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and the confederacy previous to the Second Advent; both books ending with the mention of "a thousand years," and the introduction of " A NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH."

§ 3. In the Epistles to Timothy.

The state of the Church of Ephesus, over which Timothy presided, as gathered from these Epistles, clearly proves them posterior to the Apocalypse, inasmuch as it had evidently declined considerably from its state as given in the address in Rev. ii. For, while there faulted for a decrease of love, but praised for her works, labour, patience, not enduring those who were evil, and trying pretended Apostles and proving them liars; here there is mention of false teachers, giving heed to fables-of some who had swerved from the faith and turned aside to vain jangling-and others who concerning faith had made shipwreck of blasphemers delivered to Satan (1 Tim. i. 3–7, 19, 20). "All in Asia were turned away from Paul" at this time, and ungodliness and heresy was eating into the Church as a gangrene—there were many opposers and many had been taken in the snare of the devil and, in a word, a state of things existed which, from the resemblance, suggested to the Apostle the prophecy of the perilous times of the last days (2 Tim. i. 15; ii. 14-18, 25, 26; and iii. 1, &c.)

Accordingly, compare "the APPEARING of our Lord Jesus Christ, which in his times he shall shew," and as "the blessed and only Potentate, the KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS," 1 Tim. vi. 14, 15, with Rev. xix. 16:-and "the judgment of the living and dead at his appearing and kingdom," and "the CROWN" to be given " AT THAT DAY," 2 Tim. iv. 1, 8, with Rev. ii. 26, 27; iii. 21; xi. 18.

§ 4. In the Epistle to the Ephesians.

Compare the description of Christ's sovereignty, ch. i. 15–23, with the visions and ascriptions in the Revelation, as in ch. i. 6; iv. 11; v. 12, 18-ch, v. 3-6, with Rev. xxi. 8:-and especially the title "Prince of the power of the air," ch. ii. 2, and "the principalities and powers, the rulers of the darkness of this age, and wicked spirits IN HEAVENLY PLACES," ch. vi. 12, with Rev. xii. 7-12.

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§ 5. In the Epistle to the Philippians.

Compare "THE Name which is above every name"-as the best MSS. read) "given to Christ" with the "NEW NAME" of Christ, Rev. iii. 12 and the acknowledgment of his sovereignty by "those in Heaven, and those in earth, and those under the earth," with Rev. v. 13, "and every creature which is in Heaven and on the earth, and "under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, "heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be "unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever "and ever.

Also, and very remarkable, the mention of "the names in THE BOOK OF LIFE" chap. iv. 3-the only place in which "the book of life" is mentioned in the New Testament, except in the Revelation, where so frequent as to stamp the expression as perfectly Apocalyptical See Rev. iii. 5; xiii. 8; xvii. 8; xx. 12, 15; xxii. 19.

§ 6. In the Epistle to the Colossians.

Compare "giving thanks to the FATHER who hath made us meet to be partakers of THE INHERITANCE of the Saints in THE LIGHT" ch. i. 12 (where the article again implies familiarity with the subject), with Rev. xxi. 7, 23, 24, and xxii. 5. And, note, this was an Asiatic Church, and in communication with the Church at Laodicea, ch. iv. 16.

Also, ch. i. 18, "who is the beginning (apxn) the first-born from "the dead, that among all he might be chief," with Rev. i. 5,-" Je'sus Christ who is.......the first born from the dead, and the "Prince (apxwv) of the kings of the earth."

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§ 7. In the Epistles to the Corinthians.

In 1 Cor. xv. 52, the time of the resurrection of those who are Christ's is fixed at "THE LAST TRUMPET," where, in addition to the article, the word "LAST" proves beyond question this Church's previous acquaintance, not only with the sound of a trumpet as an attendant on the Lord's coming, but with the sonnding of a series of

trumpets in succession, of which this should be "the last :" information which they could only have obtained from the Apocalypse, the whole time of which prophecy is divided into "seven trumpets," at the sounding of the seventh or last of which" the mystery of God is finished as declared to his servants the prophets,”—“the kingdoms of this world become the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ," and the time comes that he should “give reward unto his servants "the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear his name small "and great”—as also "the first resurrection" of those who "live to reign with Christ,” (ch. x. 7; xi. 15–18; xx. 4).

But if the first Epistle, of which the date is supposed to be A.D. 56 or 57, was written before the Apocalypse, of course so was the second: in which, though not so evident as in the former, an allusion may, perhaps, be intended in "THE JUDGMENT-SEAT OF CHRIST,” before which "all must appear that every one may receive the things "done in his body, according to what he hath done whether good or "bad" (chap. v. 10), to THE GREAT WHITE THRONE" of him "from whose face the earth and heaven fled away," and before whom "the dead small and great stand," and are "judged according to their "works." (Rev. xx. 12.)

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§ 8. In the Epistles to the Thessalonians.

In these Epistles are many passages which have peculiar force, if we suppose a reference to the Rook of the Revelation. Thus, in 1 Thess. iv. we have "THE trump of God" again mentioned, and "the first resurrection." Compare also chap. v. 1, 2, "the coming of the day of the Lord as a thief in the night," with Rev. iii. 3, and xvi. 15, and "the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints," chap. iii. 13, with Rev. xx. 4.

In the second Epistle, "The Apocalypse of Jesus Christ" occurs, ch. i. 7, where, for "when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from en," the original reads "in the Apocalypse of the Lord Jesus Compare also, "the everlasting destruction from the CE of the Lord (πроσwжоv) and from the glory of his

oren."

"Power, in that day when he shall come to be glorified in his saints, "and to be admired in all them that believe" (ver. 9), with Rev. vi. 16,-" And they said (the kings of the earth, &c.) to the mountains "and rocks, Fall on us and hide us from the FACE (πроσwπоν) of "him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; "for the great day of his wrath is come, and who shall be able to "stand."

But principally, the mention of "THE Apostacy," and the revelation of " 'THE man of sin," and "THE wicked one," before the coming of the Lord, and by his designation in the Apocalypse "THE SON OF PERDITION," a title which, except to Judas, is only given to the Beast of the Revelation: see ch. xvii. 8, 11.

In the Epistle

In addition to these, the attentive reader of the Epistles (especially in the original) will find many other allusions to the Apocalypse, just such as would be natural on the supposition of previous acquaintance with the latter book, though not so striking or convincing as many of those now adduced. Thus, "the day of wrath and the apocalypse of the righteous judgment of God," Rom. ii. 5, may be compared with "the day of wrath," Rev. vi. 17, and "true and righteous are his judgments," xix. 2: and "the judgment seat of Christ," here again, ch. xiv. 10, with Rev. xx. 11. of James, "THE crown of life," received by those who "endure trial," plainly alludes to the promise to those in tribulation, Rev. ii. 10,— "Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee the crown of life;" and in the Epistle to the Galatians, still more obvious is the reference of "THE Jerusalem above" to "the New Jerusalem which cometh down out of heaven," Rev. iii. 12, and xxi. 10. See also, "Ye have heard that THE Antichrist cometh," 1 John, ii. 18, as furnishing evidence that those whom the Apostle addresses were acquainted with the great New Testament prophecy of the "Antichrist" previously given to him.

I would only add, that this argument for an early date is greatly strengthened if, as I believe, and as Mr. Tilloch proceeds next to

shew, the Apocalypse be the opening of those prophecies of Daniel which were "closed up and sealed till the time of the end;" because in that case the information which the churches possessed (as implied in the foregoing quotations from the Epistles to them) must have been derived from the Apocalypse and not from Daniel, as the advocates of a late date are compelled to maintain: while this priority is also in accordance with the object assigned to this book in the preceding note, and the importance I have there claimed for it.

(C.) Page 98.

THE PRESENT STATE OF THE SEVEN CHURCHES.

THE following brief notice of the present state of the Seven Churches of Asia (taken from Keith's Evidence of Prophecy) will not be uninteresting to the reader, not only as shewing the fulfilment of prophecy, but as enforcing the warnings given through them as examples to the Church, and the call oft repeated, "He that hath an ear let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches."

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"The CHURCH OF EPHESUS, after a commendation of their first "works, to which they were commanded to return, were accused of "having left their first love, and threatened with the removal of "their candlestick out of its place, except they should repent.* Ephesus is situated nearly fifty miles north of Smyrna. It was "the metropolis of Iona, and a great and opulent city, and (accord"ing to Strabo) the greatest emporium of Asia Minor. It was chiefly famous for the temple of Diana, 'whom all Asia wor'shipped,' which was adorned with one hundred and twenty-seven "columns of Parian marble, each of a single shaft, and sixty feet "high, and which formed one of the seven wonders of the world. "The remains of its magnificent theatre, in which it is said that "twenty thousand people could easily have been seated, are yet to

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* Rev. ii. 5.

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