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ter; at prefent I fhall confine myself to that of the trumpets. The four firft of thefe he will not allow to relate to the overthrow of the Western empire, on the ground that the fubject of the Apocalypfe is the fates and fortunes of the Chriflian Church. But are not thofe fates and fortunes moft clofely connected with the overthrow of the Western empire? According to the ufual interpretation of the four first trumpets and the ty ranny of the two beafts during the period of the 1260 years, every thing appears in ftrict chronological order, and the one fucceffion of events arifes naturally out of the other. St. Paul teaches us, that, when he that letted or the Western empire fhould be taken away, then fhould the man of fin be revealed. Now what is the particular portion of the Apocalypfe which we are now confidering except an enlarged repetition of St. Paul's prediction? He that letted is taken away; and the man of fin forthwith rears his head the Western empire is taken away by the operation of the four firft trumpets; and the great apoflacy of 1260 days, the reign of the falle prophet and his temporal fupporter, fhortly commences. The one is preparatory to the other: the four trumpets are merely the prelude to what may be termed the grand fubject of the Apocalypfe, a wonderful tyranny exercifed within the Church itself by the upholders of the Apoflacy, and a contemporary Apoftacy in the eastern world fcarcely lefs wonderful than that in the western. St. Paul and St. John are perfectly in unifon: they alike connect the downfall of the empire with the fates of the Church. Thus, even independent of the Archdeacon's chronological arrangement which fhall prefently be difcuffed, I fee not why the old interpretation of the four trumpets, or at least the great outlines of that interpretation, ought to be rejected.

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The Archdeacon however brings an argument against fuch an interpretation of the four trumpets from the homogeneity of all the feven trumpets. He infifts moft juftly, that what the nature of one is the nature of them all must be and obferves that Mede, in order to make them homogeneal, interprets the fifth and the fixth trumpets as relating to the attacks made upon the empire by the Saracens and Turks, as he had already referred the four firft to the attacks previously made upon the empire by the Gothic tribes. But he adds, that the feventh trumpet announces "moft clearly the victory obtained by Chrift and his Church, not over the Roman empire, but over the powers of hell, and of Antichrift, and a corrupt world; over the dragon, the beaft, the falfe prophet, and in procefs of time (for the feventh trumpet continues to the end) over death and hell. If then, under the feventh trumpet, the warfare of the Christian Church be fo clearly reprefented (and in this all writers are agreed), what are we to think of the fix? How muft they be interpreted, so as to appear homogeneal? Are they to be accounted, with Mede and his followers, the fucceffive fhocks, by which the Roman empire fell under the Goths and Vandals? Homogeneity forbids. They mufl therefore be fuppofed to contain the warfare of the Chriflian Church. And this warfare may be fuccefsful under the feventh and laft trumpet, when it had been unfuccefsful before, yet the homogeneity be confiftently preferved. For the queftion is not concerning the fuccefs, but concern

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ing the warfare. And the trumpets may be deemed homogeneal, if they all reprefent the fame warfare (viz. of the powers of hell, and of the Antichriftian world, against the Church of Chrift), whatever may be the event."* That the object of the feventh trumpet is to introduce the victory obtained by Chrift and his Church, and to usher in the happy period of the Millennium, few will be difpofed to deny but the queftion is, how is this defirable object accomplished? The Archdeacon himfelf allows, by the triumph of the Church over those inftruments of hell, Antichrift, the beaft, and the false prophet. Now, whether I be right or wrong in my own notions of Antichrift, what is this but a triumph over the Roman empire and the apoflate communion infeparably connected with it? Accordingly we find, that the feventh trumpet, after conducting us through six of its vials all of which are poured out upon God's enemies, magnificently introduces under the feventh vial the judgment of the great harlot, the downfall of Babylon, and the complete deftruction of the beaft along with the false prophet and his confederated kings; in other words, the overthrow of the papal Roman empire both fecular and temporal. How then is the homogeneity of the trumpets violated by Mede's expofition? Under the four firft, the western empire falls; under the two next, the eastern empire follows the fate of its more ancient half; under the laft, the revived beaft or papal empire is utterly broken, and prepares a way by its overthrow for the millennian reign of the Meffiah. In fhort, as matters appear to me, if we argue backwards from the feventh trumpet, homogeneity, instead of forbidding, requires us to refer all the fix first trumpets to different attacks upon the Roman empire, the final ruin of which is ufhered in by the seventh.

2. But my objection to the Archdeacon's arrangement of the Apocalypfe, on which a great part of his fubfequent interpretations neceffarily depends, is infinitely ftronger than to his very limited fyftem of applying the prophecies. It appears to me to be fo extremely arbitrary, and to introduce fo much confufion into the three feptenaries of the feals, the trumpets, and the vials, that, if it be adopted, I fee not what certainty we can ever have, that a clue to the right interpretation of the Apocalypfe is

attainable.

The Archdeacon fuppofes, that the fix firft feals give a general sketch of the contents of the whole book, and that they extend from the time of our Saviour's afcenfion even to the great day of the Lord's vengeance, a defcription of which day is exhibited under the fixth feal.+ Having thus arrived at the confummation of all things, how are we to difpofe of the feventh feal? The Archdeacon conceives, that the fame hiftory of the Church begins anew under it; that the connection, which had hitherto united the feals, is broken; that the seventh feal ftands apart, containing all the feven trumpets; and that the renewed hiftory, comprehended under this feventh feal, begins "from the earliest times of Chriftianity, or to speak more properly, from the period when our Lord left the world in perfon, and committed the Church to the guidance of his apoftles. From this time the first feal takes its commencement; from this alfo, the first trumpet.' Hence it is manifeft, fince the feventh feal † P. 135, 174, 196. P. 197, 200.

* P. 222.

brings us back, for the purpose of introducing the feven trumpets, to the very fame period at which the firft feal was opened, that the opening of the feventh feal fynchronizes, in the judgment of the Archdeacon, with the opening of the first feal, and that the feventh feal fingly comprehends exactly the fame fpace of time as all the fix firft feals conjointly.

The feventh feal then introduces and contains within itself all the seven trumpets, the first fix of which conftitute the Archdeacon's fecond feries of prophetic hiftory, as the firft fix feals had conftituted his first feries: and these two feriefes are in a great meafure, though not altogether, commenfurate; for, though they both alike begin from the afcenfion of our Lord, the fix feals carry us to the day of judgment, whereas the fix trumpets only carry us to the end of the 1260 years.*

The third feries is of courfe that of the vials, which the Archdeacon arranges under the feventh trumpet, as he had previously arranged the feven trumpets under the feventh feal. But where is the place of the feventh trumpet, and confequently of the first vial? The Archdeacon does not bring back the feventh trumpet and the first vial to the afcenfion of our Lord, as he had previoufly brought back the feventh feal and the firft trumpet, but only to the beginning of the times of the beaft or the 1260 years; through the whole of which he fuppofes the feventh trumpet and its component vials to extend. He conceives however, that the fixth trumpet introduces Mahommedifm in the year 606, and reaches to the downfall of Mahommedifm at the clofe of the 1260 years. Confequently the beginning of the feventh trumpet exactly fynchronizes with the beginning of the fixth trumpet; but the feventh extends beyond the fixth, and reaches, like the fixth feal and the feventh feal, to the final confummation of all things.t

In brief, the chronological arrangement of the Archdeacon's three feriefes is as follows. The firft is that of the fix feals; and it reaches from the afcenfion of our Lord to the day of judgment. The second is that of the fix trumpets, introduced by and comprehended under the feventh feal and it reaches from the afcenfion of our Lord to the termination of the 1260 years. The third is that of the feven vials, introduced by and comprehended under the Jeventh trumpet; and it reaches from the commencement of the times of the beaft or the 1260 years to the day of judgment.

Now it is impoffible not to fee, that the whole of this arrangement is purely arbitrary, and confequently that the various interpretations built upon it muft in a great measure be arbitrary likewife. The Apocalypfe muft either be one continued prophecy, like each of those delivered by Daniel; in which cafe (with the fingle exception, as all commentators are agreed, of the epifode contained in the little book) we must admit it, unless we be willing to give up all certainty of interpretation, to be ftrictly chronological: or it must be a book containing feveral perfectly diftinct and detached prophecies, like the whole book of Daniel, each of which, for any thing that appears to the contrary, may either exactly fynchronize or not exactly fynchronize with its fellows. If the former opinion be juft, the Archdeacon's fcheme immediately falls to the ground; for then all the feven trumpets must neceffarily be pofterior in † P. 308, 399, 400, 401, 252-273, 274, 359, 360.

*P. 275, 274.

era.

point of time to the opening of all the feven feals, and in a fimilar manner all the feven vials to the founding of all the feven trumpets. If the latter opinion be juft, then the question is, how are we to divide the apocalypfe into diftinct prophecies? The only fyftem, that to my own mind at least seems at all plaufible, would be to fuppofe that each of the three feptenaries of the feals, the trumpets, and the vials, forms a diftinct prophecy. If we divide the Apocalypfe at all, we must attend to the Apoftle's own arrangement; and homogeneity plainly forbids us to feparate the feals from the feals, the trumpets from the trumpets, or the vials from the vials. So again as homogeneity requires us to attend to the Apoftle's own arrangement in cafe of a divifion, it equally requires us to fuppofe that thefe three diflinct prophecies exactly coincide with each. other in point of chronology: otherwife, what commentator fhall pretend, without any clue to guide him, to determine the commencement of each ? But the feals, as all agree, commence either from the afcenfion of our Lord, or at least from fome era in the Apoftle's own lifetime therefore, if we divide the Apocalypfe, bomogeneity requires us to conclude that the trumpets and the vials commence likewife from the fame Accordingly I have fomewhere met with a commentator, whose work I have not at present by me, and whofe name I cannot recollect, that proceeds upon this very principle. He divides the Apocalypfe into the three prophecies of the feals, the trumpets, and the vials; and fuppofes, that all thefe prophecies run exactly parallel with each other, extending alike from the age of St. John to the end of the world. To this fcheme, when examined in detail, the Archdeacon, as well as myself, will probably fee infurmountable objections. Sir Ifaac Newton adopts a fomewhat different plan. He arranges all the feven trumpets under the Seventh feal, and fuppofes them chronologically to fucceed the fix firft feals; thus making the feals and the trumpets one continued prophecy : but, when he arrives at the vials, he conceives them to be only the trumpets repeated; thus making the vials a detached prophecy fynchronizing with the trumpets *Nothing can be more manifest in this plan than its arbitrary violation of homogeneity. What warrant can we have for afferting, that the feals and the trumpets form jointly a continued prophecy, but that the vials form a diftinct feparate prophecy fynchronizing with that part of the former prophecy which is comprehended under the trumpets? But, if Sir Ifaac violate homogeneity in his arrangement of the Apocalypfe, much more furely does the Archdeacon: for he not only feparates the feventh feal and the feventh trumpet from their respective predeceffors, but divides the Apocalypfe into three diftinct prophecies, not one of which exactly fynchronizes with another.

A violation of homogeneity however is not the only objection to the Archdeacon's arrangement. It feems to me to involve in itself more than one obvious contradiction. For what reason is the feventh feal styled the feventh? The moft natural anfwer is, because it fucceeds the fix firft feals. Now, according to the Archdeacon's arrangement, it does not fucceed them: for the opening of it exactly fynchronizes with the opening of the firft, and therefore of courfe precedes the opening of the re

* Obferv. on the Apoc. p. 254, 293, 295.

maining five, although the contents of the feventh feal itself are chronologically commenfurate with the contents of all the other fix. But, if the opening of the feventh feal fynchronize with the opening of the first and therefore precede the opening of the remaining five, with what propriety can it be styled the feventh feal? The fame remark applies to his arrangement of the trumpets. The first founding of the feventh trumpet, which introduces the feven vials, exactly fynchronizes the first founding of the fixth; although, in point of duration, the feventh trumpet extends beyond the fixth. Such, according to the Archdeacon, being the cafe, why fhould one be termed the feventh rather than the other. The three laft trumpets are moreover ftyled the three woes. How then can the feventh trumpet be the third woe, if it in a great measure synchronize with the second we? I am aware, that the Archdeacon does not confider the feventh trumpet as being itself the third woe, but only as introducing, at fome period or other of its founding, that third woe.* Such a fuppofition however is forbidden by homogeneity; for, fince the fifth and the fixth trumpets manifeftly introduce at their very earliest blast the first and fecond woes, we feem bound to conclude that the feventh trumpet fhould fimilarly introduce at its earliest blaft the third woe. In this cafe then the fend and the third woes exactly commence together : whence we are compelled to inquire, both why they should be ftyled second and third, and what event or feries of events is intended by the one and what by the other? Nor is even this the only difficulty. The feventh trumpet is reprefented as beginning to found after the expiration of the fecond woe, and as introducing quickly the third woe. It is likewife reprefented as beginning to found after the death and revival of the witneffes; which must take place cither (as Mede thinks) at the end of the 1260 years, or (as I am rather inclined to believe) toward the end of them. The Archdeacon himfelf thinks it moft probable, that these events are yet to come. Now, in either of these cafes, how can the feventh trumpet succeed the death and revival of the witnesses, if it begin to found at the very commencement of the 1260 years; that is to fay at the very commencement of their prophesying?

Hitherto I have argued on the fuppofition, that it is allowable to divide the Apocalypfe into diftinct predictions; and have only attempted to fhew, that it is next to impoffible to fix upon any unobjectionable method of dividing it. I fhall now proceed to maintain, that the fyftem of dividing it refts upon no folid foundation. If we carefully read the Apocalypfe itself, we shall find no indications of any fuch divifion as that which forms the very bafis of the Archdeacon's scheme of interpretation. Sir John ònly specifies a fingle divifion of his fubject, the greater book and the little book. This divifion therefore must be allowed; and accordingly has been allowed by perhaps every commentator. But the very circumftance of fuch a divifion being specified leads us almoft neceffarily to conclude, that no other divifion was intended by the Apostle: for, if it had been intended, why was it not fimilarly specified? The Archdeacon draws an analogical argument from the diftinct prophecies of Daniel, in favour of the fyftem of dividing the Apocalypfe. After treating of his first feries, that of the firft fix feals which he fuppofes to extend from the afcenfion of P. 302, 303.

* P. 409, note.

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