protects us. They put us to death, but we are crowned with immortality; by killing us they deprive us of this world, but paradise is offered us in its stead: our temporal life is extinguished, but is changed into eternal.' Cyprian. de exhort. mart. c. 12. Such ought to be the reflections of those who shall exist in the next age. The complexion of that period will be similar to that of the first age under the persecuting Roman emperors, and will exceed it in violence and cruelty. The consideration therefore of the behaviour of the primitive Christians is the best preparation that can be recommended to their successors in the last age. Let them add to it another reflection, which should never be absent from their mind, namely, the immortal glory and happiness, which Christ expressly promises and describes as the portion of all those who shall sacrifice to him their lives in the persecution of Antichrist. "These are they who are come out of the great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and have made them white in the blood of the Lamb. - Therefore they are before the throne of God, and they serve him day and night in his temple: and he, that sitteth on the throne, shall dwell over them. They shall no more hunger or thirst, neither shall the sun fall on them or any heat. For the Lamb, which is in the midst of the throne, shall rule them, and shall lead them to the fountains of the waters of life, and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.' Apoc. vii. 14, &c.

Besides the reasons we have given above, the necessity of beginning to inculcate the preceding lessons to the present rising generation appears the more, when we consider the general decay of religion which now prevails. So little is the practice of morality attended to, so little even is religion thought of, that we see already no small progress made towards that apostacy, as St. Paul calls it, or towards that general defection from faith, and that degeneracy of morals, which will take place before the great minister of Satan, Antichrist, appears.

How swift indeed must be the decline of true faith, while free-thinking grows at such a pace? While every one seems to fix it as a principle, to believe nothing more than his reason comprehends, or that coincides with his own private humour? What practice of morality can we expect from people, who are immersed in worldly pleasures or in pursuits of private interest, who never spend a moment of thought about eternity, nor scarce ever address their God and Creator in a short prayer? And is not this the general course of life of the present generation of mankind? Certainly then, due care should be taken to prevent as many of the new rising race as possible from being infected by this pestiferous corruption, and to prepare them to be enrolled in the list of the few elect of the approaching time. When a tide of irreligion and infidelity has broken in, and is seen to swell every day, what wonder if the period approach, when God will bring all to the test, and try them as metal in a fiery furnace, in order to discriminate between the good and the bad, and to separate the sound from the unsound grain? The few that will remain firm and staunch under all temptations and persecution, will shine with great lustre in those days, when the bulk of mankind will suffer themselves to be seduced so far, as to go over to Antichrist, adore him as a God, and renounce their Creator, their religion, and their own conviction. Notwithstanding the great power of Antichrist, and his faculty of performing surprising wonders, the small body of the faithful will bear away the palm of victory, by their constancy in maintaining the cause of God at the expence of their lives, and by their fortitude in not yielding to promises, threats, or torments. And thus the fruit of their perseverance will be, to see their victory completed, and the cause of religion fully vindicated, by the just judgments of God upon the impious, when he will exterminate in the most public and terrible manner that satanic man, Antichrist, with his associates, and will extirpate idolatry from the earth, and restore peace to his Church.

To these reflections we shall add one remark, that of the six vials of the wrath of God. hitherto considered, three, namely, the first, third and sixth, are poured out for the punishment of idolaters, and the other three, viz. the second, fourth, and fifth, for the punishment of heretics.

VII.

The seventh Age is the last and longest of all. It is the age of eternity. We see it ushered in by the tremendous scene of the general judgment of mankind; of whom a part are admitted into the heavenly Jerusalem or everlasting bliss, and the other or greater part are doomed to suffer inexpressible torments for all eternity in the lake of fire and brimstone. Whoever will take the pains to meditate a little on the great disparity of these two states, will certainly be moved, if he has not lost all sensibility, to use his utmost endeavours to gain the one and prevent his falling into the other. Both the happiness of the saved, and the torments of the damned, far surpass indeed our conception; but if they be even considered only in a general view, who would not shudder at the thought of being condemned to an eternal prison, in devouring flames that will never be extinguished? Which of can dwell with devouring fire? which of you can dwell with everlasting burnings? Isai. xxxiii. 14. And on the other hand, if we reflect on the possession of God, the source of all delight, joy, and felicity; with which we shall be filled according to the whole capacity of our being, and this without even the least interruption or allay, are we not transported with the most vehement desire of attaining such a happy state? They shall be inebriated with the plenty of thy house; and thou shalt make them drink of the torrent of thy pleasure.' Psal. xxxv. 9. To this all-happy state let us then 'by our good works make our election secure.' Let us spare no pains for it during the short period of our existence here. The recompense will infinitely exceed our labour, and the time of our labour bears O proportion to eternity.

6

you

CONCLUSION.

THUS have we seen the whole history of the Church of Christ traced from her birth through her various difficulties and trials, through her persecutions from idolaters, and convulsions by heresies; under all which, she shone bright like the sun by the vigour of her faith and fortitude: nor was it in the power of hell and earth, though combined together, to crush her or hinder her growth. We have had a view of the admirable economy, according to which Christ rules this his Church; we have seen the special care with which he protects her, and with what severity he punishes those who dare injure her. By these means he makes her triumph over al! her enemies, even in this world; and her victory will be finally crowned with that transcendant and ineffable glory to which she will be raised at that period when time shall be no more.

Hence it appears, that if to the history of the Apocalypse we add the books of the Old Testament, there rises a general history of the Church or people of God through the whole period of the existence of mankind. The book of Genesis gives us the creation of the first man; and his history, with that of the Patriarchs and the Israelites, is related in that and the subsequent books of the Old Scripture, with some short intervals of interruption, down to the birth of Christianity. Then begins the Apocalypti cal account of the Christians, successors to the Jews; which carries on their history to the end of time, and even to their migration into the heavenly Jerusalem, where it places them in the unchangeable state of neverending bliss.

Nothing further now remains but to request, that this present history may be received by the readers in that view for which it was intended, namely, for their instruction: They are now become sensible, we presume, of the utility of studying the Apocalypse. And what indeed can be more express on that head than the declaration of Christ himself, which we beg leave here to repeat: 'Blessed is he, that readeth and heareth the words of this prophecy and keepeth those things which are written in it. Apoc. i. 3. And again: 'Blessed is he that keepeth the words of the prophecy of this book.' Apoc. xxii. 7. That this advice may be attended to is our sincere wish, and here we close the present work with the blessing delivered in the last verse of this admirable prophecy: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.”

In the preceding explanation the different parts of the Apocalypse having been related in a transposed order, we here subjoin the whole text by itself. And at the end of each verse the page is marked where that verse is explained; except with regard to the second and third chapters, which not appertaining to the general history of the Church, have not been explained.

THE

APOCALYPSE OF ST. JOHN,

THE

'APOSTLE AND EVANGELIST.

CHAPTER I.

THE Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to make known to his servants, the things which must shortly come to pass; and signified, sending by his angel, to his servant John. See p. 23.

2. Who hath given testimony to the word of God, and the testimony of Jesus Christ, what things soever he hath seen. p. 23.

3. Blessed is he, that readeth and heareth the words of this prophecy; and keepeth those things which are written in it. For the time is at hand. p 25.

4. John to the seven churches which are in Asia, Grace be unto you and peace from him that is, and that was, and that is to come, and from the seven spirits which are before the throne. p. 26

5. And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth: who hath loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood. p. 27.

6. And hath made us a kingdom and priests to God and his Father to him be glory and empire for ever and ever. Amen. p 27.

:

7. Behold, he cometh with the clouds, and every eye shall see him, and they also that pierced him. And all the tribes of the earth shall bewail themselves because of him. Even so. Amen p. 28.