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cognomine Cutlumusus, Sjarfuddulas, and Tagjuddaulas.* 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, read Rev. vii. 12. "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 upon 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."

Can any unbiassed reader-nay, I will venture to say, any reader who is not devoted to some system of chronological interpretation,—doubt that this passage refers to the day of judgment? If it does not, may we not doubt whether there is any passage in the Scriptures about the day of judgment at all ?

Yet 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 doubt this? and ask how any one came to think of such a thing? Bishop Newton will frankly tell

* Mede's Works, p. 472.

him "the SERIES of the Prophecy REQUIRES this application."*-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 all the 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, just as easily as the other, be made out to 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 is out of the question.

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.

Vol. III. p. 70.

By the same Author,

AN ENQUIRY into the GROUNDS on which the PROPHETIC PERIOD of DANIEL and ST. JOHN has been supposed to consist of 1260 years, 8vo. 3s.

A SECOND ENQUIRY on the same Subject, containing an Examination of the Arguments of Mede-Remarks on a Passage in the Dialogues on Prophecy-on Various Reviews of the First Enquiry-and on the Common Interpretation of the Seven Heads of the Beast, 8vo. 6s.

The two Enquiries may be had together, price 9s. boards.

Edward Power, Printer, Westgate Street, Gloucester.

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