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LETTER VIII.

A minute interpretation of the fourteenth Chapter of the Apocalypse, as illustrative of the type of Jericho, and containing A description of the Protestant British nation; Their dissemination of the Scriptures;-Their prophetic announcements ;-Their exhortation addressed to the Papists, to quit Babylon ;-The blessing pronounced upon them as labourers in the cause of Christ;-The separation and deliverance of believers, in answer to their prayer;-The destruction of unbelievers. -Conclusion.

I Now proceed to give a particular and minute interpretation of the fourteenth chapter of the Apocalypse, already briefly referred to in the preceding letter, as describing the preparatory labours of the Church previous to the fall of the mystic Babylon, and the destruction of the kingdoms of this world; corresponding to those of faithful Rahab in the typical history; and to shew the application of that ancient type to events taking place in the latest ages of the Christian Church.

This chapter, according to the regular chronological character of the Apocalypse, belongs to the period during which the vials of divine wrath are poured out upon the papal Church and nations, succeeding immediately, as it does, to the description given in the thirteenth chapter of the "forty-two months" of papal persecution: these vials of judgment are not however here announced, being deferred to the supplementary history of chap. xv. xvi., because they are common to the prophetic history of the western Roman empire (consisting of iv.-vii.), to that of the eastern Roman empire (consisting of viii.-x. 7),

and to that of the Church (consisting of x. 8-xiv.*), and the chapter under consideration, belonging exclusively to the history of the Church, is filled up by the interesting contrast of the gracious dealings of the Lord Jesus Christ with the protestant British people, as his true and faithful servants, the security and peace granted to them, and their works and labours of love, carried on in their ecclesiastical character, during this period of wrath; designed for the important purpose of preparing the world for the great judgment of Armageddon; with a description of which judgment the chapter terminates.

It is to be remarked that generally throughout the Apocalypse, as well as in this instance, a contrast is maintained between the papal Church and nations, and the protestant British Church and nation; because, as far as regards the western Roman empire, it contains only the history of the nine papal and the one protestant nation, referred to by the ten horns of Dan. vii. and of Rev. xii. xiii. and xvii.†, corresponding to the distinction which formerly existed under the ancient dispensation between the whole body of the Gentiles, and the single nation of the Jews, who were the peculiarly favoured people of God, and chosen by him to be the depositaries of divine truth; whence it is under the symbol of the Gentile idolators, who tread under foot the outer court of the temple, that the papal idolators are described (Rev. xi. 3) as desecrating the visible Church of Christ during the period of the 1260 years; while on the other hand, when the first

* See "Treatise on the General Structure of the Apocalypse," pages 11, 12. The ten kingdoms of the western Roman empire are Ravenna, Lombardy, and Rome, constituting the temporal dominion of the Papacy—the kingdom of Naples— the kingdom of Piedmont united with Sardinia-the empire of Austria—the kingdom or empire of France-the kingdom of Spain-the kingdom of Portugaland the kingdom of Great Britain. See "Combined View of the Prophecies."

French revolution, under the symbol of the earthquake of the sixth seal, is described as having taken place, fol lowed by the announcement of "the great day of the wrath of the Lamb," and the spirit of political violence and discord is about to be let loose like the four winds to destroy the universal papal Roman empire, its earth, its sea, and its trees, it is under the contrasted symbol of the one hundred and forty and four thousand out of all the tribes of Israel, that the protestant British nation are represented as protected from the effect of these judgments, by having the seal of the living God impressed upon their foreheads, (Rev. vi. 12, to vii. 4); and they are here shewn in their civil or national capacity as the twelve tribes, constituting the complete Israelitish nation, because chap. vii. relates to the history of the kingdoms of the world or to the civil history of the western Roman empire; and as the number one hundred and forty and four thousand is one of those which imply sacredness or perfection, the symbol altogether represents them as an elect nation, chosen by God for the enjoyment of many peculiar privileges. And "what nation (we may ask) has judgments and statutes so righteous, or what nation is there so great, who hath God so nigh unto them as the Lord our God is in all things that we call upon him for?" or what other nation amongst those of the old Roman empire can be considered as standing in the place of the ancient Jewish nation, the peculiarly favoured people of God, and thus contrasted with the papal nations, as signally preserved from the spirit of violence and discord, at the period of the first French revolution? respecting whom, also, if it be asked, as it was respecting the Jews of old, What advantage have they? it may equally be answered, "Much every way, chiefly, because that unto them are committed the oracles of God." The

prophecies of Daniel agree with the Apocalypse of St. John in this as in all other respects; for where the same and last period is treated of as in Rev. vii. and xiv., the names of "The Holy Covenant," and "The people who do know their God," which, under the ancient dispensation could describe only the Jewish nation, are used to describe the protestant British nation; who are at the same time remarkably designated as being the greatest maritime power of the day, and referred to by the figurative expression of the ships of Chittim *."

A similar contrast between the papal nations and the protestant nation of Great Britain occurs again in the Apocalypse, when the former are designated as those who

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worship the image of the beast, and who have in their foreheads the mark, and the name of the beast, and the number of his name," (Rev. xiji. 15, 17) and the latter are described as "having the name of God written in their foreheads," and as having, by the act of the Reformation, "gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name,” (Rev. xiv. 1, xv. 2).

Again, in reference to Rev. vii. 1, where it is shewn that the destruction of the papal nations is to be effected by their being given up to the unrestrained fury of the four winds, the protestant British people are contrasted with them, under the representation (Rev. xv. 2) of their

-"But the ships of Chittim shall come against him, therefore he shall return and have indignation against the Holy Covenant," Dan. xi. 30; where the passage describes the defeat of Buonaparte's projects against Egypt by the navy of Great Britain. See Combined View, pages 403–408. And again, "They that do wickedly against the Covenant shall be corrupt by flatteries, but the people who do know their God shall be valiant and do exploits." Where the formation, by the arts of Buonaparte, of the northern confederacy against the maritime superiority of Great Britain; and the dissolution of that confederacy by the victory of Lord Nelson, are the events described :-See Combined View, pages 419-429,

standing in security upon a placid and glassy sea, preserved from all such violence.

The symbol of an adulterous woman is also, in conformity to, the general figurative language of scripture, used in the Apocalypse to represent the apostate papal church, as being one who has forsaken her God, her maker, and her husband; with whom "the kings of the (papal) earth have committed fornication," (Rev. xvii. xviii. 3); while of the protestant British nation it is said, in reference to the purity of their doctrine, and their abhorrence of the papal idolatry, that they are "not defiled with women, for they are virgins," (Rev. xiv. 4). Again, we read, that during the period in which the vials of wrath are poured out upon the papists, that they repent not to give glory to God (Rev. xvi. 9, 11); but of the protestant remnant, upon the occurrence of the earthquake of the first French revolution, which ushered in this period of judgment, it is said, that they "were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven," (Rev. xi. 13); which protestant remnant are accordingly represented in the preface to these vials of wrath (Rev. xv. 3, 4) as singing "the song of Moses and the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou king of Saints. Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name?—for thy judgments are made manifest."

Thus is the sacred character of the protestant British people established alike by the prophecies of Daniel and St. John; and it is to this favoured people that the fourteenth chapter of the Apocalypse peculiarly relates, which commences with the following description.

"And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father's name written in their foreheads."