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İNTERPRETATION OF THE APOCALYPSÉ.

We are happy in being enabled to present to our readers, in the first number of our New Series, the commencement of an exposition of the Apocalypse by Mr. FRERE; with the promise, if health permits, of its being regularly continued: though we greatly regret to add, that this able writer suffers so much at times from indisposition, as to compel him to qualify his promise in this respect.

The readers of our last Volume will be aware, that we do not coincide with Mr. Frere in some important particulars of that portion of his exposition, which is already published ; and therefore we wish it to be understood, that we do not bring this exposition forward as containing our own sentiments; but as being the opinions of a writer, whose reputation stands high with many as an interpreter of prophecy, and whose sentiments we consider entitled to regard.

We take this opportunity also of correcting a mistake which crept inadvertently into our Review of Mr. Frere's works. At page 356 we stated, that he applies Daniel xi. 19, to Antiochus Epiphanes; we should have said Antiochus Magnus; for in one of the works of Mr. Frere, enumerated by us at the head of that review, he labours to prove that Antiochus Epiphanes is not the subject of that prophecy. Mr. Frere has likewise called our attention to another point-viz. that he does not make" the kings of the North and South," (Dan. Ix. 27) to be the Pope and the Emperor, but "the prince of the Covenant" and the king of the South. We are not aware of any essential difference that this makes in our remarks-Mr. F. says p. 385 of his Combined View: "I

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Mr. F. in reference to our observations on Britain being the elect nation, and on the infidel antichrist, states, that he does not change in his interpretation, in consequence of the death of Buonaparte and his son, neither on account of the present political prospect of Britain; for he always concluded that Britain would be preserved till the outpouring of the seven vials, but no longer; and he thinks that the prophecy respecting antichrist will still be enigmatically fulfilled. We forbear however to pursue the subject; as our remarks will be unintelligible to our new readers, and Mr. Frere will soon have an opportunity of expounding his views.

We have stated in our review, that we were the less able to judge of Mr. F.'s opinions, from his never having published a regular exposition of the Apocalypse, which desideratum he is now about to supply; and whatever difference of opinion either our Readers or we ourselves may entertain in regard to some portion of Mr. Frere's views, we are persuaded that they will feel with us, on the perusal of this first portion of his Exposition, that there is much in it which tends to edification, and that he treats his subject with a masterly hand.

EDITOR.

D

INTERPRETATION OF CHAPTER 1.

Amongst the evidences to the truth of Christianity, prophecy has always held a conspicuous place, and may be considered as affording a demonstration of it, even superior to that of miracles themselves: for we derive our knowledge of these only from the testimony of others, handed down to us from remote periods; whereas the fulfilment of a series of prophecies, by the occurrence of events which God alone could have foreseen, is a continued miracle, which becomes the more striking and undeniable, the farther we are removed from the times in which the predictions were given; and is one to which we ourselves are partly witnesses. May we not say, therefore, of those who will not yield to such an evidence,-" Neither would they be persuaded though one rose from the dead."

The external evidence, however, which the word of prophecy affords to the truth of Christianity, appears, comparatively speaking, to be only a secondary and incidental use of it; for as in the natural creation the heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament sheweth his handy work, so it bears witness indeed to his eternal power and godhead, but witnesses in vain to an unbelieving world. The work of creation would have been incomplete, in reference to immortal beings, had it not been accompanied by the institution of the sabbath, which, like the word of prophecy, is a token that God desires to hold intercourse with his creatures. And it is only when viewing prophecy in this its most interesting light, as the special gift of Christ to his own servants, that we can derive that blessedness from the inestimable gift of the Revelation of St. John, which is pronounced upon all those who shall read it aright, and keep its sayings.

It is in this view therefore that we shall be led to consider this divine book; and when I regret, that it should have been hitherto studied to such little effect, and that it is as yet so imperfectly known, it is not so much because the Church has lost, for a long period, the gratification to be derived from the consideration of the wisdom displayed in the perfect simplicity, yet admirable contrivance, of its outward structure,-and the living evidence to the infinite power and foreknowledge of God, displayed in the striking fulfilment of its various predictions, (though these be great deprivations ;)—but rather that they should be so inadequately acquainted with it, as an evidence of the love of Christ to his people. May he who gave it, and who will reveal it, at such times and in such degrees as seems best to his infinite wisdom, bless the feeble attempt which I now make simply to communicate something of the divine instruction it contains!

Having been disappointed, by circumstances over which I have had no control, in my intention of filing up that outline which I gave of its structure twenty years ago, it is my wish, in doing this in as brief a manner as is practicable, to endeavour to save from entire oblivion those interpretations, to which, I am myself fully persuaded, my understanding was formerly opened in answer to earnest prayer. Not that prophecy was the object, but that I desired that I might in some way or other be made useful to that Church which God had purchased with his own blood, and might have something to look back upon in another world as done in this to the honor of his holy Name.

To the Church on earth the explaining the real meaning of this

book were an event, second in importance only to the original communication of it: and if I have any cause to fear, lest it should not now be attended to, I am satisfied that it will be hereafter: for I am assured that it is amongst those things which even the angels desire to look into; for the heavens resounded with their songs of praise, and with those of the departed saints, when its seven seals were about to be opened; and they ever desire to investigate the mysteries of Christ's love to his Church. It may also be a subject of contemplation in a future state; and in the heavenly Canaan the map of the journey of the Church through the wilderness of this world many never be removed from our view.

Verse 1. This book is stated to

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be the Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto Him," because the Church could receive nothing from God but through the mediatorial office of the Saviour;-most forcibly pointing out, that man, being a sinner, has no access to God but through Christ; neither can God, consistently with the glory of his attributes, confer any blessing upon us but through the same channel.

The doctrine of Scripture (as implicitly followed by the established Church of England, and by all other orthodox communions,) is, that in God there is a plurality of persons without division of substance, and an unity of substance without confusion of persons. But this is a truth relating to spiritual things which the finite mind is not capable of embracing as a whole, and which can only be presented to it in its separate parts, which are each therefore to be understood according to the analogy of faith. Thus St. John in the opening of his gospel says-“ In the beginning was the word"-" the

word was God"-" all things were made by him,”—in which sentences the godhead of Christ and his unity with God the Father, the creator of all things, is affirmed. Blended with these plain declarations he also says, 66 'the word was with God"— and without him was not anything made that was made;" in which expressions the plurality of persons in the godhead is shewn. In like manner when we read the foregoing passage, in which God the Father is described as giving the book to Christ, that he might in his mediatorial office communicate it to his Church, we must not so understand it, as if in his divine nature Christ, who receives, were distinct from, or other than, God who gives it: for Christ declares that he and his Father are one,

that he that hath seen him hath seen the Father, and that whatsoever the Father doeth, that doeth the Son likewise. And if it is said in the first verse of the Revelation, that God the Father gave it to Christ; we find immediately afterwards, that Christ assumes to himself all the attributes of God the Father,―revealing himself to St. John as "the Lord, which is and which was and which is to come, the Almighty."

In one sense therefore we say, that Jesus Christ, who in his mediatorial capacity is said to receive the book to communicate it to his Church, is the same as God who gives it; the apparent contradiction, which is involved in this, arising only from the impossibility of either words or symbols fully explaining to finite minds truths relating to the infinite and eternal God. That which is thus declared in words, as to the way in which the book of revelation was communicated to the Church, we find symbolically represented in a subsequent part of it, where "the Lion of the tribe of Judah," or the

Lamb that had been slain," receives it from the right hand of him that sitteth on the throne; and in the sight of the glorified Church and assembled angels looses the seven seals thereof. It is here said to be given to Christ, that he might shew it unto his SERVANTS; which is in accordance with the former observation, that prophecy is addressed to the Church of Christ, and not to the world. O unwise and unthankful Church! acknowledge then the value of the communication. Read the address, for unto you it is sent; and strive diligently to make yourselves acquainted with its meaning; for it contains an account of his purposed judgments upon the world, and the means by which he will bring his Church through sufferings to glory, and ultimately vindicate their cause by the entire destruction of their enemies.

So that however protracted or severe the trials of the Church may be, collectively as well as individually; they will consider them only as light afflictions which are but for a moment, and be assured that their deliverance will "shortly come to pass." And we find that the whole of the long period during which the Church should suffer by Pagan persecution, is termed (Rev. vi. 11) "a little season." We have further to consider, that though the infliction of the judgment upon the papal and infidel Roman empire, by which it will be finally and entirely destroyed, has been long deferred; yet the destruction of the then persecuting Roman empire, and the breaking of it up into ten parts, in vindication of the blood of the martyrs, (which may justly be regarded as typical of its future more complete destruction; and which is preThough the predictions contained dicted by the first seals and trumin this book would, according to the pets, as being amongst the things common acceptation of the term, which must shortly come to pass ;) be considered as occupying a long did take place soon after the vision space of time in their fulfilment, was seen. In the same manner, they are viewed as already fulfilled the declaration of our Lord, that the in the eyes of Him with whom a judgments to be inflicted upon his thousand years are but as one day; enemies at his coming in power, and will be viewed as equally certain should be fulfilled before the generain their accomplishment by the faith- tion he addressed should have passed ful Church, who know that God is away;* or the similar one— -that of not slack concerning his promises, that generation should be required as some men count slackness; but all the righteous blood that had been that this delay affords the means shed on the earth from the blood of for the more full developement of Abel to the blood of Zechariah; his faithfulness and his mercy to- was verified in the destruction of wards them, and of his long suffer- Jerusalem with its temple, and by ing and righteous judgments towards the utter dispersion of the nation : hardened and impenitent sinners. this event being a type and anticipa* We conceive, that it has been fully established by various writers in our former volumes, that the destruction of Jerusalem was not the event intended in the prophecy of our Lord, Matt. xxiv. 30, Mark x111. 26, Luke xx1. 27, by the expression " coming in the clouds with great power and glory;" which is what we presume Mr. Frere alludes to.-But the reader will see his views further stated on verse 7. Neither do we think that our Lord, when he said—“ this generation shall not pass away till all be fulfilled," meant, that all should come to pass before all the men existing at that time should die. See the meaning of this phrase discussed at pages 53 and 376 of vol. I. and page 341 of vol. IV. See a paper also by E. in this number.-ED.

tion of the more complete destruction of all his enemies, at the end of the gentile dispensation.

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But who is the " Angel" or messenger here spoken of, employed by Christ to communicate this vision to the Church, and by whom we are told that "he sent and signified it to his servant John." The word angel in the Apocalypse and other Scriptures, is variously applied, either to Christ himself, as the angel of the covenant, to the unfallen angels, as the ministering spirits, appointed to minister unto those who shall be heirs of salvation,-to the bishops or ministers of the seven Churches of Asia,—or, as in the passage before us,-to the church in heaven, the spirits of the departed saints: for upon further examination we shall find, that the angel here employed to communicate and explain the vision to St. John, is subsequently designated as one of the elders, "a as one of the four living creatures" or cherubim,b 66 as one of the seven angels which had the seven vials" and lastly as a "fellow servant'c of St. John and one of his brethren to whom is committed the testimony of Jesus ;d or as he elsewhere calls himself one of his brethren the prophets, and of them which keep (laid up in their hearts) the sayings of this book,"e as containing the promise of their future reward. This description could properly apply only to one of the spirits of the just made perfect; and none but the Church of all the inhabitants of heaven could indeed address Christ in the words of the song used by the Elders and Cherubim who show the vision to the Apostle 'Thou hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred and 'tongue and people and nation, and ' hast made us unto our God kings

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a Rev. VII. 13. b Rev. vi. 1, 3, 5, 7. e Rev. XXII. 9. f Rev. v. 9, 10.

' and priests." So that we find here revealed, not only the future privileges of the Church, but those also which they enjoy in the intermediate state : and we are not only practically informed of the truth of the declaration of the Apostle, that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord, but also that to be present with Christ is to be made partaker with him in all the offices, which in his mediatorial capacity are conferred upon him by God the Father. Is Christ a king ?--Is he a priest ?— so also it is expressly declared by the redeemed church in heaven, that they have been made " kings and priests" unto God ;g and as he himself sustains through the Holy Spirit the prophetical office, as the teacher and instructor of his Church on earth, so it appears by the instance before us. that he bestows this office also upon his glorified Church in heaven, and employs one of them to communicate this revelation to St. John.

Under the Old Testament dispensation, the prophetical visions appear to have been shewn to Daniel by Gabriel, one of the unfallen angels; and now, in the fact here made known, that under the New Testament dispensation the like office is conferred on the church of the departed saints, we receive an intimation of the new privileges obtained by them at the death and resurrection of Christ; and a similar intimation is perhaps given, where we are told by the evangelist, that at that time the graves were opened and many dead bodies of the saints arose and went into the Holy City Jerusalem. Thus does this very first verse, as illustrated by other passages, open to us an extensive view of the present privileges and glory of the redeemed Church! c Rev, XVII. 1; g Rev. v. 10.

xxI. 9. d Rev. XIX. 10, h Matt. XXVII. 52, 53.

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