and then it is a double one. In the second and last of these, which is infinitely the more powerful of the two, since history, with her long array of stubborn facts, forms an element of it, the truth of the sense and of the prophecy itself, is proved in the same breath. The announcement is then made in a tone of such ineffable clearness, matchless articulation, and piercing power, as proves it to be the utterance of heaven.

When these three elements at once of elucidation and of demonstration, which they are, have been brought to bear on the work of interpretation, it will then be seen how clear, how definite, and how certain the meaning of the prophecy is. There will, then, be no ground for complaint, that the Revelation is unintelligible; it will be the most intelligible of all writings.

Let us, for the sake of example, and in order to see the effect of the combination of the three elements in the demonstration, as stated above, take a single symbol from the book, and subject its application to the threefold test which these afford. An experiment or two of this kind will show what a strength of demonstrative power resides in the prophecy.

Let us take the Whore, whose mystical name is Babylon, for an example. We know that the Harlot is a symbol which can only stand for a false church, for the reason that we know certainly the bride, who is called the Lamb's wife, Rev. xxi. 9, stands for the true church. Of necessity the harlot stands for the false church. Let it be granted that it is at first

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doubtful what particular church it is which is thus signified. It will not be at all doubtful when a few criteria are applied to the symbols, because it will then be seen that only one church can answer these. Thus the church signified must be one which has its seat at a city known in history by the characteristic of being built on seven hills, from whence the church signified reigneth over the kings of the earth." See Rev., xvii. It must be one in combination with a great temporal power which reigned at the same city, as appears from the description. This city must exhibit, in the course of its history, seven distinct forms of government, to which seven this said temporal power forms the eighth. This temporal power must hold a supremacy over a number of kingdoms, which, let it be admitted, is either ten literally, or symbolically in the sense of a great number. This supremacy is of such a nature that the kingdoms, although acknowledging it, carry on their own government, since the horns which symbolize them are represented as bearing crowns. All that is said of the Harlot, and there is much said of her, must correspond with the known history of the church to which the symbol is applied. All that is said of the False Prophet must likewise correspond with the history of this church, for the False Prophet is a synonymous symbol. Still further, (and here the tests to which the symbol must be subjected multiply to an enormous extent,) all that is said of the Two-horned Beast, which is another synonymous symbol, and of which there is a long and very minute description, containing some

very searching tests, amongst others a number to fix the name, must correspond with the history of the church to which the Whore has been applied. This correspondence between symbolic imagery and events must again stand in unison with the particulars in the long and minute description which is rendered of the Ten-horned Beast, which stands a second time for that temporal power with which the church in question is in combination. Still further, all that is said of these two Beasts, and the application made of them, must not jar, but be in perfect harmony with all that is said of the Great Red Dragon and the application given to it; for this is the symbol of a power that ruled in the very same city prior to the time of these two, but which was ejected from it, and which, in that other part of the world to which it was driven, associated itself with those two in persecuting a church distinguished by its moral and spiritual purity. What is said of the 1260 years' duration of the efflorescent power of these three political powers, must be found verified in their history. But more; all that is said of the Seven Trumpets, in which there are long and minute descriptions, must tally with the events to which they are applied, which events must tally again with the history of these three, because these trumpets represent judgments in war upon that three-fold dominion which is associated with that sevenhilled city to which they trace their power. But farther; every thing that is said of the Seven Vials, which are judgments on these powers, must stand in correspondence with the history of these three, while

the fulfilment of the Seven Vials must be recognized in a series of events, the whole of which must be collocated within a comparatively short space of time, since they are the Seven Last Plagues, and all of which must respond in every respect to the symbolical imagery. But farther; the first of these Vials must be shown to fall out coincidently with the termination of the 1260 years, as that prophecy has been applied, and the other six must follow in regular order and succession. Finally; all this correspondence which has by no means been developed, but has been merely hinted at, must stand in perfect unison and harmony with the representations made of these three powers in the second, third, and fourth seals, as they are first represented and described. It can hardly be denied that an amount of evidence may be thus adduced for the signification and application of the Whore, which is nothing short of mathematical proof. The prophecy, in virtue of the unity of conception which marks its plan, contributes light from every quarter of it, and hence a multitude of rays converge and meet on the head of this Whore, revealing her in light, with a demonstrative and at the same time a condemning and consuming coincidence.

It matters little which symbol we take up; every one must run nearly the same gauntlet. Is it the Fifth Trumpet, which has been applied to the invasions of the Saracens? It must first of all be found that the minute symbolical description of the judgment predicted, which is necessarily, from the char

acter of the symbol employed a judgment in war, has been truly realized in the invasions of the Saracens, and this test itself certainly no other event in history will fulfil. But this, important as it is, is a mere fractional part of the proof to which the application of this trumpet must be subjected. Yet this proof has been held by many to be demonstrative; and inasmuch as the description is minute, and it contains a chronical test, it is worthy of being so ranked. But there must have been an event preceding that predicted, which responds to the imagery of the Fourth Trumpet; an event preceding that again which responds to the imagery of the Third Trumpet; an event preceding that which responds to the symboli. cal picture under the Second; and an event which responds in like manner to that of the First. The fulfilment of the Fifth Trumpet must thus stand fifth in order of such a series of events. But this is not all; it has to be followed by another great warlike invasion, which must be of such a character that it responds to the imagery of the Sixth Trumpet. The imagery here is of a still more minute and searching kind than even that of the Fifth Trumpet, and it contains like that also a chronical test. But the Trumpet in question must be followed again second in order by a judgment, which exhausts the terms of the Seventh Trumpet, which predicts events of such a kind and such magnitude, that they cannot be conceived to happen twice in the history of the world. Let any one attempt to calculate the chance that there is after all these tests are exhausted of a wrong ap