years, it is foretold, that Satan shall be again loosed out of his prison, to deceive the nations, and to gather them together again in battle against the Church of God. However, it is declared, that fire came down from heaven and devoured them. And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

Such is the prophetical history of the efforts of the great enemy of our salvation, as they are detailed in the Apocalypse, against the Church of Christ, till the final destruction of his power. Now let us compare the whole history of the agency of Satan, as it is contained in the Old Testament and in the preceding parts of the New Testament, with what is revealed in the Apocalypse concerning the rise, the progress, the duration, and the final destruction of his power; let us consider this wonderful harmony of doctrine, which pervades the Apocalypse, with that of the other parts of Scripture; and let us ask, whether any thing short of inspiration could have produced it? or whether any one, who was not inspired by the Holy Spirit of God, could have drawn such a picture, as is here presented to us, of the agency of the Evil Spirit in the world, in connection with the scheme of man's redemption, till the mystery of God shall be finished, and the power of the great enemy of God and man shall be finally. destroyed?-more particularly, when so large a portion of it, as far as it is connected with this prophecy, has been already justified by the fulfilment.

5. In the same manner, with regard to the doctrine of the Atonement, how plainly is this doctrine

revealed through the whole of the Apocalypse! In the opening vision in the first chapter, the Redeemer is described as he that hath loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood. In the vision in the fifth chapter, where he appears to take the book out of the hand of Him that sat on the throne, he appears in the midst of the throne under the resemblance of a Lamb that had been slain; in perfect conformity with the other parts of Scripture, in which he was shadowed forth in types, and foretold in prophecy, and pointed out by the Baptist under the image of a Lamb; and also with that representation of him in the Epistle to the Hebrews, where he is said, not by the blood of bulls and of goats, but by his own blood, to have entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us1. When the palm-bearing multitude in the seventh chapter appear before the Lamb clothed in white robes and with palms in their hands, (which robes are declared, in another place, (xix. 8.), to be symbolical of the righteousness of saints,) they are said to have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Lastly, in the fourteenth chapter, when the 144,000 are described as appearing with the Lamb on Mount Sion, they are said to have been redeemed from amongst men, being the first-fruits unto God and to the Lamb. And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God3. 6. Lastly, the Redeemer is spoken of in the New Testament as the second Adam, the Lord from heaven'; He who was to restore to man the happiness

1 Hebr. ix. 12.

2 Chap. vii. 14.

4 1 Cor. xv. 21, 22; Rom. v. 12-17.

3 Chap. xiv. 4.

which he lost by the transgression of the first Adam. In perfect agreement with this character, He promises in the Apocalypse to him that overcometh, that he will give him to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God": and, in the description of the heavenly Paradise, which is contained in the last chapter of this book, we find mentioned, with express reference to the first Paradise, a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb: and in the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations". Finally, in contradistinction to that Paradise which Adam forfeited, it is said of the heavenly Paradise, that there shall be no more curse; but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and his servants shall serve Him.

Such is the history of the manner in which the great doctrines of Christianity are introduced in the Apocalypse. But in a scheme of prophecy, which extends almost from the first propagation of our religion to the great consummation of all things, we ought to expect an uniformity in the manner of their introduction, suited to the various relations of this wonderful scheme. Such is the manner in which the doctrines connected with the Trinity, the Son of God, the Holy Spirit, and the agency of Satan in the world, are revealed in this book. But especially with regard to the doctrine connected with the person, the character, and the attributes of the

Chap. ii. 7. 7 Chap. xxii. 1, 2; Gen. ii. 9; iii. 22. 8 Chap. xxii. 3.

Redeemer, how could any person, without inspiration, have brought to bear, as it were in one point, in this book, all the different titles and attributes, under which he is manifested in the Old and New Testaments, and at the same time preserve this consistency quite to the end? It is manifestly impossible that any person could present such a view of the great doctrines of Christianity, as St John has done in the Apocalypse, without inspiration; any more than that he could foresee the events of the Christian Church, which he has thus detailed in this prophecy, extending from the very infancy of our religion to the close of the divine dispensations.

II. We come, therefore, to the second portion of evidence in support of the inspiration of the Apocalypse, which we derive from the consideration of its prophetical character.

We have before observed, that, notwithstanding the difficulties which attend the interpretation of the prophecies of the Apocalypse, it possesses advantages peculiarly its own, when it is considered as a part of the great scheme of prophecy, and as carrying on this scheme through the whole plan of redemption to its final close. This view of the prophetical cha-racter of the Apocalypse, at the same time that it prevents persons from bending the prophecies of the Apocalypse to their own preconceived theories, and then deriving an argument for its inspiration from their supposed fulfilment, gives a deep interest to the whole subject; and the Christian, dwelling on those parts of the Apocalyptic prophecies which have been already fulfilled; viewing them all in connection with the whole scheme of prophecy from the beginning; and looking forward to their completion in

future stages of the divine dispensations,-derives an argument for their inspiration, which no assaults of infidelity can shake.

1. In considering the subject of ancient prophecy, we made two important remarks relating to the subject; of which the first relates to the great subject of prophecy from the beginning, and the second to the Person, who was the great agent of prophecy under the former dispensations. With regard to these different points, we have seen that the great subject of prophecy under the old dispensation, was the Redeemer and his everlasting kingdom; and that the great agent, as well as the subject of prophecy, was the Redeemer himself in his pre-existent state; who thus appeared under the former dispensations, directing all things connected with that religion, of which he was afterwards to become the Author and the Minister to man. There is a singular uniformity, in these respects, in the prophecies of the Apocalypse; of which the one great subject is that religion, which is built on Jesus Christ as the chief cornerstone; and of which the great Agent and Director is the Redeemer himself, from the first sublime opening of this important prophecy to its close. It is evident, that no one, without inspiration, could carry on such a scheme as is contained in the Apocalypse, and preserve such an uniformity as it exhibits with the former dispensations of prophecy: much less could he exhibit the Redeemer in the characters in which he appears in this prophecy; characters which, as far as they are connected with the old dispensation, are not fully revealed in any other book of the New Testament; and of which the great light is to be derived from this last and closing book of Revelation.