And the result of his inquiries was of a twofold character. On the one hand the untenableness of many statements and opinions of Apocalyptic Interpreters of the Protestant School, such as Mr. M. had exposed, appeared palpable. On the other hand the general truth of their view of the Apocalyptic prophecies concerning Babylon and the seven-headed Beast, as having fulfilment in Papal Rome and the Popedom, appeared to him equally indubitable; and consequently that any theory of the prophecy which repudiated all idea of such fulfilment could not be true. His conviction to this effect was confirmed by consideration of the obvious and very striking chronological intimation given to St. John at the outset of the visions, (Apoc. iv. 1,) "Come up, and I will shew thee what must happen after these things;" i. e. after the state of things previously depicted as then existing, in the Epistles to the Seven Churches of Asia. It seemed to him that it would have been an almost direct violation of this intimation, had the prefigurations thereupon given represented no events of earlier occurrence than such as. were to happen in a distant futurity of at least 1800 years after St. John; indeed none earlier than the very eve of Christ's Second Advent. Under this impression he could not but feel persuaded that there must have taken place in reality, although apparently up to that time undiscovered, some more exact fulfilment, in accordance with the year-day principle, of those several Apocalyptic prophecies, against the Protestant interpretations of which, previously offered, exception had justly been made: more especially of those of the Seals, of the Vision of the rainbow-crowned Angel of Apoc. x, of the Witnesses' Death and Resurrection, of the seventh Head of the seven-headed Beast, of the Beast's Image, and in fine of the structure of the Apocalypse itself. It so happened that he had soon after occasion to direct his careful attention to one of these prophecies, viz. that of the Witnesses' Death and Resurrection, which both by reason of its own details, and from its intimate and necessary connexion alike with the prefigurations that precede and that follow it, appeared almost more than any other to involve in its solution the true principles of Apocalyptic interpretation; and that he found in history what seemed to be precisely the explanation that had been wanted:-an explanation which was thereupon published by him in the Investigator, and which has been since substantially adopted by Mr. Birks and Mr. Bickersteth. By this discovery, as he supposed it, and another that followed, of what appeared to him the true meaning of the Image of the Beast, he was confirmed in his belief and hope, that through careful investigation the right solution of other more obscure points might be discovered also. But it was evident that for such investigation prolonged and careful researches were necessary; researches such as he had neither time nor facilities for in a village retirement, and amidst the avocations of a parochial ministry. Soon after this, however, he was providentially called, in consequence of the dangerous illness of one most nearly allied to him in domestic life, to quit his Living in Nottinghamshire for a warmer climate. Thus the leisure and opportunity for research that he had needed were brought unexpectedly within his reach and the strongly-urged request of his excellent friend Mr. Bickersteth, concurred with the previous inclination of his own mind, in deciding him to apply himself seriously to the work. : The difficulty of the Seals met him at the outset. For the most careful reconsideration of the subject only confirmed him in his conviction of the utter untenableness of the several solutions of them offered by the best-known Protestant Expositors alike that by Mr. Faber on one theory of Apocalyptic structure, that by Messrs. Woodhouse, Cuninghame, and Bickersteth on another, and (in so far as regarded the three earlier Seals) that by Mede and Bishop Newton also, on yet another. Thus he felt himself positively compelled, on this introductory part of the prophecy, to seek a truer solution. And in commencing his researches after it, there were two preliminary presumptions on which he judged that he might safely proceed. The one presumption was that, supposing the fortunes of the Roman World and Christendom, from St. John's time down to the consummation, to have been the subjects of Apocalyptic figuration, the æras successively chosen by the Divine Spirit for delineation must have been the most important and eventful in the history of Christendom :-the other, that the emblems introduced into and constituting each prefigurative picture, must have been emblems in every case suitable to the æra and subject, and in considerable measure characteristic and distinctive. Were the problem proposed to any student or artist of competent attainments to depict a nation's history in a series of pictures, what should we think of him were he to select other than its most important æras for delineation? What if, in the delineations themselves, he were to introduce emblems or costumes inappropriate to the æra; or so to generalize in them that the pictures might equally well refer to twenty other æras and subjects, as to those intended? And if, with reference to any superior human artist, such a handling of the subject would be deemed discreditable, insomuch as à priori scarce to be believed of him,-how much rather should the idea be rejected as incredible, of the Divine Spirit having so handled the subjects of the Apocalyptic prophecy!-Proceeding on these principles and persuasions, light soon began to dawn on the Author's mind, as he prosecuted his researches into the pictures of the earlier Apocalyptic Seals and, as he still went on somewhat laboriously, to complete what was wanting to a more perfect understanding on the subject, the twilight seemed to him to brighten into day. Thus far the investigation had been almost purely literary in its character. And it was the Author's original intention to have confined himself to these and other such-like more literary subjects of investigation; omitting others that might be rather of a theological nature: especially if involving controverted questions; those only excepted which concern the grand differences between Protestantism and Popery. On this plan the Work would have been a series of Essays, in illustration of such of the obscurer parts of the Apocalypse as the Author, by critical historical or antiquarian research, might deem that he had been enabled to un-* ravel; and in extent one within the limits of a single Volume. But, as he proceeded, he found that the several parts of the sacred Book were so intimately connected together, that however successfully he might have explained certain detached passages of importance, he would almost certainly fail of working any thorough conviction of the truth of his explanations, in the minds of his more accurate and cautious readers; because of the conclusions thereon involving conclusions also on other closely connected passages, the correctness of which, prior to proof, they might by no means be prepared to admit. Moreover, as he seemed to himself to have perceived in some of those self-same more directly theological parts of the prophecy a meaning quite different from any that had before been supposed to attach to them,-and this in matters of no slight importance, it became a serious question with him whether he would be justified in shrinking back, through fear of controversy, from declaring what he believed, on apparently clear evidence, to be the revealed truth of God. Nor was this, the voice of conscience, one which he dared resist. Thus the Work became not only materially different from what he had first intended, and very much extended beyond the limits originally proposed, but one also to which, from the circumstance of its involving theological as well as literary questions, he could not but feel that a vastly increased amount of responsibility attached. And certainly he may say that he carried this sense of responsibility into the execution of the Work. He has spared neither time nor trouble in seeking out the true meaning of each part of the prophecy; and carefully watched lest any wrong prejudice or pre-possession should warp his judgment concerning it. It has been his habit always in the first instance to consider the simple grammatical meaning of the prophetic passage, comparing scripture with scripture; then to consult the most authentic histories of the *period supposed to be alluded to, (often those of original authority,) and, where necessary, such works also as might furnish antiquarian illustration. This done, and his own independent judgment formed thereon, his next step generally has been to refer to the most approved and elaborate Commentators on the subject, more especially those of different views from his own; and to weigh their arguments, ere coming to any final conclusion. One thing, he may confidently say with Pascal, has in the execution of this Work been above all things his object;—that is, the discovery of THE TRUTH. Deeply conscious of the worthlessness of any unsubstantiated dictum or opinion of his own, he has deemed it essential, in order to the Reader's satisfaction, to submit the evidence with somewhat more than usual fulness, on which in each case that opinion may have been grounded. Hence the Notes, which in large part contain it, have swelled at times to an extent for the most part undesirable. But the Apocalyptic subject is one altogether peculiar ;-being at once so important, so difficult, and so controverted. Consequently he has no fear of this being made a matter of complaint by any of the more judicious and intelligent of his readers; but the contrary.-And there is yet another point in which he has thought it right to enlarge, beyond what may by some persons be deemed the proper limits of prophetic exposition; viz. in the political and historic sketches which he has here and there introduced sketches drawn up however as briefly as might consist with their proper distinctness and com : |