on the part of short-sighted man is, to see and link together what in the eye of the Omniscient is one continuous, harmonious, and beautiful whole. But where is that man to be found? Not on earth, we fear. In heaven, in all probability, the redeemed of the sons of Adam shall see, and understand, and admire, and be delighted with, what now they are utterly unable to comprehend. To what we have just stated the author may object, by telling us that he does not say in the paragraph above quoted, that ever any, or all of the prophets glanced along the vista of all the prophets; but that "the prophets glance along EACH VISTA and in reply, we tell him that there is no such thing as “an each vista." There is a declaration by each prophet of the words which God had put in his mouth and no more, and that declaration, too, in most instances, if not in all, we believe, without the prophet understanding the full import of the words which he had been commissioned to speak in the name of the Lord. If the vista system be true of any of the prophets; or, in other words, if it can with truth be said of any of them, that he was permitted to take such a view of the prophecies, which he was to deliver in the name of the Lord, it may be said of St. John. There seems to be more in the prophecies which he was called on to deliver, to favour such a notion, than in those of any other prophet. But even of him this cannot be said. For it was not he, but Jesus himself, who had taken such a view of them, and gave unto John such parts of them as he wished to be revealed to His Church. This John himself tells us in the very first sentence of the Book. His words are,-" The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John." Nay, moreover, in these words just quoted, we are expressly told, that even Jesus himself, as THE SON OF MAN, had not taken such a view of them. God, or the all-seeing Spirit of God, alone had done so, and given them to Jesus to shew unto his servants. And Jesus did so by the hands, or through the medium of an angel. In Matt. xxiv. and 36, Jesus, just after he had been delivering sundry prophetic declarations, and among the rest, one as to the destruction of Jerusalem, tells us that "of that day and hour knoweth no man, not even the angels of heaven, but my Father only," i. e. but God, as he is the Omniscient. To talk of any but Him, therefore, as knowing, or looking through the vista of prophecies from the beginning to the end, is attributing to man what only belongs to God. And in corroboration of what we have just been stating, it is proper to remark that, in the 5th chapter of this very Book of Revelation, we are informed that it was from God the Father-Him that was sitting upon the throne which John saw in heaven, that Jesus, in the appearance" of a Lamb as it had been slain," received the sealed Book containing the Revelation of what was to happen thereafter. It was God, who had written in that Book the things which were to happen, NOT JESUS. TO Him was given only the power of opening the sealed Book, and of disclosing or proclaming aloud for the information of all whom it concerned the things therein written. But, supposing all that the author has said upon his vista system, and as to the identity of the ten plagues of Egypt and those of Europe, were true up to the full extent of his imagination, we do not see how that would contribute to a satisfactory elucidation of the Apocalypse. He has, therefore, in our humble opinion, been ill advised by his clerical friends, whoever they are, to risk the credit of his elaborate work on such groundless assumptions. There is, however, another key which the author has made use of-one which was obviously lying at the will of all preceding interpreters, but which none of them that we have read have made use of with the same skill which Mr. Tytler has shewn,-we mean his idea or belief that the whole of the Revelation is comprised in the seals, and that, when they are opened, the whole is disclosed, and that the rest of the Book contains merely the filling up of what was by the opening of these seals unfolded in brief. This, we must say, has opened up to our mind a clearer and better hope of seeing that hitherto sealed Book of the Revelation of St. John, made in some degree open and intelligible to Bible readers. Such were the impressions on our mind, when we came to this part of the work, and such are the impressions which still remain upon our mind. We shall, therefore, with no little anxiety, look for the author's full developement of this view which he has taken. This is what to us stamps his book with the character of a New VIEW OF THE APOCALYPSE; and not the untenable assumptions of the Plagues of Egypt and those of Europe being identical, and his vista system being calculated to harmonise the jarring views of preceding interpreters, and explain the Apocalypse. But even here the Author has with his usual want of precision spoken on this most important part of his subject. He has indeed quoted a sentence from the excellent and eloquent author of the Essay on the Papacy, and another from Mr. Hoare to his point; but, though he has told us that both Lord Bacon and Sir Isaac Newton glanced at the point, he has not told us where to find this glance in the voluminous works of these two of the greatest and wisest of mankind. Sir Isaac's work on the Apocalypse we have not at present at hand, but on looking into Lord Bacon's works, we find him saying on the subject of prophecy: The history of Prophecy, consists of two relatives—the prophecy and the accomplishment; whence the nature of it requires, that every Scripture prophecy be compared with the event, through all the ages of the world; for the better confirmation of the faith, and the better information of the Church, with regard to the interpretation of prophecies not yet fulfilled. But here we must allow that latitude, which is peculiar and familiar to Divine prophecies; which have their completion not only at stated times, but in succession; as participating of the nature of their Author, with whom a thousand years are but as one day; and therefore are not fulfilled punctually at once, but a growing accomplishment through many ages; though the height or fulness of them may refer to a single age or moment." If he have said more on the point in any other part of his works, Mr. Tytler should have told us. But above all things, if he has not already done it, Mr. Tytler should explain to us precisely and luminously, by examples taken from the older Prophets, what are exactly his views upon this vital point. On this the success or the failure of his book does, in our humble opinion, in a great measure depend; and not on his vista system and the plagues of Egypt being as he states. If he can make out this-we mean his views as to the seals-to the conviction of intelligent, God-fearing men, he will have carried his point, but, if he fail in this, his book, like all that have come before it on the same subject, will be a failure; though even then it may supply some important hints to future labourers. ་ But, whether he succeed or not, and we are in the meantime rather inclined to believe that he will succeed in throwing more light on the Apocalypse than any who have gone before him; but, whether he succeed even to this extent or not, no praise, in our opinion, can be too high for the man in his sphere of life for the exertions he has already made in so noble a cause. His heart is evidently burning with zeal for the truth, and with a zeal too according to more knowledge than has fallen to the lot of most theologians. Original Poetry. REJOICE EVERMORE. Rejoice! and wherefore? that my life is toil, Yes! even thus rcjoice,—better to be The suff'rer than the doer of a wrong; Rejoice, and wherefore?—that all hope is fled, Crush'd from my heart, down-trampl'd, and clean gone, Yes! even thus rejoice-the ties of earth Blind the mind's vision from all things on high; Rejoice! and why? to see the bad in power, Yes! even thus rejoice,—'tis God, not thou, Shall not the Lord of all the Earth do well? ECCLESIASTICAL INTELLIGENCE. Ordination.-The Rev. Archibald Nisbet was on Thursday ordained as Minister of St. Stephen's Church, Cambridge Street, Glasgow. The Rev. Dr. Napier officiated. The Queen has been pleased to appoint the Rev. James Gibson, A.M., to the Church and Parish of Barr, in the Presbytery and County of Ayr, vacant by the death of the Rev. James M'Mas ter. The Queen has been pleased to present the Rev. Thomas H. Dawson, M.A., to the Church and Parish of Mo nymusk, in the Presbytery of Garioch, in the county of Aberdeen, vacant by the death of the Rev. Robert Forbes. University of St. Andrews.-Dr. William Brown, Professor of Biblical Criticism in St. Mary's College, has been elected Rector for the ensuing year. Inverness.-The Second Charge.-The Presbytery of Inverness have resolved to present the Rev. Alex. Macgregor, of the Gaelic Church, Edinburgh, to be second Minister of the Town and Parish of Inverness. MACPHAIL'S EDINBURGH ECCLESIASTICAL JOURNAL. No. LXXXVIII. MAY 1853. STRICTURES ON THE JEWISH DISABILITIES BILL AND THE MAYNOOTH GRANT. ANY one who has attentively observed the proceedings of Parliament for the last 30 years, cannot, we think, have failed to be impressed with a strong conviction that our legislature has been gradually losing its Christian character. There is a strong and increasing tendency to treat every question as a purely civil one, and to divest it as much as possible of any religious character or aspect which at first sight it may appear to possess. It may indeed be said that the introduction of religious topics into a mixed assembly, such as the House of Commons, is dangerous and unbecoming, as, when the passions are heated, and influenced by the ardour of debate, such topics are apt to be treated with levity or unconcern. True; but it is far better that religion should be occasionally treated with somewhat scant ceremony, than that its presence should be altogether ignored or disowned, and its existence as an integral and essential part of the British constitution entirely forgotten. The proceedings of the promoters of the Bill for doing away with the disqualifications which at present prevent Jews from sitting in parliament, furnish a striking illustration of the truth of the above remarks. They have all along endeavoured to represent the question as a purely civil one, and to divest it as much as possible of the religious element which the opponents of the Bill have justly represented as the most important subject for consideration, and as inseparable from a fair and thorough examination of the question. If it is admitted, as it has repeatedly been, by some of the greatest statesmen of whom our country can boast, that Christianity is interwoven with, and inseparable from, our constitution, then it seems difficult to perceive, either upon what ground those who regard our Saviour as a crucified impostor, and our religion as a tissue of fables and absurdity, can claim to be admitted into N on the part of short-sighted man is, to see and link together what in the eye of the Omniscient is one continuous, harmonious, and beautiful whole. But where is that man to be found? Not on earth, we fear. In heaven, in all probability, the redeemed of the sons of Adam shall see, and understand, and admire, and be delighted with, what now they are utterly unable to comprehend. To what we have just stated the author may object, by telling us that he does not say in the paragraph above quoted, that ever any, or all of the prophets glanced along the vista of all the prophets; but that "the prophets glance along EACH VISTA;"" and in reply, we tell him that there is no such thing as “an each vista." There is a declaration by each prophet of the words which God had put in his mouth and no more, and that declaration, too, in most instances, if not in all, we believe, without the prophet understanding the full import of the words which he had been commissioned to speak in the name of the Lord. If the vista system be true of any of the prophets; or, in other words, if it can with truth be said of any of them, that he was permitted to take such a view of the prophecies, which he was to deliver in the name of the Lord, it may be said of St. John. There seems to be more in the prophecies which he was called on to deliver, to favour such a notion, than in those of any other prophet. But even of him this cannot be said. For it was not he, but Jesus himself, who had taken such a view of them, and gave unto John such parts of them as he wished to be revealed to His Church. This John himself tells us in the very first sentence of the Book. His words are," The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John." Nay, moreover, in these words just quoted, we are expressly told, that even Jesus himself, as THE SON OF MAN, had not taken such a view of them. God, or the all-seeing Spirit of God, alone had done so, and given them to Jesus to shew unto his servants. And Jesus did so by the hands, or through the medium of an angel. In Matt. xxiv. and 36, Jesus, just after he had been delivering sundry prophetic declarations, and among the rest, one as to the destruction of Jerusalem, tells us that "of that day and hour knoweth no man, not even the angels of heaven, but my Father only," i. e. but God, as he is the Omniscient. To talk of any but Him, therefore, as knowing, or looking through the vista of prophecies from the beginning to the end, is attributing to man what only belongs to God. And in corroboration of what we have just been stating, it is proper to remark that, in the 5th chapter of this very Book of Revelation, we are informed that it was from God the Father-Him that was sitting upon the throne which John saw in heaven,—that Jesus, in the appearance "of a Lamb as it had been slain," received the sealed Book containing the Revelation of what was to happen thereafter. It was God, who had written in that Book the things which were to happen, NOT JESUS. To Him was given only the power of opening the sealed Book, and of disclosing or proclaming aloud for the information of all whom it concerned the things therein written. But, supposing all that the author has said upon his vista system, and as to the identity of the ten plagues of Egypt and those of Europe, were true up to the full extent of his imagination, we do not see how that would contribute to a satisfactory elucidation of the Apocalypse. He has, therefore, in our humble opinion, been ill advised by his clerical friends, whoever they are, to risk the credit of his elaborate work on such groundless assumptions. There is, however, another key which the author has made use of-one which was obviously lying at the will of all preceding interpreters, but which none of them that we have read have made use of with the same skill which Mr. Tytler has shewn,-we mean his idea or belief that the whole |