The Pope And Freemasonry.

beast that Avas , and is not , and yet is one Avhose deadly wound ivas healed , may only signify that St . John made use of the popular belief that Nero would recover from his Avound , alluded to by Suetonius , Tacitus ( Hist , ii ., 8 ) and Sulpicius Severus .

Augustine ( cle Civit , Dei , xx . 19 ) states that many persons suspected that Nero Avould rise from the dead as Antichrist . "Presbyter" very justly observes that Irenoeus and others held that the

Apocalypse Avas Avritten after the destruction of Jerusalemn ; in Avhich case the prophecy could not have received its primary fulfilment in that event . Irenoeus is not always to be depended upon in matters of date , & c . ; for he states that Christ lived

to be near fifty years of age , Cont . Hoer . vi . 26 . The date even in early times was a matter of dispute . Epiphanius gives the date A . D . 54 , iu the reign of Claudius . There was a general tradition in the first churches that St . John was banished to

Patmos by Nero , andthathe Avrote the Apocalypse in that reign , as I maintained . Arethas , one of earliest commentators on that book , quotes the opinion of Irenoeus , but yet affirmed that it Avas written before the destruction of Jerusalem , and

that former commentators had expounded the sixth seal of that destruction , c . 18 , 19 . He probably refers to his predecessor Andreas in the see of Cassarea , A \ 1 IO in Rev . vi . 12 , says , there are not ivanting those Avho apply this passage to the

siege ancl destruction of Jerusalem by Titus . With this opinion agrees the tradition of the churches of Syria , preserved to this day in the title of the Syriac version of the Apocalypse , the title of wliich is this : " The Revelation ivhieh was

made to John the Evangelist by God in the island of Patmos , into Avhich he was banished by Nero the Cassar . " That this opinion has been adopted by manj 7 modern theologians may be seen from the quotations that follow . Bishop Newton says

that "these prophecies were written a few years before the destruction of Jerusalem . " Professor Lee , Moses Stuart , Sir I . NeAvton , Grotius , Lightfoot , Hammond , and others are of the same

opinion . Dr . Adam Clarke says , "Wetstein contends , and he is supported by very great men among the ancients and moderns , that the Book of Revelation was Avritten before the Jewish Avar , and the

civil Avars in Italy . " There being then this difference of opinion as to the date , let us see whether there is any internal evidence in the book itself to settle the dispute .

There are unmistakeable allusions to the temple and altar and holy city as then standing ; and to the Gentiles Avho were soon after to tread under foot the holy city and outivard court , Rev . xi ., 1 , 2 . St . John speaks continually of the speedy

fulfilment of the prophecies , "Behold , I come quickly . " Again , Peter , Paul , and James quote from the Revelation : e . g . 2 nd Peter L , 19 , "We have a more sure word of prophecy , " & c . 1 st Cor . xv ., 52 , " We shall all be changed in a

moment , in the twinkling of an eye , at the last trump , " referring to Rev . xi ., 18 , when the seventh and last trumpet is sounded . Now the date of St . Paul's First Epistle to the Corinthians is A . JD . 57 , and of the Second Epistle of St . Peter ,

A . D . 66 . I merely single out these from many other evidences of any early date , quite sufficient to show that the prophecies might have been fulfilled primarily in the destruction of Jerusalem . I now turn to Mr . Cotter ' s letter . I am told

that my idea that the trumpets and vials refer to the same events , & c , & c , have been triumphantly refuted by Mr . Elliott . If you will alloyv me to place the prophecy with its double set of symbols in parellel columns , side by side , I think your

readers will agree with me that any theory of interpretation which demands that they should be referred to different events , separated from each other by centuries , must be wrong .

FIRST TRUMPET . WEST VIAE . The first angel sounded , and And the first went , and there followed hail and fire poured out his vial upon the mingled with blood , and they earth , xvi ., 2 . were east upon the earth . Rev . viii ., V .

SECOND TRTTMPET . SECOND VIA ! . And the second angel sound- And the second angel poured ed , and as it were a mountain out his vial upon the sea ; and burning with fire was cast into it became as the blood of a the sea ; and the third part of dead man . xvi ., 3 . the sea became blood , viii ., 8 .

THIRD TRUMPET . THIRD VIAE . And the third angel sounded , And the third angel poured and there fell a great star from out his vial upon the rivers and heaven upon the fountains of water , xvi ., 4—7 . third part of the rivers , and upon the fountains of waters , viii ., 10 .

FOURTH TRUMPET . FOURTH VIAE . And the fourth angel sounded , And the fourth angel poured and the third part of the sun out his vial upon the sun . was smitten , & c . viii ., 12 . xvi ., 9 . FIFTH TRUMPET . FIFTH VIAE . I saw a star iall from heaven And the fifth angel poured upon the earth ; to him was out his vial upon the seat of

given the key of the bottomless the beast , and his kingdom pit , . . . the sun and air was full of darkness . . . were darkened . . . they they gnawed their tongues for should be tormented five pain , xvi ., 10 , 11 . months , ix ,, 1—12 .