his very limited system of applying the prophecies. It appears to me to be so extremely arbitrary, and to introduce so much confusion into the three septenaries of the seals, the trumpets, and the vials, that, if it be adopted, I see not what certainty we can ever have, that a clue to the right interpretation of the ApocaJypse is attainable.

The Archdeacon supposes, that the six first seals give a general sketch of the contents of the whole book, and that they extend from the time of our Saviour's ascension even to the great day of the Lord's vengeance, a description of which day is exhibited under the sixth seal*. Having thus arrived at the consumination of all things, how are we to dispose of the seventh seal? The Archdeacon conceives, that the same history of the Church begins anew under it; that the connection, which had hitherto united the seals, is broken; that the seventh seal stands apart, containing all the seven trumpets; and that the renewed history, comprehended under this seventh seal, begins" from the ear"liest times of Christianity, or, to speak more properly, from "the period when our Lord left the world in person, and com"mitted the Church to the guidance of his apostles. From "this time the first seal takes its commencement; from this "also, the first trumpet t." Hence it is manifest, since the sventh seal brings us back, for the purpose of introducing the seven trumpets, to the very same period at which the first seal was opened, that the opening of the seventh seal synchronizes, in the judgment of the Archdeacon, with the opening of the first seal, and that the seventh seal singly comprehends exactly the same space of time as all the six first seals conjointly.

The seventh seal then introduces and contains within itself all the seven trumpets, the first six of which constitute the Archdeacon's second series of prophetic history, as the first six seals had constituted his first series: and these two serieses are in a great measure, though not altogether, commensurate; for, though they both alike begin from the ascension of our Lord, the six seals carry us to the day of judgment, whereas the six trumpets only carry us to the end of the 1260 years ‡.

Op. 135, 174, 196.

† p. 197, 200.

t p. 273, 274.

The

The third series is of course that of the vials, which the Archdeacon arranges under the seventh trumpet, as he had previously arranged the seven trumpets under the seventh seal. But where is the place of the seventh trumpet, and consequently: of the first vial? The Archdeacon does not bring back the seventh trumpet and the first vial to the ascension of our Lord, as he had previously brought back the seventh seal and the first trumpet, but only to the beginning of the times of the beast, or the 1260 years; through the whole of which he supposes the seventh trumpet and its component vials to extend. He conceives however, that the sixth trumpet introduces Mohammedism in the year 606, and reaches to the downfall of Mohammedism at the close of the 1260 years. Consequently the beginning of the seventh trumpet exactly synchronizes with the beginning of the sixth trumpet; but the seventh extends beyond the sixth, and reaches, like the sixth seal and the seventh seal, to the final consummation of all things *.

In brief, the chronological arrangement of the Archdeacon's three serieses is as follows. The first is that of the six seals; and it reaches from the ascension of our Lord to the day of judgment. The second is that of the six trumpets, introduced by and comprehended under the seventh seal; and it reaches from the ascension of our Lord to the termination of the 1260 years. The third is that of the seven vials, introduced by and comprehended under the seventh trumpet; and it reaches from the commencement of the times of the beast or the 1260 years to the day of judgment.

Now it is impossible not to see, that the whole of this arrangement is purely arbitrary, and consequently that the various interpretations built upon it must in a great measure be arbitrary likewise. The Apocalypse must either be one continued prophecy, like each of those delivered by Daniel; in which case (with the single exception, as nearly all commentators are agreed, of the episode contained in the little book) we must admit it, unless we be willing to give up all certainty of interpretation, to be strictly chronological or it

p. 308, 399, 400, 401, 252-273, 274, 359, 360.

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must

must be a book containing several perfectly distinct and detached prophecies, like the whole book of Daniel, each of which, for any thing that appears to the contrary, may either exactly synchronize or not exactly synchronize with its fellows. If the former opinion be just, the Archdeacon's scheme immediately falls to the ground; for then all the seven trumpets must necessarily be posterior in point of time to the opening of all, the seven seals, and in a similar manner all the seven vials to the sounding of all the seven trumpets. If the latter opinion be just, then the question is, how are we to divide the Apocalypse into distinct prophecies? The only system, that to my own mind at least seems at all plausible, would be to suppose that each of the three septenaries of the seals, the trumpets, and the vials, forms a distinct prophecy. If we divide the Apocalypse at all, we must attend to the Apostle's own arrangement; and homogeneity plainly forbids us to separate the seals from the seals, the trumpets from the trumpets, or the vials from the vials. So again as homogeneity requires us to attend to the Apostle's own arrangement in case of a division, it equally requires us to suppose that these three distinct prophecies exactly coincide with each other in point of chronology: otherwise, what commentator shall pretend, without any clue to guide him, to determine the commencement of each? But the seals, as all agree, commence either from the ascension of our Lord, or at least from some era in the Apostle's own lifetime: therefore, if we divide the Apocalypse, homogeneity requires us to conclude that the trumpets and the vials commence likewise from the same era. Accordingly I have somewhere met with a commentator, whose work I have not at present by me, and-whose name I cannot recollect, that proceeds upon this very principle. He divides the Apocalypse into the three prophecies of the seals, the trumpets, and the vials; and supposes, that all these prophecies run exactly parallel with each other, extending alike from the age of St. John to the end. of the world. To this scheme, when examined in detail, the Archdeacon, as well as myself, will probably see insurmount→ able objections. Sir Isaac Newton adopts a somewhat different plan. He arranges all the seven trumpets under the

seventh

seventh seat, and supposes them chronologically to succeed the six first seals; thus making the seals and the trumpets one con◄ tinued prophecy: but, when he arrives at the vials, he conceives them to be only the trumpets repeated; thus making the vials a detached prophecy synchronizing with the trumpets*. Nothing can be more manifest in this plan than its arbitrary violation of homogeneity. What warrant can we have for asserting, that the seals and the trumpets form jointly a continued prophecy, but that the tials form a distinct separate prophecy synchronizing with that part of the former prophecy which is comprehended under the trumpets? But, if Sir Isaac violate homogeneity in his arrangement of the Apocalypse, *much more surely does the Archdeacon: for he not only separates the seventh seal and the seventh trumpet from their respective predecessors, but divides the Apocalypse into three distinct prophecies, not one of which exactly synchronizes)

with another.

A violation of homogeneity however is not the only objection. to the Archdeacon's arrangement. It seems to me to involve in itself more than one obvious contradiction. For what reason is the seventh seal styled the seventh? The most natural answer is, because it succeeds the six first seals. Now, accord-" ing fo the Archdeacon's arrangement, it does not succeed them: for the opening of it exactly synchronizes with the opening of the first, and therefore of course precedes the opening of the remaining five, although the contents of the seventh seal itself are chronologically commensurate with the contents of all the other sit. But, if the opening of the seventh scal synchronize" with the opening of the first and therefore precede the opening of the remaining five, with what propriety can it be styled the sc-. venth seal? The same remark applies to his arrangement of the trumpets. The first sounding of the seventh trumpet, which introduces the seven víals, exactly synchronizes with the first sounding of the sixth; although, in point of duration, the seventh trumpet extends beyond the sixth. Such, according to the Archdeacon, being the case, why should one be terined the seventh

Observ. on the Apoc. p. 254, 293, 295.

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rather

rather than the other. The three last trumpets are moreover styled the three woes. How then can the seventh trumpet be the third woe, if it in a great measure synchronize with the second woe? I am aware, that the Archdeacon does not consider the seventh trumpet as being itself the third woe, but only as introducing, at some period or other of its sounding, that third woe *. Such a supposition however is forbidden by homogeneity; for, since the fifth and the sixth trumpets manifestly introduce at their very earliest blast the first and second woes, we seem bound to conclude that the seventh trumpet should similarly introduce at its earliest blast the third woe. In this case then the second and the third woes exactly commence together: whence we are compelled to inquire, both why they should be styled second and third, and what event or series of events is intended by the one and what by the other? Nor is even this the only difficulty. The seventh trumpet is represented as beginning to sound after the expiration of the second woe, and as introducing quickly the third woe. It is likewise represented as beginning to sound after the death and revival of the witnesses; which must take place either (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 himself thinks it most probable, that these events are yet to come t. Now, in either of these cases, how can the seventh trumpet succeed the death and revival of the witnesses, if it begin to sound at the very commencement of the 1260 years; that is to say at the very commencement of their prophesying?

Hitherto I have argued on the supposition, that it is allowable to divide the Apocalypse into distinct predictions; and have only attempted to shew, that it is next to impossible to fix upon any unobjectionable method of dividing it. I shall now proceed to maintain, that the system of dividing it rests upon no solid foundation. If we carefully read the Apocalypse itself, we shall find no indications of any such division as that which forms the very basis of the Archdeacon's scheme of interpretation. St. John only specifies a single division of his subject, the greater book and the little book. This division.

f. 409, note.

* p. 302, 303.

therefore