That Doctor Seiss and those who endorse his _mistranslation_, or, as it
ought to be called, his _false exposition_ of the title to this book, do
totally misapprehend and misinterpret the mind of the Holy Spirit, is
further evident from the obvious import of the plain words in the first
verse;--this "Revelation of Jesus Christ, God gave unto him."--Christ.
Did God the Father "unvail" Christ to Christ himself? How gross the
absurdity! We do not transgress the law of charity in pronouncing as
impious, such manifest "wresting of the Scriptures." Moreover, the
declared object of this book is to "show unto God's servants
_things_,--(not to show Christ,) which must shortly come to pass:"
namely, events of providence which were then future,--the evolution of
the purposes of God. It is indeed true that in the sublime scenery
presented in vision to John, the Lord Jesus often appears as a very
conspicuous object; but he is only one among a multiplicity of other
objects, and generally as the principal agent in executing the divine
decrees. In this attitude he appears immediately on the opening of the
seals of that book, which all sober expositors consider as the symbol of
God's purposes, especially of those "unvailed" in this prophetic book.
When in the sixth chapter, the "four animals" say in succession, "Come
and see," is Jesus Christ the only object to be seen?--the exclusive
object unvailed? or even always the _primary_ object? By no means.
Thus it is evident that at the very beginning of his career as an
expositor of this sacred book, Doctor Seiss gives loose reins to his
fancy; and then it is not difficult to foresee through what mazes of
error the credulous reader will be conducted, who in his simplicity,
follows such a reckless guide. The hallucinations of Millenarians of old
and of late have greatly discouraged the disciples of Christ, and
seriously hindered them in obeying his command,--"Search the
Scriptures," especially this precious book. Their unscriptural error,
which some might call an _antiscriptural heresy_, of the pre-millennial
corporeal appearance of our Saviour, with its carnal concomitants, has
been a temptation to not a few to look upon this part of the Bible as
wholly unintelligible, _contrary to its very name_,--REVELATION, The
hereditary and inveterate misconception by Millenarians of the nature of
the thousand years' reign of the saints, bears a striking analogy to
that of the Jews concerning the kingdom of their Messiah, and suggests a
remark by that prince of divines among English Dissenters, Doctor Owen,
in his "Exposition of the Epistle to the Hebrews." He says
truly,--"There are precious, useful, significant truths in the
Scripture, so disposed of, so laid up, as that if we accomplish not a
diligent search, we shall never set eye on them. The common course of
reading the Scriptures, nor the common help of expositors, who for the
most part, go in the same track, and scarce venture one step beyond
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