White or washen robes. Holiness of a temporal

White raiment.

Palms.

Crowns.

Symbols of temporal victory. Symbols of eternal victory and royal estate.

Souls under the altar. True believers under the

Grass and green things. Untried Christians, sublu

Thunders.
Lightnings, and thun-
derings, and voices.

Hail.

Rain.

Fire.

Rainbow.

Trumpet.

Horns.
Olive-tree.

nary professors. Hostility of ruling powers. Visitations of truth and righteousness, producing civil or ecclesiastical commotions.

An irruptive visitation, ac-
cumulated evil.

Diffusion of the spirit of God.
With reference to the people

of God, a symbol of puri-
fication; to the wicked, of
judicial wrath. In either
case it represents the righ-
teous indignation of God
against sin.

Symbol of the covenant of

grace.

Annunciation of the counsels of God.

Dominant powers.

The source instrumentally of the diffusion of grace;-a

This interpretation is borne out by the context rather than by any distinction that may subsist between the words "robe" or "raiment."

Two olive-trees.

Candlestick.

The light of the candle.

Voice of the bridegroom
and of the bride.
Trees.

Trees planted, rejoi-
cing, full of sap, &c.
The mark of the beast.
The image of the beast.
Beasts of the earth.

Locusts.

Wormwood.

Smoke.

Gog and Magog.
To eat a prophecy.
To seal up a vision.

figure for the ministration
of the Word of God.
Two-fold character of the
sacred ministry.*
An apostolic church.
Christian example and pre-
cept.
Christ and his church.

Men in general.
True believers.

Idolatry.
Papal Rome.

Men void of spiritual minds;
earthly, sensual.
An invading army.
Bitterness of persecution.
Something which confounds

or hinders spiritual vision.
Infidel host; infidel league.
To receive and digest it.
To hide it from the church
for an appointed time.

* Some hold an opinion, founded on important passages of scripture, that the two great ordinances and offices of the magistracy and ministry are signified by "the two olive-trees," (Zech. IV. and Rev. XI.); but an objection arises, that the civil magistracy, although it protects the church, does not minister instrumentally the unction of the Spirit, so strikingly figured by the pouring forth of the golden oil into the recipient "bowl," for the illumination of the "candlestick" or church. (Zech. IV. 3, 12.) The priesthood, in God's hand, is the instrument for this purpose. The officiating priest is “ambassador" (2 Cor. v. 20) and plenipotentiary of the Prince of Peace, as well as minister at the altar; and in building up and nourishing the church of Christ, he is, by virtue of his office, the Zerubbabel and Joshua of the Gospel dispensation under the great antitype, the Lord Jesus Christ.

GENERAL

VIEW OF THE APOCALYPSE,

AS COMPREHENDED UNDER THE HEADS OF

THE SEALS, TRUMPETS, AND VIALS.

THE SEVEN SEALS relate to the ecclesiastical state of Christendom. They embrace a period from the promulgation of the Gospel to the rapture of the Saints.

THE SEVEN TRUMPETS have reference to the political state of Christendom, as regards the changes in the universal government. They occupy a period from the overthrow of the imperial government by the Goths, &c., to the establishment of Messiah's kingdom.

THE SEVEN VIALS correspond with the sitting of the judgment upon Antichrist. Their outpouring commenced A.D. 1793, and will continue unto his final destruction.

It should be clearly understood, that sacred prophecy has relation to the Church of Christ in her sojourn upon earth, and the portion of profane history which it embraces, is that only immediately connected with ITS interests; this, it is true, draws

a Daniel, VII. 10.

B

extensively from the pages of Gibbon and the national records of the prophetic earth; but much error and fruitless speculation arises from a prevailing supposition that prophecy is destined to grasp the entire outline of secular history, connected with the kingdoms of ancient Rome. Thus, the sacred volume is in danger to be wrested from its legitimate object, and the prophetic narrative diverted from its course, to amuse the notional conceptions of mere speculative minds.

THE SEALS.

1. Progress of the pure Gospel. 2. Arianism and sectarian strife. 3. Popery.

4. Infidelity.

5. Waiting of the saints.

6. Slaying of the witnesses, and appearing of the Son

of man.

7. Suspension of a visible hierarchy.

THE TRUMPETS.

1. Invasion of the Roman territories by the Goths, Vandals, and Huns.

2. Overthrow of the imperial government of Rome. 3. Commencement of the secular power of the Papacy. 4. Subjugation of the reigning powers to the Papacy. 5. Mohammed's imposture and the Saracenic wars. 6. Conquests of the Turks.

7. The LAST GREAT POLITICAL change, when "the KINGDOMS OF THIS WORLD become the KINGDOMS of our LORD and of HIS CHRIST."

THE VIALS.

1. Outbreakings of infidelity.

2. Visitation on the secular state of a vast antichristian kingdom.

3. Visitation on minor antichristian states.

4. Reign and tyranny of one potentate over the apostate earth.

5. Expulsion of the pope, and seizure of the estates of the church.

6. Exhaustion of the Turkish empire.

7. Final destruction of Antichrist.