Seven Periods.--It is held by many that there are seven gospel dispensations, seven distinct periods, during which the plan of salvation, restored from heaven to earth, has been administered to the children of men; the intervals of spiritual darkness between those periods of light resulting from the world's unworthiness. Revelation, so far as I am aware, is silent as to the number of the dispensations; but I am among those who incline to the belief that seven is correct; a belief probably founded, in part, upon the scriptural or symbolical character of that number, and upon the Prophet Joseph's teaching relative to the seven periods, answering to the seven seals of the mystical book seen by John the Revelator in his vision on Patmos.--(Rev. 5 and 6.) The Apocalyptic Book.--Section Seventy-Seven of the Doctrine and Covenants is a key to John's revelation, consisting of a series of questions and answers; those germane to this subject being as follows: "What are we to understand by the book which John saw, which was sealed on the back with seven seals?" "We are to understand that it contains the revealed will, mysteries, and works of God; the hidden things of his economy concerning this earth during the seven thousand years of its continuance, or its temporal existence." "What are we to understand by the seven seals with which it was sealed?" "We are to understand that the first seal contains the things of the first thousand years, and the second also of the second thousand years, and so on until the seventh." * * * * * * * * * * * "What are we to understand by the sounding of the trumpets, mentioned in the 8th chapter of Revelations?" "We are to understand that as God made the world in six days, and on the seventh day he finished his work, and sanctified it, and also formed man out of the dust of the earth; even so, in the beginning of the seventh thousand years will the Lord God sanctify the earth, and complete the salvation of man, and judge all things, and shall redeem all things, except that which he hath not put into his power, when he shall have sealed all things; and the sounding of the trumpets of the seven angels, are the preparing and finishing of his work, in the beginning of the seventh thousand years;--the preparing of the way before the time of his coming." Whether or not these seven periods are looked upon as gospel dispensation, it is interesting to consider them as covering the same ground, paralleling, or extending through, the same mighty stretch of duration, and dealing with events, epochs, personages and principles connected with those dispensations.