them in the way of mutual illustration and corroboration, just as we proceed to make out a piece of writing composed in cipher." These passages decidedly show that Bengel had no notion of two contemporaneous or collateral millennia; neither could he have held it, for it would have been at variance with his whole system.

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Another very popular work upon the Apocalypse was that of his son, entitled, "An Expository Paraphrase of the Revelation of Jesus Christ, according to the late Dr. John Albert Bengel's Exposition of the Apocalypse,' and to his Sixty Practical Addresses,' by Ernest Bengel, M. A., pastor of Zavelstein: Leipsic, printed by Ulrich Christian Saalbach, 1772;" a new edition of which was published at Reutlingen, in 1825. This paraphrase closely abides by the whole of Bengel's interpretations. Likewise the following works coincided with Bengel in principal matters, but varied from him in minor ones. 1. A Treatise "On the True Use of the Apocalypse, by Fehr; with a preface by Crusius." 2. "An Introduction to a more clear Understanding of the Apocalypse, (or Revelation of Jesus Christ,) in its chronological and historical predictions; showing that Bengel's system of interpretation is the true one. In two volumes. By George Frederic Fein, privy councillor of Baden. Karlsruhe, 1784." A second edition was published in 1808, by Macklott. This edition introduces historical and mathematical reasoning, to confirm Bengel's system of interpretation; and indeed what may be said in favour of it, is nowhere so fully brought together, and so clearly arranged, as in this work. Fein likewise adheres to Bengel throughout, with the exception of a few unimportant alterations of dates; thus he states the second Woe as having commenced A. D. 630, instead of A. D. 634; and the Nonchronus, A. D. 750, instead of A. D. 800. Only, as to the messages of the three angels, he considers the first as denoting the Reformation by Luther; the second, as denoting Bengel's (widely diffused) elucidations of the Apocalypse; and the third, as yet future. At the same time he leaves out the measured everlastingness or æon of 2222 years, because he could not see any showing for it in the text; and for the like reason he shrank from any attempt to ascertain more precisely the end of the world. Of a similar kind were several works of the Würtemberg prelate, Magnus Frederic Roos.* They were grounded upon

*These are as follow:

.

1. An Exposition of those prophecies of Daniel which extend into the period of the

Bengel's interpretation, and were designed to accumulate its historical and scriptural proofs, or to set them in a new light. They also contained examinations of other prophetic parts of Scripture, and elucidated the agreement and coincidence of these with the Apocalypse.* Some of his other works † showed in a plain and easy manner how to make use of the Apocalypse, for improvement of heart and life; and appealed to public events of the most recent date, as attesting the chronological and general correctness of Bengel's system. The following are Roos's own views: 1. That the non-existence of the Beast, (that is, of the papal power in its Hildebrandic consummation,) commenced A. D. 1740; since which time, he says, this power has become so weakened and exhausted, that it no longer carries the great Harlot, (the whole Romish church,) but is carried or supported by her. 2. The work marked No. 5, in our preceding note, gives an account of a political Propaganda, a philosophical order or community established since the year 1786; the twofold object of which is, the agitation of the whole human race, to be attempted as soon as the preparations for it shall be matured; and the collection, meanwhile, of as much money and as many adherents as possible, in order to vindicate the people on every occasion against their governments, and to do every thing for bringing about a general toleration of all religions.

Against these and similar interpreters of the Apocalypse there appeared in 1788 an anonymous and very acute opponent, possessed of sincere reverence and high esteem for this book of Scripture, the genuineness of which had been well proved by Dr. Gottlob Christian Storr, in his "New Apology" for it, published five years before. This opponent was John George Pfeiffer, M. A., who published his pious work without even a notice where it was printed. It was entitled, "A new Attempt at the safest Understanding and Use of the Apocalypse in general, and of its Prophetic Periods in particular." As the best objections

New-Testament Dispensation; and a comparison of them with the Revelation of St. John, according to Bengel's Interpretation. Leipsic, 1770. Second edition, 1795. 2. Reflections on the Present Times, by the aid of the Apocalypse, 1786. 3. Plain and edifying Discourses on the Revelation of St. John, 1788. 4. A familiar Exposition of the Revelation of St. John, adapted to edification, 1789. 5. Instructions for Christians how to conduct themselves at the present crisis, 1790. 6. The important events of the present period elucidated by the prophetic word of God; with intimations of what will soon take place according to it. Minden, 1793. * See particularly Roos's "Exposition of the Prophecies of Daniel," &c.

+ As the "Familiar and edifying Discourses," and the "Instructions for Christians," &c..

which have yet been alleged against Bengel's system are here collected together by Pfeiffer, we shall state them as a sufficient specimen of all others.

"Bengel's system," says Pfeiffer, "rests chiefly on the following suppositions: 1. That by the number of the Beast are signified 666 natural years, the duration of the Beast's existence. 2. That the forty and two months of the Beast are a mystical (or prophetic) period, likewise amounting to 666 natural years exactly. 3. That this interpretation of the number of the Beast, especially as viewed relatively to the happy millennium, is the key to all the other periods occurring in the body of the Apocalypse. 4. That all the apocalyptical periods admit of being arranged in a series of regularly increasing proportions, which series has a dominant respect to the number seven. 5. That the mean length of a year is 365 days, 5 hours, 49 minutes, and 12 seconds.

"Now all these suppositions are unfounded, and contradictory to the text, to history, and to experience. For, 1. What Bengel premises at setting out—namely, that the number 666 must originally have been expressed in words, rather than in ciphers, and that those words must have been in the neutral form-is uncertain; as numerical quantities were frequently expressed in ancient times by ciphers. 2. He believes, without any authority from the text, that by this number is signified the duration of the Beast; whereas it is merely said, that in the name of the Beast, a name appointed to distinguish him (according to a mode of designation not uncommon in ancient times), the number 666 might be counted, by them that are wise; that hereby they might be aware of him. 3. If, as might easily have been supposed, by this Beast were signified the papal power in its condition as it was first consummated by Pope Hildebrand, still its number here specified could not mean 666 natural years; for, as Hildebrand lived about A. D. 1073, the Beast's number must have run out, and his non-existence have commenced in 1739-40: whereas, in fact, the papal power, though diminished, continues to this day. Neither has the False Prophet yet appeared; the two last heads of the Beast are still wanting; the harvest and vintage have not arrived; nor do we see any thing new or extraordinary at Jerusalem, &c.; all which events, however, are to precede the Beast's non-existence. That Bengel had felt this difficulty; and, to remove it, had constructed various hypotheses, as that the number 666 might be made to commence in times

somewhat later; yet he allowed, at last, that its commencement could not be exactly determined till its end should have transpired. But surely it was inconsistent now to make the point of this period's commencement so uncertain, when in fact he had previously assumed it as so certain, that in comparison with it every other date was to be regarded as of only secondary importance. 4. The text shows nothing of the forty and two months being equivalent to 666 years, the assumed period of the Beast's continuance; on the contrary, it is to be suspected, that those forty and two months denote the period of his greatest predominance. But supposing they are to be understood as a long mystical period, still, if it be uncertain, as we have shown it is, what the number 666 denotes, it is impossible to compute by these two quantities, however we may suppose the forty and two months to be equivalent to the 666: neither can we set out with such an equation as 666y = 42x, both of these being unknown quantities. Certainly, if the 666 really denominate years, there is no difficulty in computing the years of the Beast; for then we have only to reckon from them the length of a prophetic month, as Bengel has done, (making it 15 years.) 5. We search the Apocalypse in vain for data to justify any other such periods as those defined by Bengel. The textual words which he considers as expressing several of them, it is far more probable, were not intended to denote any definite period at all; (for instance the word xpóvos, which he calls a period;) and it was quite an assumption of his own to set down the thousand years, as one proportion relative to the number 666. Indeed could any such relation be made out between the two numbers, it would stand not as Bengel states it, namely, 6664 : 1000::2:3, but as follows, 666:1000::2:34; yet the former of these statements was all that Bengel had to allege for his regular scale of periods, however much that scale might have been admired. 6. The text nowhere shows any regular proportions of the kind as existing between the several apocalyptical periods; neither is the scale which Bengel has made choice of the only or the more probable one that might have been devised; nor does it comprise all the periods found in the Apocalypse. As for the number seven being dominant in them, this was an assumption partly from the numbers found in the text, 42, 31, 1250 days (= 42 months); and partly, 7. From the premised length of the tropical year, which is assumed in contradiction to the latest astronomical discoveries; but were it otherwise it makes nothing for the truth

of his system. Should it be argued, that the accordance of that system with the structure of the Apocalypse, as well as with history, is strong evidence of its correctness, still it must be granted, 1. That it is the plan of the Apocalypse to foreshow a continued series of events relating to the kingdom of Christ all along, down to the period of its consummation; and that those events, with the exception of some great intermediate blank periods expressly noted in the text, were to begin happening immediately and in quick succession. Between them, however, are inserted by Bengel so many and such important periods, that things which were certainly to take place in quick succession, are made by him to appear of secondary moment, in comparison of what he thus inserts. 2. Some periods which his system gives out, accord very well with history, but the rest are very far from doing so; indeed it may be shown, that there is no occasion for any such assumption of mystical years, months, or days, as Bengel has made, could we be content to remain ignorant beforehand of the duration of the chronus, the non-chronus, and the 31⁄2 times of the woman; for durations they doubtless are, though known at present only to God. Moreover, the 3 times will admit of computation, after a portion of them shall have expired."

The former of these two objections, namely, that Bengel's computation of the so called prophetic periods, does not throughout accord with history, Pfeiffer maintained as follows: "1. Bengel computes the chronus of the fifth seal to be 1111 years, from A. D. 98 to A. D. 1209; whereas, according to the text, it is to last unto the judgment upon Rome; for the martyrs are not here desiring to know when they shall have the company of their other brethren who shall be killed, but when the Lord shall appear for the avenging of their own blood and for their relief. Thus the continuance of this chronus must be to a period at present unknown; but its commencement may be more fitly dated from the age of Constantine, in the middle of the fourth century, when Christians might easily have thought, that as their religion had now gained the ascendant in the Roman empire, all tribulation was henceforth to cease, and that the millennial kingdom was about to commence.* 2. The short time,' in Bengel's reckon

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To the objection, that the first martyrs being informed of having to wait for their companions during a period of 1111 years, is not confirmed by subsequent history; for that neither history nor the text warrants the supposition of two periods, the one complete, and the other incomplete-whereas Bengel's dating his chronus (of the fifth seal) from A. D. 98, implies as much; for, from the expiration of this chronus in A. D. 1209, to the year 1836, a very considerable INCOMPLETE period will have