresponding in character with that which I suppose to exist between the false prophet and the two- horned beast ; a diversity, that is to say, arising from the democratical tendencies of the nations of Europe, and, as a consequence, the privation in both instances of despotic power. Having thus stated the principal points of difference between myself and Mr. Elliott, and explained the grounds on which I dissent from some of the leading peculiarities in his exposition, I cannot conclude this notice without express- ing my unfeigned admiration of the " Horse Apocalypticae " regarded as a whole. It is indeed the work of a master-mind, the merits of which not many perhaps are capable of fully appreciating, and certainly such an one as few would be capable of producing. That Mr. Elliott has exercised a right judgment in all things, even his most devoted admirers would scarcely maintain. Such entire exemption from mistake is not to be looked for in fallible man. But that he has accomplished a great work, and thrown much light on the subject of prophetic interpretation, no one, I think, can den3^ He may have built into his composition (to borrow and accommodate a scriptural metaphor) some " wood, hay, and stubble," but he has also assuredly inserted much " gold and silver and many precious stones," and his book will doubtless long remain a standing memorial of his learning, industry, and piety. COMMENTARIES ON THE APOCALYPSE. 481 13. Gumming. Tlie " Apocalyptic Sketches," by Dr. Gumming, are a series of Lectures delivered in Exeter Hall in 1847 and 1848. Dr. G. does not pretend to originality as an expositor of the Revelation. He has adopted Mr. Elliott's scheme almost without a single variation. In fact, the " Sketches " may be said to be a popular digest of the " Horae," in which the eloquent author has interwoven many striking original thoughts and instructive practical observations ; and to those persons who cannot afford either the time or the money for Mr, Elliott's larger and more learned work, these lighter " Sketches " by Dr. Gumming will be a good substitute. 14. KiTTO. In the " Gyclop^dia of Biblical Literature," edited by Dr. Kitto, under the article, " Revelation, Book of," the writer, whose initials are " S. D.," states his views of the prin- ciples on which the Apocalypse should be interpreted ; and as this part of the article contains a fair representation, I imagine, of the Prasterist scheme, I give it for the infor- mation of the reader nearly as it stands in the original : — " The body of the work is contained in chaps, iv., xxii. 6, and is almost entirely a series of symbolic representations. To this is prefixed a prologue of considerable length, embracing separate epistles to the Seven Ghurches in Asia Minor. After the prologue we come to the body of the work itself, commencing with the fourth chapter. This may be appropriately divided into three parts: — 1. iv. to xi. ; 2. xii. to xix. ; 3. xx. to xxii. 5. The first narrates the fortunes and fate of Ghrist's followers to the destruction of Jerusalem, when the coming of the Saviour took place. Here the triumph of Ghristianity over Judaism is exhibited. The following particulars are comprised in this portion : — " A vision of the Divine glory in heaven, analogous to the vision of Isaiah, chap. vi. — An account of the sealed book. — The opening of the first six seals. — After the opening of the seventh the catastrophe is delayed by the sounding of seven VOL. II. I I 482 KITTO. trumpets. — Yet before the last trumpet sounds a mighty- angel, with a rainbow round his head, appears with an open book in his hand, &c. — After this the interior of the temple with its Jewish worshippers is measured by the prophet, while the outer court is excepted, and given over to the Heathen for the space of forty-two months. — But notwith- standing the long-suffering of God, the Jews continue to per- secute the faithful witnesses, so that they are punished by the fall of a tenth part of the holy city in an earthquake. — Hence 7,000 men perish, and the remainder affrighted, give glory to God. — After this the seventh angel sounds, and the Lord appears to inflict the final blow on Jerusalem and its inhabitants. — The catastrophe takes place ; the heavenly choir give thanks to God for the victory of Christianity ; and the temple of God is opened in heaven, so that he is accessible to all, being disclosed to the view of the whole earth as their God, without the intervention of priest or solemnity, as in the abrogated economy. — Thus the Jewish ritual is done away; the Jews as a nation of persecutors are destroyed: and free scope is given to the new religion." " This portion therefore of the prophetic book depicts the downfall of Jerusalem, and the triumph of Christianity over Judaism. The twenty-fourth chapter of St. Matthew treats of the same subject, though in much briefer compass." '* The second division, chaps, xii. to xix., depicts the suffer- ings inflicted on the Church by the Heathen Roman power, and the triumph of Christianity over this formidable enemy also. Here the writer (!) * has especial reference to the cruel Nero, as chap. xvii. 10, 11, which can only be con- sistently interpreted of him ( ! ), demonstrates. This part commences with a description of the Saviour's birth, which is represented as springing from the theocracy, or theocratic Church, and of Satan's malignity against him. Cast out of Heaven by Michael and the good angels, Satan turns his * I cannot refrain from putting a note of admiration here. "Was the Apostle John then the tvriter of the Revelation, and did he compose it, and arrange its several parts according to the dictates of his natural under- standing P COMMENTARIES ON THE APOCALYPSE. 483 rage upon the followers of Christ on earth. Hitherto there is no account of the Romish persecuting power, and it is an inquiry worthy of attention, why John commences with the birth of the Saviour and Satan's opposition to the early Church, thus reverting to a period prior to that which he had gone over already. The question is not easily answered. But perhaps St. John carries the reader back to the origin of Christianity, when Satan was peculiarly active, in order to link his malignant opposition as embodied in the persecuting violence of Heathen Rome, to his unceasing attacks upon the truth, even from the very birth of Christ. The second part therefore begins, properly speaking, with the thirteenth chapter, the twelfth being simply preparatory." "A beast rises out of the sea with seven heads and ten horns. To it the dragon gives power. The Heathen power of Rome, aided by Satan, makes war upon the saints and overcomes them. Presently another beast appears to assist the former, with two horns, as a lamb, but speaking as a dragon. This latter symbolizes the Heathen priest assisting the civil power in its attempts to crush the Saviour's adherents. Then comes the vision of the Lamb and the hundred and forty-four thousand elect on Mount Sion. -Doubtless this vision is introduced at the present place to sustain and elevate the hopes of the struggling Christians during the dominance of this power." " Three angels are now introduced with proclamations of the speedy downfall of Heathenism, and of Divine judgments on the persecuting power. The first announces that the everlasting Gospel should be preached ; the second, that the great city Rome is fallen. The third speaks of tremendous judgments that should befall those who apostatized to Heathenism ( I ) ; while, on the other hand, a voice from heaven proclaims the blessedness of such as die in the Lord. But the final catastrophe is yet delayed ; it is not fully come. The Saviour again appears sitting on a white cloud, &c. The catastrophe rapidly approaches. Seven angels are seen with seven vials, &c. The first six are represented as tormenting and weakening the Roman power in different ways until I I 2 484 KITTO. it should be overthrown. At last, the seventh angel dis- charges his vial of wrath, and heaven resounds with the cry, It is done ! Rome is divided into three parts ; the cities of the heathen fall, &c. After this the destruction of the Romish power is described more particularly. An angel takes the seer to show him more closely the desolation of the Church's enemy. The Roman power then reigning is indi- cated somewhat mysteriously, though in such a way as would be intelligible to the Christians whom John addressed. This power is embodied and personified in Nero, who, though not named, is not obscurely designated. He is the beast " that was, and is not, and yet is." ( ! ) The story that Nero was not really dead, but had retired to the Euphrates, and would return again from thence, appears here more fully delineated by a Christian imagination. ( ! ! ) He is the monster to whom Satan gave all his power, who returns as Antichrist and the destroyer of Rome, who will force all to worship his image. The Roman Empire at that time is set forth as the representative of Heathenism and of ungodly power personi- fied ; and in this connexion, under the image of the beast with seven heads (the seven Emperors which would succeed one another till the appearance of Antichrist), Nero is sig- nified as one of these heads (xiii. 3) which appeared dead, but whose deadly wound was healed, so that, to universal astonishment, he appeared alive again. Nero re-appearing after it had been believed that he was dead is the beast " which was, and is not, and shall ascend out of the bottom- less pit, and yet is." " After this, Babylon, or the Roman power, is represented as fallen, and the few remaining believers are exhorted to depart out of her. A m.ighty angel casts a great stone into the sea, an emblem of the ruin of that power. At the catastrophe heaven resounds with praises. The marriage supper is announced, and the Church is permitted to array herself in fine linen. But the destruction is not yet com- pleted. A battle is to be fought with the combined powers of the Empire. Heaven opens. The conqueror on the white horse appears again, &c. The beast and the false COMMENTARIES ON THE APOCALYPSE. 485 prophet are taken. The congregated hosts are slain by the sword of the Redeemer. Such is the second great catas- trophe,— the fall of the persecuting Heathen power — the triumph of Christianity over Paganism." " The third leading division of the book reaches from chapter xx. to xxii. 6, inclusive. This is the only portion that stretches to a period far remote from the time of the writer-. It is added to complete the delineation of Christ's kingdom on earth. Though his main design was accom- plished in the preceding chapters, John was reluctant, so to speak, to leave the sublime theme without glancing at distant times. Here, however, the writer's sketches are brief and rapid. A glorious period now commences, but how long after the preceding events, is not affirmed. That a con- siderable interval may be assumed we deduce from the description itself. Satan is bound, or his influences restrained, a thousand years throughout the seat of the beast. Chris- tianity is spread abroad and prevails in the Roman Empire. But after the thousand years are expired, Satan is set free, and begins again to practise his deceptions. He incites Gog and Magog, &c. But fire from heaven devours the adversaries, while the devil is again taken and cast into the lake of fire. After this (how long is unknown) comes the general resurrection, the last judgment, &;c. For the righteous a new heaven and earth is prepared, in which they shall be perfectly free from sin and corruption. With this the visions end, and an epilogue closes up the book." Having thus stated his own views in regard to the Apoca- lyptic visions, the writer of the article in question thus proceeds to notice, '* some errors into ivhich the expounders of the hook have fallen^ Amongst these errors he notices that of " those who seek a detailed history of the Church universal in the Revelation." '' Some," he goes on to observe, " even find an epitome of the Church's entire history in the Epistles to the Seven Churches ; others in the !rest of the book ; others, again, in both. But the entire plan of proceeding is inconsistent with the writer's original purpose, and leads to endless mazes." (!) 486 KITTO. *' It is obvious that we should not look for a circumstance , event, or person, corresponding to every particular in the visions of the seer. Many are introduced only to enliven the representation, or are taken from the prophets and sacred books for the purpose of ornament !" Respecting the merits of Apocalyptic commentators, the writer of the foregoing article thus delivers his authoritative judgment: " By far the greater number of works on the Apocalypse are of no value ^ the authors having failed to perceive the primary purpose of the apostle.* "We shall only mention a few. The best book on the "Literature of the Apocalypse," is that of Lucke, published in 1832. Of English works, Lowman's Commentary has been highly esteemed, though his scheme is wrong. Faber's Sacred Calendar of Prophecy is able and ingenious, but radically wrong. Sir Isaac Newton's " Observations,^' and Bishop Newton's " Hem arks,'' are generally incorrect. Cuninghame is dark and doubtful. Woodhouse .... has greatly deviated from the right mode of interpretation. The latest and largest work on the Apocalypse that has appeared in Eng- land is Elliott's Horce Apocalypticce, characterized by great research and minute investigation, but proceeding on prin- ciples essentially and fundamentally erroneous." Such is the statement given by this learned advocate of the Prci'terist scheme of the principles on which the Apoca- lypse ought to be interpreted, and such his explanation of some of its leading visions. I fancy I see objections both to his principles and to his application of them, but it would be highly presumptuous in a fallible mortal like myself, who pretend to nothing more than the knowledge which is common to man, and who, therefore, may by possibility * It will be observed that " S. D." assumes throughout that St. John wrote the Revelation of his otvn mind, having therein a specific purpose in view, of which purpose " S. D. " seems to have been perfectly well informed. How he got his information he does not tell us. I cannot but express my regret that the respectable Editor of the Cyclopccdia of Biblical Literature should have admitted into so important and useful a book an article the Neological tendency of which can scarcely have escaped his notice. COMMENTARIES ON THE APOCALYPSE. 487 be mistaken, to venture any remarks upon the opinions of a writer who, from the oracular confidence and authority with which he delivers his sentiments, is evidently conscious of the possession of supernatural wisdom.* I leave the reader, therefore, to make his own observations, and draw his own conclusions. Perhaps the best thing he can now do, if he should have been so unfortunate as to have purchased the " Rationale," is to act on the Roman poet's suggestion, and send it, together with Medes Clavis, and Vitringas Anacrisis, and EllioWs Horce, and any other Commentary he may happen to have in his possession which does not agree with *'S. D.'s" views, to the nearest chandler's shop, to be there sold for the purpose of wrapping up salt and pepper, " Et quicquid chartis amicitur ineptis." 15. Wordsworth. The " Lectures on the Apocalypse," by Christopher Wordsworth, D.D., were delivered in Westminster Abbey, during Lent, in 1849. The following is a summary of their contents. — The author begins by stating his views respecting the millennium, which is the whole period between the first advent of Christ and the revelation of Antichrist.f (Pp. QS and 2 64 The Seven Epistles are addressed to the universal Church, but are not prophetical : at least their prophetical bearing is questionable. (P. 174.) The Roll sealed * See Rev. iii. 17, and Commentary. t In arguing against the millenarian theory, Dr. W. insists very much upon the fact, that for a thousand years, i.e., from the fifth century to the Reformation, this doctrine was completely exploded. But does not this argument make rather for than against the doctrine ? For, was not that period precisely the period of the Church's greatest obscuration, and during which the Scriptures were least understood ? In adducing texts to disprove the idea of a first literal resurrection, Dr. W. occasionally omits some of the most important words. As, e.g., he quotes 1 Thcss. iv. 16, thus : " And the dead shall he raised ; " but the full text is, " the dead IN Cueist shall rise first." So in quoting Heb. ix. 27, he leaves out the clause, " to them that look for him shall he appear the second time," &c. 488 WORDSWORTH. WITH SEVEN SEALS, presents a history of the conflicts of the Church from St. John's age to the day of doom. It could not be perceived that it had seven seals till it was unfolded. St. John calls it a roll sealed with seven seals by anticipation. When one seal was broken, a portion of the roll was unwrapped, — was not traced with alphabetical characters, but with hieroglyphical symbols. (Pp. 176, 177.) The seals. — 1. The rider on the white horse is Christ. (P. 179.) 2. The red horse prefigures the persecutions of the Pagan Roman Emperors. (P. 180.) 3. The black horse, heresies within the Church, originating in Satan. (P. 183.) 4. The fourth seal refers to the ravages committed by savage tribes, as the Goths, Saracens, &c. It exhibits also the evils arising from the suppression of God's Word. (P. 187.) 5. This seal reveals the souls of the martyrs in the previous persecutions. (P. 188.) 6. The sixth seal relates to the battle of Armageddon, — the last great conflict, 7. The silence in heaven consequent upon the loosing of the seventh seal, is " the Sabbath-bell of eternity :" the peace of the eternal Sabbath begins. The silence is only of half an hour, because it is not to be described now, but more fully in the latter part of the Apocalypse. The trumpets. — The trumpets synchronize with the seals. Not respectively, each with each, but as to the whole period. (P. 201.) They are prophetic of judgments on the enemies of God. (P. 204.) 1st trumpet predicts the woes which fell on Pagan Rome. 2d. The dissolution of the Empire by the Goths, &c. 3d. The fall of great lumi- naries in the Church, as, e.g., Arius, Nestorius, &c., and the consequent corruption of the Church by heresies. 4th. The errors and confusions prevalent in the fifth, sixtli, and seventh centuries. 5th. The rise and progress of Mahometanism. 6th. The four angels represent the Gospel (!), which had been bound in the mystical Babylon, the Church of Rome, but are now diffused to the four winds of heaven. (Pp. 205—212.) The Mighty Angel (chap. x») is Christ. The open book in his hand is the Gospel. (P. 232.) The two wit- COMMENTARIES ON THE APOCALYPSE. 489 NEssES are the Scriptures. (P. 243.) 7th. The seventh TRUMPET is the third and last woe. It carries us beyond the time of the spiritual Armageddon ; and does not embrace the period of the millennium, which is past. (P. 252.) Chap. XII. The woman is the Church ; the sun, Christ's righteousness ; the moon, earthly vicissitudes, all which the Church survives. (P. 255.) The waw-cAi/cZ represents Christians, the true members of Christ's body. The rod of iron is the inflexible rule of Christ's Word, by which Chris- tians break in pieces the earthly theories of corrupt religion and carnal philosophy. The two wings of the great eagle are the Two Testaments of the incarnate Word, w^ho ascended on the clouds of heaven, and carried his children thither like the eagle. (Pp. 255—260.) The numbers in the Apocalypse represent certain ideas, not quantities. (P. 261.) The 1260 days of the woman's flight is not a definite period, but simply signifies the period of the Church's trials. (Pp. 261—268.) Chap. XIII. The two beasts are two personifications of the Papacy in its two forms — civil and ecclesiastical — its temporal and spiritual sovereignty. (P. 282.) The seven vials. — These vials represent generally spiritual benefits converted into banes ; means of grace changed into plagues, (P. 422.) 1st vial, describes the corrupt profession of faith, applicable to the creed imposed by the Church of Rome on her clergy. 2d. Judgments on the nations that communicate with Rome. Foretels that they will be agitated by revolutionary tumults, and be deluged with blood. 3d. The rivers are the Scriptures and the sacra- ments. This vial signifies the empoisoning of those waters of salvation by false expositions, &c. 4th. The sun of the fourth vial is Christ. To those who believe he is the fountain of grace : but to all who disobey him he is a consuming fire. (Pp. 426—429.) 5th. The fifth vial repre- sents a state of perplexity, panic, and despair, in the very heart of the mystical empire. 6th. The Euphrates is the spiritual and secular supremacy of Rome. The drying up 490 CONCLUDING REMARKS. of its waters, the decline of Rome's supremacy. The Kings OF THE East are Christ's servants, whether Jews or Gentiles. The decline of Rome's supremacy will prepare the way for a new and glorious manifestation of the Gospel amongst both Jews and Gentiles. (P. 437.) The THREE UNCLEAN SPIRITS are Democrats, Infidels, and Rationalists, as well as schismatics of every class. The going forth of these spirits forebodes an alliance of Infidel, Democratic, and Papal powers. (P. 441.) 7th. The seventh vial brings the battle of Armageddon. Chap. XVII. The harlot on the scarlet-coloured beast, is the city and Church of Rome under the Papacy. Chap. XX. The visions of this chapter reascend to the first age of Christianity, and show how Christ had bound Satan, and triumphed over him even from the beginning. The thousand years, as was before stated, is the whole period of the world's history, from the first advent of Christ. Such is a summary account of Dr. Wordsworth's work, which is the most recent Commentary on the Apocalypse I am acquainted with. On the subject of the identity of the harlot on the scarlet-coloured beast with Papal Rome, Dr. W. is clear, decided, and conclusive ; but as regards the rest of his commentary, most of his expositions appear to me to be fanciful and arbitrary, and as a consequence altogether unsatisfactory. CONCLUDING REMARKS. Having thus taken a survey of the principal Apocalyptic commentaries which have been published within the last hundred and fifty years, I think it may be well, in con- clusion, to meet a feeling which the contemplation of this CONCLUDING REMARKS. 491^ variety in the views of different expositors is not unlikel}' to produce. It is possible that the perusal of so many different and conflicting schemes of interpretation may have had a depress- ing effect, and have awakened doubts in the reader's mind even as to the book itself, seeing it may apparently be explained a hundred different ways, just according to the> fancy of each individual expositor. Such doubts, I freely acknowledge, have in former times passed through my own mind. But they are groundless, and need not occasion a moment's uneasiness. Because man in his presumption, and ignorance, and folly, chooses to interpret the Word of God according to his own fancies, and different individuals form each their own schemes, and have their own theories, shall we say that there is no truth and certainty in the Word itself? Nay, surely, " let God be true, and every man a liar." For do we so reason in natural things ? Because a variety of opposing theories respecting the solar system and its laws were invented and confidently put forth before Sir Isaac Newton published his " Principia," did men argue that there was no system ; that the material universe was a chance production, governed by no fixed laws, and under the superintendence of no eternal omnipotent Creator? Who did not see, when the grand secret was at length discovered, manifestly displayed in the system itself the wisdom, the power, the goodness of God ? And who did not at the same time perceive, in the previous theories and their inistakes, only the ignorance and short-sightedness of man ? Did any one ever for a moment think of blaming the system because man had not previously understood it ? Even so then should we reason in regard to that work of the Divine mind we have in the Apocalypse. The ignorance of man may misinterpret it a thousand different ways, and the folly of man may mould it into a variety of fantastic forms of his own invention, and thus make it even appear ridiculous ; nevertheless, it is itself unchanged ; it remains intrinsically the same ; the things contained in it are still " the true sayings of God ;" and when all those perplexing mists which 492 CONCLUDING REMARKS. the presumption and vanity of man have thrown around it shall be cleared away, as they assuredly will one day, it will shine forth like " the faithful witness in heaven," in its original perfection and majesty, and we shall wonder how that which we now see to be so grand, so sublime, and yet so simple, could have been made to appear through the infirmity of the creature, so intricate, dark, and unintelligible. r GENERAL INDEX, Abaddon, its meaning, i., 335. Abubeker, the successor of Moham- med, i., 321, Abyss, beast from. See Beast. Adrian, Pope, his letter to the Elector of Saxony, ii., 106. Advent, the second, will be pre- millennial and personal, ii., 223, 306 ; will take place in answer to the prayers of the Church, 373. Air, its symbolical meaning, ii., 228. Albigenses, Popish account of, ii., 256 ; testimony to the purity of their lives, 257. Allusive contrast, Mr. Elliott's idea of, ii., 469. Alp Arslan, the leader of the Turks, i., 342. Alpha and Omega, the, i., 76. Altar, the golden, i., 340. Amen, its meaning, 178. America given to the Spaniards by the Pope, i., 373. Angel, the, c. x., not Christ, i., 363. Angels, meaning of the word, i., 32, 343; of the Churches, i., 82; not to be worshipped, ii., 309. Anthony, St., miracle of, ii., 105. Antipas, the mystical meaning of, i., 117. Antoninus Pius, a persecutor, i., 237. Apocalypse, one consistent whole, i., 1 ; its object, 24 ; to whom given, 61 ; defined, 214. Apostates, ii., 127. Apuleius, his definition of demons, i., 357. Arabs described, i. 327. Arianism, its history, i., 305 ; ii., 62; its evil effects, i., 308. Ariosto, on the donation of Constan- tine, i., 399. Alius, his doctrine, ii., 62. Armageddon, its meaning, ii., 12, 226 ; battle of, 310. Armorial bearings of the Franks, ii., 91. Article, definite, remark on, i., 441. Artillery employed by the Ottomans, i., 350. Ashley, Lord, on the approaching struggle with Popery, ii., 222. Atheism established by law in France, i., 434 ; the spirit of, abroad, ii., 212; examples of, ib. Augustine heals a blind man, ii., 105. Augustine, St., on the introduction of idolatrous rites, i., 119; City of God, 409 ; on the new heaven, &c., ii., 353. Aulus Gellius, curious extract from, i., 117. B. Balaam and Balak, types, i., 88, 118. Baronius, his account of the Church in the tenth century, i., 148. Baronius says Rome is Babylon, ii., 238. Bartholomew, St., massacre of, letter of the Pope on, ii., 96. Basset, M., his commentary on the Apocalypse, ii., 434. Beast from the sea, ii., 74, 91 ; from the land, 80 ; the darkening of 494 GENERAL INDEX. his kingdom, 195; from the abyss, 261. Beast from the sea and bottomless- pit, not identical, i., 427 ; ii., 43. from bottomless-pit, slays the witnesses, i., 429. Beasts, the four, a mistranslation, i., 39 ; their mystical meaning, 191; wild do., 231. Bede relates the miracles of Gregory I., ii., 83. Bellarmine, Cardinal, on Papal supremacy, i., 149. Beunning, Van, a medal struck by him the cause of war, ii., 190. Bible Society, encyclical letter of Pope against, i., 424 ; its wonder- ful growth, 443 ; Bull against, ii., 103. Bibliolatry, i., 444. Blasphemy, how the worshippers of saints are guilty of it, ii., 193. Blood of a dead man, its figurative meaning, ii., 185. Bonaparte, curious dialogue with a Mufti, i., 318; dissolves the Latin Empire, ii., 99 ; deprives the Pope of his temporalities, 197. Bonifacius, St., introduces the Latin Liturgy, ii.. 111. Book, the little, its meaning, i., 366, 388 ; why sweet and bitter, 366, 394, 399. See Seven. Books, ancient form of, i., 197; how read, 64 ; and sealed, 197. Bossuet, remark on the Talmud, i., 420 ; his commentary, abstract of, ii., 411. Bow and teacher, how connected, i., 219. Brass, Corinthian, its value, i., 76. Brass, fine, its mystical meaning, i., 76. Burke, Mr., on French Revolution, i., 445. Burnet, Bishop, extract from, on state of nunneries, i., 354. Burning mountain, its meaning illustrated by a quotation, i., 304. Burns, Major-General, on the wit- nesses, i., 412. Buying and selling forbidden to heretics, ii., 113. Byrsa, the citadel of Carthage, i„ 304. C. Caiaphas uttered a true prophecy i., 383. Caliph, its meaning, i., 321. Camille Jourdan, i., 439. Cannon, enormous one, i., 350. Cardinals, anecdotes of, ii., 246. Catacombs at Rome, i., 117. Caucasus, Mount, i., 304. Cebes, pictui'e of, ii., 242. Celibacy of the clergy, i., 121. Celsus, extract from, i., 107. Chalcedon, decree of, in favour of Romish supremacy, ii., 82. Chalmers, Dr., extract from, ii., 124. Charlemagne crowned Emperor of the Romans, ii., 79; extent of his dominions, ib. Choenix, i., 43, 226. Chosroes, his letter to Sergius, i., 358. Christ, how a recipient, i., 60 ; the faithful witness, 67 ; the first-born from the dead, 68 ; Priest and King, 69; self-existent, 79. Christianity, hostility of French Atheists to, i., 435 ; ii., 181 ; the man-child, ii., 38. Christians, kings, and priests, i., 70. Church of England founded on Scripture, i., 161 ; typified in Philadelphia, ib. ; its danger, 168. of Rome and Chiist contrasted, ii., 357. Cities of the Gentiles, ii., 233. City of God, Augustine's, extract from, i., 409 ; ii., 353. City, the great, what, i., 431 ; divided into three parts, ii., 232. , the holy, i., 406. Clergy symbolized by rivers, &c., i., 295; corruptions of, 353; ii., 250. Clermont, Council of, i., 379. Cloud, ascent of the witnesses in, i., 444. Clovis, the foinider of the Latin Empire, ii., 77; his shield, 91. Colossus, Papacy compared to, i., 370. Commentators, causes of their dis- crepancies, i., 2. Conder, Mr., on the seven Churches, i., 185. GENERAL INDEX. 495 Constantine, his conversion, i., 256 ; religious revolution under, ib.; his trophy of the wounded dragon, ii., 57. Constantinople, answers to Thyatira, i., 95 ; taken, 343. Crown, what, i., 42 ; the conqueror's, 221. Cross, the, feared by the Heathen, i., 260. Crusades, prefigured by the seven thunders, i., 377 ; dates of, 380. Cumming, Dr., his commentary, ii., 481. Cuninghame on the security of the Papacy, i., 152 ; on the beast's seventh head, ii., 283 ; his Apoca- lyptic scheme, ii., 429. Cyprian on the plague, i., 239; on the first resurrection, ii., 337. D. Daemons the same as saints, i., 356 ; their meaning, 1 Tim. iv. 1, 357. Damasus, Pope, on St. Felix, i., 288. Dan and Ephraim, why omitted Apoc. 7, i., 267. Dante on the combination of the temporal and spiritual powers in the Popes, ii., 102; identifies Rome with Babylon, 260. D'Aubigne on the corruptions in the Church, i., 149; ii., 251, 300; Luther's appeal, i., 393; how Luther was despised by the Pope, 153. Daubuz on sealed book, i., 211 ; on a mistake of Mede, 264 ; on the year-day theory, 331 ; on the angel, c. x., 363 ; analysis of his commentary, ii., 422. David, the painter, saying of, ii.,278. Decretals, forged, i., 137, 390. Defender of the Faith, the title, how given, i., 164. Democracy, the spirit of, its preva- lence, ii., 216, 271; its sanguinary character, 278. Devils, worship of, what it means, i., 355, 357. Diocletian, his persecution, i., 112, 250; commemorates the destruc- tion of Christianity, 114. Donation of Constantine to the Popes, i., 390, 399; of Pepin, ii., 85. Dragon, red, what, ii., 43 ; how related to the two beasts, ib. Duration of the seventh head of the beast, ii., 281. E. Earth, given to Adam, i., 204 ; the, helps the woman, ii., 64; will not be annihilated, 351. Earthquake, its symbolical meaning, i., 255, 445; the three earthquakes in the Apocalypse, how distin- guished fi'om each other, ib. ; the great, ii., 230. Elders, the twenty- four, their mean- ing, i., 193. Elizabeth, Queen, Bull against, i., 158, 471. Elliott, Rev. E., his views of the Epistles to the Chuixhes, i., 80, 85 ; his argument against their prophetical bearing answei-ed, 187; on the four horses and their riders, 217; on the beast's seventh head, ii., 284 ; analysis of his commen- tary, ii., 437. Empire, Western, extinction of, i., 308 ; Eastern do., 352 ; Western, its revival, ii., 77, 80, 89. Encyclopaedia Metropolitana, table from, ii., 78. England the fortress of Christianity, i., 164; her wonderful preserva- tion, 165; warned, 168; may be especially signified by the con- querors of the beast, ii., 177. Ephesus, meaning of the name, i., 181. Epiphanius on heresies, ii,, 61. Epistles to the Churches prophetical, i., 80, 84, 183. Eras in Church history, i., 92. Estates, forfeited, how redeemed, i., 205. Euphrates, i., 340; its drying up, ii., 200. Eusebius, his account of the primi- tive Hebrew Church, i., 104 ; its degeneracy, 108 ; of a famine, 239 ; of the martyrs, 250 ; cf 496 GENERAL INDEX. Constantine's conversion, 257 ; of spread of Christianity, 276 ; peace of the Empire under Con- stantine, 281 ; ii., 58. Evagrius, a story from, on saint worship, i., 358. Excommunication, its form in the Church of Rome, i., 154. F. Faber, Rev. G. S., on the name of the beast, ii., 127; the seventh head, 283. False Prophet, is the beast from the earth, ii., 208. Fine linen, what, ii., 308. Fire from the altar, its meaning, i., 290. First-fruits to God and the Lamb, ii., 143. Fleming, on the drying up of the Euphrates, ii., 201 ; on the sym- bolical sun, 315 ; his " Rise and Fall of the Papacy," ii., 408. Fleury, Cardinal, on the sins of the clergy, i., 353. Flood of waters, what, ii.,_ 60. Forgeries of the Papacy, i., 390. Four is a mystical number, i., 232, 293, 345. Four angels, the, i., 343 ; how bound, 369. Franks, the, ii., 77. France, the Isroad street of the great city, i., 432; the sun of Papal Christendom, ii., 189, 314; fearful judgments still await her, 315. Francis II. the last of the emperors, ii., 99. French minister, remarkable letters from, i., 476. Frogs, three, supposed to be the arms of France, ii., 91 ; unclean spirits, like, 207. Fuller, beautiful simile of, i., 163. G. Genseric destroys the Roman ships, i., 302 ; his cruelties, 303 ; favours Arianism 306. " Gentleman's Magazine," extract from, on Rev. xi., i., 455; letters from, on the state of religion in France, 475. George, St., worship of, ii., 151. Gibbon, character of his history, i., 240, 322 ; on the introduction of image-worship, 127; on destruc- tion of life in the Roman Empire in the third century, 239 ; account of Genseric, 302 ; Arian persecu- tions, 306 ; life of Mohammed, its offensiveness, 322 ; of Julian, ii., 50 ; coronation of Clovis, 78 ; of Charlemagne, 79; description of the revived Empire under, 88 ; on Papal persecutions, 109 ; blameless lives of the Waldenses, 138. Give, its Hebrew meaning, i., 55. Gnostics, i., 143. Gobet, Bishop, disowns the existence of a God, i., 434. God, Being of, denied in France, i., 434. Gog and Magog, ii., 345. Gospel, the, why called everlasting, ii., 148; renewed commission to preach, 150. Goths, &:c., invade the Empire, i., 300. Greek Empire. See Empire. Gregory I. disclaims the title of Universal Bishop, ii., 82 ; his character, 83. Gregory VII, See Hildebrand. Guizot, M., on democracy, ii., 216. H. Hades, i., 31 ; ii., 23. Hadrian destroyed the primitive Hebrew Church, i., 104 ; his character, ii., 461. Hail, its symbolic meaning, i., 294 ; ii., 235. Hall, Rev. R., on French atheism, i., 435 ; ii., 181 ; on the war with France, ii., 192. Hartley, Rev. J., on the Asiatic Churches, i., 185. Harvest of the earth, what, ii., 163. Heathenism, its expulsion from the Roman Empire, i., 260; ii., 50. GENERAL INDEX. 497 Hebrews, epistle to, its principal object, i., 101 ; corresponds with that to the Ephesian Church, ib. Heresies, number of early, ii., 61. Hesiod, his account of daemons, i 356. Hilary, on the multiplication of creeds, ii., 63. Hildebrand, his schemes of universal dominion, i., 370 ; his treatment of Henry IV., 371 ; establishes the Latin Liturgy, ii., 112. Hills, the seven, of Rome, ii., 45. Homer, acknowledged a supreme deity, i., 359. Horns of the altar, i., 340 ; lamb- like, their meaning, ii., 76, 101; the ten, 93. 144,000 implies limitation, ii., 136. Huss, his crime, i., 160; ii., 257; his last words, 258. Ignatius on the phrase, " names of men," i., 449. Image worship, its history, i., 127; favoured by the Bishops of Rome, i., 131; of the beast, ii., 87; its non-worshippers killed, 107. Incense, its symbolic meaning, i., 286. Indulgences, i., 151. Infidelity, modern, its character, ii., 181 ; neutralised by the circula- tion of the Scriptures, 184; the ally of Popery, ib., ii., 269. Inscription on a column commemo- rating the destruction of Chris- tianity, i., 114. Irenaeus, his explanation of 1st seal, i., 217; on heresy, ii., 61 ; on the name of the beast, ii., 128. Irving, Rev. E., analysis of his com- mentary, ii., 431. Italian tracts on saint-worship, i., 360. James II. com])ared to Julian, ii., 49. Janus, the temple of, when shut, i., 235. VOL. II. K Jasper and sardius, i., 194. Jehovah, its meaning, i., 66. Jerusalem taken by the Saracens, i., 321 ; articles of capitulation, ib. Jesuits, supposed by Vitringa to be the three frogs, ii., 218. Jesuitism, identical with Romanism, ii., 219. Jews will see Christ, i., 73 ; figurative meaning of the name, 107; im- mense slaughter of, 237 ; their reluctance to admit the Gentiles to equal privileges, 272 ; will be the great preachers of the Gospel, ii., 166 ; will have a portion in the New Jerusalem, 360. Jezebel, who and what, i., 89, 135. John, St., his love to Christ, i., 70 ; his state during the time the Revelation was being communi- cated, 75 ; his reverence for Christ, 77 ; his representative character in the Apocalypse, 206, 271, 391. Josephus, concerning the Corinthian brass, i., 76 ; description of the temple, i., 403. Jubilee,its symbolic meaning, i.,284. Judgment of the quick will occupy a thousand years, ii., 355. Julian, warred against Christianity, ii., 48 ; his edict of toleration, ib. ; abolishes the name of Christian, 49 ; his real character, 50. Justin Martyr, hymn from, ii., 114; on the millennium, 318, 338. Justinian, his decretal letter, ii., 83 ; cedes the AVestern Empire to the Franks, 100. K. Key of David, i., 156; power of, claimed by the Popes, 158. Kingdoms, the ten Papal, ii., 94. Kings of the East, not the Jews, ii., 206. Kitto, Dr., abstract of the Apoca- lyptic scheme in his Cyclopa-dia, ii., 481. Koran, how composed, i., 315 ; spe- cimens of, i., 318; refutes itself, 320. Krummacher, Dr., on Neology, ii., 213. K 498 GENERAL INDEX. L. Lactantius, his account of Diocle- tian's persecution, i., 112, 250; of his law fixing a maximum, 226 ; the rapid progress of the Gospel, i., 231 ; happy state of the Church, 274, 282. Lamartine, M. de, on the approach- ing destruction of Constantinople, ii., 205; on democracy, 216; vision of the future, 235. Laodicea, meaning of the name, i., 92. Lateinos not the name of the beast, ii., 128. Lateran, decree of the Council of, against heretics, ii., 103 ; do., 113, 255 ; remarks on, 256. Latin language, the mark of the beast, ii., Ill ; Empire the name of the beast, 119. Leaves of the tree of life, ii., 364. Le Bas' " Life of Wickliff," extract from, i., 417. Leo the Isaurian, opposes image- worship, i., 129. Leo X., lines in honour of, ii., 202 ; his acts and character, 247. Licinius, the champion of Heathen- ism, i., 258 ; his dread of the cross, 260 ; his speech to his soldiers, ii., 56. Locusts, their place of origin, &c., i., 312 ; Hebrew name of, 325. Lombards expelled from Ravenna, ii., 86. Lord's-day, i., 75. Louis XIV., his motto, ii., 190. Luther, discovers the decretals to be a forgery, i., 391 ; his appeal to the princes of Germany, 392 ; his dejection, 394 ; the angel with the everlasting Gospel, ii., 149 ; de- nounces the Pope, and burns his Bull, 152. M. Macaulay, Mr., on England's exemp- tion from the evils of war, i., 167 ; on the co-extension of Popery and the Latin language, ii., 113. Mahomet. See Mohammed. Maitland, Dr., extract from, i., 114. Malek Shah, i., 342. Man-child, the, ii., 38 ; rules with a rod of iron, 40. Manna, the hidden, i., 123. Marcus Antoninus, his wars, i., 238. Mark of the beast, ii., 111. Marks, for what purposes used, ii., 110. Marriage, when forbidden, i., 121. of the Lamb, what, ii., 304. Martel, Charles, defeats the Saracens, i., 321. Martyrs, primitive, i., 110, 251 ; two sets of, 248. Mary, Virgin, worship of, i., 289 ; ii., 151 ; invoked by Pius IX., i., 361. Mede considered the epistles to the Churches prophetical, i., 84 ; his views of the thi'one, &c., chap, iv., 190 ; of Rev. xiv. 13, ii., 161 ; on the duration of the seventh head, 281 ; believed in the personal reign, 320; his commentary, 401. Menzel, his account of the revived Empire, ii., 87 ; of its dissolution, 99 ; on the introduction of the Latin Liturgy, 111. Michael, its meaning, ii., 55. Millennium, the, different views of, ii., 318 ; arguments in favour of the figurative interpretation con- sidered, 323 ; of the personal reign, 326 ; the literal first resur- rection, 332. Milner, Dr., his account of a Popish miracle, ii., 220 ; remarks on per- secution, 256. , Dean, on the Epistle to the Hebrews, i., 103; the poverty of the primitive Christians, 107 ; image worship, 134 ; spread of the Gospel, 140; the dark ages, 148, 419; the disappearance of the true Church, ii., 53; on Gre- gory I., 83 ; character of the Vaudois, 146. Milton has imitated Rev. v., i., 207 ; on the Bible and the Reforma- tion, 421. Mirabeau, saying of, i., 450. Miracles pretended, ii., 104,198, 220. Missionary efforts, their probable results, i., 171, 176. GENERAL INDEX. 499 Mohammed, his history, i., 314 ; character, 317 ; how a star, 323. Moon, its symbolic meaning, ii., 35. More, Mrs. H., Letter to, i., 454. Mosheim, on the ambitious schemes of Hildebrand, i., 371. Mountain burning, its symbolic meaning, i., 294. Motto of the Waldenses, i., 146. Mystery of Iniquity," what, i., 94 ; ii., 81 ; the name, 241. N. Name of the beast, ii., 1 14 ; conjec- tures concerning, 126. Names of men, i., 448. National Convention, absurd decree of, i., 435. Neander, on the value of the Scrip- tures, i., 414. Nero the first Heathen persecutor, i., 236. New heaven and earth, what, ii., 348. New song, what, ii., 1 38. Newton, Bishop, on the duration of the Turkish woe, i., 347 ; of the beast's seventh head, ii., 282 ; his Apocalyptic Commentary, ii., 426. ■ , Sir Isaac, on the intention of prophecy, i., 62 ; the use of the golden censer, 286 ; his commen- tary, ii., 425. Nicolaitanes, the, i., 88, 121. Nobla Leyczon, poem of, i., 388; extract from, ii., 145. Number of a name, its meaning, ii., 115; of the beast, 117. Nunneries, their dissoluteness at the time of the Reformation, i., 354. O. Oath, the angel's, chap, x., i., 383. Ockley's History of the Saracens, extracts from, i., 322, 324, 327, 329. OEcumenic, the title of, when first given, ii., 82. Orford, Earl of, letter from, i., 454. Origen, the author of the figurative millennial reign, ii., 318. Ottoman Empire, when founded, i., 344; cavalry, 349. Pagan, its derivation, ii., 59. Pallium described, ii., 299. Palm-bearing vision, summary of, i., 275. Papacy, its history, i., 370 ; ii., 81. Paphnutius opposes the celibacy of the clergy, i., 121. Peace, remarkable prevalence of, at our Lord's birth, i., 235. Pens, of what made, i., 402. Pepin dethrones his master, ii., 86. Pergamos, meaning of the name, i., 87 ; present state of, 185. Persecutions, the ten, i.. Ill; the last, 113; remarks on, of the Church of Rome, ii., 71, 254. Personal reign, the, ii., 327 ; why di.stasteful, 339. Philadelphia, meaning of the name, i., 91 ; present state of, 185. Philomelium, letter to the Church of, i., 109. Phocas, his decree, ii., 85. Pictorial prophecies, their use, ii., 69. Pictures of the Popes at Rome, i., 375. Pius IV., his creed opposed to the Gospel, ii., 211. Pius IX., his apostolical letter, i., 164 ; encyclical, 361; ii., 199; invokes the Virgin Mary, ii., 193. Plato, on daemons, i., 356. Pliny, on the origin of pestilences, i., 229 ; his testimony to the rapid spread of Christianity, 276. noiTja-m, peculiar meaning of, ii., 4. Popes, when they attained supreme power, i., 372 ; ii., 81 ; assume the Divine prerogatives, i., 373 ; pictures of, 375 ; temporal and spiritual power of, ii., 102. Pius V. dejirives Elizabeth of her kingdom, i., 473. Popery, its agreement Avith Moham- medanism, i., 336 ; spirit of, its ac- tivity, ii., 214; combines with Heathenism in opposing the Gos- pel, 214; with Infidelity, 269; with Democracy, 273. 500 GENERAL INDEX. TTopveia, its meaning, ii., 16. Prayers offered through saints re- jected, i., 289. President of the French, the repre- sentative of Democracy, ii., 291. Prey, birds of, their symbolical mean- ing, ii., 315. Primitive Church governed by He- brews alone, i., 104 ; its poverty, 107. Programme, its peculiar use in the Apocalypse, i., 278. Prophecies relating to our own times, difficulty of interpreting, ii., 228. Prophecy, its meaning, i., 397. Protestantism, its origin in England, i., 162. Psalms, they predict the personal reign, ii., 352. Purgatory contrary to Scripture, ii., 159. Q. Queen of heaven, a title given to the Virgin Mary, i., 361. R. Ranke, on the prospects of the Church, ii., 222. Reason, goddess of, i. 434. Reed like a rod, its meaning, i., 402. Reformers, their guilelessness and innocence, ii., 145. Relics, their character and number, ii., 253. Resurrection, the first, ii., 333. Revelation, the, its meaning, i., 59; how to be studied, i., 2, 59; three- fold division of, 3, 63, 81 ; when to be fulfilled, 62 ; the wonderful order of its arrangement, ii., 357. Rev. xi. 11 — 13, remarkable exposi- tion of, by a Frenchman, i., 455. Revolution, French, its abolition of names, i., 450 ; its horrors, 452 ; its terrifying efi'ects, 453, 475. River of the water of life, ii., 363. Rivers, and their symbolic meaning, i., 295; ii., 187. Robertson, Dr., his account of the irruptions of the Goths, i., 300 ; of the corruptions of the clergy, i., 353; ii., 251; extract from, i., 373. Robespierre, his procession in honour of a Supreme Being, i., 438. Roman Catholics not to be indis- criminately condemned, ii., 156. Rome, meaning of the name, i., 88 ; corresponds with Pergamos, ib. , Church of, her true name and character, ii., 243 ; state of, in the time of Leo X., 244 ; the sudden- ness of her destruction, 296. Romiith not the name of the beast, ii., 128. Roscoe's Leo X., on title given to Henry VIII., i , 166; anecdotes from, ii., 246—249. Russia symbolized by hail, ii., 235. S. Saint-worship cannot be defended, i., 360. Saints, intercession of, i., 287, 289; the same as daemons, 358 ; mira- cles of, 360. Salt, Gospel, has lost its savour, i., 178. Saracens, extent of their dominions, i.,335 ; their conquests, 321, 328; their characteristics, 325. See Mohammed. Sardis, its meaning, i., 90; present state, 185. Scarlet-colour, its symbolical mean- ing, ii., 276. Scarlet-coloured beast, ii., 261 ; his seven heads, 270. Scorpion, its sting, i., 328. Scott, Sir Walter, extracts from, i., 318,434,446,451. Scott, Rev. T., on the second loosing of Satan, ii., 343. Scriptures. See Testaments. Sea of glass mingled with fire, ii.,1 75. Seals, first six, their chronology, i., 1 0 ; the first four contempora- neous, 222. Sealing vision, its chronological position, i., 13, 264 ; its meaning, 265. GENERAL INDEX. 501 176. Sergius, founder of the Paulicians, dialogue with, i., 420. Sermons, improvement in modern, i., 175. Seven, its mystical meaning, i., 65, 83 ; Churches, why addressed, ib. ; a type of the Church universal, 66 ; their characteristics, 86, 91 ; present state, 185. eras in Chmxh History, i., 92. sealed book, a title-deed, i., spirits, i., 65. thunders, i., 377. heads of the dragon, ii., 45 ; of the beast, 270. Seymour, Rev. H., extract from, i., 289. Shakespear, his description of a , colossus, i., 370. Silence of half an hour, its meaning, i., 279. Sketch of the Romish Controversy, ii., 97, 105. Smyrna, its meaning, i., 87, 181 ; prophetical application, 107. Socrates the historian, on marriage of the clergy, i., 121 ; history of Arianism, ii., 62. Sophocles, illustration from, i., 433 Sore, grievous and noisome, its figu- rative meaning, ii., 180. Soul, its meaning, ii., 324. Standards of the twelve tribes, i., 191. Suetonius, respecting the shutting of the temple of Janus, i., 235. Sulpitius Severus, on intercession of saints, i., 287. Supererogation, works of, i , 145, 150. Supremacy, Papal, defined by Bel- larmine, i., 158 ; its history, 370. Sun, its symbolical meaning, i., 253 ; ii., 34, 189, 314. Symbols, twofold application of, i., "399. T. Tacitus, his account of the diff'crent forms of government in Rome, ii., 270. Temple of Jerusalem described, i., 403 ; the, measm-ed, 404 ; trodden down, 406 ; none in the New Jerusalem, ii., 361. Tertullian, his statement concerning Nero, i., 236. Testaments, Old and New, are wit- nesses, i., 313 ; testify for each other, 418 ; prophesy, ib. ; clothed in sackcloth, 419; forbidden to the laity, 420 ; two olive trees, &c., 421 ; bring down fire, &c., 422 ; desecrated in France, 436. Tetzel, saying of his, ii., 299, Theodosius, his edict for abolition of Pagan rites, ii., 50. Third part explained, i., 296, 351 ; of stars, i., 46. Throne of the beast, ii., 194. Thyatira, its meaning, i., 90 ; answers to Constantinople, 95. Tichonius, his exposition of John's weeping, i., 208 ; of the first seal, 217 ; the witnesses, 412. Titles, abolition of, in France, i., 450. Toads, three, on the shield of Clovis, ii., 91. Togrul Beg, the founder of the Turkish Empire, i., 341. Trajan, his wars, &c., i., 237 ; pro- tects the Church, ii., 66. Tree of life, i., 105. Tregelles, Mr., account of his edition of Apoc.,pref., xiv; on the reading of Rev. xxii. 14, ii., 370. Trumpets, their use under the law, i., 284 ; why employed in the Apoc, 286 ; the first four, 299. Turkish Empire, its decay, ii., 203. Turks, their origin and history, i., 341 ; conquered a third of the Roman Empire, i., 297 ; have ceased to be a woe, 461. Twelve tribes sealed, who they are, i., 266. U. Universal bishop, the title of, ii., 82 ; conferred by the Emperor Maurice on the Bishop of Con- stantinople, 85. Ulphilas, an Arian bishop, i., 306. 502 GENERAL INDEX. Vandals, their ravages, i., 302. Vials, what, i., 19; ii., 179. Victorinus on the scarlet colour, ii., 278. Vigilantius, on the introduction of Pagan rites, i., 120. Vine of the earth, its meaning, ii., 169. Virgin Mary, supposed to be repre- sented in chap. xii. 1, ii., 34; prayers offered to her are idolatry, ii., 140, 193. Virgins, who, ii., 140. Vitringa, his view of the Epistles to the Churches, i., 84 ; of the seven- sealed book, on Rev. vi. 9 — 11, 247 ; on names of men, 448 ; on the name of the beast, ii., 117; on the angel reaper, ii., 168; analysis of his commentary on the Kevcla- tion, ii., 414. Voltaire's " Siecle de Louis XIV.," extract from, ii., 274. Vox jiojmli, vox Dei, its true mean- ing, ii., 271. W. Waddington, Dean, his account of Huss, i., 160; of Wicklif's ashes, 163; Arianism, 306; of the Cru- sades, 381 ; expiring Paganism, ii., 50. Waldenses, their blameless lives, ii., 137. War in heaven, ii., 54, 60. Waters, sound of, i., 77. Western Empire. See Empire. Where was the Protestant Church before Luther? the question answered, ii., 70. Whitby misrepresents Mede, ii., 320. White, Blanco, on the infidelity of the Romish priesthood, ii., 144. White robes, their meaning, i., 246. ■ cloud, ii., 166. stone, i., 123. ^^'icklif, the founder of the Pro- testant Church in England, i., 162 ; results of his doctrine, 163. Wild beasts, the two, chap, xiii., described, ii., 72 ; their symbolic , meaning, 74. | Wilderness, what it imports, ii., 238. Winds, their symbolic meaning, i., 264. Winepress, the treading of, ii., 170. Wings, the great eagle's, what, ii., 65. Wiseman, Cardinal, his Pastoral Letter, ii., 296. Witnesses, the two, differently ex- plained, i., 411 ; may mean things, 415; slain in French Revolution, 433 ; their resurrection, 439 ; re- markable exposition of, 455 ; proof that they have already been slain, 460. Woes, their chronological position, i., 15, 17, 309, 338, 456; the third woe is the seven vials, 20 ; ii., 174. Woman clothed with the sun, ii., 34. Woodhouse, Dr., analysis of his commentary on the Revelation, ii., 426. Word of God, i., 70. Wordsworth, Di-., on the little book, i., 367 ; on earthquakes, 446 ; on the millennium, ii., 320 ; his com- mentary, 487. Works, good, how they follow the believer, ii., 162 ; how they entitle him to eat of the tree of life, 369. World, the end of, expected in tenth century, i., 386. Worms, Diet of, Luther before the, ii., 155. Wormwood, its figurative meaning, i., 295. Worship, its meaning, ii., 3 ; of saints in the Church of Rome, i., 354 ; examples of, -361. Xenophon, remarkable passage in his Anabasis, i., 220 ; on death of Cyrus, ii., 50. Y. Year-day, i., 1 10, 330 ; its opponents, ib. 503 INDEX OF TEXTS MORE OR LESS ILLUSTRATED VOLUME I. Gen. i. 28, 203; ix. 12, 55; xvii. 5, 55 Exod. iii. 14, 66; xxxii. 32, 154. Lev. XXV., 205 ; xxiii. 1—8, 284. Numb. i. and ii., 191 ; xxiii., xxxi. 16, 118. Psalms ii. 7, 139; xlv. 5, 218. Isaiah xxii. 22, 156; i. 6, 194; xiii. 10, 253 ; xxxix. 9, 273. Jer. xxxii. 10—14, 205; xv. 2, 232. Ezek. xiv. 12, 232; xxii. 7, 253. Micah iv. 13, 76. Hab. iii. 8, 219. Zech. ix. 12—13, 219. Matt. xvii. 5, 72 and 78; xxiv. 12, 173; xxviii. 18, 61. Luke xviii. 8, 173; xxiv. 47, 275. John i. 16, 61 ; iii. 11, 159; v. 21, 79; (vi. 57, xi. 25,) 106; x. 18, 69; xi. 51, 165; xviii. 37, 67; xix. 22, 166 ; XX. 17, 30. Acts iii. 19, 25; x. 44, 273. Ilom. i. 28, 405; ii. 28, 107 ; iv. 13, 204; xi. 24, 136. 1 Cor. iii. 21, 70; xii. 11, 65; xiv., 398; XV. 20, 68; xv. 32, 231. 2 Cor. iv. 17,464. Ephes. i. 10—14, 25; (i. 13, iv. 30,) 265 ; iii. 1—2, 272 ; iii. 18, 70 ; iv. 4, 65. Phil. ii. 5—11, 61 and 69; iv. 3, 154. Col. i. 15—18, 68 and 180 ; i. 26, 272. 2 Thess. ii. 10— 12, 337. 1 Tim. vi. 13, 67. 2 Tim. ii. 8, 107 ; ii. 19, 309; iii. 1, 173 and 405. Heb. (i. 1 , 2, iii. 1 2, vi. 9, x. 23, xiii. 1 ,) 102; i. ii., 210; ii. 8, 220; iv. 12, 177; X. 17, 79; x. 19, 211 ; xi. 25, 106; xii. 23, 209; xiii. 8, 9, 14, 66; xiii. 15, 70. James i. 17, 66. 1 Pet. i. 17, 71 ; ii. 9, 70. 2 Pet. i. 5— 7, 192; iii. 11, 78, 1 John iii. 1, 125. VOLUME XL Gen. xxxi. 48, 415; xv. 10, 172; i. 31, 351. Exod. iv. 16, 96; (ii. 23; xii. 41,) 373. Lev. xiv. 4, 277. Deut. xxxi. 24—26, 416. Psalm Ixvii., 167; civ. 35, 230; (viii., xciii.,) 352. 504 INDEX OF TEXTS MORE OR LESS ILLUSTRATED. Isaiah i., 18, 277: xiv. 12, 46; xxvi. 20, 178; xxx. 26, 35 ; H. 9, 42; Ivii. 20, 350; Ix. 1, 35; Ixiv. 6, 369. Ezek. xvi. 12, 167 ; xlix. 3, 42. Dan. vii., 118; viii. 10, 46 ; ix., 373 ; xii. 9, 366. Joel iii. 13, 163. Zech. viii. 23, 166 ; xiv. 6, 363. Mai. iii. 1, 327; iv. 2, 35. Matt. viii. 11, 337; xi. 13, 418; xiii. 30, 330; xx. 22, 176 ; xxv. 31, 355. Mark ix., 49. Luke xiv. 14, 335 ; xx. 34, 335. John iv. 35, 164 ; v. 28, 334 ; v. 39, 417; (xi. 51, xiv. 24,) 369; xvi. 20, 38; xviii. 31, 257 ; xx. 21, 36. Acts iii. 19, 229 ; iv. 2, 336. Rom. ii. 1—6, 367; viii. 21, 352; xi. 1, 360; xi. 15, 166; xi. 21, 135; xiii. 9, 35. 1 Cor. i. 7, 376 ; ix. 14, 298 ; xv. 23, 335 ; XV. 51, 322. Ephes. i. 18, 354; ii. 2, 350; ii. 20, 36 ; V. 27, 309. Gal. iv. 21—31, 137. Phil. iii. 11, 336. Col. iii. 3, 327. 1 Thess. iv. 13—18, 322 and 327. 2Thess. ii. 7,81. 2 Tim. ii. 18, 336; iv. 8, 337 and 376. Heb. ii. 5—9, 352; viii. 13, 36; ix. 19, 277; xii. 22, 137. 1 Pet. i. 6, 7, 328. 2 Pet. i. 16, 337 ; iii. 4—13, 337. 1 John ii. 8, 35; iii. 1, 2, 328; v. 7—11, 159. FINIS. MACINTOSH, PRINTER, GREAT NEW-STREET, LONDON. ' ' - -, ( ' ^ij I ■ ! BS2825 .J54 v.2 Rationale apocalypticum: Princeton Theological Semmary-Speer Library 1 1012 00014 1111 'UUHf;