XII.] Promise and Blessing. 397 commandments, that they may have right unto the tree of life, and enter in through the gates into the city"." "Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto him be glory in the Church by Christ Jesus, throughout all ages, world without end. Amen '." 9 Ibid. vv. 12-14. 1 Eph. iii. 20, 21. APPENDIX. 66 LECTURE I. Page 14, Note 6.—(Comp. p. 17, Note 2.) In the preface to his later work, Dean Woodhouse thus states "the rules or canons, which in the former work were proposed by" him, as the chart and compass" (to use his own words) "to direct my course, in the untried sea upon which I was about to embark." "In entering upon this most important consideration, the question which first commanded my attention was, 'From what source can we reasonably expect to derive the safest and surest means of understanding the figurative prophetical language of the Apocalypse?' The proper answer appeared obvious; . . . . for if the Apocalypse be of Divine revelation, an uniformity may be expected to subsist between this and other portions of Sacred Scripture. This, then, ... was the first principle upon which I resolved to ground my method of investigation ;-to compare the language, the symbols, the predictions, of the Apocalypse with those of former revelations; and to admit only such interpretation as should appear to have the sanction of this Divine authority. "A second controlling principle seems necessary. For, as the language, symbols, and predictions thus interpreted by the assistance of Scripture, were to be applied afterwards to historical facts, a preliminary question seemed to occur,-To what kind of history are they to be applied? to profane history or sacred? to the extensive and boundless mass of the Gentile history, or, exclusively, to that of God's chosen people? To assist me in answering this question, I had recourse to the preceding prophecies of the Old and New Testament. How have we been autho rized to explain these? In what kind of history do they appear to have been accomplished? The answer was at hand-The history of the Church of God. For in this sacred history we find the Divine prophecies principally, and almost exclusively fulfilled: for, whenever sacred prophecy is seen to deviate from this its peculiar object, it is in such instances only, wherein the fortunes of God's people have become necessarily involved with those of heathen nations. . . . . Therefore the prophecies of the Apocalypse appeared to be applicable principally, if not solely, to the fates and fortunes of the Christian Church. .... And I conceived myself bound to adopt, as a controlling principle of interpretation, that unless the language and symbols of the Apocalypse should, in particular passages, direct, or evidently require, another mode of application, the predictions were to be applied to events occurring in the progressive kingdom of Christ. "In the wide field of universal history, innumerable events may be selected by the industry of investigators, seeming to bear resemblance to the figurative pictures of Holy Writ. . . . . Some restriction is therefore necessary to guide investigation ; . . . . and what can be deemed more proper than this principle, which derives its authority from the analogy of Sacred Scripture? "A third controlling principle seemed also requisite, arising from a consideration of the nature and kind of that kingdom which had thus appeared to be the grand object of the prophecies. It is a kingdom not temporal, but spiritual; . . . . "Such a kingdom may be, in a great degree, independent of the fates and revolutions of empires; affected only by those changes in the political world which are calculated to produce the increase or decline of religious knowledge, and of pure profession and practice. . . . . "In adopting the rule now under consideration, I have been obedient to the direction of Holy Scripture, which has required a spiritual interpretation of its mysteries, (1 Cor. ii. 12—15:) they are not to be taken according to the bare letter, (2 Cor. iii. 6,) nor in a carnal and worldly acceptation (John vi. 26—63). .... " From these considerations, this third rule of interpretation may be thus expressed :- "3. That as the kingdom of Christ, the object of the Apocalyptic prophecies, is spiritual, so they are to be understood in a spiritual sense. Spiritual things are to be compared with spiritual, as says St. Paul (1 Cor. ii. 13). A fourth general rule of interpretation has been also adopted in the prosecution of this work. Not to attempt the particular explanation of prophecies which remain yet to be fulfilled.”—Preface to Annotations, pp. xvi—xxiii. LECTURE II. Page 25, Note 3.-Josephus thus gives the interpretation by Daniel of Nebuchadnezzar's vision. "The head of gold signified thee, and the Babylonian kings which were before thee; and the two hands and shoulders indicate that your empire shall be dissolved by two kings: and their empire shall another (conqueror) destroy, coming from the west, clad in brass; and the strength of this empire shall another put an end to, which shall be like unto iron, and shall have power over all, because of the strength of iron, inasmuch as it is more firm than gold, and silver, and brass. Daniel also explained to the king concerning the stone; but I have not thought fit to relate this, my business being to give a history of things past and done, and not to write of things future. But if any one, eager after truth, will not give over concerning himself about it, so as to be desirous to learn concerning things obscure whether they will happen, let him carefully read the book of Daniel, which he will find among our sacred writings.”—Antiq. Jud. lib. x. cap. 10, 4. It is sufficiently clear, from the reserve which Josephus shews, what he understood by the fourth empire. Evidently, as Bp. Chandler observes, " he had a better reason than he gave he feared to offend the power in being, whose protection he needed, and which, he foresaw, must be offended, if he should publish the hope of his captive D d |