A few instances of Bible figures shall here be added. A beast is a figure of an empire that is hostile to the church. And as there can be but one supreme power in that empire or region at the same time, so there can be but one beast in the same region at the same time. Let this be well remembered. A horn of that beast is a figure either of its strength, or of some leader in it, as Alexander was the notable horn of the he-goat from the west; or a horn is an emblem of some branch of that power. Add to such a beast an unnatural number of horns, or heads, or accommodate him with wings, and you have a compound figure. And unnatural properties may be added to any amount, to denote additional properties in the power denoted. The Babylonish empire was denoted by a lion, as in Dan. vii.; and eagles' wings are added, to denote the velocity of its conquests. The Grecian empire was a leopard, with four wings, to denote still greater velocity in its conquests; and four heads, to denote four parts, into which the empire was divided. The terrible beast from the sea, with great iron teeth, was the secular Roman empire, as will be seen. This may suffice for this part of the subject, as light will arise upon it throughout the following pages.

These

The divisions of the Revelation should be noted. will be found to be seven seals, seven trumpets, and seven vials, as will be shown in their place. But the Saviour gives to John a division of this book thus: "Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter." The first here noted was the vision and scene of the first chapter. The second was the seven epistles to the seven churches then in Asia Minor. The third (the things which shall be hereafter") it is of importance to ascertain. The words of the Saviour give us latitude among all events then future, in which the church should have an interest, and which can be shown fitly to accord with the figures of the prophecy.

No one can claim a right to select several only of the great events then future, to the exclusion of other events of equal or greater magnitude. A man who will do this, must surely give others equal latitude; unless he would set himself up as an oracle. "The things that shall be hereafter," we should surely think must include all the most capital events in the church, or contiguous to her,

in which she would have a deep interest, and which might well accord with the figure predicting them.

Could then "the things which should be hereafter," when John had this vision, be likely to be restricted to several events only, or several kinds of events, as some have imagined? Would they be restricted to the overturning of the Jewish nation, and the destruction of paganism in the Roman empire? Must the seven seals, the seven trumpets, and the seven vials, be construed as all alluding only to those events of early times? And may one decide that little cr no notice is, in the Revelation, taken of the rise, progress, and destruction of popery, and of Mohammedanism, those prime and vast pillars of Satan's kingdom?-no notice taken of the Reformation in the sixteenth century,-that plunging of the dragon from his papal heaven?-no notice taken of his subsequent persecutions of the Protestants, when hundreds of thousands were destroyed by jesuitical influence?—no notice taken of the flight of our pilgrim fathers to this new world, and planting here a cause of salvation which was to convert the world?-no notice taken of the flight of the present missionary angel round the earth, to preach the gospel to all nations?-none, of the terrors of the French revolutions of 1789, and its twenty-five years of most terrific wars, and the subversion of the predominant power of the papal see?—no notice taken of the present subversion of the Turks?-and no notice of the utter destruction of all that is anti-Christian, when God assures us, in the Old Testament, he will "gather the nations, and assemble the kingdoms, to pour upon them his indignation, even all his fierce anger, and the whole earth shall be devoured with the fire of his jealousy; and he will then turn to the people a pure language, and all shall call upon the name of the Lord, and shall serve him with one consent?" These two events are abundantly given in this same connexion in the prophets. Who can tell then, but they are among the " things which shall be hereafter" in the Revelation? The seventh vial is called "the battle of that great day of God Almighty!"-alluding to the predictions of the event found in the ancient prophets; as though it had been said, that great day so well known in prophecy! This event then, must surely have occupied a place in the description of "the things which shall be hereafter."

The vials, known as "the seven last plagues," must surely be viewed as having their effect in the overthrow

of the Mohammedan, the papal, and the infidel powers in the last days, and just before the Millennium;- -even though a modern critic be of a different opinion.* I shall remain confident, that "the things which shall be hereafter," to be written by John, were the line of the most interesting events, in the protection of the church, and in the overthrow of her enemies, through the then future ages of the Christian era. I have never heard an objection, nor an argument against this being the fact, which I could view as possessing even the least weight. And all arguments from analogy, and from the common sense of the case, are fully in favor of it. Why should but several things be noted; and all things else, equally important, and even of greater importance, be neglected?

One thing is found in the prophetic part of the Revelation, of essential interest in its correct exposition. It is this, that the prophetic part is found in two great general divisions; each having a plan peculiar to itself. After a notable preparation, in the fourth and fifth chapters, for an unfolding of the events of futurity; prophecies in the first division commence in the sixth chapter, with the opening of the first seal, giving an event near the commencement of the Christian era. It thence moves onward through a period of about two thousand years, and closes in the end of chapter xi., in presenting the battle of the great day of God, under the seventh trumpet, and the millennial kingdom of Christ. A second general division then commences, like the first, with a plan peculiar to itself, commencing with the Christian era, and passing onward, as did the first division, through the whole Christian era, giving, under new figures, some things noted in the first division, and others not there noted. When it reaches the Millennium, where the first division closes, it thence proceeds to give a description of that happy period; of an apostasy at the close of it; of the general judgment; and of heaven.

The truth of these two general divisions is manifest to the eye of the intelligent reader. The seventh trumpet closing the first division, is most manifestly the same event with the seventh vial closing the reign of Antichrist, in the second division. Compare the two passages, chap. xi. 14, to the end, with chap. xvi. 17, to the end, and you will see they give the same event, in figures essentially

*See Ichhorn.

and almost precisely the same; and the two events stand in the very same connexion with the Millennium, which both alike introduce; and both alike allude to the Old Testament predictions of their events. The trumpet is, as God hath revealed to his servants the prophets (chap. x. 6, 7); and the vial is said to be "the battle of that great day of God Almighty," alluding to the same predictions of it in the prophets;-that day so well known! (chap. xvi. 14.) These two events being the same, and each description of the same event being the close of its septenary, in its general divisions,-show that they belong to two distinct divisions, however they do, in this fall of Antichrist, meet in unison.

There is found in these two general divisions every mark of duality of plans. Their events commence in about the same period, and terminate in the same period; and they pursue their objects, each in its own plan, in an independent set of figures. They thus contain every essential mark of two divisions.

When I first discovered that these two general divisions exist in the prophetic part of the Revelation, I supposed it had never before been discovered; and I wondered it had not been, and been improved. When I obtained Scott's Bible, I turned to the passage, and was pleased and confirmed in my views, in finding he had noted it. He says, "The prophecies of this book naturally divide themselves into two parts. And he adds, "Inattention to this has occasioned much perplexity in many attempts to explain those predictions. And, conversing not long since with Professor Stuart of Andover on the general principles of expounding the Revelation, and being very happy to find a good general agreement of our views, I asked him, if he had discovered this general division in the prophetic part of the Revelation? He replied that he had; and that it was most fully evident, that such a division commenced with the twelfth chapter; and that the want of having discovered this had led expositors to leave the subject in darkness.

This duality of courses over the same period, affords a most happy facility in the exposition of the book. Place the two courses of the divisions side by side; and place by them, as a third column, the history of the church, internal and external, during the same period; and these, with the knowledge of the prophetic figurative language of the Revelation, together with the aid furnished in the

prophecy of Daniel, of which a portion of the Revelation is but an inspired exposition-furnish a pious, intelligent expositor happily for his work.

With such data, God has kindly furnished us; and no part of it should be overlooked, undervalued, or misimproved. Such an expositor is not now fettered with the old, idle theory, that as the seventh seal contains all the trumpets; so the seventh trumpet must be construed as containing all the vials. This cannot be, and is not correct; for the trumpets and the vials belong to two different general divisions of the prophetic part of the book. But the greatness of the event, the battle of that great day of God, occasions it to be given as the last in the grand septenary of each of these divisions. The two general divisions strike here in unison, in the seventh trumpet, and the seventh vial.

With the facility afforded by the view of these two general divisions, the commentator is not now reduced to a necessity of cutting the prophecies of this book in pieces;-construing the same events as different events;treating things which are synchronical, as being many centuries apart; -connecting things which have no connexions; and destroying the chronology of most of the events in the book. It is in no small degree painful, to see how much of this is done by men learned in books and letters, not excepting an Ichhorn! Every expositor, destitute of the knowledge and improvement of these two general divisions, is trammelled, and utterly unprepared for his work, even if he had besides all learning.

The other divisions of this book will be shown in their places. The first six seals give a course of judgments on pagan Rome, from the last quarter of the first century, till about the close of the first quarter of the fourth century. The first four of the trumpets then commence a following course of judgments on the Christian empire, after the revolution under Constantine from paganism;fulfilled in the northern invasions on the empire, till the dethroning of its last emperor Momylus. The first of the three wo trumpets then sounded in the rise of Mohammedanism. The second, in the rise of the grand supporter of it-the Turkish empire. The third will destroy Antichrist. And the vials of the seven last plagues, in the second division, will occupy the space between the second and the third wo trumpets; the seventh of which, and the third wo trumpet will be the same, as has been

seen.