enquire from the Scriptures whether that interpretation which has the sanction of antiquity, and which was, so far as I know, unquestioned in the Christian Church for more than a thousand years, is not the true one. To myself it certainly appears the most simple and natural. It is not my present object to attack or discuss modern schemes founded on the notion that in these prophecies a "day" means a "year;" but I must say that it is matter of astonishment to me that any thoughtful person can for a moment entertain them; and I am most of all surprised that those who hold the primitive doctrine of the Church respecting the Second Advent, and the Personal Reign of Christ on Earth, should (as it seems to me in spite of their avowed principles of interpretation) adopt the modern exposition of the prophecies respecting Antichrist. Those ancient doctrines have of late years been revived, and, I thank God, are spreading; but I believe they will never be consistently or convincingly maintained, until they who hold them shall have returned to something like the primitive doctrine respecting Antichrist.

I do not mean by this to express a belief of all the opinions which have been broached by early writers on these points; or, on the present occasion, to maintain the doctrine of the early church concerning them, any farther than I have here stated it; but so far it ap

conviction of common sense, respecting things which are self-evident; and this certainty (which is in fact the basis of all demonstration) I think the reader will feel, who carefully reads the Epistles to the Thessalonians, and considers their language and their scope.

pears to me to be more worthy of reception than any of the systems which are built on the idea of a period of 1260 years. These systems, as I have said, it is not my purpose here to oppose in detail. I write now rather with a view to plain, thoughtful, and (if there be such) unprejudiced readers, than to the authors or compilers of those systems, who as far as I have ever been able to find are almost the only persons who understand or believe them.

When I express a doubt about finding unprejudiced readers, I do not mean to use the word in an invidious sense; but I believe it is simply true that most persons who are likely to read this tract, are so far prejudiced—that is, have so far prejudged the matter of which it treats-as to have taken for granted, when they thought of it at all, that the popular interpretation was the right one. All they certainly knew was that they understood neither the prophecies themselves, nor the controversies to which they had given rise. They therefore never once thought of forming an opinion for themselves, but charitably (or perhaps I should say indolently) took for granted that large and laborious expositions which they had no inclination, perhaps no power, to criticise were right.

But those who yield this cold assent are not aware of the sacrifice of common sense which it requires them to make on points respecting which they are very competent judges. Let it be granted that they know nothing of the scraps of history which are picked out and strung together to fill up the 1260 years-nothing

about Justinian and Phocas, Pepin and Charlemagnethat they are wholly bewildered after a very few turns among the Ostrogoths and Visigoths, the Sueves and Alanes, the Heruli and Turingi, the Huns and Lombards, and are glad to give them their share, or any body else's in the ten Kingdoms, to get rid of them that with the same thankful indifference they hand over the Turkish Sultanies, which they had never before heard of, to Ghelaluddaulas, Sedijduddaulas, cognomine Cutlumusus, Sjarfuddulas, and Tagjuddaulas3. These are to be sure points on which not one reader in a hundred has any knowledge whatever, or of which he would ever have heard at all but for books on the prophecies. But there are, as I have said, others on which any person of plain common sense is competent to form an opinion. For instance ;

"And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; and the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. And the heaven departed as a scrowl when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens, and in the rocks of the mountains; and said to the mountains and rocks 'Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath

of the Lamb: for the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand ?” Rev. vi. 12.

Can any man moderately acquainted with the Christian faith, and the Word of God, doubt that this passage refers to the day of judgment? If it does not, may we not question whether there is any passage in the Scriptures about the Day of Judgment at all? Surely some who read these lines will wonder at my asking such questions; and will hardly believe me when I tell them that Brightman, Henry More, Gill, Lowman, Bishop Newton, Doddridge, Faber, Holmes, Hales, and I know not how many other commentators tell us that this tremendous prediction was fulfilled in the days of Constantine. Does the reader hesitate to receive the astounding information, and ask how any one ever came to think of such a thing? Bishop Newton will frankly tell him-"the SERIES of the Prophecy REQUIRES this application." Vol. III. p. 70.-Perhaps we may agree with him so far as to admit that his system cannot stand without this application; but it is rather too gross an insult to common sense to add, as he does, that "ALL the phrases and expressions will EASILY admit of such a construction." To be sure, if we may go so far away from the plain letter of scripture, it will easily admit of any construction; and therefore this language which appeared to the long list of writers whom I have mentioned, to predict the setting up of CHRISTIANITY on the ruins of PAGANISM under Constantine, has appeared to Mr. Cuninghame,

Mr. Frere, Mr. Irving, and others, to predict the setting up of ATHEISM, on the ruins of CHRISTIANITY, at the French revolution. The reader may chuse which he pleases,-one may be, just as easily as the other, made out to be the "GREAT DAY of the WRATH OF THE LAMB❞—but to suppose that the prophecy refers to the Day of Judgment, however the language of Scripture may demand it, will violate chronology, and overthrow their systems.

Surely if these Prophecies are Holy Scripture, and were "written for our learning," it is high time that the common sense of the Christian Church should be aroused, to seek after some interpretation which may do less violence to the Word of God.

4 Some readers will recollect that Mr. Frere's system, which had previously been popular, obtained a great increase of circulation and influence from being adopted by Mr. Irving. In a recent publication of that system, which will be noticed presently, the interpretation of this passage of the Apocalypse tells us, "The emblems are to be read of the dethronement of the King of France, and execution of himself and his queen, the terror and flight of the principal nobility, and establishment of Democracy in 1792." p. 40.

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