removing difficulties is, the taking notice of the order of the different parts that compofe this prophetic book. St. John gives all the feals together, then all the trumpets, and laftly the vials in the fame manner. Under

the feven feals a series of transactions is related, which belong to the feven fucceffive ages of the Church, and which terminate with the great day of judgment. The fame course is observed in the trumpet and the vials. But we must however remark, that, after finishing with the trumpets, he does not proceed immediately to the vials: nevertheless he obferves the fame rule, namely, in returning, after the feventh trumpet, to relate a new feries of events, but which are confined to the first, third, fixth, and feventh ages; these ages being the moft interefting to the Church, as the three firft of them exhibit the history of idolatry, and the laft or seventh relates to the general judgment. This narrative is given in the chapters xii. xiii. xiv.; and as it is joined to that of the trumpets, it partakes of the nature of them, that is, it defcribes events that are alarming to the Church, with the addition however of fome incidents or promifes that adminifter comfort in thofe alarming circumftances.

The prophet having thus carried us on to the end of time, begins again with the first age, and rehearses under the feven vials, in chap. xv. xvi. a new courfe of tranfactions that runs through all the feven ages. This narrative being terminated, he returns back, as he had done after the account of the trum

and there explained a particular paffage, without attempting the whole, and fometimes only given a moral expofition of it. But in this we need not wonder, because as the Apocalypfe is the hiftory of Chrift's Church through the whole time of its existence, fo few events had happened when they wrote, that the greateft part of the book muft have appeared to them inexplicable. Hence we see the advantage of the present times for unravelling the myfteries of the Apocalypfe, when fo confiderable a fhare of them has been fulfilled. Whoever looks back into the hiftory of the Church, and compares attentively the facts with the expreffions of St. John, will fee a diftinct analogy and connection between them. It must however be allowed, there remain yet very many obfcurities, which if we have not always fufficiently cleared, we hope the indulgent reader will confider the difficulty and excufe the defect.

The principal help for removing the obscurities of the Apocalypse arises from a right understanding of its general tendency. If a wrong fyftem be adopted, the difficulty of reconciling the different parts of the prophecy becomes infuperable: and this has appeared fully in the attempts of feveral interpreters. But, when the plan of the book is discovered and afcertained, the difficulties decrease and the obfcurities gradually disappear. Thus a furprising light breaks in upon the Apocalypfe, ' when we view it as the Hiftory of Chrift's Church divided into feven periods or ages, as we have above explained. A fecond means of

removing difficulties is, the taking notice of the order of the different parts that 'compofe this prophetic book. St. John gives all the feals together, then all the trumpets, and laftly the vials in the fame manner. Under

the feven feals a feries of tranfactions is related, which belong to the feven fucceffive ages of the Church, and which terminate with the great day of judgment. The fame courfe is obferved in the trumpet and the vials. But we must however remark, that, after finishing with the trumpets, he does not proceed immediately to the vials: nevertheless he obferves the fame rule, namely, in returning, after the feventh trumpet, to relate a new feries of events, but which are confined to the firft, third, fixth, and feventh ages; thefe ages being the most interesting to the Church, as the three firft of them exhibit the history of idolatry, and the laft or seventh relates to the general judgment. This narrative is given in the chapters xii. xiii. xiv.; and as it is joined to that of the trumpets, it partakes of the nature of them, that is, it defcribes events that are alarming to the Church, with the addition however of fome incidents or promifes that adminifter comfort in thofe alarming circumftances.

The prophet having thus carried us on to the end of time, begins again with the first age, and rehearfes under the feven vials, in chap. xv. xvi. a new courfe of transactions that runs through all the feven ages. This narrative being terminated, he returns back, as he had done after the account of the trum

pets, to a new course of hiftory, relating to the first, third, fixth, and seventh ages, beginning at chap. xvii. and ending with verfe 10th of chap. xix. This piece of history is of fuch a nature as agrees with that of the vials to which it is joined, that is, it is a rehearsal of divine punishments; to which are annexed exultations on thefe victories of Chrift over his enemies. This being done, the prophet, according to his cuftom, begins again a new narrative of events, of the fame nature as the preceding, and which alfo belong to those interefting ages, the firft, third, fixth, and feventh. This narrative begins at verse 11th of chap. xix. and continues to the end of chap. xx. Finally, the two laft chapters conclude the prophecy, with an account of the other world, as it will be after the clofe of all time. Hence then appears the order observed in this incomparable prophecy of the Apocalypfe. As the whole Hiftory of the Church, therein contained, is divided into feven Ages, fo it is related, not indeed all that part together which belongs to each age, but in feven different feries of events, fix of which reach from the first age to the last day, and the seventh is the defcription of the next world. The firft of these feries is given under the feals, the fecond under the trumpets; the third in the chapters xii. xiii. xiv. the fourth under the vials; the fifth in chapters xvii. xviii. and part of chapter xix.; the fixth in the reft of chapter xix. and in chapter xx.; and the feventh in chapters xxi. and xxii. This fevenfold divifion is conformable to the conftant use

removing difficulties is, the taking notice of the order of the different parts that 'compofe this prophetic book. St. John gives all the feals together, then all the trumpets, and laftly the vials in the fame manner. Under

the feven feals a feries of tranfactions is related, which belong to the feven fucceffive ages of the Church, and which terminate with the great day of judgment. The same course is obferved in the trumpet and the vials. But we must however remark, that, after finishing with the trumpets, he does not proceed immediately to the vials: nevertheless he obferves the fame rule, namely, in returning, after the seventh trumpet, to relate a new feries of events, but which are confined to the firft, third, fixth, and feventh ages; these ages being the most interefting to the Church, as the three firft of them exhibit the hiftory of idolatry, and the laft or seventh relates to the general judgment. This narrative is given in the chapters xii. xiii. xiv.; and as it is joined to that of the trumpets, it partakes of the nature of them, that is, it defcribes events that are alarming to the Church, with the addition however of fome incidents or promifes that adminifter comfort in thofe alarming circumftances.

The prophet having thus carried us on to the end of time, begins again with the first age, and rehearses under the feven vials, in chap. xv. xvi. a new courfe of transactions that runs through all the feven ages. This narrative being terminated, he returns back, as he had done after the account of the trum