champions of the truth have resorted to the Book of Revela tion and have the ncederived their most efficient weaponssome of their greatest and best consolations.

In this point of view we have no doubt that the volume before us will be of service to many, both in leading them to study this important portion of Scripture, and suggesting therefrom motives of action and principles of strength, encouragement and comfort. But we hold ourselves bound to say that we think the exposition of the thirteenth chapter to be altogether erroneous, and that one of the errors is of a very grave description-namely, that which supposes that Napoleon Buonaparte will be raised from the dead before the general resurrection, to figure again upon this earth, and to lead men astray, as the last Antichrist. This idea we reject altogether, not merely as being unwarranted by any or all of the interpretations and arguments brought forward in its favour, but as being contrary to the whole analogy of faith. Christ is the resurrection and the life; none shall rise but at his voice. He will not call up a deceiver only to deceive, and only to be at length destroyed, together with his deluded followers. The whole idea appears preposterous, and we are surprised to see it in this intelligent age.

We would add, too, a caution against becoming too literal in the interpretation of this book, which is really only the more mystical in consequence of having a symbolical form; for the things themselves are, after all, mysteries which, though realities, must be spiritually apprehended. The early Chiliasts failed in this respect, brought ridicule upon themselves, and discredit upon the study of the Apocalypse by their gross fleshly interpretations, derived from too servile a following of the letter. Mr. Frere, in modern times, fell into much the same kind of servility, though, by his real piety and correctness of feeling, he was entirely saved from the peculiar errors of the Chiliasts. It should ever be borne in mind that, to each individual, his resurrection is to him the commencement of eternity; the judgment passes then upon him for eternal, unalterable happiness or misery: therefore, granting there is a first resurrection-granting there is a reign of Christ for a thousand years-this makes no difference in the state of those who have part in the first resurrection: their state is not altered at the end of the thousand years; they are already, will be for ever, with the Lord; and what that thousand years shall be is to them comparatively immaterial.

W. E. Painter, Printer, 342, Strand, London.

THE

CHURCH OF ENGLAND

Quarterly Review.

APRIL, MDCCCXLVII.

ART. I.-The Gate of Prophecy; being the Revelation of Jesus Christ by St. John, Theologically and Historically Expounded, and shown to Elucidate various Prophecies of Isaiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Zechariah, and St. Paul. By WILLIAM BROWN GALLOWAY, M.A. 2 vols. London: Rivingtons. ` 1846. 2. Hora Apocalyptica. By the Rev. E. B. ELLIOTT. London: Seeley. 1847.

THE numerous treatises on the Apocalypse which are continually issuing from the press have rendered it necessary that we should frequently recur to the subject of prophecy in its bearings on the Christian Church, and especially to that part of it which relates to unfulfilled prophecy, in which the Church has so great an interest at stake, both as it regards the momentous issues involved, and in order to make due preparation for attaining those high rewards and escaping those tremendous woes. In noticing these several publications we have generally restricted ourselves to a description of what was proposed as the plan and end of each of them, and in what manner, or to what degree, the plan had been successfully executed and the end had been attained. But the present appears to us a fit occasion for bringing the subject more fully before our readers, and in its general or combined aspect, as this may be gathered from those works which have been recently published upon the Apocalypse. Whether we look at the Church or at the world, the signs of the time are such as to make all men turn an anxious eye on the future, and desire to presage and provide for the

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coming events, and the work before us is one of the most comprehensive that has appeared for many years; directing the reader's attention to prophecy in its largest sense, and showing how the prophecies of the Old Testament point forward to the Christian Church as the body in which they would have their highest, their spiritual accomplishment; and how those which belong in a literal sense to the Jewish people wait for their accomplishment until after the promises belonging to the Church shall have been fulfilled; when all the true Israelboth the spiritual and the literal seed-shall simultaneously receive their several reward in the different provinces of the kingdom of Christ—that is, either in the heavenly or the earthly Jerusalem, both of which are called the kingdom of heaven.

As an interpretation of the Apocalypse, Mr. Galloway's differs essentially from all those interpretations which have recently appeared. He seems to have studied them all, but to have deliberately taken an independent standing. He differs from the majority of interpreters, who since the time of Mede have regarded the order of arrangement as being that of successive visions of synchronous or parallel events; whereas Mr. Galloway agrees with those who have regarded both the events and the visions as occurring in the same regular succession, with the exception of some episodes and recapitulations. But Mr. Galloway differs in his details from almost all of those with whom he agrees as to the general arrangement; yet frequently accedes to the interpretation of those from whose judgment concerning the general arrangement of the Apocalypse he wholly dissents. Being, however, the matured and elaborated convictions of one who has undertaken the work with a full sense of the importance of the book itself and of the reverence which the subject demands; as well as under a conviction that the true understanding of its import will redound to the glory of God and to the welfare of the Church; it is, in every point of view, a publication well deserving our most serious consideration.

We are prepossessed in favour of Mr. Galloway, by finding, at the outset, that he does not trouble himself with the minor questions concerning the author of the book, or the time when it was written, or the canonical and other external characteristics of the Apocalypse; but that, having drank of its spirit, he knows its savour-knows that it is of Christ; and, therefore, receiving it unhesitatingly as the word of God, there is no place for such minor questions as these. Regarded as a divine revelation, this book differs not in its substance-differs only in its symbolical form-from the Gospels; and in both cases the heart is equally open to all the communications of our heavenly

Father, to everything of which Christ is the revealer: and when the spirit is thus quieted and thus in union with Christ, the understanding is better prepared to comprehend the things which are revealed, since they can be listened to without excitement and without terror: for they are all of the nature of blessings and promises to them that fear God and keep his commandments, and are subjects of dread and aversion only to those who, by infidelity or unrepented sin, are amenable to judg

ment.

And our author agrees with those who regard Christ as the subject of the Apocalypse, as well as the revealer of these mysteries to his servant John-that is, the things which Christ makes known in this book of Revelation are things which concern himself, as well during the present time, while he is seated at the right hand of God and ordering all things by his providence, both in the Church and in the world, with reference to his coming kingdom; as also concerning the still more important and peculiar acts to be done by him at the second advent, when the Church of all generations shall be gathered by the voice of the Son of Man to be for ever with him, and the same voice shall pronounce judgment upon his enemies, and remove from the kingdom all things that offend, every thing that defileth, or maketh a lie—that is, all that in any way contravenes that purpose of love and peace for which all was created. Mr. Galloway approximates most nearly to the Rev. E. B. Elliott, who published his commentary during the progress of Mr. Galloway's labours; and he says of the "Hora Apocalypticæ," "had it done all that the author professes, I might have been spared the labour and anxiety of publishing. Unfortunately, however, this is not the case; nor do the authorities he cites always bear him out in the conclusions which he draws. I discern in his work a very considerable tincture of some of those sources of error and prejudice which have been mentioned above" (xxiv). On this account, as also because it is one of the most recent publications which goes elaborately into the details of interpretation, we may have occasion to notice it.

In directing our attention to a subject so difficult and so complicated as the interpretation of the Apocalypse, and where so many of the most able men have come to different conclusions, our only safe, our only prudent and modest course, is to endeavour to ascertain some general principles by which, as a legitimate standard or criterion, we may test every system, and so reject those parts of any hypothesis which are contrary to these general principles. Mr. Galloway has felt himself at liberty to deal very freely with the works of Faber, Frere, Cun

ninghame, and Maitland, who have preceded him in this course of study; and has formed his own judgment quite independently, adopting what he felt to be right, but free to reject whatever parts of their systems he conceived to be wrong. He cannot therefore complain if we take the same liberty with him which he has taken with others. We admire the spirit and tone which pervades the work, and this would seem to be a guarantee that we shall make no captious objection--none which we do not feel to be important and for which we are not able to assign reasons which are cogent and valid.

The first principle which we hold is derived from the title of the book, "The Revelation of Jesus Christ:" which we understand as expressing that Christ himself is the subject of the revelation as well as the revealer-that is, we hold it to be not only a revelation of things which should hereafter happen, but of him by whom they shall be brought to pass and to whose glory they shall redound. It is a revelation of what Christ is― of how he is acting in the Church and towards the world-and what the final and visible issues shall be of these his presently invisible and spiritual actings-namely, the bringing him into open manifestation as King of kings and Lord of lords, and the restoration of the fallen creation to its true place, as made by him and for him (Col. i. 16)—a climax and consummation which is called "the new creation," not in the sense of having no material existence until then, but in the sense of not having attained its true order and full development before, although the preparation was made and the works were finished from the foundation of the world (Heb. iv. 3).

It follows as a consequence of thus regarding Christ as the substance of revelation that the names which he assumes, as ALPHA and OMEGA-as FIRST and LAST-as JEHOVAH or I AM, have a larger and fuller significance than that which is usually attached to them when used in the Apocalypse; and, as we have given the substance of what Mr. Galloway holds on the preceding point, we deem it better to extract the very words which he uses in speaking of the titles of Christ:

"I have stated that the title of the ALPHA and OMEGA includes, at least as part of its meaning, the expression elsewhere used in reference to the same Christ- The First and the Last.' It may mean more, but whatever more it means serves only, as we shall find, to increase the evidence that it is Christ to whom these titles are applied. The profound and eloquent Irving proposes an extension of its interpretation, by which it is made to bear reference to the title and character of Christ as the eternal Logos or Word: I prefer to give Irving's own words in illustration of this view :