particular chapters, but of the whole book, is not found to suit the date and age of the Apocalypse, and no other, the principle of such interpretation must be defective, and the right chord has not been struck. If, on the other hand, an interpretation can be offered, not of isolated passages, but of the whole subject, and that interpretation not scattered over many centuries, but referring solely to "the things which were shortly to come to pass," I do not see how the conclusion is to be avoided that such an interpretation is more in character with the aim and object of the book, than any other which includes the history of distant periods.

Oh that such an interpretation may now be found-that truth may prevail above error, and fact above fiction; that prejudice, especially prejudice against the errors of the Romish Church, and if possible, all previously formed opinions, might be laid aside, and we might now examine this book as if we had never heard of it before!

Let us not be overwhelmed because great names have pronounced the book unintelligible. Let us not be frightened at the saying of Scaliger, "Calvinus sapit, quod in Apocalypsin non scripsit"-Calvin showed his wisdom in not writing on the Apocalypse. Great names often hide great errors. The truth may yet be found. I can never believe the Apocalypse was unintelligible to those to whom it was addressed. I could never suppose, with Moses Stuart, that all Christians belonging to the seven Churches of Asia did not understand it. I think they must have done so. If it was a revelation, it must have been intelligible. If it was addressed to Christ's servants, it must have been intelligible to them; and if it was a revelation "of things shortly to come to pass," it must have had a specific reference to the peculiar circumstances of the Church at that period.

Many of our Lord's parables were difficult to be understood even by the disciples; many of them he was obliged to explain to them privately. But at the period of which we are now speaking, the miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit were still abundant, and surely that Holy Spirit would enable them to understand their Lord's words. These visions were among "the mysteries of the kingdom of God," the knowledge of which was given to the disciples; and "visions" like these

may have not been uncommon, during the miraculous outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the Church.1

May that Holy Spirit guide and direct us in our attempt at the further elucidation of this wonderful book,-the book of which Luther once said, there was no Christ in it, but which he afterwards found to be all Christ from the beginning to the end! I do not believe any one will ever have a clear understanding of the New Testament till he has studied the Apocalypse; and by studying the Apocalypse I do not mean studying the Apocalypse by the help of the Apocalypse, but by comparing the Apocalypse with the rest of the New Testament Scriptures.2

And the more such an one studies it, the more he will bless God that such a glorious revelation of Christ's "appearing and kingdom" has been made known unto men, the higher he will rise in his aspiration to share its transcendent joys, the deeper in his own mind will he realise the blessedness especially promised to students of this book :-"Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein, for the time is at hand."

1 "It must be considered that though such visions, being no longer continued to these latter ages, may warrantably be despised in the pretenders of the present days: yet we cannot doubt but that at the time this book (Shepherd of St. Hermas) was written, the extraordinary gifts of the Holy Ghost were very frequent, and we need not question but that such revelations, too, among the rest, were communicated to holy men for the benefit of the Church.". Archbishop Wake's Preliminary Discourse on the Shepherd of St. Hermas, p. 383. 2 "Scripture itself seems to have wanted some epitome which should connect its predictions with their final fulfilment with regard to the new dispensation, and thus to present an entire whole to the reader of those and future times. Such a work, as the Book of the Revelation, therefore, seems not only to have been wanted for the Churches of those times, but also for those of every future period, a work in which the believer could view the whole counsel of God completed, and himself made a member of that household whose foundations had been laid by God himself from the very beginning." - Lee on Prophecy, p. 293.

LECTURE II.

THE SEALED BOOK.

REVELATION, CHAP. V.

1. And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals.

2. And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof?

3. And no man in heaven nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon.

4. And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon.

5. And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.

6. And I beheld, and lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth in all the earth.

7. And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne.

8. And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.

9. And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation : 10. And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.

11. And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands:

12. Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.

13. And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.

14. And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever.

OUR first Lecture embraced the subject of the date of the Apocalypse. We endeavoured to show that the voice of antiquity left the question respecting the date an open one, and one that could only be decided by the internal testimony of the book itself. We then proceeded to prove that the internal evidence of the book establishes the date as anterior to the destruction of Jerusalem.

It is of the greatest importance to understand this clearly, for the question of the date settles the interpretation of the Apocalypse; it is the key-stone of the arch, the chief cornerstone of the whole foundation. If the Domitianic date be the true one, the Beast may be the Pope, Great Babylon may be Rome, the three Frogs may be France, and the Unclean Spirit Tractarianism; for the book is of so highly figurative and allegorical a character, and the nature of its imagery so general, that it may be applied to almost any event which has affected the world or the Church, and it would be strange if, in a review of events from the days of Domitian to the present time, some circumstances could not be found which seem more or less clearly to coincide with the Apocalyptic predictions. If the Neronic date be the true one, of which there is not a shadow of doubt in my mind, and of which the interpretation about to be offered will afford some additional evidence, then there must be no suppositions, no enigmas, no probable coincidences. As far as the elucidation of this book is concerned, we may burn Gibbon, and allow the Pope to rest in peace.

An interpretation must be found of the symbols of the Apocalypse in the brief space of time (whatever that was) which intervened between the banishment to Patmos and the destruction of Jerusalem. We must have no roaming over the history of 2,000 years; no transferring of the scene of the apocalyptic predictions from Judæa to Paris or Constantinople. There and then every symbol must receive its accomplishment-there and then a meaning must be found for every figure. This renders the task all the more difficult; but if that difficulty can be overcome, it brings us to the conclusion that we have found the right clue.

Should a person conversant with the motions of the heavenly bodies predict the appearance of a comet, on a certain day of a

certain year, and should his predictions be realised, we should give him credit for knowledge of the principles of his science, which led him to fix accurately the time of the predicted phenomenon. But should some person make a rough guess that a comet would be visible during the next fifty years, even if his prediction did come to pass, we should not give him credit for any extraordinary sagacity.

So with regard to the principle of the interpretation of the Apocalypse. According to the one system, every symbol must meet with its fulfilment at a certain fixed time; according to the other, the period during which the symbols are to receive their fulfilment is almost unlimited. The one is the prediction of the comet on the certain day; the other the prediction of the same phenomenon at any time during the fifty years.

Before entering upon the subject of our present Lecture, I would wish to define the principle upon which I shall endeavour to be guided in the interpretation of the Apocalypse. It needs no argument to show that the Apocalypse is a highly figurative and allegorical composition. Now, the great fault of interpreters in explaining allegory is the attempt to carry minute explanations too far. This has been the cause of irremediable mischief, and has originated a host of absurdities and errors.

There is always a Divine truth under each symbol,—there is always a Divine basis under the allegory, and this is the truth to be prominently brought forward, the remaining parts of the symbol being only helps to finish out the picture.

This is the case with all allegorical composition.1 Take for instance the vision which told Nebuchadnezzar of his coming degradation and dethronement. Dan. iv. 10.

How absurd it would be to insist on a literal interpretation of every particular of this vision-to compare Nebuchadnezzar to a literal tree reaching to heaven, in which was meat for all -to suppose that the beasts of the field must literally get away from its branches—that the literal stump was to be left in the

1 Take an instance of this in the description of our Lord, chap. v., as Lamb which had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes." How absurd it would be to render this symbol literally, or to suppose that the heavenly appearance of our Lord was that of a Lamb.