ence.

imperfectly, to offer some assistance in the elucidation of this subject. I shall, therefore, bring before the reader the Scriptural grounds which appear in my own judgment either to be in favour of this view, or to lessen the objections which might be against it.-Thirdly, I would entreat the reader to weigh the whole candidly, and, I must add, with prayer. If he is then convinced that the view is contrary to the mind of the Spirit, let him put it entirely aside, and consider the preceding part of the treatise as if this last chapter had no exist The other four chapters are entirely independent of it; and, therefore, if this be altogether erroneous, it would in no way affect the truth of what is laid down in them. I may utterly fail in attempting to give any interpretation of a prophetical passage; yet the objec tions which I have brought forward to other interpretations will remain entirely unaffected by such a failure. If, therefore, the view which I suggest be altogether erroneous, yet this cannot prove either of the other views to be true. The question as to them is entirely independent of this. And I would request the reader tó remember, that my primary object in this little work, as I stated in the commencement, was to endeavour to shew that the ungodly would be raised and judged at the second coming of Christ.

I would begin, therefore, by suggesting an inquiry as to whether the fourth verse is correctly translated. The reader will observe, that in our translation the verbs sat, was given, lived, reigned, are in one tense; but the verbs had worshipped, and had received, are in another. In the Greek, however, they are all in the same tense, the aorist: εκαθισαν, sat ; εδοθη, was given ; προσεκύνησαν, worshipped ; ελαβον, received ; εζησαν, lived; εβασίλευσαν, reigned. According to our translation, the time of the worshipping the beast and receiving his mark, &c. is different from that of the sitting on the thrones, the living and reigning. The impression which it conveys is, that the worshipping the beast, &c. took place in some period antecedent to that during which the persons reign with Christ. I cannot, however, perceive that the original implies this. It appears to me, that as these verbs are all in the same tense in the original, so they must all refer to the same time; and that, whatever be the time

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of not worshipping the beast, nor receiving his mark, the same is the time of the sitting on thrones, living and reigning. I conceive, therefore, that the time during which the persons described refuse to worship the beast and his image, is that during which they are sitting upon the thrones, living and reigning with Christ. It is upon this point that my present view of the passage depends. If there are instances in the New Testament, in which verbs occurring in one verse, and in the same tense, signify entirely different times-some referring to time past, in this life, and others to time future, in the life to come such instances would shew that the verbs in this verse also may refer to different times, although they are in the same tense. But as I am not aware of any such instances, my present impression is, that, according to correct construction, each verb being in the same tense must refer to the same time.

Having made these observations, I would suggest whether ver. 4 would not be more correctly translated thus: And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them; and I saw the souls of those who were beheaded for the testimony of Jesus, and for the word of God, and such (or whosoever) as worshipped not the beast, neither his image, and received not his mark upon their forehead and their hand, and lived (or they lived) and reigned with Christ the thousand years. Let the reader therefore bear in mind, that I assume, as the whole basis of my present view, that the verbs sitting, given, worshipping, receiving, living, reigning, being all in the same tense, refer all to the same time; and, with this impression, I venture to suggest the following; which, it appears to me, may be the general outline of this prophecy.

First, That a body of persons would arise in the kingdom of the beast, who would, in a figurative sense, sit upon thrones, have judgment given to them, and live and reign with Christ; and that the subjects of this the first resurrection would be characterized by refusing to worship the beast and his image, and would be exposed to persecution, and to be slain for the testimony of Jesus and the word of God: and that a succession of persons so characterized would continue to arise in the kingdom of the beast, and to live and reign with Christ as kings and priests during the thousand years.

Secondly, When this period of a thousand years is ended, and at the commencement of the succeeding period described in vers. 7-10, a second resurrection of a similar kind will take place, when the rest of the dead will live, as foretold in ver. 5; and during this period the remainder of the Lord's kings and priests will arise, and live and reign with Christ. This second resurrection, however, will perhaps not be chiefly in the kingdom of the beast, but in other parts; nor will it be a time of martyrdom; and after this second resurrection, and during the living and reigning of its subjects, the events foretold in vers. 7-10 will take place.

Thirdly, After the conclusion of this second period Christ will come, and the judgment of all the dead will take place, as described in vers. 11-15.

Having thus suggested for consideration the outline of the view which I conceive may be conveyed in this passage, I will now lay before the reader my reasons for this opinion.

First consideration. I would again refer to the construc~ tion in the original. This appears to me, as far as I can now judge, to require that we should interpret all the verbs in ver. 4 in reference to the same time; and, consequently, to imply that the not worshipping the beast, nor receiving his mark, takes place during the time that the subjects of the first resurrection are sitting on thrones, living and reigning with Christ—that is, during the whole period of the thousand years.

Second consideration. I would refer to the expression, I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus, and for the word of God. 1. The Holy Ghost having used the term souls, is one of the many reasons which convince me that he does not foretell a material resurrection of the bodies in this passage. 2. He has supplied us with a very similar prophecy in chap. vi. 9, to which I request the reader's attention; because, as that has been fulfilled, it may, I conceive, serve as a clue to the fulfilment of the prophecy in chap. xx. And when he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held. The great similarity of the expression, the souls of those who had been

slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held, in this passage, to the expression in chap. xx. 4, the souls of those who were beheaded for the testimony of Jesus, and for the word of God, convinces me that the two visions are in this respect of the same kind; and that the fulfilments must also bear some resemblance to one another. Hence I conclude, that if we can collect what was the fulfilment of the first, this will afford an indication as to the fulfilment of the second also. Upon this subject I would refer to Mede, and Newton, and Gill; and I find them agreeing with Scott and Guyse in their interpretation of the opening of the fifth seal in chap. vi. 9, as foretelling the persecution of the church of Christ, which began under the Emperor Dioclesian. This was far more extensive and bloody than any which preceded it; so that this period was emphatically called the æra of martyrs. I conceive that the expression, under the altar, may be used for the purpose of marking that the number of martyrs during this persecution would be peculiarly great. They appear to be compared to victims which had been offered in sacrifice upon the altar (Lev. iv. 7, &c.); and whose bodies remained below the altar, while the blood was being sprinkled upon it; and, if the number of sacrifices were exceedingly great, their bodies would remain on all sides below the altar, before the priests would be able to carry them forth (Lev. iv. 12). Hence the expression, under the altar, if I am correct in this, may be intended to foretell the very great number of the Lord's people which were sacrificed under that persecution. I suggest this, because I suppose the expression must be meant to shew this peculiarity, by which this persecution was distinguished from the others which preceded it, in agreement with which, as already observed, it was emphatically called the æra of martyrs. The preposition UπокаTш, appears to me to signify, in reference to the bodies of the sacrifices, below (or beside), rather than under, as it also seems to me to mean in Mark vii. 28. But I merely suggest these ideas; I do not pretend to say this must be what is implied by the expression under the altar; although I conceive it refers to the peculiarly great number of the martyrs in this persecution.

The consideration, therefore, of this passage strength

ens my conviction that the vision in Rev. xx. 4 does not foretell the resurrection, in either a material or figurative sense, of those who had been martyrs. First, In the vision in chap. vi. 9, of the souls of those who were slain for the word of God, &c. persons were seen by John in a disembodied state, and as slain, in order to represent that the period then signified, that of the fifth seal, would be one during which the bodies of multitudes would be put to death for the word of God and for the testimony which they held. So I conceive that in the similar vision in chap. xx. 4, of the souls of those who were beheaded, &c. persons were seen by him in a disembodied state, and as slain, in order to represent that the time there signified—namely, that of the first resurrection— would be one during which the bodies of multitudes would be put to death for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus. Hence, therefore, I conceive that the vision does not foretell the resurrection of the saints in their glorified bodies.-Secondly, The vision in chap. vi. 9 foretold the existence of persons not merely endued with the spirit of martyrs, but who would themselves be martyrs. So I conceive the similar vision, in xx. 4, foretells the rising up of a body of persons, not merely endued with the spirit of martyrs, but who would themselves suffer martyrdom; and that the time of the first resurrection, like that of the fifth seal, would be marked by multitudes being put to death for the word of God.

I would here call the reader's attention to the declaration made in chap. vi. 11: It was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also, and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled. As this is in answer to their prayer in ver. 10, I conceive that during this season of their resting, or waiting, the number of the martyrs was to be fulfilled, or completed; and that then the blood of those who were slain under the fifth seal, as well as of these their brethren, would be avenged on them that dwell on the earth (ver. 10); that is, perhaps, on the Roman empire. Now, as this persecution was itself the last under the Roman empire in its Pagan form, and was succeeded by the empire becoming nominally Christian under Constantine, the completion of the number of the martyrs, here foretold, must take place under the Roman empire in its nominally Christian state. It will,