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gating from the sense. The figures and allegories here employed, are truly sublime, grand, and beautiful, and closely adapted in all their parts to the subject. Some of them are borrowed from the ancient prophets, but heightened by superior strokes. St. John's subject, the history of Christ's kingdom, as it surpasses in dignity the object of all preceding prophecies, so he exhibits it in colours that outshine all former prophetic descriptions. This kingdom of Christ, the greatest of all kingdoms, and his government of it, the most perfect of all governments, are described in a style proportionably exalted. The ancient prophets announced the orders and instructions they received from God, and were only favoured with visions in some particular cases: but the beloved disciple of Christ not only receives from his Lord the verbal account he delivers, but is admitted to see transacted before him every scene of the history which he writes. Again, the ancient prophets chiefly confined their accounts to the temporary transactions of kingdoms; but St. John, after giving the history of the Christian Church for the whole time of her existence in this world, describes her future triumph. ant state in the heavenly Jerusalem, the period of which will be equal to that of eternity. Besides, the picture which he there gives of the heavenly Jerusalem, is drawn with such exquisite art, is painted with such striking colours, and enriched with such ravishing scenes, and with such a collection of the choicest, the most valuable, and the most

shining objects in nature, that the whole surpasses greatly, whatever human conception is capable of imagining or combining together. Such then being the extent, the usefulness, and the excellence of the prophecy delivered in the Apocalypse, what can be more curious or interesting than a history founded upon it, which is what we offer to the Christian reader?

THE

GENERAL HISTORY

OF THE

CHRISTIAN CHURCH,

DIVIDED INTO SEVEN AGES,

AND DEDUCED CHIEFLY FROM THE APOCALYPSE.

BEFORE

we enter upon this prophetic history, it will be necessary to explain the first chapter of the Apocalypse, as it contains the preface to the whole book, and, on that account, is essential to the present work.

CHAPTER I.

Explication of the first Chapter of the Apocalypse.

Aroc. Chap. I. verse 1. The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to make known to his servants the things which must shortly come to pass: and signified, sending by his angel to his servant John.

V. 2. Who hath given testimony to the word of God, and the testimony of Jesus Christ, what things soever he hath seen.

We are here informed that the book of the Apocalypse is a Revelation, which Jesus Christ, as Man-God, received from God: the purpose of which is, to disclose to his servants, the christians, a series of events very interesting to them, and which must shortly come to pass. This revelation Jesus Christ communicates by the channel of his angel, whom he sends to deliver it to his servant John. The character here given to this servant John shows him to be the Apostle St. John; for he is here said to have given testimony to the word of

B

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