The eleventh chapter of the Apocalypse, which we are now considering, contains, however, only an epitome of the great events mentioned in it, and may be viewed in the light of a sort of table of contents of what is narrated at greater length in the chapters which follow: but this epitome, or table of contents, is so arranged as to contain chronological marks, which are of much use for the elucidation of the remaining parts of the Apocalyptic visions.

This chapter, therefore, being only an epitome of events more fully revealed afterwards, we are not to expect in it any detailed account either of the woful or the joyful part of the seventh trumpet. It is briefly declared, however, on the sounding of this trumpet, that "the temple of God was opened "in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the "ark of his testament." The compartment of the temple, which is here opened, is, as I observed in another place, the Holy of Holies; for otherwise the ark could not be seen. The opening of the Holy of Holies is indicative of the near approach of that glorious state of the Church when the tabernacle of God shall be with men, of which state the Holy of Holies was a type. The opening of the temple is also of great use in determining the place in the Apocalyptic visions, of the seven vials of wrath, which are afterwards introduced to our view, and an unanswerable argument is thence deduced that these vials all belong to the seventh trumpet for we find, that when the vision of the vials is presented to the eyes of the Apostle, he first

* Page 128.

beholds the temple opened, and then the angels having the seven vials of wrath coming out of the temple.* Now, as the temple is opened at the sounding of the seventh trumpet, and not sooner; and as these angels come out of the temple immediately on its being opened, we may thence certainly infer that chapter xv. 5, 6, is parallel in time with xi. 19, and that the vials all belong to the seventh trumpet. The vials are evidently the constituent parts of the third and last woe, being called the seven plagues, to signify to us the dreadful nature of that woe, and to indicate the complete and utter destruction which will ensue to the enemies of the Church from the effusion of the vials of wrath; the number seven being, as we have already seen, of mystical import, denoting the completeness or perfection of that to which it is attributed.

"And there were lightnings, and voices, and "thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail.” In the language of symbols, these things denote great political commotions, revolutions, and dreadful war. Now, seeing that these events immediately follow the sounding of the third woe trumpet, they must be a part of that woe; and as they are mentioned in the eleventh chapter, which is, as we have observed, a sort of table of contents, or epitome, of what is described afterwards, we may expect that they will again be related more fully in their proper place. But the seven vials of wrath have already been shown to be the constituent parts of the third woe; consequently the lightnings and

*Rev. xv. 5, 6.

voices, and thunderings, the earthquake, and great hail, above-mentioned, must be expected to recur somewhere in the vials; and accordingly we find that the same phenomena are seen under the seventh vial, and are there related with greater minuteness than in the passage which we are considering. Therefore the inference is, that the lightnings, and voices, and the earthquake, and great hail, mentioned in the eleventh chapter, are precisely the same with those of the seventh vial, and consequently that the two passages, Rev. xi. 19, and xvi. 18-21, are synchronical, and describe the same events. The use which is to be made of this conclusion, will appear when we consider the contents of the seven vials of wrath. We may further observe, that, as the earthquake of the sixth seal has already been shown to be the same with that of the seventh trumpet; it follows, that Rev. vi. 12-17, and xi. 19, and xvi. 18-21, all refer to the same period.

*

Having established the above abstract principles of synchronisation, I now proceed to apply them to History, by remarking that the seventh trumpet appears to me to have sounded at the period of the French Revolution. I am inclined, also, to think that its awful voice began on the 10th of August, 1792, when the French monarchy was overthrown; though I deem it possible that its commencement may be dated a few months earlier, when war

• Vitringa justly observes, that the parallelism of these three passages, is the true key for the interpretation of this mysterious Book. See his Comment, p. 738.

was declared against Austria by the National Assembly.

The French revolution, in its origin, progress, and consequences, is, without dispute, the most memorable event of a political nature which is recorded in the histories of nations. The mass of human misery which it has occasioned within a short space of years; the dreadful change which it has effected in the state of the civilized world; and the awful consequences with which it is yet pregnant, and which are hidden in the womb of futurity*— combine to place it foremost in the rank of those events which have been destructive of the happiness of mankind. If, therefore, the Saracen irruption, and the Turkish invasion and conquest, be the first and second woes the French revolution is unquestionably the third woe. It is that "great "earthquake, such as was not since men were upon

I feel no inclination to retract or modify this expression. It is evident, that by that revolution a new impulse has been given to the human mind towards moral evil, which is even yet in active progress. March, 1817.-2d. Edit.

The reader is requested to recollect, that the text of this work was written in the year 1812. I now write in November, 1831, after an interval of nineteen years, and I do not find it necessary to alter a single expression with reference to the character and consequences of the French Revolution. Instead of saying that this Revolution is that great Earthquake, &c., I should now, however, characterize it more specifically as the first shock of the great Earthquake, which is, in the time appointed by the Lord, to extend to every part of the Bestial empire. The ground is even now trembling under our feet, indicating the approach of some other mighty shock of the Earthquake, in which this hitherto happy country is to have the cup of trembling put into its hand.-3d. Edit.

"the earth, so mighty an earthquake and so "great."*

I have been much struck by hearing sensible and thinking men, when speaking of this stupendous event, describe it in language very nearly approaching to the symbolical style of the Apocalypse; and this without any direct or intended reference to prophecy. I have heard it compared to a destructive volcano, carrying away before it every remnant of order and social happiness; and the persons who have used this figure of speech were quite unconscious of any resemblance between their own language and that of the Apocalypse. A sensible writer in the Quarterly Review, without any reference to prophecy, expresses himself as follows, respecting the French revolution :-" We live at the commencement of an era more distinctly marked by the great and immediate revolutions with which it has been ushered in, than any other in the annals of the world. No precise line of demarcation can be traced through the twilight boundaries of ancient and modern history; but the outline which separates this new era from that which has ended with our own remembrance, is strongly and conspicuously drawn for future ages. The French revolution has, as it were, been the breaking up of the abyss; and from our ark of liberty, which rides securely upon the waters, we behold every thing around us laid waste by the deluge."

The conclusions at which I have thus arrived, in reference to the seventh trumpet, may be embodied in the following propositions :

*Rev. xvi. 18.