The Prophecy is distinguish'd into seven successive parts, by the opening of the seven seals of the book which _Daniel_ was commanded to seal up: and hence it is called the _Apocalypse_ or _Revelation_ of _Jesus Christ_. The time of the seventh seal is sub-divided into eight successive parts by the silence in heaven for half an hour, and the sounding of seven trumpets successively: and the seventh trumpet sounds to the battle of the great day of God Almighty, whereby _the kingdoms of this world become the kingdoms of the Lord and of his Christ_, and those are destroyed that destroyed the earth. The Interpretation begins with the words, _And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the Ark of his Testament_: and it continues to the end of the Prophecy. The Temple is the scene of the visions, and the visions in the Temple relate to the feast of the seventh month: for the feasts of the _Jews_ were typical of things to come. The Passover related to the first coming of _Christ_, and the feasts of the seventh month to his second coming: his first coming being therefore over before this Prophecy was given, the feasts of the seventh month are here only alluded unto. On the first day of that month, in the morning, the High-Priest dressed the lamps: and in allusion hereunto, this Prophecy begins with a vision of one like _the Son of man_ in the High-Priest's habit, appearing as it were in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks, or over against the midst of them, dressing the lamps, which appeared like a rod of seven stars in his right hand: and this dressing was perform'd by the sending seven Epistles to the Angels or Bishops of the seven Churches of _Asia_, which in the primitive times illuminated the Temple or Church Catholick. These Epistles contain admonitions against the approaching Apostacy, and therefore relate to the times when the Apostacy began to work strongly, and before it prevailed. It began to work in the Apostles days, and was to continue working _till the man of sin should be revealed_. It began to work in the disciples of _Simon_, _Menander_, _Carpocrates_, _Cerinthas_, and such sorts of men as had imbibed the metaphysical philosophy of the _Gentiles_ and _Cabalistical Jews_, and were thence called _Gnosticks_. _John_ calls them _Antichrists_, saying that in his days there were many _Antichrists_. But these being condemned by the Apostles, and their immediate disciples, put the Churches in no danger during the opening of the first four seals. The visions at the opening of these seals relate only to the civil affairs of the heathen _Roman_ Empire. So long the Apostolic traditions prevailed, and preserved the Church in its purity: and therefore the affairs of the Church do not begin to be considered in this Prophecy before the opening of the fifth seal. She began then to decline, and to want admonitions; and therefore is admonished by these Epistles, till the Apostacy prevailed and