he preface, and dedication to the seven churches in Asia; including an affecting display of the Divine glory of our Lord Jesus Christ, and sublime songs of praise to him for redeeming love. Rev. I. 1—8. REV. I. 1. 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: REVELATION I. 1. THIS is the book of the revelation of Jesus Christ; even that revelation, which God his Father gave to him for wise and holy purposes, to shew to his servants the things which must shortly be; many of which are to be very quickly accomplished, and the rest within a period of time, which, when compared with his reign in the heaven of heavens with all his saints and people, is only a short and very inconsiderable duration. And sending the discovery of these things by his angel, whose office it was to raise extraordinary signs and representations in his imaginations, he signified them to his servant John, who had indeed been distinguished Rev. i. 1 The inscription to the seven churches in Asia; by his Master's affection in the days of his flesh; insomuch that he even lay in his bosom, and was styled, by way of eminence, the disciple whom Jesus loved: And who, being honoured with so important a message, failed not faithfully to declare it: but testified the word of God, which in those prophetic visions came unto him, and the testimony of Jesus Christ, (whose messenger the angel was,) exactly reporting whatever he saw. Happy [is] he that attentively readeth, and they that obediently hear the words of this prophecy, and who keep the things that are written in it, fixing their mind upon them, and duly regarding them; for the time of their accomplishment [is] at hand. And considering the particular manner in which they were addressed by our blessed Lord, in some of the first of these revelations, JOHN dedicates and inscribes this account of the whole, to the seven churches, which are in the proconsular Asia, at Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea; wishing that grace in the richest abundance, and peace in all the variety of its blessings, may [be] with you all from the great God, the fountain of all blessings, even from him, who is, and who was, and who is to come,³ possessed of invariable Divine attributes and perfections; and from the seven spirits, which are before his throne,ᵇ and appear as emblems of the various operations and endowments of that one blessed Spirit by whom they are actuated; And from Jesus Christ, the true and ³ From him who is, and who was, &c.] The learned Grotius is of opinion, that the nominative case not being varied into what the grammarians call a genitive, as the common rules of grammar require, is designed to represent the everlasting veracity and invariableness of God, and the unchangeable majesty of Christ in the testimony of his gospel, and the glory of his kingdom. ᵇ The seven spirits before his throne.] Some have explained this of the seven archangels, and urged it as an instance of invocation to them; but we may rather sup- pose the Spirit of God to be symbolically represented by the seven spirits before the throne; as it is a view very agreeable to the genius of this emblematical book. This, as Bishop Burnet observes, in support of this opinion, (see Burnet on the articles, p. 39,) is most consistent with the prohibition of prayer to the angels. And if we do not suppose this to be the case, it will be a great difficulty to account for the omission of the Spirit, whose dignity must, on almost every hypothesis, be allowed far superior to that of the highest created angels. See Mr. Lowman in loc. an ascription of praise to the Redeemer : aithful Witness, whose testimony is ever to be received with the most religious regard, as being the First born from the dead, the first who rose to die no more, and who as the eldest Son of the family of God, is gone to take possession of the inheritance for himself, and in the name of his brethren ; even from him, who is the supreme Ruler of all the kings of the earth, and who knows how to humble them in their proudest career, and defeat their mightiest opposition to his kingdom, by deposing one, or exalting another, at his sovereign pleasure ; and even removing them by a single act of his will, not only from the thrones they fill, but from the world they inhabit. This glorious Person let us all adore, conscious of our infinite obligations to him ; and say to him who hath loved us with the most unparalleled affection, and hath condescended so low, that he hath washed us, from the otherwise indelible stains of our sins in his own most precious blood, having shed it to make satisfaction and atonement for them ; And in consequence of this, hath made us kings and priests to his God and Father, that we should reign with him in eternal life, and enjoy the perpetual pleasure of worshipping before him in his heavenly temple, and in the mean time be trained up for it by offering spiritual sacrifices : to him [be] glory and dominion for ever and ever, throughout the endless ages of eternity : amen : so let it be, for the honour of our Lord, as well as the comfort of his people, to whom he is more dear, than it is possible any separate interest of their own can be : And so it shall be ; for behold and observe with suitable regard, he is, as it were, even now coming in that pomp and majesty in which he himself described his appearance, with the clouds of heaven, in power and great glory ; the day is so near at hand, that it may be said to be already come ; and however men may affect to overlook and neglect him, and his interest now, every eye shall then see him, and every other He is coming in the clouds, and every eye shall see him.] It is surprising, that Dr Whitby should interpret these words as relating to the temporal calamities to befall the Jews, when the destruction of Jerusalem was long since past. And whatever slaughter was made of the Jews in Lybia, Smyrna, Alexandria, and ho declares himself to be the Alpha and Om object which at present invites their regard, shall utterly vanish; even all they who have pierced him shall behold him, and they that condemned him shall be arraigned at his tribunal; and all the tribes of the earth, who have rejected his government, and opposed his interest, shall mourn because of him,ᵈ shall lament that fatal opposition, by which, instead of prevailing in the least against him, they have only effected their own destruction. “Yea, Lord, we repeat our joyful accent: amen: come, Lord Jesus, in the clouds of heaven; take to thyself thy great power and reign; thy people shall lift up their heads with joy and triumph, being infallibly assured, that their complete redemption is approaching.” And to confirm their faith and hope, let them hear him speaking as it were, by his own majestic voice from him, and saying, I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end: I was before all worlds, and shall continue the same, when all the revolutions of this world are over, and the final scenes relating to it shall be concluded. I am the First and the Last; I am he, saith the Lord Jehovah, who is, and who was, and who is to come, the eternal, the unchangeable, the Almightyᶜ Author, Supporter, and Disposer of all things. other places afterwards, it could by no means be called, the coming of Christ in his clouds by way of eminence: even though that phrase might be allowed applicable to remarkable temporal vengeance, inflicted by the providence, and in the cause of Christ. ᵈ All the tribes of the earth shall mourn because of him.] In this verse, is prefixed the great moral, which the whole book is designed to illustrate; namely, that though here should be great opposition made against the cause and kingdom of Christ, yet it should be utterly in vain; and his kingdom should triumph in the most illustrious manner; so that all who had opposed it, should have the greatest reason to mourn. And as this series of Divine prophecy begins, so it ends with this sentiment, and with the joyful consent of is faithful servants to this glorious truth, which should fill the enemies of Christ with such terror and dismay. Compare chap. xxii. 20. ᶜ I am the Alpha, &c.] This has been interpreted by many as spoken by the Father: but it will be very difficult to give sufficient proof of it. Most of the phrases, which are here used concerning this glorious Person, are afterwards used concerning our Lord Jesus Christ; and παντοχώριον, though in ecclesiastical writers of the earliest ages, generally, so far as I can find appropriated to the Father, may, according to the Syriac version, be rendered, He who holds, that is, superintends, supports, and governs all; and then it is applied to Christ, Col. i. 17; Heb. i. 5. But if, after all, the words should be understood as spoken by the Father, our Lord’s applying so many of these titles afterwards to himself, plainly proves his partaking with the Father in the glory peculiar to the Divine nature. Reflections on the glorious character of Christ. IMPROVEMENT. WITH what sublimity doth this wonderful book open! which, such though pregnant with inexplicable mysteries, is, at the same time, pregnant with instructions; which the weakest of Christ's humble disciples may peruse with sacred complacency and delight. For surely we are not to imagine that Divine book to be unfit for our perusal, and undeserving our regard, concerning which its Divine Author expressly declares, Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy! Thanks be to our heavenly Father, that he gave it to his Son Jesus Christ. Thanks to the Son of God, that he gave it his servant John, to be transmitted down to future generations. Let us attentively view the Divine glory of the Father, and of his only begotten Son, who is the brightness of that glory, and the express image of his Person, and of the Holy Ghost, who is here represented by the seven spirits before the throne. From us, and from all created nature, let there be glory to him that is, and that was, and that is to come, and to the First born from the dead, who is superior to all the kings of the earth, and to all the angels of heaven, who is so intimately united with the Father in Divine perfections and glories, that he also is the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End: that he also is Almighty; able by his mighty power to subdue all things to himself; and is the same yesterday, to day, and for ever. Never let us be unmindful of the condescension of the Son of God, in becoming for our redemption and salvation the Son of man. Let the great things he has done for us, the great things he has taught us to expect from him, be ever familiar to our minds. How astonishing was that love, which engaged him to wash us from our sins in his own blood! How glorious is that exaltation to which he is raising us! rendering us, even in the present world, kings and priests to God, and inspiring us with the ardent hope of an immutable kingdom, and an everlasting priesthood in the temple of our God above. This is the sublime and transcendent happiness of all who with lively faith look for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearance of the great God, and our Saviour Jesus Christ. This illustrious Personage is coming in the clouds, and our eyes shall see him: too often already have we pierced him; let us now look up to him with an humble and lively faith; let us mourn over our sins at present, that we may not pour forth floods of unprofitable tears and incommunicable to any creature. See Bishop Pearson on the Creed, p. 175. Dr. Clarke contends that the word παν-λογαῖος is peculiar to the Father; (compare Clarke on the Trinity, Numb. 414. and Posth. Serm. Vol. I. p. 70;) yet he intimates, that Christ may have the title of Alpha and Omega, as Author and Finisher of our faith, Beginner and Completer of our salvation. Heb. xii. 2. VOL. 6. 1. John acquaints them that he was in the isle Patmos: in that awful day; as all the tribes of the earth shall do, who have dared to set themselves against the kingdom of Christ; kingdom which shall then be triumphant over all opposition, the last of its enemies being vanquished and destroyed. St. John gives an account of the circumstances at Lord's appearance to him, when he received Patmos. Rev. I. 9—16. REVELATION I. 9. I JOHN, who was formerly distinguished by the name of the disciple whom Jesus loved,ᵃ who am also your brother, O ye Christians, and who have the honour to be a partaker with you all in the tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ; with all I say, who are called to the hope of his kingdom, and in the patient expectation of that, endure with cheerfulness the afflictions which his infinite wisdom is pleased to appoint us: I was in the desert and disconsolate island of the Ægean Sea, called Patmos,ᵇ to which I was banished by Domitian the emperor, for the sake of the word of God, manifested in the gospel, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ, which I had endeavoured faithfully to maintain. I was on a sudden in the Spirit, under his miraculous energy, on that blessed day which we Christians are accustomed to call the Lord's day,ᶜ the first day of the week, ᵃ I John the disciple whom Jesus and sublime ideas which now passed loved.] So I boldly paraphrase these through his mind words, trusting to the general tradition of the church upon this head, of which I have taken notice in the Introduction; and I think, there is some similarity in the phraseology here, and in the gospel of St. John, though I am sensible, at the same time, there is a greater elevation of style in some parts of this book, than is to be found in the other writings of this postle; which is not to be wondered at, considering the extraordinary nature of the scenes he records; which had a very natural tendency to raise the style, and perhaps right have elevated it in any future writings, in consequence of the wonderful and sublime ideas which now passed through his mind ᵇ Island called Patmos] Ecclesiastical history tells us, that St. John was here employed in digging in a mine, being banished hither by Domitian the emperor, after he had come unhurt out of a cauldron of boiling oil. But the historical evidence produced for this great event, is very uncertain. ᶜ In the spirit on the Lord's day.] It is so very unnatural, and contrary to the use of the word in all other authors, to interpret this of the Jewish sabbath, as Mr. Baxter justly argues at large, (see his Works, Vol. III. p. 798,) that I cannot but conclude, with him, and the generality of Christian writers on this subject, that And Christ appeared to him in great glory : which our dear Redeemer has rendered sacred and venerable, by his resurrection from the dead on the morning of it ; and though I was then incapable of joining in any worshipping assembly, the want of that privilege was amply made up, by that manifestation with which the Lord of the day was pleased to favour me ; for I heard a great voice behind me, as loud as the sound of a trumpet, Which said in distinct and articulate accents, I, who am going to appear to thee, O John, am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last ; I boast Divine perfections and glories, and assume without robbery and usurpation, the peculiar titles and prerogatives of the one eternal, infinite, and unchangeable Jehovah ; and I am now descended from heaven, to give thee a revelation of the most astonishing and important events. And, as even the remotest ages are concerned in what thou seest, write an exact account of it in a book, and send copies of [it] to the seven churches in Asia, to Ephesus, and to Smyrna, and to Pergamos, and to Thyatira, and to Sardis, and to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea, that each may receive its own lesson, and at the same time, enjoy the benefit of those which are intended for all the rest. And I turned to see the Person who uttered that wonderful voice which spake unto me ; and being thus turned, I saw an astonishing scene, the particulars of which I shall now relate : There infers the extraordinary the first day of the time, as a day solto Christ, in memory from the dead. Omega.] That these ated so soon, in a connsirates they are givpear very remarkable, iven to the eighth verse. wn, in the preceding have been strong, ssage as this had been idiate connection with thens it. And I caning it, that this text has my other in the Bible, me from giving into would make our Lord Jesus Christ no more than a deified ture. Seven churches in Asia.] I pr not to inquire, Whether these we only Asiatic churches. To be sur were the principal Nor will I ir why the epistles were appropriated churches of that province. It is they contain many things of un concern ; and as there is plainly an tion to represent the regard of Ch ministers, and churches, by his among golden candlesticks, and stars in his right hand, the numbe may be mentioned, as it seems t harmonize with some other parts book, namely, with the seven seals trumpets, seven vials, seven thunder seven spirits before the throne. The manner of our Lord's appearance to John. were seven golden lamps on their stands, which seven golden candlesticks; gave a bright and beautiful flame; And in the midst of the seven golden lamps, there was [one] in a human form, a glorious and majestic Person, like him who appeared to Daniel under the title of the Son of man, and in whom I traced the lineaments of that blessed Redeemer, whom I had so long known under that endearing name and character; he appeared clothed in a long robe, not unlike the priestly vestment, and like persons of that holy order, girded, not about the middle, but something higher, about the breasts with a golden girdle, which being properly fastened there, hung down to his feet. And his head, even [his] hairs which adorned it, and flowed round his shoulders, [were] white as wool, or to speak more properly, as white as snow, (Dan. vii. 9;) and his eyes [were] vivid and piercing as a flame of fire; And his feet were resplendent like fine brass, when purified in a furnace from all its dross, and polished by the hands of some skilful artificer; and his voice was loud as the voice of many waters, so that I imagined it might have been heard as far as the sounding noise of the billows of the sea, when they beat against the rocky shores; And he had in his right hand, seven luminous and very beautiful stars, the motions of which he seemed to direct and govern, at the same time that he supported them; and out of his mouth there went a sharp two edged sword, or dagger, capable of piercing and wounding every way; and his countenance [was] radiant and glorious as the sun, [when he] shineth in all his meridian power and lustre, and beams forth his rays, vigourous and unclouded. His head, and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were as a flame of fire; And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters. And he had in his right hand seven stars; and out of his mouth went a sharp two edged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength. *A golden girdle.] The girdles were a kind of sash, which first went over the neck like a tippet, were crossed on the breast, and then went round the lower part of the breast, two or three times, like a modern circingle, and then they fell down almost to the feet. And as they were sometimes embroidered, and sometimes fringed with gold, they must make a very ornamental part of dress. The priests were required, for coolness and decency, to wear linnen garments, and gird themselves higher than others. Compare Ezek. xlii 17, 18 And this is one of the many allusions to the temple, and its forms and customs, with which we shall find this book so greatly to abound Compare Exod. xxxix. 5 Reflections on the happiness conferred on Christ's servants. IMPROVEMENT. WHAT unspeakable happiness can our blessed Redeemer confer on his faithful servants, while suffering in his cause! How wretched was Cesar on his imperial throne, compared with this despised and persecuted disciple of Christ, in his old age banished to the desolate island of Patmos! There his Lord condescended to visit him, opened his eyes to prophetic visions, and diffused around him celestial glories. May we in no case be ashamed of the word of God, and the testimony of Jesus Christ, a zeal for which was so graciously acknowledged, so gloriously rewarded. It was on the Lord's day that the apostle was in the Spirit: 10 how often has the Spirit of God visited his people at that sacred season, visited them as well in their secret retirements as in the public assembly; when the hand of Providence, as in the instance before us, and not their own negligence, and indifference to Divine ordinances, occasioned their absence from them: otherwise we might fear that those raptures of mind, which in the contempt of ordinances some make their boast and glory, arise from the artifices of the great enemy of souls, and are to be numbered among the most dangerous engines by which he attempts our ruin. Let our souls again bend, in humble veneration, to him who is the First and the Last, the Alpha and Omega. As if we heard 11 his awful voice proclaiming himself by these illustrious and Divine titles, let us turn, as it were, to behold him; and by these 12 marvellous visions in which he manifested himself to St. John, let us endeavour to form some imperfect ideas of our blessed 13, 16 Lord, and the magnificence and glory with which he appears to the inhabitants of the heavenly regions. Every circumstance, not excepting the minutest and most inconsiderable, attending this appearance of Christ to his beloved apostle, seems designed to convey some Divine truth, some important lesson, for the contemplation and instruction of future ages. It was, in general, beyond all question, intended to impress us with the lowliest reverence of our glorified Redeemer, that we may pay him our humble and devout adoration, and thus in some degree anticipate the pleasure with which we hope to appear in his immediate presence above. St. John is exhorted not to be afraid; Our Lord Jesus Christ addresses himself to the apostle John, and charges him with an epistle to each of the seven Asiatic churches already mentioned; and, in the first place, with the epistle to the church of Ephesus. Rev. I. 17—II. 7. REVELATION I. 17. I HAVE just been describing the appearance of Jesus Christ to me, with which I was favoured on the Lord's day, in the island of Patmos, while I was engaged in such devout sentiments as was suitable to time and occasion: and I now add, that when I saw him in this awful, this glorious and resplendent form, I was perfectly overwhelmed with the majesty of his appearance, so that I fell down at his feet, as dead; and he immediately condescended to raise me up, with great indulgence; for he laid his right hand upon me, [and] said to me, Fear not, John, for I appear to thee for purposes of mercy; I am, indeed, as I have proclaimed myself, the First and the Last, possessed of Divine perfections and glories; And yet I still wear the human form, which I assumed for the redemption of human and fallen creatures like thyself; I [am] he who lives, and have life immortal, and glory immutable in myself, though I was once dead, as thou knowest; and now behold it both with joy and wonder, I am living for ever and ever: (Amen:ᵃ be it so then, O Lord; mavest thou for ever live and reign!) And he added, I have the keys of the unseen world,ᵇ and of death; I have a supreme ᵃ Amen.] As this word appears to have additional force, if understood as expressing the joyful assent of John to what was delivered, I have enclosed it and the paraphrase upon it in a parenthesis. ᵇ Unseen world.] It must be allowed, that as: sometimes signifies the grave, when the body only is spoken of. But, as Mr. Howe has largely proved in his excellent discourse on this text, the interpretation I have here given, is most reasonable. That which would refer it to hell as the seat of the damned, limits the sense in a inner very derogatory from the honour of our blessed Redeemer, as he there shews unanswerably. Howe's Works, Vol. II. p 61, &c. According to Grotius, (see his note on Mat. xvi. 18,) the word, hades, always denotes either death, or the state after death, and they who are of opinion, that Luke xvi. 23, is an exception, may consult this learned author's judicious notes on this place. Our English, or rather Saxon word, hell, in its original signification, (though it is now understood in a more limited sense,) exactly answers to the Greek word, hades, and denotes a concealed, or unseen place; and this sense te what he saw, what is, and w at sha l be. dominion over it, and remove the souls of men from world to world, calling them out of the body, and fixing them in the invisible state, according to my pleasure, till at length I shall exert my power of raising the dead. Write therefore the things which thou now seest, and those which will be opened to thy view, in which there will be, in part, a reference to the things which already are, and a further reference to the things which shall hereafter be. And, as a general key to what I am now going to dictate, observe, that as to the mystery of the seven stars, which thou here seest as in my right hand, and of the seven lamps which are of gold; the seven stars are an emblematical representation of the angels, or presiding ministers, of the seven churches; and the seven lamps which thou seest, are a representation of the seven churches themselves, to which I have directed thee to inscribe and transmit the important epistles I am now about to dictate, according to what I observe of their respective circumstances and necessities. And in the first place, address to the angel, II. or presiding officer, of the church at Ephesus, and write thus, These things saith he, who holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, to signify that he is the great Support of his ministring servants, and directs their several situations and motions in the churches; and who walks in the midst of the seven golden lamps, to intimate thereby his presence among Christian societies, and his particular inspection over them. My eyes have been carefully fixed 2 tained in the eastern, the western counties of the a thing, is to cover History of the Creed, mstances and necesty the address in each te of the church to and what condescension viour's giving them and admonitions, is ugh very imperfectly, Sermons on the Pow- . See Serm. vii. p. presiding officer.] That there was one pastor, who presi in each of these churches, is indeed evic from the expression here used; but he was a diocesan bishop, or had se congregations of Christians under his c can by no means be proved. Nor is th the least hint of it, that I know of, any of these epistles. Many have she from ancient Jewish writings, that th was an officer of the synagogue who the name of angel. See Vitring. Synag. Vet. lib. 3. p. ii. c. 3. And Lightfoot adds, that from his office overlooking the reader of the law, he called pp, or episcopus. Compare I ii. 7. Christ's epistle to the church of Ephesus upon thee, and I have observed many things in thy conduct with pleasure. I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, with which thou hast endured the trials and sufferings to which thou hast been called out; and I know thou hast such a zeal for the honour of my gospel, and establishment of my kingdom, that thou canst not bear those who are evil. And, as false pretensions to a Divine mission and inspiration are so common, I know thou hast tried those, who say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them [to be] liars, and rejected their pretensions with a becoming disdain. And I know thou hast sustained, with exemplary fortitude, the trouble they have given thee; and hast exercised invincible patience under all thy sufferings and trials in my cause; and thou hast laboured constantly and tenaciously for my name's sake, and to establish the faith of my people: and hast not fainted under thy toils or tribulations. Nevertheless, I have [something] to allege against thee, exemplary as thou art in many respects; and it is this, That thou hast lost the zeal and fervour of thy first love to me and my cause; and this cannot but be very displeasing to me. Remember therefore from what thou art fallen; recall Canst not bear those who are evil.] as been pleaded by Lord Barring, an argument that the church of Jesus, in the early days of Christianity, had itself from those corruptions some endeavoured to bring into it, i. 15; ii. 17—26; iii. 6—10; which St. Paul, in his first epistle to thy, endeavoured, it seems, with happy success, to prevent. Misc. col. 1. p. 42. Limborch has sufficient, (see his Theol. lib. v. cap. 37, the absurdity of opposing such a this to the great Christian doctrine, which some have madly endured to prejudice by trifling inferno, from such detached and perverted, in opposition to the tenor of the new Testament. But the pretend-enforce such ecclesiastical censures laws of Christ do indeed in some require, with those secular terrors the magistrate, by virtue of his is to inflict on immoralities preju-* dicial to society, has of Christian discipline, universally, and gene establishments too. Lost thy first love that these epistles, the angels or pastors of the rected to the churches sented by them. Just was represented by priest, Zech. iii. 1. I able, that where some blamed, there might ters some faults com- charged upon the so- larly, that the zeal of Ephesus might be de- I think, no reason to gard to Timothy's c- count; for it can ne- he was a stated pastor Ephesus, though su- have been said concer- der foundations. ers them to repent and do their rst works. those better days to thy memory, and in the view of them set thyself seriously to repent of the decay which hath so much prevailed; and do the first works, or rather endeavour to exceed them. Otherwise thou must expect, that I will come unto thee quickly, in some awful dispensations of Providence, and take away thy lamp out of its place, unless thou repent; no longer shalt thou continue to be a church, if thou dost not endeavour to recover thy lost ground, and to shine at least with thy former lustre. Nevertheless, thou hast this honour and praise remaining, that thou hatest the impure work of the lewd Nicolaitans, which I also hate, as having brought so great a reproach upon the Christian name: To conclude; Let him that hath an ear, hear what the Spirit saith to all the churches for their encouragement; and to that of Ephesus in particular: To him who conquers the enemies, which lie in the way of his duty and happiness, and manfully breaks through all oppositions, I will give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God: the fruit of which gives immortality, and it is situated in the paradise above; so that he who resides within its reach, is possessed of such felicities and delights as are far superior to those which Adam enjoyed in an earthly paradise, though in a state of uncorrupted and perfect innocence. g Take away thy lamp out of its place.] As this threatening is addressed to the church of Ephesus, though much better than some other churches, it is reasonable to believe, that it, like other denunciations, was intended to awaken the rest. It intimates how terrible a thing it would be to have the gospel taken away from them. And indeed it has been executed upon them all, in a very awful manner. For though there be a little congregation, if I remember right, at Smyrna, yet most of these churches are quite ruined, and with them the cities in which they stood, though they were once very celebrated. And it is hardly possible, even for one who is not a Christian, to view the account which Sir Paul Ricaut, and the learned and ingenious Mr. Smith, have given of them, without being tenderly affected with so lamentable a catastrophe. h Nicolaitans] Some have thought these heretics derived their name from Nicolas, one of the seven deacons; and some ancient writers have asserted it. But the name was so common among the Jews, that little argument can be drawn from thence. See Euseb. Eccl. Hist. lib. iii. c. 26. The substance of what ancient writers say concerning them is, that they taught the lawfulness of lewdness and idolatrous sacrifices, esteeming them things indifferent in their own nature; and their practices were suitable to such principles. Compare ver. 14, 15. Reflections on the glorious character of our Lord. IMPROVEMENT. iii. WITH whatever humble and holy reverence this awful representation of our blessed Redeemer may strike us, let us be encouraged to look up to him by a lively faith, and to hear with joy, and with purposes of the most grateful obedience, the gracious declaration he makes of that amazing contrast of Divine perfections and characters, and of human weaknesses and infirmities, which met in him. The Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, is he who lives and yet was dead, but is now alive for ever more: for us he became liable to death, but is now risen to a Divine and immortal life; in which consideration let us continually rejoice on his account, and on our own. It is exceedingly reviving to the heart of a sincere Christian, that Jesus has the keys of the unseen world, and of death: so that whenever we are removed by the stroke of this our last enemy, it is only to be considered as his turning the key, which will let us out of this world into another, of happiness and glory everlasting. How delightful to reflect, that heaven is under the command of our Redeemer, and hell is under his controul! What have his faithful servants to fear from the one? what have they not to hope from the other? How does this cheering sentiment disarm both life and death, of their respective terrors! Let us attend to each of these excellent epistles, which Christ condescended himself to dictate, and to address by the hand of his servant John, to these Asiatic churches. Let us attend to his titles, his admonitions, his promises, that we may be awed with holy reverence, that we may be animated to humble hope, and steady courage, in every encounter with the enemies of our salvation. chap. Let the ministers of Christ rejoice, that they are as stars in the right hand of their Redeemer. "Support them, O Lord, by thy almighty power, and guide all their motions by thine infinite wisdom." Let all the churches of Christ remember, that he walks in the midst of the golden candlesticks; may they be pure gold: may their lamps shine with unsullied lustre, that their Father may be glorified, and their Saviour delighted with the survey. 2,3 He sees our labour, our patience, our fidelity, and our zeal. May he see that we cannot bear those who would corrupt our religion, without exerting ourselves to silence their false pretensions, and to guard the churches, to which we are related especially, from the venom they might diffuse over them! In all these respects, may we daily approve ourselves to him in a more perfect manner. But, alas! does he not perceive in many of us, what he complained so early of, in the church of Ephesus; that Christ's epistle to the church of Smyrna. we have lost our first love, and that much of that real with which we set out in religion is declined? If so, let us take the alarm: for dreadful indeed would it be, to have our candlestick removed out of its place; to have the gospel and all its privileges taken away from us. To prevent this awful judgment, let us recollect from whence we are fallen, if we are indeed in a backsliding and declining state; and humbly and heartily repent, and vigorously exert ourselves against the enemies of our salvation: that overcoming the difficulties of this howling wilderness, we may be received to the enjoyments of the heavenly country: and when we can no longer share in the bounties of Providence in this inferior state, be feasted with the fruit of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God. The epistles which Christ orders St. John to write to the churches of Smyrna and Pergamos. Rev. II. 8—17. REV II. 8. AND unto the angel of the church in Smyrna, write, These things saith the First and the Last, which was dead, and is alive; REVELATION II. 8. AND to the angel, or minister, of the church of Smyrna, write, These things saith the First and the Last; that glorious and Divine Person, who having assumed the human nature into an union with Deity, is able to say, he was dead and is alive; who therefore demands by all considerations of reverence, gratitude, and love, thy most attentive audience, and most obedient regard: I know thy works to have been in many respects very extraordinary; and I am well acquainted with thy tribulation and poverty, with the humble opinion thou hast of thyself; but I know also that thou art rich in faith, and in all its genuine effects, and art daily laying up for thyself an increasing treasure in heaven. And [I also know] the blasphemy of those who say they are Jews, and are not, but while they boast their relation to I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty; (but thou art rich;) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are a And poverty.] Archbishop Wake supposes this refers to the extraordinary character of Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna; who had, as ecclesiastical history tells us, reduced himself to a voluntary poverty, as many of the primitive bishops did, by selling his estate, and distributing it to the poor. But I much question, whether the personal character of the bishop, or pastor, of these churches, be referred to in this address: and the very next verse seems to demonstrate it is not. Compare also verse 5. b Say they are Jews, and are not.] There were great numbers of Jews in the proconsular Asia; and their inveteracy against the gospel there, and elsewhere, is well known. This is an instance, in which the word Jew signifies one of God's peculiar people; and it is not improbable, They should fear none of the things they might the synagogue of Moses, [are] indeed the synagogue of Satan, whose temper they breathe in their opposition to my gospel, and to my people, while they blasphemously pretend a zeal for my name, even in their impieties. But let all my faithful servants be encouraged boldly to face their opposition; and I say to each of them, in addressing to thee, Fear none of the things which thou shalt suffer; for, behold, I inform you, that the devil, acting in and by these instruments, the men of his synagogue, will indeed have a permission to cast some of you into prison; that you may be tried, and by these trials more remarkably approved; and ye shall have tribulation ten days; for a certain limited time, he shall be permitted to afflict you; but bear up courageously against his assaults, as becomes my valiant soldiers: be thou faithful unto death, persevere in thy attachment to me, and thy zeal for my interest, even to the last, though death in its more terrible form should assault thee; for thou fightest under a General, who, though thou fall by the stroke of this last enemy, can raise thee again; and, instead of losing by thy fidelity to me, thou shalt be richly rewarded: for I will give thee a crown of eternal life, and advance thee to such glory and felicity, as shall be infinitely more than an equivalent for the utmost thou canst possibly suffer in my cause. He that hath an ear to hear, let him be all attention to hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches: The valiant conqueror shall be secured from evils, which are beyond all that many prophetic phrases, in which revelations. But it may only signify a Jewish rites are mentioned, are to be short and limited time. Compare Gen. terpreted with as great a latitude; that is, xxxi. 7; 1 Sam. i. 8; Eccl. vii. 19; Dan. for those rites of worship which God's i. 12; Zech. viii 25. peculiar people should use. Be thou faithful unto death, &c.] I Cast some of you into prison.] Whether the power of the synagogue extended so far as to imprison, I do not certainly know; have endeavoured at large to illustrate the so scourging it undoubtedly extended. great force of this noble text in my funeral [of the resurrection, p. 129,) with many sermon for that illustrious Christian hero, others, thinks this refers to the persecution under Domitian, which continued not forbear recording here; and the meabout ten years, and was begun when John moirs of whose life, which from the most was banished into Patmos, and saw these intimate knowledge of him I have written, will, I hope, promote the admiration, tove, and imitation of all who peruse them trist's epistle to the church of Pergamos. comparison greater than any he can endure on earth. In this world he may indeed encounter the first death for my sake; but he shall not be injured hereafter by the second; he shall rest in everlasting security and peace, while those who desert and renounce their duty for the preservation of this transitory life, shall be consigned to that state of misery, where they shall seek death, but it shall for ever flee from them. And to the angel, or minister, of the church, which [is] in Pergamos, write, These things saith he, who in token of the penetrating and efficacious nature of his word, is represented as one who has the sharp two edged sword coming out of his mouth; even that word, which is quick and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword: I know thy works, and thy circumstances, in every respect; and particularly, where thou dwellest; [even] where the throne of Satan [is] fixed, in the midst of superstition, and in the midst of persecution, by the union of which the kingdom of darkness is supported; and thou holdest fast the honour of my name, and hast not denied and renounced my faith, even in those days of extreme difficulty and danger, in which Antipas [was] my faithful martyr, and sealed his fidelity to me with his blood; even that dear and resolute Christian, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth, and seems to take up his residence, as might be inferred from the enormities which are continually practising there. Nevertheless, I have a few things to allege: against thee, that thou hast there them who remain uncensured in your societies, who hold what is, in effect, the detestable doctrine of that infamous Balaam, who taught Balak, king of Moab, to cast a stumbling block before the children of Israel, by which they fell into sin and ruin; encouraging and seducing them to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit fornication. *Antipas my faithful martyr.] Ecclesiastical history has not informed us who this Antipas was. Perhaps he was some zealous minister, who died for the faith he had reached; or some private Christian of obscure birth, rank, and circumstances, enabled by enduring martyrdom in the Christian cause. But we may be sure that such condescending notice taken of him by his Divine Master, who mentions his name with affection and regard, would be, instead of a thousand arguments, to animate the courage and fidelity of other Christians, who might be called out to the like extremities.* They are ordered to repent. These practices are tolerated by some among 15 So hast thou iv. you; whom therefore it becomes you to search also them that hold Rev. out, and to treat with due severity; for thou in the doctrine of the Isaiah 15 like manner hast those that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which Isaiah 15 accursed Balaamites, or wicked Nicolaitans.⁶ which I hate. Repent therefore of these irregularities; or otherwise thou mayest depend upon it, that I will come unto thee quickly in a way of chastisement, and I will fight against them with the sharp sword [that cometh out] of my mouth; I will pronounce terrible calamities against you, and execute upon you what I have threatened in my word. He that hath an ear to hear at all, capable of hearing, let him hear with the greatest attention, what the Spirit saith to the churches: To the conqueror I will give the privilege of being, as it were, admitted into the most holy place; and there he shall have liberty to eat of the hidden manna; and shall be entertained with those sacred pleasures, which God's sanctuary above affords, and of which the manna that fell in the wilderness, and was laid up in a golden vessel before the Lord, was only an imperfect type. And I will give him a white stone,⁶ in token of full absolu- ⁶ Balaamites, or Nicolaitans.] As Balaam has the same signification in Hebrew which Nicolaus has in Greek, and both signify conquerors of the people, (which name might probably be given to the celebrated Balaam, on account of the great influence which he had in the place where he lived,) it seems not improbable, that the doctrine of Balaam, and of the Nicolaitans, might be the same; (or the latter might be more strenuous in justifying and propagating their doctrine, and acting upon it.) As if he had said, Balaam taught Balak to lay a stumbling block before the children of Israel; and thou hast also them that hold the doctrine of the Balaamites. Probably this doctrine might be like that of some modern seducers, that it was lawful to dissemble the Christian faith, and to confirm toestablished superstition, to prevent persecution: a fatal error, which tends most effectually to overthrow Christianity; the existence of which, in these later ages, is owing to the contrary doctrine and practice. And I greatly fear, that millions of souls are continually sacrificed to it, especially in France, and other untrics, in which protestant churches were once planted, but are now overthrown. Nor can it be hoped, that the reformed interest will ever revive, till a few of its professors at least have the courage to die for the truth, and scatter their blood as the seed of the church. An anonymous writer, (in the Memoirs of Liter. Vol. V. p. 258,) thinks, that by Balaamites, or Nicolaitans, (which he also supposes the same,) we are, in general, to understand lewd and profligate persons, who aim at nothing but their own secular advantage, and pleads in favour of his opinion, ver. 20; iii. 9; viii. 11; ix. 11; xi. 8, in all which places proper names are used in such a figurative manner, to express characters resembling theirs whose names are thus used. ⁶ A white stone.] It is well known, that among the Greeks, a white stone was a token of absolution, as a black stone was of condemnation; but the writing a new name upon this stone is not, that I know of, illustrated by any ancient practice. And the connection between the two ideas seems to be this, That in the great day, on which the absolution of Christ's people was to be declared publicly, they were to Reflections on the epistles to Smyrna and Pergamos. and in the stone a tion from all his crimes ; and in the stone a new sect. iv. with no man knoweth, saving he that who receiveth it ; I will admit him to that intimacy of sacred friendship, from whence results a joy which the stranger intermeddles not with, and which can be only conceived by those who happily experience it. IMPROVEMENT. AGAIN let us direct our eyes to that glorious Person, who is verse 8 the First and the Last ; and who, though it may appear incompatible with that Divine title, was once dead, and is alive again ; and since he is here awfully represented as with a sharp sword 12 going out of his mouth, let us be greatly concerned, that we do not incur his displeasure by our irregular conduct, lest he smite, or even destroy us. Let us observe and imitate what he commends in the churches whom he here addresses ; their humility in being sensible of their poverty, when enriched by his grace ; their patience, their diligence, and the resolution with which they 13 retained the honour of his name, notwithstanding the throne of satan was in the midst of them, and the rage of persecution had destroyed Antipas before their eyes ; that blessed, that triumphant hero, whose fidelity and constancy his Divine Saviour commemorates with approbation, and even with satisfaction and pleasure. Who would not be ambitious of dying in the same manner, were it ever so severe and terrible, to be thus honoured and celebrated by our Lord Jesus Christ, or any of his faithful apostles ? Let us not be terrified at the apprehension of what we may suffer from the malice of satan, and by his instruments, even though not merely imprisonment, but death itself were to 10 be admitted into that intimate converse, and high state of favour, which is signified by the new name ; which last circumstance plainly alludes to the custom of princes, who give new names to those whom they have raised to very extraordinary dignity ; of which we have many instances in the Old Testament ; particularly, Gen. xli. 45 ; 2 Sam. xii. 25 ; Dan. i. 7. Dr. Goodman thinks this an allusion to the token, or ticket, given to the conqueror in the Olympic games, expressing his name, and signifying the reward he was to receive for his achievements. See his Par. of the Prod. p. 307. No man knoweth, except he who receiveth it.] I have sometimes thought, o λαμβάναι, may signify, one that has received it, as it seems a name given to any person, must be known to others, or it would be given in vain ; and then it intimates, that honour shall be conferred on such an one, which shall only be known to the inhabitants of that world to which he shall be admitted, and who have already received it. Otherwise, it must refer to a custom which has sometimes prevailed among princes, of giving particular names, expressing familiarity and delight, to distinguished favourites, by which to call them in the greatest familiarity of converse, whether by discourse, or by letter ; and which have not been communicated to others, or used by them at other times. I have hinted at both in the paraphrase, not being able in my own mind certainly to determine, which is the peculiar and more exact sense. Christ's epistle to the church in Thyatira. await us. It is only for a limited time that he can occasion tribulation to any of the people of God; and our blessed Lord will never be unmindful of that gracious promise, Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life. O! let us by faith survey that innumerable company, who, though they have fallen by the stroke of the first death, have been, and shall for ever be, unhurt by the second: that blessed society who are encircled with immortal crowns, which their triumphant Leader, whom they followed with such undaunted fortitude, hath bestowed upon them; who, though they partake no longer of the bread that perisheth, nor are feasted with earthly viands, are yet eating of the hidden manna; who have received the white stone, in token of their absolution; and while the names and memory of many of them have sunk into oblivion, and the honours attending others are of little consequence, they are known in the heavenly regions by a new name, conferred as a mark of favour and distinction by the King of kings, and Lord of lords. We are drawing on, if we are true Christians, to the completion of that blessed hope. And that we may not be disappointed, may we, by Divine grace, be preserved from the artifices of those who call themselves the people of God, while they are indeed of the synagogue of satan, and from whatever, like the doctrine of Balaam, would insnare our consciences, and defile our souls. Parallels: Revelation 3 The epistles, which Christ charges St. John to write to the churches of Thyatira and Sardis. Rev. II. 18, to the end. Rev. III. 1—6. REVELATION II. 18. AND to the angel, or Christian minister, of the church in Thyatira, write, These things saith the Son of God, who hath his eyes bright and penetrating as a flame of fire, and his feet shining like fine brass: I know and approve thy works of piety, which are many, and which, I am well apprised, are the effects of ardent love to me; and I am acquainted with the service thou art performing for my cause and interest, and with thy faith and thy patience; and that, with respect to thy works, the last [are] more, greater, and better, than the first. Very far art thou from that declining state of religion, of which I have had reason elsewhere to REV. II. 18. AND unto the angel of the church in Thyatira, write, These things saith the Son of God, who hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire, and his feet are like fine brass; 19 I know thy works and charity, and service, and faith, and thy patience, and thy works; and the last to be more than the first. e had a few things against them. complain. Nevertheless, I have a few things against thee; and particularly, that thou permittest that woman Jezabel, (for she deserves no better name, than of that infamous and idolatrous harlot,) who audaciously and falsely says, that she is a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants, in order to avoid persecution, to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed to idols. And she is the more inexcusable, as I have given her sufficient time to repent of her fornication, and she repented not; but continued her enormities with increasing aggravation. But behold, at length I will execute judgment upon her. And let the process of my righteous vengeance be observed: I am just preparing to cast her into a bed; and will bring those who commit fornication with her, who suffer their consciences to be debauched by such licentious and detestable principles, into great tribulation, unless they speedily repent of their wicked works. And I will slay her children, those that presume to follow her in her wickedness, with sudden and inevitable death; and all the churches shall know, that though I am very long suffering with respect to many sinners, and am unwilling immediately to come to extremities; yet I am not to be mocked and trifled with; that my eyes are indeed as observant as they are bright and piercing, and that I am he who searcheth the reins and the hearts; and I will at length approve the a That woman Jezabel.] When the description of the followers of Jezabel, in this verse, is compared with what was before said of the Nicolaitans, (verse 14, 15,) the resemblance appears so great, that I am induced to believe it is the same heresy which is represented under both these views; namely, the doctrine of those who taught it was lawful to dissemble our religious principles, and occasionally to conform to superstition and idolatry, in order to avoid persecution. And as Jezabel was so infamous an idolatress, and so great a mistress of seducing arts, there was an evident propriety in such a representation, 1 Kings xvi. 31; xxi. 25. Some have fancied this was some female heretic. Dr. Scott thinks it to have been Helena, the harlot of Simon Magus, the great ringleader of the unclean sect of the Gnostics. (See Scott's Christian Life, Vol. I. p. 231) Whether these words refer to any woman, who was in the plot, or only mean to describe a person of such seducing and dishonest practices, I cannot determine, though I rather incline to the latter. Compare verse 15, note 5. b Commit fornication, and eat things sacrificed to idols.] Perhaps both of these might be the same; as it is well known idolatry is in many places in the Old Testament, and in several passages in this book, represented as adultery and fornication. I am he who searcheth—the hearts.] This manner of speaking is much more remarkable, than if it had only been said, that I search the hearts which remark answers the train of Mr. Emlyn's reasoning against the argument brought from this text, to prove Christ's proper Deity. VOL. 6. The faithful are ordered to be steadfast, till he come. justice of my proceedings with respect to this society, as well as all others, and will give to every one of you according to your works, and according to those principles from which I know they have proceeded. But I say to you who are faithful, even to the rest of those that are in Thyatira, As many as do not hold this pernicious doctrine, and who have not known the depths of Satan, as they proverbially speak, nor make themselves the instruments of accomplishing the designs of his infernal policy; I will lay upon you no other burden, will not severely reprove you for that mixture of human infirmity, which is to be discerned every where. Nevertheless, what you have received, as of Divine revelation and command, hold fast till I come, and let nothing prevail upon you to make a sacrifice of your regard for me and my cause, for neither my ability, nor inclination, to reward those who are faithful, will ever be diminished. And as for him that conquers, and keeps my works unto the end, notwithstanding the vigorous efforts of the enemies of my gospel, to wrest it from him, or induce him to deny it, though he should be ever so much exposed and overborne now, I will, at length, give him complete power and victory over all the nations that have combined against my people, And I will raise him to the dignity and glory of sharing with me in my final triumph; and he shall rule them with a rod of iron, and they shall be at once dashed in pieces with it, like a potter's vessel: in like manner, as I have also received the promise of my Father in that ancient No other burden] Lord Barrington imagines this refers to the gospel decree addressed to Gentile proselytes, now abolished with the Jewish polity. As if it had been said, Though things strangled, and blood, were formerly forbidden, as well as idolatry and fornication, yet I will not subject you to this injunction. Bar. Ess. iv. p 20. Power over the nations] This power over the nations, of breaking them to pieces like a potter's vessel, &c. cannot, I think, be understood, of temporal dominion; for as the promise is made to every conqueror, and many Christians fell by the oppres- sive power of the enemy, and would, considering their present circumstances, be degraded rather than exalted, if raised to the possession of any earthly dominion and triumph, it appears to be much more properly explained of that final triumph of Christ over his enemies in the last day, when he shall crush them all to utter and irrecoverable ruin, and all his saints raised from the dead, and clothed with robes of glory, shall sit down with him on his throne, and constitute that illustrious body, which in, and with their exalted head, shall subdue every opposing power. Christ's epistle to the church in Sardis. oracle, (Psal. ii. 9,) the accomplishment of which all my faithful subjects shall see; for they shall behold all their enemies, however numerous and mighty, laid prostrate at their feet in the dust, and covered with everlasting confusion. And I will give him, even every one who approveth his fidelity to me, such lustre and glory, that he shall shine in my presence like the morning star, when its sprightly and cheerful beams break through the shades of night, and proclaim the approaching sun. He, therefore, that hath an ear, let him attentively hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; for all the churches are concerned in the message I send to each; and the importance of the contents make them worthy of universal regard. And to the angel, or minister, of the church in Sardis, write, These things saith he, that hath the seven Spirits of God; he who presides over, and orders the dispensations of the Spirit, with respect to his various gifts and graces, and produces thereby such wonderful events as shall astonish all future ages; and that hath in his hand the seven stars, which represent the ministers of the churches, all whose motions he continues to govern and direct, according to his all wise and gracious pleasure: I know thy works; that thou dost not answer that character which thou generally maintainest in neighbouring churches, for religion and piety. I know, that thou hast a name that thou livest; thou makest a splendid profession, and many of thy brethren are deceived by thy apparent zeal; but thou art indeed dead; there is little real religion lying at thy heart, nor do the uniform fruits of it prevail in thy life and conversation. Be watchful, therefore, that the whole may not be lost; and strengthen the things which remain, and which are ready to die; for I have not found thy works filled up, in the sight of God, with that care and fidelity with which they ought to have been discharged; and he, therefore, cannot behold thee with the same approbation and delight, as he does more active, more diligent, and more resolute Christians. And this thy declension in religion is the more aggravated, as thou hast had so many They who overcame, shoud walk with him i advantages for improvement. Remember therefore, how thou hast received, and heard; for though thou mayest forget these advantages, they are all distinctly in my view; and let it therefore be thy care to hold fast what yet remains; and to repent of that negligence by which thou hast lost so many opportunities: therefore, unless thou art watchful, I do now solemnly warn thee, that I will come upon thee by some alarming and awful interposition of my Providence, on a sudden, as a thief, on those that are buried in sleep; and thou shalt not know at what hour I will come upon thee; and the surprise will throw thee into the greatest consternation and distress. But I will do thee the honour, and the justice, to say, that thou hast a few names, and people, even in Sardis, corrupt and indolent as the general state of it is, who have not polluted their garments, with the abominations by which so many have contracted gross defilements. And, as they have been distinguished by their fidelity and their zeal, I will distinguish them by my special favour, and raise them, ere long, to those seats of complete purity and glory, where they shall walk with me in whiteᶠ robes, and attend my joyful and triumphant train; for they are worthy of such distinguished honour, as they have been especially careful to keep themselves from those evils which have been generally prevailing around them. As for the conqueror, he shall be clothed in white raiment; every victor shall wear the habit of festivity and triumph; and I will not blot out his name from the book of life,ᵍ but, [Walk with me in white.] It is well known, that white robes were worn on occasions of great joy, and sometimes in triumphant processions; to both which were, probably, a reference, as indeed it seems that triumph and feasting would naturally go together. Priests also were clothed in white, and the addition of that dignity may also be implied, as certainly coming within the scheme of Christ with regard to his people. (Compare Rev. i. 6.) Some think here is an allusion to the custom of the Sanhedrin, when they examined the candidates for the high priesthood; if they judged him worthy, they gave him a white garment; if unqualified, he was sent out from among them in mourning. L'Enfant Intro. p. 86. See Ainsworth's Pref. to Gen. [I will not blot out his name, &c.] I think this plainly implies, that some name shall be blotted out from the book of life; and consequently, as nothing can occasion an alteration in the decrees of God, I think it proves, that the book of life does not signify, the catalogue of those whom God has absolutely purposed to save; but rather the catalogue of those who were to be considered as heirs of the kingdom of heaven in consequence of their Christian profession, till by apostasy from it they throw themselves out of that society t Reflections on the epistles to Thyatira and Sardis. of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels. as he is enrolled among my faithful people, he shall ever continue in their number; and when the register shall be read over in the presence of God in the great day, I will confess his name before my Father, and before the full assembly of his glorious angels, and not be ashamed to acknowledge him as my friend and my favourite. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. He that hath an ear to hear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to all the churches; and let every one that hears, be animated by so glorious a hope, to exert his utmost efforts in this holy and honourable warfare. Rev. iii. 5. IMPROVEMENT. LET the disciples of Christ always remember, that his eye penetrates the most hidden recesses; that he searcheth the hearts and trieth the reins of the children of men: accordingly, let them take heed to cherish nothing, even in their hearts, which their great Master will behold with displeasure. There may faith, and patience, and charity, erect their throne; and may their dominion so prevail, that our last works, like those of the church of Thyatira, may be more than the first. And surely it is most reasonable, as we approach the end of our course, as we experience more of the vanity of life, and the substantial and solid pleasures of religion, that they should be so. But, alas! how much more common is the character of the church of Sardis, and of those who have only a name to live, while they are dead? Censorious and uncharitable as too great a part of the world is, are there not some who are ashamed and humbled in the view of the esteem which they are held in by their brethren, while conscious of so many inward, though unallowed, infirmities, of so much deadness and coldness in religion, even where they would be most zealous and lively? Alas! how far are our works from being filled up before God! Let us often lament these our imperfections and declensions; let us deeply humble ourselves before God on account of them; and let us be as vigilant as possible, that we may strengthen those things, which if they do indeed remain, seem ready to die. The more general the prevalence of such an indolent temper is, the more let us emulate the distinguished honour of those few names in Sardis, which had not defiled their garments; that we may walk with them; and with Christ, in white raiment; that we may arrive at that happy state of everlasting chap. iii. 1 which they before belonged; and it seems to intimate, that though the imperfection even of these conquerors, might, in strict justice, have deserved it, yet Christ would spare them, and suffer them to continue in the number of those who should finally be found registered, as free of the heavenly city; and who, in the great day, should be called up to possess it. Christ's epistle to the church in Philadelphia. purity, of everlasting festivity, of everlasting triumph, which our v. Divine Master has encouraged us to expect. We know not verse how unexpectedly he may come upon us: let us be always ready, 3 always strenuous in maintaining a holy war against the enemies of our salvation; and then we shall conquer, we shall triumph; 5 our name shall remain in the book of life; it shall be confessed by chap. Christ before his Father and his holy angels: we shall share with ii. 26 him in his triumph over all the rebellious nations, in that day, 27 when he shall dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel: we shall 28 for ever wear the lustre of the morning star; yea, we shall shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of our Father. Amen. The epistles, which Christ orders to be written to the two remaining churches, the Philadelphian, and Laodicean. Rev. III. 7—22 REVELATION III. 7. AND now to the angel, or minister, of the church in Philadelphia, write, These things vi. saith the Holy One, and the true One,ᵃ he, who Rev. claims perfect holiness, and invariable truth, as iii. 7 necessary and essential to his nature, in a manner which no creature can pretend to; he, whose authority in the church of God is so uncontrollable, that it may truly be said, he has the key of the house of David; he, who openeth, and no man shutteth,ᵇ and shutteth, and no man openeth; insomuch that Eliakim, who is spoken of in such terms of honour, (Isa. xxii. 22,) was 8 only a type of him: I well know thy works, how exemplary they are; and behold, I have used the power of the key which is in my hand, in such a manner, that I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: I give thee a power and opportunity of spreading my gospel, which none shall take from thee; because thou hast, at least, a little strength; Rev. III. 7. AND to the angel of the church in Philadelphia, write, These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth, and shutteth, and no man openeth; 8 I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast ᵃ The holy One, the true One.] This is nature, to serve in the cause. (Compare so peculiarly the prerogative of God, that I have sometimes wondered, no greater stress should have been laid upon it in proof of the Deity of our blessed Redeemer, by many writers who have pressed other texts, of a much more dubious nature, to serve in the cause. (Compare chap. vi. 10) ᵇ Who openeth, and no man shutteth.] The office of lord steward of the household, who hath the power of opening and shutting what apartments in the palace be pleaseth, is described by these terms. He would keep them from the hour of temptation. kept my word, and and thou hast used it well, and hast coura- sect. hast not denied my geously kept my word, and hast not denied my vi. name, though many attempts have been made Rev. 9 Behold, I will to drive thee to do it. Behold, I will give, as iv. 9 Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan (which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie;) behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee. it were, into thy power, those hypocritical wretches, [who are] indeed of the synagogue of Satan, and under all the solemn guise of religious worship, are carrying on his cause and interest; they say they are Jews, and pretend to be my people, and are not; but lie. Behold, I say, I will give them into thy power; and I will make them to come and worship before thy feet; and they shall know that I have loved thee, finding I have evidently supported thy cause Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth. and interest against all that have opposed it. Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, that gospel, which I have myself, by such patient suffering in my human nature, established in the world, and by which I at once exercise and support the faith and patience of my people; I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try all the inhabitants of these parts of the earth: my hand shall remarkably appear, in sheltering thee from the dangers, by which others fall, and in strengthening thee in proportion to the trial. Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown. Behold, I come quickly, to put an end to those exercises, which are for the present so painful; keep that which thou hast with resolute fidelity; that no man take thy crown from thee, even that crown of everlasting glory, which will be the Him that over-gracious reward of thy continued fidelity. As cometh, will I make for the conqueror, I will make him a pillar of Worship before thy feet.] Were we more particularly acquainted with the history of these seven churches, in the times immediately succeeding the date of these epistles, we might perhaps find many remarkable illustrations of several passages in them, and of this among the rest: supposing, for instance, persons of considerable rank and dignity in Philadelphia, were converted to Christianity; and the interest of the synagogue here spoken of, was so weakened, or the heathen populace of the place so prejudiced against them, as that the chief members of the synagogue should find it necessary to court the protection of the Christians for the security of their persons or effects; it will throw considerable light upon the place. The like observation may be applied to the following clause: I will keep thee from the hour of temptation, &c. Dr. Smith has observed, (in his learned and accurate account of these parts, p. 134-141, that the city of Philadelphia was the last of all the seven, here spoken of, which fell into the hands of the Turks; for whereas the rest were subdued by Urchan and Amurath: Philadelphia held out till the time of Bajazet. So that the remains of this society were preserved, when those of the rest were ruined. But how far that event might immediately be referred to in the words before us, I cannot certainly say. Christ's epistle to the church in the ice distinguished ornament and beauty; and I will not only fix him near, but in the temple of my God above, and he shall stand there upon an unshaken and everlasting basis, so that he shall go out no more; and he shall bear the marks of immortal honour; for I will inscribe upon him the name of my God, under whose auspicious influence the grand victory has been gained, and under whose protection this sacred monument of it shall for ever remain. And I will also inscribe the name of the city of my God, even the New Jerusalem, as it is that to which he belongs, and of which he is free; even that New Jerusalem, which is come down from heaven from my God, and shall soon be represented to thee, O John, in a most glorious vision; and he shall bear my new name, the name which I have acquired by that great expedition, which brought me into the world, and carried me through so many labours and sufferings; even that of the Redeemer of sinners; under which character I will own him for one of my redeemed, who fought under my banner, and overcame his enemies by my influence, and my blood.⁴ He that hath an ear, let him attentively hear what the Spirit saith to the churches; for addresses of this kind are made not to a particular person, or to one Christian society alone, but are indeed of more extensive, and even universal concern. And to the angel of the church, which is in Laodicea, write, These things saith he, who is the AMEN, the faithful and true Witness; attesting those truths, which are of the utmost importance, on the most perfect knowledge of will make him a pillar, &c.] Few in the whole New Testament are illustrated by antiquity than this. Numbers of inscriptions are yet re-ning, brought from the Grecian cities Europe and Asia, and some from is in the neighbourhood of Patmos, which the victories of eminent persons commemorated. And as some of were placed near the temples of their s, others were in those temples, to by their being put under the partic-protection of those deities; whose therefore were received upon them, and the names of the cities to which the the names of the gen duct the victory was circumstances suit so victories, much more in the Olympic game antiquity, and so la described by Mr. W. tion on that subject seems to justify the t given in my paraphras passages, on which so and comfort as Chris hey are charged with ukewarmness. them, and with the most unerring exactness; yea, he who is the beginning of the creation of God, by whom it was produced, and who is the Head and governor of all that he has made: I know thy works, and all the particulars of thy conduct; that thou art neither cold nor hot, that thou art growing very indifferent in religion, though thou canst not allow thyself entirely to cast it off; now this is so disagreeable to me, that I wish thou wouldst determine one way or another; and that it might be said, thou wert either cold or hot, if thou really thinkest it not worth thy regard, reject it entirely; but, if indeed thou art convinced of its truth and importance, act with a steady conformity to that conviction. Therefore, because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, this indifference of thine is as disagreeable to me, as liquor, in this condition, is to the stomach; and therefore to pursue the similitude, odious as it may seem, I must tell thee, that if thou persistest in such a disposition, I will cast thee out of my mouth with loathing. Because thou sayest I am wealthy, and have enriched myself by my own wisdom and virtue, and have need of nothing; imagining thy state in religion to be so very prosperous and happy; and in this spiritual lunacy into which thou art fallen, like a miserable beggar who fancies himself a prince, knowest not that thou art wretched, and pitiable, and poor, and blind, and naked, in a most deplorable condition, destitute of every desirable blessing; I counsel thee, that with an humble sense of thy condition, so extremely unhappy, thou apply to him who alone is capa- * The beginning of the creation of God.] Mr. Fleming would render it, the efficient cause of God's creation. But as it is certain, that upon has not always that signification, I judge it safe to give what is more commonly the sense of it. So disagreeable to me, that I wish thou wouldst determine one way or another.] Mr. Lowman observes, that the clause, I would thou wert cold or hot, may be understood as expressing great dislike, not as a proper wish, or expression of what men really desire. Wretched and pitiable, &c.] The sad account which is here given of the Laodi- cean church, which is placed last, when compared with what is said of the glorious state of Christianity in the last ages of the world, may, I think, convince any attentive reader, that these epistles are not to be understood in a prophetic sense, as expressive of the state and character of the Christian church in different periods of time. It may also be observed, that at that rate the middle ages of the church, which were in fact most corrupt, must have answered to Pergamos and Thyatim, which are described in these epistles, as the most flourishing and happy state. VOL. 6. They are exhorted to be zealous, an rep ble of helping thee. And as I require no price, or equivalent for my treasures, but only a conviction of such an incapacity to make an adequate return for them, I advise thee, in that way, to buy of me a full supply for all thy necessities; blessings, as desirable as gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest indeed be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness may not appear. Apply to me for an interest in my righteousness and sanctifying grace; that thou mayest be absolved before God, and adorned with every virtue which can render thee lovely in his sight. And whereas thou art blinded with such unhappy self conceit, come, and anoint thy eyes with my sovereign eye salve, that thou mayest see; for I can bring thee to right sentiments of thyself, and of thy state; and can teach thee to judge of objects according to their real worth. In the mean time, imagine not, that what may seem severe in this address, proceeds from any unkindness to thee; for whomsoever I love, I reprove and correct. Instead, therefore, of ungratefully quarrelling at so kind an admonition, set thyself immediately and diligently to improve it: Be more zealous for the future, than thou hast ever been in time past, and deeply repent of thy prevailing indolence and degeneracy. Behold, I have stood for a long time, and I still stand at the door, and knock; waiting for admittance into your hearts. If any man hear my voice, with a due regard, and open the door; if he welcome me with the affection due to such a Friend, and such a Saviour, how mean soever his circumstances in life may be, and how faulty soever his character may formerly have been, I will enter into his house, and, like some princely guest, will bring my own rich and delightful entertainment along with me; I will sup with him, and he shall sup with me; I will treat him with the most endearing and familiar friendship, accept the tokens of his affection, and give him the most solid evidences of mine. Let this variety of motives then engage you, O ye Laodiceans, to shake off that dull lethargic temper which has so long given me cause of complaint: and for your further encouragement, s on the epistles to Philadelphia and Laodicea, hear the last promise which I make, to all who exert themselves in that holy warfare, to which I am calling you, with becoming vigour and resolution: as for the valiant conqueror, I will give him to sit down with me upon my glorious and exalted throne in the heavenly world; as I also myself have conquered the enemies which violently assaulted me in the days of my flesh, and am set down with my Father upon his throne; my faithful servants shall partake with me of this honour in the great day of my appearing, and shall live and reign with me for ever. He therefore, that hath an ear to hear, let him be all attention on this occasion, and hear what the Spirit saith to the churches; regarding what has been addressed to each, as intended to afford matter of general instruction. IMPROVEMENT. IN what age, or in what place, will the church be entirely free verse from this Laodicean temper, which is so justly complained of by our Lord, and represented as so loathsome to him; I mean, an indolence in religion, often joined with arrogance and spiritual pride too, as if great attainments were made, where it is almost matter of doubt, whether the very essentials be remaining! Let us not indulge to a vain conceit of our own wisdom, and riches, and sufficiency; but let us thankfully hearken to that kind invitation, which he here gives us, to come and purchase that of him, without money, and without price, by which we may be truly and substantially enriched; that by which we may attain to-real knowledge and true discernment; and may be clothed with ornaments and glories, which shall render us amiable in the eyes of God. How long has our compassionate Saviour been waiting upon us! How long has he stood knocking at the door! And O, for what guests hath he been excluded! who have filled our hearts and taken the throne in them, while the entrance has been denied to the Lord of glory and of grace! Let us humble ourselves in the dust before him, and entreat that he would now enter as into his own habitation; that he would do us the honour to sup with us; that he would cause us to sup with him; opening to us the stores of his love and bounty, and causing our souls to rejoice in his salvation. "Awaken us, O blessed Jesus, to give thee a most cheerful admittance; and rather shew thy love to us by chastisements and rebuke, than suffer us entirely to forfeit it, by continued insensibility and negligence. Holy and true, who hast the key of David, exert thy power, irresistible in St. John beheld a door opened in heaven: heaven and on earth, in opening our hearts: and O, set before vi. us an open door of service; and give us to use it to the utverse most, for thy glory. Strengthen us to keep the word of thy 18,10 patience, and make us unshaken in our attachment to thee, in every hour of temptation, which may come upon the earth, that none may take away our crown." Whatever our trials may be, let us rejoice in this, that they will be only for a short duration; for our Lord is coming quickly: whatever our combat may be, let us arm ourselves with faith in those glorious promises, which our Lord makes to them that persevere and overcome. Have we not experienced the pleasure of filling a place in the house of God on earth? But this sacred satisfaction, and the holy season which affords it, is quickly over; let us long for the blessed time, when we shall be fixed as immoveable pillars in the temple of God above. And O, may we now wear, engraven on our hearts, the name of our God, and of his heavenly city, and the new name of our triumphant Redeemer, as a token for good, that we shall bear the inscription in bright and everlasting characters above. But even this most expressive promise was not equal to all the purposes of a Saviour's love: that nothing, therefore, might be wanting to enkindle the most generous ambition, he has been pleased to speak of our sitting down with him upon his throne, as he is sat down on his Father's throne. And who then will ever scruple to suffer with him, when thus assured of reigning with him, in everlasting glory! O, who would grudge to resign, not merely the accommodations of life, but even an earthly throne, in the hope of one, so much more radiant, exalted, and permanent! Fear not, little flock! it is your Father's and your Saviour's good pleasure to give you the kingdom, (Luke xii. 32,) and he animates you to pursue it with such compassionate earnestness, as if he could hardly enjoy it himself, unless it were communicated to you. Another scene now opens on the apostle John: in which God is represented as enthroned in celestial glory, surrounded with the hicroglyphical representation of angels, and the glorified church. Rev. IV. 1, to the end. VII. REVELATION IV. 1. REV. IV. 1. AFTER these things, and after Jesus had dic- AFTER this, I tated to me these seven epistles, I saw, and looked, and be- Rev. IV. 1. held, a door was oiv. 1 behold, it seemed as if a door were opened in pened in heaven; and saw a rainbow round the throne of God. heaven, near to which I was brought; so that I was able to look in, and see what passed, and was transacted there. And the first voice which I heard before, [was] as loud as the sound of a trumpet; and while speaking to me, it seemed to issue out from thence; and it said, Come up hither; and having given thee this charge relating to present things, I will show thee what shall be afterwards. And immediately I was in the Spirit,ᵃ and an extraordinary vision presented itself to my intellectual view; for behold, and observe diligently a circumstance of so great importance; a throne was set in heaven, to represent that of the blessed God; and there was one sitting upon it, of a majestic form and appearance, and arrayed in robes of glory, suited to the situation in which he was. And he who sate [on it] was, in the form and lustre of his appearance, like a jasper and sardine stone;ᵇ and a rainbow, in which the bright green, in appearance like the vivid, though soft and agreeable colour of an emerald, [was] especially prevalent, appeared round about the throne; expressive of that propitiousness and kindness, and of that covenant relation to his people, which the blessed God is pleased to acknowledge in the midst of his transcendent glory. (Com- ᵃ I was in the Spirit] This phrase signifies, to be under a strong and supernatural impulse, caused by the miraculous operation of the Spirit of God acting on the imagination in such a manner as to open extraordinary scenes, which had not any exact external archetype. And it is much illustrated by the view presented to Ezekiel, when he sat in his house among the elders of the people, (Ezek. viii. 1,) who probably saw nothing but the prophet himself, as one, in a trance, or ecstasy, or whose thoughts were so attentively fixed, as to be insensible of what passed around him. We are not therefore to imagine, that the person sitting on the throne, or the four animals, or the four and twenty elders, were real beings existing in nature; though they represented, in a figurative manner, things that did really exist. And though it is possible, that aerial scenes might, by Divine, or angelic power, have been formed, I think it much more probable, that all that passed, was purely the imagination of St. John. This will keep us, in our interpretation, clear of a thousand difficulties, not to say absurdities, which would follow from a contrary supposition; namely, that there is in heaven an animal in the form of a lamb, to represent Christ; and that there are such living creatures as are here described; and that God himself appears in a human form, &c. And this observation I make once for all, desiring that it may be remembered, and applied as occasions present. ᵇ Like jasper, &c.] I do not suppose this refers so much to the colour of these stones, as to their lustre, and the radiancy of the light as reflected from them, when perfectly polished. The rainbow of emerald was, no doubt, to express a covenant of peace; of which the rainbow was, with Noah, an appointed token. And that lively and cheering colour seems to have been particularly mentioned, not to imply there were no other, but that the proportion of green was greater than ordinary. Compare Ezek. i. 26. On twenty four thrones were as many pare Gen. ix. 16.) And, in an extensive circle, round about the throne of God, [there were] twenty four other thrones; and on the thrones I saw twenty four elders sitting, as an emblem of the Old Testament church, and also of the New; and they were clothed in a habit somewhat resembling that of the Levites, or Priests, with white raiment; and, in token of their royal dignity, they had upon their heads golden crowns. And out of the throne there came flashes of vivid lightnings and thunders, and sometimes articulate voices; and seven lamps of fire, [were] burning continually before the throne; which are the seven spirits of God; that is, they represent a great variety of the Spirit's operations, and those of good angels who act in subserviency to him. And before the throne [there was] correspondent to the brazen sea in Solomon's temple, (1 Kings vii. 23,) a great laver, or sea, which was made all of pure pellucid glass, which was clear like crystal itself. And in the middle of the space between the throne and the circle about the throne, [there were] four living creatures: and to signify their intelligence, and quickness of observance, they appeared full of eyes, both before and behind. These four animals, of a very extraordinary form, seem to have been intended as hieroglyphical representations of the angelic nature: and the head of the first ani- Twenty four elders.] The number seems to allude to that of the patriarchs and apostles; and they are called Elders, as the presidency of elders was common among the Jews. And these might be considered as representatives of the church, paying homage at the throne in the name of the rest. Seven lamps of fire, &c.] Some think these are the seven Spirits of God, that is, angels spoken of afterwards, chap. v. 6, but I at present doubt, whether, they may not be distinguished, Lamps of fire, or lambert flames, like those that fell upon the apostles on the day of pentecost, (Acts ii. 3,) might perhaps be emblems of the blessed Spirit of God in its various and powerful operations; especially those by which the minds of intelligent created beings are illuminated and purified. And the Spirits standing before the throne, might be distinct appearances of angelic forms; as it is certain some of them were, from the actions they afterwards performed, sounding the seven trumpets, &c. Four living creatures.] It was a most unhappy mistake in our translators, to render the word fix, beasts: it certainly signifies any other kind of animals, that is of creatures which have animal life, as well as beasts. The word, beasts, not only degrades the signification, but the animals here mentioned, have parts and appearances, which beasts have not, and are represented as in the highest sense rational. Hieroglyphical representations, &c.] It is well known, the ancients, (borrowing them I suppose from the Egyptians,) round about the throne four living creatures; mal, in this marvellous composition, [was] like a lion, to signify the courage and vigour with which these celestial beings execute the commands of God, and the irresistible strength with which they encounter and vanquish all opposition. And the head of the second animal [was] like a calf, or young bullock, to signify the firmness, patience, and perseverance with which they go through the labours which God has appointed them. And the third animal had a face like a man, to express, by the image of the only rational creature on this earth, the clearness of intelligence, and the strength of reason, with which, in a vastly superior degree, they are endowed. And the fourth animal was like a swift flying eagle, with its wings displayed, and with quickness in its eye and motion, to signify the sprightliness and activity, and incomparable velocity, with which these celestial spirits fly from world to world, to execute the commands they receive from their Sovereign. And, though the heads of these four wond mul living creatures were different, yet they had in the rest of their body, one form; and they had each of them six wings round about; so that their body seemed covered with the rich plumage of them. And within dealt much in hieroglyphics, by which natural and moral truths were expressed. Dr. Middleton, in his curious collection of antiquities, presents us with one so remarkable, that I cannot forbear mentioning it here. It is a copy of a gem, in which a man's face, an elephant's head, a peacock, and a sceptre, are joined together. He thinks it was intended as an hieroglyphic, or emblematical representation of Socrates: as the face bears a strong resemblance to the pictures usually given of him. He supposes the human face to represent that of Socrates, and the other figures, those beautiful and Divine images which were in his mind. The peacock, being the most beautiful bird, may denote the beauty of his virtues; the sceptre, his majesty and authority; the elephant, the strength and fortitude of his mind. And for the same reason he observes, it might be used to express the character of a philosopher in general; but especially, the stoic's wise man, who was furnished with all kinds of virtues and exactions, being the only beautiful and valiant man, and a king, whatever his circumstances might happen to be. Middleton's Antiq. Tab. xxi. § 10, p. 243—245. There can, I think, be no doubt, but these are the cherubim described by Ezekiel, chap. i. which therefore should be carefully compared with this representation. To consider this appearance as an emblem of Deity, which is the scheme of Mr. Hutchinson and his followers, appears to me a very great absurdity. Nor can I think, with Mr. Jackson, that they are merely intended to signify the homage paid to God by all terrestrial creatures. Another peculiar and extraordinary hypothesis, with regard to them, has been proposed to me, and may perhaps be laid before the world; and therefore I think it most respectful to the reverend and ingenious author, not to anticipate his own design. Some have thought these animals represent spirits of an order superior to angels, taken up wholly in contemplation. See Reynolds of angels, p. 6. Who gave glory to him that sat on the throne. [they were] all full of eyes, to signify their quick discernment of every object around them. And they rest not day nor night; but they stand in the Divine presence, saying with united voices, (as the seraphim, represented in the vision which Isaiah saw, Isa. vi. 2, 3,) "Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, who wast, and art, and art to come:" thus giving to God, in continual acts of adoration, the glory of his natural and moral perfections, and acknowledging their immutability from everlasting and to everlasting. And while the living creatures are thus giving glory and honour, and thanks to him that sits upon the throne, and addressing their sublime and harmonious anthems of praise to him, who liveth for ever and ever, with unwearied vigour and activity of mind, The four and twenty elders, whom I described before as themselves sitting on majestic thrones, fall down in the Divine presence, even before him that sitteth upon the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever; and they cast down their crowns before the throne, in token of their homage to that transcendently glorious being, from whose sovereign grace and unparalleled munificence they received them; saying, at the same time, Worthy art thou, O Lord, to receive the ascription of glory, and honour, and power; for thou hast, by thine Almighty energy, created all things, and for thy sovereign will, they are and were created; their first production, and continued existence, is owing to the riches of thy free goodness; and therefore, they are all under the strictest obligations, according to their respective natures, to subserve the purposes of thy glory. IMPROVEMENT. AND should not we likewise fall down with the angels and glorified spirits, and pay some homage to the Sovereign Majesty of heaven, though it be impossible for us to equal theirs. For ever adored be the Divine grace, that a door is opened in s Holy, holy, holy, &c.] This anthem many other hymns recorded in this book is that which Isaiah tells us he heard the are borrowed from the Old Testament seraphim sing; and it is observable, that Reflections on the worship paid by the living creatures. heaven; in consequence of which, even before we enter, we are allowed to look in; and thus to confirm our faith, and to animate our devotion; which, alas! after all, is too ready to decline and languish. That it may be greatly invigorated, let us look up to the throne, and to him that sitteth thereupon; and rejoice to see that peaceful emblem, with which the seat of his glory is surrounded, the rainbow of vivid and pleasant green: signifying, that the majestic Being who fills it, is the covenant God of all his believing and obedient people, and that mercy and love reign triumphant, in the whole constitution of that perpetual covenant. Let us contemplate with veneration the blessed angels, the ministers of God, who do his pleasure, represented here under hieroglyphical characters, as possessed of amazing strength and courage, resolution and patience, of the sublimest reason, and the most deep and penetrating sagacity, active and pure as flames of fire; and with these lofty ideas in our minds, let us ardently pray that the will of God may be so done on earth, as it is done in heaven. Let us also remember the elders here mentioned, the representatives of the church of the Redeemed, seated on glorious thrones, clothed in that white raiment, which is the righteousness of the saints, and adorned with crowns of glory. And let us especially consider, how the angels and the saints are employed: they rest not day nor night from breathing out the most ardent devotion; they feel nothing of that weariness and languor with which we are too frequently invaded in this state of mortality, even in our best moments, and divinest frames; but they cry continually, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, who art, and wast, and art to come; they give glory, and honour, and thanksgiving to him that sitteth on the throne. And infinitely worthy he is to receive it: He who is the Almighty Creator, He who is the ever present, and ever gracious Supporter of all! Thou art worthy, O Lord, thou alone art worthy; and though thou withholdest from us the face of thy throne, while we dwell in these tabernacles of clay, yet as we are thy creatures, thy rational creatures, we partake of thy protection and bounty; and, feeble as our faculties are, and dark as the world is in which we dwell, we are able to discover thee as our Almighty Creator, our constant Preserver, our never failing Benefactor. And, as such, may we daily worship and adore thee, with our feeble voices in this state of mortality; that when we are duly prepared, we may begin a nobler song, and join in the sublimer anthems and hallelujahs above. Amen. VOL. 6. St. John saw a Book in his hand, who sat on the throne; The vision of the sealed Book, and of the Lamb that was found worthy to open it, and on that accclamation of the whole choir of angels and throughout. REVELATION V. 1. AND, having observed the particulars mentioned above, I saw on the right hand of him who sat on the glorious throne already described, the volume of a book, or scrole, written on both sides, within and without; for though I saw only the outside, perceiving it inscribed with characters, I naturally concluded the inside was full; and, as it was rolled up, it was sealed with seven strong seals, each of which belonged to a distinct leaf. And I saw a mighty angel, who wore, in his appearance, the evident marks of dignity and power, proclaiming with a great voice, and saying, Who is worthy to open the mysterious book, which is in the hand of God, and to loose its seals, and so to disclose its wonderful contents? And upon this I saw an universal blank confusion upon every countenance; so that it plainly appeared, that no one, among all the creatures of God, in heaven, or upon earth, or under the earth, was able to open the book, or to look into it: And, as I had an earnest desire to know the contents, and had pleased myself with a secret expectation that some extraordinary discovery was to be made to me, and to the church, from thence, it grieved me exceedingly, insomuch that I wept abundantly, because no one was found worthy to open and read the book; nor, indeed, so much as to look into it. And as the grand act of adoration, in which the elders * Written on both sides, within and without.] Mr. Lowman, after Grotius, hath observed, that there ought to be a stop after the word within, (1750,) and that it should be rendered, written within, and sealed on the back side. But the learned Dr Hammond hath very well defended the sense given in the paraphrase; observing, that it appears in the process, that the opening of every single seal brings forth some new representation; which could not be the case, if all the seals were on the back side; for then they must all be opened, before any part of the book could be discovered, &c. And therefore it must be concluded, that each seal belonged to a distinct leaf. and the Lamb only was worthy to open the seals of it. had joined with the living creatures, to him that sat on the throne, was over, one of the elders said to me, Weep not; behold, the Lion, who is of the tribe of Judah, (that excellent Person to whom that oracle relating to Judah, in which he was described under the token of a lion, to represent his invincible strength, by which he shall triumph over all his enemies, (Gen. xlix. 9, 10,) principally referred;) he hath conquered this great difficulty: He, who is the Root, that was to spring from the stock of David, when it seemed to be withered in the earth, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose its seven seals; so that thou shalt soon hear its contents; for he is appointed by God to penetrate and discover those secret decrees, which are concealed from every creature in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth. And I beheld, and lo, to my great astonishment, in the middle space between the throne and the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, who made a kind of semicircle about them, there stood this illustrious Person, whose title I had just been hearing; and, though he was spoken of by the name of the Lion of the tribe of Judah, to express the terrors of his wrath against his implacable enemies, the symbol of his Person, in this mysterious vision, was very different; for he appeared as a Lamb, who had been slain for sacrifice, and wore the recent marks of slaughter, in the blood on his throat and breast; and this Lamb was of a very uncommon form, having seven horns and seven eyes, instead of two of each; and this I understood as a mysterious representation of extraordinary power and knowledge, and of the wonderful degree in which the Spirit of God was poured out upon the Person whom this visionary Lamb represented; for these are the seven Spirits of God, sent forth into all the earth; they b Seven Spirits of God.] Comparing this text with chap. viii. 2, I must acknowledge, that this is indeed to be understood of seven angels. Mr. Mede infers from hence, that there are, in fact, seven archangels, who perside over all the rest. But I cannot allow the consequence to be certain. We sometimes read of four spirits, sent forth as these are said to be. (Zech. vi. 5;) and, I think, the whole it amounts to, is, that there are many celestial spirits, who are the instruments of that Providence which Christ exercises over the earth, who bring to him an account of what passes, and receive and execute his commands. But, by the way, he elders and the living creatures sung his represent that Divine energy, which operates every where ; and of exerting which, the most illustrious angels have often the honour to be the ministers. And he came near to the seat of Majesty, and took the book out of the right hand of him who sate upon the throne ; which I understood as a symbol, to intimate that the Lord Jesus Christ, whom I knew to be represented by this slaughtered Lamb, was appointed to reveal the secret decrees of God, and to give me those discoveries which I so much desired to receive. And when he received the Book in the manner I have described, the four living creatures, and the twenty four elders fell down before the Lamb, in token of humble reverence and adoration ; and these elders appeared as a choir of humble worshippers in the temple of God, having every one harps of gold, with which they played in sweet harmony, to aid the music of their voices ; and they had also golden vials, or censers, full of perfumes, which are the prayers of the saints ; for, as I understood these elders to be the representatives of the church, I apprehended that, in allusion to the incense offered in the temple while the people were praying, this circumstance had a reference to prayer, and was intended to shew how acceptable it is to God, when it proceeds from a holy and an upright heart. And they sang a new song, excellent in its kind, and composed on a much greater occasion, and in much sublimer strains of Divine harmony, than those which the priests and Levites sang in the temple at Jerusalem ; saying, Worthy art thou to take the book, from the hand of God, and to open the seals thereof ; for thou, O blessed Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, thou wast slain to expiate our guilt, and thou hast redeemed us to God by thy precious blood, his will no more prove, that he is under necessity of receiving intelligence from him, or of using their assistance, than the parallel passage of Zechariah will prove it of God the Father, Zech. iv. 2, 10. But Dr. Scott very justly argues, that as they are called the seven eyes of the Lord in that text, and here of the Lamb, it is an argument for the exaltation of the Man Christ Jesus, above the highest angel in heaven. Vials, or censers.] These, (as Mr. Lowman observes,) were not small bottles, such as are now called vials ; but cups on a plate, like a teacup and saucer, in allusion to the censers of gold in which the priests offered incense in the temple as did likewise a great multitude of angels. by thy blood, out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; from the dominion of sin, the tyranny of sa- sanct. viii. tant, the curse of the law, and the wrath of a justly incensed Deity; whose servants and fa- rev. vourites we are now become, in consequence of thy kind and gracious interposition. And we are now assembled round his throne, out of every tribe, and language, and people, and na- tion, near and afar off, sacred and profane, learned and barbarous; wherever we were dis- v. 9 ersed, thou hast found us, and into whatever bondage and misery we were sunk, thy power and thy mercy have rescued us; And thou hast made us to our God, kings and priests; we are robed in purity and majesty, we are crown- ed with gold; and here we appear in these priestly offices, which we perform with the splendour of princes; and we shall reign on earth: the Christian cause shall prevail through all ages; while the happy souls who have passed courageously through their trials upon earth, come hither in their appointed seasons, and share the honours of thy triumphant king- dom. And I beheld this glorious scene with: inexpressible pleasure; and while my soul was all attention, I also heard the voice of many an- gels round about the throne, and of the living creatures, which betokened in general the an- gelic nature, and of the elders which represent- ed the church. And a multitude appeared joining the choir, so exceeding great, that the number of them was myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands; I was ready to appre- hend that neither thousands nor millions were sufficient to express them. And there was not so much as a jarring voice, or a cold and languid heart in the whole assembly; but, with united ardour and harmony, they were saying, with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slaughtered, to receive power over universal na- ture, and all the riches it can boast. Worthy is he, to whom we should ascribe consummate and unsearchable wisdom, and resistless might, and peerless honour, and resplendent glory, and d Of many angels, and of the living these animals which represented their creatures.] This plainly shews, that there nature; a circumstance, which I do not was an appearance of angels, as well as of remember in the vision of Ezekiel. Re actions on the vision of the Lamb slave immortal blessing; even he, who once appeared under a cloud of weakness and poverty, and under the imputation of folly, loaded with dishonour and infamy, with reproaches and curses: worthy is he, of all the dignity and glory, the benediction and homage of all the heavenly world, throughout the endless ages of eternity! And while the multitude of the heavenly hosts were singing this sublime anthem, every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, even all things that are in them, in every various form of nature, seemed to echo back the voice; and I heard them saying, To him who sits upon the throne, and to his Son the Lamb, the worthy Partaker of his throne and kingdom, [be] perpetual blessing, and the profoundest honour, and consummate glory, and almighty strength, ascribed for ever and ever. And the four living creatures said, Amen, to this hymn, to testify their hearty concurrence; and, at the same time, the twenty four elders fell down before the throne, and worshipped him who liveth for ever and ever; acknowledging him to be infinitely superior to all those services which the most exalted powers of created nature are capable of rendering. IMPROVEMENT. Er should fill us with unutterable joy, when we lift up our eyes to the throne of God, that we there discern the Lamb wearing the marks of slaughter. We should then gratefully remember his dying love; for it is his precious blood which cleanses us from all sin, and emboldens our addresses to God, conscious as we are, that our guilt is attended with great aggravations. Surely, had it been queried, with respect to the great atonement to be made for our transgressions, as it was with respect to the opening these seals, Who is worthy to complete this gracious undertaking? we should have seen with unspeakable anguish, that none in heaven, or on earth, would have been found equal to the task. As the inhabitants of the ways, concurred in the praise; that is, that the whole constitution of it contributed to furnish out matter of praise; just as inanimate, as well as rational creatures, are called upon to praise God in several of the psalms, especially Psal. exhii. On opening the first seal, a white horse appears : But here likewise, the Lion of the tribe of Judah has prevailed. How divinely is he furnished for the high station he sustains, and for all the glorious services assigned to him! What amazing power, what adorable wisdom is implied in the seven horns, and seven eyes, with which he is here delineated? and O! what love, in submitting to be slain, that he might redeem us to God by his blood! With the prayers of the saints, which come up before God as incense, may they ever mingle their most ardent praises for this Divine condescension. And out of gratitude to their Redeemer, let them rejoice to see the glorious change in his condition, from his humiliation and sufferings on earth, to his exaltation and reward in heaven: and let them ardently long for the happy season, when the full choir of the redeemed, from every nation, and people, and tongue, shall unite in this joyful acclamation, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain, to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing. In this world the disciples of Christ are only a little flock, but when they stand together upon the heavenly mountain, they shall appear ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands; and all the harmony of their voices, and all the ardour of their souls, inconceivably improved as all their powers will be, shall be united on this happy occasion. Form us, O Lord, we entreat thee, for this Divine employment, and teach us, in some measure, to anticipate its pleasure, in these regions below. Even now, in spirit and intention, we prostrate ourselves before thee, and lay down the crowns, which faith, as it were, hath already received, at thy feet; giving glory to him who sitteth upon the throne, and celebrating the victories and honours of the Lamb. An account of the opening of the six first seals, and of the awful events which accompanied the opening of each. Rev. VI. throughout.a REV. VI. 1. AND I saw, when the Lamb, opened one of the REVELATION VI. 1. I COULD not but be all attention to this wonderful scene; and I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seven seals of the book, which a The vision of the seals.] I am vastly more obliged to that ingenious and excellent commentator, Mr. Lowman, for what I understand of this book, than to any other writer whatsoever. And, as I think his celebrated and valuable scheme of interpretation the most satisfactory, and which indeed throws considerable light upon the series of prophecy, I shall present my readers with a short view of his plan, under the several visions; referring the more curious to the commentary itself. But I would first observe, with regard to this celebrated performance, that there is, in many particulars, a beautiful resemblance between the prophetic representations, and the events supposed to be correspondent to them; and that the historical facts are represented with great learning and judgment yet the corres- On opening the second, a red horse; he had taken out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne; and I heard one of the four living creatures, which said, as with a voice of thunder, Come, and see the wonders which are now presenting themselves. And I saw, and behold a white horse appeared; and he who sat thereon had a bow in his hand, and a quiver of arrows hanging at his back; and to express his royal dignity as the King both of the church and of the world, there was given to him a crown of gold, and he went forth conquering, and to conquer: I understood that he was to gain signal victories, and that the series of them was immediately to begin. (Compare Psal. xlv. 3; Rev. xvii. 14; xix. 11.b) And when he opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature,c saying, as the former had done when the first was opened, Come and see. And another horse came out,d [which] pondence between the prophecies and the events is not in all respects, so clear and evident, as might have been expected; nor can we always say, why the events in question are represented by one of the problems used, rather than by another. However, he has finely illustrated many passages, especially by similar phrases from the prophetic books of the Old Testament, in which he is quite unequalled; and hath made out so much, particularly with respect to the first, and beginning of the third period, as evidently proves this book to be a glorious confirmation of Christianity, and worthy our most attentive and diligent examination. This learned and accurate writer, then, divides the prophetic parts of this book into seven periods. The first represented by the seals, shews the state of the church under the heathen Roman Emperors, from A. D. 95, to A. D. 325. II. Period, of the trumpets, in its state from Constantine, A. D. 337, to A. D. 750. III. Period, of the vials, its state in the times of the last head of Roman government, represented by the beast, for 1260 years, from about the year 756, to A. D. 2016. IV. Period, the millennium, from A. D. 2000, to A. D. 3005. V. Period, Satan, loosed for a little season, and then destroyed. VI. Period, the resurrection and final judgment. VII. Period, the heavenly state. b First seal, &c.] This refers to the triumph of Christianity over Jewish and heathen opposition by the labours of its first preachers. c The second living creature.] As each of these living creatures is represented as speaking successively, I think it confirms what was advanced in sect vii. note f, relating to the scheme of Mr. Hutchinson, who supposes the four living creatures, taken together, to be an emblem of the Deity. d Another horse came out.] Mr. Lowman thinks, that the leaves of the book were so adjusted, that on opening the first seal, the first leaf unfolded; and on it there was drawn, in a vivid and beautiful picture, a man mounted on a white horse; and that what is described on opening those that follow, is an account of the various pictures, which John saw delineated on the several leaves. But as we have an account, not only of the appearance of these things, but of their motion, and their voice; and especially of a change in the state of several of them, particularly of the souls under the altar, (ver. 9,) I conclude, that the scene did not lie in the leg of the book, but arose in vision as the rest; and that the events described, seemed successively to pass before the eyes of John. And indeed, I think it apparent that the state of the vision he at first saw, was something altered, upon the opening opening the third seal, a black horse : seemed to betoken some great slaughter and desolation to be made by approaching wars; for he [was] red; and it was given to him who sat upon it, to take peace from the earth; and that they should slay each other. And, as a further token of this, there was given to him a great sword, or faulchion, in his hand, by which he might make terrible devastation. And when he opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature saying, as the two former had done, Come and see. And I saw, and behold, there appeared a black horse, which might betoken an approaching famine, by the emblematical and memorable circumstances which attended his entrance on the scene; for, he that sat upon him, had a pair of scales in his hand, to imply that men should eat their bread by weight, and drink their water by measure. And I heard a great voice in the midst of the four living creatures, saying, A measure of wheat, which shall only be daily food for one man, shall now be sold for a denarius, or Roman penny, which is the price of his daily labour; and three measures of barley only shall be sold for a denarius, or Roman penny. And yet, that there may not be a total scarcity, see that thou who appearest as the executioner of this judgment, injure not the oil, nor the wine; let the olive trees, and the vines, remain unblasted, to shew, that God in judgment remembers mercy. of some of the seals, especially the seventh. The ingenious author above mentioned, interprets this seal, of the judgments of God upon the Jewish persecutors, under Trajan and Hadrian, A. D. 100, to A. D. 138, when the Jews had 1000 cities and fortresses taken and destroyed, and 580,000 men slain. A measure of wheat for a penny.] This may seem, to an English reader, a description of great plenty; but, it certainly intends the contrary, as I have intimated in the paraphrase. The penny was about seven pence half penny of our money; and it appears from Tacitus, as well as from Mat. xx. 2, (See Fam. Expos. in loc.) to have been the daily wages of a labourer. It also appears from other ancient writers, particularly Herodotus, (see Raphelius in loc.) and from Hippocrates, Diogenes, Laertius, and Atheneus, (see Grotius in loc.) that this measure, or chemix, was no more than was allowed to a slave for his daily food. What would become of families, when a man could gain by his labour no more, and that only of bread, than might suffice for his own subsistence? Mr. Lowman interprets this third seal of the scarcity, in the time of the Antonines, from A. D. 138, to A. D. 193, and produces passages from Tertullian, and the Roman historians, concerning the calamity the empire endured by scarcity in this period. See that thou injure not, &c.] The introduction of so many allegorical persons, as famine, and death, and the state of separate spirits in this vision, confirms what was said above, in note 4, as to the nature of the things that appeared. VOL. 6. On opening the fourth seal, a pale horse : And when he opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying to me, Come, and see a further discovery of the Divine will. And I saw, and behold a pale horse appeared; and as for him that sat on him, his name was called Death. He appeared like a person entirely emaciated, and hell followed him; he seemed to be attended with a person, who was a proper emblematical representation of the state of separate spirits; and there was given unto him power to slay a great number, as it were, the fourth part of the earth, with the sword, and with famine, and with pestilence, that most dreadful kind of death; and with the wild beasts of the field.⁵ And when he opened the fifth seal, a very memorable scene presented itself to me; for then I saw under the altar, which made a part of the view before me, a visible representation of the souls of those who were slaughtered on account of the word of God, and the testimony to the truth of the gospel which they courageously retained, in the midst of all opposition. And they cried with a loud voice, as making an appeal to the injured justice of the Divine Being; and said, How long, O thou supreme and sovereign Lord of the universe, who art ever armed with almighty power and terror against all thine implacable enemies; how long, O thou holy and true God, shall it be, ere thou dost judge and avenge our blood upon those who dwell upon the earth,⁶ who have, without remorse, poured it out as water. And, upon this, they appeared to be called up from the place where they lay as so many bleeding victims; and there were given unto each of them white robes,⁷ in token of the triumph they had ⁵ Fourth seal.] Mr. Lowman interpreted this fourth seal of the pestilence, and other calamities, in the reigns of Maximin and Valerian, from A. D. 195, to A. D. 270. This he supports by proper authorities from several Christian and heathen writers in that period, who particularly mention one pestilence, that lasted fifteen years. ⁶ Ere thou dost avenge our blood.] We are not to understand this as the language of personal revenge, but of zeal for the honour of God, which was so intimately concerned in the punishment to be inflicted ed upon those blood thirsty persecutors. ⁷ White robes.] Mr. Fleming understands this, as an intimation of their preferment to some new post of honour and service. But, I suppose, this was only a representation, that though their blood did cry for vengeance in the ears of God, yet that vengeance should be delayed; nevertheless, that, in the mean time, they should be exalted to a glorious state. The argument he draws from this passage, in proof of a first resurrection, seems too precarious to be repeated. Flem. Fest. Res. p. 46, 47. ening the sixth seal, a great earthquake, &c. gained over death, and all its terrors; and it was said to them, that they should rest yet a little while, though their blood remained unavenged, till the number of their fellow servants, and brethren, who should be killed, as they [had een,] for the testimony of a good conscience, and the defence of the gospel, should be fulfilled, according to the intention of Divine Providence, in letting their persecutors go on a while, till they had filled up the measure of their iniquity. And I saw when he opened the sixth seal, and behold there was immediately a great earthquake; and not earth alone, but heaven, was affected with great consternation; for the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became red as blood: And it seemed as if the stars fell from heaven upon the earth; numbers of them at once, as fast as when a fig tree droppeth its untimely figs, being shaken by the force of a mighty wind. And the heavens passed away, the clouds rolling one upon another, like a volume of a book when it is rolled up; and every mountain on earth, and every island in the sea, were moved out of their places; so great and general was the shock, to represent the calamities approaching in those terrible wars, which were to precede the revolutions to which this seal referred. And all the inhabitants of the world were thrown into an universal terror; so that the kings of the earth, and the grandees about their courts, and the rich men, and the chief officers of armies, who commanded their thousands, and the powerful men, who bore the greatest sway in the public counsels, or were armed with the most warlike prowess; and every slave, and every The number of their brethren who should be killed, &c.] Nothing could tend more to encourage Christians to endure their sufferings with steady patience, than this, that it was appointed of God, that a certain number of martyrs should be put to death, and that the season of their triumph was to succeed. Fifth seal.] Mr. Lowman interprets this seal, of the severe persecution under Dioclesian, from A. D. 270, to A. D. 304; which was the most extensive and furious of all; and so many Christians suffered death, that the heathens boasted, in an ancient inscription, that they had offaced the name and superstition of the Christians. Earthquake, sun becoming black, stars falling, &c.] Awful judgments and calamities are often described by such commotions and alterations in the natura. world. Compare Isa. xiii. 10; xxxiv. 4; Ezek. xxxii. 7; Joel ii. 10; and the like. And all men are thrown into consternation. free man, fled as in surprise, and hid themselves as fast as they could, even in the most gloomy caves, and among the rocks of the mountains, horrid as this retreat appeared. And not thinking themselves sufficiently secure there, they said, in wild astonishment and affright, to the mountains, and to the rocks, Fall upon us, and hide us from the face of him who sitteth upon the throne, the Almighty and terrible God, and from the wrath of the Lamb; For the great day of his wrath is come; and mild and gentle as he once appeared, we find it insupportably dreadful; and who can be able to stand against it? Thus it appeared that they would have thought the crush of a mountain less terrible, than the vengeance they expected; and had more hope of moving inanimate nature by their outcries, than of prevailing upon their righteous and inexorable Judge. IMPROVEMENT. versc To whatever event these seals may refer, it is certain, that the representations here made, are very awful, and very instructive. Let us consider ourselves as invited to come up and see, and let us observe the memorable spectacle with attention. Let the view of the white horse, and his rider, who went forth conquering and to conquer, lead us to reflect on the peaceful purposes of our blessed Saviour's appearance, and the rapidity of his conquests; and engage us frequently to pray for the further prosperity of his kingdom, that kingdom of righteousness, love and happiness. When we think of the terrible effects of war, of famine, and of pestilence, represented by the three following horses, and their riders, here mentioned, let it excite our thankfulness, that not one of this dreadful triumvirate is sent forth a Day of his wrath is come.] As it appears, by comparing one part of this book with another, that the last seal made way for, and introduced the trumpets; and the last trumpet, the vials; it is justly argued, that there is a reference to a series of events, successively following each other; and consequently, this passage cannot refer to the final judgment; but to some great and spreading calamity, in which the hand of Christ should appear. And this interpretation is illustrated and confirmed, by the manner in which the destruction of Jerusalem is foretold. Matrix. Compare Isa. ii. 19; xiii. 6; Hos. x 8; Zeph. i. 14; Luke xxiii. 30. Mr. Lowman interprets the 6th seal, of the great commotions in the empire, from Maximian to Constantine the Great, who put an end to the persecution of heathen Rome; from A. D. 304, to A. D. 323, during which time, there were many bloody battles between the contending emperors, till Constantine abolished paganism, and established the Christian religion. This interpretation he confirms by apposite passages from Lactantius, and the heathen historians; and it appears the most probable Reflections on the opening of the seals. against us, though our national crimes have indeed deserved, sect. that they should invade us with united terrors; that peace should be taken from our land, that our bread and water should be received by weight and measure, and that the dead should lie unburied in our streets, the food of the fowls of heaven, and the beasts of the earth: nor can any thing more justly excite our gratitude and thankfulness, than that the terrors and the guilt of sanguinary persecution, are not to be found in the midst of us. The history of its horrors and ravages in other nations 9 and ages, may sometimes be an exercise of our faith; and we may be ready to cry out with the souls under the altar, How long, O Lord, holy and true, wilt thou not avenge the blood of thy saints upon the earth? But let us wait with patience; let us not form a hasty and inconsiderate judgment. The dead, who die in the Lord, and those who had been persecuted to death for his sake, and in his cause, are incomparably more happy than those who are the happiest among the living. The white robes, and golden 11 crowns, with which they are adorned, are an abundant compensation, not only for every lighter suffering, but even for the slow fire, and the rack, those most dreadful instruments of torture. And though their malicious and implacable enemies may bitterly insult over them for a while, yet the triumphing of the wicked is for a short time, their guilty spirits will soon be summoned before the great Avenger of blood; and the day is coming when they shall be publicly brought forth, to suffer the utmost demands of his justice; even that day, when all the figurative descriptions here used shall be fully answered, in their literal meaning; when the sun shall indeed be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood; when the volume of heaven shall be rolled up as a 13, 14 scroll, and its stars shall fall from their orbs. It is no wonder, that ungodly sinners fly from this alarming and tremendous scene, with wild consternation and confusion; no wonder, that they rend the very heavens with their cries, and call upon the mountains to fall upon them, and the rocks to cover them: for O! 15, 16 what were the sudden and irresistible crush of a rock, or a mount- 17 ain, when compared with the weight of the wrath of the Lamb, and with the fire and brimstone of this second death. O! that by the expectation of this awful day, men of all ranks and conditions, may be influenced to make their application to him, while he yet appears in the displays of his grace and mercy; to kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and they perish from the way, even when his wrath is only beginning to be kindled. (Psal. ii. 12.) The vision of our angels restraining the v Parallels: Revelation 6 The increase of the Christian church, which we opening of the seals, is represented by the vision, and sealed out of each tribe of Israel; and the glory and happiness of those who should dure persecution while it continued. Rev. VI REVELATION VII. 1. AND after these things, it pleased God to give me a representation of the increase which his church should receive, after the commotions which had been shadowed out by those visions which were introduced by the opening the seals. Accordingly, I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth; that is, the north, the south, the east, and the west; and they appeared as holding the four cardinal winds of the earth in their hands, that the wind might not blow upon the earth, nor upon the sea, nor upon any tree; but that there might be the most entire and complete calm, to represent the peaceful state of things, which should succeed the tumultuous and distressing revolutions which had been intimated to me above. (Compare Jer. xlix. 36, 37.) And I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, to intimate the progress the gospel should make from the east to the west; having in his hand the seal of the living God, in order to impress a mark upon those whom he was graciously determined to distinguish as his own property, and who should be inclined to dedicate themselves to his service. And he cried with a great voice to the four angels, to whom power was given over the winds, at present to restrain them, but afterwards to loose them with great violence, and by them to injure, in a terrible manner, the earth, and the sea; Saying, Injure not, by the missive vengeance committed to you, the earth, nor the sea, nor the trees, until we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads; that distinguishing them by that seal, you may know how to moderate the force of the storm, where their safety and comfort is concerned. And I then heard e vision of the servants of God sealed. the number, of those that were sealed in all, one hundred and forty four thousand, who were sealed in an equal number, out of every tribe of the children of Israel. And I heard them mentioned in the following order; of the tribe of Judah, as the most noble and glorious, distinguished by its regal dignity, and its peculiar relation to Christ according to the flesh, [were] sealed twelve thousand. And of the tribe of Reuben, though that were so much degraded by Jacob, and comparatively so small, when the people were numbered in the wilderness, [were] sealed twelve thousand too. Of the tribe of Gad, whose territories in Canaan lay contiguous to those of Reuben on the other side Jordan, [were] also sealed twelve thousand. And, from thence, the angel appeared to pass over to the northwest boundary of the land, and to the shore of the Mediterranean sea, which was the lot of the tribe of Asher, of which there [were] also sealed twelve thousand. And of the neighbouring tribe of Naphtali, whose inheritance lay east of the former, [were] sealed twelve thousand. And of the tribe of Manasseh, whose land lay next to the east of Naphtali [were] sealed the same number, that is, twelve thousand. And of the tribe of Simeon, though it had its inheritance taken out of that of Judah, and so might seem less considerable, there [were] sealed as many as of the former, even twelve thousand. And of the tribe of his brother Levi, though his posterity were scattered among the other tribes, and had no land that was properly their inheritance, [were] sealed twelve thousand likewise. And of the tribe of Issachar, to which the angel then passed, [were] a Of the tribe of Judah, &c.] I freely acknowledge, that it is very difficult to me to assign the reason of that order in which the tribes are placed, or the reason, why one of the tribes is omitted; the latter of which appears much more important than the former. However this is plain, that when Levi was mentioned for one tribe, it was necessary, that, since twelve only were to be mentioned, one should be omitted. Some indeed have imagined, that Dan was omitted, to ex- press how detestable idolatry is in the sight of God; as the tribe of Dan was the first that fell into idolatry after their settlement in Canaan. Compare Judges xviii. 30, 31. Dr. Hammond assigns another reason, namely, that long before that time, the tribe of Dan was destroyed, or brought very low, say the Jews; and indeed it is not numbered among the rest of the tribes, 1 Chron. ii. and followin chapters. See Ham. in loc. After which event, the saints ascribe praise to God; sealed twelve thousand. And of the tribe of Zebulun, which lay contiguous to that of Issachar to the north, [were] also sealed twelve thousand. And of the tribe of Ephraim, the other son of Joseph, and by far the most considerable of his descendants, [were] sealed twelve thousand too, he not being in that respect at all distinguished from Manasseh his brother. And to conclude, of the tribe of Benjamin, Jacob's youngest son, [were] sealed twelve thousand. And thus upon the whole, the number of one hundred and forty four thousand was completed. Nor did I presume to inquire why Dan was not introduced among his brethren, on this occasion. Thus did God represent to me, the extraordinary growth of the Christian church, which seemed to be matter of inexpressible joy to the inhabitants of the heavenly world. For after this, I saw, and beheld a great multitude, who made a thronged assembly, which no one could number, and appeared to have come out of every nation, and tribe, and people, and language; the blessed fruit of preaching the gospel over all the world; and they then appeared to me, as standing before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed in long white robes, and having branches of palms in their hands, to signify the victory they should gain over all their enemies, and the state of holiness and joy to which they should be finally conducted, notwithstanding all the formidable opposition through which they should be called to pass. And I heard them crying with a loud voice, in token of the intenseness of their devotion, and saying, Let all the glory of this great salvation which we have obtained, be ascribed to our God who sits upon the throne, and from thence has graciously regarded us, and exalted us to such dignity and b Multitude whom no one could number, &c.] Some have supposed, that the hundred and forty four thousand were Jews, and that these were the Gentile church. But it appears to me, that the sealing these thousands, expresses the progress of the gospel under Constantine; and that the unimperable multitude here spoken of, were the spirits of good men departed out of this world, and now with God in glory: and especially those who had weathered the difficulties and persecutions, during the first centuries of Christianity, when the civil power was generally active against it; and when, I think it highly probable, that many persecutions might have raged in various parts of the world, whose histories are not come down to us. And perhaps the holding the winds, which is mentioned ver. 1, may denote the peace in Constantine's time. they who came out of great tri u ation: appiness, mean and miserable as we once s vere; and let it be also ascribed to the grace nd blood of the Lamb, who gave himself to be lain for our redemption. And all the angels tood round about the throne, and encompassed also, at the same time, the twenty four elders, and the four living creatures, and, in token of the humblest reverence, they fell down on their aces before the throne, and worshipped God, Saying, Amen: thus let it be, let the blessing, 1 and the glory, and the wisdom, and the thanksiving, and the honour, and the power, and the strength, [be] ascribed to our God for ever and ever, amen: may all creatures for ever bless, and give thanks to him, as originally and essentially possessed of supreme glory, complete wisdom, of irresistible and almighty power, and therefore worthy of all honour, though exalted above all praise. We acknowledge him to be so, we rejoice that he is so, and wish that universal nature may join with us in so reasonable, and so delightful an homage, and pronounce the solemn amen. And one of the elders answered, saying to me, As for those who are clothed with white raiment, and make such a splendid appearance, who are they, and whence do they come? And I, supposing by his question that he asked in order to quicken my attention to what he had to tell me concerning them, said to him, Sir, I conclude thou knowest, though I do not. And he said to me, It is true; and I would have thee observe, for thine own encouragement, and that of thy brethren, and those who may arise after thee, that these are they who are come out of much tribulation, which they have endured in the cause of true religion; and they have washed their robes, and made them so white as you see them, in the blood of the Lamb: they owe all their exalta- Made them white in the blood of the Lamb.] It looks too much like an obstinate resolution by no means to acknowledge the efficacy of Christ's blood to our salvation, for any to maintain, that the blood of the Lamb here signifies blood shed for his sake, when it is said in words so much resembling these, chap. i. 5, who loved. and washed us from our sins, in his own blood And chap. v. 9, thou wast slain, and has redeemed us to God by thy blood. The texts produced to palliate the other forced an unnatural interpretation, when consulted, will appear little to the purpose. They are chiefly Col. i. 24, and Heb. xi 26. VOL. 6. Reflections on the happiness of those who are sealed. tion and glory, not to the blood they have themselves offered, but to that most precious blood of his, which he permitted to be shed for their sakes. Therefore, being thus redeemed to God by him, and having been enabled to approve their fidelity to their Divine Master, in the midst of the greatest extremities, they now receive a rich equivalent for all they have suffered; for they are before the throne of God, and they perform Divine service to him day and night in his temple; and he who sitteth upon the throne, pitches his tabernacle, as it were, upon them, and displays the tokens of his presence all around them. They shall hunger no more, neither shall they thirst any more, for ever; nor shall the scorching rays of the sun fall upon them, nor any other inconvenient and disagreeable heat; For the Lamb, who is in the midst of the throne, shall himself, as it were, own the relation of a Shepherd to them, and take care to feed them, and he shall lead them to fountains of living water; and that God, whom they have faithfully served, and whose interest has been so dear to them, shall act, as it were, the part of an indulgent Father, and tenderly wipe away every tear from their eyes; comforting them with the most reviving consolations, after all the calamities and distresses he has permitted them to endure below. IMPROVEMENT. How inexpressibly happy are the thousands of those who are sealed, those whom God has marked out for his own, and in that character, has taken them under his special protection. Whatever storms and tempests may arise, they are in no danger of being forsaken; they shall be preserved inviolably safe, and their happiness is secure. They shall be brought at length to join with the innumerable multitude, who surround the throne, and ascribe, as all Israel must do, Salvation to God who sitteth on the throne, and to the Lamb. And O! that the salvation of Israel were come out of Sion, that their praises might sound sweeter here on earth, and that myriads of new voices might unite in the harmonious concert. Those songs of heaven let us begin below, and say, Amen: blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be to our God, for ever an ever: amen! If through his grace, we can call him our God, how cordially should we join in this sublime ascription! The vision of the seven angels with trumpets : In the mean time, we may see the church in affliction; we may feel a large share of personal, or public tribulation; but, when it presses hardest upon us, let us lift up our eyes to that glorious scene which the apostle beheld, and which was so excellent and sublime, that it might well transport him, even under the tribulations through which he was then making his way to it. Let us persevere, steadily and faithfully, as they did; and the day will come, when our robes shall be as white, and our crowns as radiant, and our palms as verdant as theirs. Let us then bear with patience, hunger and thirst, heat and weariness, while we travel through this vale of tears; rejoicing in hope of the everlasting refreshment and pleasure to which the Lamb will lead us; even those fountains of living water, of which he will give us to drink, when God has wiped away all tears from our eyes, and placed us before his throne, where we shall serve him day and night in his temple, and see his face, and dwell with him, and have him for ever dwell with us, and in us. Amen. On the opening the seventh seal, the seven angels appear with their trumpets, and the four first of them sound. Rev. VIII. throughout. REV VIII. 1. AND when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour. REVELATION VIII. 1. THUS I have given an account of the manner in which the Lamb proceeded in opening six of the seals, and of the effects produced by them: and I am now to add, that when he had opened the seventh seal, there was a profound silence in heaven a for about the space of half an hour; to awaken, by that means, a more earnest attention to the extraordinary things that were to appear in consequence of the opening And I saw the that seal. And I saw the seven angels b which 2 a Silence in heaven.] Some are of opinion, here is an allusion to the silence which used sometimes to be kept in the worship of God in the temple, while the people were praying, Luke i. 10. I think, with Mr. Lowman, that the seventh seal was only introductory to the trumpets, and the seventh trumpet to the vials. b The seven angels which stood, &c] The manner in which this is expressed in the Greek, τα: ἀγγελία;—οι εὐαγγελί, is very emphatical. It seems to signify the seven angels, who had before been mentioned as standing before the throne; and this form of speaking so plainly refers to what had been said before, that it does a great deal towards proving, that the seven Spirits of God, mentioned chap. v. 6, as the eyes and horns of the Lamb, are the same with these angels mentioned in the note on Rev. iv. 5, though, as I have there intimated, it is not absolutely certain. And of an angel be ore the altar, with a golden I have before mentioned, and which then stood before the throne of God, and seven trumpets were given to them, that they might each of them successively sound an alarm; which I understood to be the symbol of some very important and awakening events, which were, in order of time to succeed those which had been expressed by the seals. And while they were preparing to execute the orders they had received, another angel, whom I understood as a typical representation of the great High Priest of the church, came and stood before the altar which I saw in this celestial temple, having a golden censer, and there was given to him much fragrant incense, consisting of a variety of excellent perfumes mingled together, that he might present [it] with the prayers of all the saints, upon the golden altar which was before the throne; just as the Jewish high priest used to burn incense on the golden altar in the temple, while the people were praying in the courts of it, at the hour of morning and evening sacrifice. And the smoke of the perfumes went up in a thick and odoriferous cloud, together with the prayers of the saints, from the hand of the angel as he stood before God; and seemed thereby emblematically to signify, how grateful to the Divine Being those prayers were, which proceeded from holy « With the prayers of all the saints ] Some have thought, that this is a plain intimation of the doctrine of the intercession of the angels, which is urged to have been an erroneous Jewish notion; and those who imagine it to be taught here, have made it an argument against the inspiration of this book. But I rather agree with those interpreters, who consider this angel as an emblem of Christ. If we were indeed to consider Christ as appearing in the shape of a lamb, this would be a difficulty; but it does not appear at all absurd to me, that while the efficacy of Christ's atonement was represented by a lamb-slam, his intercession consequent upon it, should be represented by an angel offering the incense; which seems only a symbolical, or hieroglyphical, declaration of this truth, that the prayers of the saints on earth, are rendered acceptable to God by the intercession of one in heaven, who appears as a priest before God: Just as the vision of the lamb represents to us, that a Person of perfect innocence, and of a most gentle and amiable disposition, eminently adorned and enriched with the Spirit of God, has been offered as a sacrifice; and is, in consequence of that, highly honoured on the throne of God. But who this important Victim, and this Intercessor is, we are to learn elsewhere; and we do learn, that both these offices met in one, and that this illustrious Person is Jesus the Son of God. As the golden altar made a part of the scene, there was a propriety in its appearing to be used, and the time of praying was the hour of incense. This vision may probably be designed to intimate, that considering the scenes of confusion represented by the trumpets, the saints should be exceeding earnest with God, to pour out a spirit of wisdom, piety, and zeal, upon the church, and preserve it safe amidst these confusions. t fire upon the earth, and it thundered, &c. earts, being recommended by the intercession f that great High Priest, whom this glorious ngel had the honour, upon this occasion, to epresent; as Aaron and his sons did in the ewish tabernacle of old. And when the ngel had performed this office, in order to shew the awful manner in which God would avenge the injury which his praying people upon earth received from its tyrannical and oppressive powers, he took the censer, and advancing towards the brazen altar of burnt offerings, he filled it with fire of the altar,⁴ and threw it upon the earth; and as soon as ever this action was performed, there were long and terrible voices and thunders,⁵ and lightnings, which seemed to break out from the Shechinah, the glorious token of the Divine presence; and there was also the sudden and violent shock of an earthquake, which seemed to shake the foundation of the world; And the seven angels, who had the seven trumpets, stood out in order, and prepared themselves, that they might sound, as every one should receive the appointed signal; which hereupon was given to each in his order. And the first angel sounded his trumpet; and there was a violent storm of hail and fire, and the shower was also mingled with blood,⁶ and it was cast down upon the earth, greatly to the ⁴ With fire of the altar.] There was no fire upon the golden altar, but that which was in the censer, in which the incense was burnt; so that we must necessarily, by this fire of the altar, understand that of the brazen altar, though it is not expressly declared to be so; and this may intimate, that in some other places the same words may, by comparing different circumstances, have different ideas annexed to them. ⁵ Voices and thunders.] If the latter word be intended to explain the former it might be rendered, voices, even thunders. But, if different ideas are to be annexed to the words, I must confess, that I know not what they are. Yet we may imagine some distinct articulate sounds different from thunder, to be mixed with it, like that which some of those present heard, John xii. 29. (Compare Isa. xxix. 6.) This representation may be intended to intimate, in general, the confusion and calamities, with which the period, expressed by the successive trumpets, should be filled, and the regard God would shew to his praying people during its continuance. ⁶ Hail and fire mingled with blood.] Grotius explains this, of the hardness of heart, and bloody rage of the Jews; Mr. Mede, of the invasion of the northern nations upon the Romans; and Mr. Clark, of the Arian heresy and persecution, whereby many professors of Christianity were infected, and many destroyed. See his Annotations in loc. But Mr. Lowman, more probably, interprets it of the bloody wars in Constantine's family, which, with the invasion of the neighbouring nations, almost ruined the whole strength of the Roman empire, fell heavy on its great men, and particularly the family of Constantine, which, during this period, was quite extinguished; from A. D. 337, to A. D. 379. The second and thir ange soun. detriment of its productions; and particularly, it seemed to me, that a third part of the trees were burnt up, and all the green grass of the field was also burnt and scorched up. (Compare Exod. ix. 23.) And the second angel sounded; and it was as if a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea; and it produced so great an alteration in the colour of the waters, that it seemed as if a third part of the sea became blood, which I easily apprehended to signify the slaughter which should come upon many people by means of some victorious prince, and those who fought under his banner. And, as a further token of it, a third part of the creatures which had animal life in the sea died, and a third part of the ships were destroyed thereby, and the persons sailing in them all perished. (Compare Jer. li. 25.) And the third angel sounded; and to represent some great destroyer that was to appear, and become very conspicuous, both for the mischief he should occasion, and the ruin in which he should be involved, there fell from heaven a great star, burning like a torch; and it fell upon a third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters; to signify the influence which the Person represented by it should have upon human affairs, and upon those things that were the springs of comfort and support to mankind. And, in reference to the effect it was to produce, the name of the star is called Wormwood, and a third part of the waters s Mountain burning] Grotius explains this, of the soldiers' rapine upon the people of Jerusalem, and firing the towers; Mr. Mede, of the firing of Rome; Mr. Clark, of the spirit of ambition and pride among the clergy; Mr. Lowman, of the invasion of Italy by the northern nations, and the taking of Rome by Alaric, general of the Goths, who plundered it and petit on fire; and this calamity was followed by the spoil of the greatest part of Italy, from A. D. 379, to A. D. 412. h There fell from heaven a great star.] compare Dan. viii. 10 Grotius interprets it of the Egyptian Impostor, Acts xxi. 38. Ir. Mede of the fall of the western empire under Augustulus; and Mr. Clark, (see his Annot. in loc.) of the corruption of ordinances by an heretical churchman, of great parts and considerable figure, whom he supposes to be Pelagius. Some explain it of Mahomet, whose name signifies illustrious Mem. of Literat. Vol. V. p. 253. But Mr. Lowman, with greater probability, interprets it of the succeeding ravages in Italy, founding the Gothic kingdom there, and putting an end to the Roman empire; from A. D. 412, to A. D. 493. Agreeably to this, historians inform us, that several provinces of the empire were dismembered, the city of Rome again taken, and plundered, and Italy became a prey to the barbarous nations Reflections on the intercession of Christ, &c. became impregnated with wormwood; but with this additional circumstance, that it was poisonous as well as distasteful; and many men died in consequence of drinking the waters, because they were become bitter. (Compare Exod. vii. 20, 21.) And the fourth angel sounded; and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so that the third part of them, even of their light, was darkened;¹ and the day did not appear, with respect to a third part of its lustre, and the night also; but there was as great a deficiency in the usual light of both, as when either the sun by day, or the moon by night, is so eclipsed, that a third part of the body of each is shaded; which I understood to imply, that God would, in the course of his Providence, draw a vail over the whole face of things, and obscure the glory of the state to which this vision referred. And I beheld, and heard one of the angels flying in the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, The things which have already happened, are terrible; but what is yet to come is much more so: wo, wo, wo, to those that dwell upon the earth, for the remaining sounds of the trumpet of the three angels which are yet to sound! Prepare therefore for the manifestation of these awful scenes. IMPROVEMENT. pare ourselves, with silent admiration, to attend were opening upon us, let us rejoice in the symbolization of the intercession of Jesus, our great High forth, in so beautiful and expressive a manner, ending at the altar, with the golden censer, and behold, how the prayers of all the saints ascend acceptance! See the method we are to take, if pare Ezek. xxxii. 7, interprets it of the wars in Italy, bet s this of taking the the Goths and Justinian's generals, w ; Mr. Mede of the by the exarchate of Ravenna was ere ght of Rome, when all remaining power and authori and consular majesty. Rome suppressed, and the imperial his Annot in loc ) of became subject to Ravenna, where the church by tradition exarch or lieutenant of the eastern em s. Mr. Lowman in- resided; from A. D. 492, to A. D. 5 The fifth angel sounds : we desire that ours should be acceptable to him ; and, encouraged by such a view, let us offer them up, not only with humility, but with cheerful confidence, though we are conscious of their great unworthiness. To what wretchedness are they exposed, who oppress and injure those, that, through their great Representative, have such an interest in the court of heaven. The hail and the fire, shall, at the Divine command, powerfully plead their cause ; the mountains shall be torn from their basis, and cast into the midst of the sea ; the sun, the moon, and the stars shall be darkened in their orbs, and all nature be thrown into convulsive agonies, ere God will suffer them finally to be overborn, or fail to punish, with becoming severity, those who continue to persecute, or evil entreat them. Let such awful representations as these, remind us of the sovereign almighty power of God, whom all the hosts of heaven worship with reverence ; and at whose awful word, when he gives forth his voice, hailstones and coals of fire descend ; (Psal. xviii. 13 ;) at whose rebuke the pillars of heaven tremble, and the foundations of the earth are shaken ; who speaks to the sun, and it shineth not ; who darkeneth the moon, and sealeth up the stars. Who would not fear thee, O thou King of nations, so terrible in the judgments which thou executest on the earth ? Deliver us, we entreat thee, from the multiplied and accumulated miseries of those who continue obstinately to oppose thee ; and conduct us at length to thy heavenly presence, though it should be through days of darkness, and waters of bitterness, and seas of blood. Amen. The effect of the fifth and sixth angels sounding their trumpets. Rev. IX. throughout. REVELATION IX. 1. AND the fifth angel sounded ; and I saw an angel of distinguished lustre, descending with such amazing velocity, that he seemed like a shooting star, (compare Job xxxviii. 7 ;) and when he was fallen, as it were, from heaven to the earth, and appeared standing upon it, there was given to him the key of the bottomless pit : And he went to the door of that infernal dungeon, and he opened the bottomless pit, and a thick smoke ascended from the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace, and it diffused itself all Rev. IX. 1. AND the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth : and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit. And he opened the bottomless pit ; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace ; and locusts came out of the bottomless pit; abroad; so that the sun, and the whole body of the air, were darkened by the smoke and gloomy exhalations of the pit; which I understood as intimating some terrible calamity approaching. And I saw a very shocking appearance; for out of the smoke, there came locusts upon the earth, and a destructive power was given to them, as the scorpions of the earth have power, that they should be as pernicious to the inhabitants of the earth, as those terrible animals, and should injure men by their stings as well as by their teeth. And there was this further remarkable circumstance, that whereas locusts bring along with them such general destruction to all vegetables, it was said to them, whom I saw on this occasion, that they should not injure the grass of the earth, nor any green thing, nor any tree, but only some human creatures; and this, under a particular limitation to the men who had not the seal of God in their foreheads; from whence I inferred that this destructive visitation should especially affect those who, whatever they might profess, were destitute of true vital religion. And to signify the lingering vexation which these destroyers should occasion to the inhabitants of the country they were to ravage. I was further informed, that it was given to them, that they should not kill them outright, but that they should be tormented five months: which might be intended to express a calamity, that should ² Locusts upon the earth.] Many protestant writers imagine these locusts to signify the religious orders of monks and friars, &c. The learned Grotius understands by them, the sect of the zealots, which appeared among the Jews during the siege, and at the time of the destruction of Jerusalem. Mr Mede, the inundation of the Saracens; and indeed, with considerable circumstances of resemblance. The ingenious Mr. Lowman confirms this interpretation; and shows, that the rise and progress of the Mahometan religion and empire, till checked by internal divisions, is a remarkable accomplishment of this part of the prophecy: which is further illustrated by the ignorance and error the Mahometans everywhere spread, their great number and hardiness, their habits, customs, and manners; namely, twisting their hair, wearing beards, their care of their horses, invading their neighbours in summer, like locusts, sparing the trees and fruits of the country they invaded, &c. The captivity of the men, and the miserable condition of the women, exposed to persons who gave an almost unbounded liberty to their lusts, which was enough to make them even to desire death, verse 6 All these circumstances are suitable to the character of the Arabians, the history of this period, and to the particulars of the prophecy. The period extends from A. D. 568, to A. D. 675. b Only the men who had not.] The use of the particles u μn, here, is very remarkable; and it is apparently necessary it should be rendered only, rather than except. VOL. 6. Who should grievously torment mankind. endure about an hundred and fifty years. And xii. their torment, that is, that which they occasioned by their attack, [was] extremely violent, Rev. like that of a scorpion when it strikes a man. ix.5 And in these dreadful days, to which this vision refers, men shall seek death, in a wild kind of despair, and shall not find it; and they shall desire to die, and death shall flee away from them, and leave them to mourn over a life of wretchedness, all the comforts and enjoyments of which shall be utterly swallowed up in their sufferings. And these creatures were not exactly of the form of locusts; but, though they bore some resemblance to them, in many instances, they differed from them in others, and were to be considered as a kind of hieroglyphical representation of creatures which are very mischievous and terrible; and I particularly observed, that the likeness of the locusts [was] like horses prepared for war, (compare Joel ii. 4,) especially the form of their heads; and whereas common locusts have some brilliant ornaments on their heads, and various parts of their bodies, I observed, with regard to these, that on their heads [were,] as it were, crowns like gold; and their faces were like the faces of men; which two circumstances gave me to understand, that they were intended as an emblem of mighty and powerful men, who were to reign over various provinces and kingdoms. And they had on their heads long tresses of hair, like the tresses of women; whereas common locusts have only a down upon their breasts. And whereas other animals of that name have large strong teeth, their teeth were like the [teeth of] lions, sharp and pointed, as well as large and strong. And instead of the fine down on the breasts of common locusts, they had breast plates like breast plates of iron; and whereas common locusts months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion when he striketh a man. And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them. And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle; and on their heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were as the faces of men. And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions. And they had breast plates as it were breast plates Shall seek death, &c.] As such great numbers were, in fact, slain by these locusts, (if they signify, as is generally supposed, the Saracens,) this expression must only be understood of man's survivors, who, by the calamities they inflicted, should be made weary of their lives. See note. A kind of hieroglyphical representation.] As there are no animals in nature answerable to those which are here described, I take it for granted, that as the four animals mentioned above are hieroglyphics of angels, so are these of mischievous creatures. Compare chap. iv. 7, note. The sixth angel sounds: make a terrible noise with their wings, the noise which these strange and symbolical locusts made, by the motion of their wings, [was] like the noise of chariots, [and] many horses rushing to war; so that they seemed to tear the ground with their rage and fury, and to shake the air with their neighings. And instead of being formed at the lower end of their bodies, as other locusts are, which have no stings, but are quite inoffensive and innocent animals, these creatures had tails like scorpions, and their stings were in their tails; and their power, as I observed above, [was] given them to hurt the earth, and men its inhabitants, for about five months, or about an hundred and fifty years. And they had a king over them, wherein they further differed from the locust kind, (Prov. xxx. 27.) who is the angel of the bottomless pit, and the great head of those apostate spirits who dwell there; whose name is in the Hebrew language, Abaddon; and in the Greek, he has the name of Apollyon: both the one, and the other, expressing his destructive nature, and the dreadful havoc he makes, wherever his attempts are successful. And thus, one wo is gone; [and] behold yet other two woes besides it, coming, threatening yet more terrible calamities than these. And upon this the sixth angel sounded; and I did not see any immediate appearance in consequence of it; but I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which was before God, (which seemed therefore to come from the most holy place which was directly behind it,) Saying to the sixth angel, who still had the trumpet which he had sounded in his hand, Loosen now the four angels, which are Abaddon.] When the etymology is so evident, and so particularly explained by the author, I cannot but wonder at Dr. More's endeavour to explain it another way, as referring to the profession which the Mahometans should make of maintaining the doctrine of the Unity. See More's Theol. Works, p. 130. The four angels which are bound.] Grotius refers this to the Roman army under four commanders, which came from the borders of this river. Mr. Mede, to the four beglerbegs of the Turks; and he in terprets, ver. 17, of guns invented about that time, and used by them in their successful war upon the Europeans. Sethe passage at large in More's Theol. Works, p. 130, 131. They, who refer this passage to the rise of the Turkish Ottoman empire, suppose that the four angels mean either four provinces, or four cities near Euphrates, from whence considerable leaders arose, who pushed on, and advanced the Turkish conquests; and And a vast army of horsemen issue forth to es: bound in the great river Euphrates; who were intended to represent some potentates arising from that part of the world, who, in the period referred to, should become very famous throughout the earth, for their exploits and achievements. And the four angels were loosened, who were prepared for a certain period of time, signified, according to the prophetic reckoning, by an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year; that they might make a great slaughter among the inhabitants of the earth; or, as it was expressed to me in the vision, according to the language used before, might kill a third part of the men, who, after the preceding plagues continued upon it. They accordingly appeared, as leading on a mighty army; and the number of the horsemen they led on, was immensely great, represented to me by two myriads of myriads, that is, no less than two hundred millions. And I heard the number of them thus mentioned to me, as it was impossible for me to count them. And I saw the horses, and those that sat upon them thus, in [their] appearance; that is, having breast plates of fire, and hyacinth, and brimstone, which seemed to send forth blue, burning flames, which went devouring before them; and the Mr. Pyle, and others, have endeavoured to confirm this interpretation. But, as the Turkish empire did not commence till the 13th century, this event seems to be too late in the successive orders of periods, and correspondent events. Mr. Lowman's interpretation seems to me much more probable, which refers it to the reunion of the divided Saracen power, their invading and ravaging Europe, till they were defeated by Charles Martel; and agreeable to ver. 20, 21, the sufferers were so far from repenting, that image worship was confirmed by order of the Pope, and the authority of councils in the east and west. This period reaches from A. D. 675, to A. D. 750. [Of an hour, and a day, &c.] Dr. Lloyd, bishop of Worcester, in his interpretation of this passage, foretold, many years before it happened, that peace would be concluded with the Turks in the year 1698, which accordingly came to pass; and that they should no more renew their wars against the popish Christians. His argument was, that the angels were the commanders of the many Turkish squadrons who had been before subject to the Sultan of Babylon. And as for the time here mentioned, he endeavours to show it to be, in the prophetic style, 39 years; and computing, from their conquest at Prousse, in 1502, by adding 396, the number will be 1698. See Bishop Burnet's History of his Times, Vol. I. p. 204. But how lucky soever the conjecture was, it does not convince me, that it is the true interpretation; and so much the less, as it seems evident to me, the year spoken of in this book, consists only of 360 days. Besides, the Turks have renewed their war on the Popish Christians, particularly on the Emperor and the republic of Venice, in 1716, and since. As for the phrases, an hour, a day, &c. I do not understand them; they may, perhaps, only signify a determined, limited time, as such expressions in scripture frequently do; though they would seem most naturally, and agreeable to the prophetic reckoning, to denote about 391 years. et those who were spared, repented not. heads of the horses [were] like the heads of lions; and out of their mouths went fire, and smoke, and brimstone, to represent the courage and fierceness of these armies, and the irresistible destruction they should make, wherever they marched. And with the united force of these three things, that is, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, that went out of their mouths, they slew a third part of men, as was declared above. And as the destroyers, represented by the locusts, appeared as having devouring teeth, and stings like scorpions in their tails, these had likewise a double provision of mischievous furniture; for their powers are partly in their mouth, from whence, as I have already said, the fire appeared to issue, and in their tails; and their tails also [are] like serpents, having heads, and with them, as well as with their mouths, they injure men. Thus they were represented as bringing a most fearful destruction on the human species. Yet it was not productive of such a reformation as might have been expected: the remainder of men who died not by these plagues, did not repent of the wicked works of their hands, nor reform those abominations which had brought down destruction on their brethren; and particularly, did not forsake those detestable superstitions which had been so offensive to God, that they might not worship demons, and senseless idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and wood; which, instead of having any Divine properties, are destitute of the senses common to men, and even to brutes, as they can neither see, nor hear, nor walk. And they repented not of other crimes, more immediately affecting their fellow creatures, such for instance, as their murders, and their sorceries; nor their fornication, nor their thefts h Not worship demons.] This demon worship Mr Mede has taken great pains to prove, to be the worship of dead men, which is so common in the church of Rome. As for their worshipping idols of gold, silver, brass, wood, and stone, the fact is as evident, as that the heathens themselves ever practised such idolatrous worship. i Sorceries.] By φαμακαιον, Dr. Clark understands all the superstitious methods of making men fancy themselves to be religious, by what others can do for, or to them, or what they can do for themselves, without the practice of true righteousness and virtue. Clarke's xviiith Serm. p. 1 But others understand by it the arts of poisoning. Reflections on the Divine power overruling Satan. and robberies, by which they had so notoriously injured all about them, and bid defiance to every law, but that of their own unruly appetites and passions, to which they were held in the basest subjection. IMPROVEMENT. IT is exceeding natural to reflect, while reading this representation, how exactly the mightiest princes, and most savage destroyers of mankind, execute the plan of Divine Providence, and fulfil the decrees of God; even while they are intending nothing, but the gratification of their own ambition, and avarice, and cruelty. The angel of God holds the keys of the bottomless pit; and it is by Divine permission, that these voracious locusts issue forth and infest the earth. The ministers of God's pleasure, bind the messengers of destruction, and loosen them at the Divine command. And the season, wherein they shall ravage the world, is here limited to a year, to a day, to an hour: ABADDON, APOLLYON, the great and mighty destroyer, cannot effect the least of his mischievous and ruinous purposes, without the permission of the Preserver and Redeemer of mankind; and cannot go beyond his limits. And even the mischief which he does, is intended and overruled to subserve the wisest and kindest designs. But O, how grievous it is to think of that degree of obstinacy and perverseness which so generally prevails in the world, and which renders men so incorrigible, under the most painful chastisements Satan is permitted to inflict. Send forth, O Lord, the gentle influences of thy Spirit, and melt those hearts, which will not be broken by the weightiest strokes of thy vengeance; and deliver us from a temper, so much resembling that of hell, and so evidently leading down to those dreadful abodes; the temper of those who are hardened by correction, and in the time of their affliction and misery, increase and multiply their transgressions against thee. The vision of a mighty angel appearing in great glory, who had in his hand a little book, which St. John was commanded to eat. Rev. X. throughout. XIII. Rev. X. 1 A MOST beautiful and wonderful scene now opened itself to my view; for I saw another mighty angel, who carried, in his REV. X. 1. AND I saw another mighty an- ighty angel descends with a little book. appearance, the marks of unusual strength and vigour, descending from heaven, clothed with a cloud, so that I could not discern the full lustre of his whole body; though variegated with the rays it either reflected or transmitted, it appeared very glorious; and the complete circle of a rainbow [was] about his head, and his face [was] bright as the meridian sun; so that I could not bear to gaze directly upon it. And I had reason to think there was an extraordinary lustre emitted from all the other parts of the body; for even his feet were like pillars of lucid fire. And he had in his hand a little book open, which I afterwards understood to be the volume of the Divine decrees, to be communicated to me. And he put his right foot upon the sea, and the left foot upon the earth, to signify the Divine dominion over both, and the concern of both, in what was further to be transacted. And he cried with a loud, solemn, and awful voice, as a lion roars; and when he had cried, the seven thunders, which I had heard before, uttered their voices again, responsive to his, and to increase the terror of so tremendous a scene. And when the seven thunders had uttered their voices, I was about to have written the contents of what they had uttered; for, loud as their voices were, there was something articulate and intelligible in the sound; and just in that instant, I heard a voice from heaven, saying unto me, Seal up in secrecy what the seven thunders have spoken, and write them not; for they are, indeed, intended for thy information, but not for that of the public. And the angel which I saw with so many ensigns of distinction, standing with one foot on the sea, and the other on the earth, lifted up his hand towards heaven, with a gesture of solemnity and reverence, as appealing to the great Sovereign of the universe. And sware by the eternal Jehovah, even by him who liveth for ever and ever, who created the heaven, and those a Angel clothed with a cloud.] The beauties of this noble description are finely illustrated by that most elegant and pious writer, the Rev. Mr. James Hervey, in his Meditations, Vol. II. page 21, 22. b Lion roars.] The original word, rather signifies bellows; but that English word has an idea annexed to it, which appeared to me not to suit the dignity of this description. St. John is commanded to take the book and things which are in it, and the earth, and the things which are in it, and the sea, and the things which are in it, that time should be no longer; that the time of the judgments, to be signified by the pouring out of the seven vials, should not be much longer delayed; and that, when it came, the whole economy of the world should soon draw to a conclusion, and all the periods of time be consummated, that the more important scenes of eternity might open: He swore, I say that the delay should not be much longer, but that it should hasten to its end, in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, who was about quickly to sound, and was to introduce the period of the seven vials; and that, consequent on the pouring out of the last vial, the mystery of God, as he had revealed its glad tidings to his servants, the prophets, should be fulfilled, in the utter ruin and destruction of all the enemies of the church, and in its happy and glorious exaltation. And the voice which I before heard from heaven, now spake to me again, and said, Go, and take the little book, which, as thou perceivest, is open, out of the That time should be no longer.] The word grow sometimes signifies, delay, as well as time. And, according to the former version, the meaning is, that there should be no delay of the destruction of the church's enemies, and of its prosperous and glorious condition. In the latter view, it signifies that the end of time, and the consummation of all things, should soon come. Though the former sense seems to be principally intended, yet I own myself not to be so certain as absolutely to determine it. I think it is evident, that some of the concluding prophecies of this book refer to the eternal state, and therefore I have taken that sentiment into the paraphrase, though not to the exclusion of the former sense, which, as I said, seems to be principally intended, considering the connection, and that the interval between the pouring out of the seventh vial, and the consummation of all things, must, at least, be more than a thousand years; and, perhaps, a much more considerable period. Dr. More is of opinion, that the only meaning of this clause is, that the time was elapsed which had been marked out by the period of three years and an half. See his Theolog. Works, p. 122. Grotius refers the accomplishment of it to the vengeance to be taken upon the Jews, by Adrian and his successors. Compare Saum's Serm. Vol. I. p. 1, 2. Mr. Lowman renders the clause, the time shall not be yet; that is, the time of the glorious state of the church shall not be yet; but it shall not be long to it; for in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, as it follows, the mystery of God shall be fulfilled, &c. Muster of God.] Dr. Butler, the late worthy Bishop of Durham, understands by this, the great mystery of Providence, in suffering vice and confusion to prevail so much in the world. See Butler's Anal. p. 40. Should be fulfilled.] As it is here said, that the mystery of God should be fulfilled, it seems plainly to intimate, that the things yet to be revealed should extend to the end of time; and when it is declared, that this should be fulfilled in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, who was about to sound, it intimates, that the remainder of time, even to the end of the world, should be comprehended in that period of prophecy, to which the seventh trumpet, introductory to the vials, relates. as sweet in his mouth, and bitter in his belly. hand of the angel, which standeth upon the sea, and upon the earth; for it is intended for thy use and information. (Compare Jer. xv. 16.) And accordingly I went to the angel, and awful as his appearance was, I said to him boldly, in consequence of the Divine command, Give me the little book which thou holdest in thine hand; and he said unto me, Take [it,] as Ezekiel did that which was shewn to him, (Ezek iii. 1, 2,) and eat it up; to signify thy receiving it into thy mind, and digesting there the events to which it relates; and it shall imbitter thy belly, but in thy mouth it shall be sweet as honey; to signify, that how pleasant soever it may be to be honoured with such revelations, the contents of these, in thine after reflections, shall be very bitter and grievous. And, accordingly, I took the little book out of the hand of the angel, and seemed, to myself, to eat it up; and the event exactly answered what he had said to me; for, in my mouth it was sweet as honey, but when I had eaten it, my belly was bitter. And he said to me, Thou hast not yet dispatched the whole of thy work, in what thou hast already registered, of these visions of the Lord; but thou must again prophesy to many people, and nations, and tongues, and kings. The oracles thou hast yet to deliver, shall be propagated through many countries, translated into a variety of languages, and perused by persons of various ranks and conditions, and some of them the most eminent and conspicuous; but fear not to deliver them, being assured that He, by whom they are inspired, will take care they shall be punctually fulfilled. IMPROVEMENT. If other parts of this chapter should seem to be less pregnant with important practical instructions, perhaps the design was, that we might be engaged to fix our entire and undivided atten- Again prophesy.] Mr. Mede infers the new descriptions, and new events to rom hence, that the apostle is about to which they refer, which are introduced to over the same period of time he had here, and constitute the following chapters, before been discoursing of, giving an account of the state of the church, as he had of interpretation, to justify the expression. Just done of the state of the empire. But See the preceding note. VOL. 6. Reflections on the oath of this illustrious angel. section on the awful words of this illustrious angel; whose appearance is described in colours so exceeding beautiful and striking; with the radiance of the sun streaming from his countenance; the variegated colours of the rainbow encircling his head; of a stature so vast and majestic, that he at once bestrode the earth and the sea; with his hand solemnly lifted up to heaven; with a voice awful as thunder, appealing to the venerable name of God, the Creator of the heavens, of the earth, of the sea, and of all their various inhabitants, in order to add the sanction of an inviolable oath, to a declaration, which in itself, from such a Divine messenger, was worthy of absolute and entire credit; a declaration, that time should be no longer: which is a certain truth, in the most sublime and interesting sense of which the words are capable. Time, as distinguished into days, and weeks, and months, and years, by the revolution of the heavenly luminaries, when the most resplendent of these are extinguished in their orbs, as they quickly will; when the sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood; time shall then, I say, be absorbed in an immeasurable eternity. And O, what an eternity! An eternity, either of perfect and inconceivable felicity, or hopeless and remediless misery. But, besides this general construction, there is an important sense in which the proclamation of this celestial herald shall be fulfilled, with regard to individuals; that time shall be no longer; the time of Divine patience in waiting upon us; the time in which we shall be continued under the sound of the gospel, and the offers of mercy, and the means of salvation; the time in which we shall be conversant with these scenes of mortality, and with the persons who are here most familiar to us, at least in the present circumstances of their being. The period, during which we are to inhabit this earth, and enjoy our spiritual advantages, or our worldly possessions, and pleasures, is confined within very narrow limits. The oath of this mighty angel is, perhaps, just ready to be accomplished, and time is closing, and eternity is opening upon us. O that we may consider time and all its concerns, as very shortly to vanish, that our thoughts and our cares may be directed more and more to our own eternal interest, and to that of our fellow creatures. The Judge is even at the door: let us endeavour therefore to be ready, let us improve every transient moment to the purposes for which it was given us; and in these views of the brevity of time, and the importance of preparing for eternity, let us detest all the pleasures and allurements of sin; for they will soon appear like the mysterious morsel of the apostle, bitter as wormwood in the belly, though with deceitful and fatal indulgence, we may, for a few moments, have relied them, like a sweet morsel, under our tongues; vainly desiring to prolong those pleasures, which can serve only to add more keen and exquisite sensibility to our future pain. John is commanded to measure the temple. Angel commanding St. John to measure the temple, and the other, and the other, and the other, and the other, and the other, and the other, and the other, and the other, and the other, and the other, and the other, and the other, and the other, and the other, and the other, and the other, and the other, and the other, and the other, and the other, and the other, and the other, and the other, and the other, and the other, and the other, and the other. REVELATION XI. 1. AND when I had eaten the book, according to the Divine command, there was given to me, as there was shewn to Ezekiel, whose vision bore so great a resemblance to mine, (Ezek. xl. xliii.) a reed, like a [measuring] rod; and the angel, which had spoken to me before, stood by me, saying, Arise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and the space filled by those who worship at it in the inner court; And the outer court of the temple, throw out of the account, and measure it not; for there shall be such great disorders introduced, that it shall be given to the Gentiles, and they shall trample, not only upon that, but upon the holy city, for the space of forty two months: such corruptions shall prevail in the Christian church, though by profession the holy city, and the temple of God, that they who pretend to be its inhabitants, and to worship in it, shall be no better, in the Divine account, than Gentiles. And, in the mean time, I will raise up some to bear an united testimony against these growing corruptions; and I will give to my two witnesses an authoritative [commission,] a Measure the temple of God.] From the proportion between the area of the temple, and the outer court, supposed to be as one to 3 and 1 half, Mr. Mede, understanding by the temple, the pure uncorrupted state of the church; and, by the outer court, its corrupted state, endeavours to prove, that the latter did not entirely commence till the beginning of the fifth century; inferring also from hence the authority of the four first general councils. The argument may be seen at large in his works, p. 588, 589. But it does not seem to require a particular examination, especially in the face of so many notorious errors, and absurd superstitions, as were evidently introduced into the church long before the time in question. How Grotius should imagine it to signify, that the temple should not be rebuilt by Adrian, though Jerusalem should, is to me very surprising: I doubt not but it signifies the profanation of the church by growing idolatry and superstition, though some few should preserve their purity. b Two witnesses.] Some have strangely supposed these are Enoch and Elijah, who are to come to fight against anti- The two witnesses shall prophesy; and they shall prophesy all this while, that is, during the forty two months, pr a thousand two hundred [and] sixty days, clothed in sackcloth; to denote their afflicted condition. These are dear and precious to me, as Joshua and Zerubbabel among the Jews of old; and in reference to the emblems under which I represented those my faithful servants, (Zech. iv. 3, 11, 14.) I may call these, the two olive trees, and the two burning and shining lamps, who stand before the God of the whole earth; high in his esteem, and continually in his presence, planted like olive trees in his house, or kindled like the sacred lamps in the candlestick of the sanctuary. And if any one will obstinately injure them, encouraged by the gentleness of their appearance, and the seeming weakness of their present state, he shall find to his cost, that they are under an almighty protection. Their cries to God shall be heard, and such sudden and irresistible vengeance shall follow, that fire shall seem to come out of their mouth, and devour their enemies at once: it shall not merely scorch and terrify, but utterly destroy them: and I pronounce it again, If any one will injure them, so must he be put to death. These, despised as they are, have power with God, like my servant Elijah of old, (1 Kings xvii. 1,) by their prayers to shut heaven, so See Limb. Theol. 7. xi. 51. Dr. understands it of unpolluted priests, faithful magistrates, appearing for nation Others, of the Old and Newment. But the learned Bishop, of the Waldenses and Albigenses, maps it may signify any witnesses for nation, who should be raised up during his period; illustrated by two, as concurring number was necessary, and to the law, to make the testimony; or to intimate, that their father should be but small. See Mr. Day in loc. who proves, there has a succession of faithful witnesses. [clothed in sackcloth.] This was the of mourners, and suited to their pro- character, Isa. xx. 2. This pe- is the same with that after described time of the woman's abode in the neses, chap. xii. 6; Dan. vii. 25; xii. 7. d Fire shall come out think it highly probable may be figurative, and the awful vengeance take on their enemies he is revealed in flaming injury received by; and especially his fi be remembered, and avenged. e Shut heaven, &c.] Hale seems to think that the spirit of Moses be in them, Elijah h. from heaven, and him Moses having turned Hale's Contemp. Vol indeed seems to intim interpose for their de the cause of his people in the awful manner And the beast shall overcome and kill them : that no rain shall be showered down in the days of their prophecy; and like Moses and Aaron, (Exod. vii. 20,) they have power over the waters, to turn them into blood, and to smite the earth as often as they will, with every plague; such is the prevalence of their prayers with God, that they may be said, as it were, to be armed with his omnipotence. And when they shall have finished their testimony, according to the plan of Divine Providence, the fierce and savage beast which ascends out of the abyss, and is afterwards to be described, shall make war against them, and shall conquer, and triumph over them for a while, and carry his success so far as to kill them. And their dead corpses [shall lie] unburied in the open street of the great city, which is spiritually called, on account of its lewdness and persecutions, S O D O M and E G Y P T, where also our Lord was crucified; that is, in the place, where he has suffered so much in his spiritual members, that he may be said to have been crucified over again. And [persons] of [various] people, and tribes, and tongues, and nations, shall look on their dead bodies three days and an half, and maliciously insult over them; and they shall not permit their corpses to be laid in their graves which should be prepared for them. And they who dwell upon the earth, shall rejoice over them, and be Out of the abyss.] By the abyss Dr. More understands the sea, and thinks this passage is to be explained by what follows, chap. xiii.1. I am rather of opinion, it alludes to what had been said before, chap. ix. 11, where a king of the locusts is mentioned as a most destructive creature, called also the angel of the abyss; and it is certain, the word Dugier is used with this latitude. (Compare Acts xxviii. 4, 5) The great city.] Mr. Fleming understands this of the German, that is, the Roman empire; of which Bohemia was a part. Indeed, it is probable the whole Roman empire may be here represented, as one idolatrous and impure city; as elsewhere, the church of Christ is represented by one pure, holy, and glorious city. It may intimate the extreme persecution of any of God's witnesses should suffer; and that their enemies should triumph over them so much, that his cause should seem to be quite ruined. Sodom and Egypt.] The lewdness of Sodom, and the cruelty of Egypt, are so celebrated in scripture, as to make them proper emblems of these evils in general. And the abominable wickedness of the church of Rome, in both these respects, (I suppose not to be equalled in any other society of men, calling themselves a church,) is most justly, as well as severely, expressed by these appellations. When one sees their places of worship every where adorned with images of a crucified Saviour, one would think, (as our Lord says with respect to the garniture which the persecuting Pharisees bestowed upon the sepulchres of the ancient prophets, that they meant to perpetuate the memory of the dead with honour,) that these persecutors intended to crucify Jesus in effigy: a sentiment, perhaps, not disagreeable to the original design. And after three days and an half they will glad, and with mutual congratulation, shall send gifts to each other, to testify their great exultation, because these two prophets, who tormented those who dwelt upon the earth, by their plain and faithful remonstrances, shall be entirely silenced; and, as they suppose, for ever removed out of any capacity of molesting them. All these things I distinctly saw, just as the angel had represented them to me in his description; and while I was looking, with the greatest concern, upon the venerable remains of these two excellent persons, denied the common rites of burial, and exposed to all the insults of their enemies, I saw, that after three days and an half, the Spirit of life, communicated from God, who quickeneth all things, entered into them, and they stood upon their feet again, to renew their testimony; and great fear immediately fell upon those who looked upon them, when they saw so wonderful a resurrection. And they, that is, the witnesses, heard a great voice, saying unto them from heaven, in loud accents, which I likewise distinctly heard, Come ye up hither; and they accordingly ascended up to heaven in a cloud, as our Lord had done in the sight of his apostles; and their enemies, with infinite surprise, and fruitless rage, looked on them, without being able to hinder or oppose the marvellous event. And in that hour, as an earthquake attended the Three days and an half.] Very different interpretations have been given of this period of time. Mr. Fleming thinks it to his purpose to observe, that from the death of Andrew Pallica, the last Bohemian martyr, to the appearance of Carot-stadius and Zuinghus, at the beginning of the reformation, was just three years and an half. See Flem. of the Resur. p. 144. The above mentioned Bishop Lloyd imagined it was fulfilled in the slaughter of the Albigenses and Waldenses, in the year 1686; and they arose in 1690. He supposes Archbishop Usher's celebrated prophecy a mistake of this place; he thought the treading down the court was the affliction of external professors; (whereas it was, indeed, the general prevalence of idolatry in the church;) and that the witnesses were slain by the king of France, not by the pope; and that the earthquake, (ver. 13,) signified the destruction of the kingdom of France. Some think here is an allusion to the time of our Saviour's lying in the grave; and that it intimates that the time of the witnesses suffering, will be in proportion to the time of their prophecy, which is described as a time of persecution; and so it comports with three times and an half, 1260 days, or 42 months. It may, in general, signify a certain limited time; and, perhaps, three days and an half, may be mentioned, in reference to the state of a dead body, which will seldom keep longer without corruption. See Mr. Lowman in loc. Ascended up to heaven.] This was, no doubt, to signify, that the cause of true and genuine Christianity should not only be revived, but exalted; and that it should have so illustrious a triumph over all opposition, as no earthly elevation was sufficient adequately to represent. The seventh trumpet sounds. resurrection of our Lord, so likewise, at the ascension of these witnesses, there was a great earthquake; and a tenth part of the buildings of the city fell down to the ground, magnificent and sumptuous as they were; and seven thousand men, some of them of great name and figure, were killed by the earthquake; and the rest were terrified, and their alarm wrought more kindly upon them, than judgments had done upon some others; for they gave glory to the God of heaven, as the author of these awful events. The second wo is past, [and] a terrible one it is; but let none imagine all ground of alarm is over, for behold the third wo cometh quickly, to succeed it. And the seventh angel sounded; and immediately there were great voices of thunder in heaven, saying, At length the happy, the triumphant period is approaching, and seems to be even already come; when it may be said, that the kingdoms of the world are become [the kingdoms] of our Lord, and of his Christ, his anointed Son; and he shall reign for ever and ever. And the twenty four elders, that sate before the throne of God on their splendid thrones, as already described, fell prostrate upon their faces, and worshipped God with profound reverence, on hearing these glad tidings; Saying, We give thanks unto thee, O Lord God Almighty, who art, and who wast, and who art to come; we adore the triumphs of thine omnipotence, and of thy wisdom; because, though Seven thousand men were killed.] This seems to represent some great calamities, which were to befall the enemies of the reformation during the following period, and which would be a great means of promoting it. The kingdoms of the world, &c.] The learned Grotius, than whom no great commentator was ever more mistaken in his explication of this book, strangely sinks the importance of the event here referred to, by expounding it of the liberty given to the Christians to profess their religion in Judea, when the Jews were banished. Mr. Mede, and Mr. Clarke, refer it to the reformation. Dr. Samuel Clarke says, Whether this, and the like passages, shall have a literal accomplishment by the universal prevalency of the gospel of peace upon earth, or only in the new heavens, wherein dwelleth righteousness, is a secret in the breast of Providence, which we ought not to be over confident in explaining. See his Posth. Ser. Vol III. p 295 But it seems probable that this may be designed to intimate, that in the period of time signified by the seventh trumpet, and the vials, following it, there should be a triumph of the Christian cause in its power and purity, notwithstanding all the attempts made to pervert and corrupt it; which has been in fact, the case. Compare chap. vi. ver. 17, note 2. Reflections on 1. for a while thou didst suffer the interest of thy kingdom to be in part overborn, as if the adversary were stronger than thou art, thou hast at length taken to thyself thy great power, and hast reigned with an uncontrolled dominion. 8 And the nations were wroth, and were transported with rage and pride, that their vain schemes were thus powerfully opposed: And having suffered them, for a season, to exert their impotent efforts, thy wrath came in its awful turn; thou didst display the terrors of thy superior vengeance; and the time of the dead came, when they should be judged, and the blood of thy people avenged, and when a reward should be given to thy faithful servants, the inspired prophets, and to the saints, and, on the whole, to them that fear thy name, both small and great: For, such is thy goodness, that thou wilt not forget any one of them; and the period is at length come, [when thou] shouldest interpose in an awful and irresistible manner, to destroy those that destroy and corrupt the earth by their many vices; and particularly, by their cruel ravages in persecuting those, who were, with the greatest integrity of heart, solicitous to have reformed it. IMPROVEMENT. Long hath the court of God's temple been trodden under foot by the Gentiles, and a party of very corrupt and degenerate Christians, (if they at all deserve the name, though they proudly arrogate to themselves the title of the Catholic church,) been introducing and countenancing all the fopperies and absurdities of pagan superstition, as well as more than the horrors of pagan cruelty, so as indeed to have disgraced, not the gospel alone, but human nature itself. A wise and gracious Providence hath raised up witnesses for the truth in all ages; and it is a signal honour to bear a faithful and courageous testimony against these enormous corruptions, though it were unto bonds and imprisonment, and even at the expense of life. Those noble and heroic confessors God hath remarkably supported; and even when they have been in a state of mourning and oppression, they have borne their testimony and prophesied; their prayers have been a A reward shall be given to thy servants.] final reward at the judgment day. This The reward to be given to all that fear therefore represents that judgment day as God, both small and great, seems to be the now nearly a proachin. the case of the two witnesses. remembered before God, and many have been smitten, who injured and oppressed them. But, notwithstanding this, the beast hath continued his war upon the saints, and their oppressions have increased, until, in many places, they have been cast down, and trodden in the dust, and their blood hath been poured out like water on the earth. Thus hath that great city, the metropolis of the world, once faithful and celebrated, become even as Sodom and Egypt, or even as Jerusalem, where Christ himself, our Divine Master, was crucified. Thus have the enemies of the truth triumphed over the servants of the Lord, and have erected trophies of their victory. But, thanks be to God, their triumph shall not be perpetual; Christ our Redeemer will revive his expiring cause, in a manner as glorious and wonderful as a resurrection from the dead: he will glorify the remnant of his people; he will cause the earth to tremble, and shake down the towers of the enemy; and when the first and second wo is past, will bring upon them a third and more terrible wo. In the faith of this triumphant event let us rejoice; and though in our day we see not this glorious scene, let us consider it as approaching, when the seventh angel shall sound, and when all the kingdoms of the earth shall become the kingdoms of the Lord, and of his Christ. Let our prayers do all that the most earnest prayers can do, towards promoting this great event. O Lord God Almighty, who art, and wast, and art to come, we beseech thee to take to thyself thy great power and reign; for the proudest of the enemies who oppose thy kingdom, reign, and even live, only by thy permission. Overbear, by thy superior rebuke, the rage of the angry nations; and give patience to thy afflicted servants, that if they should wait even till the dead be judged, they may never resign the hope of the reward which thou wilt at length confer upon them: not only on the prophets, and most eminent and distinguished of the saints, but on all them that fear thy glorious and tremendous name; on the small, as well as on the great; when the destroyers of the church, and of the earth, shall be destroyed together. Amen. On a view of the temple of God, as opened in consequence of the seventh trumpet, a vision appears, representing the multiplication of the church, and the attempt to be made by the devil upon it, under the emblem of a woman bringing forth a son, attacked and persecuted by a great dragon. Rev. XI. 19, XII. throughout. REV. XI. 19. AND the temple of God was opened in heaven, REVELATION XI. 19. AND when these acts of adoration passed, upon the sounding of the seventh angel, the temple of God was opened in heaven; and the VOL. 6. A woman in heaven clothed with the sun, &c. secr. veil, which seemed to separate the most holy and there was seen xv. place being drawn aside, the ark of his covenant in his temple the are of his testaappeared in his temple; to signify further man- Rev. 1. 19 ifestations of the Divine presence, which were were lightnings, and now to be made. And as, when the law was voices, and thundergiven from Mount Sinai, the whole atmosphere ings, and an earthseemed in a violent commotion, which was quake, and great hail. communicated to the most solid parts of nature, so there were now lightnings, and loud and awful voices, and thunders, and an earthquake, and a great storm of hail, which had been described as a circumstance attending the Divine appearance, under former dispensations. (Compare Psal. cxiv. 4, &sim.) And thus ushered in, there appeared a great sign in heaven, a woman of a beautiful and majestic form, clothed, as it were, with the radiance of the meridian sun, streaming forth on all sides; which I understood as an emblem of the church of Christ, most gloriously arrayed through the comeliness and lustre which he puts upon her: and the moon was under her feet, to signify the conquest which the church should gain over all sublunary enjoyments and terrors; and upon her head there was a crown of twelve stars, to represent the twelve apostles, who had been so illustrious an ornament to that honoured society. And, to signify the increase of the Christian church, this woman, by which she was represented, being apparently pregnant, cried out in travail, and seemed as in violent pangs to be delivered. And, while she was in these circumstances of extremity, there appeared another sign in heaven: and behold! for it was a very memorable phenomenon, there was a great red fiery dragon, having seven heads, and ten horns; and upon his heads, a Dragon having seven heads, and ten horns] I suppose most of my readers well know, that a dragon is a vast serpent of enormous bulk; there is one of them about 23 feet long, preserved in the repository of the royal society. And Job, the celebrated African, assured me, that one of them carried away a live cow in his mouth, before his face. Nothing could be a more proper emblem of the persecuting power, that by the instigation of Satan, attacked Christians; or rather, of Satan, as instigating these persecuting powers, and those especially of Rome, under its different states, as heathen and Christian, for the directing agent was still the same. I apprehend therefore, that the church is here represented, first, as pregnant, to signify its state while the empire was heathen the more vigorous state it afterwards arrived to, when such large accessions were made to the number of Christians, is de- Her child is caught up to heaven : a seven crowns, on each of them one ; which represented satan, the great enemy of the church, as animating a people, who were to answer, in a remarkable manner, to these mysterious and symbolical characters. And he appeared as having a long tail ; and with it he took an horrible sweep over the compass of a considerable part of the heaven, on which he seemed to stand ; and as it then appeared as decked with stars, whereby Christian ministers were especially represented, his tail drew down a third part of the stars of heaven, and cast them to the earth ; which signifies, that many, whose business it was to enlighten and preserve others, should themselves be corrupted, by the attempts of this great and subtle deceiver, whose artifice and rage were so aptly represented, by the seducing nature of this vast and voracious dragon. And the dragon stood directly before the woman, who was about to bring forth, that when she was delivered, he might immediately devour her child, for whose appearance he seemed eagerly to wait. And, to signify the certain success of the church, and the care God would take to preserve it, she whom I saw in the vision as the representative of it, brought forth a masculine son, a male child, who appeared of a vigorous constitution, and likely soon to advance to manhood ; who, as I then learned, was destined by God to a most glorious triumph over all opposition ; so as to rule all the nations with a rod of iron, which they should be unable successfully to resist. And, as the strength of this dragon seemed vastly superior to that of the woman, or the new born infant, her child was, on a sudden, caught up to God, even to his throne, there to be guarded as the charge and favourite of heaven, in full security from all the rage of his furious and destructive enemies. (Compare 2 Kings xi. scribed by the birth of the child ; and its state, when an almost universal corruption was introduced, by its abode in the wilderness. The dragon, in the mean time, in all these various successions, labours, if possible, to destroy it ; at least to prevent the propagation of its interests. b Masculine son ] As it was impossible, at very a son, should be an other than appears, a male, I conclude, that the conjunction of these two words was intended to express the vigorous constitution of the child, and what we properly call a masculine form, which may, or may not, be joined with the male sex. Such was Esau, who from thence had the name of a child fully made. Gen. xxv. 25. And she flies from a fiery dragon into the wil 23.) And the woman, his mother, fled into the wilderness, by which circumstance was represented to me, the obscure condition in which true Christianity should long remain, while antichristian principles and practices every where prevailed. There she dwelt, where she had a place prepared for her by the ever watchful Providence of God, that she might there be nourished, one thousand two hundred [and] sixty days, for God took care that she should be nourished, though in a wilderness, raising up friends and supporters for her, during that desolate and melancholy time. And there was the appearance of a very formidable war in heaven, and several mighty battles seemed to be fought before my sight; Michael, the great leader of God's host, and therein an emblem of the great Emmanuel, and his angels, were marshalled on the one side; and they made war against the dragon: and on the other side, the dragon made war with him; and his angels likewise, consisting of many legions of infernal spirits, in confederacy with the great head of the apostasy, made war under him. Nevertheless, they did not prevail against the armies of God, neither was place found for them any more in heaven; but, being unable c Into the wilderness.] I think I never met with a wilder interpretation than that which Grotius gives of this place; referring it to the banishment of Christianity out of Rome, into little neighbouring towns and villages, (which, in comparison of that capital city, might seem a wilder case,) during the time of the seduction of Simon Magus; an event neither certain itself, nor, if ever so certain, by any means answering to the description of the town, and the great and important idea suggested, and so much insisted upon in this propice. It is on the same precarious principles that he explains the triumph of heaven on casting out the dragon, of Simon's being vanquished in his contest with St. Peter at Rome. d One thousand two hundred and sixty days.] These days are some of Papal occupation. Mr. Fleming, who hath the honour herein to be followed by Sir Isaac Newton, and Mr. Lowman, though not as I remember named by the former, whom the latter professes to follow,) supposes them to begin in the year 1700, when Pepin of France made a grant to the Pope, of the temporal dominion of Rome, on the destruction of the Exarchate of Ravenna, to which that imperial city for a while belonged. Upon this the Pope began the eighth head of Rome; and the period of his continuing so will end, about the year 2016, or if (which seems most reasonable,) prophetical years be used in the computation, consisting of 360 days, about 2000; which he supposes will be the beginning of the millennium. Flem. of Res. p. 130. e Neither was place found for them any more in heaven.] I once thought this referred to a representation made to the apostle, in the vision of the first expulsion of Satan from heaven; but upon considering that he, who is represented as cast out of the Divine presence, is described as the accuser of the brethren, who had before been among them the and night before God; I was induced to change my mind. On the whole, I am extremely dubious about this, and refer it to further consideration, whether this may not signify he dragon is conquered by Michael; to stand their ground, they seemed to be expelled, and fall down to the earth. And thus the great, furious, and voracious dragon was cast out; [even] the old serpent, so long experienced in the arts of mischief: who, from his falsehood, is called the devil, or the false accuser; and from his malice, satan, or the general adversary: he, who deceives the whole world by his subtle temptations, was cast out of heaven, and sunk down to the earth; and his confederate angels were cast out with him, following him in his ruin, as they had done in his guilt. And I heard a great voice saying in heaven, Now is come the long expected salvation; and the power, and the kingdom of our God is now exerted and established; and the authority of his Christ shall now prevail against all opposition; because the malignant and perfidious accuser of our brethren is now cast out, who carried his malice to such a height, that he accused them before our God day and night: unrestrained by a sense of the Divine presence, he was ready, as in the instance of Job, (Job i. 9; ii. 5,) continually to charge them with the greatest evils before him, who was indeed the Witness of their integrity. And now they have overcome him, formidable as he appeared, with all his confederate angels; and it is by the blood of the Lamb they have gained this glorious victory: its sacred efficacy has procured them Divine strength and grace: and the remembrance of it has wrought powerfully on their souls. And their victory has been, under this, in a great measure, occasioned by the word of their testimony; by that word of the gospel to which they had borne their testimony with so much fidelity, and at so great an expense; for they loved not their lives unto the death; they exposed themselves to the greatest dangers, and many of them actually met their death in this glorious conflict; but they fell to rise, and triumph and reign. And therefore, rejoice, ye heavens, and ye who inhabit the conquest of Satan by Christ, by the first publication of the gospel. Mr. Lowman interprets it of the victory over Satan and his wer, when Christianity had fully prevailed over heathenism in the empire, and when an effectual stop was put to the Mahometan impostor in these western parts. Yet continues to persecute the woman them, and, as it were, pitch your tents there: let all the celestial armies proclaim the victory with joy. But wo to those that inhabit the terraqueous globe, consisting of the earth and the sea: for the devil is come down to you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time; and therefore, is maliciously bent to make the most he can of it, exerting one powerful effort more to establish and confirm his cause. And when the dragon saw that he was cast out on the earth, I perceived him to be greatly enraged; and saw, that mindful of the original of the late war, he persecuted the woman who had brought forth a male child. And to signify the extraordinary provision that should be made for her deliverance, there were immediately given to the woman two wings, like those of a great and strong eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, unto her place, which, as I observed before, was appointed for her; where, as I said, she is nourished for one thousand two hundred and sixty days; that is, for a time, or one year, and times, or two years, and half a time, or year, that is, for three years and an half, which is the same period. And thus she was hid from the face of the serpent, and preserved from his destructive efforts. And the serpent threw out of his mouth a flood of water, like a river after the woman, as she was winging her flight from him, that he might cause her to be carried away by the stream. And the earth assisted the woman; and the earth opened its mouth and drank up the flood which the dragon threw out of his mouth, so that it sunk as fast as it fell, and could not swell into such a formidable current as he seemed to have intended it should. And the dragon was enraged ᶠ Fly into the wilderness.] This is the same event that was represented, ver. 6. ᵍ A flood of water, like a river.] Perhaps this is one of the artifices which these enormous creatures make use of to beat down their prey, when flying from them, though I cannot, at present, remember any passage that illustrates it. ʰ The earth arrived the woman, &c.] This may intimate, that notwithstanding all the violent and cruel attempts of Satan, and of those persecuting powers whom he instigates, God will raise up some persons, (and perhaps, as Mr. Lowman observes, it may mean, some persons of power and authority in the world,) to protect his witnesses, and secure many of those who faithfully retain the testimony of Jesus; and to prevent pure religion from being entirely overborne and lost. And this has been, in fact, the case in many nations; and particularly in this. Reflections on the vision of the woman in heaven. the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. against the woman, to see all his efforts against her defeated by a superior power; and he went away to excite new troubles, and to make war against the woman, and against the remainder of her seed, even as many as might by any means be brought within his reach; nor did he spare any of those who keep the commandments of God inviolable, and have the courage to retain, at the greatest expense or hazard, the testimony of Jesus Christ, in his pure uncorrupted gospel. SECT: xv. Rev. xii. 17 IMPROVEMENT. WHATEVER concealed and unknown wonders may be intimated in some parts of this grand and awful vision, in others it contains very obvious and important instructions. While we are beholding this emblematical representation of the Christian church, let us adore the great original Sun of righteousness, who has decked her with his glorious beams, and will at length cause every faithful member of this blessed society, to shine forth as the Sun in his Father's kingdom. And let us be desirous of treading this changeable and uncertain world under our feet. Let us thankfully own the hand which has crowned the church with the apostles, as with a diadem; and taught by their precepts, and inspired by their example, let us prepare ourselves for that sacred war, to which we are called, the war against the devil, and his confederate hosts. It is indeed, under a very formidable type, that he is here represented: His cruelty, his subtilty, his experience in all the arts of destruction, are painted out with dreadful propriety, in the old serpent, the great dragon; but, formidable as his violence, or artful and potent as the confederacy of infernal spirits may be, here is a victory gained over him, which calls for the congratulation of all the armies of the Lord: the dragon and his angels are cast out; the saints are enabled to triumph over him, feeble and impotent as they are. But, in what way are they able to overcome him? It is by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony. Instructive and edifying admonition! Let this be our confidence, even the banner of the cross, the blood of the Saviour, who died upon it; and, in this signal, we shall come off conquerors too; faith in him shall be our shield; the word of God shall be our sword, the sword of the Spirit; and satan, thus resisted shall flee before us, (James iv. 7.) In vain are the floods of temptation, which he may attempt to throw out of his mouth, to debauch our principles, or practices; they shall be entirely swallowed up. And though the church be for a while in the wilderness, it shall be happily sheltered, and tenderly nourished: there, its members shall be in A beast rises from the sea, with seven heads and ten horns : safety, as if they were taken up to God, even unto his throne, till xv. the time which he has appointed for its triumph. In the mean while, however the sons of malice, under the instruction and inverse fluence of the great accuser of the brethren, may defame them : 5, 10 however persecution may attack and harrass them ; let them be 11 courageous and undaunted, not loving their lives even to the death, in the cause of Christ ; for, though they fall, they shall rise again to certain victory and glory ; nor shall death bring down their heads so low, as to render them unworthy of wearing a crown of eternal life. The vision of the two beasts, and the outrages co Rev. XIII. throughout. REVELATION XIII. 1. AND I stood upon the sand of the sea, as I apprehended in the vision, and saw a fierce and savage beastᵃ ascending out of the sea, having seven heads, and ten horns ; to intimate the city of Rome standing upon seven hills, and the ten kingdoms into which its dominions were to be divided : and upon his horns [were] ten diadems ; to signify the royal power that was to be found in each : and on his heads [there were] names of blasphemy,ᵇ such names as it was most profane and blasphemous to assume. And the beast which I saw, was, as to the form of the greater part of its body, like a leopard, and its feet [were] like those of a bear, to signify its exceeding great fierceness ; and its mouth was like the mouth of a roaring and furious lion : and the dragon, who still appeared on the visionary scene, that is, the devil, gave him, ᵃ Savage beast.] This I understand of the papal power, as exercised by the bishop of Rome, supported by his regular clergy, and by those secular princes, who have given up their name and power to him. And when the dragon is said to give him his power and throne, &c. ver. 2, it intimates, that he should have his seat or residence there, where the dragon had reigned, even at Rome ; which had been the seat of idolatry and persecution during its a ran state. ᵇ Names of blasphemy.] They must have very little acquaintance with the arrogant titles which have been assumed or admitted by the popes, who discern not in them a very remarkable illustration of this circumstance of the prophecy. Instead of ergen, the common reading, I think crown, names, in the plural, which is supposed by the authority of the Alexandrian, and other manuscripts, to be preferable. f its heads, being wounded, is healed again. by solemn delegation, his power, and his throne, and great authority in his kingdom; so that this beast seemed to be constituted his vicegerent; however he might pretend to represent a very different person. And I saw one of his heads wounded, as it were, to death; that is, in such a manner, that a recovery seemed impossible; to signify those early efforts, which should be made, to put a stop to the usurpation, cruelties, and blasphemy, represented by these heads, and the names written on them. And yet its mortal wound, as one would have thought it must have proved, was unaccountably healed. And the whole earth wondered at so strange an event, [and] they [followed] after the wild beast, thinking a greater argument of its extraordinary power arose from its cure, than could have taken place, had he never been wounded at all.ᶜ And they, that is, the inhabitants of the earth, worshipped the dragon, who gave his authority to the wild beast; and they worshipped the wild beast, even as with Godlike adoration, saying, Who, that pretends to Deity in heaven, or earth, [is] like unto the beast? or who can ever presume to make war against him, since his power is so well established, without hazard of immediate or certain destruction? And there was given to it, that is, to this monster, a mouth speaking great things, and blasphemies, as with a human voice; to signify that it was influenced by that being, who assuming the form and organs of a brute, had used the power of speech for the most mischievous purposes. And there was also given unto it power to make warᵈ with the saints with some apparent advantage, for the term above mentioned, of forty two ᶜ Never been wounded at all.] It is certain that ineffectual efforts, to recover the liberty and purity of the church, have sometimes been improved into occasions of further usurpations; and many have been intimidated by them from making any further attempts. Yet they are not entirely destitute of their good effects, as they at least deliver the souls of those who have exerted their utmost ability in making them; and may afterwards be productive of better fruits and consequences. ᵈ Power to make war: πονέμαι πονέαι.] Our translators have followed those copies, which omit the word, πολεμαι, and have rendered πολεμαι continue: a sense which, it must be owned, it sometimes bears, particularly, Acts xv. 33; xx. 3, but I have chosen to rely on those copies which retain the word πολεμαι. See ver. 7. VOL. 6. It makes war with the saints. months; that is, one thousand twelve hundred and sixty prophetic days or years. And he opened his infernal mouth to utter blasphemy against God, even to blaspheme his holy and venerable name, and his tabernacle pitched among men; and, not only did he speak malignant things against the inhabitants of the earth, but even against those that dwell in heaven. (Compare Dan. xi. 36.) And it was, by Divine permission, given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them for a time; and so universal was the success of his pernicious undertakings, that it seemed, as if there was given to him power over every tribe, and tongue, and nation. And all the inhabitants of the earth shall be so deluded with his artifices, or intimidated by his terrors, that they shall worship him, that is, all whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb, who was slain, for some were registered in that book even from the foundation of the world; and they shall, by a secret energy, be preserved in the midst of so general and ruinous a defection. If any one has an ear to hear, let him attentively hear this; for it is a matter of a most important nature, and the most surprising phenomenon which can be imagined, that such an idolatrous and persecuting power should arise in the Christian church, and that Those that dwell in heaven.] It is very injurious to the saints and angels, when they are represented as desirous of attracting to themselves, that worship which ought to be appropriated to God; and nothing worse can be imagined of them, than that they should be delighted with such services as are paid them in the Romish ritual. The inhabitants of the earth shall worship him.] The extravagant idolatry here mentioned, is very suitable to the temper and practice of those, who, in order to avoid persecution, comply with the claims and demands of the papal power, contrary to their conscience; for, it is the language of such a compliance, that the wrath of men is more to be dreaded than that of God himself. Registered from the foundation of the world.] I am well aware of what has been said to justify the sense which these words must have, if taken in connection with those which immediately precede them; but, after all, it is very harsh to say, Christ was slain from the foundation of the world. He is in another place called simply, the Lamb slain, Rev. v. 12, and kingdom is said to be prepared for good men from the foundation of the world, Mat. xxv. 34. And, laying these things together, I think it abundantly sufficient to justify the interpretation I have here given, especially when compared with another passage in this book, chap. xvii. 8, whose names were not written in the book of life, from the foundation of the world. Mr. Peirce thinks it is an allusion to the custom of registering the actions of worthy persons, as Mal. iii. 17, undoubtedly is; and, that this book of life is, as it were, the catalogue of good men that have lived in all ages. Peirce on Phil. iv. 3. But I cannot be of opinion, that this exhausts the full meaning of the expression. Another beast ariseth out of the earth : God should suffer it so far to prevail. Nevertheless, God will not forget the injuries his people sustain; but, if any one lead [them] into captivity, he shall be led into captivity himself by a superior power, which he shall not be able to resist; and, if any one slay others with the sword of injustice and cruelty, he shall himself be slain with the sword of Divine vengeance, when God comes to make inquisition for blood. In the mean time, while they are waiting for his appearance, here is a sufficient exercise for the patience and the faith of the saints: it is the greatest trial to which they were ever brought; let them therefore consider themselves as called out by God to it, and be assured that he will limit it both as to its duration and degree, in a manner answerable to the purposes of his infinite wisdom, and of his peculiar love to them. And, to represent a very crafty and insidious power, which should join with the former, and greatly abet its sanguinary persecutions, I saw another beastʰ ascending out of the earth;ⁱ and it had two horns like a lamb; but, whatever gentleness there might be in that circumstance of its appearance, it spake like a dragon. And such is the nature of their alliance, that it exercises all the power of the first beast, in its presence; and it makes the earth, and those that dwell in it, to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed, whose interest, which seemed so much endangered, was greatly revived, being thus powerfully abetted and supported. And he, in order to confirm his subtle pretences, to lord it over the consciences of men, does great miracles,ᵏ so as even to make fire come down from heaven to earth before men; strange artifices he has, ʰ Another beast.] As I look upon the former to be the papal power, I am ready, with the best critics I know, to interpret this of the religious orders of the church of Rome, (particularly that of the Jesuits,) who have many of them temporal estates and jurisdictions added to their spiritual, and thus have greatly supported the papacy. ⁱ Out of the earth.] This beast is said to ascend from the earth, whereas the other ascended from the sea, to make the distinction between them the more remarkable; but what other mystery may be suggested, I cannot conjecture. ᵏ Great miracles.] The artful impostures, which the regular clergy, that is, the several orders of monks, and especially the Jesuits, have used to persuade the people of the truth of their pretended miracles and revelations, seem to be finely delineated by this otherwise amazing description. And causeth all to receive his mark. to persuade them of his being endowed with more than natural powers, and that the vengeance of heaven will be armed against all that oppose him! And he deceiveth the inhabitants of the earth by the signs which it is given him to do before the beast; commanding the inhabitants of the earth to make an image of the beast, that had the wound of the sword, and yet lived; that is, he teaches men to extol, and almost adore, that, which in itself is most contemptible and detestable. And it was given to him, by a Divine permission, to give spirit and breath, as it were, to the image of the beast,¹ that the image of the beast might speak with an audible voice. And, so zealous and powerful is he in abetting this cause, that by this its oracle, he should cause as many as will not worship the image of the beast, to be put to death. And he causeth all, of every rank and condition, both small and great, rich and poor, freemen and slaves, to receive the mark of this detestable power, on their right hand, or their foreheads, in token of becoming its subjects and property. And, so rigorously is this enforced, that no one should be able to buy, or sell, but one who has some such trace of the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number, which is equivalent to the numeral letters of his name, and which I thought, in the vision, I saw impressed on the hands and foreheads of many. Herein is a great effort of wisdom; let him, therefore, whoever he be, who hath an enlarged and penetrating understanding, beyond what is common, compute the number of the beast; for ¹ [Image of the beast.] What the image of the beast is, distinct from the beast itself, I confess I know not; and therefore interpret the expressions, making an image, and giving it breath, &c. of idolizing the power of the Pope, and compelling persons to pay homage to it, and obey the edicts it published. And all the enormous fury of the inquisition, which is managed by one of the regular orders included in this interpretation, namely, the Dominic in, is a remarkable verification of the following part of the prophecy, of its causing all that would not worship it to be put to death. ² [Receive the mark.] I have elsewhere observed, (Serm. to young people, Serm. iv. p 79.) that it was customary to mark soldiers and slaves with some impressions, either on their hands or foreheads, by which they might be known to belong to their respective masters or commanders; and idolaters, with the signature of the god they worshipped. Perhaps this may particularly refer to the sacraments which the people are obliged, on the highest penalty, to receive from the Romish priests, and which none can receive without such superstitious and idolatrous rites, as are, in effect, worshipping the image of the beast. Reflections on the two beasts. number of a man; and his number is six hundred three score and six. it is the number of a man, or the numeral letters in the name of a man, and his number is, and amounts on the whole, to six hundred and sixty six; which I leave to the intelligent reader to decipher. IMPROVEMENT. WHOEVER is the beast intended, and whatever be meant by his image, his character, beyond all controversy, is very odious and detestable; for he is represented as blaspheming the name of God, and his tabernacle, and as making war with the saints. 6,7 There have arisen such impious monsters in the Christian church, and none among them have been more openly and enormously wicked and profane, than those who have made the loudest pretensions to be the vicegerents of Christ, and invested with his whole authority. Many of the saints of God have seemed to have been overcome by this antichristian tyranny; many have been led into captivity; many have been slain with the sword: but those who took them captive, continuing impenitent, shall be taken, and the slayers slain. O, may our names be written in the Lamb's book of life! then shall we be secure in the midst of all these formidable evils; and, from every trial of our faith and patience, shall come out as gold seven times purified. Let us not be troubled and offended, to discern these usurpations in the course of Divine Providence prevailing, and the time actually come, in many parts of the world, in which men can neither buy nor sell, nor are permitted to enjoy any other natural or civil privilege, if they will not give up their names to the beast, receive his mark, and implicitly submit to his authority. The prophecy justly removes all offence which might be taken at the event; and, discerning its accomplishment, we may embolden our hopes, that the triumphs of Divine justice over these ministers of the dragon, as The number of a man, &c.] Of all the various interpretations given to this text, which it would be endless to enumerate, and much more to canvas, I find none that pleases me so well, as that of Sir Isaac Newton; that the words κάλυψε and πηγή, the man of Latium, or of Rome, whose numeral letters, taken together, make 666, are here referred to. And I suppose this number is mentioned to signify, that the appearance of that power, whose efforts were to continue 1260 years, (compare chap. xii. 6, note 4,) was to happen about 666 years after the date of the revelations, A. D. 96. And this I take to be the grand key by which the era of the fall of Babylon is to be calculated, as it fixes the rise of the beast to the year 756, or thereabouts, when, upon the destruction of the exarchate of Ravenna, the Pope became a temporal monarch; that is, in prophetic language, a beast. See many other conjectures in Limborch's Theol. 7 xi. 19 Mr. Potter thinks the number referred to is the cube root of 666, namely, 25, (which has led Dr. More to fix upon number 12, relating to the church of Christ, and number 25, relating to anti-Christ;) and concludes further, that the exact cube is not mentioned, to prevent too sudden a discovery. Compare More's Theol. p. 134 Grotius's referring it to Trajan is very ungrounded, in every view. The Lamb is represented as standing on mount Sion, they are also foretold, will be fulfilled with the like punctuality. xvi. And O, may the church of God be secured from their artifices, verse and fortified against their terrors; and in his own due time, may 13, 14 he break the jaw bone of the wicked! May he utterly disarm all the power and policy of those who take counsel together against 12 the Lord and his anointed; and though their confederacies may seem to mock all human opposition, yet, at his appearance, they shall melt away as snow before the sun, when the time to remember Sion, yea, the set time is come. (Psal. cii. 13.) The vision of the Lamb standing upon mount Sion, surrounded with those whom he had redeemed; and of several mighty angels, proclaiming his vengeance upon the beast, and upon those that worship him. Rev. XIV. throughout. REVELATION XIV. 1. AND, while these terrible objects were bexvii. fore me, I looked, and beheld another ob- Rev. ject, which animated my heart under the alarm xiv. 1 and distress they gave me: for behold, the Lamb was standing upon mount Sion, which was represented to me also in my vision, as the place on which the temple, that had been opened in heaven stood; and with him were one hundred forty four thousand, who, in opposition to the name of the beast, which was so rigorously imposed, and by many received with so base a submission, had the name of God his Father written on their foreheads, in token of their inviolable submission, and entire dedication to him. And I heard a voice out of heaven, which was loud as the sound of many waters, when tossing themselves in the ocean, and like the sound of great thunder; and, loud and awful as it was, it was accompanied with a most delightful harmony; for I heard the voice of harpers playing upon their harps, aiding their instruments with the melody of their voices. And they sung, as it were, a new song, before the throne, and before the four living creatures, and the twenty four elders, who in this vision still appeared to be present; and none could learn the song, unless the one hundred and forty four thousand, who are redeemed from the earth, and are as representatives of the whole body of the REV. XIV. 1. AND I looked, and lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father's name written in their foreheads. And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder; and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps: And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders; and no man could learn that song, but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth. Surrounded with the redeemed. redeemed. These are pure and unspotted souls, free from the idolatries and other abominations which have been so prevalent in the age in which they live; or, to speak in the prophetic language, these are they who have not been polluted with women: for they are chaste virgins: these are they who follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth; and, having humbly traced his footsteps upon earth, shall be led by him to the possession of various and ever new delights in the celestial world. These are they, who were redeemed from among men, [as] the first fruits, consecrated to God, and to the Lamb; most excellent in their kind, and separate from every unclean or profane use, to the immediate honour of God, and of their Redeemer. And no deceit, or evil of any kind, was found in their mouth, for they are entirely blameless before the throne of God, and exalted to that world, where he reigns in perfect purity, as well as Divine glory, nor can any thing unclean be admitted in his presence. And I saw another glorious angel, flying with strength and rapidity, through the midst of heaven, having in his hand the volume of a book, which he displayed, as with an air of complacency and triumph, even the everlasting gospel, to preach to the inhabitants of the earth, even to every nation, and tribe, and tongue, and people, dispersed over the world. And as he passed, I heard him making proclamation of its important contents, and saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him, with becoming reverence and submission, for the hour of his judgment is come, when he shall execute vengeance on his enemies, and worship him who made heaven and earth, and sea, and the limpid fountains of waters, which are derived from it, and flow back a They are virgins.] This probably signifies their freedom from idolatry, which is, in a spiritual sense, fornication; nor can it, with any reason, be urged against marriage. b First fruits, most excellent in their kind, &c] That the Jewish first fruits had this property, will appear from comparing the following texts relating to them: Deut xviii. 4; Exod. xxii. 29; Numb. xviii. 12; Micah vii. 1. Compare James i. 18 c Angel flying, &c.] The flight of angel admirably represents the swiftness of that progress by which the gospel disperse itself over the whole world, as Archbishop Tillotson well observes. See his Works, Vol. II. p. 144. An angel denounces the fall of Baby into it. And another great angel followed him crying out, as with the voice of exultation and triumph, saying, It is fallen, it is fallen, [even] Babylon, the great city, a city famous as Babylon of old, when it was at the height of its power and glory: God in his righteous vengeance, hath brought it down, because it made all the nations drink of the wine of its raging fornication, till they were stimulated thereby to the most scandalous and furious excesses. And a third angel followed them both, saying with a loud voice, If any one, how strong soever the temptation may have been, worship the beast, and his image, and receive the mark on his forehead, or on his hand; if he subject himself to this wicked and idolatrous form of religion, and obstinately persist in it, notwithstanding the light which God is giving to discover its errors and superstitions; He also shall, himself, drink of the wine of the indignation of God, which is tempered with various ingredients of wrath, without any mixture of mercy, in the cup of his wrath; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone, in the day of God's future vengeance, in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb; whose religion has so shamefully been perverted and dishonoured, even by those, who pretend entirely to have engrossed it: And the smoke of their torment ascendeth for ever and ever, without any period; and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever, in contempt of the authority and testimony of God, receive the mark of his name, as ⁴ On his hand.] Compare sect. xvi. note ⁹. ⁵ Presence of the holy angels.] From hence Mr. Reynolds conjectures, that possibly the torments of the damned may, at certain seasons, through eternal ages, become a spectacle to the inhabitants of the blessed world above. See his Queries concerning angels, p. 305. ⁶ Presence of the Lamb.] This signifies, as Dr. Clarke well observes,) that it shall not only be appointed by the infinite Majesty of God, the righteous Judge of all, but approved moreover by men and angels, and by him also, who loved us unto death, even Christ, that merciful and compassionate High Priest. Clarke's Posth. Serm. Vol. I p. 341. ⁷ The smoke of their torment—who worship the beast, &c.] When I seriously reflect on this text, and how directly the force of it lies against those, who, contrary to the light of their consciences, continue in the communion of the church of Rome, for secular advantage, or to avoid the terror of persecution, it almost makes me tremble; and I heartily wish, that all others, who connive at those things in the discipline and worship of protestant churches, which they, in their conscience: They who die in the Lord are blessed. the badge of their devotedness to him. In the mean time, these deceivers shall have their day, when all the terrors of secular power shall enforce their impious and iniquitous decrees. And here is the patience of the saints; here [are] the triumphs of those who keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus, and are determined to maintain the purity of the gospel amidst these formidable efforts to corrupt it. And I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, Write this for the instruction of mankind in the most distant ages: henceforth blessed [are] the dead, that die in the Lord: so numerous, and so various are the calamities which persecuting powers shall bring upon the saints, that there is abundant reason to congratulate those who are taken out of this vexatious, oppressive, and afflictive world, whether by a natural, or by a violent death: yea, saith the Spirit, by whose inspiration and command I recorded it, they are assuredly blessed; for they are removed, that they may for ever rest from their labours, and their sorrows; and their works of piety and goodness, though so ill requited here, shall not be forgotten, but shall follow them into the presence of God, shall be acknowledged there in the most condescending manner, and through the riches of Divine mercy, recompensed with eternal glory. Accordingly, let this remembrance of their faith and patience, in connection with this transcendent reward, encourage and animate their surviving brethren to imitate their examples. xvii. Rev. xiv. 12 think to be sinful remains of popish superstition and corruption, would seriously attend to this passage, which is one of the most dreadful in the whole book of God, and weigh its awful contents, that they may keep at the greatest possible distance from this horrible curse, which is sufficient to make the ears of every one that hears it, to tingle. Compare Jer. xxv. 15, 16. h Henceforth.] The learned Witsius understands this to mean, from the time of their death: as if it had been said, (ἀταξί) immediately after their dissolution they re blessed. Wits. Oecon Fed. 3. xiv. 21. And Mr. Baxter observes, their works are said to follow with them, μετ' αὐλαι, not to come many thousand years after them. i Die in the Lord.] Archbishop Tillotson interprets this chiefly of those who die martyrs in the cause of Christ; who, no doubt, are included. But I think the phrase more extensive. There is, perhaps, an allusion to the words of Solomon, Eccl iv. 2, I praised the dead already dead, rather than the living, yet alive, in time of extreme degeneracy, and bitter persecution. See his Works, Vol II. page 183. Bishop Burnet, (on the Articles, p 200,) and many other protestant writers, have justly urged this text, as demonstrative against the popish doctrine of purgatory. And I saw, and behold, another remarkable appearance offered itself to my view; a white cloud, shining with wonderful lustre and beauty; and on the cloud one sitting, who seemed by the majesty of his form, to be like the Son of man, as represented in Daniel; having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand, instead of a sceptre, a sharp sickle: so that he seemed to be going forth, as to some wonderful harvest. And as soon as I had viewed him, another angel came out of the temple of God, crying, with a loud voice, to him that sate upon the cloud, Put forth thy sickle, and reap, for the season of thy reaping is come, because the harvest of the earth is now fully ripe. (Compare Joel iii. 13.) Execute therefore this judgment, O thou mighty Messenger of God, which the wickedness of the world hath righteously deserved. And, accordingly, he that sate upon the cloud, put forth his sickle on the earth, with strength and rapidity; and the harvest of the earth was presently reaped; signifying, that the execution of the threatened vengeance should be very speedy. But it seemed that the vintage yet remained to be gathered in. And, in reference to this, another angel came out of the temple, that was in heaven; and he also was armed as the other, like the Son of man, and had a sharp sickle in his hand. And another angel, just at that instant, came from the altar, having, as it seemed, power over the fire of it; and he called out with a great cry to him who had the sharp sickle, saying, Put forth thy sharp sickle, and lop off the clusters of the vine, which grows upon, and extends itself almost over the earth, for its grapes are ripe; and the persons represented by it have so abused the Divine long suffering, that it is proper the season of their destruction should commence. And accordingly the angel, with celerity and vigour, thrust out his sickle upon the earth, and lopped off the grapes from the vine of the earth; and he threw [them] into the great wine press of the wrath of God, which seemed to stand ready to receive them. And the wine press [which stood] out of the city, was trodden with great violence: and the blood of the the account here given of Divine vengeance. grape, which I knew betokened the blood of those who were enemies to God and his people, came out of the wine press in such abundance, that it made a kind of inundation, like a vast river, or sea, and reached up even to the bridles of the horses, which attempted to pass the channel through which it flowed, at the distance of one thousand six hundred furlongs.ᵏ In such an amazing extent and quantity was the effusion of blood represented to me in vision. (Compare Isa. lxiii. 3.) IMPROVEMENT. characters is the righteous vengeance of God. How quickly do his haughtiest enemies fall before the sickle, or clusters of grapes before wine press shall indeed be trodden, and the blood shall overflow; but, blessed are all they that put and look to him, who trod the wine press alone,ishes himself by the title of him, who is mighty travels in the greatness of his strength. (Isa. 3.) I prayed in terror, he will vanquish all the enemies but, to his faithful followers, will appear as of the Lamb, of the Lamb their Redeemer, to their voices and their harps shall resound. O, how souls, who, by his special love, being redeemed and having humbly traced the steps of his purity earth, shall, in the heavenly world, follow the river he goes! Let us be accordingly engaged to see unspotted from the world, and to walk worthy hope and expectation; to keep our mouths from we may be found blameless in the presence of the Lamb. God hath granted us the everlasting gossan; at we might be taught to fear him, and to give gloom worship him, as the great Creator and righteous universe: and while we are under the conduct of and devoted to his service, let nothing discourage ᵏ One thousand six hundred furlongs.] As a furlong is one eighth of a mile, this would amount to 200 miles. This representation, like the dimensions of that temple, which Ezekiel saw, may seem extravagantly large, and such as the eye, in vision, could not possibly judge of. I look upon it, therefore, as only an hyperbolical expression, to signify its exceeding greatness; unless possibly it may point out the dimension of that country over which the judgment should extend, which is here prophetically referred to. Though perhaps it may only intimate in general, that after the antichristian powers had long oppressed and persecuted the saints; the power of Christ should humble and destroy them; and therefore they are represented as a harvest ripe, and fit for reaping, &c the measure of their iniquities being full The vision of seven angels with seven vials; or dismay us. Though for the present we see that Babylon is triumphant, though its patrons are making themselves drunk with the blood of his saints, a very different cup is prepared for her, and will assuredly be given her to drink; even the cup of the wrath of God, poured forth without mixture; while blessings, inconceivable and eternal, are reserved for those that suffer for righteousness sake. Let the patience, therefore, of those who keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Christ, be invincible; for their fiercest, and most formidable enemies, can only kill the body; and having done that, can neither prevent, nor delay, the blessedness of the dead that die in the Lord. The infallible Spirit has said it, the blessed apostle hath, by Divine command, recorded it, for the instruction and triumph of his people in all ages, that they rest from their labours, and that their works follow them; while those that persecuted and hated them, rest not day nor night; but the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever. And, O, that numbers of those who worship the beast, and who receive its image, may be awakened, while the day of their visitation continues; lest they also, after having dealt damnation, in their arrogant censures, upon men of much purer faith, and holier lives, than themselves, be tormented with fire and brimstone, in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb. The appearance of seven angels, with seven vials, full of the seven last plagues; and the pouring out of the three first vials, with their consequent effects. Rev. XV. 1, to the end. XVI. 7. REVELATION XV. 1. AND I saw another great and wonderful sign in heaven, which fixed my attention, and will demand that of the reader: Seven angels, who had the seven last plagues; so called, because in them the wrath of God was to be completed; and, because they refer to some of the last judgments, which he shall pour forth on the enemies of the church, before the time of its most illustrious triumph. And I saw, as it were, a sea of glass; a great crystal vessel, REV. XV. 1. AND I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvellous; seven angels, having the seven last plagues, for in them is filled up the wrath of God. And I saw as it were a sea of glass a Sea of glass.] Some explain this in an different manner, as if there were properly a sea, seeming to lie before the ground which appeared in the vision, through which they had passed who now stood up- on the shore of it; and they suppose the glass to represent the frail nature of this world; and the fire, the mixture of calamity and misery to which they had been exposed, before they arrived at the state of saints singing the song of Moses and the Lamb. like the sea in Solomon's temple ; and, it was so irradiated with the reflection of that light which fell upon it from the throne of God, that its waves seemed mingled with fire. And those who overcame the beast, and his image, and steadfastly refused, though at the expense of their possessions and lives, amidst so many who were devoted to him, to receive his mark, [and] the number of his name, I saw standing by the sea of glass, having the harps of God in their hands ; with which they were celebrating his praises, for that powerful presence and assistance which had rendered them victorious. And they sung the song of Moses, the faithful and beloved servant of God, and the song of Jesus the Lamb, who had bought them with his blood. They celebrated the triumph they had gained over the proud enemy, with a joy, like that with which Israel of old, at the Red Sea, celebrated the destruction of the haughty and cruel Egyptians, by the immediate and glorious interposition of the Divine power, saying, " Great and wonderful [are] thy works, both of judgment and of mercy, O Lord God Almighty ; nor dost thou use thine almighty power to oppress any, the meanest of thy creatures ; on the contrary, perfectly righteous and true [are] all thy ways and administrations, O King of saints, who art thyself supremely holy, as well as powerful. Who should not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy great and adorable name ? because [thou] only [art] holy ; and, in thy presence, the holiness of all other beings disappears, as un- s in which they then interpretations have the consideration of where, of the reference temple, determined I have preferred. It is, in the origin. Dr. Clarke would insist of the beast ; that only to the true religious idolatrous and correct is Posth. Serm. Vol. and of the Lamb. ] de, upon the conversion of all nations from idolatry, they a song of congratulation to Moses a sus, whose doctrine had so direct posed it. Mede on Luke xi. 2. think this a very low interpretation. ever diligently observes the conte the song of Moses, Exod. xv will find expressions finely adapted to the one here supposed. And if it were true Maimonides tells us, that the song of was sung daily in the temple service, be considered as a beautiful illustration this circumstance, agreeable to the ral plan pursued in these visions. The seven angels come out of the temple. worthy to be mentioned or remembered. Surexviii. ly all nations shall come and worship before thee, in token of the humblest adoration, because thy rev. righteous judgments are already in many inxv. 4 stances made manifest, and are about to be manifested in a yet more illustrious degree." art holy : for all nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy judgments are made manifest. And after this I saw; and behold, the temple of the tabernacle, in which was the ark of the testimony, was opened again in heaven : the most holy place, which, since the vision I before described, had been veiled again, being now subjected to my view. And the seven angels, who had the seven plagues already mentioned, came out of the inner apartment of the temple, as from the immediate presence of God; and like the High Priest on the day of his most sacred ministration, they were clothed with pure and shining linen [garments;] only with this difference, that whereas he had on this day only his linen girdle on, and continued in that dress till the time of the evening sacrifice, they were girded about the breasts with golden girdles. And one of the four living creatures, which I have so often mentioned, gave to the seven angels, seven golden vials, or censers, full of the wrath of the great and blessed God, who liveth for ever and ever; and, therefore, is to be regarded as the most formidable enemy, as well as the most desirable friend, to immortal beings. And, agreeably to that wonderful event, which happened when God first took possession of the tabernacle, and of the temple, (Exod. xl. 34; 1 Kings viii. 10; 2 Chron. v. 14; Isa. vi. 4;) the temple was full of smoke;⁴ which came from the glory of God, and from the symbol of his power. And no one could enter into the temple, till the seven plagues, which were signified by the vials of the seven angels, were finished; and, till they had emptied them by the Divine ZVI. command. And I then heard a great voice out of the temple, saying to the seven angels, whom And after that, I looked, and behold, the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened : And the seven angels came out of the temple, having the seven plagues, clothed in pure and white linen, and having their breasts girded with golden girdles. And one of the four beasts gave unto the seven angels, seven golden vials full of the wrath of God, who liveth for ever and ever. And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from his power; and no man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled. CHAP. XVI. 1. And I heard a great voice out of the temple, saying to the ⁴ And agreeable to that wonderful event, [sic.] Indeed it appears most surprising, and worthy of greater notice than has generally been taken of it, that the blessed God should thus, on the consecration of the temple, possess it alone, and drive out, as it were, even the favourable tower of his majestic presence. he three angels pour out their vials. I have described above, Go, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God, with which you are charged, upon the earth; for his patience will no longer endure the provocations they are intended to punish. And the first angel, in obedience to this Divine injunction, went forth, and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there was a malignant and grievous ulcer, which broke out in large and dreadful scars, upon the men who had the mark of the beast, and them who worshipped his image, and they were extremely tormented with it, and found it incurable. (Compare Exod. ix. 8—10.) And the second angel poured out his vial upon the sea; and it became a mass of blood and putrefaction, like that of a dead man; and every living soul [that was] in the sea died; the fish were immediately destroyed, and the sea appeared a most gloomy and terrible spectacle. (Compare Exod. vii. 20.) And the third angel bore a commission to spread the same terrible calamity over all the fresh waters; and, accordingly he poured forth his vial on the rivers, and on the fountains of water, and they also became blood; as the sea * First vial.] Mr. Lowman supposes, that this third period of the vials, reveals the state of the church and providence in the times of the last head of the Roman government, represented by the beast, for 1200 years, from about A. D. 756, to its final overthrow about A. D. 2016; and he interprets each vial of some signal judgment upon the papal kingdom; supposing the five first already to be poured out, and the two others to be future. But, I must own myself not to be entirely satisfied, whether this supposition be just, (though I am rather inclined to think it is,) or whether all the following representations do not refer to events yet future, and describe the supernatural plagues to be inflicted on the papal kingdom, in its last days. Mr Pyle interprets the first vial, of the abandoned degeneracy of the popish clergy. Mr. Lowman, with greater probability, refers it to the great commotions in the whole empire, under the family of Charles the Great; by which that family became extinct, and the em- pire and the crown of France, were transferred to other families: A. D. 830, to A. D. 988. And he shews by what intrigues the popes endeavoured to weaken and diminish the imperial power, and serve their own ambitious designs; which proved a painful sore, and were the cause of innumerable mischiefs to Europe, and especially to Italy. During this period, the Normans invaded and plundered France, the Saracens ravaged Italy, and the Hungarians the western parts of Germany and Italy. * Second vial.] Mr. Pyle, and Mr. Lowman, agree in referring this to the great effusion of blood in the holy wars, to recover Jerusalem from the Saracens. This romantic project was set on foot by the pope, pursued by the emperor, the king of France, our king Richard, and other princes, and many prelates; and about two millions lost their lives in the several expeditions; from A. D. 1040, to A. D. 1190. And this appears to me a very probable interpretation. Another angel celebrates God's righteous ju: had done on pouring out the vial of the former angel. And I heard the angel of the waters,⁵ who seemed to be appointed to have the care of them, instead of repining at what was done, adoring the hand of God in it, and saying, Most righteous art thou, O Lord, who art, and who wast, the same immutable and everlasting Jehovah; and [thou art] holy,⁶ because thou hast judged these, and executed such awful vengeance upon them. Justly dost thou make these persecuting and wicked countries the scene of such desolating judgments; because they have poured forth the blood of thy saints, and even of thy prophets, like water; and it hath flowed in a crimson stream, till their rivers have been dyed with it. And, accordingly, thou madest them read their crime in their punishment, and hast given them blood to drink, for they are worthy of it; worthy to find such horrors as these, whenever they look for refreshment and comfort. And I heard another angel, whose voice seemed to come from the altar, saying, Yea, O Lord God Almighty, it is indeed thus; true and righteous [are] all thy judgments. Heaven adores the equity of thy proceeding; and the most impious inhabitants of earth, or hell, shall not be able to find any thing to object against them, even when they have the appearance of the greatest severity.⁷ ⁵ Angel of the waters.] From this text, compared with chap. xiv. 18, some have inferred, that there are certain intellectual beings which preside over the several elements of water and fire; and, by consequence, of earth and air. ⁶ Thou art holy.] I follow those copies, which read it, &c. &c., whereas others have it, &c., as in other places of this book. ⁷ Third vial.] Some interpret this of the persecution of the church of Bohemia. (See Mr. P. in loc.) But this by no means suits the act of adoration, ver. 5, 6. It seems to refer to calamities to be brought on some parts of the papal kingdom. According to the order of time, Mr. Lowman supposes this to refer to the bloody wars between the Guelphs and Gibellines, or the papal and imperial factions whereby the popes were driven out of Italy into France; from A. D. 1200, to A. D. 1571. During this period, both these parties had joined in many persecutions, and a violent one raged against the Albigenses; the inquisition was begun about A. D. 1216; and the council of Lateran established these severe and cruel methods of supporting the papacy. And God gave them also blood to drink, (ver. 6,) for a violent contest arose between the papal and imperial parties, about the right of presenting to ecclesiastical preferments, so that almost all the cities in Italy were engaged in civil wars, and great multitudes destroyed. In A. D. 1282, all the French in Sicily were massacred. Thus were they, who shed the blood of the saints, punished by civil contentions and bloodshed. And, on the whole, this seems to be the most probable and satisfactory interpretation. Reflections on the happy condition of the saints. IMPROVEMENT. LET us now raise our eyes and our hearts above the low and sordid scenes of mortality, to those happy and exalted spirits who are described as standing before the crystal sea, with golden harps in their hands. Let us attentively hearken to those broken and imperfect echoes of the song of Moses, and of the Lamb, which a gracious God causes to descend, as it were, to this world of ours, and which sometimes sweetly mingle themselves, with the clamour of strife, with the din of folly, with the groans of misery. Happy and glorious is their condition now, who are freed from all these evils, and who triumph over all their enemies; whom, as it was said to Israel of the Egyptians, having beheld, they shall see them no more for ever: (Exod. xiv. 13.) They are now acknowledging their great Deliverer, singing everlasting praises to his name, and celebrating the wonders of his works, and the righteousness and truth of all his ways. Lord God Almighty, O thou King of saints, who would not fear thee, and glorify thy holy name? Let the nations come, and worship in thy presence; let them pay thee their humble reverence and homage, before the vials of thy wrath are poured out: those vials, which, terrible as their contents are, the benevolent spirits of heaven prepare themselves, at thy command, to pour forth with pleasure; applauding, in their responsive hymns, thy righteous judgments, even when the sorest and most dreadful plagues torment the worshippers of the beast and his image; even when their seas and their rivers are turned into blood. Whatever be the calamities, whether past or future, to which any of these particulars may refer, surely they are big with terror to those wretches who on any pretence, are pouring forth the blood of thy prophets and thy saints. They are worthy of having blood given them to drink, and accordingly, thou hast a dreadful draught in reserve for them. And, though some of them may have laid down their hoary heads in peace, which, we might rather have expected, would have been brought to the grave with blood, the day of thy vengeance will surely come: a vengeance so terrible, that nothing but a zeal for thy violated law, and thine injured gospel, would make the very sight of it supportable to those whose cause shall then be pleaded, and whose blood shall be visited on their tormentors and murderers. VOL. 6. The fourth angel pours out his vial on the The pouring forth of the four last vials, and the produce; with the incorrigible obstinacy of the this vengeance is executed. Rev. XVI. 8, to REVELATION XVI. 8. AND the three former angels having thus poured forth their vials on the earth, and sea, and the rivers of water, the fourth angel poured forth his vial on the sun; and, in consequence of that, an extraordinary power was given to it, to scorch men with an intolerable heat, so that they seemed, as it were, to live in the very fire itself. And men were scorched with sudden calentures, and with great and unsufferable fierceness of heat; and yet, instead of giving glory to the great Author of these awful chastisements, which afforded them so lively an idea of everlasting burnings, as if they had already been inhabitants of the world of despair, they blasphemed the name of God, who had power over these plagues. And the continuance of their torments did not subdue their hearts, but they still persisted, as with a diabolical obstinacy, and repented not, to give glory to him, by a confession of their sins, by seeking his mercy, and returning to his obedience. (Compare Isa. xxiv. 6.) And as these vials had greatly affected the kingdom of the beast, the next came still nearer a Fourth angel poured forth his vial on the sun] Some interpret this of the quarrel between the popes and emperors, in the fourteenth, fifteenth, and sixteenth centuries. See Mr. Pyle in loc. Mr. Lowman, with greater probability, refers it to the long and bloody wars in Italy, France, Germany, and Spain, occasioned by a schism in the papacy, (from A. D. 1578, to A. D. 1539;) there being three popes, in three lines of succession, at the same time. During this period the Turks took Constantinople, and put an end to the eastern empire. And some suppose there is a further reference to hot and burning seasons which should destroy the fruits of the earth, and occasion pestilential disorders; and historians inform us, that this was the case in the time supposed to be here referred to; particularly by means of the sweating sickness, which began in England, and spread wide into other countries, particularly Germany, A. D. 1517; and again A. D. 1529. But that they repented not, (ver. 9,) is evident from the war commenced against the Bohemians; the infamous conduct of the council of Constance, in burning John Huss, and Jerom of Prague, in violation of the public faith, and establishing that scandalous doctrine, that faith is not to be kept with heretics, &c. &c. The fifth angel on the seat of the beast. to him ; for, the fifth angel poured forth his vial upon the throne of the beast itself;ᵇ and his kingdom was darkened, so that his unhappy subjects, from whom he had so long veiled the light of God's word, and of his favour, had not the benefit of the solar rays, either to guide or cheer them. (Compare Ezek. xxxii. 8.) And yet at the same time, the secret fire kindled in their veins by the former scorching heat continued ; and they gnawed their tongues for the extremity of the pain and anguish which they felt ; And they still blasphemed the great God, the tremendous Majesty of heaven, as well as earth, for their pains and their ulcers, which the scorching heat had excited ; and they repented not of their wicked works, whereby they had awakened his just indignation. And the sixth angel poured forth his vial upon the great river Euphrates;ᶜ and its water, wide and rapid as the stream had been, was dried up immediately, that a way might be prepared or the march of the kings from the rising of the sun, who appeared in vision as coming to the borders of it, with all their armies, to pour forth destruction upon the beast and his kingdom. ᵇ Fifth vial.] Mr Pyle interprets this of the perplexity occasioned to the See of Rome, by removing the seat of it to Avignon, and the schism between the popes. But this prophecy seems to refer to a later period. Mr. Lowman's interpretation is more probable, who refers it to the protestant reformation, and the confirmation of it by the principal states of Europe, notwithstanding all the attempts of the pope, and in opposition to the papal authority : from A. D. 1560, to A. D. 1650. During his period, several nations renounced subjection to the pope, and have continued free to this day ; and, in other nations, his power has been greatly abridged and restrained. This event gave great vexation to the popes, and their adherents ; occasioned invasions, assassinations, massacres, and loody wars ; as the civil wars in France, he was in Germany about the reformation, he war between Spain and the united provinces, the Spanish invasion of England, and the powder plot ; the massacre of Paris, &c. Yet all proved unsuccessful to prevent the establishment of the re- formed religion. And that they repented not of their deeds, (ver. 11,) is evident from the instances of their rage and cruelty already mentioned, and which they take care to repeat whenever they have power, and especially from the edicts of the council of Trent, (from A. D. 1542, to A. D. 1562,) which, instead of diminishing or relaxing, increased and confirmed the corruptions of popery, and condemned all doctrines tending to reformation. ᶜ River Euphrates ] It appears to me, that this implies the invasion of the papal kingdom from the east ; but, as I believe the vision not yet accomplished, I freely confess, that it is involved in those cloud and darkness, which I am not able to penetrate. Mr. Pyle explains it of the conquest of the eastern Christians, by the growing power of the Ottoman house, and the contempt of popery in some parts of the west. But this part of the prophecy seems to refer to an event much later ; and, like the rest, to denote some judgment on the papal kingdom, to happen, probably, between A. D. 1700, and A. D. 1900. And three demons gather the kings of the earth to battle: And, as I saw the dragon standing in my presence, with the beast and the false prophet near him, as the great abettors of his kingdom, which was threatened by this invasion, I had an intimation given me of the various efforts they should make for the preservation of it: [and] out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet, [there came] evidently three animals, which expressed unclean spirits, being represented by creatures like frogs: For these are the spirits of demons, whose design it is to impose upon mankind by the most artful stratagems, and pretences of working miracles, by which they attempted to support the kingdom they had raised: and indeed, it seemed they did even enchant whole nations; for they were permitted by God, to go forth to the kings of that part of the earth where the seat of the beast was; and, indeed, his territory was so extensive, that it might be said, they went through the whole world; and they operated so powerfully, as to bring them together, to the battle of that great day of God the Almighty, in which he was secretly determined to pour forth his vengeance upon them. And, as this last effort of this infernal agent would be a signal trial of the faith and constancy of the saints, in order the better to fortify them against it, I heard a voice which I understood to be that of our Lord Jesus Christ, saying, Behold, I come suddenly and unexpectedly, as a thief, that surprises a sleeping family: blessed [is] he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, that they may not suddenly be snatched from him, and he may not be forced to walk naked, so that men should see his shame. Let my servants, therefore, guard against these sudden A False prophet ] As the false prophet is here joined with the beast, and also in hap. xix 20, and there said to work miracles before the beast, he seems to be the same mentioned chap. xiii. 11, 12, but here described as another beast, and said to do great miracles in the sight of the beast. See sect. xvi. notes h, i. b Keepeth his garments ] Dr. Lightfoot thinks here is an allusion to what that Jewish officer called the man of the mountain, that is, of the house of the Lord, used to do, when taking his round in the temple to examine the watch; if he met with any asleep, he had a liberty to set fire to his garments. Perhaps, in this case, the person might be obliged to appear in the fragments of his burnt garments the next day, which would be a great disgrace. See his Works, Vol. I. p. 919. According to Ainsworth, (on Numb. xviii. 4, 5.) they were beaten by the provost, and their garments were taken away and burnt. enth angel poured forth his vial into the air. urprises, which during this time of danger and alarm may frequently happen. And the army appearing against the saints, as was observed above, He, that is, God, by the secret conduct of his Providence, so disposed things, that he authored them together into a certain place, [which is] called in the Hebrew language, Armageddon, or the mountain of Megiddo, because it was to be a place more remarkable for slaughter than Megiddo had ever been. And when they were there assembled, the seventh angel poured forth his vial into the air; and there came forth a great voice from the temple of heaven, even from the very throne of God himself, saying, "It is now done, the great work is just completing." And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was also together with them a great earthquake, to add new horror to the scene, such as there had not been from the time that men were upon the earth; even such, and so great an earthquake, quite unequalled in history or observation. And the great city was immediately divided into three parts, and the cities of the Gentiles fell down. And thus it appeared, that Babylon the great came into remembrance before God, to give her the long threatened cup of the wine of his fiercest wrath, in which all the most dreadful ingredients of vengeance were, as it were, mingled together, like poignant poison in the strongest wine, to give it the greater power and efficacy. And the whole face of nature was thrown into such a consternation by means of this grand event, that every island fled away, and the mountains were found no more. And a great and violent storm of hail, the stones of which were as of the weight of a talent, descended from heaven upon men, so as to dash in pieces the stoutest heroes, how well soever He gathered them.] This seems a memorable circumstance; they were the dragon's army, yet God assembled them. Such oblique intimations of the interposition of Providence, are wonderfully instructive, and they are scattered up and down in many places of the sacred writings. That Megiddo had been a place remarkable for slaughter, See Judges v. 19; 2 Kin. ix. 27; 2 Chron. xxxv. 22. Compar. Zech. xii. 11. To express the certain destruction that should come upon these antichristian powers, they are described to be brought together to this mountain. Reflections on the pouring out the four last vials. they might be armed and defended. And men, and men blasphemxi. instead of being reformed by it, blasphemed God ed God because of Rev. so much the more for the plague of the hail; for the plague therexvi.21. for the plague of it was very great, and brought of was exceeding along with it a very extensive ruin and desola- great. tion. IMPROVEMENT. WHATEVER particular events these vials might be respectively intended to represent, they all agree in giving us most 1 awful views of the Divine power and agency over the whole 8-10 universe. He is able to scorch and blast the earth with insuffer- 12 able heat, to veil it in midnight darkness, to dry up its rivers, 18 or even shake its foundations, so as to throw down, in a moment, 21 the strongest and the proudest cities. From the air he can cause even rivers of ice to descend, sufficient, not only to destroy our frail and tender bodies, but those regular fortifications which are deemed impregnable; turning them into the graves of those who seek and expect protection from them. How worthy is this tremendous Being of our homage and reverence? And yet men 9 hear of his awful judgments, and sometimes see and feel them too, and continue unreformed. Even while they are gnawing 10,11 their tongues through the extremity of pain and anguish, it is possible, that as well as their wounded tongues will give them leave, they may blaspheme the God of heaven, and utter their impotent rage and malice against him. The infernal regions resound with diabolical language: and O, that so many parts of this earth bore no resemblance to them. But let the outrage of the wicked be what it may, God, when he enters into judgment, 14 will overcome. And, though the rage of his enemies engages them to gather themselves together, the event will prove, that it 16 is only as sheep for the slaughter. And, while they are acting in this with the utmost freedom, they are indeed assembled by him, their own angry passions subserving the purposes of his righteous Providence. 15 Let us confide in his word, let us attend to his voice; and, in spite of all our difficulties and dangers, let us do our endeavour, to secure the blessedness of that man, who watcheth, and keepeth his garments; who is always on his guard against every surprise, which might expose him to shame in the presence of his Master, though he should come in ever so unexpected a manner, even like a thief in the night. r Seventh vii.] This is introductory awful judgments, which were only introto the fall of the papal kingdom; and the ductory to the full and complete ruin afexpressions, ver. 19, may only signify, terwards described. that great numbers should fall by these An angel shews St. John the judgment of the great harlot. 473 In order to let the author into the meaning of the seven vials, he sees a representation of the great harlot sitting upon a mysterious beast; and hears her doomed to destruction by the Divine judgments. Rev. XVII. throughout. REVELATION XVII. 1. AND, when all this was done, one of the seven angels, who had been honoured with bearing the seven vials, the pouring forth of which I have just described, came and spake with me, saying to me, Come, [and] I will shew thee, to what this prophetic scene, which has passed before thy view, principally refers, even the judgment of the great harlot, that sitteth upon many waters, whom thou shalt now see; and observe the terrible vengeance to which she is reserved, though so many people have been corrupted by her, and though she has tyrannized over them in so insolent and imperious a manner: Even of her with whom the kings of the earth have so long committed fornication, (compare Isa. xxiii. 17,) and their subjects have been debauched with them; so that, in a manner, all the inhabitants of the earth have been drunk with the wine of her whoredom, as if they had taken some powerful provocative, to make them doat upon her, and sacrifice every dictate of religion, and reason, and even common sense, to those alluring arts with which she has been tempting them. And he brought me in the spirit into the wilderness; and I saw a woman, of an impudent front, and a most imperious and cruel appearance, sitting upon a scarlet beast, fierce and savage; and the beast had gaudy trappings of embroidery upon it, full of blasphemous names, ascribing to itself, and the harlot upon it, properties and glories which belong to God alone; and having also, like the beast which I saw before, (chap. xiii. 1,) seven heads, and ten horns; referring to the hills on which the city, designed by this harlot, stood, and the number of kingdoms subject to its government. And the charms of her person, such as they were, were set off with all Drunk with the blood of the saints, &c the gorgeous ornaments of the most splendid dress; for, the woman was clothed with purple, and scarlet, and adorned with gold, and precious stones, and pearls; having also a golden cup in her hand full of that inflaming mixture, by which those who drank of it, were instigated to all the abominations and pollution of her dissolute and abandoned whoredom; that is, those idolatrous practices, which the society of men represented by this infamous woman, had carried to so shameful a height. (Compare Jer. li. 7.) But, that she might appear in my eyes as a criminal, marked out by God for speedy and dreadful execution, [she had] upon her forehead [her] name, her titles and crimes, written; and the first word was MYSTERY: the great mystery of iniquity, abetted by all the fraud and artifice which can be conceived, is represented by this woman: after which followed these words, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS, AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH; the most impudent strumpet that ever appeared upon earth, and the greatest procuress of lewdness that ever polluted the face of it. And I saw the woman drunk; and was informed, that it was with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus; of which she had gorged vast quantities, and for which she still thirsted impatiently; and seemed to cast her greedy eyes around, as longing for renewed draughts of it. And I wondered, when I saw her, with great amazement, as I knew she represented a society that would call itself Christian, and pretend a regard for Jesus and his saints, in the midst of all this cruel persecution of them; and also, for the honour of God, amidst all these unequalled idolatries and immoralities. And the angel said unto me, Why dost thou wonder? Hast thou not thy self had intimation of this antichristian sect, and this great apostasy? I will tell thee the secret of the whole matter; the mystery of the woman, and of the beast which carries her, which hath, as thou a Amazement ] This seems a plain ar- Christian; for it had been no great won- ument, that the society referred to, was der, that a heathen power should persecute. seven heads, which are seven mountains: seest, the seven heads, and the ten horns. The beast which thou formerly sawest, was, and is not; that is, God will cut short its reign, and he will indeed ascend, as has been represented, out of the bottomless pit, and go suddenly into destruction; and the inhabitants of the earth, (whose names, as I said, are not written in the book of life, from the foundation of the world,) shall wonder, seeing the beast, who, for a little while, was, and is not; that is, he shall quickly be overthrown, though he is to appear for a while and perform such great wonders. Here [is] a proof of the understanding that hath wisdom; for the utmost sagacity may here be put to the trial. But this I will observe, to guide the inquiring mind, and I am commissioned by God to give this key to the mystery, that the seven heads of the beast are seven mountains, on which that celebrated city is built, on which the infamous woman I have been describing, sitteth. And there are seven kings, or forms of government, five of them are fallen, and one is, [and] the other is not yet come; and when he comes, he must endure for a little time, but will soon be destroyed and swallowed up. And the beast, of whom I said, that he was, and is not, he is the eighth, and he is of the seven; he ariseth out of the remainders of this people, but at length goes into destruction, as the rest, though his reign shall be so much longer than any of his predecessors. And the ten horns which thou sawest, are ten kings, or kingdoms, which shall b The beast — was, and is not.] This seems to intimate, that the persecuting power of Pagan Rome, should for a while revive in Papal Rome, and, ere long, be utterly destroyed. c Seven — forms of government.] Some reckon these to be the Roman kings, consuls, dictators, decemvirs, military tribunes, emperors, and popes. But I much question, whether this be a right solution. Mr. Lowman supposes here is an intimation, that the seventh form of government was not to begin till the imperial power was destroyed. And this last may, on some account, be called the seventh, and for other reasons, the eighth head of government, as the exarchate of Ravenna was in some sense, a new form of government, and yet hardly so distinct and proper a form, as to be reckoned for a different head. Compare chap. xii 6, note d. d He is the eighth, &c.] Mr. Fleming understands this of the government of the Ostrogoths in Rome; who, though they were the seventh head in number, yet were not of the seven, that is, such as the six first, and the eighth, because they were foreigners, whereas the others were natives. Flem. on the first Res. p 106, 107. This exact prophecy, he says, is a great confirmation of the Divine authority of this book. Limborch understands it of the German Emperor, who was only titular king of Rome. See the preceding note. VOL. 6. They shall make war with the Lamb : ut be arise out of the ruin of the former state, and shall all, for a while, be dependent upon, and subject to the beast: they have not, indeed, yet received their kingdom, but they shall receive authority from the beast as kings, though greatly under his limitation and controul, to reign for one hour, for a certain limited time. And however these princes may be disunited in their political interests, which may, in some respects, contradict each other, yet, with respect to their unhappy prejudices in religion, and idolatrous inclinations, there shall be a surprising agreement between them; and they have one mind and sentiment in that respect, and shall consent to deliver over their own power and authority to the beast, to be employed by him for the advancement of his interest; so that they shall act but as his viceroys, even in their own territories. These also shall presume to make war with the Lamb; and the consequence may easily be conjectured; for the Lamb, who bears such magnificent titles, and who hath already triumphed over all the powers of hell, shall undoubtedly overcome them, and triumph over them; for he is indeed, (what some vain mortals have impiously and arrogantly called themselves,) Lord of Lords, and King of Kings, the supreme Ruler of all governors and magistrates upon the face of the earth, to whom dominion over them belongs, by the strictest and most unalienable right; and those that are with him, and have the honour to fight under his banner, [are] not only called to arm themselves in this glorious cause, but chosenᶜ to act in the service, and they are faithful to the engagements into which they enter. All these were the words of that angel who was commissioned to ᶜ Called and chosen faithful ] Here may very possibly be, as the ingenious author of the Christian warfare has represented, in his learned and beautiful remarks on this exct, a reference to the military custom of the Greeks; who used to call the people together when any expedition was designed, out of which there were some selected to serve in the action intended, who swore delity to their leader. (Compare 2 Pet. i. 10, note 4.) But I can by no means suppose that this is the uniform idea to be annexed to the word chosen in scripture, any more than I can suppose the term called, always to signify invited to a feast; which is an idea another ingenious writer has endeavoured to lead his readers to affix to it. The truth is, both signify something much more general, though both may be applied, in particular cases, in the limited sense contended for. Compare Isa. xxxiv. 2. 6, 7 These shall hate the harlot, and make her desolate. instruct me in the meaning of an appearance, which had thrown me into such amazement. And he proceeded, and said further unto me, The waters which thou sawest, on which the specious, but abandoned harlot sate, are people, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues, a vast multitude of different nations and languages, who shall consent for a long time, to those degenerate forms of religion which she shall introduce. And the ten horns which thou sawest on the savage beast, these are the kingdoms subject to her. But the princes of them shall at length turn against her, so that she shall, as it were, be thrown down, and gored by the creature that has so long tamely and patiently carried her; for they shall hate the harlot, and make her desolate and naked; they shall strip her of all those ornaments, which they have profusely lavished away upon her; and they shall be ready, as it were, in the transport of their indignation and zeal, to eat her very flesh, and shall burn her with fire. They shall be bent upon destroying their stupid idolatry, and all the monuments of it, and turn their keenest resentment upon the abettors and instruments of such cruel persecution as they have exercised: For God hath given it into their hearts, by a strong and powerful impression, to execute his council and sentence, and they shall agree in it, even to perform one purpose. And he hath left them under a fatal infatuation, in opposition to true policy, as well as virtue and religion, so as to give their kingdoms to the beast, till the words of God be fulfilled; and then their minds shall be turned, and their eyes opened, and they shall ruin this oppressive society more eagerly than they ever established it. And the woman which thou sawest, is the great imperial city, that ruleth over the kings of the earth, and now disposes of their crowns at her pleasure, none daring to make war against her. [Execute his sentence.] We render it to fulfil his will. Hence some have inferred, that it is the will of God, that heretics should be cut off. But it is sufficiently known to what extremities people are driven to find any thing that looks like an argument for persecution in the New Testament, when they are forced to have recourse to a text for this purpose, which only proves that God had, in his wise an holy council, determined that the idolatrous and persecuting antichristian power should be destroyed. Reflections on the character of antichristian Rome. IMPROVEMENT. EX. RESIGNED, though it had not been so particularly described by its situation on seven hills, or by the empire it then possessed over all the kingdoms of the world. The harlot might be sufficiently distinguished by her names of blasphemy, by her cup of enchantment, by her titles, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS, AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. Yea, she might be known by this single character, of having made herself drunk with the blood of saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. And is it heathen Rome, to whom these characters are most remarkably applicable? The apostle would not then have wondered with so great admiration, that idolatry and persecution should prevail, where the former had raged for so many ages, and the latter almost from the very beginning of Christianity; and to such a degree, in the days of Nero, who, as their own historian tells us, had, thirty years before this, added mockeries and insults to torment, that Christians were dressed up in the skins of wild beasts, and so exposed to be worried on the theatre: a method which hath, indeed, figuratively speaking, been every where practised, and must be practised, if Christianity is to be made ridiculous, or odious. But the true occasion of the apostle's astonishment was, that Rome professing Christianity, Rome setting up for the head of the Christian world, should have emulated and exceeded any Pagan city, and even itself in its Pagan state, in its idolatries, and in its cruelties. And this is a fact indeed wonderful. But these are the secret councils of God, even those counsels which are to us unsearchable. Nevertheless, the beauty and glory of them shall at length be apparent. The kings of the earth, though, like Nebuchadnezzar, (Isa. x. 7,) they meant it not, are now fulfilling the plan of Divine Providence; a plan that shall at length appear wise and harmonious, though the permission of all these absurdities and horrors make a part of it. And when the words of God are fulfilled, they who with one mind have given their power and strength to the beast, in order to support the harlot, shall be as unanimous in hating her, and making her desolate and naked, shall be ready to devour her flesh, and consume her in her own fires. Fierce and savage as the beast may at present appear, its war with the Lamb shall be utterly in vain; for the Lamb is always victorious, and will assert his grand and imperial titles, LORD OF LORDS, AND KING OF KINGS. May we all list under his banner; May we not only be called, but chosen and faithful, faithful even to death; since all the rage of men, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues, if it were united against us, could not prevent his giving us a crown of victory, and a part in his everlasting triumphs. The fall of Babylon is proclaimed. tion of the fall of Babylon, and an account of the her friends and merchants over her. Rev. hout. REVELATION XVIII. 1. AND after this, I saw an angel descending from heaven, who had, in his countenance and appearance, the signatures of great power; and the earth was enlightened with his glory, which spread a vivid lustre all around him, reflected from every neighbouring object. And he cried with great might [and] a loud voice of triumphant joy, in the words of Isaiah, (chap. xxi. 9,) saying, It is fallen, it is fallen, even Babylon the great; and what was prophesied concerning the celebrated seat of the Chaldean empire, shall presently be verified in this detested city; so that we may already say, it is become the habitation of demons, (as desolate places were reputed to be,) and the hold of every unclean spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird; (Isa. xiii. 21; Jer. i. 39; li. 37.) Because she hath caused all the nations to drink of the intoxicating and inflaming wine of her raging and insatiable whoredom; and all the kings of the earth have committed whoredom with her, and the merchants of the earth have traded with her, and been enriched by the abundance of her luxuries. And I then heard another voice from heaven, saying to the remainder of faithful souls which were yet in Babylon, Come ye out from the midst of her, O my people, separate yourselves from this accursed society, that ye may not be partakers with her in her sins, which are so polluting and insnaring; and that ye may not, by a fatal consequence, ᵃ Is fallen.] This is still the language of prophecy, expressing what shall certainly and speedily come to pass; for verse the fourth shows, that, in strictness of speech, Babylon was yet to be considered as standing ᵇ Luxuries.] The word synthesis, seems to signify such luxury of diet as cherishes wantonness, and disposes to acts of un- un- chastity; and may well represent the manner in which the Roman clergy have pampered themselves, and the effects it has produced, to the scandal of the Christian profession, in the eyes of all the world, as well as the idolatries which have been established and maintained to support that luxury. Compare 1 Tim. v. 11, and the note there. Her plagues shall come upon her in one day. partake of her plagues too, which those who share her sins must expect to share, whatever their former profession may have been. Because her sins have followed up to heaven with their clamours, and her unrighteous actions are come up in remembrance before that God, who will not fail severely to visit her for them. And now, O my people, give her, as she also has given to you, and recompense to her double, according to her works; for God will plead your cause for you: in the cup of terror, which she has mingled for those whom she was not able to seduce and debauch, mingle her a double quantity of those poisonous ingredients: In full proportion to the degree in which she hath, for so many ages, made ostentation of her glory, and lived in luxury, inflict upon her torment and grief, and vengeance; because she has audaciously said in her heart, while the Divine threatenings have been sounding in her very ears, I sit as a queen, enthroned above the reach of adversity, and I am not a desolate widow, as it hath been pretended I should be; and I shall not see sorrow. (Compare Isa. xlvii. 7, 8.) Therefore, in one day shall her plagues come upon her, even upon this impious and abominable city, death, and mourning, and famine, which shall all unite their efforts against her; and she shall be burnt with fire; for strong is the Lord God who judges her; and all her boasted strength will, in his presence, be weakness and confusion. And the other kings of the earth, who shall not be active in the execution before described, but still retain their affection for her, even the remainder of those, who have committed fornication, and lived in luxury with her, shall mourn over her, and lament for her, when they shall see the flames of wrath kindle about her, and the smoke of her burning, like that of Sodom in the day of its conflagration, ascending up to heaven. They shall see it, standing afar off for fear of her torment, saying, Wo, wo, and alas, O thou great city, Babylon, the strong city! well may we lament over thee; for in one hour thy judgment is come, and thy desolation is as sudden as it is dreadful and entire. And the merchants of the earth, those who enriched them- They who were enriched by her, shall lament her ruin. selves by her expensive magnificence, shall wail and lament over her, out of a regard to their own interest, if not to her's; because no one any longer shall buy their waxes, with which they had loaded so many gallant vessels that carried on a traffic with her: They shall lament, that so noble a vent for all the delicacies of a pompous and luxurious life, is lost; and that they can no longer thus dispose of the ladings of gold, and silver, and every precious stone, and pearls, and of the fine linen of Egypt, and the purple of Sidon, and the silk of the eastern countries, and the scarlet, and every odoriferous wood, that the plantations of Arabia, or the coasts of India, could boast; and every curiously wrought vessel of ivory, and every vessel of most precious wood, in value exceeding even that, and all the utensils of brass, and of iron, and of marble, with which the houses of the rich, and of the great, have been furnished. No longer shall they there find a market for rich and fragrant commodities; for cinnamon, and perfume, and myrrh, and incense, nor for the more necessary and important supplies of wine, and oil, and fine our, and wheat, and kine, and sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves: and their yet more infamous traffic for the lives, and the very souls of men, which they sacrificed to their avarice, and their treachery, shall cease. And thou, O Babylon, shall join thy cry with theirs; for all the fruits, which thy soul desired, and for which alone thy degenerate nature had any remaining relish, are gone from thee, and all thy delicious and splendid things are departed from thee; and the loss is final as well as entire; for thou shalt never find them any more. I repeat it again, the merchants of all these [commodities,] who were enriched by her, shall stand afaroff, in a mixture of terror and grief, for fear of her torment, weeping, and mourning, but abso- c Slaves.] The Greek word σωμεῖα has plainly this signification. Compare Tobit x. 9. d Weeping and mourning.] There is in all this so evident a reference to the lamentation over Tyre, described by Ezekiel, (chap. xxvii.) that I suppose few readers can fail to take notice of it. Compare Isa. xxiii. 1, 7, 14, &sim. Some have interpreted many of these passages, a referring to the circumstances of Popis worship, and the trade of their priests as ver. 11, to relics, pardons, and indulgencies: ver. 12, to their images, The apostles and prophets are exhorted to rejoice lutely incapable of giving her any relief; smiting on their breasts, And saying, Alas, alas, for the great, elegant and magnificent city, that was clothed with fine linen, and purple, and scarlet, and adorned with gold, and precious stones, and pearls! For, who can sufficiently lament this sad instance of the uncertainty of all human things, when he sees, that, in one hour, all these great riches are laid waste, and made desolate? And this sad scene was represented to me in a lively vision; and every pilot, and every one of the ship's company, and the mariners, and all that bestow their labour upon the sea, stood afar off from the flames of the burning city, And cried, when they saw the smoke of her burning, ascend in such thick columns to heaven. What [city, is] like to the great city, so long unequalled in its glory, and now in its ruin? And they seemed like men in the greatest agony of distress, and cast dust upon their heads, and cried, weeping, and mourning, saying, Alas, alas, for the great city, by whose magnificent expenses, arising from her profusion, and elegance, and grandeur, all that had ships in the sea, were enriched, so that she alone was sufficient, as it were, to maintain the merchandise of the world; for she is made desolate in one hour, to a degree that we should have imagined utterly impossible. But while they were thus lamenting their own loss and her's, I was affected in another manner, and could not forbear crying out in my own heart, Rejoice over her, O thou just avenging heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets, who look down from your abodes of glory, on so wonderful and interesting a scene. Take your part in the sacred triumph; for on your account, God has pronounced sentence upon her; he hath adjudged her to righteous destruction, for the furniture of their churches and chapels, and the variety of rich dresses for their images and priests: ver. 13, to the incense used at their altars: ver. 22, to the musical instruments used in their worship: and ver. 23, to the vast numbers of lamps burning before their idolatrous altars; and the like. But it seems rather to centre in one view, the loss of every thing valuable and desirable, and the utter ruin of this magnificent city. Apostles.] Nothing can be more lively than this apostrophe; in which the apostles though honoured in Rome by so many superstitious and idolatrous rites, are, nevertheless, called upon to rejoice in her destruction. There shall be no joy or festivity in her any more. her opposition to his kingdom, and for the injuries done to you, who, with ardent and unwearied zeal, endeavoured to establish and promote it. And, as soon as I had uttered this in correspondence to the scene which had been represented of old, with relation to the great seat of the Chaldean empire, (Jerem. li. 64,) a strong angel took a stone, like a great millstone; and, with a vigorous and rapid motion, hurled it into the sea, saying, Thus shall Babylon the great city, unequal as the production of this event may seem to any human power, be violently hurled away by the almighty arm of an avenging God, and sink into the depths of destruction; so that it shall never be found any more. And the harmonious sound of harpers, and other musicians, and those who sound the flute, and the trumpet, shall no more be heard in thee; and every artificer of every curious trade, employed for the accommodations and ornaments of life, shall no more be found in thee, O Babylon, nor shall the noise of the millstone be heard in thee any more, even to prepare bread for the meanest inhabitant. And the light of a lamp shall no more be seen in thee, to gild thy dark night with its cheerful rays; and the voice of the bridegroom and the bride, rejoicing in their new relation, and celebrating the nuptial feast, shall be heard in thee no more; because thy merchants were grandees of the earth, and maintained so shameful a traffic by every dishonest art, and because all the nations were deceived by thy sorceries, and poisoned by thy pernicious practices. And, to complete her guilt, as Babylon of old had grown great by the slaughter of Israel, so in her, who has been here represented, was found the blood of the prophets, and of the saints of God, even of all those who were slain upon the earth; for this wicked city exceeded all the rest of the world in cruelties, and might boast in the mul- † Hurled away.] This the original words, ἑρμηνῶν βουβησῆναι import; as if calling by its own weight, its fall would not have been rapid enough. From hence Dr. Thomas Burnet infers, in his Theory of the earth, that Rome, being first fixed, (compare Dan. vii. 11,) will be swallowed up in a take of fire and brimstone, as Sodom and Gomorrah were Burn Thee. Vol. II. p. 123. Compare Rev. xix. 20. † Verse 22, 23] Compare Jer. xxv. 0; xxxiii. 11; Ezek. xxvi. 13, &xiii. VOL. 6. Reflections on the fall of Babylon. titudes of the martyrs she had slain, beyond all xxi. that had ever gone before her, in such detestable persecutions; and this hath filled up the Rev. measure of her iniquities, and plunged her into xviii. this irrecoverable ruin. 24 IMPROVEMENT. From the particular detail which is here given us, of the various commodities in which Babylon traded with its merchants, we may surely take an incidental occasion to reflect upon the rich bounty of Divine providence to the children of men, in giving them such a variety of good things, which tend not only to their necessary support, but their ornament and delight. To whatever pernicious purposes vanity and luxury may abuse the silver and the gold, the gems and the pearls, the fine linen and silk, the purple and scarlet, the ivory and the marble, the cinnamon and the myrrh, as well as the more important blessings of wheat and oil, of kine, and sheep, and horses, all are the gifts of God; and, if wisely and properly used, may justly excite our thankfulness to him; and it is on ourselves, and not on him, that we are to charge it, if what should have been for our welfare becomes a trap, and our treasures be turned into idols. Nor is the wise disposition of Providence to be disregarded, in causing many of these things to be the peculiar products of different countries, denying to some what he has given to the rest, that so traffic and commerce may be encouraged, and, by it, society and intercourse extended among different nations, and provision made for that spread of Divine knowledge, which had, in many instances, been impossible, if human industry, quickened by necessity, and the prospect of gain, had not invented those arts of navigation, to which Great Britain, above all other nations, is so much indebted, and without which, indeed, our beautiful and fruitful island had been a desert, inaccessible to men. But, though this oblique reflection may profitably be made, the great object to which we are directed by this chapter, is the certain and final ruin of Babylon, which, how highly soever exalted, how superbly soever adorned, how luxuriously soever regaled, shall fall, shall fall as a millstone cast into the sea. Strong is the Lord God who judgeth her; and it is impossible she can withstand the force of his omnipotent arm. Long has she, in a metaphorical sense, been the hold of every foul spirit, and the cage of every unclean and hateful bird; and God will make her so in another, even in a literal sense, when he shall appear to remember and punish those iniquities, which have reached unto heaven; among which, various and detestable as they have have been, shedding the blood of the prophets and the saints, must be reckoned The heavenly host triumphs over her. as most enormous. Let no triumph of the antichristian powers, for the present, shake our faith in these most certain and indubitable prophecies; and let that charge never be forgotten, "Come forth from her, O my people, and be separate." Blessed be God, that a separation has been begun, that it has been so long supported, and that so many attempts to bring back God's Israel into captivity have been defeated. May the boundaries of the reformation be extended; may the purity of the reformed churches be more and more advanced, and all remainders of superstition, persecution, and imposition, be taken away. And, to conclude all, let those who are now living deliciously, and glorifying themselves in the forgetfulness of God, abusing the various gifts of his bounty to his dishonour, and saying in their hearts, that they shall see no sorrow, remember, how suddenly their state may be changed; how quickly they may sink into the depths of misery, proportionable to the height of their abused prosperity; and experience a torment and sorrow, which will be doubly bitter in the remembrance of their former condition. Let such, therefore, in whatever rank of life they are, according to the words of Daniel to the most illustrious king of Babylon, (Daniel iv. 27,) Break off their sins by righteousness, and their iniquities by shewing mercy to the poor, if it may be a lengthening out of their tranquillity; and give glory to God, before all their cheerful light be exchanged for darkness, and all the harmony of their music for weeping and wailing, groaning and lamentation for ever. The triumphs of the heavenly host in the fall of Babylon are described, and further illustrated, by a view of an attack made by Christ and his army, on the beast, which ended in an entire victory over him. Rev. XIX. throughout. REV. XIX. 1. AND after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power unto the Lord our God: REVELATION XIX. 1. AND after these things, this affecting representation of the certain destruction of Babylon, as the seat of the antichristian kingdom, I heard the voice as of a great multitude in heaven, who seemed to be triumphing on this occasion, saying, Hallelujah; let the name of Jehovah, the most high God, be ever praised and exalted. Let this great salvation, and all the glory and honour, which can arise from this, and all his other wonderful works and the power so amazingly displayed in them, be ascribed to the And rejoice in the marriage of the Lam Lord our God. For his judgments [are] true and righteous, and we have lately seen a most glorious illustration of them; for he hath judged the great harlot, who corrupted the whole earth with the contagion of her fornication; and he has awfully avenged the blood of his faithful servant's and martyrs, which hath been [shed] so profusely by her cruel hand. And a second time, at the conclusion of the hymn, they said, Hallelujah: and, looking down upon her ruins, they added, The smoke of her [torment] ascends for ever and ever; and God is pursuing the impenitent sinners he has destroyed in her, with far more terrible vengeance in a future state, than any they could endure while they continued in the body. (Isa. xxxiv. 10.) And the twenty four elders, and the four animals, so often mentioned before, who still appeared present, all down and worshipped God, who was represented sitting upon the throne, saying, Amen, Hallelujah, so let it be; let universal Hallelujahs, and everlasting praises, rise to thee, O thou ever adorable Jehovah, who art most worthy to receive them. And a voice came out from the throne, which said, in my hearing, Now praise our God in the most exalted strains of rapturous devotion, all ye his servants, and ye that fear him, both small and great, in your various ranks and circumstances of life. Adore his great and magnificent name, so highly exalted, and, in these scenes of wonder, so gloriously displayed. And I heard [a sound] which was as the voice of a great multitude, and loud as the voice of many waters, when the waves of the sea are in a violent agitation, and like the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Hallelujah, for the Lord God Almighty, the omnipotent Jehovah, who is the Author and Support of universal nature, reigneth, and is about to exalt his kingdom among men to more visible splendour than it has ever yet worn. And we will now, in an especial manner, rejoice and exalt in the greatest transport of holy joy, and we will give glory to him, because the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife has prepared herself to meet him, being adorned with all those ornaments, which are most graceful in themselves, which blessed are they who are invited. and most agreeable to him. And he is going to espouse his church with circumstances of the highest festivity and solemnity. And it was given to her, that, in token of her virgin innocence and sanctity, she should be clothed in fine linen, pure and resplendent; and the fine linen, that I speak of, is intended to signify the righteous acts of the saints, whereby they are adorned in the sight of God, and an evidence given of the sincerity of that faith which interests them in the merit of what their Lord has performed, to which they ultimately owe their acceptance before him. And he said unto me, Write this down, as an important truth, in which all that read this book in future ages will be greatly concerned. Happy, [are] they who are invited to be guests at the splendid marriage supper of the Lamb, which is now prepared, and shall accept the invitation, so as to partake of its blessings. And he said unto me, These are the true words of God, and are to be regarded by thee, and all that read them, as an oracle which he hath inspired. (Compare 2 Cor. xi. 2.) And while he was speaking to me in this manner, overawed by his majestic appearance, I fell before his feet, to pay homage to him. And he immediately interposed to prevent it, and said unto me, See [thou do it] not; for I am not worthy of such regard from thee, being a fellow servant with thee, and with the rest of thy brethren, who resolutely and faithfully keep the testimony of Jesus. Pay thine homage, in such expressions of it, to God alone. I am now sent for the service of that religion to which The righteous acts of the saints.] So frequently evidently signifies; and, therefore, though I make no doubt but it is with regard to the obedience and righteousness of the Son of God, that all our righteous acts are accepted before God, and have accordingly referred to this doctrine in the paraphrase; yet I cannot suppose that these words have that reference which some have imagined, to the imputation of his righteousness to us. And I hope Christian divines will have the courage to speak with the scripture, even though it should be at the expense of their reputation for orthodoxy with some, who profess, nevertheless, to make scripture their standard. With thy brethren] The expression in the Greek obliges me to give the word this turn: σοκκενε σε και της αδειαζει σε. But Mr. Fleming understands it, I am one of thy brethren, which he thinks intimates, that this was the departed spirit of an apostle; perhaps of St. Peter or St. Paul, or his own brother James, though not in a form to be known. And, on the same mistaken principle, he thinks the person speaking, chap. xxii. 9, might be the spirit of one of the prophets, perhaps Isaiah, or Ezekiel, or Daniel. Flem. Christof. Vol. I. p. 81. you and your brethren are making such considerable sacrifices; for the Spirit of prophecy is the testimony of Jesus, and serves, in a glorious manner, to confirm his Divine mission to all that know and duly observe the circumstances of it; and that which I now reveal to thee, makes a considerable article of the proof. And a glorious vision immediately followed this; for I saw heaven opened; and behold, and observe it with due attention, a white horse appeared, and he that sate upon it [was] called Faithful and True, being indeed no other than the person speaking of himself elsewhere, as the Amen, the faithful and true Witness; and he judges, and makes war in righteousness, and not like the unjust conquerors of the earth, who are so ready to use their superior power to oppress all that fall under it. This was the glorious Prince, whose eyes [are] piercing as a flame of fire; and many diadems were upon his head, having also a mysterious name written upon them, which no man knows but himself; to signify, that there are mysteries in his nature, and in the administration of his kingdom, which it is impossible for men to find out. And, to express the irresistible power with which he triumphs over his enemies, and brings destruction upon them according to his pleasure, he [was] clothed in a garment dipt in blood; and his name is called, The word of God, the glorious and Divine Person, whom I have elsewhere spoken of, as in the beginning with God, and himself God, and the great Medium of Divine revelation in all ages. And the armies which are in heaven followed him, in token of being most willingly and entirely under his command, and they appeared [riding] on white horses, and themselves clothed in fine linen, white, and perfectly clean and pure, to denote their perfect innocence and righteousness. And he still retains this circumstance in the vision I at first saw of him, that there went out of his mouth a sharp sword, that with it he might smite the heathen; to signify the power of his word; and he shall govern them with a rod of iron; and he treadeth the wine press of the indignation and wrath of Almighty God, which was si nified by the blood staining Who is King of kings, and Lord of lords: his garments; to intimate, that he shall subdue the proudest enemies with as much ease as men burst grapes by treading them under their feet. (Compare Isa. lxiii. 2, 3.) And he hath upon his garment, and his thigh, that is, upon the sword which hangs upon his thigh, a magnificent and exalted name written, even KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS; to signify his universal empire over all the princes and potentates on earth, and in heaven. And I saw a single angel, but one of great majesty and strength, detaching himself, as it were from the army in heaven, who followed the great leader of the Lord's host on their white horses; and he was seen by me standing in the sun; and, to intimate the approaching slaughter and desolation which was so soon to come upon the enemies of the church, he cried with a loud voice, saying to the eagles, and vultures, and all the other birds of prey, which were flying in the midst of heaven, Come and assemble yourselves to the supper of the great God; for he is about to make a splendid entertainment for you; That ye may eat the flesh of mighty kings, and the flesh of famous commanders, who have led on their thousands to battle; and the flesh of the mighty soldiers, who have fought so courageously under their banners; and the flesh of warlike horses, that were advancing with so much intrepidity and rage to the battle; and the flesh of those who sate thereon, and were so ready to trust to their strength or their speed; and the flesh of all the promiscuous multitude, freemen and slaves, both small and great, who shall fall down together in the dust, and pour out their souls in blood, leaving their mangled carcasses for your prey. (Compare Ezek. xxxix. 17, 18.) And, to fulfill this awful decree of the great God, whose influence over all human affairs is supreme, and who knows how to work his own purposes, even by the greatest malice and rage of his enemies, I saw the beast appearing again, as at the head of the Antichristian interest; and the kings of the earth, who supported him, and gave their power unto him; and I saw all their armies gathered together, to make war with Against whom the beast and the kings of the earth make war. him who sitteth upon the white horse, and with all his army, even the host of heaven, which I mentioned as with him: insensible of his superior power, and madly borne on to their own destruction, they marched their feeble forces against him, and all his celestial legions. And the issue was such as might be expected; for the beast was taken captive, and with him also the false prophet, who had wrought so many fallacious signs before him, by which he had deceived those who received the mark of the beast, and those who worshipped his image; and they were bound fast in chains of Divine vengeance, and both of them were cast alive into the lake of fire which burnt so fiercely, enraged with stores of brimstone, to make the flames more durable, and more tormenting. And the rest, who had so insolently and foolishly followed the banners of these accursed leaders, were slain with the sword that came out of the mouth of the great Leader of the heavenly army, even him who sate on the white horse, described before, robed with light, and crowned with glory. And their carcasses were left unburied on the field of battle; and all the birds of the air, according to the invitation which the angel had given them, were satiated with their flesh. IMPROVEMENT. verse 1-3 Let us learn by what we have here been reading, to adore the Lord God Omnipotent, who reigneth over all, and who displays the truth and righteousness of his judgments, in his vengeance on the enemies of his church, even when he inflicts on them a torment, the smoke of which rises up for ever and ever. In the cer- c Beast was taken.] What Brandt tells 14. Doctor Clarke observes, it is only said of other sinners, they were cast into the lake, and this he supposes intimates a distinction of punishment, severe in proportion to the faults of the punished; and he thinks it is illustrated by the words of Moses concerning Korah and his company, Numb xvi, 29. If these men die the common death of all men, or if they be visited after the visitation of all men, then the Lord hath not sent me, intimating, that there would be as much difference in their punishment, as between being executed in the common way, and swallowed up with an earthquake. Clarke's Poeth. Sirm. Vol. I. p. 400, 401. 1-3 Let us learn by what we have here been reading, to adore the Lord God Omnipotent, who reigneth over all, and who displays the truth and righteousness of his judgments, in his vengeance on the enemies of his church, even when he inflicts on them a torment, the smoke of which rises up for ever and ever. In the cerc Beast was taken.] What Brandt tells 14. Doctor Clarke observes, it is only said of other sinners, they were cast into the lake, and this he supposes intimates a distinction of punishment, severe in proportion to the faults of the punished; and he thinks it is illustrated by the words of Moses concerning Korah and his company, Numb xvi, 29. If these men die the common death of all men, or if they be visited after the visitation of all men, then the Lord hath not sent me, intimating, that there would be as much difference in their punishment, as between being executed in the common way, and swallowed up with an earthquake. Clarke's Poeth. Sirm. Vol. I. p. 400, 401. 1-3 Cast alive.] See the note on cha xx. Reflections on the righteousness of God's judgments. tain assurance, that in due time he will plead his own cause, and rescue and exalt his people, let all his servants and people praise him, even all that fear him, both small and great, and labour to live that Divine life of gratitude, and joyful thanksgiving on earth, which may anticipate the pleasures and employments of the heavenly world. The time will at length come, when all of such a character shall celebrate the marriage supper of the Lamb; yea, when the whole society shall appear in his presence as one chaste virgin, whom he has espoused to himself; and whom, with unutterable delight, he places in his more immediate view, not only as arrayed in robes of pure and shining linen, which is the righteousness of the saints, but as perfectly free from spot, or blemish, or any such thing. He will admit them all to feast in his own presence; yea, to dwell for ever with him; so shall we ever be with the Lord. These are the true sayings of God. And though a consciousness of our own utter unworthiness of such honours, might be ready to detract from the credibility of these Divine assurances, or at least prevent us from giving so clear an assent to them, as we might otherwise do, yet let God be true, and every man a liar. And, in the mean time, in the mingled scenes of adversity and prosperity, which attend the Israel of God, let us direct our believing eyes to him, who is faithful and true; to him, who both administers justice, and wages war in righteousness. Let us reverence his penetrating eyes, which are like a flame of fire. Let us rejoice in the diadems placed upon his head, to signify the extent of his dominion; and read with awe the inscription upon his vesture, and his thigh, The Word of God, the King of kings, and the Lord of lords. As such let us pay our homage to him; and let the favour of lords, and kings, be as nothing to us, where his favour or his honour is concerned. The proudest of earthly potentates oppose his dominion in vain; in vain do they marshal their captains, and their mighty men; vain is the strength of horses, and of them that sit thereon, and the combinations of bond and free, though satan himself abet their rebellion, and inspire them with subtilty, and arm them with rage: their subtilty shall be defeated, their rage shall be repelled. The sword of the Lord shall devour them. The birds of prey shall at his pleasure be feasted with their carcasses; and the sad catastrophe of their bodies shall be only an imperfect emblem of the anguish and misery of their spirits, when plunged with the evil spirit that deceived them, they sink deep into the lake that burns for ever, and feel the terrors of the second death. Be wise now therefore, Oye kings, and be instructed, ye judges of the earth, serve the Lord with fear; and, sensible of his uncontrollable dominion, and your own weakness and imperfection, even while ye rejoice before him, rejoice with trembling. (Psal. ii. 10, 11.) VOL. 6. An angel shuts up the dragon for a thousand years : The binding of satan for a thousand years, during which the gospel is greatly to prevail; with a view of the destruction of the enemies of Christ, upon their making their last attempt against his church; and of the universal judgment. Rev. XX. throughout. REVELATION XX. 1. THUS the beast was conquered and taken; but the dragon yet remained at liberty. And that I might also be informed as to his doom, I saw an angel descending from heaven, who had the key of the bottomless pit, and he had also a great chain in his hand: And he advanced with the intrepidity of one who feared no resistance; and laid hold on the dragon, dreadful as he was; even that old serpent who is called the devil, from being the great false accuser; and satan, as being the great adversary both of God and man; and he bound him for the space of a thousand years. And, having opened the door with the key that he bore, he cast him into the abyss, and shut him down, and set a seal upon him, to signify, that none should break open the door; that he might not deceive the nations any more, for the time above mentioned, that is, till a thousand years were accomplished, and then he must be loosed again for a little time, and make his last effort against the cause of God, and the REV. XX. 1. AND I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit, and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the devil and satan, and bound him a thousand years. And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season. A thousand years] I think we must despair of being able to interpret any passage of scripture upon the plainest principle of reason, if this does not signify, that there shall be such a period as this, in which satan shall be remarkably restrained, and the Christian interest shall prevail. But whether the thousand years are here to be taken literally, as is most probable, or whether here, or elsewhere, each day is put for a year, and consequently, the whole period be 365,000 years, I will not pretend to determine. This thought has been very lately started by an ingenious and worthy person, who hath, I doubt not, intended the service of Christianity; though I am very apprehensive, he has failed in some of the mediums by which he has endeavoured to prove this point. See Dr. Whitby's Treatise on the Millennium, where he shews at large, that this whole passage is figurative, agreeable to the prophetic style, especially in this book. And verse 4, may only intimate, that the spirits of the martyrs seemed to live again, in those whom God should then raise up. Compare Ezek. xxxvii. 1, 14; Rev. xi. 11, 12; Rom. xi 15. This interpretation is illustrated and confirmed also by Mr. Lowman. So that the seventh chitl, or 1000 years, from the creation of the world, is to be a kind of sabbath. Compare Ainsworth on Gen. i. 31, and Worthington on Redemption, p. 211, 213. During which the Christian cause should revive. kingdom of his Son Jesus Christ. And after this, I saw thrones placed, and they sate upon them, and a power of judgment was given to them; and the souls of them who had been beheadedᵇ for the testimony of Jesus, and for the word of God, and who had not worshipped the beast nor his image, when his cause was so triumphant, and who bravely opposed the torrent of prevailing degeneracy, so that they had not received his mark in their foreheads, and upon their hands, when it was so furiously urged upon all; these appeared to rise in triumph, and they lived and reigned with Christ,ᶜ whose cause, during this time, was prosperous and flourishing, even for a whole thousand years: But this was peculiar to this holy remnant: for, as to the rest of the dead, they revived not till the thousand years were accomplished;ᵈ so that this [was] the first resurrection. Eminently happy and holy [is] he, who has a part in the first resurrection I have been describing; it is a singular felicity and high token of the degree, in which God, the supreme Standard and Judge of moral rectitude and holiness, approves his character: on such the second death, we before described with so many dreadful circumstances, as the portion of the wicked, shall have no degree of power,ᵉ nor shall any of ᵇ The souls of them who had been beheaded.] Dr. Whitby, not unjustly, thinks this a strange expression, to signify the resurrection of their bodies. (See his Treatise on the Millennium, chap. iii.) Mr. Fleming observes, it is said elsewhere, that their souls were actually living before; and living, he thinks, must be put for rising from the dead, because it is said, the rest of the dead lived not till a thousand years. Flem. Christol. Vol. II. p. 57. ᶜ They lived and reigned with Christ.] This is the chief text on which Mr. Fleming builds his doctrine of the first resurrection; when, he supposes, those who have died for the testimony of Jesus, and other most excellent saints, shall be raised from the dead; not, (he imagines,) to live upon earth, but to live a thousand years with Christ in heaven; enjoying a blessedness nearly approaching, if not altogether equal, to that which good men are to enjoy after the general resurrection; while the rest have only the common blessing of the separate state, during this period; and, even after the resurrection, shall have only inferior degrees of glory, to what these first fruits of the resurrection shall for ever possess. Flem. Christol. Vol. II. p. 42. ᵈ The rest of the dead, &c.] This has been urged to prove, that a proper resurrection is here spoken of; but I much doubt the justness of the conclusion. Such expressions may, sometimes, be thrown in to promote that obscurity, which seemed, upon the whole, convenient in such a series of prophecy. Compare chap. xxi 17. ᵉ On such the second death shall have no power.] Mr. Fleming considers this as an intimation, that the second death will have some power to terrify, though only for a little while, those good men, who shall not have their share in the first resurrection. See his Christol. Vol. II. p. 45. But the notion appears to me very absurd, and ill to The thousand years being expired, satan sha its terrible forerunners, in the execution of Divine wrath upon his enemies; but they shall be the priests of God, and of Christ; and they shall not only be afterwards admitted to a kingdom of eternal glory, but shall reign with him a thousand years, partaking in the triumph of his kingdom upon earth. And when the thousand years, before described, shall be accomplished, then satan shall, for a certain time, be loosed from his confinement, to give the last proof of his malice against Christ and his saints. And he shall go forth to deceive the nations, who are in the four distant corners of the earth, and shall prevail against them, so that they shall engage in a vain and fatal enterprise, for the overthrow of what God has determined for ever to establish: even Gog and Magog, as the prophecy of Ezekiel, (chapters xxxviii, xxxix.) styles the enemies of God's people: and satan shall succeed in his attempts to gather them together in war; even an army, whose number [is] like the sand of the sea. Accordingly I beheld them in vision, as drawn forth in order of battle, and saw, that they went up over the breadth of the earth; so that they seemed to cover the face of it from north to south, and then surrounded the camp of the saints, and Jerusalem, the beloved city, in which they dwelt; and it seemed at first in imminent danger, but it was not long before it was remarkably delivered; for fire came down from God out of heaven, at once, and devoured them; so that there were no more remainders of them to be seen; but they, and all their dreadful artillery, perished and disappeared, as if they had never existed. (Compare Ezek. xxxviii. 22.) And then the devil, who had deceived them, came in agree with the representation which scripture gives of the universal judgment, as a day of unmixed joy and triumph to all the righteous. [The four corners of the earth.] As it is most certainly known, from the most convincing arguments, and from repeated experience, that the earth is of a spherical form, it is certain, that by the four corners of the earth, we are to understand the nations which lay at the greatest distance from the city of the saints; which, I suppose, does here especially signify Jerusalem. And we may suppose, that those who live in that situation, shall be las instructed in the gospel, and so capable of being most easily engaged to rise up against it. Compare chap. vii 1, and paraphrase. By Gog and Magog, many understand the Scythians, and other northern nations, whom the devil will stir up to assault the people of God. shall at length be cast into the lake of fire. for his share of that punishment, which had long before been inflicted upon many of his accomplices, and was cast into the lake of fire and brunstone, where, as I before said, the beast and the false prophet [were;] and there they shall be tormented together day and night, for ages of ages, for ever and ever, without any hope of release or respite. And, after this, I saw a great white and resplendent throne, which shone with a glory scarce to be supported; and yet, mine eye being divinely strengthened for that purpose, I beheld him who sate thereon, from whose majestic face, when he came on this solemn and tremendous occasion, earth and heaven fled away, and there was found no place for them, in which they might continue. And I saw the dead, of all ranks and orders, small and great, rich and poor, princes and people, in one grand assembly, which knew no more of those distinctions, once so much regarded, standing before God, to receive their final doom from him; to intimate, that the last judgment should quickly follow the wonderful events which had been represented to me before. And the books were opened, which contained the records of the Divine omniscience on the one hand, and, on the other, the law and the gospel, which were the rule whereby those who stood before him were to be judged. And another book was opened, distinct from these, which is [the book] of life, For ages of ages: ut tu; auct; tu auct. ] This is the most literal rendering of these words: but it is certain that no argument can be drawn from hence against the eternity of future punishment, for no phrase can more strongly express a proper eternity than this. h A great white throne.] It has been observed, that this judgment seat has been represented by a throne, to show that there can be no appeal from it; a white throne, to signify the bright glory, the unspotted purity, and inflexible justice of him who sits upon it. i From whose face earth and heaven fled away, &c.] Mr. Blackwall compares this description with a celebrated passage in Homer, in which Jupiter is described as sitting on his throne, and asserts its great superiority, though its plainness renders the majesty less observable to common readers "It is so plain, says he, that it does not need, so majestic and grand, that it exceeds, commentary and paraphrase." See his Sacred Class. Vol. I. p. 329 There was found no place for them.] Hence Mr. Whiston infers, that at the consummation of all things, and the final judgment, the earth will desert its present station, and be no more found among the planetary chorus Whist Theor. p. 282. But I cannot think this description intend to teach us any astronomical niceties; it seems only to intimate, that all nature was thrown into strong commotion, as if it were incapable of sustaining the majestic presence that appeared. All mankind shall be judged according to their works. in which were registered the names of all those happy persons, who, according to the tenor of the Divine declarations to men, should be the inhabitants of the heavenly Jerusalem, and live with God for ever, in the enjoyment of felicity and glory. And the dead were all impartially judged out of the things written in the books, and in a manner agreeable to the tenor of them, according to their works, as they had been agreeable or disagreeable to the discoveries which God had made to them of his will for the rule of their actions. And, that none might be exempt from coming into judgment, I perceived that the resurrection extended also to the sea, which gave up the dead that were in it; and death, and the unseen world, and separate state, in all their extensive domains, gave up the dead that were in them, all that death had swallowed up, and Hades received; and they were judged, as I said before, every one according to their works. And I saw, in the vision, emblematical persons, who seemed to preside over the regions of death and Hades, or the separate state; and, to signify that human souls should be no more separated from the bodies, to which they were now united, these persons, as it appeared, were cast into the lake of fire, which I have before described, and of which I said, that this is the second death.¹ And as the register, which God, in pursuance of his counsels of everlasting love, had kept of those, whom it was his gracious purpose, agreeable to the tenor of his gospel, to save, was complete, I saw, that if any one were not found written in the book of life, he was cast into the lake of fire: so that this was the awful end of the whole human race, to be plunged into that flaming and ¹ Death and hades were cast into the lake of fire. It is no wonder a man of Mr. Hobbes's disposition and principles should be ready to catch at any argument, to prove the annihilation of the wicked. But, that which he insinuates from the passage, (see his Leviathan, p. 355,) seems to be very precarious. For, as Archbishop Dawes observes, (see his Serm. No. 7, p. 100,) to talk of hell being cast into a part of itself, is downright nonsense. The plain meaning is, there shall be no more separate state. And this, I think clearly overthrows that hypothesis, which supposes this last fire will kill those that are thrown into it, and that their separate spirits will for ever remain in that misery, which must be the consequence of having lost happiness and hope, while they retain their thinking powers; a doctrine, which Dr. Whitsby has strangely taught in his Appendix, to 2 Thess. chap. i. Reflections on the future judgment. eternal ruin, or to be received into those abodes of glory, which I am next to describe, under the figure of a new heaven, and a new earth. (Compare Rev. xxi. 1, note³.) IMPROVEMENT. We have here a most affecting view before us, of that importvent event, in which we are all so intimately concerned. Whatever the first resurrection may import, or that glorious reign of a thousand years, (which probably intimates a signal revival of the Christian cause in the world, and a display of its influence beyond what hath yet been known,) I say, whatever these events may particularly intend, the illustrious day, in which heaven and earth is to pass away, demands the attention of all mankind. For the dead, both small and great, whether buried in the earth or the sea, must then stand before God: Therefore let all the living, both small and great, seriously weigh the solemnity and importance of that appearance. Let them often look forward to the awful period when the glorious throne shall be set, the important volumes opened, which contain the record of our lives and actions, and of God's gracious and merciful transactions with us. We must be judged according to our works; that God, before whom all our ways are, and who searches all our hearts, will bring every work into judgment, and every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil. Let us judge ourselves impartially, that we be not condemned of the Lord; and conscious how unable we should be to stand in that judgment, if God were rigorous to lay justice to the line, and righteousness to the plummet, let us humbly apply to the throne of mercy, to the blood of his Son, to the grace of his gospel covenant. So shall we find mercy of the Lord in that day, and be the priests of God, and of Christ, and reign with him, not a thousand years alone, but for everlasting ages. In the mean time, let those who have no reverence for his majesty, who have no esteem for his gospel, who have never taken this awful alarm, who have never fled for refuge to lay hold on the hope set before them, tremble at these awakening views. Let them all, of every condition, both small and great, say in their hearts, Who shall dwell with devouring flames, and lie down in everlasting burnings, even in this lake of fire, into which every one who is not found written in the book of life, shall be cast, and where the wretched victims of Divine justice shall be tormented for ever and ever? How melancholy does the face of our earth appear, when we reflect on the reign of satan on it, on the influence of the The vision of a new heaven and a new earth ; dragon, and the beast, and the false prophet ! O Lord, cut short xxiii their power ; send down the angel that has the key of the bottomverse less pit, to bind this destroyer ; yea, when he shall be loosed for a season, moderate his rage ; support thy saints under the ter- 1, 2, 3 ror of every assault, till thou appear to the last confusion of their 7, 8 enemies, till thou appear to close this perplexing scene, by the wise and glorious catastrophe of all things ; when it shall be 4, 5 seen, that the souls of them who were beheaded for the testimony of Jesus, were not lost, and that it was wisdom strenuously to refuse the mark of the beast, and the homage so generally paid to his image, though men might neither buy nor sell, nor enjoy their liberty, nor their lives, without making an entire submission to it. The solemn introduction to the glorious vision of the new heaven and the new earth : with a declaration of the blessing to attend the faithful and courageous conqueror, and the misery to be inflicted on impious and wicked offenders. Rev. XXI. 1—8. REVEI ATION XXI. 1. AND when this scene of things was passed xxiv. away, another most glorious and delightful Rev one opened upon me ; for I saw a new heaven, xxi. 1 and a new earth, wherein I knew righteousness was ever to dwell, for the former heaven, and the former earth was passed away, as I said before ; and the sea was no more ;ᵃ the whole ter- REV. XXI. 1. AND I saw a new heaven, and a new earth : for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away ; and there was no more sea. ᵃ The sea was no more ] The consequence which Dr. Thomas Barnet hath drawn from hence, in his theory, to prove there was no sea, in the paradisaical state, is so manifestly absurd, that I need urge nothing against it. For it is certain, were God to cover the whole sea with dry land, the earth must quickly perish, as well as much of its commerce be destroyed. But a world more populous, than this can be, while the sea takes up so large a part of its surface, might well be expressed by such a figurative vision. As for this account of the new heaven and the earth in general, commentators have been divided Some have thought it represents the happy state of the church upon earth, during the millennium. A very ingenious writer, I mean, Mr. Worthington, in his Treatise of the Extent and Progress of Redemption, endeavours to prove that it is attended to represent a yet more perfect and durable period of prosperity, which shall be enjoyed upon this earth, after the millennium ; and when the paradisaical state shall be yet more fully restored, by the more abundant progressive influence of the gospel. But, on weighing the whole matter, I must declare myself of the opinion of those divines, who understand it as an emblematical description of the happiness which the saints are to enjoy in heaven after the resurrection, and to enjoy for ever ; when, according to the preceding descriptions, the dead shall be judged according to their works, when this heaven and earth shall have passed away with a great noise, and the elements shall have meared with fervent heat, as St. John and St. Peter concur to describe it ; and when death and hell shall be cast into the lake of fire, with all that are not written in the book of life : phrases, which, I think, cannot be explained properly of any event, an o the New Jerusalem, coming down from God. raqueous globe was changed for another kind of world, wherein every thing was incomparably more beautiful and excellent than the face of nature had ever been, and roam was made for a vastly greater number of inhabiants: And as an emblem of the eminent holiness and felicity which should there reign, I John saw the holy city, that is, the New Jerusalem, descending from God out of heaven; and it was prepared with all imaginable ornaments and decorations, like a bride adorned for her husband, and preparing to meet him with all her charms set out to the greatest advantage. And I heard a great voice out of heaven, saying: aloud, Behold the tabernacle of the living God [is] now with men: and he shall pitch his tent among them, in token of his favour and friendship, and they shall be owned by him as his people, and God himself shall be with and among them as their God, their Protector and Friend, their Guardian and Father, their supreme Good and final Portion. And God shall, with parental tenderness, wipe away their tears from their eyes; though here their tears have plentifully flowed, not one shall now be left on any of their faces. And death shall be no more; he shall be for ever banished those blissful regions, and with him all his melancholy train, nor shall there be grief, nor crying, nor shall there be any more pain, or labour; for all the former things are passed away, all the mournful scenes which were on earth so familiar to their eyes. And he that sate upon the throne but those of the day of universal judgment. And it is certain, that if we do not go into this interpretation of them, there is no view given us of the final catastrophe of things on this earth of ours, in this comprehensive prophecy, though intended to represent the triumph of Christianity; which seems in theory a very improbable supposition. b Descending from God out of heaven. I apprehend he saw in the vision an appearance of a city, which seemed, like the sheet which Peter saw, to be let down from heaven, and appeared pendent, as it were, in the air, in such a view, that the foundations were visibly distinguishable from the superstructure; and this he considered, not as actually the abode of the blessed, but as a figurative representation of the holiness and felicity in which they were to dwell; so that it was a type of what the church itself should be. To interpret it therefore, as if there were now such a city made in heaven, and by angelic power to be brought down to earth, and settled upon some spot of it, is so void, and romantic a thought, that one would wonder any one person of learning and understanding should ever have embraced it. Compare H. Scott's Notes and Discourses, Vol. I, p. 200. See Isa. liv. 11, 12. c He that sate upon the throne. As it Lamb, and He that sate upon the throne, have been mentioned, as distinct, through . 6. He that overcomes, sha in erit a things. then spake himself, and said with his own awful and gracious voice, which through the whole vision I had not before heard, Behold, I make all things new. I exert my power in producing a new creation, whence every trace of seeming imperfection and irregularity shall be banished. And he then condescended to take notice of me; and singling me out by his eye, and directing his voice to me, he said unto me, while all my soul was awed into reverence and attention, Write what thou hearest, for these are true and faithful words; and as their contents are important, so they are beyond all controversy certain. And he said unto me, Wonderful as the prediction is, doubt not of its accomplishment; It is done, it is, as it were, already present with me; I am the Alpha, and the Omega, the Beginning, and the End; too great and excellent to need to use any artifice with my creatures; and far above the temptation of raising in them any false hopes and expectations, I will give to him that is atkirst, of the fountain of the water of life freely; I open the springs, and they shall flow in abundance; and let every humble soul that desires it, freely come and quench his thirst. I have already made many gracious promises to him who overcometh; and I will now comprise them all in one; the conqueror shall inherit all things; the whole new creation shall be his, he shall possess its blessings to the utmost of his most enlarged desires. And I will be to him a God, a source of complete and everlasting blessedness; and he shall be my son, and as my son, inherit my kingdom, and dwell with me in it through eternal ages. But as for the fearful and unbelieving, who dare not face the difficulties which a courageous profession of my religion requires; and the abominable, who have devoted themselves to sensual affections and pursuits; and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, whole book, and, as the Lamb is who is represented fenced here as the Spouse of the church, throne; since we know ready to understand the Father as appear as universal, reason here spoken of. But I will character the Perso solutely insist upon this, because in throne is there spoken xx. 11, 12, it seems to be Christ Reflections on the new heaven and the new earth. and idolaters, and all liars,ᵈ all who allow themselves in their words, or in their actions, to violate the eternal and invariable law of truth by which I have governed myself, and by which I have required all my rational creatures to be governed; their part [shall be] in the lake which burns for ever with fire and brimstone, which is the second death. Let this therefore be recorded by thy pen, that every future generation of men may carefully peruse and seriously consider it; that every sincere believer, however weak, may be encouraged, and that every obstinate sinner may be terrified, and, if possible, awakened; and that none, in the day of my final judgment, may complain, that they have not been warned and cautioned with the greatest plainness, and with the greatest solemnity. IMPROVEMENT. LET us pause a little, before we proceed to the more particular description of this glorious scene; and let our hearts rejoice in this general view of the new heaven, and the new earth, and of the holy city, descending out of heaven from God. Will God in every deed dwell with men? Will he dwell with them for ever? Will he fix his tabernacle with them, and condescend to avow them for his people, and to make himself known unto them as their God? Let our souls then be awakened, to pay a due attention to such glorious and important promises. Let us hearken to the voice of him who sitteth upon the throne, whose words are undoubtedly true and faithful. Lord, dost thou make all things new? Verify the word first, we implore thee, in our hearts, that it may be verified at length in our state and condition. O thou Alpha and Omega, who art the Beginning and the End, thou who hast done so much to introduce this Divine scheme of salvation, perfect it, we entreat thee, with respect to us; exciting our thirst after the water of life; and may we come and take it as freely as it is offered in the gospel. In what part of the holy scripture is life and death, the blessing and the curse, set before us, if not in these awful passages? Let ᵈ All liars.] Some think this refers to the general notion, which is so largely inculcated by the well known author of the religion of nature delineated, that there is a language in actions, as well as words; and that the malignity of every vicious and immoral action, consists in its contradiction to the great rule of truth. But in this view, it must comprehend the case of express lying; against which, in the most obvious sense, the terrors of this clause most directly levelled. The vision of the heavenly Jerusalem; those who are too timorous resolutely to adhere to their duty, xxiv. be recovered, and, as it were, driven back to it, by the fear of verse Divine vengeance. And let all habitual and obstinate sinners, 8 and especially all liars, who bring up the rear of a catalogue, in which murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, make a part, be awakened by this awful threatening. O, desperate and inexcusable folly, to be afraid of the displeasure of men, and the inconveniences which may possibly attend an adherence to the truth, and not to fear the lake which burns for ever with fire and brimstone! But let us courageously encounter, and then we shall conquer all our enemies, animated by these glorious promises, in which all the encouragements contained in this sacred volume, are 7 comprised, that he who overcomes, shall inherit all things, while God owns himself his God, and acknowledges him as his son; and if a son, then an heir, an heir of God, and joint heir with Christ; and if so, all things are indeed ours. Let those tears, that will now sometimes silently steal down our cheeks, be shed as tears, which we expect quickly to have wiped away, even by 4 the soft and compassionate hand of our heavenly Father. Let us bear our sorrows, and our pains, as those that know we shall, through Divine grace, soon be out of the reach of them; and let us meet death itself, if we are sincere believers in Christ, as those that know its reign will soon come to a period; and that when once we are recovered from it, by the almighty power of our great General, we shall never more be subject to its invasion, or any of its terrors; even then, when all former things shall have passed away. A sublime and particular description of the splendour, glory, purity, and happiness, of the heavenly Jerusalem. Rev. XXI. 9, to the end. REVELATION XXI. 9. AND after he, who sat on the throne, had xxv. condescended to speak to me, in the words Rev. I have just now mentioned, there came to me xxi. 9 one of the seven angels, who had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues which had lately been poured out; and he spake with me, saying, Come, and I will shew thee the bride, the wife of the Lamb, and thou shalt observe how 10 beautiful and glorious she is. And he brought me, in a vision of the spirit, to a great and Rev. XXI. 9. AND there came unto me one of the seven angels, which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride the Lamb's wife 15 And he carried me away in the spirit which was enlightened by the glory of God, &c. high mountain, and he shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God; which I understood to be an emblem of the church of Christ, in its most happy and glorious state. And it was indeed a most delightful object to behold, having the glory of God shining round about it; and its lustre [was] like to that of a most precious gem, bright as a jasper stone, and clear as crystal; for the whole city, as it was represented to me pendent in the air, shone with an elegant and amazing lustre. And it appeared having a great and high wall, for ever to secure it from all the attacks of its enemies; having also twelve gates, and over the gates there appeared twelve angels, as a celestial guard posted there; and there were names written upon them, which were [the names] of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel; to signify that it was the dwelling of the Israel of God. And the city made a complete square, having on the east side, which I first viewed, three gates; on the north, three gates; on the south, three gates; and on the west, three gates. And as I saw the city suspended, as it were, in the air, I had an opportunity of observing, that the wall of the city had twelve foundations; and in them, the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb were engraven; to signify, how great a dependence the church had on their testimony, and what an influence the gospel, which they preached, had upon raising this noble and Divine structure. And he that spake with me had, as the angel who appeared in vision to Ezekiel (chap. xl. 3,) a measuring rod, but with this circumstance of illustrious distinction, that it was a golden reed; and it was given him, that he might measure the city, and its gates, and its wall. And the city was a complete square; and its length was exactly equal to its breadth; and he measured the city with the reed, and each side was twelve thousand stadia, or furlongs. And, * The twelve tribes of the sons of Israel.] may also afford some hints for the interpretations of many passages of the Old Testament, in which expressions, take from the Jewish church, are used in describing that of the Messiah. And was like to pure gold, &c. which was most extraordinary of all, it appeared to me, in this vision, as a perfect cube, so that its length, and its breadth, and its heighth, were equal; which was an intimation how impossible it was for any of its enemies to scale the bulwarks that defended it. And he measured the thickness of its wall, and found it one hundred forty four cubits, the square of twelve; and this was according to the measure of a man, that is, of the angel who had the measuring rod in his hand, and accurately took the dimensions of it. And the building of its wall was like a complete rock of jasper, and the city [was] pure gold, and it was bright and clear, like refined glass. And to signify how firm the foundations of the walls of the city, which were the emblems of the apostles and their doctrine, [were] they appeared, adorned with every precious stone, like so many vast and solid rocks of gems, lying under the gates, and appearing radiant and glorious, while the city hung, as I said before, suspended in my sight. The first foundation [was] jasper; the second sapphire; the third chalcedony; these were on the east side; the fourth emerald; the fifth sardonyx; the sixth sardius; these were on the north; the seventh chrysolite, or a stone of the colour of pure gold; the eighth beryl; the ninth topaz; these were on the south; and, to complete the square, the tenth was chrysoprasus, or a beautiful mixture of gold and green; the eleventh hyacinth; and the twelfth amethyst; which appeared on the west side; thus were they agreeably variegated and decorated, with all the elegance and magnificence that can be imagined. And the twelve gates [were] twelve pearls; each of the gates was of one entire undivided pearl, with all the beautiful pillars and arches, mould- Its length, its breadth, and its heighth were equal.] As this is quite inconceivable, with regard to any cubical structure, which can be supposed of this bigness, I look upon it as a wise and well judged intimation, that all these descriptions are figurative. The like intimation is given in the vision of Ezekiel; according to which if it were able to be taken liter- ally, the building described must be a mile high. On the east side.] As the temple of Jerusalem was beheld in its greatest glory, when viewed from the east, towards which the beautiful gate looked, I think it is probable, that the like was observable in this visionary city, which was all as one temple in which God dwells. ings o the earth ring their glory into it. ings and cornices. And the street of the city, instead of being paved with common stones, [was] pure gold, the substance being transparent as glass, and reflecting the light that shone upon it, with a lustre equal to that of polished gold. And whereas the temple made so considerable a part of the view of Jerusalem, the holy city, which I had been used to visit; as for this heavenly Jerusalem, I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty, and the Lamb, are the temple of it: God was present in Christ his Son, by a more intimate presence than had ever been known upon earth, and by that presence, he made even the whole of the city most holy. And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine therein; for the glory of the Lord enlightened itᵈ on all sides, and the Lamb [was] the light thereof, and the illustrious manifestation of this presence rendered, not only artificial, but all natural light, unnecessary. And the nations of the saved shall walk continually in its light; happy nations, consisting of myriads and millions, shall expatiate in, and enjoy the delightful scene; and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and their honour into it.ᵉ If you were to conceive all the monarchs upon earth, uniting all their treasures to adorn one single place, they could produce nothing comparable to what I then saw. And the gates of it shall not be shut by day; and that is equivalent to saying, they shall never be shut at all; for there shall be no night there.ᶠ ᵈ Glory of the Lord, &c.] Some have thought, this was an extraordinary lustre, which seemed always to hover over it, like a sun never going down. I rather think, that the whole city appeared to him like a luminous object, sending out rays on every side, which he apprehended to be in consequence of God's dwelling there; and that these rays might have much of the lustre of the Shechinah. Mr Fleming argues from this text, that the Lamb is the Shechinah in the heavenly world. ᵉ The kings of the earth.] This is the clause upon which Mr. Worthington insists very much, to prove, that we are to understand this description, not of the heavenly world, but of some glorious state of the Christian church, which is to pass upon earth; and it must be acknowledged a plausible argument. The reader must consider, whether it is sufficient to outweigh those on the other side; and if it be not, I suppose he will find no solution preferable to that which I have here given; for I cannot suppose, that the kings of the earth are those who are to reign in this new earth, whose glory shall be reflected from, and so adorn the blissful city which they shall then inhabit. (Compare Isa. 3, 11, 20; lxvi 12.) ᶠ There shall be no night there] Mr. Whiston supposes, that a comet, meeting the earth at the conflagration, (for to such a concurrence he ascribes that awful phenomenon,) shall give it such a blow, as to destroy its diurnal motion, leaving only Reflections on the heavenly Gerusa em And they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it; whatever is most desirable among all nations, seemed to meet together, to adorn that place, where good men of all nations shall dwell and reign with God forever. And nothing unclean shall enter into it, nor [any thing which] practises abomination and falsehood of any kind, but only those who are written in the Lamb's book of life, in which none of such a detestable character can possibly have any place. IMPROVEMENT.* GLORIOUS things are indeed spoken of the God. (Psal. lxxxvii. 3.) Thus does the Divine spend to aid our feeble faith, by such sensible But none of these things which are spoken, can grand and magnificent enough. The pearls are gold and the crystal, the honour of kings, and are govern, all fall inconceivably short of that glove not seen, nor ear heard, nor, active and boundless imagination may seem, has it entered into the conceive, what God has prepared for them that regions of perpetual day, of everlasting security temple, the whole of which shall be replenished sensible tokens of his presence. (1 Cor. ii. 9.) And who shall abide in this thy tabernacle? in this thy holy hill? They who are written in life, they whom God has, from the beginning, through sanctification of the Spirit, and belief of predestinated to the adoption of children, thro' unto himself. And who are these? None that such a degree of it, that, like the moon with respect to us, it shall move round its axis, while it performs its periodical revolution round the central body; and so as to turn always the same face towards it; so that one hemisphere shall be always enlightened by the sun, and the want of it in the other, shall be supplied by a supernatural light. But the four dark corners, (which where they are it is difficult to say,) shall be the habitation of Gog and Magog. It is hard to determine whether this agrees less with the description here given, or the principles of good philosophy. See Whist. Theory, p. 447. But this is not a place to canvass such an hypothesis, nor is it necessary, after what his antagonist Keil has said concerning it. This gentleman also, thinks a comet shall remove the moon from its orbit, so that it shall be converted into a primary planet, as he thinks it would have been at the flood, had it not been prevented by a peculiar providence. But only those, &c.] As it is certain, that nothing profane, abominable, and false, can here be considered as written in the book of life, this is another text to be added to the large catalogue I have given of John xviii. 12, where signs is to be considered, not as an exception, but adversities particle. See Vol. II sect. 179, note 1. * There are many beautiful ideas in the description, which I have not collected together in this improvement, as some of them have been taken notice of before, and some occur in the next chapter. The vision of the tree of life. profane; none that work abomination and a lie; but the pure and pious, the humble and the holy. Form us, O Lord, to this character by thy grace: and never let the gaudy giare of sensual enjoyments, and worldly possessions, turn our eyes from contemplating this glorious sight, or alienate our hearts from the pursuit of this blessedness; till, having heard of it by the hearing of the ear, and believing the faithful report, our eyes shall behold those Divine substantial glories, which these emblems, resplendent as they are, can but imperfectly represent. In the mean time, O Lord, lead us onwards through what dark and gloomy path thou pleasest, to these abodes of light and glory; determine for us in what cottages we shall lodge, though ever so mean and obscure, while we are pursuing our journey to this royal, this imperial palace. The apostle hath a further vision of the river of life, and of the tree of life; describes the happiness of the inhabitants of the New Jerusalem, and receives a further message from God by an Angel, before whom he is about to renew his prostration; but is forbidden. Rev. XXII. 1—9. REV. XXII. 1. AND he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God, and of the Lamb. REVELATION XXII. 1. AND having given me this view of the holy city, he, that is, the angel who condescended to be my guide on this occasion, shewed me the pure river of the water of life, which was clear as crystal, issuing out of the throne of God, and of the Lamb; an emblem of that perpetual life, and overflowing joy, which shall be the portion of all the blissful inhabitants In the midst of the street of it, and of either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. of the New Jerusalem. And in the midst of the street of it, and on the one side and the other of the river, [was] the tree of life, (Gen. iii. 3, 22,) producing twelve different [kinds of] fruits; every month producing one [kind of] fruit; to signify the permanency and variety of those delights, which spring up there. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations; beneath their salutary shade no disease shall ever invade the nations of the saved, but perpetual health shall flourish among them: And there shall (Zech. xiv. 11.) And whereas in the earthly paradise satan insinuated himself into the minds of the first parents of the human race, and the new born glories of the creation were VOL. 6. The happiness of the New Jerusalem cestri blasted by the curse which he introduced; in the heavenly paradise every fatal effect of the former curse shall cease, and no new evil shall ever arise; and the throne of God, and the Lamb, upon which the Father and the Son sit together, shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him, in the sacred offices of his temple, with far greater advantage than they have ever before done; And they shall see his face shining with unclouded lustre; and, in token of their perpetual devotedness to him, his name [shall be borne] upon their foreheads, as the name of God was on that golden plate which the Jewish high priest wore on his. And, to complete their happiness, there shall be no night there; and so they can have no need of a lamp, nor indeed of the light of the sun itself, that glorious fountain of lustre to this lower world, because the Lord God shall enlighten them with the light of his own holiness and glory; and they shall reign as kings for ever and ever, and enjoy an immortal life, far more delightful, splendid, and magnificent, than any monarch on earth has ever known. And when he had said this to me, he added, Though these words which I have spoken, be token such glorious things, that they may seem in a manner incredible, yet is not the divine bounty and munificence to be estimated by any human standard; they [are] therefore to be received, and depended upon, as faithful and true. And these things, O John, are intended, not merely for thy own instruction and consolation, and much less for the gratification of thy curiosity; but the Lord God of the holy prophets has sent his angel, to shew to his Every curse shall cease.] So the late learned bishop of London, I think very justly renders these words, which are plainly limited to the inhabitants of the new Jerusalem, and must certainly, therefore, refer to the final state of happiness, after the resurrection: till which time all the saints of preceding ages will remain under the power of death, as to their body, and the effect of the first curse be written in their dust. Name upon their foreheads.] It hath (bewhere been observed, (sect. xvi. 20: 1) that there was a custom prevailing among many of the heathen, to inscribe on the foreheads the names, or symbolical marks, of the deity they worshipped; but the near connection between this clause, and that which related to their serving God in the offices of devotion, (for that eagese signifies,) makes me think it more natural, to refer this to the inscription of Holiness to Jehovah, written on the mitre of the high priest; and so it naturally leads us to reflect upon that intimate approach to the blessed God with which all these happy souls shall be honoured. Has sent his angel.] Perhaps the These glorious things St. John saw. servants, what must quickly be done, and to represent scenes, which it shall not be long ere they begin to open, though it may be long before they close. Yet, on the whole, I may in his name declare, Behold, I come quickly to call my servants to an account : and blessed [is] he who keeps and strictly observes, the words of the prophecy of this book ; for they will in such a manner direct his course, as that he shall escape many dangerous rocks, on which multitudes shall suffer shipwreck, to their eternal ruin. And I John, who wrote this book, am the person who saw and heard these things ; and when I heard and saw [them,] I was so powerfully affected, that I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel who shewed these things to me, forgetting the manner in which the same kind of homage had lately been refused, upon a like occasion. And he also said to me, as the angel had before done, (chap. xix. 10.) See [thou do it] not, for I am a fellow servant with thee, I am subject to the same Lord, and share in the duty and service of thy brethren the prophets, and of those who keep the words of this book,ᵈ which thou art now commanded to write : worship God alone, and divide not thy religious homage, between him and any creature, how exalted and excellent soever. IMPROVEMENT. WE will not now employ our time in reviewing the infirmity verse of this holy apostle, who seems again to have fallen into the same danger of idolatry from which he had so lately been recovered. Nor will we stay to examine, whether he took this angel for our Lord Jesus Christ, as some have imagined ; or to determine what homage it was he attempted to pay. Let us content ourselves, for the present, with reflecting, how necessary it is we should be on our guard, against exceeding in our esteem and affection for creatures who have been the means of conveying postle might think this angel to be Christ, and that he speaks of his own coming in the following verse. But Dr. Calamy argues the Deity of Christ from these words, which he thinks the context proves to be applicable to him. Compare verse 16. Cal. on Trin. Serm. ii. . 41. ᵈ Keep the words of this book.] There are indeed a multitude of things contained in this book, which are of such a nature, that whoever pays a due regard to them, must necessarily be a true Christian, and entitled to all the blessings and promises of the gospel. Reflections on our account of the tree of life. to us signal advantages, and especially assisting our views of the xxvi. New Jerusalem: To the contemplation of which, may we now return with new and growing delight. verse 1,2 Let us raise our eyes to the water of life, which issues from the throne of God and the Lamb: to the tree of life, which grows on its banks, and produces such a variety of fruit, both for food and refreshment, and for the healing of the nations; to that more ex- 3 cellent paradise, in which there shall be no curse, where, from the throne of God and of the Lamb, shall be scattered ten thousand blessings, on all his servants; who shall there serve him, with everlasting, with increasing delight, being admitted to see his 4 face, and exulting in their having the name of God written upon their foreheads; which they reckon a brighter and nobler ornament, than the most glorious crown, or diadem, without such an 9 inscription, could be. These are the words of truth and faithfulness; and, as such, may our faith embrace them and our souls ever rest upon them. O that we may feel our thirst after this water of life, our hunger after this fruit of the tree of life, more powerfully excited. We shall, in both respects, be satisfied in the proper season; and, in the mean time, God will send us some refreshments, during our continuance in the wilderness. Already are we, if 3 we are true believers, delivered from the curse; and those things, which were the original effects and consequences of it, shall be overruled by our gracious God, and converted into a blessing. And O, may Divine love, and every genuine regard to God and to the Lamb, prevail and govern in our hearts; and may our lives be devoted to that service, in which we hope our eternity will be employed. Have we not already, as it were, received the mark of God in our foreheads? Have we not solemnly enlisted ourselves to fight under the banner of Christ? Have we not, in repeated and most affecting solemnities and ordinances of his own institution, declared our desire of being for ever devoted to him? O let us ever remember the sacred engagement. Let holiness to the Lord be written on our hearts, as well as on our foreheads. Let all our affections, and all our faculties, all our possessions, and all our pursuits, be consecrated to God. To bear this name and inscription, will now, even in this dark and benighted world, shed a glory around us. It will be as a sacred guide to our ways, it will cheer and animate our hearts, it will bring down to us many a delightful foretaste of that world, where, in his light, we shall see light, and where we shall reign with him for ever and ever. Amen. The future state is unalterable. Christ admonishes the apostle, to discover to the had been revealed to him; and solemnly declares coach, to fix the eternal state of men according to and works. Rev. XXII. 10—15. REVELATION XXII. 10. AND he, that is, our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom I received this revelation, said unto me, Seal not up the words of the prophecy of this book, so that they should not be immediately perused; for the time is near, in which the accomplishment of these things shall begin. Yea, the time is just approaching, when the last seal shall be set upon the characters of men, and when it shall be said on the one hand, Let him that is unjust, be unjust still; and let him that is polluted be polluted still; for no more opportunities shall ever be granted for reforming what hath been amiss, and recovering the unrighteous and polluted soul to rectitude and purity. And, on the other hand, it shall be said, Let him that is righteous, be righteous still; and let him that is holy, be holy still; nothing shall ever happen to bring the virtues and graces of good men into any future danger, or under any cloud; but their righteousness and their holiness shall for ever shine; yea, shine with an increasing lustre. And, to confirm this, Behold I come quickly; I shall be manifest ere it be long; and my reward both of grace and vengeance, [is] with me; and I will recompense to every man according as his works shall be, whether it shall appear, on an impartial examination, to have been good or evil. And, to confirm it further, I repeat it again, I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last; and what I say may be depended upon as the words of invariable fidelity; Hear them therefore with attention and regard. And, since my nature and perfections are immutable, see that the necessary change be made in yourselves, in order to And he, that is, our Lord Jesus Christ.] Many following words, and especially verse 12, prove that our Lord's here meant. But it is a remarkable instance of the reference of a relative to remoter antecedent: a figure of speech which I have taken notice of upon man former occasions. Heb. vii. 2. note 2. Reflections on the unalterable nature of the future state. your obtaining that happiness of which your sins may now render you incapable. Happy [are] they, and they alone, who do his commandments, and so prepare for his important appearance; that they may have the privilege [to eat] of the tree of life; and they shall freely enter by the gates into the glorious city b I have described, and have their perpetual abode there. But, without, [are] the unclean, who merit no better a name than that of dogs, as they debase their rational faculties to the service of detestable lusts; and sorcerers, and fornicators, and murderers, and idolaters, who may justly be ranked together as the most abominable of sinners; and with them must be ranked too, every one who loveth and maketh a lie, c who forges falsehood, and practises it, or acts in any allowed contradiction to the great eternal rule of truth and rectitude. IMPROVEMENT. Let us be very thankful, that the words of this prophecy are not sealed from us; but that truths, in which we have so important a concern, are so plainly published and proclaimed. The time is near, when a seal will be set on the characters of men: blessed be God, he who is now unrighteous and polluted, may be purified and reformed, justified and saved. Adored be that grace, that waits so long upon sinners! But the Divine long sufferin towards them will have its period: yet a little while, and Jesus comes, to render to every man according to his works. May we then be fixed in a world of immutable holiness and happiness. The Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, has discovered to us many evangelical truths in this mysterious book. He hath directed our eyes to the Lamb that was slain to redeem us to God by his blood; and hath shewed us the saints in glory, laying down their crowns in his presence and ascribing the praise of all their salvation to him; but he hath shewn us nothing that is inconsistent with the necessity of real and universal holiness. Yea, he himself proclaims them alone to be entitled to enter the gates of the new Jerusalem, and to eat of the fruit of the tree of life, who do God's commandments. Let us not, therefore, deceive ourselves with vain words, nor attend to any who would b Who do his commandments, &c.] This promise to all that do his commandments, that they shall enter into the gate of the city, here described, evidently proves it to refer to that state of future happiness which all good men shall finally enjoy. Compare verse 18, 19. c Every one who loveth and maketh a lie] Though idols are called lies, yet as idolaters had been mentioned before as excluded out of this New Jerusalem, I think it most natural to understand this clause in the sense given in the paraphrase. It is Christ who testifies the words of this prophecy. sophisticate the word of God, and fixing their view only on some set. detached passages of it, enervate, by their unguarded interprexxvii. tations, its general scope and meaning. Let us, in reviewing verse scripture, observe what God commands and requires, and com- 15 pare it with what he forbids, that we may thereby impartially judge and try ourselves. And how free soever we may be from any of the grosser crimes here enumerated, such as fornication, murder and idolatry, let us not allow ourselves in the love and practice of any thing inconsistent with the immutable rule of righteousness and truth; as well knowing every allowed and continued indulgence of that kind, to be utterly irreconcileable with a well grounded hope of inheriting eternal life. May it please thee, O Lord, to inscribe all these laws upon our hearts; that our joy, in the hope and prospect of the promised blessedness, may rise in proportion to our acquaintance with thy unerring word, and the impartiality and diligence with which we trace the actions of our lives, and the affections of our hearts, in comparison with it, and reduce them to a holy conformity to its precepts. Parallels: Titus 50 Our Lord Jesus Christ repeats his august titles, and gracious invitation; warns us of the dreadful doom of him who shall add to, or take from his words; and declares his purpose of coming quickly; to which St. John adds his hearty assent, and concludes with his apostolical benediction. Rev. XXII. 16, to the end. REV. XXII. 16. I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright and morning Star. REVELATION XXII. 16. AND now to conclude the whole; be it sect. known to every one, who reads these xxviii. words, and let it be seriously considered by Rev. xxii. 16 him, that I Jesus the Son of God, the Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last, have sent my beloved disciple and apostle John, as my messenger, to testify these things to you, in the several churches into whose hands this may come. And let it also be remembered, in order to add a due weight to the testimony, that I am the Root and the Offspring of David, by whose Divine power David himself was made, though as to my human nature, I have condescended to ally myself to him, and be born from his house: I am the bright and the morning Star, who wear a glory exceeding that of the most brilliant celestial luminary, and And the Spirit usher in a glorious and eternal day. And 17 and the bride say, the great substance and design of the message is, to awaken in the minds of all to whom it If any one add to them, God will severely put comes, an earnest desire of those blessings which from this throne of my glory I am to dispense. And accordingly I do now anew publish the invitation: the Spirit with which I inspire my servants, and the bride, the church to whom I am espoused, concur to say, Come; and let him, even every one that heareth, say, come. Let every one echo the invitation, and let my people, in all ages, consider it as their duty to do it. And let him that is thirsty, come; and whosoever will, let him apply to me in my appointed way, and receive of the waters of life freely: a behold it flows in a full current from my throne; and if any man do not receive a part or share of it, without money, and without price, the fault is only chargeable upon himself. This important testimony I commission my servant to bear: and I also testify to every one that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man add unto these things, God shall add unto him, and bring upon him, the most terrible of those plagues which are written in this book: b he will, by any designed addition to them, or corruption of them, make himself highly criminal, and eternally miserable. And if any one take any from the words of the book of this prophecy, with a design thereby to diminish in any degree, by the omission of what is disagreeable to him, or others whom he may desire a Whosoever will, let him receive, &c.] Such a declaration of free grace seems to have been wisely inserted just in the close of the sacred canon, to encourage the hope of every humble soul, that is truly desirous of the blessings of the gospel; and to guard against those suspicions of Divine goodness which some have so unhappily abetted. The word ἑρφανία, which we render take, does often signify receive; and the word ἄρφαν, is as much as gratis, which implies the freedom of the gift; and I think it may probably refer to that celebrated invitation, Isa. lv. 1. He, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy and eat, my wine and milk without money, and without price. b If any man add to, &c.] It is true, this particularly refers to the book of the Revelation; but the parity of reason extending to other books, I doubt not the terror of the threatening does so too. God forbid we should imagine every honestly mistaken criticism, where there is a question of receiving or excluding any particular verse, should affect a man's salvation, in consequence of what is here said. But I think such a passage should make men very cautious, that they may not rashly incur any censure on this account; though undoubtedly the terror of the threatening is planted against any designed erasement or addition. I shall conclude this note with declaring, that I have endeavoured to carry on my commentary on the sacred books with this thought in my view, and that I have neither designedly attempted to establish any thing, which did not appear to me to be a doctrine of scripture, nor drop any thing which did appear so. And whereinsoever, through human infirmity, and the want of a closer and more accurate attention, I have failed either way, I commit myself to the mercy of that Redeemer, whose word it is, and whose interest I have faithfully endeavoured to serve. like manner, if any one take away from them. to please and favour, God will severely punish such a sacrilege, and take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and the glorious things, even the invaluable blessings which are written, and described in the preceding passages of this book.c He who testifies these important things, says, and leaves it as his parting warning with all that read them, Surely I come quickly. My soul, while I write it, replies, and let every reader reply with me from his heart, Amen, even so, come Lord Jesus; come surely, and quickly, as thou hast said; for all our highest and sublimest hopes depend upon the blessed and glorious day of thy appearance. In the mean time, let the churches to whom these messages are especially directed and inscribed, receive my most affectionate wishes, my most solemn benediction, which I express in this one ardent prayer: May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, even all the invaluable effects of his favour, and above all, the abundant communications of his Spirit, [be] with you all, and with all Christians, to whom these words may come, unto the end of the world. Amen. IMPROVEMENT. How sweetly and delightfully does the canon of scripture conclude, leaving as it were, the music of heaven upon the attentive ear. "O thou blessed Root and Offspring of David, O thou bright and morning Star, impress on all our hearts these thy gracious words, which thou hast condescended to speak from the throne of thy glory; thereby, as it were, to aid the weakness of our faith, in those which thou didst deliver, while dwelling in mortal flesh." Then did the compassionate Saviour proclaim, from an eminence in the temple, to a crowded assembly on a day of peculiar solemnity, If any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink. (John vii. 17.) And now behold he makes the same proclamation from his celestial temple; he points, as it were, to the fountain head of happiness, to the springs of the water of life, 17 c God will take away his part, &c] Since God threatens the plagues written in this book, and the loss of a part in the holy city, as what might be the portion of those who should presume to corrupt it, and such corruption might happen in any age of the church; I think it very evident, that the holy city, spoken of in the preceding chapter, is a representation of the heavenly state to be enjoyed by all good men, how applicable soever it may seem to any glorious scene preceding the final judgment; and that Rev. xx. 11, &c, refers to the universal judgment. OL. 6. Reflections on the conclusion of the Revelation. near the throne of God, and says, Whoever will, let him come, let him take, let him freely take of this living water; yea, and not content with speaking this language by his Spirit only, he calls on his bride, to lift up her melodious voice, to publish this kind invitation; he calls on every one that hears it, to echo it back, as if the excess of his goodness overcame him, as if it were necessary to his own happiness, that men should accept of their own salvation. With what sacred observance should these books be guarded, which contain a message of such infinite importance! Of what dreadful curses are they worthy, who presume to add to what is already perfect, or to take away from that which is in every part Divine. I trust none of us shall ever presumptuously attempt to do it: and may we be preserved from those mistaken interpretations, in consequence of which, we should teach the world, as by his authority, any thing which he has not dictated, or deny any thing which carries along with it the stamp of such an authority. "Have pity, O Lord, upon our weakness; impute not prejudices which thou knowest we do not allow; and give us a greater penetration of mind, to understand the true sense of thy word; a simplicity of heart, to receive it; an integrity, so far as the duty of our places requires, to declare it; and a zeal to inculcate and defend it." And while we are thus employed, or employed in any other services which Providence has assigned us, in our respective stations and circumstances of life; whatever labours may exercise us, whatever difficulties may surround us, whatever sorrows may depress us, let us with pleasure hear our Lord proclaiming, Behold, I come quickly; I come to put a period to the labour and suffering of my servants; I come, and my reward of grace is with me, to recompense with royal bounty, every work of faith, and labour of love; I come to receive my faithful persevering people to myself, to dwell for ever in that blissful world, where the sacred volume, which contains the important discoveries of my will, shall be no more necessary; but knowledge, and holiness, and joy, shall be poured in upon their souls in a more immediate, in a nobler and more effectual manner. Amen, even so, come Lord Jesus. Hasten the blessed hour to us, and to all thy churches, as far as it may consist with thy wise and holy councils. And, in the mean time, may thy grace be with us, to keep alive the remembrance of thy love, and the expectation of thy coming, in our hearts, and to animate us to a temper and conduct, which may suit the blessings we have already received, and the nobler felicity after which thou hast taught us to aspire. Amen and amen. The END of the FAMILY EXPOSITOR. AN INDEX OF THE GREEK WORDS AND PHRASES REFERRED TO IN THE NOTES. A. ἐν ἀγάθην μερίδα Luke 10, 42 vol. ii. p. 90 note g Εἰ τις αἰάθος Eph. chap. 4, ver. 29 v. p. 150 note p ἀγαλλοῦς Mat. 5, 12 i. 211 l ἀγαλλοῦς Luke 1, 14 i. 33 f αἴατη 1 Cor. 13, 1 iv 321 b αἴαταις Jude 12 vi. 349 a ἀγγαριώ Mat. 5, 41 i. 224 o ἀγγελος Acts 12, 15 iii 171 h ἀγγελος Mat. 24, 31 ii. 375 e ἀγώσω Θεω Acts 17, 23 iii. 260 l ἀγώθει Μυασανί Acts 21, 16 iii. 312 d ἀγραμμάοι καὶ ἰδιώται Acts 4, 13 iii. 47 i αἴατα Col. 3, 8 v. 269 b ἀγωνίζεσθε Luke 13, 24 ii. 135 b πρεχειν αἰδίως 1 Cor. 9, 26 iv. 281 k ἀδημονειν Matthew 26, 37 ii. 479 b ἀδῶ Ματ. 16, 18 i. 485 f—Luke 16, 23 ii. 170 d—Acts 2, 27 iii. 23 g— Rev. 1, 18 vi. 376 b ἀδικία John 7, 18 ii. 47 c—Luke 16, 9 ii. 166 e ἀδοκίμαι 2 Cor. 13, 5 iv. 481 d ἀδοκίμος 1 Cor. 9, 27 iv. 282 n εἰς ἀθίησιν ἀμαρίας Heb. 9, 26 vi. 68 h ἀθλησιν Heb. 10, 32 vi. 81 h ἐξ αἱμαίων John 1, 13 i. 28 l ἠρεσις Acts 24, 14 iii. 350 c—1 Cor. 11, 19 iv. 303 b ἰσθησιν Philippians 1, 10 v. 196 f ἰσχολοῦα Col. 3, 8 v. 269 b αἴησιν John 16, 23 ii. 462 e ὡ αἴηντι σε διδῶ Mat. 5, 42 i. 224 p ἰων Mat. 24, 3 ii. 359 d ἰων κίος 1 Cor. 2, 6 iv. 210 f—Gal. 1, 4 v. 12 d εἰς τὸν αἰωνᾶ John 4, 14 i. 170 l—John 8, 52 ii. 77 c—1 Cor. 8, 13 iv. 270 f εἰς τὰς αἰωνᾶς τῶν αἰωνᾶν Rev. 20, 10 vi. 495 g Index of the ανάκυψε: Luke 21, 28 ii. 376 f ναλωρ: Acts 20, 13 14 ii. 179 b ανάκυψε: Luke 9, 51 ii. 178 179 a b ανάκυψε: Luke 9, 54 i. 395 c ανάκυψε πυρ: Rom. 12, 6 iv. 137 f ανάκυψε: Heb. 12, 3 vi. 104 a ανάκυψε: Phil. 1, 23 v. 202 b ανάκυψε: 2 Tim. 2, 26 v. 442 c ναταυσε: Philem. 20 v. 501 e ανάκυψε: Luke 14, 13 ii. 144 f ανάκυψε: Luke 4, 17 i. 184 d ανάκυψε: Rom. 1, 4 iv. 9 d ναλαξασθαι δυησαι: Luke 1, 1 i. 21 b ανάκυψε: Luke 1, 78 i. 50 h νδριζε: 1 Cor. 16, 13 iv. 367 a ανάκυψε: Gal. 5, 7 v. 65 c ανάκυψε: Mat. 2, 16 i. 88 89 f ανάκυψε: Ἐντζησαι: των σωδαιναι: Acts 27, 40 iii. 387 f ανάκυψε: no more than πυρ: Acts 8, 27 iii. 115 c ανάκυψε: Acts 13, 8 iii. 182 f ανάκυψε: Ἐντζησαι: των Κυριω: Luke 2, 38 i. 76 m ανάκυψε: 1 Cor. 10, 13 iv. 287 f ανάκυψε: 1 Cor. 15, 32 iv. 352 k ανάκυψε: Ἐντζησαι: των Κυριω: Acts 4, 6 iii. 44 d ανάκυψε: Luke 24, 25 i. 217 m ii. 600 f —Rom. 1, 14 iv. 13 c ανάκυψε: 1 John 3, 4 vi. 293 e ανάκυψε: Mark 15, 28 ii. 540 e ανάκυψε: Rom. 2, 4 iv. 24 c ανάκυψε: Mark 8, 37 i. 490 g ανάκυψε: John 1, 16 i. 110 d ανάκυψε: John 1, 16 i. 110 d ανάκυψε: answerably to this Eph. 5, 31 v. 168 d ανάκυψε: Mat. 5, 25 i. 218 q—Luke 12, 58 ii. 124 125 g ανάκυψε: 1 Cor. 16, 9 iv. 365 f ανάκυψε: Acts 13, 45 iii. 197 b ανάκυψε: Acts 13, 45 iii. 197 b ανάκυψε: Acts 13, 45 iii. 197 b ανάκυψε: Rom. 1, 2 iv. 145 b ανάκυψε: John 4, 11 i. 170 k ανάκυψε: Luke 1, 3 i. 22 f—John 5, 3 i. 128 c, John 19, 11 ii. 530 f ανάκυψε: Luke 23, 15 ii. 521 d ανάκυψε: Luke 11, 20 ii. 110 c καθα: σαταρνισμα: Mark 14, 31 ii. 478 d ανάκυψε: Mark 4, 19 i. 362 a ανάκυψε: Acts 12, 19 iii. 173 m ανάκυψε: 2 Cor. 4, 2 iv. 407 b ανάκυψε: Luke 8, 42 i. 394 b ανάκυψε: Luke 8, 40 i. 387 n ανάκυψε: John 3, 36 i. 161 f ανάκυψε: John 20, 10 ii. 579 o ανάκυψε: Luke 6, 35 i. 301 c ανάκυψε: 1 Cor. 7, 35 iv. 263 f σον, an adverb Acts 27, 13 iii. 380 f συθ' τω Θω Acts 7, 20 iii. 88 b αχραππ Luke 11, 36 i. 352 f σωλια Eph. 5, 18 v. 162 c λακλοι 1 Thess. 5, 14 v. 323 b υδασπ Tit. 1, 7 v. 471 f υλομαλπ Mark 4, 28 i. 369 a υλος John 5, 20 i. 270 f αυλπ εσιν ερημος Acts 8, 26 iii. 115 b επι το αυλο Acts 2, 44 iii. 30 h—Acts 3, 1 iii. 33 a αυλπ John 12, 41 ii. 302 d αυλον, redundant Acts 10, 38 iii. 152 e αυλοι υμεις μοι μαρτυριε John 3, 28 i. 159 d απ' αυλων Luke 24, 31 ii. 601 k αυλοεις Acts 19, 6 iii. 281 b αφαγιζωσι Mat. 6, 16 i. 234 q αφαγισθιε Acts 13, 41 iii. 194 s αφαγιος εγενιλο Luke 24, 31 ii. 601 k αφ' εαυλων Luke 12, 57 ii. 124 f αφθαρσια Eph. 6, 24 v. 182 n αφθαρσιαν 2 Tim. 1, 10 v. 430 e αφθασιαι Luke 12, 10 ii. 106 e—Luke 17, 34 ii. 186 e αφες εκδαλω Mat. 7, 4 i. 243 αφικε το πνευμα Mat. 27, 50 ii. 554 l αφραγιες Heb. 12, 2 vi. 101 p αφρον 1 Cor. 15, 36 i. 217 m αφρονις Luke 11, 40 ii. 98 b αφροσυνη Mark 7, 22 i. 467 c αχρειοι Luke 17, 10 ii. 177 f αχυρον Mat. 3, 12 i. 107 k B. βαπλιζεσθαι επι ονομαλι Χρισι Acts 2, 38 iii. 27 b βαρεις Acts 20, 29 iii. 305 l βαρυθασιν Luke 21, 34 ii. 380 c βασιλικος John 4, 46 i. 182 d βαλεις Luke 16, 6 ii. 164 b βαπλοσογνησιε Mat. 6, 7 i. 231 h βασιζεσθαι Mat. 12, 24 i. 356 f βασιζεσθαι, και βιασαι Mat. 11, 12 i. 321 f βλασφημηνιες Acts 13, 45 iii. 197 b μυδεν ελαψαν αυλον Luke 4, 35 i. 120 e βλεπων Mat. 5, 28 i. 220 a βλεπαι 1 Cor. 12, 11 iv. 313 i βεωνλων Luke 18, 7 ii. 189 c βεαδειον Phil. 3, 14 v. 223 m βεαδειοιω Col. 3, 15 v. 271 d βεεχειν Luke 7, 38 i. 329 b βεεσοις μιας Heb. 12, 16 vi. 101 c βεεχον υμιν επιδαλω 1 Cor. 7, 35 iv. 263 b βεεχομες των οδονλων Mat. 13, 42 i. 348 h βεεσοις Mat. 6, 19 i. 236 a βυθος 2 Cor. 11, 25 iv. 465 d Γ. γαλαυμας επιλισα και η βραμα 1 Cor. 3, 2 i. 47 c γαμεισθαι Mat. 24, 38 ii. 379 a Index o the δίωσι Phil. 4, 6 v. 230 d δίωσιν John 5, 20 i. 270 f δίωσιν νυχίμ Luke 11, 53 ii. 102 m δίωσιν νυχίμ John 13, 2 ii. 408 a δίωσιν νυχίμ Acts 17, 22 iii. 259 260 i δίωσιν νυχίμ Acts 25, 19 iii. 363 d δίωσιν νυχίμ Luke 22, 17 i. 428 d δίωσιν νυχίμ Luke 6, 1 i. 280 b δίωσιν νυχίμ Matthew 10, 41 i. 421 f δίωσιν νυχίμ Luke 7, 41 i. 330 e δίωσιν νυχίμ John 1, 17 i. 111 e δίωσιν νυχίμ 2 Pet. 1, 3 vi. 244 e δίωσιν νυχίμ 2 Cor. 3, 11 iv. 404 b δίωσιν νυχίμ 1 Cor. 3, 15 iv. 221 d δίωσιν νυχίμ John 7, 22 ii. 48 f—Mat. 23, 34 ii. 352 f—John 19, 11 ii. 530 i δίωσιν νυχίμ, therefore Rom. 5, 12 iv. 58 b δίωσιν νυχίμ τσις κοιμηθίτως 1 Thess. 4, 14 v. 315 c δίωσιν νυχίμ John 6, 70 i. 453 f δίωσιν νυχίμ 1 Tim. 3, 7 v. 384 g δίωσιν νυχίμ τσις σαξέλθι Mark 16, 1 ii. 573 a δίωσιν νυχίμ Heb. 9, 16 vi. 65 c δίωσιν νυχίμ Luke 22, 20 ii. 429 e—Heb. 9, 15 vi. 65 a δίωσιν νυχίμ Mat. 4, 11 i. 121 r δίωσιν νυχίμ Rom. 12, 7 iv. 137 g δίωσιν νυχίμ πις τρισαλθιμ Rom. 15, 31 iii. 314 a δίωσιν νυχίμ Mat. 20, 27 ii. 260 h δίωσιν νυχίμ 1 Cor. 11, 31 iv. 308 o δίωσιν νυχίμ σι κακοι Mark 7, 21 i. 467 b δίωσιν νυχίμ Rom. 1, 21 iv. 18 k δίωσιν νυχίμ Acts 20, 21 iii. 302 c δίωσιν νυχίμ Eph. 4, 18 v. 146 b δίωσιν νυχίμ Luke 10, 27 ii. 84 85 c δίωσιν νυχίμ Acts 17, 3 iii. 250 b δίωσιν νυχίμ Eph. 2, 3 v. 113 f δίωσιν νυχίμ Luke 3, 14 i. 106 h δίωσιν νυχίμ Acts 23, 10 iii. 372 l δίωσιν νυχίμ 2 Pet. 1, 53 iii. 100 m δίωσιν νυχίμ Luke 22, 28 ii. 414 a δίωσιν νυχίμ Matthew 6, 26 i. 238 g δίωσιν νυχίμ Acts 13, 34 iii. 192 p δίωσιν νυχίμ Acts 26, 21 iii. 372 l δίωσιν νυχίμ τσις John 6, 45 i. 451 c δίωσιν νυχίμ Luke 7, 40 i. 330 d—463 h δίωσιν νυχίμ Jam. 3, 1 vi. 155 a δίωσιν νυχίμ Mat. 28, 19 ii. 627 l δίωσιν νυχίμ δίωσιν νυχίμ, &c. Mark 7, 7 i. 463 i δίωσιν νυχίμ Mat. 7, 29 i. 251 f δίωσιν νυχίμ τσις Mat. 22, 9 ii. 325 e δίωσιν νυχίμ 1 Cor. 16, 5 iv. 364 c δίωσιν νυχίμ Mat. 18, 31 ii. 32 f δίωσιν νυχίμ πις τσις, &c. Luke i. 72 i. 24 e δίωσιν νυχίμ Acts 5, 37 iii. 67 k Index of the πεος εαυλος συζηλυγες Mark 9, 10 ii. 5 c εδαταζεν John 12, 6 ii. 277 h εδατασεν Mat. 8, 17 i. 203 d εδρασκαν Gal. 3, 1 v. 34 a εγγατριμυθοι Acts 16, 16 iii. 238 b εν τω εγγιζειν Luke 18, 35 ii. 262 a εγενεο Luke 2, 46 i. 93 94 b—Luke 17, 11 ii. 191 h—John 1, 17 i. 97 e εγενεη Acts 4, 4 iii. 44 c εγεννησε Mat. 1, 12 i. 59 60 t εγω ειμν John 8, 24 ii. 67 d—John 8, 58 ii. 79 h εδειμαλισεν Col. 2, 15 v. 262 h εδησεν Mark 6, 17 i. 164 e εδησαν αυλο οθονιοις John 19, 40 ii. 563 k ει δε εδετασαν Mat. 28, 17 ii. 621 a εδοκιμασαν Rom. 1, 28 iv. 20 p εδραιωμα 1 Tim. 3, 15 v. 388 b εδυη John 1, 17 i. 111 e εθεασαμεθα 1 John 1, 1 vi. 276 a εθελο εν τω πνευμαλι Acts 19, 21 iii. 286 b ει, for ειπω Mark 6, 8 i. 409 h ει, to express a wish Luke 12, 49 ii. 122 a—Luke 19, 42 ii. 288 a εκ ειασεν Acts 28, 4 iii. 390 d ειδως Acts 26, 3 iii. 367 b ειε, since Eph. 3, 2 v. 125 b—4 21 v. 147 d εικη Matthew 5, 22 i. 216 i εικονα Heb. 10, 1 vi. 70 a ει μη John 3, 13 i. 153 d—Luke 4, 27 i. 489 o—John 17, 12 ii. 168 f—Rev. 9, 4 vi. 427 b—21, 27 vi. 506 g ειπαλει—οι παροχει υμας Mat. 28, 7 ii. 586 587 f ειπες, since 1 Pet. 2, 3 vi. 194 b ειπον αν υμιν, παρενομαι, &c. John 14, 2 ii. 433 e εις εκ των δωδεκα Mark 14, 20 ii. 418 h εις, for εν John 1, 18 i. 111 f—Acts 8, 23 iii. 112 f εις, of, or concerning Acts 2, 25 iii. 22 c εις, upon John 20, 25 ii. 609 b εις το, as Heb. 11, 3 vi. 84 d εις τον καιρον τον ενεηκολα Heb. 9, 9 vi. 61 e ις Θεον Luke 12, 21 ii. 110 d εισελθονλι Mat. 8, 5 i. 312 a ισηλθον Luke 7, 45 i. 331 h λα, now if Heb. 12, 9 vi. 105 f εκ πιστως, by Rom. 1, 17 iv. 15 c—3, 30 iv. 43 i εκ τω Θηριπ Rev. 15, 2 vi. 463 b εκδαλλη Luke 10, 2 ii. 37 c ω μη εκδαλω εξω John 6, 37 i. 448 b εκδικησον με Luke 18, 3 ii. 188 a εκδελιος Acts 2, 23 iii. 21 b εκκακειν 2 Cor. 4, 1 iv. 407 a εκεινος John 1, 8 i. 7 g—John 5, 11 i. 66 i πε επιτρεψαι Acts 26, 18 iii. 371 k επιτρεψαι στοιξιν τυς αδελφας σα Luke 22, 32 ii. 425 e επιτυσασις 2 Cor. 11, 28 iv. 467 i συλλα επιτιμα αυλοις Mark 3, 12 i. 290 e επιχορηλησαλις 2 Pet. 1, 5 vi. 245 g επιχορηλησαμεν 2 Cor. 7, 2 iv. 433 a επιγιε Mat. 18, 28 ii. 32 e εποιησε Mark 3, 14 i. 294 c ως επιτιτιν Heb. 7, 9 vi. 48 f επιτισα 1 Cor. 3, 2 iv. 215 b εργαζεσθαι βοασιν John 6, 27 i. 445 a εργασιαν Luke 12, 58 ii. 214 g εριυναλι John 5, 39 i. 276 e εριεθι τοις αρχαιοις Mat. 5, 21 i. 216 f εριεμμενοι Mat. 9, 36 i. 405 i ερχομαι, for απερχομαι Mat. 16, 28 i. 491 i ο ερχομενος Mat. 11, 3 i. 315 c εραλα τα προς ειρηνην Luke 14, 32 ii. 151 e εραλας τερι τη αγαβη Mat. 19, 17 ii. 226 c εραλαω John 16, 23 ii. 462 e εσθιλαμαπραν Luke 23, 11 ii. 520 b εσκηνασιν John 1, 14 i. 29 n δι εσοπλη 1 Cor. 13, 12 iv. 325 i τως αγγελικς—οι εσπικασι Rev. 8, 2 vi. 421 b εστροωσε Acts 3, 16 iii. 38 c εσυκοφανησσα Luke 19, 8 ii. 266 e εσχαλοι 1 Cor. 4, 9 iv. 230 b εσχαλας εχει Mark 5, 23 i. 394 b το εσωθεν Luke 11, 41 ii. 98 c ετοιμασαι Luke 12, 47 ii. 120 o εροτεφορνεσ Acts 13, 18 iii. 187 f ευμπαγισσπιαν Heb. 11, 35 vi. 98 d ευ Mat. 25, 21 ii. 389 b ευαγγελιζεσθαι Acts 8, 4 iii. 106 e ευγενετροι Acts 17, 11 iii. 252 e ευδοκησα Mat. 3, 17 i. 114 h ευδοκησιν Luke 12, 32 ii. 114 d ευδοκια Luke 2, 14 i. 68 69 l—2 Thessalonians 1, 11 v. 338 d μετ' ευδοκιας Phil. 2, 13 v. 210 h αι της ευερεσιας αντιλαμβανεμενοι 1 Timothy 6, 1 v. 407 i ευεργελαι Luke 22, 25 ii. 414 f ευργελεισμενοι Heb. 4, 2 vi. 26 f ευργελειζεο Luke 3, 18 i. 108 l ευδειας Mat. iii. 16 i. 113—Mat. 24, 2 ii. 374 h ευδειας εξελαλεν Mark 1, 43 i. 254 e ευδειας μετ'α στηδ'ε Mark 6, 25 i. 426 n οεμη τη ευδυναις Jam. 3, 4 vi. 156 d ευκαιριν Acts 17, 21 iii. 259 h ευλογηλος Luke 1, 48 i. 43 d ευλελια Rom. 16, 18 iv. 178 a ευλογων Luke 1, 64 i. 47 c ευχηχος Acts 8, 27 iii. 115 c ευπερισαίοι, αμαρλιας Heb. 12, 1 vi. 101 εστι ευγενε Mat. 5, 25 i. 218 q ευρισχος Rom. 4. 1 iv. 45 a Index o the εὐρισχῆι φεμίος, &c. John 1, 41 i. 130 h εὐροκλύδων Acts 27, 14 iii. 380 g ὑσχημῆνως Rom. 13, 13 iv. 149 i Ἰρατελία Eph. 5, 4 v. 155 g ἐφ ω πανίος ἡμαξίον, unto which Rom. 5, 12 iv. 59 d Ἐφεῖν—της Ασίας ἱκανόν οχλόν Acts 19, 26 iii. 288 e φίμωθη Mat. 22, 12 ii. 326 g φοβεῖο Mark 6, 20 i. 165 h χαρίσαν χαράν μοχάλιν σφυδά Mat. 2, 10 i. 83 m ἐχασίατο το βλέπειν Luke 7, 21 i. 316 e ὡς Luke 24, 30 ii. 631 a ὡς αἱ εἰπῆλ Mat. 23, 39 ii. 354 355 h Z. εὐκλῆσας τῶν πηδάλιων Acts 27, 40 iii. 387 f ἡλῆτε τὰ χαρίσματά τα κεμίτλονα 1 Cor. 12, 31 iv. 519 h ζῆμια Acts 27, 21 iii. 382 i ζῆμωθη τὴν ψυχὴν αὔλι Mark 8, 36 i. 490 f ζῆσαιν Mat. 13, 30 i. 366 d ζῶα Rev. 4, 6 vi. 400 c ζῶῆρω 2 Tim. 2, 26 v. 442 c ζῶῆρην Luke 5, 10 i. 126 f ζῶνας Mat. 10, 9 i. 409 410 H. ἡς or John 1, 21 i. 123 124—Mark 6, 15 i. 424 f ἡ, indeed Mat. 7, 9 i. 244 e ἡγαλίασατο ἑνα ἰδῆν τὴν ἡμέραν τὴν ἑμὴν John 8, 56 ii. 78 d ἡγγίαν Luke 21, 8 ii. 360 f ἡγορασά Mark 16, 1 ii. 573 c ὁ ἐγώμηνος τυ λογῆ Acts 14, 12 iii. 205 g ἡγωνιζοῦ John 18, 36 ii. 515 g ἡκ πᾶσιν οἶε εἰσιν ἀρχιεσθους Acts 23, 5 iii. 336 e ἡδῆ, even 1 Cor. 6, 7 iv. 244 e ἡκισατέ τὴν οἰκονόμιαν Eph. 3, 2 v. 125 b ἡκω John 8, 42 ii. 73 g ἡλθον Luke 24, 1 ii. 574 e ἡλικία, age Mat. 6, 27 i. 239 h ἡλικία, stature Luke 2, 52 i. 95 h ἡμελλον αἰλον ἀσφαλίδωναι John 6, 71 i. 458 g ἐν τυ ἡμέρα ἐκείν Mat. 13, 1 i. 355 a —Mark 4, 35 i. 375 a ἐν ἡμέραις ἐκείναις Matthew 3, 1 i. 98 e, Mat. 13, 1 355 a ἡμέρας γενομένης Acts 16, 35 ii. 407 408 a τὰς ἡμέρας Luke 9, 51 ii. 179 b ἐν μία τῶν ἡμέρων Mat. 13, 1 i. 355 a VOL. 6. 6 Index o the ιμαῖον Mat. 5, 40 i. 224 n ιὰ σκληρᾶη John 12, 38 ii. 301 a ιναῖν Mat. 27, 46 ii. 552 h ιὸν Jam. 5, 3 i. 236 a Ισδαίων John 11, 19 ii. 244 b Ισδαιν Ἰακῶς Acts 1, 13 iii. 87 a ἐπαγγελία Luke 20, 36 ii. 334 c ἀτα ὀἴνα Phil. 2, 6 i. 207 c ἐτήρησαί Gal. 1, 18 iii. 133 l ἐτήχους Luke 10, 27 ii. 84 85 c ἀκ τοχῶον Luke 16, 3 ii. 164 a Ἰωτικὰς δὲ ἐγέννησεν τὸν Ἰωακείμῃ &c. Mat. 1, 11 i. 59 h ἐνέλα Mat. 5, 18 i. 215 b Κ. καῖλα αὐτομῖος Gal. 4, 12 v. 52 g καθαία καὶ ἀμιανῖος Jam. 1, 27 vi. 144 k καθαρίσμην αὐτήν Luke 2, 22 i. 72 a καθαρησία 1 Cor. 4, 13 iv. 232 e καθίζοντες σοι γράψει Luke 1, 3 i. 22 g καθίζοντες 1 Cor. 6, 4 iv. 243 c καθίζοντες Jam. 4, 4 vi. 161 f καθᾶς ἐσθαῖον οἱ σκέψεις, &c. John 6, 58 i. 454 k καί, for η, or Mat. 12, 37 i. 344 c—Mat. 12, 50 i. 354 i καί, and yet Mark 9, 12 ii. 6 m καί, even Mat. 12, 8 i. 283 k—Mark 3, 19 i. 296 h—Mark 6, 4 i. 404 f— Acts 7, 5 iii. 81 e καί, though or nevertheless John 14, 30 ii. 443 g—John 17, 25 ii. 474 e καί, who Luke 15, 15 ii. 157 b αί, redundant Mat. 15, 6 i. 462 g αί, particularly Eph. 6, 19 v. 180 i καί, which Luke 24, 32 ii. 602 l καί, which Luke 21, 24 ii. 370 h καί, which μίλησακων Acts 24, 25 iii. 355 c καί, which Μικων Mark 11, 13 ii. 304 g καί, which John 18, 30 ii. 512 d καί, which ) Rom. 1, 29 iv. 21 f καί, which Mat. 27, 30 ii. 526 c καί, which 1 Cor. 10, 27 iv. 293 b καί, which Mark 12, 32 ii. 340 c καί, which Μικων Mat. 12, 12 i. 288 d αί, which Mark 10, 25 ii. 230 h—Mat. 23, 24 ii. 351 d καί, which Μικων καί, which Luke 13, 9 ii. 129 e καί, which 2 Cor. 2, 17 iv. 398 b αί, which Luke 10, 27 ii. 84 85 c—Eph. 4, 18 v. 142 b αί, which Mat. 7, 3 i. 142 b αί, understood Acts 10, 38 iii. 152 e καί, after the example of Rom. 15, 5 iv. 164 b —for Tit. 1, 1 v. 469 a —ἐνὸν Rom. 8, 27 iv. 93 g —καί οἱ, seasonably Rom. 5, 6 iv. 55 e Index o the ἀγινήσιος ἀναστασίως Heb. 11, 35 vi. 99 f ῥηναί Mat. 5, 40 i. 224 n ῥημα 1 Cor. 11, 29 iv. 307 n—Jam. 3, 1 vi. 155 a ῥηνα Mat. 6, 28 i. 239 : ῥηνα Acts 15, 19 iii. 220 c—222 g ῥηνα 1 Cor. 15, 39 iv. 356 c ῥησασθαι Luke 21, 19 ii. 364 m ῥησις Rom. 8, 12 iv. 90 a ῥησις Eph. 4, 14 v. 143 n ῥησις Mark 15, 31 i. 474 a ῥησις μυσις Acts 25, 26 iii. 365 g ῥησις Gal. 5, 21 v. 73 f ῥησθος Luke 1, 22 i. 35 k—Mat. 12, 22 i. 335 d A. λαβων Luke 22, 19 ii. 428 d ἐν τῷ λαλησάι Luke 11, 37 ii. 97 a λαβωνίω Rev. 22, 17 vi. 514 a λαβωνίω Rom. 5, 17 iv. 60 h λαβωνίω φροσφιεῖν τῷ Θῷ John 16, 2 ii. 455 b λαβωνίω Rev. 22, 3 vi. 508 b λαβωνίω Rom. 12, 3 iv. 136 d τῷ λαβωνίω Acts 19, 4 iii. 281 b λαβωνίω 2 Cor. 9, 12 iv. 448 d λαβωνίω John 13, 10 ii. 410 d λαβωνίω Luke 12, 59 ii. 125 h λαβωνίω ἑξασθατῶν Luke 9, 29 ii. 2 d λαβωνίω Mat. 21, 33 ii. 317 a λαβωνίω ἐξισανίω Mark 6, 51 i. 441 i λαβωνίω Rom. 8, 35 iv. 98 h λαβωνίω τι ὡς ἐξ ἑαυλῶν 2 Cor. 3, 5 iv. 400 d λαβωνίω Luke 1, 2 i. 22 d—John 1, 1 i. 24 a λαβωνίω ὁ λαλησά, ἐκείνος κριταί αὐλῶν John 12, 48 ii. 308 b λαβωνίω, matter Mat. 26, 44 ii. 483 g λαβωνίω τοῦ λυμῷ Luke 1, 29 i. 38 b τῷ λαβωνίω—τῷ δυναμίω, &c. Acts 20, 32 iii. 306 o τῷ λαβωνίω ἐκείνος Mark 9, 10 ii. 5 k λαβωνίω τῆς χαρλῆς Luke 4, 22 i. 186 l λαβωνίω Acts 5, 13 iii. 59 h λαβωνίω Tit. 3, 5 v. 483 d λαβωνίω Mat. 26, 37 ii. 479 b λαβωνίω 1 John 3, 8 vi. 294 i λαβωνίω Luke 11, 34 i. 351 b M. Μαγδαλην Luke 8, 2 i. 334 a μαγδαλην Acts 8, 9 iii. 107 g μαγδαλην Mat. 2, 1 i. 79 a μαγδαλην Mat. 28, 19 ii. 626 l μαγδαλην, for καὶ ἐμαθον Acts 23, 27 iii. 343 a μαγδαλην Luke 1, 48 i. 43 d—Mat. 5, 1 i. 208 d νεφίξιμι Tit. 2, 10 v. 479 a νεφαν 1 Tim. 6, 4 v. 410 c νε Eph. 4, 18 v 146 b—ib. ver. 23 148 h νυμφη Luke 12, 53 ii. 123 d νυχλημειν Mat. 12, 40 i. 347 f Σ. ξινιζειλαι 1 Pct. 4, 4 vi. 214 i O. οξι John 11, 39 ii. 248 h οξον Acts 10, 11 ii. 115 h οξονι John 19, 40 ii. 563 k οι, for τινε Mat. 28, 17 ii. 621 622 a οικειι τι Θν Eph. 2, 19 v. 122 k οικειι σιε Mark 6, 4 i. 404 f οικοδεττλικ Mat. 13, 27 i 366 c οικοδριμναι Acts 9, 31 iii. 135 r οικει Luke 2, 4 i. 68 d οικημνι Luke 2, 1 i. 64—Acts 11, 28 iii. 165 g οικηοε Tit. 2, 5 v. 477 d εν οικημνι μει σειδικ Acts 26, 28 iii. 374 q εοικηφον 1 Thess. 5, 23 v. 325 g οικοι αβρατον υγεν ετοισα John 7, 23 ii. 49 h ομθεοε Luke 12, 54 ii. 124 e ομοβυμαδον ηαν φωνν Acts 4, 24 iii. 51 a τον ομοιον τιλοι τροτον Jude 7, 6 vi. 346 c ομοιεταβη Jam. 5, 17 iii. 206 k ομοιετιλεπν Χρισον εν σαρκι εληλυβελι 1 John 4, 2 vi. 301 b μη ομοιαι οικε Mat. 5, 34 i. 222 i ονομα Acts 4, 12 iii 46 h το ονομα—εδικεν Acts 3, 16 iii. 38 c ια το ονομα μη Mat. 10, 22 i. 414 415 f ονοματα Acts 1, 15 iii. 8 c οπλα Rom. 6, 15 iv. 67 h οπλα δυτελ τα Θν 2 Cor. 10, 4 iii. 88 b οπλα σε ινδνιτ, &c. Acts 3, 19 iii. 30 c οσλεικαι φροσεχελ Mat. 16, 6 i. 479 e οσλε και φυλασεσεν Luke 12, 15 ii. 109 b οσβελιμνι τον λογεν 2 Tim. 2, 15 i. 378 k οσβελιμνι 2 Tim. 2, 15 v. 438 f οσβελιμνι 2 Tim. 2, 15 v. 438 f οσβελιμνι 2 Tim. 2, 15 v. 438 f οσβελιμνι 2 Tim. 2, 15 v. 438 f οσβελιμνι 2 Tim. 2, 15 v. 438 f οσβελιμνι 2 Tim. 2, 15 v. 438 f οσβελιμνι 2 Tim. 2, 15 v. 438 f οσβελιμνι 2 Tim. 2, 15 v. 438 f Index o the Greek words. φαρμισια Mark 8, 32 i. 487 a—Acts 4, 29 iii. 52 c παρμισιαζομενοι επι τω Κυριω Acts 14, 3 iii. 203 c φαρωξυγιο Acts 17, 16 iii. 256 a παζερα ιδιον John 5, 18 i. 269 c παζεραν επι τεκνα Luke 1, 17 i. 33 34 g παζρια Luke 2, 4 i. 66 d παζριδα Heb. 11, 14 vi. 89 n παιθω Gal. 1, 10 v. 15 i πενθερα Luke 12, 53 ii. 123 d πενθε Acts 7, 14 iii. 84 h πεπληροφορμεινων Luke 1, 1 i. 22 c πεποιμεινων Heb. 12, 27 vi. 114 q πεπραγμεινων αυτω Luke 23, 15 ii. 521 d περαν, about Mat. 4, 15 i. 100 b—Mat. 4, 25 i. 206 n δια τω περαν τω Ιορδανω Mark 10, 1. ii. 217 b περι παγιων 3 John 2, vi. 334 b οι περι αυτον Mark 4, 10 i. 357 g τας περι Μαρβαν και Μαριαν John 11, 19 ii. 244 b περιελονιες τας αχκυρας, εων εις την Θαλ-λασσαν Acts 27, 40 iii. 387 e περιεπειραν 1 Tim. 6, 10 v. 411 e περιεσπαλο Luke 10, 40 ii. 89 c περιλυπος Mat. 26, 37 ii. 479 b περιταλει 1 Pet. 5, 8 vi. 224 h περιποιειν Acts 20, 28 iii. 304 k περιποιησεως Eph. 1, 14 v. 105 o περισσον John 10, 10 ii. 206 f εκ περισσου ελεγε μαλλον, &c. Mark 14, 31 ii. 478 d περιφημαλα 1 Cor. 4, 13 iv. 232 e νσει περιστραν Mat. 3, 16 i. 114 g περπερος 1 Cor. 13, 4 iv. 322 f πεινια Mat. 6, 26 i. 238 f πιακυδιον Luke 1, 63 i. 46 b πιαξ Mark 6, 25 i. 427 o πεινινιε εις τον Θεον, και εις εμε πιενινιε John 14, 1 ii. 433 e πεινινιων εις τον υιον John 3, 36 i. 141 i πεινιως Acts 6, 8 iii. 75 k αι πιεως της εμελειας Col. 2, 12 v. 261 f πεις Gal. 5, 22 v. 74 g πεις, fidelity Mat. 23, 23 ii. 350 a πεινικης John 12, 3 ii. 275 d πλαλειας Luke 14, 21 ii. 147 e πλειον τουλων John 21, 15 ii. 616 a πλειονα Θυσιαν Heb. 11, 4 vi. 85 e πλεινιζια Eph. 5, 3 v. 155 f—2 Cor. 9, 5 iv. 446 a πληγας επιθενιες Luke 10, 30 ii. 85 86 c πληροφορμειναι Rom. 14, 5 iv. 154 c πληροφορνθη 2 Tim. 4, 17 v. 456 g πληραβημα πιετως Acts 1, 16 iii. 8 d- Index of the προσημειναι αλληλης τη τιμη Rom. 12, 10 iv. 138 k οις προσλιμασεν Eph. 2, 10 v. 116 l προθυμων Rom. 1, 15 iv. 13 d προσημειναι Thess. 5, 12 v. 322 a εακληληλημην 2 Cor. 9, 5 iv. 446 a προσημειναι Acts 3, 20 iii. 39 f προσημειναι Acts 15, 3 iii. 215 c προσημειναι Heb. 1, 7 iii. 22 c προσημειναι Rom. 5, 2 iv. 53 b— Eph. 2, 18 v. 122 i προσημειναι Luke 8, 43 i. 395 c προσημειναι Tim. 6, 3 v. 409 a προσημειναι Heb. 11, 6 vi. 86 h προσημειναι Acts 2, 41 iii. 29 c προσημειναι Luke 6, 12 i. 293 b προσημειναι Acts 16, 13 iii. 237 a προσημειναι Mat. 17, 21 ii. 13 h προσημειναι Acts 17, 13 iii. 260 l προσημειναι Mat. 2, 2 i. 80 d προσημειναι Mark 8, 32 i. 488 b προσημειναι John 8, 6 ii. 61 d προσημειναι Mat. 6, 33 i. 240 n προσημειναι Phil. 4, 8 v. 231 g προσημειναι Eph. 5, 2 v. 154 d προσημειναι Acts 17, 26 iii. 262 o προσημειναι John 1, 21 i. 123 c—John 7, 40 ii. 55 56 c— John 7, 52 ii. 58 l προσημειναι Acts 4, 28 iii. 52 b προσημειναι John 21, 4 ii. 408 a προσημειναι 2 Cor. 4, 6 iv. 409 g προσημειναι Acts 16, 12 iii. 235 g προσημειναι John 18, 13 ii. 495 a προσημειναι John 15, 18 ii. 251 d προσημειναι John 1, 15 i. 110 b—John 1, 30 i. 127 b προσημειναι Tim. 1, 15 ii. 451 d προσημειναι Acts 28, 7 iii. 391 g προσημειναι Mat. 1, 25 i. 55 f προσημειναι Col. 1, 15 v. 250 b προσημειναι Jam. 3, 2 vi. 155 b προσημειναι Mark 7, 3 i. 460 d προσημειναι Mat. 16, 18 i. 484 f προσημειναι Acts 12, 13 iii. 171 f προσημειναι Mark 9, 49 ii. 231 προσημειναι 2 Cor. 11, 29 iv. 467 k προσημειναι 1 Pet. 4, 12 vi. 217 c Γ. προσημειναι Mat. 10, 10 i. 409 h προσημειναι Acts 16, 35 iii. 254 b προσημειναι Mat. 9, 16 i. 391 d προσημειναι John 18, 22 ii. 505 a προσημειναι Luke 2, 33 i. 75 l προσημειναι Luke 14, 21 ii. 117 c Index o the συ δε ο αυλος ει Heb. 1, 12 ii. 79 h συ μονος σαροικεις—και υ κ εγνας Luke 24, 18 ii. 598 c συκριονιες 1 Cor. 2, 13 iv. 212 n συχρωνιαι John 4, 9 i. 169 g συζηλινιες Mark 9, 10 ii. 5 k συζυε γνησις Phil. 4, 3 v. 229 a συκην μιαν Mat. 21, 19 ii. 303 f. συλλαμδανα Luke 22, 54—Acts 1, 16 ii. 179 b συμδαλλισα Luke 2, 19 i. 70 m συμπεριλαδων Acts 20, 10 iii. 298 i συμπληρωσθαι Acts 2, 1 iii. 14 b εν τω συμπληρωσθαι τας ημερας Luke 9, 51 ii. 179 b συμφυλοι Rom. 6, 5 iv. 64 e συμφυχοι, το εν φρονινιες Phil. 2, 2 v. 206 a συναινι καρανοι, &c. John 4, 36 i. 176 177 d συναινιον Mat. 6, 2 i. 229 b συναινιωσθαι Rom. 15, 30 iv. 171 f συναινιωσθαι Acts 1, 4 iii. 3 d συναινιωσθαι Luke 10, 40 ii. 90 d συναινιωσθαι Rom. 8, 26 iv. 92 e συναινιωσθαι και τον αδελφων συ Rev. 19, 10 vi. 487 b συναινιωσθαι Acts 4, 15 ii. 45 f συναινιωσθαι ατυμαλι Acts 18, 5 iii. 268 f συναινιωσθαι 1 Cor. 3, 9 iv. 217 f συναινιωσθαι Mark 12, 33 ii. 85 c συναινιωσθαι 1 Cor. 7, 29 iv. 261 c συναινιωσθαι αυλον Mark 6, 20 i. 145 i συναινιωσθαι 2 Cor. 5, 14 iv. 420 c συναινιωσθαι Luke 12, 50 ii. 122 b συναινιωσθαι εκ των δυο Phil. 1, 23 v. 202 b συναινιωσθαι Luke 2, 50 i. 95 g συναινιωσθαι Acts 12, 12 iii. 170 e συναινιωσθαι 2 Cor. 2, 4 iv. 394 d συναινιωσθαι αιωναν Heb. 9, 26 vi. 67 g συναινιωσθαι τω αιωνος Mat. 24, 3 ii. 359 d συναινιωσθαι πω καρδιαν Luke 4, 18 i. 184 c συναινιωσθαι Mark 14, 3 ii. 276 e συναινιωσθαι Acts 19, 40 iii. 293 r φραδις 2 Timothy 2, 19 v. 440 a χημα σαραδις 1 Cor. 7, 31 iv. 262 d χημα John 7, 43 ii. 56 f αβηται Acts 4, 12 iii. 46 h ν ω δει σαβηται ημας ib. αβησαιμαι Mark 5, 28 i. 396 d αμαλια Rev. 18, 13 vi. 481 c σαμαλια ειδει Luke 3, 22 i. 114 g σαφροσυνη Acts 26, 25 iii. 374 p T. αλαγιον Mat. 25, 15 ii. 389 a * αμειον Mat. 6, 6 i. 230 g απωνοφροσυνη Col. 2, 18 v. 263 k απωνοσις Jam. 1, 10 vi. 138 f Index of the C Acts 17, 30 iii. 263 r Jude 16, vi. 351 g Phil. 2, 9 v. 208 d Acts 24, 23 iii. 353 g Heb. 8, 5 vi. 55 b Rom. 3, 19 iv. 38 k Mat. 10, 10 i. 410 k Mat. 6, 2 i. 229 c—Mat. 23, 13 ii. 347 l. Mark 12, 1 ii. 317 a Thess. 3, 5 v. 347 d Heb. 11, 1 vi. 84 a Heb. 10, 38 vi. 82 k Acts 20, 27 iii. 304 g Luke 2, 14 i. 69 l Acts 13, 17 iii. 187 c Gal. 5, 20 v. 72 c Rev. 9, 21 vi. 431 Luke 2, 7 i. 67 b Pet. 1, 21 Ap. 435 Tim. 4, 13 v. 454 b Jude 12, vi. 349 b Luke 15, 9 ii. 155 e Rom. 12, 10 iv. 138 i Rom. 15, 20 iv. 169 b Tim. 5, 13 vi. 401 l Rom. 13, 7 iv. 148 h Acts 10, 22 iii. 158 a Mat. 5, 21 i. 216 g Mat. 27, 26 ii. 534 q Cor. 4, 6 iv. 227 e Rom. 15, 5 iv. 164 b—2 Cor. 13, 11 iv. 483 a Mat. 16, 23 i. 489 e Rom. 8, 27 iv. 93 f Mat. 23, 33 ii. 352 e Luke 2, 9 1. 67 GENERAL INDEX; REFERRING CHIEFLY TO SUCH ARTICLES AS ARE NOT POINTED OUT BY THE RUNNING CONTENTS OR CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE. ished by the Roman numbers; and belongs to that which is mentioned Appendix as inserted at the End of dead in a figure, vi. 91 b his faith on this occasion remarkable, ib. a Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, where to be seen, &c. ii. 136 a banquet with them, what, 170 c The God of Abraham, &c. its meaning, iii. 336 i its force, ib. g Absence necessary to cure epileptic disorders, ii. 13 h Abyss, i. 384 Acceptable year, argument drawn from it, 185 i Acceptance of persons, what, iv. 26 g Access to God, what the expression alludes to, v. 112 i—by faith, iv 53 b Accused, who call Christ accused, iv. 311 g Accidama, ii. 565 iii, 10 g Achaia, iii 271 i Achaicus visits Paul, iii. 286 a Acosta, scourged by the Jews, i 413 e iii. 329 330 e Actions discover the man, i 246 i beauty in doing good actions, 273 the best possible to be reproached, 288 Acts, when written, iii. 1 a make a second part of Luke's gospel, ib. universally received by the first Christiians as sacred, 2 a caution relating to them, 324 c 369 g Part of the beginning introduced in this work, ii. 605 d iii. 2 s Acts of the Apostles, allusion in the epistles to facts not mentioned there, iv. 168 a 396 i—to facts that are, proves the truth of both, v. 292 Adam, of a man's leaving his father and his mother, &c. ii. 218 d formed first, v. 378 i the duty of wives to submit to their husbands argued thence, ib. his sin subjected the creation to vanity, iv. 90 and brought death on all men, 58 he was the figure of him that was to come, 59 g ddison, Mr. his remarks and criticisms, i 232 ii, 371 k iii 100 n therence to Christ, i 437 dmonition, how to be given, ii. 27 d this rule little minded, 29 Adoption, what, iv. 102 d Allusion to different forms of it among the Romans, 91 c Adamyttis, Paul embarks there for Italy, iii. 378 Adriatic sea, iii. 384 b Adultery prevailed much among the Jews, ii. 62 f in what case punished by the law with stoning, 60 b the exceeding sunfulness of it, 63 g may be committed by look, i. 220 b Adulteress and Christ, ii. 60 his judgment concerning her asked, 61, how dismissed by him, 62, omission of this story in many copies accounted for, 60 a she that is married to another while her first husband lives, iv. 72 yet divorce for adultery not forbid, ib b Adulterous generation, what it signifies, i. 346 b applied to the Pharisees, ib. 468 Advocate, what the name signifies, vi. 279 a Afflictions, their lightness and benefit strongly expressed, iv. 414 a Age, 2100 2100, what, iv. 210 1 1/2 g Elian, of the wonderful production of a serpent, ii 21 22 i Eneas cured by Peter, iii 138 Afflictions, their use, ii. 446 c the most painful to be submitted to, 447 no excuse for peevishness, 482 f all seen by God, ii. 627 the friendly offices we meet with under them an inducement to thank him, and take courage, iii. 394 Agabus, the prophet, comes to Antioch, iii. 164 g to Cesarea, 311 Against Christ, when, i 339 n not against him, what, ii. 35 c Aged persons, their duty, i 78 79 Agony of Christ, ii. 479 b an angel strengthens him in it, 483 f his sweat as it were great drops of blood, 484 k Agreement with God, when to be sought for, 199 200, ii. 79 125, iii 184 Agrippa made king, iii. 362 a his acquaintance with the Jewish customs, 367 b pays a visit to Festus, 362 f desires to hear Paul, 364 his audience before him, 366—375 Ainsworth, Mr. his account of the Passover ii. 495 c GENER Saul, 130 326 and restores his sight, 131 g naniias, the high priest, a person of an infamous character, iii. 335 c d orders Paul to be smitten, ib is smitten himself by God, ib. follows Paul to Cesarea, 345 nathema maranatha, the high sentence of excommunication, ii. 455 a. Propriety of it as used by St. Paul, 1 Cor. xvi. 22 ib. nathema. The apostle's meaning when he wishes to be made an Anathema, iv 101 &b Anathema maranatha, what, 370 e nd, sometimes put for Or, i. 344 c may be changed for Now, i. 439 b ndrew of Bethsaida, i. 129 one of John's disciples, 128 e 129 follows Jesus, ib. brings his brother Peter to him, 131 h is called by Christ to a stated attendance upon him, 192 i Time of his call, ib 194 a present at the miraculous draught of fishes, 195 c leaves all for Christ, 193 197—is chosen an apostle, 295, sent forth with them. 407 other particulars concerning him, 422 ii. 294 359 ngel appears to Moses, iii 91, this angel Christ, 95 b ngel, the angel Gabriel appears to Zacharias, i 22 45 is sent to the virgin Mary, 27 40 appears to Joseph, when scrupulous about Mary, 53 c informs the shepherds of the birth of Christ, 67 i, his glorification of God, 68 k orders Joseph to flee with Christ, 85 and afterwards bids him return, 89 Angel stirs the water in the pool of Bethesda, 268 g See Bethesda, is thought to have spoken to Christ, ii. 296 appears to strengthen him in his agony, 483 i rolls away the stone from the sepulchre, 575 the end of his appearing, 585 sets free the imprisoned apostles, iii. 62 orders Philip into the wilderness, 114 a 115 b appears to Cornelius, 114 c assures him of the acceptance of his prayers, ib. delivers Peter, when imprisoned, 169 171 h smites Herod, 177 c d appears to Paul in his voyage to Rome, 382 383 the name of an officer in the Jewish synagogue, vi. 377 d quickly after Christianity heathens spoke of angels, v. 263 l Angel of the churches, not diocesan bishops, vi. 377 d what is said to them is intended of the churches under their care, vi. 378 f 381 a Angels used as instruments in delivering the laws, iii. 100 m appeared often in human form i. 120 q their exist- GENERAL custom at feasts, &c. i. 234 r 331 332 g i Christ anointed by the woman sinner, 329 331 and again by Mary, ii. 275 this in Matthew and Mark the same story with that in John, 274 a 275 c 277 i anointing the sick with oil, why used by the apostles, i 422 Answered and said, may be sometimes otherwise rendered, i. 325 326 f, ii. 314 g what it intimates, 294 c Antichrist, in what sense he was come in this apostle's days, vi. 301 c Antioch in Pisidia, Paul and Barnabas preach there, iii. 185 a—210 revisit it, 229 d Antioch in Syria, who first planted the gospel there, iii. 162 a its success there, 163 164 the disciples first called Christians at Antioch, 164 f Antioch, the church there directed by revelation to send out Paul, v. 22 c Paul's contest with Peter there, 27, &c. Antipas, who, and the notice taken of him, vi. 383 f Antipater, concerned in seeking the death of Christ, i 89 l ntipatris, Paul brought there by night, iii. 344 b ntonia, a castle near the temple, iii. 319 n Paul carried there by Lysias, 320 ntonius, remarkable expression of his about God, iv. 133 f nxious care forbidden, i. 237 238 d e this not intended as a caution to the apostles only, 238 e such care highly unreasonable, 239 240, ii. 112 113 Apocryphal gospels, not referred to by Luke, i. 21 a pollo, whence called Pythius, iii. 238 c fled at the name of Jesus, 248 Apollonia, Paul passes through there in his way to Thessalonica, iii. 249 Apollonius Tyanaeus, many things said of him borrowed from the history of Christ, ii. 2 c Apollos, comes to Ephesus, iii. 276 277 e preaches at Corinth, 278 f returns to Ephesus, ib Locke thinks him the false prophet at Corinth, iv. 216 d why unwilling to go to Corinth, 366 Apologies, that Paul makes consistent with his inspiration, iv. 462 a Apostasy from Christianity fatal in the first age, though perhaps not so in those that follow, vi. 39 h—meant by sinning wilfully, &c. 78 a why expressed in such general terms, ib b among the Christians from Nero to Trajan, v. 444 a—before the second coming of Christ, 340 &c Apostates, the apostles reproving them with great freedom, shews they feared no discover they could make, v. 374 b INDEX. Ashamed of Christ, their portion, i. 490 592 thought of it may strengthen us against temptation, ib. Ashes, lying in them a sign of humiliation, i. 304 c Asia the Less, visited by Paul, iii. 202 &seq. 231 who is forbid to preach the word in Asia, which must signify the Proconsular Asia, 233 c remarks on this, ib. 236. Paul comes to Ephesus in the proconsular Asia, 280 where he preaches two years, 282 e Asiarchs, sent to Paul not to venture into the theatre at Ephesus, iii. 289 k Assembly's Catechism on the words, Thy kingdom come, i 232 k Asses used among the Jews by the most honourable persons, ii. 283 h Christ's entry into Jerusalem on an ass, 282 injustice of the ridicule it has been treated with, 283 h Assos, Paul goes thither on foot, and embarks for Mitylene, iii. 299 Atheist, the heathens called so by St. Paul, v. 119 d Athenian, remarkable account given by one of the victory at Marathon. v. 213 b Athens, Paul is conducted thither from Berea, iii. 254 h is moved, on seeing it enslaved to idolatry, 256 b this city noted for its love of novelty, 259 h Paul's address to the Athenians, 260—263 some of them believe, 264 Atonement for sin, the design of Christ's death, i. 126 a referred to by him, 447 f the life of our soul's depending on it, ib. 452 reference of the eucharist to it, ib. ii. 422 a Atonement as well as reformation necessary to deliverance from sin, iv. 347 b of Christ, shews that God is just when he justifies sinners, 47 g For what sins the sacrifices of the day of atonement availed, vi. 71 &d those sacrifices aluded to with great propriety, 70 b Attalia, Paul and Barnabas sail from thence to Syria, iii. 212 Atterbury, (Bishop) his remarks and criticisms, i. 245 g 317 h ii. 173 g iii. 361 m Aven gelon, a term of contempt by which the Jews called the gospel, instead of sacrifices, iv. 204 f Augustus orders an enrollment of the Jews, i. 64 makes Tiberius his colleague in the empire, 98 b the time of his death, ib. remarks on his name, iii. 364 e Authorities: Bishop Hopkins thinks essias means only such as are lawful, iv. 145 c disposed by God, ib a yet not so as to establish unlimited pas- INDEX. 27 a 29 c of the Samaritans, and Simon Magus, 108 i of the eunuch, 118 k l of Saul, 131 g of Cornelus and his friends, 155 l 156 of Lydi and her family, 237 of the jailor and his family, 24 i of the Corinthians 280 of John's disciples at Ephesus 281 b such as had been baptized by John might afterwards receive Christian baptism, ib Baptism, its perpetuity, v. 260 e no objection against water baptism, when it is said there is one baptism, 138 d commonly administered by immersion iv. 199 g allusion to that mode, 6 d—of infants referred to when children are said to be holy, 255 c a considerable objection against it removed, 47 g administered to children whose parents were Christians at the time of their birth, 64 c the answer of a good conscience in it, vi. 212 e obliges us to die to sin, iv 67 persons baptized not meant by enlightened, v 38 d no extraordinary illumination to be expected on its administration, 8 g Baptismal regeneration, v. 483 d Baptized for the dead, iv. 351 h Barabbas, preferred to Jesus by the Jews ii. 522 released by Pilate, 534 observations on it, iii. 37 38 b Barbarians, all other nations so reckoned by the Greeks and Romans, iii. 390 b 395 Barchochebas, where referred to, i. 277 g Barclay, Mr. his remarks, ii. 412 i iii 297 g Barnabas, [see Joses,] introduces Saul to Peter and James, iii. 134 n is sent to Antioch, 163 c fetches Saul thither from Tarsus, 164 e is sent with him to Jerusalem, 165 166 k from whence they bring John Mark, 179 b is set apart, and sent with Saul on a mission to the Gentiles, 180 e travels with him, 181—212 at their return to Antioch in Syria, acquaint the church with their success, 212 is sent with Paul to Jerusalem, 214 returns, 226 separates from Paul on a dispute, and goes to Cyprus, 228 229 remarks thereon, 229 their reconciliation, 230 c Barrenness, a reproach among the Jews, i. 261 some illustrious persons born of such as had been long barren, 34, 35 h the days coming, when the barren would be counted happy, ii. 538 Barrington, (Lord) his remarks and criticisms, ii 624 g, iii. 123 e 270 i 163 c 164 d 165 k 179 a 329 a 371 i ENERAL INDEX. 183 1 200 i 215 d 217 h 232 b 282 c Barrow, Dr. on the lawyer's asking the way to eternal life, ii. 84 a Barsabas, see Joseph called Barsabas Bartholomew chosen an apostle, i. 295, sent forth with the twelve 407, thought by some to be the same with Nathaniel, 134 ii. 612 b Barameus, see Blind Basnage, Mr. on the procurators of Asia, iii. 292 p Baxter, Mr. his remarks, i. 208 e, ii. 35 c, iii. 304 i Beadles sent with orders at Philippi, that Paul and Silas should be let out of prison, iii. 245 b 246 c d, tell the magistrates, that Paul insists on their coming themselves to do it, 246 Beasts, (vide animals) with seven heads, &c. what, vi. 450 a, what meant by its seven heads, 475 &c d—its mark, 454 m, its number, ib. n. The punishment of its worshippers, 458 &g approved by angels and Christ, ib. e f the other beast that ascended out of the earth, 453 h i is the false prophet, 470 d Beating of the rebels, a cruel practice of the Jews, iii. 320 o eatitudes, on the mount, adapted to the characters they are connected with, i. 207 208 a rather to be expressed by happy than blessed, 208 d chiefly to be understood of future happiness, 209 210 g repeated in the plain, 298 299 300 eautiful gate of the temple, iii. 33 c edford, Mr. on the wise men coming to Bethlehem, i. 83 n eelzebub, the same with Satan, i. 337 g its meaning, 336 f Christ accused of acting by his help, i. 336 401 p shews that he is no associate with him, 337 h remarks on the master's being so called, 416 eginning to do a thing, comment on it, iii. 2 b ekker, Dr. his opinion of demoniacs, i. 199 c elieve in his name, a Hebraism, 145 l elievers have the witness in themselves, vi. 313 g elieving that Christ is the Son of God, thought by Mr. Locke the only fundamental of the gospel, vi. 309 a Christians exhorted to believe, 315 a elieving in Christ, what, 426, iii. 242 o the jailor and his house saved by it, ib. p all that believe justified, 192 q good effects of it, i. 446 153 272 449 452, ii. 246 e 55 299 436 n remark on him that believes in Christ, 307 be- Bishops, a title given to the elders of the church of Ephesus, iii. 301 a 304 how constituted by the Spirit, ib. i. date of the distinction between them and presbyters, 301 a the Asian bishops no all present, 302 b nor Timothy considered as bishop of Ephesus, when Paul took his leave of the elders of that church, 303 c. Speech of James, no instance of his acting with the authority of a bishop, 220 c nor any one styled bishop of Jerusalem so early, 315 b Bithynia, iii. 233 Blackwall, Mr. his remarks and criticisms, i. 137 d 168 e, ii. 242 d, iii. 253 g Blair, Mr his observations, i. 207 208 a 209 g 210 h 217 m 222 g 224 p 230 g 233 p 236 a 238 c 298 a Blasphemy, all forgiven, but that against the Holy Ghost, i. 339 340, ii. 106 Christ charged with it by the Jews, i. 259, ii. 213 214 509 who speak many things blasphemously against him, ib. n Stephen charged with blasphemy, iii. 76 78 a the Jews guilty of it, 197 b 268 Paul and his companions blasphemers of Diana, 292 o Christians urged to blaspheme, 369 370 h Bless, how we are said to bless the sacramental elements, iv. 289 a Blessed, sometimes to be translated happy, i. 48 d 208 d Blessed is he, &c. ii. 139 how to be understood, ib. i. cannot refer to Christ's triumphant entry, ib. 354 h the cry of the multitude, 284 a cry we should echo back, 287 Blind, restored by Christ, i. 473 474 b, ii. 194 d one blind and dumb, dispossessed by him, i. 335 blindness and deafness, observations on it, ib. d two blind men at Capernaum receive their sight, 400 charged not to speak of it, ib. Blind man at Bethsaida healed, 482 at first can hardly distinguish men from trees, ib. but afterwards sees clearly, ib. Man born blind, cured by Christ, ii. 194, 195 questioned about it by the Sankewim, 195 affirms Christ to be a prophet, 196 his parents examined, 197 the man called again, 199 believes and worships Christ, 201 202 Bartimees, and another blind man, cry to Jesus to have mercy on them, 263 who touches their eyes, and they see, 264 265 the blind and lame healed by Jesus in the temple, 290 f Saul struck blind, iii. 126 inference drawn from it, ib. f Anania sent to cure him, 130 f Elymas struck blind, 183 GENERA Blind have no sin, meaning of it, ii. 204 a, internal blindness, by whom to be feared, iii. 184, blind teachers dangerous, i. 303 465 466, iii. 184 lood, the eating of it forbidden to the Gentile converts, iii. 222 244 245 g, remarks upon it, 242 241 s Blood of Christ, drink indeed, i. 433 f g, how represented in the sacrament, ii. 429. Wish of the Jews concerning his blood 533, this wish dreadfully answered, ib. n o Blood and water, came out, when his side was pierced 560, a proof of this the certainty of his death f, ib. g, his blood, the blood of God, iii. 304 k lood of Abel, what, vi. 112 m—of the Lamb, not the blood shed in his cause, vi. 419 c oanerges, whence applied to James and John, i. 275 e ochart, his remarks, iii. 86 87 a 387 f ody, unreasonable anxiety about it, i. 238, ii. 132 ody of Christ, meant of the temple, i. 145 282 f, the bread in the sacrament spoken of it, ii. 428 c, the regard shewn by Providence to the body of Jesus 565, sealing the sepulchre done to prevent any attempt, either to remove or embalm it 571, absurdity of the soldiers in saying, that the disciples stole the body, while they slept 592 d, this story propagated by the Jews 593, why his body might retain marks of the wounds after his resurrection 606 e ody put for the whole man, iv. 135 &b—spoken of as a tabernacle 415, &c. our care of it an emblem of Christ's regard to his church, v. 168—dead because of sin, iv. 85 b. Christians represented under the image of a body 315, &c. Bonds, prisoners sometimes brought to plead in them, iii. 375 r onnel, Mr. his Life and Harmony commended, ii. 504 b, remark of his, ib. ook of life, what, v. 229 230 c, vi. 390 g 452 g—in the hand of him that sat on the throne, vi. 404 a. Mr. Lowman's notion of the opening its seals 410 d Books, anciently made of scrolls of parchment, rolled on sticks, i. 184 d Born again, how to be understood, i. 148 c 149, children of God, born not of blood, &c. but of God 281 Bos, his observations and remarks, ii. 98 e 501 p, iii. 14 c 56 d 67 h Boxers, allusion to their manner of exercising, iv. 281 l m OL. 6. 69 where they hear Paul 366, &c. 378. Quarrell of the Jews and Gentiles during his imprisonment at Cesarea, and the consequences thereof 356 c Cesarea Philippi, reason of its name &c. i. 483 c, a different place from the Cesarea mentioned in the Acts, ib. iii. 120 o, Jesus goes thither from Bethsaida, i. 483, seems to be the place to which Saul was conducted, when the Jews were contriving to kill him, iii 135 q Caiaphas the high priest, probably deputy to Annas, when John began his ministry, i. 98 f, how mentioned as high priest, when the Sanhedrim met about Jesus, ii. 252 a, his prophecy 253 b 496, the Jewish rulers meet at his palace to consult against Jesus 400, where they are joined by Judas 401, Jesus led to Caiaphas 495, is examined by him 503, Jesus brought from thence before the Sanhedrim 506, Caiaphas, when the veil was rent, probably burning incense before it 554 m present in the Sanhedrim, when Peter and John were examined, iii. 44 d, seems to have been high priest, when Saul was commissioned to go to Damascus 123 c. See High priest Cainan, how inserted in Christ's genealogy, i 62 q Calamy, Dr. observation of his, iii. 303 e Calendars of the Roman and Greek church with respect to their feasts, i. 34 c Calf made by the Jews, iii. 96 Called the children of God, signifies really so, i. 211 k, to be called, sometimes expresses more than to be, i. 39 e Calling on the name of the Lord, what often put for, iii. 19 q Calling and election, Mr. Brekel's notion what the phrase alludes to, vi. 246 i. Called and faithful 476 c Calmet, his observations, i. 459 d, ii. 543 a Calvary, the usual place for executing criminals, ii. 539 Calvin, his illustrations and remarks, i. 263 e, ii. 161 m 325 f, iii 117 g 317 g Cambray, (Archbishop of) his Dialogues on Eloquentness, ii. 438 p, his remarks, ib. i 124 d Cambridge Manuscript, spurious additions in it, i. 285 a 454 h Camel go through the eye of a needle, a proverbial expression, ii. 230 h Camero, his observations, i. 460 d ii. 190 c Cana, Christ attends a marriage feast there, i. 136 a, where he turns the water into wine 139, comes thither again 181 e anaan, why entrance into it called rest, vi. 24 h andace, a common name of the Ethiopian queens, iii. 115 d Candle, or lamp See Lamp Candour and forbearance, iv. 199 imp. 228 imp. anticles, alluded to, in what Christ says of the bridegroom, i. 391 b Capellus, Lud. his observations and remarks, i. 460 c 462 g, ii. 373 g, iii. 33 c Capernaum, where it lay, i. 141 181 e 447 l, at least a day's journey from Cana 181 c, often visited by Christ 141 181—195—256—307—388, ii. 16, who dwelt there for a while, when he left Nazareth, i. 181, though, after he began his ministry, he never seems to have continued long in one place, ib. miracles wrought there 192 257 358 395 396 399 400 401 431, ii 17 f. Matthew called there, i. 260, makes an entertainment for Christ in his house 389 a, who had preached in the synagogue there, i. 444, &seq. many in this city offended, and forsake him 456 457. Denunciation against it for its impenitence 305, ii. 40. Sermon on the mount, preached at some distance from it, i. 308 b, the leper not cured in its neighbourhood 253 b Captain of the pretorian band at Rome, invested with the charge of the state prisoners, iii. 394 m, who held this office, when Paul was brought here, ib. Captains of the temple, who, ii. 492 o, present with the chief priests, when they consulted against Jesus 401, employed in seizing him in the garden 492, Peter and John apprehended by them, iii. 43, as were also the twelve apostles 64 c Carcass sometimes tied to captives as a punishment, iv. 80 n Carpenter, Christ despised as a carpenter's son, i. 403, called a carpenter himself, ib. might probably work at the trade in his younger years, ib. c, his condescension therein 406 Casaubon, his remarks, i. 266 l, ii. 20 g, iii. 9 f 74 h Castor and Pollux, sign of the ship Paul sailed in to Italy, iii. 392, the figure used to represent them, ib. h Cattle watered, or lifted out of a pit on the sabbath day, i. 286 c, ii. 132 d 142 f Caution for our conduct i. 125 cautions This entry is longer than a Bible module can hold. The rest is at https://www.sermonindex.net/commentary/doddridge/