of the wicked. It is their torment now; and half their time is spent in getting rid of it, in sinking, drowning, burying out of sight their painful recollections. With Satan's help, and in the day-light of their more sunny years, men do contrive to lay the fearful spectres of the past which haunt their darker moments; but when the sun goes down, and when that hour of manifestation comes, wherein the rocks and hills are called upon to hide them-it is from memory's visionmemory's name!" The Lamb,”- -" from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb." They might almost bear the one if they could forget the other; but they cannot: the fearful remembrancer of slighted mercy will go with them-will stay by them and they too, for fear they should, for fear they could forget, will see ever before them in another place, " a Lamb as it were slain,' and will be 66 tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb.”

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REMARKS ON ROBERT HALL'S WORKS.

(From the Quarterly Review of October, 1832.)

SPEAKING Of Some imperfect sketches of Sermons, &c., the Reviewer says,

In sketches like these, considered independently, there is little worth, for there is little characteristic. The bold diction, the majestic gait of the sentence, the vivid illustration, the rebuke which could scathe the offender, the burst of honest indignation at triumphant vice, the biting sarcasm, the fervid appeal to the heart, the sagacious development of principle, the broad field of moral vision,-all in short which distinguishes Hall-evaporates; and while we are looking for his picture in the mirror of works so imperfect, we find it indeed, but (to use one of his own metaphors) as if it had lain in a damp place.

'But whatever may be the value of the rough notes; when Hall not merely hews out materials, but "brings them to an excellent work," -excellent indeed it is; and his Sermons on Modern Infidelity, on War, on the Death of the Princess Charlotte, on the Discouragements and supports of the Christian Minister, and not least, the Discourse on "Sentiments proper to the present Crisis," are all wonderful compositions; wonderful both for the scale and variety of the powers they display; a head so metaphysical seeming to have little in common with an imagination so glowing; declamation so impassioned with wisdom so practical; touches of pathos so tender with such caustic irony, such bold invective, such spirit-stirring encouragements to heroic duties: and all conveyed in language worthy to be the vehicle of such diverse thoughts, precise or luxuriant, stern or playful-that most rare but most eloquent of all kinds of speech, the masculine mother tongue of an able man, whom education has chastened, but not killed; constructed after no model of which we are aware; more massive than Addison, more easy and unconstrained than Johnson, more sober than Burke: such are the features of Hall's deliberate compositions, and such is our most willing testimony to their worth.'

Review of Books.

HORE APOCALYPTICÆ, or a Commentary on the Apocalypse, critical, and historical, &c. By the REV. E. B. ELLIOTT, A.M. 8vo. 3 vols. pp. 1556. London: Seeleys, 1844.

Ir were as easy to compress an Iliad within a nutshell, as to give any adequate summary of the vast mass of information-prophetical, critical, historical and argumentative-contained in these three substantial volumes. Still less feasible were the task of criticizing the multifarious topics in them, which bear the stamp of novelty and originality. The work itself is of Herculean character, and stands foremost among the prophetic productions of the age, in profundity of thought, in diligence of research, in patience of investigation, and in all the learning of every kind, in which a student of scripture prophecy needs to be conversant.

The study of prophecy has generally revived at different important epochs in the history of the world. When the apprehensions of men have been roused by sudden national convulsions, or by great and obvious changes in the condition of the Church, or by portents seen or imagined, the public mind has glanced back upon the page of prophecy, to see whether anything correspondent with the scenes through which they are passing can be traced in the predictions of Holy Writ; and no small temptation has hence arisen, to force the language of inspiration into a constrained correspondence with passing events. We must, therefore, ever watch with some degree of jealousy over our own minds, lest we should be found hastily adopting a theory of interpretation, because of some not accurately defined resemblances, which longer experience and closer investigation would prove to be quite untenable. At the same time, this scepticism may be carried too far, and we may, by obstinate refusal to compare predictions and events together, doom ourselves to perpetual ignorance of God's designs and doings in the church and in the world.

That rash expounders of prophecy have done much of late, to bring the whole subject into undue neglect-not to use even stronger language is too evident to require proof. We are glad, therefore, at length to see a learned, able, and laborious investigation like that contained in the work before us; and without pledging ourselves to an entire acceptance of the whole scheme, we shall endeavour to set before our readers such a view of its more prominent parts, as our narrow limits will allow, and such as, we trust, will induce persons of sufficient leisure, to read the volumes for themselves. Taking for granted that the Apocalypse is intended to pourtray the chief points in the History of the Church, from the time of St. John's vision in the isle of Patmos to the consummation of all things; we may state, in the author's own words, how he arranges the various important eras of the symbolical representation.

'On the whole, there seem to me to be six chief PARTS or ACTS, clearly defined in the sacred prefigurative drama before us; a division well agreeing

with that more obvious one, already spoken of, the succession of Seals, Trumpets, and Vials;-their subject-matter being as follows::

'I. That of the temporary glory, and then the decline and fall of Rome Pagan, before the power of Christianity ;-the subject of the six first seals. 'II. The ravage and destruction of Rome Christian, after its corruption, in its divisions both of east and west;-of the western empire by the Goths, of the eastern by the Saracens and Turks,-the subject of the six first trumpets.

'III. The history of the Reformation, as introduced towards the close of the sixth Trumpet.

IV. The supplemental and explanatory history of the rise and character of the Papacy and Papal Empire, that sprung out of the Gothic inundations of western Europe...

'V. The final overthrow of the Papacy and the Papal Empire, under the outpouring of the Vials of God's wrath, and the coming of Christ to judgment.-Consequent on which is,

'VI. The glorious consummation, in the descent of the Heavenly Jerusalem, and the reign of Christ and his saints, on the renovated earth.

Of these, the first four seem to me to have had their accomplishment already; and of the fifth the prefigured events to have begun, and to be now in progress.

In the following treatise it is my purpose, first to trace the historical fulfilment of the former, or fulfilled parts, more at length; then, as regards the parts unfulfilled, to inquire briefly and cautiously into the grander and more prominent points that may seem prefigured in them, as destined to take place in the yet coming future.'-Vol. i. p. 32.

The first part then of the work relates to the six first seals, under which the temporary prosperity and then the decline and fall of the empire of Pagan Rome are supposed to be represented. This is a commentary on the sixth chapter of the Book of Revelation. Let us glance at the SEALS as they are opened in succession.

On the opening of the first seal, the Apostle says;-" I looked and lo! a white horse and he that sat thereon having a bow, and a crown was given him; and he went forth conquering and to conquer." The horse is regarded by our Author as the symbol of the Roman people; the rider as the reigning power or emperor. Confirmation of this mode of interpreting the symbol is, by the Author's industry, found in the coins of the age to which he refers. The colour of the horse, being in this instance white, is supposed to represent the nation in a state of pros perity. The bow in the hand of the rider is, with great ingenuity, regarded as emblematical of some peculiarity in the reigning dynasty; the crown (or stephanos) as distinguished from the diadem, is also deemed worthy of peculiar notice; and the going forth conquering and to conquer, indicates the triumphant reign of the succession of Governors to which the prediction refers. Now these peculiarities meet in the chain of Emperors Nerva, Trajan, Adrian and the two Antonines, reaching from the year ninety-six to 180. The appeal is made to history, and to Gibbon, as to a most competent, because no partial witness in favour of Christianity.

With respect to the crown or laurel wreath, the Emperors were distinguished by it, till the time of Diocletian, when the diadem or broad fillet set with pearls became the imperial badge. The correctness of the mounted horseman, as a symbol of Roman victory, is illustrated by a plate from Montfaucon's antiquities representing a triumphal arch erected to Claudius Drusus in the Appian way after his victories over

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the Germans; where in bas relief the Emperor is represented riding at full speed.

The bow in the hand, however, is the most remarkable feature ́in the Apocalyptic picture, because it is not an ordinary symbol of Roman Majesty. Of what nation then was the bow peculiarly characteristic ? Antiquity replies with one voice, the Cretan.

Now all the twelve Cæsars from Julius to Domitian, were, with the exception of Otho, of old Roman families, and Otho himself was Italian; but Nerva was a stranger, and as appears from Aurelius Victor, by extraction a Cretan: hence the propriety of putting the bow into his hand.

The second seal opens with a horse of different colour and a rider having a different commission. The horse is red, the colour of war and bloodshed; and the rider has a great sword in his hand by which he is to take peace from the earth and to cause men to kill one another.

The Prætorian guards and their commanders-who were the virtual Governors of the nation, while feeble Emperors were placed in succession on the throne, each in his turn being assassinated to make way for another, are supposed to be indicated by this new emblem. They exercised for some forty or sixty years, with intermissions, a reign of terror over both city and emperors.' They were, in a manner, the Grand vizirs of those times; resembling them not in power and office only, but in the use they made of their power,-making and massacreing emperors at their pleasure, and deluging the empire with civil blood.'

The third seal ushers in a black horse, of which the rider holds a pair of balances in his hand; while a voice from among the living creatures proclaims,—' a measure (or choenix) of wheat for a denarius and three choenixes of barley for a denarius, and see that thou hurt not (or see that thou do no wrong with regard to) the oil and wine !'

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The author combats the general opinion that this language indicates a period of scarcity and famine. He shows that the price though not cheap, was not remarkably dear. The period pointed out by this seal he takes to be, that commencing with the reign of Caracalla; which was a new era marked by a fresh system of taxation. The edict of this Emperor made the ROMAN CITY co-extensive with the empire, edict not of liberality, but of avarice; for it was clogged with the condition that the provincials thus admitted to Roman citizenship should thenceforth pay both their provincial taxes as before, and also, in addition, the distinctive taxes of the Roman citizen. The edict was compulsory and the weight of taxation thus forced upon them intolerable.' p.64. Gibbon mentions this oppressive edict as one great cause of the decline of the empire; and therefore we may suppose it not improbable that the Spirit of God should have marked this event on the imperishable page of inspiration. It is well known that the provinces were taxed in corn, wine, and oil, for the purpose of maintaining the population of Rome, to a great degree, in indolence, as well as for the further purpose of bestowing largesses upon the army. Let us then mark the emblems of this third seal. The horse, signifying the Empire itself is black, indicating a state of national distress and suffering; the Rider represents the agents through whom, chiefly, these sufferings were produced, viz. the Presidents or Proconsuls to whom was committed the collection of the revenue; the balance in the Rider's

hand is the symbol of justice, which was required, in a peculiar manner, in the collection of such a tax on the necessaries of life, and which was professed by all who held this responsible office; the rider is commanded to deal justly, when, in lieu of taxes taken in kind, he was to receive money payments; the choenix of wheat was to be a denarius, and the barley in proportion; and the greatest care was to be taken to inflict no injury in collecting or compounding for the articles of oil and wine, which, from their variable qualities, could not have any specific price attached to them.

The fourth seal opens with the introduction of a pale (or livid) horse, with Death for his rider and Hades for his follower. "And power was given him to kill in the fourth part of the earth with a sword, and with famine, and with pestilence, and with wild beasts of the earth.'

In the general interpretation of this seal, the author agrees with the most learned and judicious of preceding commentators, such as Mede, Daubuz and Newton, so that little needs to be said in explanation of his view.

'The ruined empire, says Gibbon, speaking of the period between A.D. 248, and 268, seemed to approach the last and fatal moment of its dissolution: he depicts the various agencies of destruction consuming it. The sword! Every instant of time was marked; every province of the Roman world was afflicted by barbarous invaders and military tyrants,—the sword from without, and the sword from within. Famine! Our habits of thinking,' he says, 'so fondly connect the order of the universe with the fate of man, that the gloomy period has been decorated with inundations, earthquakes, uncommon meteors, preternatural darkness, and a crowd of prodigies, fictitious, or exaggerated.' Of none of these, let it be observed, was there a notice in the apocalyptic vision. But a general famine,' he adds, in correspondence with that which had been predicted, 'was a calamity of a more serious kind.'.. Yet again the agency of pestilence had been prefigured. Accordingly though little aware in what track he was following, he goes on to notice this also. Famine,' he says, 'is almost always followed by epidemical diseases, the effect of scanty and unwholesome food. But other causes must have contributed to that furious plague, which from the year 250 to the year 265, raged without intermission in every province, every city, and almost every family in the Roman Empire.' . . . . . Truly the history must be allowed to agree with the prediction. If the emblems were most terrific, the facts of the history of the period we have been referring to, appear, if possible, yet more so.'-p. 80.

There is but one part of the prediction which Gibbon's testimony does not confirm, that, namely, which relates to the destruction made by wild beasts of the earth. This defect, however, is supplied by an almost contemporary author, Arnobius.

For the explanation of the expression "the fourth part of the earth," which has perplexed all preceding commentators, we must refer to the work itself, merely stating that, to our minds, it is by far the most satisfactory of any we have seen.

On the opening of the fifth seal, an entirely new scene is presented before us. No longer have we horses with their riders, but the temple with its courts and altar too, in the foreground of scenic representation; plainly intimating that the subject of prediction is no longer the fate of empires, but the state of the Church of God. We shall immediately perceive too, that this state is one of remarkable suffering. "I saw under the altar the souls of them that had been slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held. And they cried with a