Whether I have succeeded, is not for me to determine. But I may say, that I have pursued an independent course of study, and that by uniformly resorting to the Sacred keys, as well as to the historic, I have been led to results that are widely different from the views of every other commentator; in the division of the prophecy, in the relation of the parts to one another and to the whole, in the uniform signification of the symbols, in the scope of many symbolic visions, their time and order, and generally in the events by which they are fulfilled. Induced by circumstances, which need not now be specified, I attempted, some years ago, to explain the seventeenth chapter of the Apocalypse; but I soon found it must be studied in connexion with many other visions. While engaged in these investigations I was gradually convinced that the Apocalypse, from the first seal to the end of chapter xix., is a great prophetic system, and that it can be understood only by being studied as a whole, and in connexion with the prophecies of the Old Testament. I was thus made to see the necessity of the uniform application of the Apocalyptic and prophetic keys, as well as of the historic. I beg to direct particularly the reader's attention to the manner in which they have been used, and to the light that has thereby been thrown on visions that are, otherwise, so dark and inexplicable. As the Apocalypse is a closely connected system, which ought to be viewed as a whole, and not in detached portions, I should have liked to publish the entire of my exposition at once, or at least to the end of chapter xii., where a very remarkable Apocalyptic and historic period terminates. But I could not venture to incur the expense of a large book; so my exposition must end, for the present, with the fourth trumpet. Of course it depends very much upon the reception of the first part, when the second shall appear. But I have a confident hope, that the reader will be satisfied with the soundness of the principles, and the fairness with which they are applied; and that he will feel, that no inconsiderable amount of information, not readily to be got elsewhere, has been communicated on the Apocalypse, on prophecy in general, and on some historical subjects of great interest. CONTENTS. CHAPTER I.-PAGE 1 to 14. The object of the work-Contents of the fulfilled prophecies of the Apocalypse Prophecy interpreted by history-Necessity of, illustrated by Daniel, ii., vii., The order of the prophecy, Rev. vi.-xix., not the order of the visions-The Difficult to determine with certainty when the Apocalypse was seen-' -The deter mination of it not necessary to understand the visions that have been ful- Summary of the principles of interpretation, Their use to the expositor and the reader, CHAPTER II.-PAGE 15 to 27. . The first seal, considered by itself, contains no notes to fix the time, place, or of the seal are found-Psalm, xlv. 1, 9-Its evangelical character and A crown the subject of many prophecies-The crown of Israel given to David, Solomon, &c.-Taken off from Zedekiah-Reserved for the Messiah, Ezek. xxi. 25, 27-The theocracy-A crown symbolically given to the Messiah, Zech. vi. 12, 13-Its evangelical character-The regal dignity claimed by the Lord while on earth, and exercised in its fundamental rights shortly after His ascension-The apocalyptic imagery of St. Paul, 15 ib. 16 18 21 He went forth conquering and to conquer-The propagation of the Gospel by the Its rapid progress—Acts, xix. 17, &c.—Pliny, Summary, Preliminary remarks and scope of the vision, The earth, the Roman empire, from the Rhine to the Euphrates-Josephus, The beast, the Roman or fourth monarchy-Its proper territories on this side of The time when the symbolical war, c. xix., begins-Its coincidence with other The beast exists in two different states, Rev. xiii., xvii.; Daniel, vii., 7, &c. CHAPTER IV. THE SECOND SEAL-PAGE 41 to 54. 338 The revolt of Vindex, his army slaughtered, and the Gauls devastated by the legions of the Rhine-Galba revolts in Spain and made emperor-Rejected by the legions on the Rhine, who proclaim Vitellius-The Prætorian cohorts revolt, murder Galba and Piso, proclaim Otho, and fill Rome with blood War between Otho and Vitellius-The destructive march of 70,000 Vitellians into Italy-Otho's forces, as they advance to meet them, devastate the Otho defeated and kills himself—The victors pillage Italy—The march of Vitel- lius-The devastation by his armies-They riot, uncontrolled at Rome, The legions in Masia revolt, and the legions in the East, who proclaim Vespa- sian--The war renewed-The Vitellians defeated-Italy devastated by the Vespasians-The Capitol burned-Many battles fought before and in Tacitus' account of the course of the civil war-) The Imperial system, a military government disguised by Republican names and the appearance of an election-Gibbon, Tacitus, Dion Cassius-The secret of the empire discovered by the death of Nero-Tacitus-Galba assumes the symbol of the seal-The military tenure of the empire and the |