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of cavalry (x. 14). And the seventh trumpet, like the sixth seal, carries us down to the time of the end, when "the mystery of God shall be finished" (x. 7), and "the kingdoms of this world become the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign for ever" (xi. 15).-For the commencement of the third (or vial) series, we must therefore also go back, though not to so early a period; for the first vial is poured upon those who have the mark of the beast and worship his image (xvi. 2), and therefore cannot be carried back to an earlier time than that mentioned in xiii. 16, which is long subsequent to Constantine; being the Papacy in its lamb-like form and we shall presently see that this series begins with the sealing, ch. vii. and the first-fruits xiv. 1-4 being the same who have gotten the victory over the beast (xv. 2). The vial series also, like the two preceding, carry us down to the time of the end; being "the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God" (xv. 1): and these plagues are for the destruction of Babylon; another proof that we cannot commence them till after the period assigned to Babylon (xi. 2; xii. 6, 14; xiii. 5). Having thus ascertained the distinctness of the three series, and that they all carry us down to the time of the end, they must be to some extent parallel with each other, and have events which synchronize together. Let us therefore endeavour to discover some of these marks of synchronism. The first on which I would insist, are the "great earthquake" vi. 12, and "the great earthquake" xi. 13. Much of the difficulty in fixing the structure of the Apocalypse would be removed if the true correspondence of the several earthquakes was settled. The three series of events symbolized by seals, trumpets, and vials, all reach down to the" day of the Lord:" "The great day of his wrath is come," vi. 17: Thy wrath is come," xi. 18: "The cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath," xvi. 19: "In them is filled up the wrath of God," xv. 1. Of this day of wrath the most characteristic feature is "a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great" (xvi. 18): and it is also further characterized by the "great hail out of heaven" (21). That the earthquakes in xi. 19 and xvi. 18 are the same, no one can reasonably doubt; and that the earthquake of the sixth seal, though beginning at the expiration of the Papal period, reaches till the time of the end, and so falls in at length with the final earthquake, will be manifest from a little consideration. For till its commencement "the earth" has not been "hurt," since against it the servants of God are sealed (vii. 3); and therefore this sealing precedes the vials, which bring the wrath of God "upon the earth" (xvi. 1). Those who are sealed here, appear again xiv. 1, and again xv. 2; demonstrating that we must place the com

mencement of the earthquake (vi. 12) as early as the judgment on Babylon (xiv. 7; xv. 4; xviii. 2). But the sixth seal beginning here, when the victim period (vi. 9) of the church ends, includes the whole time of trouble, till the great earthquake which fills up the wrath of God. In its commencement " every mountain and island were moved out of their places" (vi. 14): at its conclusion "every island shall fly away, and the mountains shall not be found" (xvi. 20). It runs on till the great day of wrath is come, and they "call to the mountains to hide them from the face of Him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb" (vi. 16; xvii. 14; Isa. xi. 21).

Having shewn that this last earthquake in the three series is the same, I shall now shew the place of the preceding earthquake, ix. 13. This, compared with the final one, is limited greatly in its extent; for it reaches only to the "tenth part of the city," and seven thousand names of men ;" whereas in the last every island shall fly away, and the mountains shall not be found (xvi. 20), "and the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every freeman" shall be in terror (vi. 15). But this also is a great earthquake (xi. 13); and I place it at the commencement of the great earthquake vi. 12; understanding the "tenth part of the city " to signify the time when it had extended its effects no further than to one of the ten kingdoms of the Papacy (viz. France); whereas vi. 12 takes it up a little later, when its effects extended to the whole earth, or Western Roman Empire. That we can allow no interval between these two great earthquakes is manifest from the forty-two months (xi. 2), 1260 days (ver. 3), being of necessity to be completed before the earthquake (ver. 13); which brings it down to the expiration of the wilderness period of the church, or time of the Papal domination (xii. 14; xiii. 5); and the equally strong necessity of carrying up the earthquake of vi. 12 to the sealing period, vii. 2, xiv. 1, xv. 2: for the winds of wrath are ready to burst upon the earth, vii. 1, and are only restrained while the servants of God are being sealed. The sealing is therefore completed before the call to "come out of Babylon,” xiv. 6; and before the first vial which was poured upon the earth, and produced a noisome sore. This earthquake is the precursor, type, and warning of the great final one, which shall wind up the vengeance of God upon Babylon and in vi. 12, 17, the two are blended together; or rather, the first, beginning in ver. 12, prolongs its vibrations till it assumes all the characters of the final earthquake, and merges in the same day of wrath, when "who shall be able to stand?" (17.) This enables us to fix with precision the time and duration of the "little season" mentioned in the fifth seal, during which the souls of the martyrs "rest under the

altar until their fellow-servants, and their brethren that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled." It is the period of treading under foot the court of the temple and the holy city (xi. 2); of the witnesses prophesying in sackcloth (xi. 3); of the feeding the church in the wilderness 1260 days (xii. 6); her nourishment for a time, times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent (xii. 14); and the forty-two months of the beast's blaspheming the name of God, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven (xiii. 5, 6). I assume that this period, which occurs so often under different forms of expression, does in every one of the instances refer to the same time: it is the natural inference that one time only is meant ; and I believe that wherever inserted it is in order to indicate the connection of the different visions. I have never been able to find any sufficient reason for doubting this connection, and therefore do not stop to prove it: these marks, I maintain, are always inserted for our guidance and instruction, not to perplex and mislead us. But should any one deny their referring to the same time, I require of him the clearest demonstration of his denial, before I will be brought to assent to what seems so great an improbability. All the probability is in favour of their agreement, and this can only be supplanted by demonstration of their disagreement.

By this short statement we have established, that the vials begin with the earthquake of the sixth seal; and that they finish the wrath of God, and consequently the great day of his wrath (vi. 17); and that they are therefore parallel with the action of the sixth seal. We have also established that the termination of the fifth seal agrees with that period of the sixth trumpet, which immediately precedes the earthquake (xi. 13); and, consequently, that there must be a parallelism between the 1260 days, or some portion of them, and the sixth trumpet. Which period of 1260 we have also seen occurring in the main action of xii. and xiii. And that chaps. xiv. and xviii. are wholly included in the period of the vials, which complete the wrath of God. -The portion of the book which we have not been able to fix by structure alone, independent of interpretation, is that preceding the 1260 days; yet even this we shall be able to fix when we come to interpretation: but if we could not, the relative importance of the several periods is clearly indicated in the text itself, by the brief notices of the earlier periods, included in the first four seals and early trumpets; by the enlargement and repetition of particulars for the Gentile or wilderness period of 1260 days; and the ample, diversified, and minute details concerning the period of Babylon's destruction, in xiv. xv. xvi. xvii. xviii. xix. This last period, whose extended notice in this book demonstrates it to be, for all ages of the church, that period to which their attention should be most peculiarly di

rected, is to us supremely interesting and important; living, as we do, in the very time it includes, and seeing those very signs beginning to appear in reference to which our Lord has said, "Lift up your heads, for your redemption draweth nigh" (Luke xxi. 28).

This most interesting period (beginning when the wilderness period of 1260 terminates, and running on to the commencement of the Millennium), is described three times, and under three sets of emblems. The first series of emblems (chap. xiv.) are taken from the seasons, and represents the professing church as in other parts of Scripture, "The good seed are the children of the kingdom" (Matt. xiii. 38); "Every good tree bringeth forth good fruit: but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit" (Matt. vii. 17). The second series (chaps. xv. xvi. xvii), under the emblem of vials, and the cup of wrath, represents the course of political events during the same period; according as national judgments are shewn forth by the same figure in Jer. xxiv. 15-28, and elsewhere. The third series (chaps. xviii. xix), in figures borrowed from a city and its merchandize and traffick, represents the church as visible, and established in its ecclesiastical polity and so we find it in many other places; as, Isa. xxvi. 1; Ezek. xxvii.; xxviii. 13-16. Wherefore, to have an exact view of the events of this period, we must combine the three parallel series, and shew their reciprocal bearing upon each other. The first object presented to us is that company who were sealed from the judgments of the sixth seal (vii. and whom I agree with Mr. Irving in interpreting of the British nation), standing on Mount Zion, and singing a new song before the throne (xiv. 3). This new song is doubtless that so often referred to in the Psalms, especially xcvi. xcviii. "O sing unto the Lord a new song; for he hath done marvellous things: his right hand and his holy arm hath gotten him the victory." And the same company are represented, xv. 2, 4, as singing the same song: "For thy judgments are made manifest." And here it is called the song of Moses and the Lamb, because the same acts of judgment shall deliver both the Jewish people and the Christian church (one alluded to by Moses, the other by the Lamb); and both have place in this series, which is political; whereas the church only could have place in the ecclesiastical series (xiv). These judgments light first upon Babylon (or the Papacy), which has been so long the prison-house of the Jew and of the church: but, though falling first and most severely upon Babylon, they do in their progress at length include the whole world: for the sixth vial is poured on the Euphrates, undoing the effects of the sixth trumpet (ix. 14); "And the kings of the earth, and of the whole world, are gathered to the battle of that great day of God Almighty" (xvi. 14).

Which wide range of the concluding judgments is also proved by xiv. 20, where "the wine-press is trodden without the city"namely, Babylon. This gives a full and clear meaning to "the voice of many waters, and the voice of a great thunder" (xiv. 2; xix. 6). For the many waters" are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues" (xvii. 15), over whom Babylon ruleth and the vials of wrath are called "thunders" in the trumpet series (x. 3). Now the first seal opens with thunder (vi. 1); indicating, as I think, that the trumpet (or Oriental) series then diverged from the seals, or Western series: and the vials bringing in again the thunders, joined with many waters, intimate that the two series are then re-united, that they may be conjointly brought into judgment. This company are represented as being with the Lamb (xiv. 1), and following him whithersoever he goeth: which shews that they have not yet attained their final rest, but are following their Captain; who himself only retains the title of Lamb till he comes to execute vengeance on his foes, when he shall exchange it for "King of kings and Lord of lords" (xvii. 14): till which time "those who are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful;" all titles only applicable to the church militant, and not to saints in glory. And though they are called "first-fruits," this only declares that "they shall have part in the first resurrection. For Babylon is not yet judged (11); the Son of man has not yet come (14); the harvest is not yet ripe (15): and till these take place we cannot expect the first resurrection: "Whom the Lord shall destroy with the brightness of his coming" (2 Thess. ii. 8): "Christ the first-fruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming" (1 Cor. xv. 23): "The harvest is the end of the age" (Matt. xiii. 39).

The next event is proclaiming the Gospel (xiv. 6). The angel is called another; referring us to the only other who fled in mid-heaven (viii. 13). The first cried Woe, woe, woe to the inhabiters of the earth;" the second has "the everlasting Gospel to preach to them that dwell on the earth." They repented not under the first (ix. 21); they fear God under the second (xiv. 7-12): The first ushers in Abaddon and Apollyon; the second is the herald of our Lord and his Christ.

Babylon's desperate state is next denounced (xiv. 8; xviii. 2), having become the "habitation of devils, and every foul spirit;' and therefore ripe for judgment. A call to come out of her follows (xviii. 4), with threats against all those that hold commerce with her (xiv. 9), " that ye receive not of her plagues." And her fearful judgment follows at length (xviii. 5-21; xiv. 11).

"Flying in the midst of heaven" probably denotes the wide extent of the proclamation of both these angels; not being limited to the territories to which the other events of their series apply, but extending through the whole world,