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THE PB0FHEGIE8

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Of

fiBVELATION, DANIEL, ISAIAH, 4f^,

TBB 8B00KP OOMINQ

aa SAIIITS AT THl miBT BUOUKmOll.

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GALT:
rUfiUSBBD BT WILLIAM M AR€B,

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1860

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CONTENTS.

V.;!. -yr^?

The Vision of Jesus Christ.(chap. 1.)

The Epistles of Christ, the universal Bishop, to the seven
Churches in Asia ; extending through all Time to the Coming
of our Lord, (chaps. 11 and III.)

Christ revealed as a King seated on a Throne in Ileaven (chap.
IV.)

Christ revealed ka a Priest, the Lamb slain from the Foundations
of the tv orld. (chap. V.)

The first Series of Judgments inflicted on the Western Branch of
the Roman Empire, (chap. VI.)

The sealing of the British Nation from the Effects of the Seventh
Seal. (chap. VII.)

The Judgments and final Overthrow of the Church in the East-
ern Branch of the Roman Empire, (chaps VIII and IX.)

1 Christ exhibited as the Inflictor of Judgments, (chap. X.)

Epitome of the Church History, (chap. XI)

[History of the Church during the Pagan Period, being that of the
fourth Beast of Daniel, or the Roman Empire when under Pa-
ganism, (chap. XII.)
[istory of the Church during the Papal Period, when the Roman
Empire is divided into the Ten Kingdoms of Great Britain,
France, Austria, Spain, Portugal, Naples, Sardinia, and the
three Ecclesiastical States of Rome, Ravenna, and Lombardy.
(chap. XIII.)
'he Acts of the True Church during the first Period of the Infi-
del Ascendancy in the Roman Empire, (chap. XIV.)
Supplementary History, containing the Seven last Vials of Wrath
the sevenfold Act of Vengeance, commencing A. D. 1792.
(chaps. XV. and XVI.)

ly.

CONTENTS.

Hiitorj of the Roman Empire under its lost Form of Infidclitjr,
and during the Supremacy of the lafidsl Antichrist, (chap.
XVII.)

Judgment on Babylon the Great, the Mother of Harlots and
Abominations of the Earth, (chap. XVIII.)

Final Confederation of the Ten Papal Kings under their Leader,
the Infidel Antichrist, who is the eighth Head of the Beast
yet of the seven. The coming of our Lord with all his Saints ;
the fate of tlie Infidel Antichrist and the False Prophet of

Rome, and the utter Destruction of the Ten Papal Kings, with

heir conftderatc Armies, (chap. XIX.) ^'^ *^^ «,i^» :^?»^ *:fi

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Ilarlots and

PREFACE TO THIS EDITION.

Tuis condensed, but comprchcnsire, work \va3 tirst published
in London, in 1R29.

In u comparative small compass it contains the substance of
the large and expensive works of Fleming, Jones, Frere, Dr.
Gumming, Elliott, and other writers on Prophecy.

The work had a great circulation in England and Scotland, '
but is supposed to be now out of print, which has induced the
Editor and Publisher of this Edition to lay it again before the
public in a cheap and popular form.

What will render this work of great interest to the Religious
Public of the present day is the fact, that much which neces-
sarily was conjecture with the Author in 1829, is now a matter
of History in 1860 — and the inference is therefore fair, that
what is still unfulfilled may be as literally fulfilled.

There is no doubt that the great Religious Revival which is
now going on in many parts of Europe, America, and Asia, is a
work of the Holy Spirit — to prepare the Church for the speedy
advent of our Lord — and that the cry may possibly now have
gone forth "Behold the Bridegroom cometh." In which case,
does it not become the duty of the " Wise Virgins " to be t. t'U'
ming their Lamps and be prepared to enter in before the "Door
is shut:'

Should this little work, in any way, aid in this great and im-
portant preparation, the end desired by the re-publication of
this Book will have, in so far, been obtained by.

Gait, 8th February, I860.

THE EDITOR.

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PREFACE.

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It is admitted by all commentators, that the prophecies contained
in the Rerelations to St. John at Patmos are of a far more en-
llarged and comprehensiTC character, and inclado ampler revcla-
jtions of the will and purpose of Qod, than is to be found in any
(other prophecy contained in the inspired volume. The object
Ifor which this prophecy is given to the Christian Church through
Ithe beloved disciple is evidently of a consolatory character, and
[calculated to cheer the prospects and animate the courage of the
IChorch, during those various vicissitudes and persecutions
Iwhich should attend her footsteps under tho brutal oppression
lof the fourth beast of Daniel, or the Ptoman Empire, in its Pagan,
jPapal, and Infidel form of government ; and extending through
ill the history of the Church, until Christ himself sliould come
[and deliver his saints from the dominion of the fourth beast,
rhen the time should arrive when the kingdom over the whole
sarth should be given unto the Son of Man, and to tho Saints of
|tbe Most High God, who are to possess it for ever and ever. To
this period in the prophetic record, the author has given a con-
jcise interpretation ; which he does not oflTer as sufficient in itself,
(for the revelation is upon that grand and ample scale, that
lone can ever exhaust the comprehensive subject,) but rather as
guide for the students of this most blessed book ; in order, if
possible, to assist them in further research for its hidden treas-
ires. To those who have been so far enlightened by the Spirit
)f truth, as to have overcome the prejudice which is too preva-
lent against the study of this prophecy, nothing need be offered
is incitements to its perusal ; but to those who are still labour-
ing under this delusion of Satan, it may be as well to observe,
)hat such can have little conception of the rich profusion of Di-
rine treasure whieb is couched under this symbolical prophecy ;
)Oth as affording abundant sources of consolation to himself,

VIM.

PVLEVACt.

I !

) I

(M eompOAinff ono or the complete body of Cliriit,) and likewiie
M conUinlng in its ample foId« deep openingt of Dirioo truth,
•cattered like gemn throughout the whole. Such an eiuberant
collection of magnificent truths, and conTeyed in such spleuuid
imagery, is no where else to bo found ; so truly doei that bless-
ing of our Lor I, to whom the rerclation was first giren, and
then bequeathed to hi>« Church, descend upon the diligent and
rererent inquirer into these holy mysteries. " Blessed is he
that rcadeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy,
and keep those things which arc written therein : for the time
is at liand." (chap. i. 3.)

It will bo necessary to offer n few remarks on the internal
struoturo of the book, and likcwiae upon tbo nature of symbolic
prophecy. , ,f ,.

It has been laid dowu by an eminent commentator,* that a
symbolical prophecy should bo studied solely with respect to the
symbols, and the structure of tho book thus first ascertained
from internal sources, previously to any attempt being made at
an interpretation ; and the strict observance of this most impor-
tant rule is the only effectual preventative to the encroachment
of fanciful interpretations.

Tho character of symbolical prophecy necessarily affords a
larger scope to tho interpreter than the more literal ; because it
is not found difficult to mould events so as they shall assume, in
some one respect or other, an apparent assimilation to the pro-
phecy ; and thus a spurious interpretation has doubtless often
been presented to the church. Before any interpreter, therefore,
commences his arduous task of explaining symbolical prophecy,
he should take good heed to confine bis researches within such
limits as the prophecy itself will not fail to present, when its
structure and arrangement is determined from the symbols
themselves. Acting upon this invaluable and only safe course
to be pursued, Mr. Freref has rendered a service to the church

• Mcde.

t Thn author cannot omit expressing to this gentleman, his own sense of
obligation for the benefit and instruction he Ium roeeived from the ** Com-
bined View of tho Prophecies of Daniel and St. John ;" and also firam a
small pamphlet since published, entitled, " On the general Structure of
the Apocalypse, being a brief Introduction to the minnte Interpretation."
From both of these works he haa received much information necessary to
the arrangement of this interpretation.

PEBFACI. il.

which f he can f c*reeljr ever repft7» bj ciUblbhing the structure
of this Apocaljpse upon a basis of truth which nothing has artr
shaken ; and the interpretation which naturally flows in upon tb« '
erection of such a frame-work is the best proof of its aecuracjr ;
for that book, which furmurlj was considered enveloped in mjs-
ticism an I obscuritjr, will appear to those who studjr it upon
tliat gentleman's scheme, to be a bod/ of hearenly light scarcely
loss characterised bj the capacity and distinctness it casts upon
ererj other part of Scripture, than bj the simplicity and beauty
of the interpretation to which it conducts. The author refers
the reader to the pamphlet, entitled, "On the general Structure
of the Apocalypse, being a brief Introduction to its minute In-
terpretation, by James Uatley Frere, Esq.," which he would
recommend to his most diligent andaltentire ; ^rusal. He will,
howerer, avail himself of an extract, as compressing in a short
compass the arrangement of the prophecy, referring the reader
to the pamphlet itself for the arguments upon which it is foun-
ded.

TABLE OF THE CONTEXTS OF THE APOCALYPSE.

Chap. I. contains, in verses 1 — 9, a general introduction, or pre-
face ; and in verses 10 — 18, a vision of our Lord Jesus Christ,
referred to in chap. i. 19, by the words, "Write the things
which thou hast seen."

Chaps. II, III. consist of the epistles to the seven churches
which are in Asia, described in the same verse (chap. i. 19)
as relating to " the things which are."

The remainder of the Revelation consists of the prophetic his.
tory of future events described in the same rerse (chap. i. 19)
as " the things which shall be hereafter," and contains as un-
der, namely.

Chaps. TV. y. VI. VII. — The communication by the chernbic
voices, of the history of the Western Roman Empire; chaps.
IV. and V. being prefatory.

Chaps. VIII. IX, X. 1 — 7.— The communication by the voices of
trumpet angels, or the history of the Eastern Roman Empire ;
chap. viii. 1—^, being prefatory. ^ .. ; • ► ^ ■ '• * -• h^-.^ff - i

Chap. X. 8, to the end, and chap. XI.—The first part of the little
open book, communicated by " the voice from heaven," or the

PRBTACK.

hiftory of the church in brief; chap. x. 8—11 being prefa-
tory.

ChApf . XII. XIII. and XIV. — The remainder of the little open
book, eommnnicated by " the voice from heaven," repeat-
ing the chnrch history at large, or in the deUils of its three
succeasiTe periods. '

Chaps. XV. XVI.— The supplementary history, containing the
acconnt of the pouring out of the seven golden bowls or vials
of wrath, which are common to the lost period of the three
preceding histories.

Chaps. XVII. XVIII. XIX. 1— 10.— Tho explanation of the angel
relative to the first history, namely, that of the Western
Roman Empire, announced by the cherubic voices.

Chap. XIX. 11 to the end, XX. XXI. 1—8.— The explanation of
the angel relative to the second history, namely, that of the
Eastern Roman Empire, announced by the voices of the seven
trumpets. . -

Chap. XXI. 9, to the end, and XXII. — The explanation of the
angel relative to the third history ; namely, that of the church
announced by " the voice from heaven," and contained in the
little open book.

The author has one observation to make upon the nature of
symbolical language in general. Whilst this mode of instruc-
tion is the most comprehensive and durable, it is likewise the
most simple and natural. It is the universal language of man-
kind ; the heavenly method of teaching man truth ; for natural
words will not express spiritual things. Thus it is written in
the xixth Psalm, " The heavens declare the glory of God ; and
the firmament sh^^weth his handywork. Day unto day nttereth
speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. There is no
speech nor language, where their voice is not heard." The
same truth, that the visible creation is to be regarded as setting
forth the invisible, is declared by the Apostle Paul, in his
Epistle to the Romans, i. 20 : " For the invisible things of him
from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood
by the thingft that are made, even his eternal power and God-
head." This is the true character of symbolical language ; the
whole world is one great symbol, the perfection of the Deity

PRIFACE. 3K.

seen and known in all hig Tisible works : this ii the inbliae
origin of all s jmbols, and the onl j tme method of arriring to
the knowledge of any deep tmthi in the spiritoal and inrbiblo
world. We are hereby furnished with an argument in faroar of
the truth of onr holy religion, iu contradistinction to that of the
surrounding impostures of the heathen nations ; for if the hidden
mysteries of our religion are found enclosed in the fold of the vis-
ible creation, who could be the originator of that religion but the
Creator himself? For he alone who from chaos produced this
world of light, and life, and beauty, could shape things seen so as
to represent and shadow forth things unseen : who can know
the hidden mysteries of nature— but nature's Lord 7

As an illustration of the comprehensiveness of the symbolic
language, the sun and moon may be instanced, which the reader
will recognize as continually alluded to in Scripture, as symbo-
lical of the Sun of Righteousness, even Ghvist : and the moon,
as emblematical of his church, his chaste spouse. By an accur-
ate examination of the natural fact, and comparing it with the
thing signified, it will be seen with what exactness the one
shadows forth the other. The sun (as far as it respects our
planetary system) is an independent body of light : so is Christ
the source of all spiritual blessing to his church. The moon is in
herself an opaque body : so the church has neither form nor
comeliness, and possesses no beauty in herself, but as she derives
it from the imputed righteousness of Christ ; and being clothed
with which, she sheds her borrowed lustre upon a world lying
beneath her, in darkness and in error. The sun's rays are hid
from that portion of the earth, which is immersed in the dark-
ness of night, and is apparently all unconscious of his existence
—not so the moon, who still enjoys the full blaze of his efful-
gent brightness. Thus the true church can by faith recognize
and enjoy the presence of her Lord, and receive that consola-
tion and support from the light of his countenance, of which a
world, lying in wickedness, is wholly ignorant. The similarity
might be carried to a greater extent, but this probably wUl suf-
fice, as an example of the fulness of the symbolical style.

The author has annexed a short symbolical dictionary, in
order to obviate the impression that the interpretation of the
symbols is arbitrarily assomed, and likewise to assist the student

•t,-

xu.

PBErAOB.

of this iatoreiting prophecy. It if an abbreTiated extract from
Mr. Frere'i " Gombined View of the Prophecies ; " to which the
reader is directed for a more enlarged explanation.

Tht Karth ...•.•...

The third part of the
Earth

' * iff '» t . -. " ■•■'.'■.' t

The fourth part of
the Earth

An Earthquake

Sun

Moon

Stars

Heavens

Great Waters

Sea

Sea of Glass

Four Winds

River Euphrates . . . .

Beasts

Heads of a Beast. . .
Chaste Woman

The territories which were tlie seat of the
four great empires.

The Eastern Roman Empire, of which
Constantinople was the capital, being
that portion which fell to Constantine,
on the division of the empire bj Con-
stantine the Great, among his three
sons.

Italy, togettier with the Roman Province
of Africa, being one of the four prefec-
tures into which the Roman Empire
was divided bj Constantino the Great.
(Rev. vi. 8.)

A popular commotion, threatening the
overthrow of a kingdom.

The Lord of day, in temporals, the King ;
spiritually, the Sun of Righteousness ;
Christ.

The Queen of heaven ; the consort of the
sun, the queen ; spiritually, the church.

The princes and nobles of a kingdom;
spiritually apostles or ministers of the
church.

The political system of government, in
which these symbolical planets appiear.

Multitudes of people. The noise of many
waters is as the noise of a multitude of
people.

" The untillable and barren deep," peoples
in an unfruitful state, subject to storm,
&c.

Population in a tranquil state.

The spirit of violence and discord, which
when let loose acts on the sea, or popu-
lation.

The Turkish Empire, which first rose in
the neighbourhood of that river.

Descriptive of universality.

Savage, indicate political brutal power ;
beasts of Rev., various significations,
Infidel power and Papacy.

The rulers of a kingdom or empire.

Spouse of Christy the true church, bring-
ing forth spiritual children.

PBKTACK.

•••

XUl.

Uru-hoMte WottuM...

Fornication

Kingt of the Earth..

Babylon

Holy City^Jerutaltm

Temple.

Living Creaturet. . .

incenee, or Sweet >

Odours )

WhUe Robee

Rain

Grass

Rivers and Fountains
Flood of Waters....
Storm of Hail

Flight of Locusts...
Ships

Shipmaster jOrMer- )

chants., 5

Wings

Horse

Tail of Scorpion. . .

Prophetic Day

Month

Time

Haifa Time

Prophetic Hour..,.

Harvest of Mercy. . .

Harvest of Wrath..

Vintage^ or Tread- )

ing Wme-press. >

Fire

Lightning

The ; I harlot, the Papacj, \rho indaee
kh^ . of the earth to commit fornication.

Spirltu.iil Idolatry.

The rulers of the Papal nations.

The Papacy and its adherents.

Used symbolic«llj of the present Tisible
church literally that city which comes
down from Goa.

Holy of holies symbolizes hearenly things,
the New Jernsalem the presence of Ood.

Holy place symbolizes the spiritual church
on earth, the true priesthood.

Outer court symbolizes professors of re-
ligion only, not spiritual worshippers.

The church, taken from the four banners
of Judah, Ephraim, Reuben, and Dan,
who usually encamped around the ta-
bernacle.

The prayers of saints.

The righteousness of Christ.

The Holy Spirit.

True believers flourishing under the wat-
ers of the Spirit of God.

Sourceci of religions instruction.

A large body of men, an army in motion.

Northern armies, where hail is supoosed
to generate. ^

Southern armies, whence locusts caibe.

Establinhmcnts of those who make a gain
of godliness.

Venal Ecclesiastics.

Emblematical of swiftness.

Emblematical of power and authority.

Seat of poison— false and deadly doctrines.

A year.

30 years.

360 years.

180 years.

A mouth, or twelfth part of a year, a short

period.
Protection and ingathering of the saints.
Act of judgment.

Last act of judgment after the harvest.

Destruction inflicted upon an enemy.
Fire from heaven, a manifest act of ven-
geance. ^.

zh.

PRiriCK.

Foie9 of Tkundtr, or
VvictofTmmptt.

■**©',

Voiet of the charch in heaven, and decla-
ration of Qod'i judgement on his enc-
mi«f.

It now onlj remains for the author to acknowledge the deep
debt of gratitnde he owes to the Rev. Edward Irving, to whose
exposition of the Apocalypse, delivered at the Scotch Church,
during the year 1828, he is chiefly indebted for the interpreta-
tion of the prophetical parts of the book, and whose enlightened
ministry he must regard as instrumental to his attainments of
any theological truths contained in this commentary. He has
not deemed it requisite to state such authority in the body of the
work, in the very many instances, wherein the ideas are presen-
ted almost as genuine as they proceeded from him, because the
work would have abounded with a too-frequent repetition of
such acknowledgments, seeing that he has arrived to the under-
standing of almost every Divine truth by instructions received
from the lips of his respected pastor. This acknowledgment is
offered to the public, rather in compliance with the maxims of
this world's wisdom, than to be regarded as the expression of his
own obligations ; for they are of too sacred a character to admit
of their allusion in terms of common courtesy.

ThA author has one observation to offer for the consideration
of the reader, previously to closing these few preliminary re-
marks ; and in this, a careless reader will peruse this book, and
derive as little benefit as though he never read it : but let him
attentively compare the interpretation offered, with the text, ma-
king every adequate allowance for the essential difference
between a symbol and an historical fact, the sign and the thing
signified, and by the blessing of Qod he may not only become a
wiser but a better man ; for, assuredly, the blessing rests upon
him who " readeth, and they that hear the words of this pro-
phecy."

Into the hands of Almighty God the Author commits this fee-
ble attempt to make known the truths contained in this holy
prophecy, praying that he wUl graciously pardon the many im-
perfections it contains, and also if he has unknowingly and
heedlessly " added unto these things, or taken any away from the
words of the book of this prophecy," that the punishment threat-
ened against such may not alight on his head, seeing that he

PRKFACX.

nd decU-
his enc-

the deep
to whose
1 Church,
iterpreta-
lightened
ments of
He has
)dy of the
e prcsen-
cause the
etition of
he under-

receired
gment is
laxims of
tion of his
r to admit

hath done it in ignorance ; bnt rather that his name maj be
fonnd written in the Book of Life, and that he maj hare Inheri-
tance in thatholj citj which cometh down out oi' hearen from
his God, for Christ's sake. Jlmtn,
London^ May, 8f lB2d.

sideration
linary re-
book, and
tt let him
text, ma-
differeace
the thing
become a
ests upon
this pro-

8 thisfee-
this holy
manjr im-
ingly and
f from the
nt threat-
g that he

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CHAPTER I.

lis firit chapter comprises the things which the Apostle had
ieen (r. 19), and which he was told by our Lord to write.
The most enlarged and coraprehensire views of the mysteri-
ous doctrine of the blessed Trinity will be found contained
in it, with the various oflSces and character of the Persons
in the Godhead.

This book is justly entitled the Re- 1 ne Revelation of Jetui
Relation of Jesus Christ, both be- Chri$t,u}hich Godgavew.*
^ause it contains a prophetic com- to Aim, to thew unto hie
lunication made by Qod the Father tervante things tohich mutt
\o Jesus Christ, in virtue of his shortly come to pats ; and
esurrection as Son of Man (see Mark he tent and signified it by
ciii. 32); and more especially because hit angel unto hit tervant
fts ultimate object is the glorious John:
Eoming of Jesus Christ, to redeem his suffering church, avenge
ler oppressors, and establish in everlasting power his own
lingdom on earth, on the ruins of the antichristian kings. The
Lngel through whon it was communicated to John, was one of
the church in heaven. (See xiz. 10 ; zxii. 9 ; v. 10.) :,

" He that is faithful in that which 2 Who bare record oj the
lis least, is faithful also in much." word of God^ and of the
JThe beloved disciple, who bare the tettimony of Jetut Chritt,
■"true record" of Christ's humility and of all thingt that he
(John xiz. 35), was selected as the taw.
{witness of his majesty and glory.

There can scarcely exist a more 3 Blested is he that read'
I animating encouragement to the eth^ and they that hear the
study and continual observance of wordt of thit prophecy, and
thb things declared in this most holy keep thote thingt which are
prophecy, than is contained in this vtritten therein: for thg
verse; such a manifeet incitement time it at hand.
to its perusal being found attached

to no other prophecy in the inspired Volume ; and which,
I coupled with the iaitmctioii to th* Apoitle (xxiL 10), " Seal

'!r^\itrtfil^r-::! lr::i I'-'-jp-^: '•■-' :-. I.-,:: Uvr-->

* ■''.

■; I

;

I I

)

4 John to the iiven churchtt
which are in Aiia : Grace
be unto you^and peace, from
Him which is, and which

not the Mjingt of the prophecy of thli book," diitinetly
unequiTocallj notifiee to the church, that the myiteriei then
contained were never designed bj its Divine Author to be set
to them : but, though it foretold them of the " much tribuUtj
through which they were to enter into the kingdom of Qc
yet likewiie spake of a redemption and of an inheritance "
at hand."

This Revelation is addressed I
seven churches of the Bastern
pire, which has the precedei
inasmuch as it was so long the c1|
woe, and which i» to come ; seat of the church, was the prineij
and from the eeven Spiritt theatre of Ohrist's suffering and
which are be/ore hit throne, mility, and is hereafter to be the i

6 And from Je$u$ Christ, upon which his glory will be m^

who it thefaithftU witnett, strikingly manifested. Seven ehui

and thefirtt-begotten of the es are addressed, as representing i

dead, and the Prince of the whole ; the number eeven being

* kingtof the earth. Unto dicative of totality, or perfectij

' him that loved tis,and wash' The benediction is that of the ei

- id u»from our tint in hit blessed Trinity ; the seven epiij
" own blood ; characterising the Holy Qbost,

QAndhtUhuadeutkingt so much in his eternal subsistei

'and priettt unto Ood and as in his diffusive and illuminat

'- hit IHther ; to him be glory influence extended over the ehurcl

- and dominion for ever and proceeding from the Son of Han,

' ever. Jmen. sitteth on the throne. *' The Pri^

of the kings of the earth" is Ofarist's true and proper title ;|
the investiture in which dignity this prophecy most especii

•'- refers ; and in the participation of which kingly power he
instal all those who have been " washed from their sins in

'■'■ own blood," and will make -them kings and priests nnto

^ and his Father, when he shall give the kingdom to the saint
the Most High, who shall possess it for ever, even for ever

ever. Amen. "'-'"■• ' *> ■•-■ « : ■>-

1 Behold, he cometh toith The ftitnre florions revel ati on |

doudt, tend every eye ^mU Jesus Ohrisl is hero set fbrth as

nehimfand i^yaltd which great object of tlie prophecy/

pitrced him : and all kin' the grand and momentous eri

•;j

lich «U the TMiou difp«nMtioni dredi of tki tarth mHmU
I God's providence, rerealed there- wail bteauti 0/ him. Even
in the Dirine plan are de- »o, Jmen.
led to accelerate, and in which
^j shall all terminate ; the latter part of the verse dearlj
loting the terrific judgments with which he will Tislt the

Itions of the earth at his advent. '■

?hi8 is a commenciDg as well as 8 lamJlphaand Omtga^
irminating text (zzi. 6, and xxii. the beginning and the end'
setting forth the power and inq, saith the Lord, tohich
Ihead of Gbrist, who is the author m, and which wai, and
the prophecy. The same charac- which is to come, the JIU
istic' being applied to the First mighty.

\non in the Trinity in verso 4, declares his equality and one-

Bs with the Father.

Jt. John here introduces himself 9 /, John, who alto am

I the accredited agent of communi- your brother and compa-
tUig to the church this consolatory niun in trUtulation, and in
)pbecy ', and begins by stating his the kingdom and patience
ilification for the office, in having of Jesus Christ, was in the
ticipated in the trials and suffer- isle that is called Patmos,
of the saints, in the patient for the word of God, and
lurance of which the Apostle for the testimony of Jesus
id there was great reward. Christ.

The day of the reanrrection was 10 I was in the Spirit on

bst appropriately chosen by our the Lord*s-day, and heard

frd for the abundant outpouring of behind me a great voice, as
Spirit on the Apostle, to prepare of a trumpet.
for the important service in which he was about to be em-

|>7ed. The similitode of a voice, as of thunder, or a trumpet,
jressive of sublimity and abruptness, is the voice of the
irch which ought ever to be regarded with fear and reverence.

chap. iv. 1 ; viii. 13; xiv. 2). • ^ . • ..

The Apostle is here commanded 1 1 Saying, I am Mpha

I write those revelations in a book and Omega, the first and

Mch were about to be commnnica- the last : and what thou
to him ; signifying that the ap- uest, write in a book, and

[cation and use was not confined $end it unto the uven
the seven churches to whom they churches which arp in Mia

ufUo KphttUi, and unto were pftrticuUrly addreued,
Smyrna, and unto Per- like the Epiitlei, (many of whi^
gamoi, and unto Iliyatira, were likewise directed to lepari
and unto Sardi$, and unto churches), thej were intended
Philadelphia, and unto the church unirersal, until the e^
Laodieea. "- of time : which view of the extend

reference of all these Epistles is confirmed chap. ii. 26, wher
the church at Thyatira is directed to " bold that fast which i|
had till Christ come."

12 Jnd J turned to ire The seven golden candlesticks
the voice that epake with me. lude to the candlestick with
^nd being turned, I taw branches and seven lamps in
teven golden candletticks, tabernacle (Ezod. zxr. 31—37), tlj
(the visible churches). — candlestick being the sustainer
container of the seven lamps which were constantly kept bur
ing in the tabernacle ; and which we find, from chap. iv.
denoted the Spirit of God, the Light of the world, to be fou^
alone in the true visible church : which interpretation of
emblematical character of the candlesticks our Lord hima
condescends to give the Apostle, (see verse 20).

13 ^nd in the midst of Christ is here represented asarri|
the teven candlesitcks, one ed in his priestly robes, as the
like unto the Son of Man, of Man, walking amongst and wattj
clothed with a garment ing over his churches ; the gold
(priestly) down to the foot girdle being also significant of
and girt about the papt with kingly character. The figure
a golden girdle (kingly). aptly expressive of this proximity |
his church during persecution or affliction ; for we likewise re
that one like the son of Man was seen walking with the tli
children of Israel in the fiery furnace, and delivered them frij
the flames. . i^ ^^
14. Hit head and his hairs This description coincides
were white like wool, as thatof the Ancient of Day sin Danil
white as snow, and his eyes affording one of the many evidena
were as aflame of fire : that every revelation made to ua]
God the Father is of God in Christ. His eyes being like a fla
of fire, indicate his discernment of the thoughts and intents I
the heart ; as when on earth he needed not that any shoij
testify of man, for he knew what was in man. ^

This figure of fe«t like anto floe 15 Jndkit/etHUct unto

If, we find on the like ooauione ftn$ br<ui,(u \f thty bumtd

Tisioni of Jesui Chriii— AS Etek. ina/urfMfe,aHdM» voiet

7; Den. z. 6— used only m dee- aithetoun4ofinan>/watert

iptife of the Son of Man, and leemi to point out the unrelent-

Ig character of thoae judgments, when he will tread the wine-

na of the wrath of Almighty God. His voice, as the sound of

lanjr waters, is applied to the living creatures in Ezek. i. 24,

id to the cherubim in Rev. ziv. 2 ; the former, emblematical

the church in heaven ; the latter, of the church on earth.

Christ himself interprets this sym- 10 Jnd he had in hU

)l (v. 20) to be the seven angels or riffht hand seven ttare (the

linisters of the churches; and his ministers of the churches)
kolding them in his right hand, con- and out of hit mouth went
feys the same encouraging truth as a tharp tvo-edged noord

rben he declared of his sheep that (ch. ziz. 21),am/At<coun-
kone should ever pluck them out of tenanc.e was a$ the tun
kis hand. The sword going forth shineth in hit ttrength.
from his mouth, boa reference to the great and dreadful judg-

lent, which, as the sword of Qod, he will execute upon his
^nemies and the enemies of his church in the last days. (chap,
[ix. 21.) His countenance shining aa the sun, corresponds with
lis appearance when he manifested himself to St. Paul, as well
at the transfiguration, which were both typical of his future
glorious appearance.

The Apostle, being, like the Pro- 1 7 Jind when I taw him
[>bet Daniel, struck down with awe I fell at hit feet at dead.
it the heavenly vision, is encouraged And he laid hit right hand
\)j Christ laying his right hand upon upon me, taywg unto me,
lim; as in that instance the prophet Fear not; Ian thefirtt

ras strenghtened. And by his de- and the last :
daration, that He it was that was 18 lam he that liveth^
lead, and yet liveth, he conveyed and was dead ; and, behold
the important truth to St. John, that / am alive for evermore,
" to him belonged the issues from Amen : and have the keyt
leath " (Psa. Izviii. 29), and that he of hell and of death.

)sse88ed the keys of the first and of the second death.
|(ReT. XX. 14.)

The reyelation is here divided into 19 Write the thinf;t which

th9U ka$t Mtn ani thi ihrM diiUnet p*rU ! Ant, TIm gloi
thlng9v>kich art, and tkt ous tUIod which th« Apoitl*
thingt which $haUbi hit*' just ie«n ; teeond, Th« thingf wbU
afltr: ar*, coDiiiting of the EpiitlM

the seven churches (chap. li. aad Hi.) eihorting them
patience and faithfulnras during the period of the Pagan pertecu
tiona, under which thej were then luffering ; and, third, Tl
things which shall be hereafter, commencing at chap. ir. and
containing the three descriptions of persecutions through wbicli
the church would have to pais— the Pagan, the Papal, and the
Infidel— and thus following the history of the church, unti^
Christ her Head, should himself appear for her deliverance.

20 Tht myitery of the Christ hero explains the meanin|
»evtn ttan which thou taw' of the vision, as in Dan. xii. 7;
e$t in my right hand, and thereby confirming the accuracy 0.1
thi seven golden candle- the symbol of the candlesticks ail
iticki. The ttcemtan^are more fully interpreted, verse 12, andl
the anglee of the teven that of the stars in our comment,!
chutchtti and tht teven on verso 16. With such DiviDtj
eandleeticks which thou authority for our guide, there cani
tawttt, arc tht tevtn chur- exist little danger of an erroneouil
chtt. interpretation of these symbols, 8o|

often occurring in the proi; .aic writingit.

i . ' -ii i

Eprbsus w
lid cities
iarU« ^'

I JiQStiC JS,

' 'dercd

f'be churc

^y 3t. Pan

\td to the

Fohn also

Return froii

ies Individ

shurches,

them to it

lending tl

listinguisl

[reproving;

taken the !

lead of 1

linisters 1

;>onsibte f(

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a nnifor

>ropriet)

^8 most n

md whici

rUl strict

iddress. '

spistles ai

leadship

Iferenoe U

vt, TIm gloi
ApoiUt
thingi whi<
I Epiitlot u
iof thtfUk
ftgan p«{r£«<;(
id, third, Tl
bap. ir. ^m
irough whici
kpalt and thel
:burch, unti(
rerance.
tho meaninj
)&n. xii. 7;|
accuracj o.i
dIesUcka ail
rerte 12, and
ir comment,
luch DWiaJ
e, there can
in erroneoDi
•jmbolfl, 80

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CHAPTERS II. i!»o m.

be seeond and third chapters comprise the things mAicA «r«

(i. !•), and preaent oar Lord in the charact« r of unireraal
Bishop of hia Church.

PBisca was -ne of the most splen- 1. IMto theangtl o/tht

id citiet • ' Is Minor, being re- church of Ephtiut writt ;

larkn: ^> fr its opulence, its Tolnp- Then thingi taith hi that

'.jasiiCJS, mcI its idolatrj ; and was holdeth tht ieven $tar$ in

. '. 'tdercdtbA metropolis of all Asia, hit right hand,who walketh

f tie church of Ephesus was planted in the midtt of the seven

i/St. Paul, and afterwards transfer- golden candle»tiek$.

ed to the charge of Timothy : St. 2 / know thy v}orkt,and

bhn also ministered in it after his thy labour,and thy patience

■eturn from Patmos. Christ addres- and how thou cantt not bear

les indiridually the ministers of the them which are evil ; and

hurches, communicating through thou ha$t tried them vAick

hem to their people : and hy com- tay they are apottletf and

lending them when their flocks are are not^ and hast found

istinguiahed for faithfulness, or by them Hare.

eproTing them when they hare for- 3. ^nd hati 6orne, and

laken the faith, it is evident the great hatt patience^ and for my

ead of the church considers hia name^e take hatt laboured^

inisters representatire of, and res- and hatt not fainted.

lonsible for, tho spiritual condition 4 Neverthelett I have tome-

f their respective charges. There what againtt thee, beeaute

a uniform consistency and peculiar thou hatt left thyfirtt love.

ropriet) in these epistles, which it 5. Remember therefore

8 most necessary to keep in view ; from whence thou art fall*

<ni which preliminary observations en, and repent, and do the

ill strictly apply to each separate firtt workt ; or elte I trill

ddress. The Divine Author of these come unto thee quickly , and

pistles announces his authority and vfillremovtthycandlettick

Iheadship over the churches, by a re- out of hit place, except thou

[ferenoe to the lublfane vision of him- repent.

> 'i

f 1

1 !

* !

/.'

taith unto the churehet:
To him that overcometh
xoill J give to eat of the tree
oflife^which is in the midtt
•/ the paradise of Qod.

6. But IhU thou hast, that self, which he hftd jait exhibited to I
thouho^stt the dtedt of the his faithful Apostle : and as the sap*
NicolaUaru, which I alto erscription is differeDt to each charcb,
h<Ue. St. John's description of the yision

7. He that hath an ear, let is divided for this purpose into seTen
Aim hear what the Spirit parts. The address is a commentar;

on the superscription ; or rather the
latter is selected as a motto indica-
tive of the religious state of the
church. The encouraging promise
with which each address terminates, I
will be likewise found peculiarly adapted to revive the courage j
and strengthen the hopes of the church whose spiritual condi-
tion is the subject of address, and its universality of application,
and right of appropriation to all ages of the church of Christ,
until bis second coming is placed beyond all question, by each j
promise being scrupulously introduced in every instance, an- ]
nouncing its propriety to "all that overcome;" and by the
concluding declaration that its blessings comprehend eucour-
agements to all " that have an car." The promises likewise
contained in each address, all refer to a period of blessedness
subsequent to the Lord's coming, to be enjoyed in the New!
Jerusalem condition of the church ; which was consequently to
be considered as an object of the church's expectation, until he
came. The promise to him that overcometh, held out to the j
church of Ephesus, of the " tree of life," in the paradise of God,
is pregnant with important meaning ; and is found twice referred
to, in the description of the millennial state, in the last two
chapters of this book. (chap. xzii. 2, 14.) The paradise con-
tained in the first chapters of Qenesis, is but the type of the pa-
radise of the last two chapters of the Apocalypse ; the former j
the generation, the latter the regeneration of all things ; the
inspired volume thus exhibiting, according to the Jewish notion
in the space of a week of seven thousand years, the original
creation, subsequent fall, and final restitution of all things. In
the first paradise, Adam was fully invested with dominion and
lordship over all things (Gen. i. 26) ; the tree of life in the gar-
den, and Eve taken from his bleeding side. In the second para-
dise, Christ, the second Adam, the Lord from heaven, whos«

[power cxtandB to all things both in hearen &nd eartb, to princi«
palitiei and powers (Heb. ii. compared with Psa. viit.) ; and
[joining with him in thii universal swaj his faithful spouse, the
jcharcb, likewise (in the figure) taken from bis side. In both,
there is the tree of life ; but inasmuch as in the former it was
prohibited, and in the latter, the regeneration, a participation
thereof is held ont as a high reward, the conclusion is obvious
from this, as from every other particular narrated, that the para-
dise of which Christ is the head will as far transcend that of
Adam in magnitude and glory^ as the character and attributes
of Him who will re-constitute and in himself sustain all things,
was superior to his through whose defection the dominion of the
world, and man's eminence in the scale of God's creatures, was
lost. There is a hidden signification in the act of eating, which
we seem little disposed to attach to it. It is the outward sym-
bol, chosen by our Lord, to set forth one of the deepest myste-
ries of our holy religion, the believer's participation of his body
and blood. It was made the test of obedience to our first pa-
rents ; by which tenure they held their ample dominion ; but
failing in this, and eating of the forbidden fruit, we learn conse-
quent upon that act, their instant moral recognition of good and
evil. (Gen. iii. 22.) It was God's solicitude lest they should like-
wise put forth their hand and take also of the tree of life and live
for ever, that induced him, in mercy, to banish them from the gar-
den of Eden. We see, therefore, from analogy, every reason to con-
clude that high and eternal spiritual benefits may be intimately
associated with the outward act of participation of the tree of life
in the paradise of God, promised to the faithful of the church of
Ephesus. They, however, took not Christ's warning, and the
candlestick is removed ; Ephesus is now a heap of ruins, con-
taining a few wretched inhabitants and no church.

Smyrna, in the time of the Apos- 8 ,ind unto the angel of
ties, was considered the second city the church in Smyrna
in Asia. As the church at Smyrna write ; These things saith
was in tribulation and poverty, and the first and the last ^whick
was furthermore to undergo severe was dead, and is alive :
persecutions, Christ announces him- 9 I know thy works, and
self as the First and the Last, which tribulation, and poverty,
was dead and is alive again ; and (but thou art rich) and J

t i ill M

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know tht blasphemy ofthtm enconragei them to fe*r none of thoM

vhich iay they are Jews, things which thej ahonld niAr^ by-

and are not, but are the the animating assnranee that he^

synagogue of Satan. their Lord and Head, had alto saf*

10 Fear none of those fered death ; through which he de-
things which thou shalt stroyed him that had the power of
suffer ; behold, the devil death, that is, the derii ; and hj his
shall ca$t some of you into resurrection had acquired Tietorj
prison, that ye may he over him. We may here learn, by
tried; and ye shall have the commendations which Christ be-
tribulation ten days , be stows on the church at Smyrna, not
thou faithful unto death, only that affliction and poverty are
and I will give thee a crown farourable to the advance of trae
of life. spirituality, the saints being perfect-

11 He that hath an ear, ed through sufferings, even as Christ
let him hear what the spirit himself was (Heb. ii. 10), but, from
saith unto the churchet : comparison with the other churches,
He that overcometh shall who are represented in more prospe-
not be hurt of the second rous conditions, we may fairly infer,
death. that such is absolutely necessary to
a continuance of growth in grace. Satan is here pointed out as
the great instigator of all persecutions, acting in his trne char-
acter, as accuser of the brethren. The ten days, more particu-
larly referred to, in all probability allude to the final persecution
under Dioclesian aud bis successors, which is always described
by the ancient writers as the Ten- Years' Persecution.* As the
church of Smyrna, to purify her faith, was destined to the
fiery ordeal of death, she is incited to its patient endurance by
the hope of a crown of life, which, St. Paul informs us, the Lord
the righteous judge shall give unto all that fight the good fight,
and keep the faith, in that day of his appearing (2 Tim. iv. 7, 8);
which we Icnow, from chap. xix. 11—21 to be immediately pre-
ceding the establishment of Christ's millennial reign. If they
overcome, and endure unto the end, they shall be made partici-
pators in the first resurrection, on whom the second death hath
no power, (chap. xx. 6 — 14 ; xxi. 8).

* See Miliicr's Church Uistory, vol. ii. p. i ; also Cave's Introduction to
Lives of the Fathers : in which the Pagan peraecntions are divided into
tea acts, the last of which continued ten years : iMginnios in the reicn of
Dioclesian, Feb. 23, 803, and terminathig in that of Constantine, A. D. S21.

h..f\

meofthoM
fuMr^ b^'
that iM^
also tuf*
ch he de-
power of
find by his
)d victory
learn, bj
Christ be-
lyrna, not
orerty are
le of true
ig perfect-
I aa Christ
but, from
churches,
re prospe-
lirly infer,
cessary to
ttedoutas
true char-
e particu-
srsecntioQ
described
* As the
d to the
iirance by
the Lord
ood fight,
. iv. 7, 8);
sitely pre-
If they
e partici-
sath hath

duction to
Tided into
Mreifa of
, A, D. S2l.

Thest things $aith he vhich
hath the sharp sirord with
two edges :

13 I know thytcorks,and
where thou dwellest, even
where Satan's seat is ; and
thou holdest/dst my name, .
and haxt not denied my

Smyxna still contianes a chief commercial city of the Levant,
and contains in her a Christian church.

Pergamos, the ancient capital of \2 Jnd to the angel of tk§
the line of Attains, was celebrated church in Per gamot write;
for its literature and libertinism, its
philosophy and its magnificence ; and
therefore it is said, *' even where
Satan's scat is." Riches, and their
accompaniments, ever have been a
powerful engine in Satan's hands to
destroy the church. The ix^inister is
commended for holding fast the faith,
surrounded with such combinations faith, even in those days
to infidelity : whilst, on the other wherein Antipas was my
hand, he is reproved for laxity of dis- faithful martyr, who was
cipline, in not visiting with judicial slain among you, where
excommunication those who held the Satan dwelleth.
doctrines of Balaam, and of the Ni- 14. But I have a few things
colaitancs. Christ therefore, an- against thee, because thou
nounces himself as He who hath the hast there them that hold
sharp sword with two edges (chap, the doctrine of Balacunf
xix. 15 — 21), with which he executes who taught Balac to cast a
judgment ; and threatens, unless they stumbling-block before the
repent, he will fight against them children of Israel, to eat
vriih the sword of his mouth, and things sacrificed unto idols^
deal to them thai righteous judgment, and to commit fornication.
which, from a principle of expedien- 15 So hast thou also them
cy and accommodation, thf^y neglect- that hold the doctrine of
ed to observe towards these heresies.
The doctrine of Balaam was to cor-
rupt, not so much by outward oppo-
sition, as by holding out inducements come unto thee quickly, and
to commit sin ; even as that prophet, will fight against them
by listening to and temporising with with the sword of my
Balac the king of Moab, occasioned mouth.
that forbidden intercourse with the 17 He that hath an ear,
Moabitish women, which speedily led let him hear what the
to an adoption of their idolatrous Spirit saith unto the
worship. Of the Nicolaitanes little churches: To him that

the Nicolaitanes, which
thing I hate,
16 Repent ; or else I will

;

.'I
'. '

■ftf^

i !

t ! I

overeonuth will I give to is known. Commentatori hare not
eat of the kidden manna, been able to acquire authentic infor-
and will give Mm a white mation. Scott says it was the Anti-
$tone, and in the stone a nomian heresy. But of this we may bo
new name written, tvhich satiofied, from the mention of it in
no man knoweth saving he another church, that it was at that
that receiveth it. period a prevailing error, which pe-

culiarly attracted the indignation of our Lord. To those who
overcome is promised the hidden manna. " I am the bread of
life," says Christ (John vi.): "whoso eateth my flesh and
drinketh my blood hath eternal life. Not as your fathers did
eat manna, and are dead : he that eateth of this bread shall live
for ever." The bread of life, even Christ, is now hid from our
sight ; but hereafter to be revealed at his second coming.—
They shall likewise have a white stone ; and in the stone a new
name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth
it. The white stone refers to the mode of acquittal adopted by
the Areopagus, and indicates the first resurrection, which shall
declare those who partake in it to be the sons of God with
power. " Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect ?"
Christ is represented, chap. xix. 12 (which contains a most
sublime description of his second advent), to have on that occa-
sion a new name written, that no man knew, but he himself :
no doubt referring to the same mystery contained in the pro-
mise to the church of Pergamos.

Pergamos still continues in existence in Asiatic Turkey, the
Christian population amounting to about 3000.
18 ^nd unto the angel of Thyatira was a considerable city in
the church in Thyatira Asia, and is mentioned in Acts xvi.
write ; These things saith 14, as the residence of Lydia. The
the Son of God, who hath declaration of Christ in the super-
his eyes like unto a flame scription, that he is the Son of God,
of fire, and his feet are is peculiar to this address ; and the
like fine brass ; reason is, doubtless, because the con-

19 I know thy works,and eluding promise refers to that domi-
charity, and service, and nion he is to have over the nations of
faith, and thy patiencf,and the earth, and which he will exercise
thy works j and the last to by delegating that power to his riien
^e m&re than the first. saints (Pb. ii. 9 ; chap. six. 15.) His

'1. 1

s hftre not
entie infor-
8 the Anti-
we may bo
on of it in
as at that
which pe-
those who
he bread of
flesh and
fathers did
d shall live
d from oar
coming.—
tone a new
t receiveth
adopted by
ivhich shall
' God with
ad's elect?"
ins a most
i that occa-
le himself:
in the pro-

'urkey, the

able city in

I Acts xvi.
rdia. The
the super-
)n of God,
I ; and the
3e the con>
that domi-
nations of

II exercise
D his risen

15.) His

eyes like onto a flame of fire, denote
the penetration with which he search-
eth the heart and reins (rer. 23); and
his feet like fine brass (Dan. x. C)
signify the unrelenting severity of
those judgments, spoken of in Micah
iv. 12, when he shall gather together
the nations as the sheaves into the
floor, and trample upon many people,
as with horns of iron and hoofd of
brass. The symbol describes the
character of that domiuion of the
Son of God prophesied of in the 110th
Psalm — and participation of which is
held out as a great object of hope to
the church at Thyatira (ver. 26, 27)—
when he shall strike through kings
in the (lay of his wrath, and rule his
enemies with a rod of iron. After
enumerating wherein the minister of
the church had shewn stability and
spiritual improvement, Christ pro-
ceeds to acquaint him that he has
something against him. The defec-
tion appears to consist in not coun-
teracting the heretical opinions of a
certain woman, who is here repre-
sented allegorically as Jezebel the
wife of Ahab, who kept four hundred
idol prophets at her table, and ex-
erted all her influence to promote
idolatry. Adultery, and similar ex-
pressions, when used of a church,
invariably mean a declension of true
religion and adherence to a false
one : and those who had given way
to this temptation, are threatened
with a bed of infirmity, sicknes?, and
death, unless they speedily re;ent of

20 Notwilhttandingf t
have a few thingt againtt
thee, because thou $uffereit
that woman Jezebel, which
calleth hersel/a prophetess
to teach and to seduce my
servants to commit fomi-
cation, and to eat thini^s
sacrificed unto idols.

21 ^Ind I gave her space
to repent of her fornica-
tion, and she repented not.

22 Behold J will cast her
into a bed, and them that
commit adultery with her
into great tribulation,ex-
cept they repent of their
deeds.

23 Jlnd 1 will kill her
children with death and all
the churches shall know
that I am he which search-
eth the reins and hearts ;
and I will give unto every
one of you according to
your works.

24 But unto you I say,
and unto the rest in Thya-
tira, as many as have not
this doctrine, and which
have not knojin the depths
of Satan, as they speak ; /
will put upon you none
other burden.

25 But that which ye
have already hold fast till
I come.

26 Jnd he that over-
cometh, and keepeth my

' I,
-

:-!l

i ; !

vorki unto the end, to him their deedf . We maj learn, from
VfUl I give power over the the great importance that oar preat
natUmt : Head attaches to purity of doctrine,

27 Jnd he ihall rule them in this and the cpiatle to the angel at
with a rod of Iron ; a$ the Pergamos, that any defection in this
vetteU of a potter shall respect is the first step towards com-
they be broken to shivert ; plete apostasy from the truth. Those
even as I received of my who are exempt from this form of
Father. heresy in the church at Thyatira, are

28 Jlnd I vfill give him encouraged to hold that fast until
the morning star. Christ comes (rer. 25) : which ex*

29. He that hath an ear, pression aflforda us additional proof
let him hear what the Spir- that the exhortations and promises,
it saith unto the churches, contained in these epistles, were in-
tended for general application until that event. The " morn-
iitg star" is the first resurrection (Ps. xlix. 14, ice.)', and, being
taken in connection with the expression in the 25th verse,
" till I come," indicates that those who are faithful snail then
receive that better resurrection from Him " to whom belongeth
the issues from death," who is himself the root and offspring
of David, and the bright and morning-star (chap. zxii. 16).

Thyatira still exists— but the church repented not ; the threat-
enings were fulfilled against her ; and no vestige of a church
remains.

CEkv.iu.~^lJnd unto the Sardis was the ancient seat of the

angel of the church in Sar- Lydian Kings, and memorable as

dis write ; These things the city of Grccsus. It was, like

saith he that hath the seven the chief cities of Asia, magnifi-

Spirits of God, and the cent, intellectual, and profligate. In

seven stars ; I know thy the epistle to the church of Ephe-

works, that thou hast a bus, Christ is said to hold the

name that thou livest, and seven stars in his right hand ; but

art dead. here he claims " to have " the

2,Be watchful,and streng- seven Spirits of God, and the sev-

ihen the things which re- en stars. The seven Spirits of God

main,that are ready to die, (see chap. v. 6,) is the Holy

for I have not found thy Ghost, as proceeding from the Fa-

works perfect before God. ther through the humanity of

3 Rfmember therefore how Christ: the figure here represents

even in Sardis which have
not defiled their garments,
and they shall walk with
me in white ; for they are

ym M the gTCAt diaptOMr of the thou hast received a^^d
Spirit to hiv chureheB : m when be heard, and hold fast, and
Mid, " It ii expedient for you that I repent. If there/ore thou
go away; for if I go not away, the shall not watch,! will come
Comforter (which is the Holy Ghost) on thee as a thief, and thou
will not come unto you : but if I dc- shall not know what hour /
I part I will send him unto you " (John will come upon thee.
[xTi. 7): see also John ziv. 16, 2G, 4 Thou ha^t a few names
and John xv. 26. The stars or min-
isters of the churches, are Christ's
by special propriety. He asserts his
authority over the angel of the
church at Sardis, and justifies his worthy.
right to call him to a strict account of 5 He that overcometh, the
his stewardship. But he was negli- same shall be clothed in
gent and faithless in the discbarge of white raiment ; and I will
that high office, with which he bad not blot out his name out
been invested by the great Bishop ; of the book of life, but J
for we are informed he bad, " a name will confess his name be-
to live, whilst he was dead." He
was like a tree dead at the root,
having a shew of life in the leaf.
Yet not be/ond recovery ; and be is
therefore nrged to be watchful, and
to strengthen the things that remain, that were ready to die. But
should be continue in such an unprofitable state, Christ threat-
ens to come upon him in judgment, with the suddenness of a
thief; and he shall be surprised in the careless condition of
those who look not for their Lord's return. It is by the unfaith-
ful alone that Christ's coming is to be regarded with apprehen-
sion, for to the church at Philadelphia his speedy approach is
held out as an object of encouragement. There were still a
few names, even in Sardis : and he promises these shall walk
with bim in white raiment, the wedding-garment of his own
righteoutness (vi. 11; vii. 9, 13, 14; and xix. 8) whose
names shall be retained in the book of life, and whom the Lamb
will acknowledge before his Father and the holy angels.— How
pregnant is ibis epistle with spiritual instruction I Alas 1 how
imperceptibly, yet how fatally, does negligence and worldly-

fore my Father, and before
his angels.

6 He that hath an ear, let
him hear what the Spirit
saith unto the churches.

"»"■

I i

I I

tnindednesi tteal upon our souls, and thus graduallj iatroduc
aa utter forgetfulness of the higher ends of our being t We hi,i
here an awful truth presented to our reflection ; that it is
sible for a society of pcrsonii, all professing godliness, and soj
porting a consistent reputation in the estimation of men, yet
far the greater majorify still to continue in the gallof bitternt
and in the bond of iniquity :— though having a name to lire
the eyes of their fcllow-mcn, and reposing in such a fallacio^
dependency, they possibly may be going down to hell with a lie i
their right hand. Surely such a state of self-gratulation ai
security, ought ever to be regarded with suspicion, for it resei
bles the ominous stillness and fatal ease which ever preced^
the dissolution of a corrupt and gangrenous body.
Sardis perished in the general decay of Asia Minor.

7 ^nd to the angel of Philadelphia had been a flourisi
the church in Philadelphia ing city in Asia, situated by tl
tcrite ; These things saith river Cogamus, twenty-seven milcj
he that is holy, he th'.tt is E. S. E. of Sardis. This is the onll
true, he that hath the key instance, in the address of these sevej
of David, he that openeth, epistles, that the attributes by whic
and no man shutteth ; and Christ announces himself to the ang^
shuttcth,and nomanopen- are not contained, in the exprea
eth : words, in the vision to the Apostl^

8 I know thy works ; be- They are, however, Implied; ai
hold, I have set be/ore thee each conveys to us a deep and ii
an open door, and no man portant truth. Christ is the onll
can shut it ; for thou hast creature who is holy : he was prq
a little strength, and hunt nounced holy from his conceptioij
kept my word, and hast not and rose from the dead in virtue
denied my name, his spotless purity ; being a hi{

9 Behold, I will make priest " holy, harmless, undefiled|
them of the synagogue of and separate from sinners." He
Satan, uhich say they are emphatically the True One : Jot
Jews, and are not, but do says, chap. i. 17, " the law was givej
lie ; behold, I will make by Moses, but grace and truth cai
them to come and worship by Jesus Christ." In the person
before thy feel, and to Jesus Christ the truth was embodil
know that I have loved ed : he who was the source of ligh
Mer. to the prophets of old, was now

ness, and lai

}ss, undefiled

eoan form : the Word beeom* 10 Beeaute thou hatl

ih. Therefore, he, and he only ktpt the word of my pa-

aid MJ, " I am the truth." (John tience, laUo will keep thet

6.) — Theie things saith " he that from the hour of tempta*
tb the key of Darid.** In this ex- tion,which fhall come upon

ion, Christ is represented as all the world, to try them
ward of the king's house : proba- that dwell upon the earth.
here introduced to describe his 11 Behold, t come quicks
idship OTer all temporalities, as ly; hold that fatt which
II as over the churches ; and thou haet, that no man
iicularly to be regarded as the take thy crown.

rtion of his authority orer the 12 Him that overcome th

use of Israel, applicable to tho«e will I make a pillar in the

ublesome Jews, whom he threat- temple of my God, and he

8 to make of the synagogue of shall go no more out ; and

tan, and bring to submission, be- / will write upon him the

« the feet of his faithful minister, name of my God, and the

e angel had been entrusted only name of the city of my God

th a little power, but he had em- which is new Jerusalem,

lyed it to the glory of his Master : which cometh down out of

had kept his word, and had not de- heaven from my God : and

id his name : therefore Christ will / will write upon him my

ep him from the hour of temptation, new name.

ich shall come on all the world^ 13 He that hath an ear,

try them. Christ, in inflicting let him hear what the Spir-

gment, will erer distinguish be- it saith unto the churches.

een him who serveth God and h:m who serveth him not.

tient endurance, and perseverance in faithfulness, cannot

^1 of reaping their due reward ; for it is those only who

dure unto the end that shall be saved. St. Paul pre-

fnts the same truth as our Lord, in his Epistle to the

latians, whom he encourages " not to be weary in well-doing

in due season they shall reap, if they faint not : " for there
re some among them who did run well for a time, but were
Bdered. Alas I how large a proportion are there who receive
e Gospel with joy, and yet have not sufficient depth of soil to
tdare trial or temptation I if the Great Bishop had not known
« angcI of the ohureh at Philadelphia was beset by tempta-

tioni, the exborution would hare been BapererogatorjTf that
should hold that fast which he had, that no man might take
crowa. There is scarcely any iojunction so cunstanlj held n||
to the observance of the Christian, as constancy in watehfn
nesB : and surely no condition of mind can be more pre]
with danger than a presumptuous and heedless confldtnce. Tt
fullest assurance of faith is compatible : nay, it is but an
grounded hope if it be unaccompanied with a holy fear. Ghri
cheers the angel's warfare by the bright expectation of his m
approach— which is ever the grand object of the church's hop
— for then should he receive a crown of glory, and an inherit!
ance incorruptible, undefilcd, and that fadeth not away. Tl
rew&rds and encouragements held out to him that overcometh ij
this address to the Philadelpkian church, are far larger and mor
explicit than to any other ; and are all to be found corUIned iJ
that description of the heavenly city, in the last two cbapters o|
this book. • ' ••

Philadelphia still exists in Asiatic Turkey, in the town now calj
led AUah-shehr, or Alashehr, which means " The Oity of God;
The number of houses is said to be about three thousand, of wbicll
two hundred and fifty are Greek. The ^Christians hare twentj
five places of worship, five of them large 1 1 i regular churches]
a resident bishop, and twenty inferior clergy.

14 ^nd unto the angel Laodicea was an opulent cit}|
of the church of the Laodi' upon the river Lycus, situated no|
ceans torite ; these things far from Golossae, as we learn fron
$aith the Amen^ the faith- the association of these two churcbe
ful and true Witnest^ the in St. Paul's Epistle to the Colossiana,
Beginning of the creation ch. iv. There is a wonderful sublij

mity and comprehension in the title
which Christ assumes to himself id
this address to the angel of tLa
Laodicean church. The appellatioi^
" Amen " conveys to us, that as iij
Christ all the promises and propbe
art lukewarm^ and neither cies centre, so is he pledged by tb(|
cold nor hot, I will spue appropriation of this title to himsell
thee out of my mouth. to the steadfast fulfilment of them^

of God.

15 / know thy works,
that thou art neither cold
nor hot i I would thou wert
cold or hot.

IQ So then because thou

rtprtMSlf hto •tablHty, In oppofi- IT Beeaute thou ta^tit,
tion io tht TAriablAneft of ererj tarn rirh^ and increased
ther erMtare. TbU dignity wtmt teith froode, and hare need
to b« peeoli«rlj AttACh^d to tlic pro- of nothinfj ; and knovett
miM of Christ'! adrent, (tee ch. I. not that thou art trr etched
7. and uii. 20.) «i though to gire and miserable, and poor,
this glorious truth a double surety and blind, and naked.
in the «yei of men, because the Holy 18 i counsel thee to buy
Ohost foresaw " that in the last days of me gold tried in the fire
there should arise scoflTcrs, who that thou mayexl be rich ;
should say, Whore is the promiee of and white raiment, that
his coming?" (2 Pet. iii. 4.) thoumayest be clothed ^and

The expression also signifies the that the ihame of thy nak-
ratification or confirmation of a edness do not appear ; and
eoTeaant. All the promises of old anoint thine eyes with eye-
were giren on condition of man's salve, thAt thou mayest see.
obedience, but none performed the \9 As many as I love, I re-
reqairements of God till Christ ful- buke and chasten ; be zeal-
filled the law, which haring done, he ous there/ore, and repent.
gathered them all into himself, as his 20 Behold, I stand at the
own indefeasible right, and thus door and knock; if any
became the great Amen .to all that vian hear my voice, and
bad been written in the law. He is open the door, I will come
" the faithful and true Witness ; " the
same expression occurs in the inscrip-
tion in chap. i. 5, and also when he
comes in judgment on the infidel
Antichrist and the false prophet, with me in my throne,even
(chap. xix. 11.) As a witness, he i3 as 1 also overcame, and am
to be regarded bs testifying of the set down with my Father
Father, of whom none but the Son in his throne.
could be a true and faithful witness, 22 He that hath an ear
because he alone had been with the let him hear what the Spi-
Father from the beginning. This title rit saith unto the churches.
carries with it conrictton, not only of the pre-cxistence of our Sa-
rioor, but also of his distinct personality from the Father. To
eoBstitate a witness, it is requisite that he should have seen the
ptnon witnessed of (see John zt. 27 ; iii. 11 ; ▼. 36) ; and,accor-

in to him, and will sup

with him, and he with me.

21 To him that over-

cometh will I grant to sit

fl|!:U

I f i

iinglj wt flod it dMlarad, thai " Ut Word wt* «i*k €k4
th« bcgianiog ;" Mid " Ihat no mao hath patn Ood at Mf
bat the 8on, which is io th« botom of tb« Father " (ibha i, 1,

and 18) : alto, that tha persoof ihould ba diitinet, for so
can be a witncM in hie own canie. Distinction •€ panant,
fore, and knowledge of the party witnesead of, are eiaential toi
true witneii.

He is " the Beginning of the creation of Qod." The manifral
tion of the Oodhead in the creature form was the first grand ok
Ject of the creation ; and to which erery other created thing wi
to be considered subordinate. Ue was the first in the pui
of Qod, thougli not in the manifestation. Adam, and all thitj
went before, was but a type or foreshewing of him that was
come. It does not appear that our Lord brings any charge ofl
false doctrine against the angel of the Laodicean church ; froaj
which we may learn, that orthodoxy in doctrine does not ne*|
cessarily ensure purity and holiness of life. An assent to estab*!
lished truths in religion, does not constitute a Christian, if thtl
belief does not affect the heart, and influence the conduct ; for iti
is the life that evinces the true disciple. It is to be feared that!
there are two many in this flowery dfiy of profession, who talk of^
brotherly love, and other Christian gri^ces, but who find it verj
inconvenient and troublesome to be required to exhibit it in ac-l
tion. The Laodicean church was exposed to Um temptation ofl
prosperity, both in spiritual and temporal affairs; and she fellj
into the snare from which few escape, who are similarly tried ',|
she became lukewarm and indifferent. If men were really con-
scious of the evil influence of riches, surely they would not be sq|
eager in acquiring the glittering snare. Many can endure adver-
sity who fall at the first onset of a course of protfperity ; for, though j
the force of the expression seems to be now expUined .awi^Ji y«tl
it is equally true, as when our Saviour uttered it, " How h^rdl/l
shall a rich man enter into the kingdom of heaven 1"

He that overcometh is promised t^ ^it with Christ in bis tfaKOJVl
even as he also overcame, and is sat down in his fajtber's ttaQft*-
Here is a manifest distinction observed bf^tnaeA }t^ FfijtihM^
throne and Christ's throne : the ^^^ fits j>f<ml9^J^:9WtmB^\
tioo ip tl^e lattier, butt^eyneyer^Mi/^ypiiAt ^.QJMMIliil* tamf

ill!

If il tb« urn* promiM m that eoarcjtd to tiM «hareh at Tbja*
in ; ft than la tht ffloiy and doninion of Ohriit'i raif n, orer
la uairarM, aa It ia written in one tablima and comprahcnsiTo
iipraaiion in thia book (Rer. xxi. 7), " Fla that orercometh shall
liaherit all thiaga.**

Laodlcea, aftar the man r flactuationa of the Oreek Empire in
I Asia, aunk In tba general decay, and is now a heap of rains. There
a small Tillage called Kskihiaar near Ita site, containing aboat
Iftj inhabitanta, and two solitary Ohriatians*, who are the only
jmelancholy remnant, to record that a church once existed at

'LindMjr's Lottcim.

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OHAPTKU IV.

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OhHst r«veiiIod as I'rinco of tho ktngfl of the eiirtliVth the Ton Kb
and tirth CliAptrri), being prrfalory to the sixth, which pro-
prrly conuu«nict>ti tho propliecips of the scaled book.

GoRiST htiviti); rovuiiled hlina«If in \ Ji/ter thii I looktd, nmd,
the character of luiivorsul Riahop, in behold, a door Vfa$ opened
tho forogoing Kpiitlivs to tho seven in htaven; and tht Jirtt
churcluvs, we find in,tlio following voice which I heard wat ai
chapttMs, ho id introduced in tho it were of a trumpet talk-
Apostle's ri.sion, as tho King-Priest ; iuf^ with me ; which $aid
and prevailing to open that scaled Come up hither, and I will
book, which none other, save him, ihewtheethingawhichmutt
in heaven or earth, could accomplish, be hereafter.
The prophetic partsof this book are

composed of detached chronological histories, each of which ii
separately introducedTby an appropriate preface. As the pro-
phecies which extend through this Ucvolation, from the sixth
chapter, contain event?, included in all time, until the second
advent of our Lord, the whole is ushered into notice, with a pe-
culiar dignity and circumstance, corresponding to the magnitude
and sublimity of the) Revelation. We consider, therefore, the
two follow^ing chapters as introductory to that which follows.

In the first verse, our Lord himself informs the Apostle that
he is now entering on the things which should be hereafter
(chap. i. 19) ; and the seer is conscious of a sudden transition
from contemplating the state of tho Asiatic churches, to a vis-
ion in heaven. A door was opened in heaven ; that is, into the
secret and invisible ; not a place, except soTar as the body of
Chrisi, wherever it is, gives it that name ; as a place it is only
contemplated in tho Divine counsel. It describes the invisible
as distinguished from tho visible ; it is the condition of exis-
tence of an^ :l3, separate spirits, and invisible beings. The Apos-

8 ^nd he that $at toot to
took upon Weeajatptr ami
a $ardine ttont : and thert
toat a rainbow round about
the throne, in sight like
unto an emeraltL « I ■' i ' " -

U b«*rd A Toicc, m It were of a trtimpetsptaklogto him (chap.
i. 10.) This similitude i« used to deaota thr Toico of Christ, or
f the church in heaveu ; and as we learn from cliap. ziz. 10,
and zzii. 0, that this rislon was communicated throu((h one who
confoksed himself to be of 8t. John's follow sorvaiiUi, the pro>
phets, we conclude that in this caao it represented the latter.
2 Jnd immediately I u>at Tlie ^Apostle is hero presented
in the Spirit I and, behold, with a sublime rcprnscntatiun of
a throne wae eet in heaven, Christ, seated on a throne, ns King,
aati one tat on the throne, tie was to look upon, lilcu a jasper

and a sardine stone ; from thr; addi.
tion to the former, in chap. xxi. li,
having a similitude to JH.sp«r, and
clear as crystal, it does not appear
to be the stone uauallj dencribed as
a jasper, but the diamond.— In the
above passage, the jasper stone is emblematical of the glory of
Qod ; the sardine stone is of a blood-red or flesh colour : a com-
bination of these two symbols conveys to ns tho glory of the
Godhead, seen through the human nature of Christ. A rain-
bow surrounded the throne, in sight lilte unto an emerald—
that is, of a green hue, the colour moat grateful to the eye. The
rainbow is God's toketi of the covenant made with Noah (Gen.
iz. 17) ; and as the throne seen by the Apostle was approachable
only thruugli the rainbow, so wo cannot draw nigh unto God
save through that covenant of mercy made with our Mediator
Jesus Christ. The rainbow is formed by the rays of the sun
lighting upon the descending particles of water, and by thorn
refracted : so the " rainbow surrounding the throne " may be
considered as formed by the beams of that Sun of Righteousness,
who is the only source of spiritual life, thrown upon the pro-
mises contained in the covenant, which only thus receives its
glory, or ia capable of being apprehended by the believer's faith.
The vision presents Obrist to us as our great Covenant Head,
in his priestly character ; and likewise God the Father seen in
Christ on the throne, the person of the Father exhibited or pre-
sented in Christ ; the great mystery of the Trinity consisting in
the essential invisibility of the Father, and that the object of

worship shoald erer continae anlMD. A limilar Tidon odetnl

in Dan. vil. 0, also Bzek. I. ;,v o t . „ • .j .. p.u. iu/r <*vi

The four and twenty elders com* 4 Jnd romd abimt Oil
pose a circle round the throne, ia tkrontwtre/our ondtwinM
the form of the Jewish Sanhedrim. $tat$ : and upok tht teattli
Tlie expression here, is to receire $aw /our and twenty *Utn\
explanation hy the consideration of fitting, clothed in tohtttl
the character, as comprehended ia raiment i and they he4 on\
the Jewish, and not in the Christian their headtcrovme o/ goldA
economy ; and upon reference to the Pentateaoh, it will bi
found rather to convey the idea of a goremor or judge, than at
pertaining to Christian church>discipline. Their having crowns
of gold on their heads, and being clothed with white raiment,
point out their character as priests and kings. The white gar*
ments were worn by the high priest, when he went into the holy |
of holies, and is here expressiTeof the church within the Tail!
that is, in the heavens. The elders represent the chmrcfa as
having received this kingdom (see chap, v, 8—10) which pas*
sage is conclusive as to the correctness of this interpretation.

These characteristics of judgment, 5 jind out of the thfont I
proceeding from the thronei (see proceeded lightninge and
also chap. viii. 5 ; zi. 19 ; xvi. thundaringe and voicte t
18,) exhibit to us a truth too much and there were seten lamp9
forgotten, that though Christ will o/Jire burning be/ore tht
keep his covenant with those who throne, which are the ewen
lay hold of it by faith, yet that there Spirits of God. -a h <.
remains an awful day of reckoning, for those who have trampled
upon and despised it, and counted it an unholy thing. The
latter clause of the verse, as has been previously explained
(see note to chap. i. 4), sets forth the Holy Ghost in diffusion,
but still maintaining his oneness of character. Seven is a per-
fect or complete number, representing diffusion gathered into
union. The science of music illustrates this truth : sound being
determined by seven distinct uotes, an eighth would resolve
itself into the first again, and thus describe acircle—i^he emblem
of completeness and of perpetuity. The same truth is also
illustrated from the nature and properties of colours. Thereare
seven principal colours ; an eighth therefore can only ht a raria-

abfrnt the throne,
Urtrt/our beottt/ull of eyet
^/oft and b^ni. «» ^•
7 jfni thtftf^H betut wth

n of on* orfft« ^^iHl, Ht k AfHfrH oTIotBe |MifH)ott« of fh^.
Jhd bifore iht throru The atu of giftss, like onto ciystel,
'ktrtwtt»atn'of glim like slpaifies the atftte of unnifffed culm-
o crystal : dnd in the nesi fttid peftcvfalneM of all before
^midet of tht throne, and the throne. The word translated

beastt, is better rendered Hrlng
creatures ; as in Etek. i. 5, and in
chap, r., which evidently contain a
similar visfoa, and wherein the same
like a lion, and the eecond appearances are denominated chem-
bea$t like a ealf, and the biras. We have seen the church in
third beatt had a face ae a its kingly character, represented iti
man, and the fourth beatt this chapter, reHie 4, nnder the 6m-
wot tike ajlying eagle. blem of twenty-four elders. The
liTiog creatures rereal her in her wilderness, or militant condition
marching roand the ak'k, and supporting- Ghrist's kingly power.
The emblenk appears to be taken firom the order in which the
twelre trib^ of Israel were arranged' in their march through
the wilderness. ((Turn, ii.) The tabernacle being placed
in the centre', the tribes w^rs thus disposed of: Judah
to the east, with two tribes, under his standard of a Hon;
Reuben to the south, with tW6 tribes, under his standard of tfa^
face of a man ; Bpbraim, on the west side, with tWo tribes, under
his standard of It young bull ; and Dan, to the north, with twd
tribes, tindlBr his stanidard of an eagle. The powerful and
dominant chanlcter of tbe symbols cboaen, leave no alternatire
than the conclbsioti tliat they denote that church which shall
jet be made kings atad priests an to God, and be thereby installed-
into supremacy over all creation. They are not in possession of
the pbwcK'— as the croWned elders — but progressing in its
aequiretoent. It is for these reasons that the four living erea*'
tures are supposed to denote the <;hurch on earth. Bnt that
they have some representative ehatacter of the church is put
beyond sill doubt, by a r^feteb'ce to the following chapter, v. S
—10 ; Wherein they are uniting with the elders in ascriptions of
praisb and glory to binii who was slain, and had redeemed them
to €K>d by his blood, out of every kindred, and tongue, and jiM-

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4. ',

1 I

pl«, ftnd nation, and are looking forward to rtigoing on
earth, which promiie ezcluiirelj belongi to the laintf of Qod.

The church militant if here pre- S And the /our btatU
•ented to ue, ai not reating dajr or taeh ofthtm $ix wingt
night, but as continually ascribing him ; andiheyuftre full 0^
Holiness to the Lord God Almightj, 'eyu within: (uut they red
with thankagiTings. Thia cbaracte- not day and nightf sayi$ig\
rises the ccmstant watcbfulnesa ne-
cessarj to such a state of warfare ;
and their being full of eyes, appears
to convey the truth, that the church
on earth are the grand manifeatators give glory and honour and\
of God's proridence. It is God the thanks to him that eat on
Father, seen in Christ that ia the the throne^ who liveth for
object of worship on the throne, and ever and ever. ^t^^.
who is designated by that title, only 10 The four and twenty
applicable *o the eternal Godhead, elders/all down be/ore kin
having neither beginning nor end. that eat on the throne fmd

worship him that liveth /ot\

Holy, holyf holy, Lord Ga
Almighty, tohich woe, and\
is, and ie to come.
9 And when those beast$l

ever and ever, and ca»t\
their crowns before tk*\
throne, sayingf >; f.AHie.
11 Thou art worthy, 0\

(see chap, i.)

The homage which the four and
twenty elders pay to Him that sat
on the throne is that due unto the
King of kings as their supreme
Head ; and Ghriat aa the representa- Lord, to receive glory and
tive and manifestation of the person honour and power ; for
of the Father, receives the worship thou hast created all things,
of all created thinga both in heaven and for thy pleasure they
and on the earth. The elders cast- are and were created.
ing their crowna before the throne, and their ascription of all
power to him, by whom and for whom all things were
made, ia the acknowledgment to their great King ; that
it is from him they receive, and for hia pleasure theyj
employ their delegated honours. Thia act of homage receives
illustration from the coronation of a Christian prince, whose
nobles surround the throne, remaining uncovered with their co*
ronets in their hands until the king is crowned ; when they place
them on their heada, to [signify, that it is from bin, as their
earthly sovereign, all their possessions and honours are derived.

ft.

•igoing on
BAinU of Qod.
i /our btoiti ,

Ihey wertfuU o/j
\ : CMd they ru
i night, Mying\
I holy. Lord Go
which UHUf and\
COIM.^\ „ *^
(II thost biottA
and honour and\
im that $at oA

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S «v"

CHAPTER

•Di.

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h* i:?»

Jiuf / taw tfi Me rigrAf This book, seen in the right hand of
nd of him that tat on the him that sat upon the throne, was

rather a roll, sealed with seven seals,
written within and without : that is,
its eontents were full and complete,
each seal containing a separate mys-

krone a hook written with'
and on the backtidtf
tied with teven ttalt.
And I taw a ttrong an^

iver, and catt

tht

tlprocUtimingvfithaloud terj, which it would be necessarj to
re. Who it worthy to break to arrive at. This sealed book
«»«M /orBp^ tj^g ifoofg^ a^ f^ Iqq^^ formed a part of this Apocalypse, in

[''*' fteieo/e fAereo/? which is included all the events of

our and twentjM^ j^^ ^ ^^^ ,-^ Aeaven, God's providence, and the demonstra-
town be/ore Alnm^^^J^ garth^ neither under tion of his power, until the consum-
the throne, <Ht<iB|f ^^rth, was able to open mation of all things.
» that liveth/orm^ f^^^j^^ neither to look The highest importance and digni-
hereon. .-^ rtyf i ^f^ ty is attached to this book in heaven ;

4 And I wept much, be- and notwithstanding the proclama-
aute no man wat found tion of the angel, no one is found
N>r/Ay to open and to able to open it, neither to look there-
tad the book, neither to on. The Apostle, wrapt in the
ook thereon. spirit, is overwhelmed with disap-

ointment, having been seized with an earnest desire to become
cquainted with its contents : and he wept much, because no
ne was found worthy to open and to read it. By which we
lay learn that it is not the mark of an unholy and culpable
mriosity, to search into the purposes of God, as revealed in his
prord. (See also chap. i. 1, 3, xiii, 18, and xxii. 18, 19.)

b And one of the eldert The anxiety which the Apostle
aith unto ni«, Weep not : evinced to become acquainted with
ithold the Lion of the tribe the mysteries of this book, evidently

9fJuda, the Root of David, meets with the Divine approbation ;
len thev olaco ' » " »

, . ^h prevailed to open the for one of the elders is sent to inform

. ..' J • T ^oo*i, find fo loott the teven him that there is one who can ac-

ualt thereof. '- -" > : - • - complish the arduous task — even the

nt before

irt worthy,
reive glory and

power} for
ated all things,
pleaaure ihey
e created.
ription of all
things were

King; that
leasure they
nage receives
rince, whose
vith their eo*

I are derived.

i (

Lion of the tribe of Jadah. Thia affordi of tnother proof,
this sealed boolc is iocladed in the Apocaljpse ; which, we
informed in chap. i. 1, "God gare unto Jesus Christ to s!
unto his serrants things which must shortlj come to pass."
appellations gifen unto Obriat here pertain to his manhood
and shew us that it is to Him, as Son of Man, thii remslaUon
glren. wi/ii ',ili n^ 'ct u . iMi'i AiiJ. 5i*i t..* «»'. u»M 4^'; W

Ghriit haring been represented ac 6 jSnd 1 6<A<M, and,
the great King, be is here introduced ta ikt midtt (^ the Mri
as the atoning sfl^rifice, the Lamb and of tk% fumr htiut*^
slain from before the foundhtions of in ikt midut of Ml aid*
the world. The great High Priest, $tood a Lamb oi it had b
who, by the one sacrifice of hiniself, c/etn, having arirM Ai
bath forerer put. away ain. ; r - <■ and f«0ch eyte^ikhikh

It is in this chapter th4t he pre* the teven Sjririli ^f
rails to opisn the book (sM ▼. 9) ; for sent/otthintomUthk ettri
it was that in which he suffered, 7 And he come and I
being made perfect through anfiferlng. the book thd of tht
The iict of God's giying this rerela- hand of him that iai «;
tion to hita spoken of, chap. i. 1, io the throne.
here narrated. This Lamb haid seren horns and seven ij^s. 1\
horn is emblematiclii of power (Deiit. xtxm. 17), and conreystA^ f^f^^^
us the idesi of thiit given unto Gbrfdt after bis resurrection, Whe jq j^
he said. " All po#er iff girein unto me in heaven and in earth.' ^^ q^^
(Matt, xxviii. 18.) The sevtn cijes are interpreted in th6 tei ^ig^gi
to be the seven Spirits of God*^>and Are her6 introduced, parti .^^^^
eularly as indicative of Christ's omniscience and disoernmeDt ^^ j^^,
We have before observed, that the sevenfold representation a ^^^ ^^^^i,
the Spirit of God instructs us in the mystery of th« Holy Ohost i^y^g i
diffused over, and possessed by, an extended yet a limited am ^j^^g ^
complete number. And we learn also from this text, that gresi ^^n^^ ^
truth, supported by all Scripture, that Jesus Christ is endued ii ,,., ^^
his priesthood by the Father with the gift of the Holy Ghost i^in i^ ^
and that it is he that sends him forth into all the earth — unto • utppinei
many as God the Father shall see fit in the good pleasure of hi ^^ ^j,
will to give unto him. As it is a most important point of aonn >*« t|ie t
doctrine, that the person of the Father is only seen in Jesus Ghristi ^ ^ry ii
it was neceftsairy— -as Christ haid to represent two dittiaet ch* ^jn^ ^

goU
:otir«,

• o/s«

• 4nd

total

the

ou wat

emned

ood out

toni

other proof,
', which, w»
Christ to I
ne to puf."
> hit manhood
hlf rameUtkm

teff !■ thif Tftfon, BAflwIy, that of the Father on the throne,

hie own ac Prieit — that the machinery of the prophecy

Id he to arranged, a« to present the appearance of two per

1, thovi^h, in fact, it hi only Christ that is seen throughout.

similftr Yiiion takes place in Dkniel, chap. rii. 22. <,- -

And when he had taken In the previons chapter the e1<fera

£ hook, the/our beasti and take the precedency in their hijrher

mrandt%»ei^y eldertfell function of kings ; hut here the four

be/are the Lamb J hav' tiring creatures are first mentioned,

every one of them harps hecause it is in his character as Lamh

golden vialt full oj that Christ obtains the book, there-

'o«r«, leAicAoreMepray- fore the living creatures are first to

• o/Mtn/«. ' ' ^-•- ■ celebrate the act. They had harps

• ^fnd they tang a new and vials full of odours. There had
,taying,T%ouartv}or' been no event in heaven to call forth

to take the book, and to such loud hosannahs, as the redemp-
the $eal$ thereof: for tion of a fallen creation by the blood
on vatt stain, and hast of the Lamb ; and therefore they
etmed «t to Chd by thy tuned their harps to sing a new song
ood out of every kindred, of praise and of pray er. ■ '■ ' -

t<mgue, and people, This passage affords us conclusive
nd nation; evidence that the twenty^four elders

10 Jndhatt made us unto and four living creatures will admit
Mr God kii^s and priests: of no other interpretation than the
IB tho tti ^ j^ g^^i reign on the church in heaven — for those only
froduced, pai^tt j,^^^ ^^^j^ g.^^ ^j^.g ^^^ ^^^^ ^^^ ,,^^

discetiimenl ^^ redeemed out of every kindred and tongue, and people

ipreseataUon o ^^j ^^^i,^^ This interesting representation of the church in

* ^ f wnosl i^y^n^ before the resurrection, likewise establishes the con-

a limited am ^j^^g blessedness of redeemed souls after death and their

text, that gresi ^g^^g employment in the service of their Lord. It con-

ist is endued ii ^.y, ^ ^^ likewise, <he important intelligence, that they are

e Holy Ghost ^h |,j ^^ longing condition, waiting for the consummation of their

earth— Q&to • jappiness— when they shall be endued with power and holiness,

pleMure of hi ^^ ^ij^g^ g^nd priests,Jand reign with Christ on the earth. They

b point of •OQQJ >^ the same characters under the fifth seal, chap. vi. 10, who

in Jesus Christ, ^t crying out to God to avenge their blood on them that dwell

o ditUaet cha j^yi^ ewth, for they knew that the day of his vengeance was the

/ beheld, and,
dst <tf the Mr<
ft /our b$a$f»f

tUt of Mi «i
tmbaeithmdb
ring M*M h
i eyee^ikhkh
SjririU <tf
into mil thk
t cam* and l
0^ of the
«m that eat «;
f. ,« *g\

seven iyisa: Tl
, and conveys
lurrection, wh
n and in earth.

: :' *

j««r of their fall recompeiiM. (Is. xxziv. 8.) Accordinglj
find, afUr Cbriit'i coming, let forth in th« Binet«eath eh«pi
when be destroji, at the battle of Arnutgt ddon, the beMt of
fidelity »nd the falne prophet of Rome, with the armies of
kings of the earth ; that the twentieth chapter introduces us ioi
this millennial reign of the saints, which all enjoy who have
made participators in the first resurrection.

The angels are here represented 1 1 Jlnd I beheld, and
encompassing as a guard the elders heard the voice of man^
and living creatures, and loolcing gelt round about the thr
upon the mystery of an elect Church and the beaett and the
standing ready to fulfil their office dert : and the number
of ministering spirits (Heb. i. 14,) them wot ten thouet
to the church of Christ. timet ten thoutandf a\

The church in bearen (see y. 9, thoutandt of thoutandt ;
10) sing of redemption and of elect- 12 Saying with a I
ing love, and conclude with the de- voice. Worthy it the
lightful anticipation of being made that wot tlain to recei\
kings and priests unto God ; but the power, and richet, and w\
angels celebrate bis power over crea- dom, and ttrength, and k
tion, and ascribe the possession and nour, and glory, and bh
dominion of all things to him who is ing.
creation's Lord. They waited for the song of the church, am
then added their hosannahs of praise and sevenfold ascription i
power and glory to the Lamb that was slain, yet livetb for ev(
and ever. A

. Here the whole visible creation J 3 jSnd every ereatui
join in this song of praise ; all crea- which it in heaven, and oi
tures both in heaven and' earth as- the earth, and under tk
cribe to Him that sitteth upon the earth, and tuch at are
throne blessing, and honour, and the tea, and all that are
glory, (see Ps. cxlviii. and Rom. viii. them, heard I toying, Bleu
19, 22.) ing, and honour, and giorii

They now contemplate the two and power, be unto hh
persons in ujie substance, two seen that titteth upon the thron
in one ; the Father ruling for Christ and unto the Lamb for evi
until be hath put all things under and ever. . . <jf. vt"
his feet (Ps. ex. 1), and Christ ac- 14 Jnd the four head

[<f, Jmen.
twenty I
worthi,
tthfor ei
hap. iv.)
dressed i
er and e'

\.A .- *-

■^v= .-,t -.

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•4, . ^i-A

A: Ui

■»',

■r^e'1'-

;;;;<■«

r!t\

ccordinglj

«eoUi clupi

be b«Mt of

armiet of

d, JiMH. Jnd the four knowledged u the mftnifeited bead
twenty etden/elldotpn of all power in he«Ten and earth.
worshipped him that This ButV<Djo and comprebeniire
eth for ever and ever. yiaiou is concK' 'ed as it began,
oduoes Of ioAhap. it.) by a simultaneoiyi act of worsbip from the church
who baT« bedddressed to Him that sitteth on the throne, and.that lireth for
er and ercr.

f 6«A<U, and
iee of many
ibout the thn
»tt and tke
the number
ten thoutt
thousand^ a\
fthouumde;
igwith a I
Ihy i$ the
lain to reeeii
richeefOndw
rength^andk
loryy and blet

te ebarob, aaj
d ascription <
livetli for eve

every creatui
heaven, and
and under tk
tuch at are
I all that are ti
I toying, Bleu
u>ur,amigiori
be unto hit
upon the tkron
e Lamb for em

the four kiuA

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.v>.

CHAPTER VI.

M 'J

Th« prophecies of the sealed book commence with ihii ebapUi,

The contents of the book seen in 1 ^nd / taw when t
the right hand of him that sat on the LanU> opened one of t
throne, and which only the Lion of <ea/«, and J heard^ at
the tribe of Judah prevailed to open, were the noite of thunder,
(chap. V.) are in this, and the fol- one of the four heaett {
lowing chapters, revealed to the presenting the church iij
Apostle. They represent seven sue- her prophetical and pries
cessive acts of power, by which the ly character, chap. iv. 6,
enemies of Christ's church are scat- v. 8)«aytnjr, Come and ttt
tered, and thereby the way prepared 2 And 1 taw^ and 6eAoU{
for the establishment of his own a white horse : and he thai
kingdom. The seven seals respect sat on him (Constantine)
the western branch of the Roman had a bow; and a erom{
empire — the fourth monarchy, or ten was given unto him : a
kingdoms of Daniel (chap. ii. 44, he went forth conquering,\
and vii. 23, 27). In the first four and to conquer.
seals, we have four successive emperors ; in whose times, and|
by whose chief instrumentality. Paganism, the first enemy of the
church, was judged and brought to its end. In chap. ii. 10, we]
find a reference to ton years' persecution which the church at
Smyrna was to undergo, and which we have referred to that pe-
riod of Diocletian's reign, when the Christians underwent that
sore trial. As this was included in that portion of this book,]
denominated " the things which are," according to Christ's own
division of the prophecy (chap. i. 19), it is evident we must not
look for this commencing act of retribution on Paganism until
after this period, A. D. 303 — 312. During the first three centa-
ries of the Christian era, the church experienced from the Pagan
Roman emperors one continued course of persecutions ; inter
rnpted during that whole period only by occasional variations b
severity and barbarity. After the death of Diocletian, Con

itantine t
ire, A. C

blemat

•I blow

bed re 11

OD, A. D

iross, will

cords, ti

Dtine g

e whole

iva in en

igbt giv<

Jndwl
the seco
e sicond
d see.
And the
tr horse
mblemat
oodsbed)
ven to hin
t sat th
act from
vil war,)
uld kill

there u

a great
a systcE
en violei
nism owi
ry exped
iristian i
lar con(
spersion
mple to I

See Milni
fSeeafull
lurch Hist
the JuliaD

[uoUne the Great wm railed to the throne of the Roman Em-
lire, A. D. 306. He U represented as seated on a white horse,
iblematical of imperial power and of conqticst. lie gave the
rst blow to PagaDism by constituting Chriilianiiy the eitab-
ibed religion of the empire, which took place aflfr his cuiivcr-
ion, A. D. 312. It is related uf him, that in a vi^iion hu saw a
|ro8S, with thi in^oription, " In this overcome ;" and Eudebius
ecordi, that such ever after continued tu be hi^ motto. " Con-
mtioe gave the moat perfect toleration tu Christians through
le whole extent of his dominions ; Providence was still with
jim In enlarging his kingdom, that, like another Cyrus, he
ngbt give peace and liberty to the church*."
Jnd when ha had open' During the reign of Constantino
the tecond teal, / heard the Great, after his conversion, A. D.
^e tecond beatt say. Come 312, and for many succcsaivu feurs,
ltd tee. : ., , Christianity enjoyed comparative

\ And there went out anO' protection; but in the year 3G1,

Julian the Apostate, Constantino's
nephew, succeeded Cunstantius, and
openly declared for Puganismf. Ju-
lian reigned one year and eight
months, during which period he ex-
erted the most conaiimmate arlitice
and the most unwearied persever-

ler horse that was red :
Emblematical of war and
loodshed) and power v'f
ben to him (Theodosius)
lat tat thereon to take
tace/rom the^ earth, (by
jvil war,) and that they
\ould kill one another :

there was given unto

a great tword.

ance, to exterminate Christiani'y
and to re-establish Paganism. These
objects he proposed effecting more
a systematic course of artful policy, than by the exercise of
en violence ; and truly, for the short period of bis reign, Pa-
aism owned a most active apostle. Amongst the extraordj.
ry expedients to which he resorted, to vilify and degrade the
ristian religion, one deserves particular notice, from its sin-
lar conception and its audacious impiety. Perceiving the
persion of the Jews, and the continued desolation of their
mple to be predicted of in the prophecies, he encouraged the

'See Milner'ri Church History, vol. ii. p 31.

^Seeafull avcount of Julian h introduction of PaKanium, in Miiner's
bumh History, vol. ii. chap. H, who haa liimMslf lolloweU Cave's Uivtorjr
(the Julian Appstocy, in his Hiiitorjr of the Fathers, wet. iii. p. 804. .

11 d

!;l

{ I

\ !

Jewi to rebuild it ; U\» tUaign being to oppose the troth of tl
prophetic record, and thus to prore Obriit's prediction an impoi'l
tiirc. For this purpose he committed the eseetition of the affkii
to Alypius uf Antioch, who was assisted bj the gorernor of tbtl
province ; but an earthquake, attended with horrible balls of lirt|
btcnking out near the foundations, rendered the place inaccei
bio to the terrified workmen, and the eaterpriie waa uUimatel;!
relinquished. Marvellous as this story maj appear, it hM tl
authority of ecclesiastical writers of unquMtioned credibilitj,|
many of whom lired at the period ; amongst these are Qregor
Nazianzen, Ambrose, and Ohrjsosotm, with mauj others, aa we!!|
aa of the Jcwiah rabbis*. But it was rain for him to contend witb
Omnipotence. lie received a mortal wound in his ezpeditioal
against the Persians. It is recorded of him, that, conscions (A
his approaching end, he exclaimed, "0, Galilean I Then haitl
conquered" After Julian's death, a succession of emperors cam^
to the throne, variously disposed towards Chriatianity and
ganism ; but the periods of their reigt were too short to enabld
any one to effect a permanent alteration in favour of either|
until Theudosiua the Great (v. 4.) became master of the Romi
Empire, originally raised from a private condition to the imi
rial dignity by tj^e emperor Gratian.

Paganism sought again to rally itself under the nsurpers Maz^
imus and Eugenius ; the former governing in Britain, A. DJ
383 — the latter, who usurped the empire of the West, by thj
murder of the emperor Yalentinius. But Theodosius who|
reigned in the East, after a civil war in which he took peac
from the earth (v. 4), defeated and killed the former, A. DI
388t : and the latter met a similar fate soon after his usurpationtj
Theodosius having thus become sole governor of the Roman EiS'l
pire, set hinself to the extirpation of the Pagan idolatry wit!
the most decisive vigour. He destroyed all the Pagan temple
and made it a capital crime to sacrifice or attend the Paga
ritesll. Paganism never lifted up its head in strength after tbial

• Warburton's Julian— also Cave'« Lives of the Fathers— 8. Cyril of Jer
aalem, p. 5til .
t Busebiua Eccletiaat. Hist. lib. v. chap. ziv. p. S38«
t KusebiuB Ecolcsiast. Hist. lib. v. chap. xxv. p. S60. ' ^ " * ' '

II Cave's Introduction to the Lives of tne Fathers, vol. li. setJt. S.

-S.Cyrilof Jer

od thoQgh it itlll linff«r«d on an ezittaoce until the foortb m%\,
b«bit ftlone tupportcd it, and the fourth ccnturj cIoim with ib«
ttablitbnNnt of Obrittianitj in the Romnn empire m the reli«
on of the state*.

5 And vktn A« had open- Though Pagnnirai, u a *7item,

d tka third mo/, / heard was bj these two blows of the first

kt third beoit «ay, Come and second seals, wounded to death

tee. And I beheld, throughout the empire, jet it still

lo a black horee, (em- lired in Rome ; from which, as from

lematieal of defeat, the a centre of Satan's tyrannic power,

iterse of white,) and he had issued all those successire perse-

M< on Aim (Honorius) cutions which had assailed the

a pair of balancet in Christian church since her establish-

if hand. ment, filling the whole empire with

S And I heard a voice in the blood of her martyrs. Accor-

kemidet qf the/our beaett dingly we find the judgments of the

ly, A tneature of wheat third seal directed towards Pagan

'or a penny, and three mea- Rome and her dependencies. Ood

ree of barley for a penny; visits a nation for her national

see thou hurt not the crimes, committed as a collectiye

U and vfine. body — whose guilt he allows to accu-

ulate from generation to generation, until her iniquity is full

nd she has thus ripened herself for the Divine vengeance.

The opening of the third seal presents us with the emblems of

a emperor ; but neither with the ^ow of far-ranging conquest,

or with the great sword of civil warfare, but with a pair of ba-

ADces in his hand; signifying thttt his power should betaken

p not with arms, but with weighing and measuring, in exact

cales, the allowances of his people; in what kind is taught us

ly the interpretation of a voice, saying, " A measure of wheat

for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny, (prices

br the necessaries of life, indicative of famine ;) and see t lou

art not the oil and the wine ;" which expression points out the

nusual care to be observed of these articles of life. He rode

pon a black horse, indicating the reverse of conquest ; namely,

iefeat, sorrow, and dejection. *Tlii8 heavy affliction fell upon

he city of Rome, in the time of the emperor Honorius ; whm

* Milner's Church History, vol. it, p. 207.

'.1
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ili

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Ui;

ii.i I

;

1 1

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green, the colour of cor-
ruption :)aTid his nanu that
sat on him was Death, and
Hell followed with him

AUrio tha Ootb, after tbreo dovAsUtioiu of Italj, and two h%^
laaf ueraenU of the capiul, at length took and gaclced it, Jk,^.
410, sparing the ChriatUns, and putting another ha;^d to 1^
Pagan aupcratition in the conflagration of tiie Heathen tamplea*.
Italj remained in poisesaion of the Gotha till A. D. 4.14^ whfii it
waa evacuated bj treaty. ' k -, ^ -^ ' '--• v-".-^ ni

The fourth seal contain3 a second 7 jlnd when he had optn-
judgment upon the Roman empire, ed the fourth geal, I heard
which came to pass in the reign of the voice of the fourth
Justinian, falling particularly on beast say, Cone and see.
Africa and Italy (the fourth part of Q jind 1 looked^ and behold,
the Roman earth). The rider on the a pale horse: (of a lirid
pale or livid horse—indicative of cor-
ruption — represents the emperor Jus-
tinian : and he is called death, or
the Destroyer ; to denote the enor-
mous destruction of human life, that (Justinian), ^nd power
should attend the flux and reflux of wasgivenuntothe/noverthe
conquest, of which that portion of fourth part of earth, (th&i
the Roman empire was made the is, one of the four prefec-
theatre. Italy was so laid waste by tures into which the Ro-
this devastating war, carried on by man empire was divided
his general Belisarius, who took by Constantine) to kill
Rome from the Goths, A. D. 536,aQd with sword, and with hun-
ultimately expelled them from Italy, ger, and with death, and
that many of her fairest provinces with the beasts of the earth.
relapsed into a state of savage nature, and the country be-
came so depopulated, that wild beasts began to gain the ascen-
dancy over man (v. 8.) Famine and disease, the usual accom-
paniments of the sword, came in this terrific train of desolating
judgment ; and thus the four scourges of the human race men-
tliftned in the text, slaughter, famine, pestilence, and wild beasts,
had during this period exerted by turns their exterminating ra-
rages over the whole of Italy. Thus have we in four great acts
of God, working through the instrumentality of human power,
the process by which he overthaew Paganism, the first great
•nemy of the church of Christ. This interpretation receives

* Irvins'a Babylon Foredoomed, vol. i. p. 186. ,

, and two Im< |
Iced it, Xi).

leu templea*.

,. '<■•'.■ . I ". ',
I he had op9n-
Mtalf I heard
' the fourth
me and $u.
edf and behold.
: (of a lirid
olour of cor>
I hi$ nanu that
u Deaths and
id with hm
And power
them over the
if earth, {thAi
e four prefec-
hich the Bo-
was divided
tine) to kill
ind with hun-
th death, and
t of the earth.
country be-
in the ascen-
usual accom-
of desolating
an race men-
i wild beasta,
rminating ra-
>ur great acta
uman power,
he first great
tion receives

rttttiltibld eooflniMtlon, from the fact that Echard, and moft
btstOTiatis, when treating of that period of the Roman hittorf !n
whfch we harv traced the fulfilment of the first fbar seals, from
A. D. 3^2 to A. D. 590, narrates the historical erents in the^
fbar grand divisions. History is but a comment on prophecy.
Indeed it has not an object, if not applied to develop the pur-
poses of Qod, and display the manifestations of his providence
tmongst the nations of the earth. '-'*"' "t^^' "*,ia m-^. rijB «inT
9 Jtnd when he had open- Paganism having thun been sup-
td ike fifth tea!, I tdw pressed and footed up, so that scarce-
unier the altar the souls \j any vestige of it remained ; we
ofthem that were slain for find the fifth seal introduces to ns
the vkird of God, and for another form of superstition, which
the testimony which they was designed in the Divine purpose,
held: (during the period to have the ascendency over the
ofthe Pagan persecutions) saints of God, for its limited period.
W And they cried ufith d' At the opening of the fifth seali
Inti voici, sayihe, How the Apostle sees a vision in heaven.
long, O Lord, holy and The altar stood iri the temple: and
true, dott thou not Judge when the victim was Sacrificed, the
dnd avenge our blood on blood was received below — the blood
themthatdtoellonthe^artht is the life. The souls under the al-
ii And ibhite robet'were tar, therefore represent the martyri
giteh unto every one of whd had been slain by the Pagan
them ; ahd it wai said unto persecution. This heavenly vision is
theiii,ihat they should rest not to be considered in time, subse-
yetfbraltttla teason,(ih&t quent to the previous seals, but as a
is, the period of 12G0 years cry for vengeance, on their persecu-
dtrring which the saints tors, which had continued through,
were giren into the hands and of which, those judgments wer«
ofthe little horn of Daniel, the consequence. White robes were
which is the Papacy : see put on oy the priests, when they en-
Dan, vii. 25,) untU their tered into the holiest of all ; and this
fellow-servants also and figure here represents (verse 9) the
their brethren, that should saints who had been martyred, as hav-
hekilled (by the Papal per- ing entered into heaven itself. When
cations) at they were the Pagan judgments had terminated,
[by the Pagan), should be they were expecting that their ene-
'ulfilled. mies should be judged, and that they

: ■ : I

•boold realize the fulfilment of tbAt promife, to which ih«y w«n
looking (under another symbol, in chap. t. 10) with fo maek
deaire, to reign on the earth with Christ, bnt thej are told tfaej
must wait a little season (chap. zii. IS), nntil their brclhrea
should be likewise killed (rer. 11) bj another form of supersti-
tion, the Papacy, and accordingly they are found rejoicing,
when her judgmfent takes place, (see chap. XTi. 6, and six. 2.)
This fifth seal therefore takes in the whole compass of that Pa*
pal period ; but gives no particulars of its fulfilment, because it
is not comprehended in the purpose of prophecy to gire the
growth of evil powers, but to shew forth their punishment when
arrived at maturity ; and also, because they are given during
this period of forty-two months, or 1260 days in the zith chap-
ter. .,._., ■'■■'-■ -.-^ , •,.■:■.. V'

. It is admitted by all Protestant commentators, with scarcely
one exception, that the time, times, and the dividing of time of
Daniel, during which the saints were to be given into the pow^r
of the little horn, is the period of 1260 years of the Papacy (•
time, according to the Jewish computation, being 360 years ;
times, being double, and the dividing of time half that period).
There can be little doubt that if we can ascertain the completion
of the Pagan persecution, we shall have made great progress in
fixing the rise of the Papal : for it is to be supposed, that Satan
no sooner found himself defeated in one form of enmity to the
church, than he would instantly assume another ; otherwise if an
interval were admitted to occur between the extihction of the
one, and the rise of the other, the church would, during such
time, be exempt from Satan's malice : which is altogether incon-
sistent with the activity that he has ever manifested against
the truth. If therefore, as we think we have satisfactorily
shewn, in our interpretation of the fourth seal, that Pag^ism,
after enduring repeated shocks from the Arian nations, which
for this purpose God brought upon the Roman Empire, wsa
finally put down and extinguished in the reign of Justinian ;
and to no other period in history can its extinction be traced ;
it is likewise in this reign we must expect to find a commencing
date to this new persecuting power, referred to in this seal, and
which,we learn from Oaniel| is to last 1260 years (Dan.vii. 19,26)i

cb ihtj w«n
with fo maek
are told tbej
beir brcthraa
DB of snpen U*
nd rejoicing,
>, and ziz. 2.)
18 of tbat Pa-
nt, becAvse it
f lo gire tbe
isbment when
given during
be xith chap-

"'•.«■ r^v

with scarcely
ing of time of
ito tbe pow^r
le Papacy (a
ig360 jears;
r that period),
le completion
at progress in
)d, that Satan
enmity to the
ttberwise if an
ibction of the
, during such
tgetber incou'
rested against
satisfactorily
lat Paganism,
tations, which
Empire, was
of Justinian ;
>n be traced ;
i commencing
this seal, and
»an.Tii.t9|26),
.1>V

At the ezi>iration of which the judgment in to sit, and bis
dominion is to be taken away.

There has urisen no question in the prophetic writings more
important, or one which has occasioned deserredly more discus-
sion than ttiat of fixing the commencement of this Papal period
of 1260 years; because, if ascertained, on addition of seventy-
five years, at its termination, would lead us to that time which
Daniel pronounced to be blessed ; and as he is promised to stand
in his lot, it can mean none other than the first resurrection, and
the coming of our Lord. It is only within the last few yearsi
that any unanimity has existed upon this interesting subject ;
and we can venture to affirm, tha,t little diversity of opinion is
now entertained by modern commentators, and the students of
prophecy. The question is, at what time vrere the saints given*
into the hands of the Papacy ; and we shall find tbe answer rc«
markably to coincide with our supposition, that it must be found
in the reign of Justinian, when Paganism was finally put down,
and never after > ■.-l^ raised its head as a persecuting power.
By an edict, ber i: h'' ate March, S33, aathority was given to the
Bishop of Rome to settle all controversies in the church, of
which he was declared to be the infallible head, and power was
given him by iuch enacted law of the empire, against wkgrnso-
ever he deemed her. . teal. It was not merely ono edict, but a
systematic course of policy, whereby the Papacy was stamped
the imperial religion; (just as much as Christianity was by
Gonstantine :) so that its very image is delineated in the begin-
ning of Justinian's code of laws ; the celibacy of the clergy,
tbe intercession of the Virgin Mary, tbe adoration of the
cross, kc. kc. In fixing the year 533, as the commencement of
the 1260 years, we have a corroborative proof, almost equal to
demonstration, if the events spoken of in prophecy to take
place at its termination should be found to receive an exact and
minute accomplishment at the precise time. The expiration of
phi 1260 years therefore would occur, A. D. 1792 : and accord-
ingly we find the events predicted in the sixth seal, which ended
In the French Revolution of Aug. 10, 1792, accompanied with
such a variety of minute particulars, presents us with an adequate
folfilp^ent^ whicl) nothing but tbe ^ uth itself could furnieb.

i i

:: . f

Adding sereniy-fiTe yean to 1792 will bring as down to I867J
by which time, vfe have no doubt, the day of wratb will li««|l
passed over— Christ's enemies be dnstrojed^-and that blefsei]
period will have arrived, when the dainta are to possesi th«|
kingdom for ever and ever. (See also chap. xil. 16.) inn i'

la strirt accordance with the ob* 12 jind I beheld wketihtl

servatie last advanced, we find the had opened the sixth »eal\

sixth seal announced by a great and^ lo, there toa« a greatl

eaithquHke on a portion of the Papal earthquake (popalar re>|

kingdoms, which was Qod's Srst act volation) ^ and the $un be-

of retributive justic^j on that apos- catna black as sackcloth oj

tacy. The i)eriod of thib seal is ^tr, (eclipse of kingljl

from A.D. 1789, occupying .he four power,) and the moon beA

last years of the Papal period of 1260 cavte as blood, (death of a |

years. It describes a popular revo- queen),

lution of an established government, 13 Jind the stars of heu*

with the total eclipse of the kingly ven (the nobles of ths po*

power : the subversion of all authorl* litical . hemisphere) JeU\

ty, and the degradation and banish- unto the earth (degraded!

ment of the dignities of the land. in dignity to the comikion|

The fourth monaichy of Daniel, level), even a* a fig'treex
(see chan. vii. 24,) or Roman Empire, casteth ker untimely figstl
now become Papal (Rev. xvii. 12), when she is shaken of a\
was to be divided into ten kingdoms ; mighty toind.
and it is to be expected, if this seal 14 Jind the Aeai>en(polU|
only operated partially, that such tical government) de-
kingdom would be selected iiy God, parted as a scroll when i/l
that had most prominently distin- is rolled together; aMd\
guished herself in the erection and every mountain and island
support of the Papal hierarchy, (eminences of power and
Accordingly, we find, on consulting authority) were moved out
history, that in the reign of Pepin of of their places.
France, the most considerable acceS' 15 Jind the kings of the
sions of territory and temporal power earthy and the great men,
were secured to the Pope, chiefly and the rich men, and thfi
through his instrumentaliLy, A. D. ehi^ captains^ and thi
705 ; and that subsequently bis son mighty men^ and every
and successor, Obarlemagne, sub- bondman, and every free-

1, hid themMheiin the daed for bin tb« kin|;dom of !om-

ani in thi ro<^» of btirdy, A.D. 774, and Inretled hiro

fnouHtain$. with considerable portions of (be

hSJludtaidtotkemfUH- conquered territory. France hai

\intandrockt, Fallonut likewise ever presented herself •

AWe ntfrom the face willing instrument to persecute the

him that ritteth on the troe saints of God; for there is no
\rone, and from the wrath nation whose historic records are so

' the Lamb : deeply stained with the blood of

11 For the great day of the martyrs of Christ. The perse-

i$ wrath it come ; and cotions of the Waldenses and A.\h\-

\ho $haU be able to stand f genses in the thirteenth century*,

id, in later times, the massacres of her Protestant subjects,

ifficiently mark her pre-eminence !n the annals of blood, to

irect our expectations to her, as the first object of Divine wrath.

Accordingly, we find the prophecies contained in this seal

5ceiv6 a most remarkable accomplishment in Prance, to the

»ry letter; and which, commencing in the year lT?9, ran

trough four years of political contention, finally terminating in

le memorable revolution of Aug. 10, 1792 : when the king was

}prived of all power, and ultimately ended his life upon a

caffcid, Jan. 21, 1793. This is thv^ 'jamo king prophesied of in

|aniel xi. 20 ; the raiser of taxes, who was to precede the vile

srson, or the wilful king. Napoleon Bonaparte.

The stars of heaven are said to fall as untimely figs, and the

klands to be only moved out of their places, because the time

I'as not arrived for their final destruction ; this beirg reserved

)r the last act of wrath, under the seventh vial, wn^a it is said

:liap. xvi. 20), " and every island fled away, and the moun-

lins were not found." Accordingly, we find, that at, and subse-

luent to, that period, every dynasty in the ten Papal kingdoms of

turope, with the exception of England (see comment v')n chap.

[ii.), which had been established for centuries, were swept ui

le course of a few years from their eminence, carrying in their

lownfall all that adhered to them. They are now restored

j^ain — as at the first — we judge, preparatory to their demolition

* See MUner'i Church History, vol. iii. chap. iv.

n 1

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'fc

I I

for erer. This teal deriref addiiiooAl importaoca from
eoDiideration thst the siguB tbey contain art those by which <
day of wrath and judgment is ushered in, erery where ihrouf
oat the prophecies, as preceding the glorious day of the comi
of Christ, and his blessed reign upon the earth. And they st
here as a great mark of synchronism, with all that is written i
the Prophott: from the time of Joel to the time of Christ.

Tbf ( '..yee verses are anticipatiTe, and orophetical of
great concluding act of Qod's wrath upon the Papal nations, i
which this sixth seal was but a feeble type, introductory to
pouring out of the seven vials of wrath (see zvi. and three fol
lowing chapters). A similar mark of synchronism in time
found in chap. ix. 20, after the sounding of the sixth trumi
when the rest of the men are represented as not repentio||
The final day of wrath is with more propriety referred to, in tli
instance, as taking effect on the western branch of the Boi
empire, to which the seals have respect. .^^ ^^ . ^^^^^ ^, , ^ ,

i:u: .*::.. .... ( .:. -:.,,;..- -^ ....... . , *, ;!^ ,7..\!wi«;^i< 'li/Hv^

Mm Vt-^i-t -.lit' ti-M'ff ', L*:\i ,«■'. .)t,uJi :■' U"ijkti|' .."/« f'tvijEIMbifsWiri

u? rs ii Mi-'-.i;.': ■ ;;»'{.-i i-i >•« *«iil '.*--.: .' ' \ : ., .■ *»!» .^Iv
litY' ■'••'■; f.H.' -i^vi »! ^-i:;»Ui'<v .-..-^tj' .•>«;' w.' -,w t nil ,ix p

piS: hiiti /i'^fi \i.>':\.'* ■' ■^«. iti;i <.>i' .,:; Ytfi ilv' *-.r\ ''ix> nj^;< iv

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411 •f-J-'l-l*- T'lfi'ft fi >v1')' li'-;? 'jvi Lv ■:..-. J •.■■•i.>?r5i» l\''*'i ' it.'il it-mil'- i\..i

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.Tc .liids Mi .'.<5T i 4"iv>«tih a.. .i'HO ti'^SiSiUA tais *

ftoc« from
w bj which
vhtn throa

of the comi
knd they •
It is written

Christ.
>hetical of t
ipal nationt,
ductorj to

and three f(
ism io time
sixth tram
not repentin
erred t0| in tl
of the Bo

.-. •• «I» .-ll^^
: "41 .ix i'

I «^» / T J , Jit- .

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tl'*** CHAPTER VII.

it /I*

-^r<

1 Jni o/Ttr f A«M Mtng^t From the lamentations, In the latter
iaw four mngeU ttanding part of the sixth seal, nttered by the

tktffmr eomtfoftht kings and great men of the earth,

rtKf holding thi four who Call upon the rocks to fall on

i$idtoftke earthfthaithe them, because the great dajr of

ihould not blow on wrath was come, we should be led to

iorthf nor on the ua^ conclude that the succeeding seal

on any trei. •-. '> *' would contain the particulars of that

2 Jnd I iow another a$i>' day; but, on the contrary, the nar-
ij attending from tht east ratire being carried down to the sixth

tfijtg the teal of the liV' seal, and having sounded a note of

ng Ood : and he cried coming judgment, we find this chap-

\h a loud voice to the te? commences by the sealing of a

our angeltf to u^om it people,' ^ til the completion of which

rat given to hurt the earth the foc. destroying angels are com-

Md the tea. V: v.v(^'. manded not to hurt the earth. The

3 Sayingj Hurt not th* structure of this book, as laid down
arth, neither the sea, nor in the Preface, would not allow of
he treetftiUwehave tealed Ijie opening of the serenth seal ; but
he tervantt of our Ood in the Prophetic History of the Western
heir foreheadt. branch of the Roman Empire having

i Jlnd I heard the nuni' been brought down to that period,

rr of them which were just preceding the last sevenfold act

et^d : and there were of consummating wrath (chap, xvi.),

ealed an hundred and it was necessary to return, and bring

'orty and four thoutand of the other two histories, down to the

M the tribet of the chil- same point. The sealing, therefore,

bren of Itrael. of the true servants of God is here

^ Of tht tribe of Juda introduced with perfect propriety;

oere tealed twelve thou- and the question arises, who are

and. Of the tribe of Reu- these favoured people? It is evi-

^en were tealed twelve dezitly a -^hole potion to whom this

I >

ftct of meroy is extended. The cha>
meter of this book forbids our inter-
preting it literally ; besidet one of
the tribes (Dan) is omitted, as if
purposely, to prevent such an expla-
nation; and also in the xir th chapter,
where the same sealed nation is
spoken of, they are represented as
following the Lamb whithersoev«r he
goeth, which the Jews do not, but
continue his greatest enemies. For
these reasons, therefore, it cannot be
the twelve tribes of Israel ; and we
are driven to the conclusion, that they
are here introduced as a symbol to
denote an entire nation, who should
receive protection from the judgments
contained under the seventh seal
(chapter zvi.), in consequence of

thoutand. Ofthitribn
Gad were ttaled twtli
thoutand.

6 Of the tribe of Ja
were tealed twelve the
tand. Of. the tribe
Nephthalim v>tr* s«(;
twelv thoutand. Of
tribe of Manattet
sealed twelve thouiand.

I.Of the tribe of Si
were teated twelve thi
sand. Of the tr^ of j
were sealed twelve thoc.
sand. Of the tfibt of h
saehar were tealed tweii
thousand. >u^< tAl -<«m

8 Of Vie tribe of Zat
Ion u>ere sealed iwelv^ic't Mytii
thousand. Of the tribe of ^r Godwi

)uj dynai

(raced, t

)a9. Fra

three ct

in all in

intofQoi

itberiflg i

^mmissioii

^mbol of t

l^Jfter i

i, lo, a gi

iiek no mt

of aU

iredSf ai

)agueSf sti

rone^and t

tktd wU

U palms i

iOJndci

their being distinguished as a true

church from the surrounding apos- Joseph were sealed twebn * '^' '^^

tftcy. Viewing this prophecy, thoutand. Of the tribe of e LanU>.

therefore, as affecting the Western Benjamin were sealed

Roman earth, it may be asked, twelve thousand. «< . '<V«£

what nation answers to the de^ription contained in tb« '*^i °'^

text ? It is obvious the symbol can receive an adequate ae
complishment only in the British Protestant nation,
alone, of all the ten Papal kingdoms, so effectually ez
trioated herself ftrom that apostacy at the time of the Re-
formation, as to present at this period a national church, founded
upon the pure doctrines of the Bible ; and she alone, of all these
kingdoms, presents herself as receiving fulfilment of the pro-
phecy by the most extraordinary exemption from the judgmentf
which have been poured out since the year *4 792, in the first eiz
vials of wrath (chap xvi.), upon the other nine kingdoihB of
Ghristendom. E7ery oi^ital in Ohristian Papal Europe, except-
ing England, has, in its burn, be«fn possessed by the infidel £m-
peror of France, the country deluged with bloor'i and rapine, and

U Jnd
od rout

rtand tl

\ their fc
tipped Go
12 Sayin,
g,and glo
id thankst
and

iglUf be
f ever on
liJindt
\tweredf i

411

ttj djnMtj Aad form of goTerament therein broaght down or
TAced, «ad trampUd upon, b/ ibis icoocge of the Papel na-
09. Frenoe, Speia, AuatriA, Portugel, Naples, Tuscanj, end
three chuich-eUtee ia Italj, Lomberdy, IteTeona, and Rome,
rt all in their turn experienced the hear j hand of this tnstru-
nt of Qod's wrath ; who has gone forth as a buraiog meteor,
itberiog men by his presence, as though conscious of the Dirine
mmission given him under tbe fourth vial, in the imperial
nbol of tbd sun, to scorcb men with fire. (chap. xvi. r. 8.) ^.
i^J/Ur this I beheldf It is evident that tbe vision which
, /o, a grtat multitude^ ensues in this chapter carries us on
iek tio man could num- to a period subsequent to that event,
of all fuUiofu^ and predicted in the former part, from its
redtf and people^ and introductory intimation tbat it was
ngueSf ttood bt/ore tJu after this the Apostle beheld the
one^andbi/ortthiLamb great multitude which uo man could
hid toitk white robttf number, of a// nations and kindred,
paliM in their hands ; and people, and tongues, who stood
id And cried with a loutl before the throne: wbereas tbe for-
ke, soywif ) Salvation to mer vision consisted of a tingle nation
r God which sitteth up- whose express number is heard by
the thronet and unto the Apostle, and is therefore to be
LanUf, , ni^.^ .'I'-s vr regarded as indicative of limitation.

11 Jind all the angels The symbols in the whole of this
od rouiid about the book are taken from the Jewish tem-

renCf and about the el' pie and service ; and from the men- ,

rt and the four beastSf tion of the multitude before the t

fell be/ore tne thronz throne having palms in their hands,. ^

their faceSf and var- we are referred to the feast of taber- .

ipped God. -r- • .< nacles, one of tbe three great feasts

12 SayingfJmen: Blest" of the Jewish nation, when all Israel ..
\gfind glory,and wisdom^ were present. See Lev. xxiii. 33 — 44. ^

thanksgiving, and ho- The nation sealed in the former

and power^ and part of the chapter, are protected .

ightf be unto our God during the pouring out of thote judg-

T ever and ever. Anun. ments upon the rest of the nations :

13 And one of the elders but the vision here contemplates that ;
weredf saying unto me, peaceful condition of the church, /

; r

•i .

whtn iht fh«H be in the poif«Mioii Whal wrt lk$$$ mkkk
of tb« beaTenlj tbiogi, and wbicb is turmfti in wkii4 roki
•nbteqaent to those acts of Divins mtd whtnee cmm lA#y t
wratb. It is contemporaneous with 14 Jnd I $»id unto k
tbe feast of tabernacles predicted in 5ir, thou knowt$t. A\
Zecbariab xir. 16 — 19, wbicb all tbe K* $aid to tn«, 7%*m
nations npon eartb sball come up to thty which cnm* out
Jerusalem to kc<ip Arom year to year ; gnat tribulation^ and hi
wbilst tbe risen sait:ts of Ood, sball wuhed their rob*if
serre bim nigbtand day, !n that New
Jerusalem wbicb cometb down from
hearen, chap. xxi. 3, xxii. 3.-6. —
Tbe abore eonclnsion receires addi-
tional confirmation from tbe follow-
ing considerations. In tbe 16tb
rerae this glorious assemblage, who
hare been redeemed from much trib«
nlation, are represented as being in
the immediate presence of God, as
baring entered into tbe Holiest of all,
in which interior recess of the tem-
ple, the throne of Ood was situated,
and bis glory appeared to the high
priest, the antitype to which is un- itinthetnidito/thethront
questionably tbe Heavenly City, shall feed Mem, and $ht^
(chap. xxi. 22, to tbe end of tbe book) lead them unto living foun-
It is only when the serenth angel is tains of waiers : and God
to sound, when tbe kingdoms of this shall wipe away all teari
world become the kingdoms of our from their eyes
Lord and his Christ (chap. xi. 19), that the temple is said to be
opened ; and in the xvth chapter we further learn, that though
the temple is then opened, yet no man was able to enter into it,
because it was filled with smoke of the glory of Ood and from
his power, until the seven plagues of the seven angeU were fulfilled.
Now, as the last of the seven plagues contain tbe consummating
act of the judgments in the battle of Armageddon, tbe destruc'
tion of tbe infidel Antichrist, and of the mystical Babylon, and
which is immediately succeeded by Christ's millennial reign upoB

'inade them white in
blood of the Lamb.

15 Therefore art tht
before the thront of
and serve him daiy
night in hie temple ;
he that eitteth on the thrt
shall dwell among them.

16 Huy ^tM hunger \
more^ neither thirst diyl
motet neither shall tkn
sun light on Mem, nor a»f |^„ of th<
heat.

17 For the Latnh whid

•artb,
^Dsequenc
idsr cone
lessednesi
' this boot
^ntre. ^
irison of
cription ol
laptert o
ige li
^•w Jerns
irring hii
^or crying
lieir eyes
Ihall feed
di. 1), m
We are
tandamen
lood of<
Is througl

>'\>>-,i

<-'■

t )(

fil

•ftrtb, (fM cbftp XTi. to xi.) it followi, m a ntcMMrj
^Dtequeoee, that the Tiiion of th« palm-bearing maltitode, now
idcr eontideration, must repr«Mnt tb« ciiarch in that itata of
letiedneu daring the Millenniam, to which all the propheeiee
' thii book, aa well as erery other, oourerges, as to a common
^Dtre. We are supported, in this conclusion, hj a careful com-
iriton of their condition, as is here expressed, with that de>
cription of the millennial glorj, contained in the xxi st and xxii d
laptert of this book,-^ wherein God is exhibited, as in this
kge likewise, as dwelling with his church (xxi. 8) In the
^ew Jerusalem ; whose servants are represented (xxii. 3, 4) aa
irring him continuallj, neither enduring anj more sorrow,

^or crying, nor pain, because God shall wipe away all tears from
heir ejes (xxi. 4) ; and the Lamb, who is the light of the city,

kball feed them and shall lead them to waters of life (xxi. 6, and

ixii- 1)» and they shall reign for erer and erer. -* ti> ^ ' d- *.t>v.^-
We are presented, in verse 14, with a conflrmatiou of that

^ondametttal doctrine of the Christian religion, that it is the
lood of Ch. ist alone that can cleanse from all sin, and that it

|s through much tribulation that we can be rendered participa-
)rs of the blessings of that happy period, (see also chap. 1. 5.)

■ f ' i , -- ■. ;., ... . .

• .'.••* V« I , V- •♦'«>.'..

■-?

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'■ I A ,

■•■'-. .. • ■ 1 1 s' r . . I ( .» . • ' ' I - • U,i,i,

• ■(> Ml t .U" '"•

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• -• * * *,.*•-.#

!•(,'

r. . i

I :

? m rtuT n »f CIIAPTBRS VIII. AW IX. ^ a ,Si,eo' ti

OomoicQcctncnt of Trumpet ITistorj, or Eaitera Branch of
. tt , . . ., Roman Empire. . - -. * c

Tai history of the wals, and the 6rBt 1 And whtnkthadop4\
of the three main prophecies haring Ms ie99ntk $4al, thtrg icwil
been terminated, this chapter intro- $ilence in h*aven about Uu\
d uces that of the trumpets, or second $pae4 of half an hour.
series, in the Apostle's vision. 2 ^nd I $aw th4 ««•«

The silence in heaven which im- angeli which stood befort
mediately follows the opening of the Ood ; and to thtm ven
seventh seal, which it is to be sup- given seven trumpetf.
posed, as usual, would have contained the peculiar subject of
that seal, intimates to us that the particulars are reserved fof
another portion of the prophecy ; and that now the Apostle ii
about to begin a new act in the Apocalyptic drama, which
should be introduced as events consequent upon the sounding
of the seven trumpets, given to the seven angels, and which
must receive their interpretation in the eastern branch of the
Roman Empire.

There is a prefatory introduction 3 And another angel camt
to this, as to every chronological and stood at the altar, hav-
prophecy contained in this book, ing a golden censer ; and
which seems to have been adopted as there was given unto him
a Divine expedient, to act as a land-
mark to the comprehension of its
structure.

If these verses be read in a paren-
thesis, it will be found that their be/ore the throne.
omission altogether does not inter- 4 And the smoke of the
fere with the sense of the passage ; incense^ which came with
but that the commencement of the the prayers of the saints,
sixth verse is closely connected with ascended up be/ore Giulout
the latter clause of the second. In of the angeVs hand.

much incense, that he
should offer it with the
prayers of all saints upon
the golden altar which was

I!)

p.^rcnllicsii^, thon, i.i rontnlnftl ;.. .i«// if.t nn^rl louK

introduction to tin? whole; Imt Ihr crnter,nnfi/i!lffi ii with

por'ully taking ii prophotic ffliinrc fiif of the nltnr and ro*t

tijo aovpnth trumppt, when th»« it into the earth : ami Ihem

rthqiiiikc tuko.^ plaoo, mcnllDnoil irerr roirrg^ amt thumirr-

(•imp. xi. 19, and also in dotJiilrd '"ny*, and lit;htninz*, and

111 other accompft'iimenta of Divine nn furthqucKe.

iigeanoe, ftf tlie pourin(( out of tlic ?e\fnth vial, in chap. xvi.

ic angel standing nt the altar, having the golden ceuier, with

ich incenge, represcntj our Lord in his character of High

ie^t. The symhoLs employed, carry u.4 back to Loviticu.s xvi.

, 13; and a compari-oii of the two pas.sagC3 Icftd-s us to

nclude, that the event referred to, and typified by this emblem

flic day of atonement. Thu seventh trumpet answers the

10 end, in the (lispen^ations of (lod to the Gentile church, as

day of atonement did to Israel. It is the day of vengemce

1 year of rccompcncc, as it is written in I.>«aiah Ixiii. 4 : " The

y of vengeance is in mine heart, and the year of my redeemed

come." Sec also Isaiah xxxiv. 8.

Tlie trumpets exclusively apply to And the seven angels
eastern branch of the Roman which had the seven truin-
[lire, being one of the three parts pets prepared themselves to
which Constantino the Great sound.
iJed it ; and hence the frequent 1 The first angel sounded
nirrence of the expression, peculiar and there followed hail and
the trumpet history, of the third Jire mingled with bloody
:t of the earth, the third part of and they were cast upon
a, &c. Agreeably, therefore, to the earth: and the third
3rule,we interpret the first trumpet part of trees wasburnt up,
signify the Gothic eruption in the and all green grass v:as
gn of the emperor ■Valen3,A.D.37G. burnt up.
sounding was followed by hail and fire mingled with blood.
iil, in symbolic language, denotes war from a northerr. quar-
', (hail being supposed to generate in the north) ; and fire and
)od accompanying it, point out the destructive character of
J warfare which should ensue. The descent of this hail upon
i trees, and grass, is strictly consistent with the analogy of
! symbol, and denotes the ruin brought upon the inhabitants
the empire. In the year 370, the Visigoths driven from their

!■

! i

: ■■.*

i'i

i \

f: )

I' .1

posscaaions to the north of the Danube, by an invasion of tb,
HuQa, received pcrmiasion of Valens to aettle tbcrosclTes in tLt
Rom^Q dominions ; which they had scarcely effected, befoi
they roae up in arms against the Roman power, and, after dcfe&i
ing the general sent against them, ravaged the whole coun
south of the Da'iube. Uniting their forces with the Oatrogot
and other barbarians, whom they invited to cross the Danulx,
in two years after their entrance, they defeated and slew the e
peror Valens at the battle of Adrianople ; and, after destroyi
two-thirds of his army, desolated the provinces as far as t!
conBues of Italy. They were afterwards driven back by tl
emperor Theodosius ; but his death, occurring January 395, p;
pared the way for another Gothic invasion, contained in t
second trumpet *.

8 ^nd the second angel A mountain is often used in Scrij
soundedf and as it were a ture, to describe a destroying power]
great mountain burning as in Zech. iv. 7, and in Jer. li. 2
with fire was cast into the It may either receive a personal aj
sea: and the third part of plication, as in the first instan
the sea became blood : where the infidel king is addressed]

9 ^nd the third part of or the more usual signification
the creatures which were tached to the figure in symbolic 1
in the sea, and had life, guage, may be applied in the in
died ; and the third part of pretation of this second trumpet :
the ships were destroyed. this sense, it would mean a kingdi
In the year following the death of Theodosius the Great, Al
the Goth came in upon the Greek provinces like a volcano,
describing which irruption, Gibbon says (chap, xxx), " The fiel
of Phocis and Bteotia were covered by a deluge of barbari
the whole territory of Attica, from the promontory of Suni
to the town of Megara, was blasted with their baneful prese
and Athens itself resembled the bleeding and empty skin ol
slaughtered victim. Corinth, Argos, Sparta, yielded vithflof Blasp
resistance to the arms of the Goths ; and the most fortunatelresies of
the inhabitants were saved by death, from beholding the slavi
of their families, and the conflagration of their cities." It|
well known, that whole nations transported themselves in tl
irruptions, with their families and property, into the inv

k>rritori
they cai
scarce Iji
mountai
The 81
attentioi
life, in t
of the tl
all civil
the over]
A star
tation ol
20), mea
and cons
of the sj
down in
expect th(
bead in th
whose dei
trine sho]
malignan
tized by
waters,
Christian
presented
die. The
accuracy
and perni
researche
'sach a de
present h
diction.

hose fal

stantinoi

ad its oj

* See El

Svo Gibbon, chap. xxvi.

tcrrilorios, carrying tiro aud swurd uud dcsolution whorcvcr
they came : which terrible and overwhelming destruction could
scarcely receive a more comprehensive symbol, than a great
mountain burning with fire being cast into the sea.

The sea being turned into blood, in ver. 8, clearly directs our
attention, in solving this emblem, to the extinction of human
life, in the third part of the Roman earth ; and the destruction
of tlic third part of ships, in ver. 9, to the utter annihilation of
I all civil and ecclesiastical establishments, which sunk beneath
the overpowering violence of these barbarous invaders.

A star, agreeably to the interpre- 10 ^nd the third angel

tation of our Lord himself (chap. i. aounded, and there fell a

20), means a minister of religion ; great star from heaven,

I and consistently with the dictionary burning at it were a lamp,

of the symbolic language, as laid ami it /ell upon the third

down in the preface, we are led to part of the rivem, and up-

expect the apostacy of a conspicuous on the fountaint of water ».

< bead in the ecclesiastical hemisphere, 1 1 And the name of the

whose defection from the true doc- star is called Worinwood ;

trine should operate with peculiar and the third part of the

malignancy on the church, emblema- waters became wormwood ;

tized by the rivers and fountains of and many men died of the

waters, as the source and streams of waters, because they were

Christian knowledge, which are re- made bitter.

[presented in the text as becoming so polluted as to cause men to

Idie. The st'^r is denominated Wormwood, to accord with the

laccuracy of the figure, and to express more fully the deleterious

land pernicious character of his false doctrine. In directing our

[researches, therefore, into the history of the Eastern Church for

Isuch a defaulter, we find Nestorius, Bishop of Constantinople,

[present himself to our view, as a singular fulfilment of this prc-

Idiction. Eusebius informs us*, that he was termed " the Father

[of Blasphemy ; and that were he to compose a history of the hc-

[resies of the church, he should begin with the impious Nestorius,

rhose false doctrine occasioned a great dissension in the Con-

jstantinopolitan church ;" and he adds, " the war of the churches

liad its origin from hence ; and this adulterate coin, stamped

* See Eusebius Eoclesiast. Hist, of Evagrius Scholasticus, Lib. i. ch. 2—7.

: j

1 i

, 1,

f !

by liini, refilled liic church with Innuiuerablc Wixrj, making nr
inundation of civil blood."

The i)eculiar error of Nestorius wns hid doctrine rcjpectin;,']
the person of Christ; he denied the orthodox opinions of tbf
church ; that Christ united the Divine with the human nature, j
in one person for ever. He contended that he had two persons.
the Divine and the human. P'rom his own words, quoted bvl
Eusebiua, "I cannot term him God, who was two months and
three monti..; old," we judge his sentiments partook of those of
the modern Socinians, than which a fouler or more deadly error]
never entered the cliurch ; the very groimdwork of the Chris-
tian faith consisting in the human nature being united and re-
conciled to the Divine nature in the person of Christ. Nesto-j
rius's opinions were condemned at a synod of the bishops, held
at Ephesus ; he himself divested of his episcopal dignity, and
excluded from all manner of sacerdotal convention. It is the I
method adopted in this Book, to view a heresy in itself a judg-
ment ; and that which succeds as the consequence, as the Papal I
period under the fifth seal. It is thus in this and the ensuing
trumpets the heresy of Nestorius is here given as the operating!
cause, of which the fourth, fifth, and sixth present us first, with
the darkening influences, which its promulgation had upon the
churches ; entailing upon them the calamito .'! • isitations of thel
fifth and sixth trumpet. This heresy sprung ui^, A. D. 429, iDJ
the reign of Theodosius II.

12 ^nd the fourth angel Notwithstanding the sentence of I
sounded, and the third part the synod of Ephesus, upon Nestorius,^
of the sun was smitten, and and the condemnation of his hereli-
the third part of the moon, cal tenets, they still existed, andl
and the third part of the were perpetuated in the Easteml
stars ; so as the f'lird part Church, as Arianism was in the Wcs-
of them was darkened, and tern. We are disposed to attach|
the day shone no* for a primarily an ecclesiastical significa-
third part of it, and the tion to, the symbols in this verse;!
night likewise. and they will therefore denote the!

obscuration or eclipse of spiritual light, as proceeding from thel
Sun of Kighteousnes, even Christ; and that declension of vitall
godliness which visited the Eastern Church and her ministersi

ri", raftkinf,' nr

nc rcipectin;'
pinions of tic
uiinan nature.
I two persons,
(l3j qnotcd bv

months nnd
ok of those of
e deadly error
of the Chris-
united and re-
Jhrist. Nesto-
! bishops, held

1 dignity, and
ion. It is the

itself ajudg-

e, as the Papal

d the ensuing

^ the operating

us first, with

lad upon the

itations ofthe

A. D. 429, in

sentence of
ion Nestorius,
of his hereti-
existed, and
the Eastern
as in the Wcs-
led to attacli
ical significa
n this verse;
:e denote the
ling from the
nsion of vital
her ministers

towards} the close of the fifth century, couaequcnt upon the pro-
pagation of the Ncslorian and Eutychian heresies*. Milncr Bays
•'Whilst speaking of the state of religion in the East, at this
]H'riod, "I am disgusted with the prospect. It grows worse to-
wards the end ofthe century. Doctrinal foud.^ and malignant
jias.-«ion3 involve the wholef " — We consider this trumpet to last
until the time of Ileraclius, in whose rei;?n the Hrst woe-trumpet
[i)Cgan to sound. We may learn from this hereby and its awful
[consequences, that the more subtle and refined it may be in its
character, the more destruclive it becomes in its effects; and
those especially, which have respect to the person of our Savi-
our, ought to bo guarded against by the church, with singular
pertinacity, opposed with unremitting vigour, and denounced
[with unshaken fidelity.

The way having been thus pre- 13 ^Ind I beheld, and
[pared, the three other trumpets are heard an an^cl Jlyint^
jhercin announced by a proclamation through the midst o/hea-

* The Eutychian heresy consisted in ascribing only one uature to Christ,
and which uuturally introduced another form of crro: , A.D. 6;}0, called the
Monothelite heresy, which Rave hira only one will (see Milncr, vol. iii. chap.
iii.) The true doctrine of Uhrist's person, according to the standards of the
Churches of England and Scotland, (see Common- Prayer Hook, and the Con-
fession of Faith,) is that the Person of the Son of God took upon himself our
'alien nature, b<?ing of the substance of the woman contended with, and
vercamesiuin the flesh, and thus conquered Satau in his stronghold, evea
alien humanity, which by his subtlety he had won in Adam, That Christ,
n virtue of this conquest, rose from the dead, became heir of all things, as
k)n of Man : and is now glorilied, and seated at the right hand of God,
laving redeemed human nature from the giant grasp of the devil. The
Person of Jesus Christ has, therefore, two natures and two wills, united
n him for ever, perfect God and perfect man ; but both conjoined cen-
tred and included in the one Person, Jesus Christ, who although he bo
iod and man, yet is ho not two, but one. How far the reception of this

lief into the creed of a Christian may affect the ultimate salvation of the
oul, we pretend not to determine ; but this we do say, that a mere glance
it ecclesiastical history for the first few centuries, will afford abundant
'vidcnce that armies of martyrs would have rushed to the stake, and tri-
imphantiy died in the vindication of the purity of their faith, from the
'iicroachments of heretical tenets : and after perceiving how churchen
rhen once impregnated with such moral poison, drew down the vengeance
»f Almighty God on whole nations i it may or ought to be sufficient to
tartle the conti-acted selfishness of the religionists of these present times,
rhose sum total in theology seems limited to an assent to the doctrine of
he atonement, and whose extent of belief appears comprehended in the
iidividual inquiry. Am I safe ? True religion is not a selfish thing : it
atiicr coii.>ists in its outward manifestation in zeal for the truth and glory
f Gcd. We leave others to reconcile these discrepancies, with the boasted
rosperity of the church : for our parts we perceive, and hesitate not to
cclare, that the judgments of God cannot long be withheld from such
.aodicean blindness.

t See Milncr's Church History, vol. ii. chap. xii.

IH M

l!!

i I

■I?

: : !

|i:f

ii .

ven.

saying

•tj tvilh a loud of woo, from the angel, iudicating
voice. Woe, woe, woe, to that the judgments upon the Easten
the inhahitera of the earth Church are about to commence.
by reason of the other voi- We find that this chapter bringi
ces of the trumpet of he us down to the beginning of the
three angels, which ar yet seventh century, when Christianit?
totound ! in the East was laid prostrate by the

Chap. IX. — 1 ^nd the Saracenic invasion, contained in the
fifth angel sounded, and I first woe-trumpet of the following
saw a star fall from heaven chapter.

unto the earth : and to him This chapter is introduced by an
was given the key of the announcement of a star falling from
bottomless pit. heaven, or a Christian minister, to

2 ^nd he opened the bot- whose defection is to be traced the
tomless pit, and there arose origination of the events which fol
a smoke out of the pit, as low.

the smoke of a great fur- This star represents Scrgius, a
nace ; and the sun and the Nestorian monk, an Italian by birth,
air were darkened by rea- who was banished from Constanti'
son of the smoke of the nople, in consequence of having un
pit. bibed the Arian heresy. The smoke

out of the bottomless pit describes a false religion, which sbouli
darken the sun and the air ; that is, should obscure the bright
ness of the Sun of Righteousness, by its extensive receptioi
amongst mankind. It was chiefly attributable to the instruc
tions and artifices of this friar, that Mohammed concocted thi
audacious imposture. His whole system of superstition is
compoundof Christianity, Paganism, Judaism, and Arianism. Ii
forming this false religion, he was assisted by this Sergius am
a Jew* ; the former of whom, as the chief agent, and as a min
ister of the Christian Church, is alluded to by the star in tb
text, as having the key of the bottomless pit, or power permittei
for the scourge of the apostate Eastern Church, to let loose oi
mankind a false religion with all its attendant deceptions am
evil consequences.

Z. And there eame out of We have here announced unde

the syn
the Sai
false p
saccesst
success
to the I
After tl
taken, j
under t1
figure tt
country
12). U
markab'
tory of
They ha
sting is
effects.

Their
hurt th
any gr<
demons
tural, b
remark!
Arabian
were to
burn at
misohie:

It fre
spoken
stance,
the seal
rupt or
that in
Saracen
ly guilt
ages; ii

nounccd unde

the symbol of a swarm of locusts, the tmoke loeuitx upon the
I the Saracenic invasions under the earth : and unto them wa*
false prophet, Mohammed, and his given power, as the seor*
Isaccessors. God had suffered the piont of the earth havt
success of his imposture, as a scourge power.
to the Eastern Church, whoso iniquity was ripe for punishment,
After the capture of Damascus by the Saracens, Jerusalem was
taken, A. D. C37; Antiooh and Alexandria successively sunk
under their victorious arms. The locusts furnish a very correct
figure to dedcribe the Arabian armies, because it is from that
country thej' generally proceed (see Exod. x. 13 ; Judges vii.
12). Upon a careful examination of the symbol employed, a re-
markable correspondency will be observable, in the natural his-
tory of these animals, and those they are chosen to signify*
They have power given unto them like unto scorpions, whose
sting is attended with excruciating pain, though not fatal in its
effects.

Their being commanded not to 4. ^ad it was commanded
hurt the grass of the earth, neither them, that they should not
any green thing, neither any tree, hurt the grass of the earth,
demonstrates that these were not na- neither any green thing,
tural, but symbolical locusts. It is neither any tree , but only
remarkable, the injunctions to the those men which have not
Arabian commanders and officers the seal of God in their
were to destroy no palm trees, nor foreheads.
burn any fields r corn ; out down no fruit trees, nor do any
mischief to cattle only such as you kill to eatf."

It frequently occurs in prophetical language, that what is
spoken figuratively is likewise lite t^Uy fulfilled, as in this in-
stance. Their commission was only against those who had not
the seal of God in their foreheads ; that is those who were cor-
rupt or idolatrous Christians ; and it is icmarkable in history,
that in those countries of Asia, Africa, or Europe, whe;-e the
Saracens exhib'ted their conquests, the Christians were general-
ly guilty of idolatry, in the worshipping of saints, if not of im-
ages ; indeed, this was made the pretext of Mohammed and his

t Ockloy's History of tlie Saracens, vol. i. p. 25,

'*t

•:^^

If ji'

5rt

ill

fullowcrs, lo cUaalisc tUcu., auJ to re-cstublish ilio uuiiy of the
Godhead.

Grabs is pii* in opposition to the men who were not soalcl,
ThJ3 corresponds with th sealing of the British m lion, &t the
opening of the seventh sex' (chap, vii), who were pr'>t«c.tU as
a true church, from :he judgments whirh th' i fell oi ?hr '< .sr
of the nations of Christendom. Thu.^, m hen i! e first v oc-irum-
l>et is sounded, containing a commisyiou to hurt, and tliu second
■woe-trumpet follows, to kill those men tv ho have not th^ seal of
(Jod in their foreheads, the true servants of God arc prolectcd
from their efTectri. Accordingly, we find iu hii.torv% that when^
ever they attempted to extend their conquests' irto upjier A.
menia, Me-o Htamia, or into Suvoy, Piedmont, and the soithcrn
parts of Fra iv''; w!' ry the (ruth still existed in its least adulte-
rated state, the-;' were svor repulsed and driven back, and were
not able to miiixiUtin any advantage against them.

5 ^r.d to Ihcn it was As the power committed to the in-
given that they should not flictors of these judgments on the

Eastern branch of the Roman Em-
pire was definite in its object, it was
likewise limited in its operation.
The expression in the first clause
scorpion, when he striketh of this verse applies to the Chris-
a man. tians, not as individuals, but as a

u .dnd in those days shall collective body, a state or empire ;
men seek d^ath^and shall the eradication of which formed no
not find it; and shall dc- part of their commission. They
sire to die, and death shall never could succeed in the capture
Jlee/rom them. of Constantinople, though they con-

tinued a siege of upv.'ards of seven years. It is said, that they
should be tormented five prophetic months : which taking a
month at the Jewish computation of thirty days, and a day for
a year (Num. xiv. 34), is one hundred and fifty years ; that is,
during that period they should be exposed to most grievous op-
pression, and sui-ject to such excessive exactions aa "suai);, ac-
company the occup/.tion of a country by a c :uel a id barbarous
conqueror. The STacenic invasion took pla e A. I). vS2, and
after Mohammed had subdued the countries in .Vrabia, and until

kill them, but that they
should be tormented five
months : nad their torment
loas as the torment of a

Uio year
tlicni (sc
almost e

III' Asia]

It.'rc ; .IK
•<> uirtce,
from the
settled m
■iiest ;
i'.re grad
Their \
but to aff
in their a
torraento

fn the:
verses, t
are givei
made ava
the Prop
setting fo
crful invt
culiarity
horses pre
expressed
chap. ii. 4

iiervcd iht
leed the 1
liTP been
ivell knov
They had,
iiishing I
urbans o:
rearing c
»ther cou

* See Diss
iliose valaa
wo \voe-tr;i

not sc&lc'l.
lion, at. the
rotecu<l &i

I voc-trum-
l thvj second
: lb«> seal of
•0 prolectcl
that when-
up5)er ^ .
he so'ithcrn
east adultc-
k, and werq

id to the iii-

^nts on the

Iloman Em-

:)ject, it was

)C ration.

first clause

the Chris-

I, but as a

or empire ;

1 formed no

ion. They

the capture

;h they con-

a, that they

h taking a

id a day for

irs ; that is,

jrievous op-

sual);^ ac-

d barb^irous

0. 6o2, and

a, and until

Uic year 782 j during this period, whiist they had une king over
tlicm (see Tcr. 11), the rapidity and extent of their conquests
almost exceeds credibility. Palestine, Syria, and indeed almost
III; Asia Minor, fell into tliclr possession. About the year 762 the
C.IJ; a Almansor built IJagdad, to fix there the seat of his em-

■ i; pirf: ; .nd when the caliphs, who before had removed from place

t<> inrtcc, fixed their habitation tlicre, then the Saracens ceased

from their excursions and rava^jes like locusts, and became a

• ettlod nation : they made no more such rapid and amazing con-

iicsl ; their power and glory began to decline, and their cm-

» "re gradually to moulder away*.

Their power was to torment men as a scorpion ; not to kill,
but to afflict them by such a course of oppressive cruelty, that
in their anguish they should seek death, as a relief from their
tormentors, but should not find it.

In these, and the two following 7 ^ind the shapes of the
horses, the nature of these locusts locusts were like unto horses
are given; and which symbol is prepared unto battle ; and
made available, as in the instance of on their heads were as it
the Prophet Joel (chap, ii), when were crowns like gold, and
setting forth the character of a pow- their fac^s were as the
Icrful invading army. The first pe- faces of men.
Iculiarity is their being like unto 8 jind they had hair as
|liorses prepared for battle, which is the hair of women, arid
L'xpressed in similar words, in Joel, their teeth were as the
|chap. ii. 4. Many authors have ob- teeth of lions.
served that th" head of a locust resembles that of a horse : in-
klccd the Italians denominate them little horses. The Arabians
li ;7P been in all ages famous for their horsemanship, it being
|kvell known that their strength mainly consists in their cavalry.
They had, as it were crowns of gold on their heads. A distin-
ruishing mark of the Arabs is their head-dress, consisting of
[urbans or mitres : they ev^n boast of their common people
rearing diadems, which m'vrk of ornament and distinction in
jither countries is regarded solely as the privilege of kings.

!•

i! i

* See Dissertations Oil the Prophecies, by Biahop Newton, p. 549: from
niose ''al. table work, the writer is indebted for the interpretation of these
hvo woe-tr;'mi>et«.

!■

i
*■

• I

i I
''i

fii:

t *

plates of iron; and the
Mouwl of their wings was
as the sound of chariots of
many horses running to
battle.

The crowns may likcwiso signify the Ivingdoms and domioions
which they should acquire Ly couqucat.

They had faces like men ; that U, tlicy wore their beards and
mustachocs as men, and their hair was said to be as the hair of
women, because it was their custom to allow it to flow and to
plait it. Another property adopted from Joel's prophecy, is their
teeth being as the teeth of lions (sec Joel i. C), which exinssion
denotes their strength to devour and consume.

9 And they had breast' As the teeth in the former verse
plates, as it were breast- denote the offensive arms of the Sa-
racens, the breastplates are hero de-
signed to express their defensive ar-
mour. The locust has a hard shell
or skin, which authors when relat-
fnt, the'r description, have compared
to defensive armour, witl v hiich n.'*ure has ftirnlshed them.
The sound of their wings bc-i.tj; ^sj : le sound of many horses
running to battle, refer us again ic the Prophet Joel, chap. ii. 5
where a similar figure occurs to express the resistless power of a
conquering army. The noise which accompanies the flight of
one of these insects, is almost equal to that of a bird.

10 And they had tails like It has been before noticed that the
unto scorpions, and there stiii^^* of a scorpion, though not fatal,
were stings in their tails : is attended with the most intense
and their power was to suffering. The emblem is here ap-
hurt men Jive months. plied to point out the falbj religion,

which the Saracens should succeed in establishing in those
countries, over which their arms had triumphed, according to
the explanation of this symbol in Isa. ix. 15 : " The prophet
that teacheth lies, he is the tail." It is well known what aston-
ishing success attended the propagation of the pernicious tenets
of the Mohammedan superstition ; for they proceeded as it were
with the sword in one hand and the Koran in the other, it being
their purpose, acknowledged by Mohammed and his successors
to force all mankind to submit to their faith. It is worthy of
observation, how exact the portrait is in every respect, shewing
us how comprehensive is the symbolic language of Scripture.
It is again repeated, they hurt men five months. ''o have

Already givca our intcrprotation (see rer. r>), as sigDificant of
tbc duration of this Saracenic woe, comprising a period of one
hundred and fiHy years ; ^jut we hare now to notice other
minute particulars, which the emblem conveys to lis. The
locusts are produced about April ; and they die in September :
scorpions likewise are noxious only daring this period of the
warm months ; and if we take the expression in its literal
sense, then it receives a singular fulfilment : for as the natural
locusts live, and the scorpions are injurious for only five months,
so the Saracens made their excursions between April and Sep-
tember, retreating in the latter month into winter quarters, as
the best authorities concur in stating.* It has also been re-
marked, f that " the Saracens made inroads into all those parts
of Christendom, whore the natural locust is wont to be seen
and to do mischief, and nowhere else, and that too in the same
proportion. This may be easily verified from history." T.'ius
in every respect the type receives a most correct and adequate
accomplishment.

They bad a king over them, whose 1 1 jSnd they had a king
name is Abaddon, or Ajft^llyon, which over them, which ie the
is deilroyer. Mr. Mede supposes angel of the irAtomUsspitf
' that this is some allusion to the tohoee name in the Hebrew
name of Obodas, the common name tongue is jibaddotif but in
of the kings of that part of Arabia, the Greek tcngue hath hie
from whence Mohammed came, as name JlpoUyon.
Pharaoh was the common name of 12 One woe ispoi* ; and,
the kings of Egypt, and Cassar of behold, there come two woei
the emperors of Rome. However more hereafter.
that may be, the interpretation of the name agrees perfectly
well with Mohammed and the Caliphs, his successors, who were
the authors of all those horrid wars and desolations, and who
openly taught and professed that their religion was to be pro-
pagated by the sword.

The angel anuounces in verse !'>.,& pause corresponding to
that which occurs between the sixth and seventh vial ; and in-
dicates to us, that p t ^^terval should take place after the woe

• ' ""'Hsertation on the Propr>«H;ie8, by Bi^thop Newton, p. 'Al, ■
% 1..^ buz. p. 409.

til

;M ill

', ,'

!<V

I ':

'< i

11 '

.1 '
'':

IP
M!

of the Arabian locusts, before tlio succeeding woe of tlio Kn
phratean horsemen should come.

13 ^nd the Muth angel
tuutitiedf an/I I heard a
voice from the four horn a
of the golden altar vfn k
is before God.

14 Saying i' /\c sixth
angel which hml the trum-
pet, Loose th. four angels
which are bound in the
great river Euphrates.

When the an^el sounds the sixtli
trumpet, a voice ii heard from the
f'Mir horn.< of the golden altar;
Wiiich referenco to thf temple rr-
ceives explnn*' .oi. Oom chap. vi. 9,
when the souls of thcin that wen'
slain for the word of CJod are repn-
sentcd as eying out for vengeanco.
This intrC'ilui. ion, thdefore, of the
second woe, is to be regarded as an
answer to their prayers ; and the commission proceeding from
^heiBj 10 loose the four angels that are bound in the great river
Euplirtiles, teaches us that it is to God's faithful servants that
the administration of justice is intrusted. "Shall not God
avenge his own elect?"

The river Euphrates is mentioned by name, to i»oint out the
locality of tie nation here referred to; and which can receive
but one interpretation, and that to be the Turkish power. The
four angels are the four sultanies, or kingdoms, of the Turks ;
bordering upon the river Euphrates ; namely, Bagdad, Damas-
cus, Aleppo, and Iconium, all of which were established between
A. D. 1055 and 1080. The Turkish power therefore was made
the executioner of this new woe.

15 jind the four angeU The woe of the Saracenic locuats
were loosed, which were did not extend to extermination, but
prepared for an hour, and only to torment men ; but the com-
a day, and a month, and a mission given to the Turkish horse-
year, /or to slay the third men, is to slay the third part of men,
part of men. — that is, to ann'hilatc and dispos-

sess the noma Empiri; of her dominions in the East, where the
Christian Church had reached its height of corruption. Ac-
cordingly all Asia Minor, Syria, Palestine, Egypt, Thrace, Ma-
v*edoD, Greece, and all the countries which formerly belonged
tt) the Greek or Eastern C;csars, the Othmans have conquered
and subjugated to their dominion. The duration of this woe is
given in the text, and which we interpret agreeably to the pro-

thc who
i)r subdi
Empire,
Hilt thoi
no perio(
second v
be about
come th(
anticipat
history, ^
tind that
tells full
th.it the
slie is a
synch on
they will
consumm

Their
bistory a
of myria(
of Const
Second
bundreci
and two
men ; am
cavalry,
by Amur
In the
appearan

'< n

H:i

the sixtli

from lilt:

en altar;

temple ro-

hftp. vi. 0,

that well'

arc rcpn-

rcngcance.

ore, of tliC

rJcil aa an

iding from

great river

•vant3 that

1 not God

int out the
can receive
owcr. The
the Turks ;
ad, Damas-
led between
e was made

;nic locusts
ination, but
it the com-
■kish horse-
)art of men,
and dispos-
;, where the
ption. Ac-
Thrace, Ma-
ly belonged
3 conquered
■ this woe is
to the pro-

phetic Scripture! : thus a year of thrco fnuidr X and sixty days,
.1 month of thirty day?, and a day ami an honr, oaoli day fur n
ycur (Ninnbera xiv. tl), ia tliroe hundred and nin< ty-onc years
ind fifteen days, ('onstantinoplc f»ll into their hands A. D.
Il.'t.;, in, the reign of Mohammed, tlnir seventh emperor: at
whirh date wo »niiy consider their dominions in the East as fully
iMf.iblishcd, and reckoning back those three hundred and nino-
tr-onc years will bring us to lOO'i, wl»ieh wo have seen is the
iiveragc date of the constitution of tlicir four aultanies. So that
the whole period of the Othrauns slaying the third part of men,
or subduing the Christian states in the Greek or Eastern Roman
Empire, is three humored and ninety-one years and fifteen days.
Hut though the time is thus limited for their slaying men, yet
nu period is fixed for the duration of their empire ; only this
second woe will end, when the third woe (chap. xi. 14) shall
be about to commence, when tlie kingdoms of this world be-
come the kingdoms of our Lord and his Christ. In the full
anticipation of the nearness of this glorious epoch in the world's
history, we anxiously turn our eyes towards this power, and we
find that her present situation amongst the surrounding nations
tells full well of her speedy downfall ; for we read in chap. xvi. 12,
tii.it the sixth vial takes eflfect upon the river Euphrates ; and
she is > lus affording to Europe a momentous and magnificent
synch onidm in the prophecies, by which all men may learn, if
they will, that the last woe is about to be inflicted, the grand
consummation of God's wrath upon the nations.

Their armies are represented in 16 Jnd the number of the
history as very numerous, consisting army of the horsemen were
of myriads of myriads. At the siege two hundred thousand thou-
of Constantinople, Mohammed the sand: and I heard the num*'
Second had in his army about four ber of them.
hundred thousand men, besides a powerful fleet of thirty larger
and two hundred lesser ships. They are described as horse-
men ; and it is well known that their armies consisted chiefly of
cavalry, especially before the order of Janizaries was instituted
by Amurath the First.

In the Apostle's vision, that i*;, in 17 ^nd thus I saw the
appearance, not in reality, they had horses in the t?i«on, and

i \

1 !

r-^

f> '.;l

kavinf breoitplutet of fire,
and of jacinth^ and brim-
itont : and the heatU of
the hortei were cm the headt
of lions I ami out of their
mouthe i»$ued fire and
smoke ami briinttone.

them that tit on them, lircastplatcii uf fire, and of jv-.taDi

and of brim^tune ; the colour cT &;i
id red ; that of jacinth, or bjacintb,
blue; and of brimatone, yellow
which three warlike colours arc |>ar-
ticularly conspicuous in the dress of
the Uthmana. In appearance also,
the heads of the horses were as the
heads of lions, to denote their strength, courage, and ungovern-
able fierceness. Out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and
brimstone. This is a manifest allusion to guns and gunpowder,
which were invented under this trumpet, and were of such sig-
nal service to the Othmans in their wara. Indeed a large army
of horsemen drawn up and discharging artillery could scarcely
receive a more accurate representation than that of fire and
smoke proceeding from their mouths.

18 By thete three was the Amurath the Second broke into
third part o/men killed ; by Peloponnesus, and took several
the fire^ and by the iMokef strong places, chiefly by the means
and by th€ brimetonef which of his artillery. But his son Hoham-
issued out of their mouths, med, at the siege of Constantinople,
employed such great guns as were never made nse of before.
One is described to have been of such a monstrous size, that it
was drawn by seventy yoke of oxen, and by two thousand men.
This cannon discharged a ball of three hundred ponnds weight;
and the report is said to have been so great, that all the couo'
try round about was shaken, to the distance of forty furlongs,
For forty days the walls of Oonstantinople were battered by
these guns ; and so many breaches were made, that the city was
taken by assault, and an end put to the Qrecian Empire *.

19 For their power i» in Having described their power in
their mouthy and in their their mouth, to consist in that trem-
tails: for their tails were endous artillery with which the 0th-
likeunto serpents; and had mans made such havoc and destruc-
heads, and with them they lion in the Greek or Eastern Empire,
do hurt. we find them likewise represented &i

Dissertation on the Prophecies, by Bialiop Newton, p. S54.

our tf fi,c

b/ftcintb,

yellow

rs arc |>ar*

ic Ureas of

anco also,

oro as the

ungovern-

smokc and

gunpowder,

of such slg-

large army

lid scarcely

of fire and

broke int*

ok several
the means

son Hoham*
istantinople,
le of before.

size, that it
ousand men.
inds weight;
ill the coun-
rty furlongs.

battered by
I; the city was
npire ♦.
sir power in
in that treni'
hich the 0th-

and destruc-
itern Empire,
epresented as

ti, P.&54.

hAvinf; tAil.4 like unt(< 8ir|><>nl.4, witii nhUli tlicy do hurt. This
figure, as in the Saracenic woe (verse 10), denotes the corrupt
and poisonous doctrines, which should accompany the citablish-
DHtit of their dominions. The Turk.4 profess and propagate the
same imposture as the Saracen.'). In th*> text, tlie tails arc accom-
modated to the different creatures; the tails of scorpions to
locusts ; the tails of 8er|>ents, with a head at each end, to horses.
How w^cll the Euphratcan hor.-^emcn or Turkish i>owor has
fulfilled its commission against the Eastern Church and Empire,
we have little occasion to record. The history of their wars and
government is fdlcd with enormities exercised over the subdued
Greeks ; and in our own times they have exhibited such barba-
rous oppression, that having first elicited the sympathy of all
men, we have seen within the last few years, an association
formed amongst the European powers, to interfere on their be-
half. It may be asked, why did not the condition of the Greek
nations excite the commiseration of the civilized world at an
earlier period, when the same cause had so long existed, which
now has occasioned such universal sympathy 7 and the answer
is, because she had not yet drunk the cup to the dregs, which
God bad given her in his wrath. But the time has now arrived,
and God, who " is governor amongst the nations," and presideth
in the counsels of every cabinet, though unseen, and may be
unregarded, hath so guided the hearts of these princes and peo-
ples, as shall best promote the accomplishment of his own migh-
ty purposes. It would be well if we could regard the evolutions
of empires less with a political eye, and with a greater deference
to the will and mind of Him who ever makuth the wrath of man
to praise him, in whose eyes the nations are " as the drop of a
bucket, and who taketh up the isles as a very little thing."

Having arrived at the end of the 20 Jnd the rest of the
sixth trumpet or second woe, we find men which were not killed
the history of the trumpets, or Eas- by these plagues, yet re-
tern branch, synchronises in time pented not of the works of
with that of the seals, or Western their hands,that they should
branch of the Roman Empire. Ac- not worship devils, arul idols
cordingly, these two verses contcin of gold, and silver, and
a similar notificatioQ to that in chap, brass, and stone, and of

'^^

i !

» \

wood ; which nrilhrr run
Kff^ nor hcar^ nor walk :

21 Neither repcnlrrUh^y
of their murdcrd. nor of
their sorceries, nor of their
fornication, nor of their
th-/tif.

vi. ir> — IT; Iiy wlilch nmrk, wo ;•< :
rcivo that hotli liistorios nrfi nov.
brotight to the ovc (tf that great day.
which i.'? the subjocf of tlic scvpntli
ser.l and trtimpct, contained in tlu'
seven suljdiTisions of the viala ot
wrath. (Sec chap, xvi.) Though
the Greek Church liad thus been desolated and ruined in \\\c
sight of all nations, yet we learn that the rest of the rncn, (that
is, the Latin Church, which had pretty well escaped these cala-
mities,) repented not of their evil deeds. There is scarcely any
description of the Papacy in the Holy Scriptures which presents
to us so full and genuine a representation as tliat contained in
these two verses.

They still maintained the worship of saints, ascribing to them
a mediatorial office, when there is but one Mediator, even Christ,
and blindly persisted in their adoration of idols of gold and sil>
ver, by which miserable superstition Satan has procured for him-
self that worship due only to God. Neither repented they of
their murders, their persecutions and inquisitions, nor of their
sorceries, their pretended miracles and revelations, nor of their
fornication nor of their thefts, their exactions and impositions
on mankind ; and which condition of hardened impenitence has
fully ripened the Western Roman Empii'e or Papal Christen-
dom, for that tremendous act of vengeance which is about to be
poured down upon her, with such unmitigated severity.

Having
tbe sixtl
the cont
similar
occurred
the .ealsl
the visioi
events w
would fo
seventh ti
gical orde
we have i
our Savioi
mighty a
tbe earth,
rightful i!
liv. 10, Ac
that this
when we >
that conta
he that m
3iirrounde(
)cing a sy
[inly be ap
II covena:
leing clotl
nanifestat:
UD, as wh
ision ; an
6, when o
ipistlcs to
lis right h

r.5

CHAPTER X.

Having thus arrived at the end of 1 ^nd I saw another

the sixth trumpet (after narrating mis^hty angel come down

the contents or which, we find a from heaven^ clothed with a

similar notification to that which cloud : and c rainbow wa4

occ'irred in the parallel history of upon his head, and his Jace

the .eals), this chapter begins with was as it were the sun, and

the vision of an angel, and not the his feet as pillars of fire:

ercDts which we are led to expect 2 ^nd he had in his hand

would follow the sounding of the a little book open ; and he

seventh trumpet,in regular chronolo- set his right foot upon the

gical order. Instead of this, therefore, sea, and his left foot on the

we have a sublime representation of earth,

our Saviour under the character of a 3 ^nd cried with a loud

mighty angel, taking possession of voice, as when a lion roar-

the earth, and the sea, which is his eth: and when he had cried

rightful inheritance. (Zech. iz, 10 ;

liv. 10, A;c.) There will exist,no doubt

jtbat this mighty angel is Christ,

hen we compare this vision with

hat contained in chap. iv. 3 ; where voices,! was about to torite:

e that aat upon the throne, was and I heard a voice from

urrounded with a rainbow, which, heaven saying unto me,

cing a symbol of a covenant, can Seal up those things which

nly be appropriate to God in Christ, the seven thunders uttered

u covenant with his people. His and write them not.

eing clothed with a cloud, denotes that this is not his personal

anifestation, as in chap. six. 11, &c. His face shone as the

UD, as when St. Paul was struck to the earth with a similar

ision ; and St. John records the savue appearance in chap. i.

6, when our Lord presented himself to communicate to him his

Iplstlcs to the Asiatic churches. He had a little open book in

lis right hand, when he set his right foot upon the 30a, and his

uVered

seven thunders
their voices,

4 And when the seven
thunders had uttered their

\ r

CA)

■*■

left on tho earth, siguifying his right of jiosuession. It was a
cubtom among the Jews, when an estate was sold, to have two
books, containing the regular transfer of the property ; the one
sealed and deposited with tho elder, as a public functionary:
the other whs allowed to be open, iiud remained with the pur-
chaser, as token of legal possession. It is in reference to tliis
custom, that when Christ comes to claim his inheritance, he is
represented with a little open book in his hand. When the angel
cried, seven thunders uttered their voices, which when the
Apostle heard, he was about to write, as heretofore ; but he 'n
instructed by a voice, to seal those things, and to write them
not. The seven thunders are the seven subdivisions of the last,
trumpet, Avhich are comprehended in the supplemeatary history
of chap, xvi.; and being narrated with full particulars in their
appropriate place, it would have been premature to have given
them here, being the same as the seven vials, which are com-
mon to all three histories, thup comprising the last period of
ca;;h, and including them in the final consummation of God's
v»vath. We are informed (chap. xi. 15), that when the seventh
angel sounded, the kingdoms of the world became the kingdoms
of our Lord, and his Christ ; and that the time was come to give
judgment and power unto tho saints. The voice of the angel
was as the voice of a lion, which is fiequently used in Scripture as
a symbol of wrath. Thus, in Jer. xxv. 29 — 38, where it is made
synchronical with the treading of the wine-press of the wrath of
God, which we know to be the final act of judgment upon the
Gentile nations, under the seventh vial.

5 jind the angel which I This sublime passage is the coun-
saw stand upon the sea, terpart of Daniel's vision, in chap,
and upon the earth lifted xii. 7. In that prophet the angel is
up his hand to heaven, represented as lifting up both hands,

6 ^nd sware by him that probably signifying that the oath in
liveth for ever and ever, that instance had respect to the times
who created heaven, and of both the Jewish and Gentile
the things that therein are, churches : the duration of the capti-
and the earth, and the vity, and punishment of the former,
things that therein arc, and the termination of the dispensa-
and the sea, and the things tion of grace to the latter: for St.

It wad a
have two

; the one
ictionary ;
I the pur-
ee to lliis
,ace, he \i
1 the angel
■when the

but he li
vrite them
of the last,
iry history
Its in their
have given
1 are com-
t period of
•n of God's
the seventh
le kingdoms
some to give
>f tlie angel
Scripture as
re it is made
the wrath of
it upon the

is the coua-
)n, in chap,
the angel is
) both hands,
t the oath in
t to the times
ftnd Gentile
of the capti-
f the former,
the dispensa-
itter: for St.

sound, the viystery of God
should be finished, as he
hath declared to his ser-
vants the prophets.

Paul informs us (Rom. zi. 25), that which are therein that there
these great events arc conleroporan'^- should be time no longer :
0U3 i for he says, " that blindness in 7 But in the days of the
part is happened to Israel, until the voire of the seventh angel,
Julness of the Gentiles be come in." when he shall begin to
There is considerable difliculty in the
interpretation of this passage. We
have here two things declared to be
synonymous, with the sounding of
the seventh trumpet, the ending of time, and the finishing the
mystery of God ; and as it is said of the latter that it should be,
when the angel should begin to sound, it follows that this de-
claration is equally true of the former.

From a comparison of this passage, with chap. xi. 15, it would
appear that the following events are to occur synchronically :
tirst, the sounding of the seventh angel ; second, the end of time,
third, the completion of the mystery of God ; and, fourth, the
kingdoms of this world becoming the kingdons of our Lord, and
his Christ, and that these are to happen when the angel shali
begin to sound. Upon such a supposition, if we can ascertain
the period of either event, we determine that of the others.
With four such important landmarks in the prophetic chart as
our guide, it would appear an easy task to arrive at a satisfac-
tory result ; but the embarrassment arises in accurately deter-
mining upon either point, without subjecting the conclusion to
well-founded objections. We will, however, as clearly cv* ^•e
can, state the arguments which occur to us, as bearing upon
the question, and leave our readers to form their own opinion
of their respective weight. The question for resolution is,
whether the symbolic act of the seventh angel souuuhig took
place, A. D. 1792, at the French Revolution, when the seven
vials, or thunders, the seven-fold act of the last seal, began to
be poured out, or whether it is still future, and is to occur at
the pouring out of the seventh vial. As the sounding of the
trumpet by the angel is clearl}' a symbolical representation to
dintinguish a period of time, and can only be determined by
events otherwise cognizable to us, it is evident our inquiries
mu&t be directed to the other prophetical events ; and as the

i:!H

'ft

i 1

ii'!

last of the above (chap. xi. lf>), mentioned at the sounding of
the seventh angel, is advanced in support of each position, our
attention must be directed to the ending of time, and the finish-
ing the mystcr/ of God. The mystery of God, or of Christ, in
the Epistles, invariably refers to God's calling out an elect
church from the Gentiles (see Romans xi. 25, xvi. 25 ;
Col. i. xxvi. 27; 1 Cor. ii. 7; Eph. i. 9, iii. 3—6, 9, vi. 19;
1 Tim. iii. 9, 16). Assuming this, therefore, to be the correct
view of the passage, it may be argued, as the mystery of God
cannot be finished until the completion of the Gentile election,
and as we can perceive daily evidence that it is still going on,
it follows as ft consequence that the seventh angel has not yet
sounded, but is still future, and synchronises with the pouring
out of the seventh vial, when the angel thus sounding becomes
iho last trump of St. Paul, which closes the day of grace, and
ushers in the day of vengeance. In support of this view also, it
may be further urged, that the events mentioned in chap xi. 15
— 19, as immediately consequent upon the angel sounding, are
those which arc found contained only under the seventh vial
(chap. xvi. 17, 21), namely the kingdoms of this world becoming
the kingdoms of our Lord, the earthquake with great hail &c.j
the battle of Armageddon, and the reign of the saints ; and, as
we perceive none of these events to have taken place, the con-
clusion follows, that the sounding in still future. On the other
hand, it is contended, that as the thunders are admitted to be the
same as the vials (ch. xvi) and as the seven thunders are mention-
ed (chap. X. 3) when the seventh trumpet is expected to sound,it is
fair to infer that the thunders are the seven subdivisions of the
seventh trumpet, as the vials are of the seventh seal ; and as it is
admitted on all hands that the first vial was poured out immedi-
ately following the French Revolution, the seventh trumpet must
likewise have sounded then. This is confirmed by a refetv'jnci
to other parts of this book, to which we are directed by the an-
nouncement, in chap xi. 18, that on the sounding of the seventh
angel, the day of wrath is arrived. A similar notice occurs at
the expiration of the sixth seal (chap. vI. 17), just l)efore the
pouring out of the seven vials (ch. xvi.) which are in fact the
seven-fold divisioaof that day of wrath. In further support of

tl>M TJ*

the se
should
termini
cxplani
the tini
the an
hides t(
to the s
piration
this sup
rials be
dom be
sense) tl
kings, \i
vicegere
hid king
rather c
which sr
though )
earth, to
er. As i
menccme
persona
claratioi
become
propheti
made an
Lord, coi
it might
^^eer, actii
presentin
sentPtion
sions of t
the third
place on
voice froi
ented as

nding of
Lion, our
tie finiah-
iJhrist, in
an elect
xri. 25 ;
I, vi. 19;
e correct
y of God
election,
going on,
as not yet
B pouring
^ becomes
prace, and
cw also, it
;hap xi. 15
nding, are
sventh vial
becoming
t hail kci
,s •, and, as
5, the con-
1 the other
id to be the
■e mention-
> sound,it is
LOUS of the
and as it is
ut immedi-
impet must
refer«nc«
b> the an-
,he seventh
e occurs at
before the
in fact the
support of

tl'ia vieu', tho oath of our Lord (v. G), that at the sounding of
tlic seventh angel, when he siiall begin to sound, that time
should be no loL^rer, leads us almost iini>erceptibly to connect the
termination of the pc.-iod in question with Daniel's more minute
explanation ; wherein it is expressly doclurcd, that it refers to
the time, times, and a half (Dan. xii. 7), or 1200 years , and that
the angel, (who in both visions is evidently Christ himself.) al-
ludes to the prophetic times of 12G0 years, in contradistiuction
to the seventy-five days or years, which were to follow their ex-
piration before that period arrived, pronounced " blessed." Upon
this supposition the seventh angel sounded, A. D. 1792, when the
vials began to be poured out, the judgments on Papal Christen-
dom began ; and when (though in a hidden and mysterious
sense) the first blow was aimed, by Christ, at the Antichristian
kings, which is speedily to end in their entire removal from their
vicegerency. The first act of Christ's power to possess himself of
his kingdom, not being manifested to the cognizance of man, is
rather confirmed by Daniel (chap. ii. 45), wherein the stone
wliich smites the ten toes of the image, is cut out without hands
though afterwards it becomes a great mountain, which fills the
earth, to denote that the blow will come from an invisible pow-
er. As it is admitted, the appear .ince of our Lord in the com-
mencement of this chapter is a symbolical action, and not his
personal advent, we confess we see no objection to give the de-
claration in chap. xi. 15, that " the kingdoms of this world arc
become the kingdoms of our Lord," a symbolical or rather a
prophetical announcement; and we see not why tl 's should be
made any ground of objection to the personal aivcnt of our
Lord, contained in the xixth chapter, because, thougu one event
it might have been often exhibited to the view of the apostolic
seer, acting as the one concentric point, which would be ever
presenting itself t'l-ough the intervals of the subordinate reprc-
sentpticns. This is corroborated by a reference to other occa-
sions of the angels rejoicing in this book. In chap. xvi. 4, where
the third vial is poured out, and the first act of judgment takes
place on the Papal apostacy, the angel of the waters, and the
voice from the altar, which is the church in heaven, are repre-
ented as singing songs of triumph, as though the judgments

i 'I

■; H

■'k

•0

I t

TTcre full and complete ; and wo sec, tiierefiire, no rcaaou why
the announcement in chai>, xi. 12, con.scjuent upon the Houndinj,'
of the seventh angel, thnt "the Kingdoms of this world are be-
come the kingdoni3 of our Lord, and his Christ,'' should not l»c
strictly appropriate to the arrangement of this revelation, and
regarded as a note of exultation, when the first hiddon blow was
given to the apostate kingdoms, and prophetical of that final
destruction in the 18th verse of the xith chapter, and that con-
tained in tlic xixth chapter of this book.

It is, however, evident, whichever period is assigned to this
symbolic act of sounding the seventh trumpet, that it is included
within the limits of that fearful day of wrath, b'^^.inning in the
year 1792, and the consummation of which, we are now on the
eve of witnessing, and are expecting with such intense anxiety.

8 ^Ind the voice which I These verses are to be considered
card from heaven spake as prefatory to the contents of this

unto me again, and said, little book, which contains the his-
Go and take the little book tory of the church, in the four ensu-
which is open in the hand ing chapters ; the xi th being in brief,
of the angel which standeth or a jummary of the whole, until the
upon the sea and upon the end of time ; and the three following,
earth. the detailed particulars of the three

9 And I went unto the forms of enmity to Christ's church,
angel, and said unto him, manifested in the Pagan (chap, xii),
Give me the little . )o/«:. the Papal (chap, xiii), and the Infi-
Jlnd he said unto me, Take del periods (chap. xiv). We arc
it, and eat it up ; and it now commencing, therefore, a new
shall make thy belly bitter, series of visions, intimated to the
but it shall be in thy mouth Apostle (v. 11), when he is informed
sweet as honey. that he must prophesy again,or recom-

10 And I took the little mence his 'ision, and return in time
book out of the angeV s hand to the same period, from which lie
and ate it up : and it was had brought down the two previous
in my mouth sweet as prophetic histories.

honey: and as soon as 1 This new revelation is made! under

had eaten it, my belly was the form of a little open book. It

bitter. is not like the sealed book which

11 And he said unto mc, none but Christ could Qpen j butj

i>f the I

i:iystcr\

act, and

that St

Tliore i

'lirectcd

of this f

?ame in

-0 well (

revelatic

to giving

first by t

mouth, 1

Ezekiel's

tion was i

tt-hich G(

moans of

kiel's rol

mournin,

tail of th(

the know

with bitt(

son why
loundin^^
1 are be-
(1 not he
tion, and
blow was
that final
that con-
id to this
3 included
ing in the
ow on the
,e anxiety,
joni^ilered
118 of this
IS the his-

fovir ensu-
ng in brief,
e, until the
i following,
f the three
t's church,
(chap, xii),
id the Infi-
We arc
fore, a new
itcd to the

is informed
,in,orrecom-
,urn in time
m which ho
ivo previous

h.iviii;,' oponcil il, uU tht^ other parts Thuu must pi'iphfnj ngmn
ofthc prophecy, including the whole he/ore many peoples, and
mystery of God, became his by such nations, and tonqucs^ and
act, and therefore it is from hid liaud kings.
that St. Jolin is directed to take tlie little book, and to eat it.
There is one other instance in Scripture, of a prophet being
ilirected to oat a book or roll (Ezck. iii). The full signification
of this figure is not clear ; but we should think it conveyed the
same instructions to both prophets, which the act of eating is
>o well calculated to express : a perfect incorporation of the
revelations about to be committed to them, and tliat previously
to giving forth iiit ubstance to others, they were to be digested
first by themselves. TIic Apostle found the book sweet in his
mouth, but bitter in his belly ; from which we gather, as in
Ezekiel's case, that though the instant of receiving the revela-
tion was attended by a consciousness of the dislingui-shed honour
which God had conferred upon them, by selecting them as the
moans of communicating to his church, yet, inasmuch as Eze-
kiel's roll was written within and without with lamentations,
mourning and woe : and that to St. Join contained a heavy de-
tail of the churcli's persecutions, apostacy, and final destruction,
the knowledge of those calamities about to happen, filled them
with bitterness of soul.

tnadd under

a book. It

book which

open ; but

I ;

1- i

', ^

' i

hi ■ !
J

\| '

Ott^, anf£ measure it not ;
for it is given unto the

CHAPTKn XI.

Church History in Brief.

Und there was given 7ne "' the reed given to the Apostle
a reed like unto a rod : John, with which he was to measure
and the angel stood, saying the temple and altar of Qod, be was
Rise, and measure the tern- instructed that a revelation was
pie of God, and the altar, about to be made to him of the con-
and them that worship dition of the Qentile Chuich, during
therein. the period of the 1260 years, extend-

2 But the court which is ing to the eud of time. A somewhat
without the temple leave similar visluu occurs in Zechariah

ii. ; with this exception that the
measurement of Jerusalem in that
Gentiles: and the holy city prophet, had reference to the condi-
shall they tread underfoot tion of the Jewish Church, after their
forty and two months. restoration (Zech. ii. 6) ; whereas

that given to St. John has a symbolical fulfilment in the Gen-
tile Church, until the close of their dispensation of mercy, as
is evident from the prophecy extending through the period of
the forty and two months, in verse 2. The prophecies contained
in this book are expressly designed for the Gentile Church,
though given in an emblematical form, under the symbol of the
Mosaic temple and ceremonial worship. Indeed, without con-
sidering the aptitude of the one chosen, as being familiar to the
Apostle, a more appropriate device could scarcely have been
selected, seeing that the Jewish economy w as expressly designed
to embody and typify, in its carnal ordinances, the more spiri-
tual form of worship of the Gentile dispensation. The Jewish
temple was divided l)y a veil, which shut in the holy of holies ;
before this inner veil was the golden altar, upon which the
priests offered incense every morning. On one side was the
golden candlesticks, and on the other the shewbread. Outside

f iil

iio Apostle
to measure
od, he was
iation was
of the con-
ich, during
irs, «xtcnd-
L somewhat
I Zechariah
that the
em in that
the condi-
1, after their
I ; whereas
in the Gen-
■ mercy, as
B period of
i contained
le Church,
mbol of the
thout con-
liliar to the
have been
ily designed
more spiri-
^he Jewish
of holies ;
which the
le was the
i. Outside

of tlic tcmph', before the porch of the LoIjk j-'ucf, stood the
brazen altar in a court; round which court the ru was a divi-
sion, beyond which was the court of the Gentiles, and farther
tbaa this barrier they were not ' 4«owed to penetrate, it being
reserved for the Jewish, the only ti <e visible church. Keeping
these symbols in view, therefore, .i\ on which our interpretation
must bo built, it will gieatly assist us in the comprehension of
this vision. The Apostle was directed " to measure the temple
and the altar, and them that worship therein," which we have
seen included only the Jewish nation ; and wo art thereby led
to the conclusion, that the measurement is applicab;o only to a
true visible r>uich — that is. the Protesttint Church, — and the
individuals who are to be the objects of this 'oken of care, to
mean the true and spintual worshippers contained therein. The
court which is wi. out the temple, the Apostle is directed "not
to measure, for it m given unto the Gentiles, and the holy city
shall they tread under foot forty and two months." or 1260
years. In following out the symbol, as just explained, wc
should involuntarily be led to the interpretation of the court
being the false church, in opposition to the true one, yet retain-
ii;g some semblance of worship to God, as these Gentiles did of
old, for whom a place in the precincts of the temple was appro-
priated : but there is another distinguishing mark with which
the text furnishes us, and which affords no alternative than the
conclusion that it refers to the Papacy; namely, the mention of
the forty-two months, which we know, at the Jew ah computa-
tion of thirty days for a month, is the same period of 1260 years
of Dan. vii. 25, during which the saints, symbolized by the holy
city (I Pet. ii), were given into the hands of the little Papal
born.

Of whom are these two emblema- 3 ^nd 1 will give power
tical witnesses to be interpreted? unto my two ivitnesses, and
Not ' f any two men, because none they shall prophecy a thou-
ever lived the prophetic period hero sand two hundred and
described, neither can it apply to threescore day:, clothed in
any two visible churches, for it is sackcloth.
indisputable there is only one catholic church, and not two.
They can be no other than the Old and New Testament, whicli

I 1

ii '

4 Thcic are the two olive-
trees, and the two randlc'
ttick$ standing before the
God of the earth.

propliesicfl duiing llic I'npal iteriod, (.lothcd in sik krlotli ; lliitl
is, they were hi<l(lf in an unknown tongue, and likewise ob-
scured from the und landing of nitn, by fulsc intorp- ♦ations :
how exactly this prcfliction has been fulfilled, as to tl.o (('ration
of that obscuration we slmll see, na we proceed in the interpre-
tation of this chapter.

They are represented as two olive-
trees. Oil is the emblem of the Holy
(ihost, Aaron the high priest anr]
his sons were anointed with the oil
of holy ointment compounded by God, which was so sacred that
it was death cren to attempt a like composition (Exod xxx. 25
— 33). This oil shadowed forth the Holy Spirit, as when it is
prophesied of Christ in Psa. Ixxxix. 10, 20, that God's Holy One
should be anointed with his holy oil. It is likewise predicted
of the Messiah, in Isa. Ixi. 1, " The Spirit of the Lord God is up-
on me, because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings
unto the meek ;" which Christ takes up and applies to himself,
in Luke iv. 18 — 21. This figure, therefore, describes the Holy
Ghost teaching t^ircugh the written word. They are likewise
represonted f/i " tluj two candlesticks standing before the God
of the earth ' ihat is, as containing and upholding the true light.

5 ^iid if an-j wan will The word of God contains the re-
hurt tkem,flre proceedeth cord of his judgments, of which not
out of their mouth, and rfe- one jot or tittle shall ever pass unful-
filled. " If any man will hurt them, he
must in this manner be killed ;"
that is, by wresting their testimony,
and perverting their true significa-
tion, he doth it to his own destruction, thus the very nature
of his oflTence becoming the occasion of his punishment.

6 These have power to By the witnesses prophesying in
shut heaven, that it rain sackcloth, and thus preventing the
not in the days of their instruction which they were de-
prophecy : and havcpower signed to communicate, the Holy
over waters to turn them Spirit, of which rain is one of the
to blood, and to smite the constant emblems, withholds that
earth with al ' plagues, as influence, which doubtless would
often as they v'ill. have accompanied a more faithful

voureth their enemies : and
if any man will hurt them,
he must in this manner be
killed.

<;>

clulli; tliai
ikcwi?c ob-
p- ♦ationu :
1,0 d.'jratinn
\\v intorprc-

s two olivo-
of the Holy
priest nm]
vlth the oil
sacred tlmi
<o(l XXX. 25
when it is
s Holy One
!c predicted
1 God is up-
;ood tidings
to himself,
IS the Holy
iro likewise
fore the God
le true light,
tains the re-
f which not
r pass unful-
lurt them, he
be killed;"
ir testimony,
lie significa-
very nature
lent.

)phesying in
»venting the
Y were de-
e, the Holy
5 one of the
hholds that
tless would
lore faithful

trhcliing of tin* Divine word. Thrir " haviin; puwcr or«T th**
n.iler.^,' conveys to us, that, ns tlie Flible i.^ the only record of
truth, by shutting up this aource, all branches of religious know-
Icdgi' must necessarily becomo corrupt : for how can the stream^)
be pure, if the fountain be adulterated ? The figure seeroa to be
tiikon from the thruc-years-and-ahalf droiight in Israel, at the
expiration of which, the Prophet Elijah prayed for r:un: this
llircc years and a half likewise brings out the 12Bt> vcur^ of the
Papacy, during which period of the witnesses' prr it rained

not •. If i^ remarkable, that, when three yen ■ half

came toai end, Elijah sent his servant to the tO] M 'ar-

mel seven times, that he might observe the signs o. . .her ;

lie went six times and saw nothing, but at the seventh, des-
cribed a little cloud, which proved the harbinger of plentiful
rain (I Kings xviii. 42 — 4G.) May not this signify, that at the
expiration of the 1260 years, an eager desire should be raised
for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, symbolized throughout
Scripture by the Utter rain ; but that such expectation should
not be realized during the first six vials of wrath, but that at,
or consequent upon, the pouring out of the seventh, this blessed
promise to a faint and fading church should be fulfilled ? St.
James (chap. v. 17, 18) directly applies this figure of Elias, to
the pouring out of the latter rain of the Spirit, which affords
much strength to the above supposition, that it may be regarded
as a true type.

We are here brought down to the
expiration of the testimony of the
two witnesses, which they were to mony, the beast that as-
fulfil in sackcloth, or the end of the
12G0 years, when " the beast that
ascendcth up out of the bottomless
pit shall make war against them and
slay them." This is the beast of in-
fidelity, as an evil principle, and is the same under a personi-
fied head, who takes the power of the ten kingdoms ; first, to

• Thus, a time, times, and half a time, are three times and a half— a time
being significant of a Jewish year of 360 days—" a day for a year." (Num.
xiv. 34.)

7 jind when they shall
have finished their testi-

cendeth out of the bottom-
less pit shall make war
against thein, and shall
overcome them, and kill
them.

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deatrojr, m Qod'i instrnmeot, the Papacy, and aflenrards con*
dacU the grand AntichrUUan confederacy againii the Lamb.
(See chap. zrU.) Tbif propheoj, accordingly, waa fulfilled at
the termination of the 12M yean. And sorely no period in the
annale of the world can compare with thoee erenti which took
place in France, at the latter end of 1792, and in the beginning
of the year 1793, (for it was upon a tenth part of the Papal city
that these things were to occar, see r. 13.) This beast was to
slay the witnesses. The Gonrention of France stamped the
gorernment and oonntry of that nation, as the great head and
seat of infidelity, in May 1793, when the nation by a solemn
decree denounced Ghristianity. The naked person of a prostitute
was worshipped as the goddess of Reason, upon the altar of the
cathedral church of Xdtre Dame in Paris, and Atheism received
the public homage and honours due only to the Supreme Being.
The Scriptures were declared to be a fable, death an eternal
sleep, th%Sabbath abolished, and the reckoning of time by de*
cades instead of weeks, instituted as if for the purpose of rooting
out the very remembrance of a Sabbath. They began to count
their time from the first year of the French Republic ; thus de-
claring to all the world, that one of Ood's remarkable period."
waf* closed.

In the city of Lyons, the Scriptures were publicly dragged
through the streets, with circumstances of marked contempt
and derision. Thus for a short period did the beastly principle
of infidelity triumph over the religion of Ohrist, and his revealed
word. Truly was it said by Napoleon, just as he was about to
pass the political Rubicon, and dissolve the constitutional ezeeu-
tive council, " Nothing in history ever resembled the end of the
eighteenth century *. u .' n

8 jind their dead bodiei The act of slaying tiiese two wit*
AaUlieinthtitreetoftht nesses was to be transacted in the
great eityfiahichMpirituaU street of the great city; that is, in
/y U eaUed Sodom and one of the main divisions of Papal
Egyptf u^ere aho our Ohristendom, the city of eoniyision,
Lord wat cnteifled. the mystical Jerusalem : which street

Is designated, as Sodom, a sink of gross wickedness, and Egypt

* liflB of Napoleon, by the Author of Waverley, vol. ir. p. 178.

nrarda con*
Um Lamb.
I fbliQledat
»eiiod in the
which took

bcftnning
) Papal city
eait was to
itamped the
it head and
bj a solemn
^a prostitate

altar of the
Mm receired
treme Being.

1 an eterna)
time bj de«
«e of rooting
fan to count
lie ; thni de-
kble periods

CI7 dragged
contempt
I7 principle
his reyealed
as about to
onal exeen-
eend of the

le two wit-
Bted in the
that is, in
I of Papal
confusion,
'hich street
and EgTpt

9.175. i

emblematical of spiritual darkness, where also our Lord was
emeified ; thai is, within the precincts of the holj city— Ohrlt*
tsndom-^or every one that is baptised is in holy corenant with
Qod, and, if reprobate, will be Judged as an apostate from the
tmth. Thus our Lord said (Luke ziii. 33), " It cannot be that
t prophet perish out of Jerusalem ; and to crucify our Lord afresh
it a frequent Scripture expression, to denote a revolt from his
doctrine, and a denial of his name.

The period during which Ohris- 9 And they ofthepeoplt
tianity was abolished by the gojem- and kindrtdi and tongwi
ment of France, and the worship of and natioiu ihall ue their
Reason publicly sanctioned, was dead bodUt thret day$ and
three years and a half, when the a hal/f and ^uUl not euffer
Roman-Oatholic religion was again their dead bodiet to be put
established as the relii^on of the state, en grove*.
I( is well known that the great 10 And they that dwell
apostles of infidelity maintained an upon the earth Aall rejoice
organised correspondence through- over thentf and make merry
oat Bnrope, for the eflbctual propa- and AaU send g^t one to
gation of their false principles ; and another ; because these two
when this temporary triumph over prophets tormented ^em
every thing sacred took place, the that dwelt on the earth.
pabUe journals abounded with congratulations and rejoicings,
as though some great public good were attained. It was truly
a frenxied festivity which seized the whole of France at this'
period. The provincial towns, as well as the capital, partook
in the delirium ; and became the scene of civic festivals, exhibi-
tions, and shows of the most extravagant description. The
theatres were annsually crowded, the chief representations con-
sisting in performances in honour of the triumph of Reason.
Ten days after Gobet and the priests had abjured religion, a
grand festival was celebrated by order of the government
dedicated to " Reason and Tmth," Nov. 11, 1793, at which the
National Convention of France, and all the other authorities in
Paris attended. These rejoicings and mutual gratulations took
place, because, by the abolition of Ghristianity, every restriction
seemed now to be removed to the fall and uninterrupted indnl-
gence of every licentious appetite.

I i

lUnd ti/Ur thret da^$ Three yeart aud seTen monthi
tmd m haHftht Spirit of after Oobet, the biahop of Parii, had
l^t/romQodmtered i$Uo renounced GhrisiUnity, at the head
<iUsi, and tluy $tood upom of all the Republican prieite, Not. 1,
thtirfuti andgrtUfwr 1793, the National Convention ap-
ftU upon thtrn vhich mio pointed a committee to consider the
thtvu. state of religion; and oa the Hth

1 2 And they heard a great J une, 1 79 7, Gamille Jourdan brought
voice from heaven Maying up his memorable report on the
unto them, come up hither. " Revision of the Laws relative to
jind they aecended up to Religious Worship," containing re*
heaven in a chud; and gulations for the protection of the
their enemiee beheld them, worship of God, which France had
never before enjoyed. The sudden transition from a profane
desecration of every thing sacred, to comparative protection
and reverence, could not find a fitter emblem of representatioi^,
than a complete resurrection of the two witnesse8,by the Spirit df
life from God entering into them. It may well be imagined, the
fear and consternation which seised the enemies of true religion,
when they beheld such an unexpected and miraculous revival.
We cannot fail to remark, that at the instant thifs great measure
was resolved on, the judgments on the Romish hierarchy began,
by the invasion of the Papal states by the Republican General
Bonaparte. From this time, therefore, the two witnesses were
restored to life and liberty, for their testimony in sackcloth h?'*
ceased, and they ascended up to heaven ; that is, they acquiro
a dignity and glory which they had not before : this was espe-
cially observable in Britain, where great exertions began to be
made for the effectual circulation of the Scriptures. Bible and
Missionary Societies were established, and such meusurea adopt-
ed for the extensive circulation of the Scriptures, that at the
present period they are to be found translated into upwards of
one hundred and fifty languages. So truly may it be said that
they ascended up into heaven in a cloud of glory.

IS And the same hour woe At the same hour in which the
there a great earthquake, two witnesses were slain (ver. 7),
and the tenth part of the a great earthquake, or popular revo-
cityfeUf and in the earth' lution, is predicted to happen upon

, ■ 1

en monthi
rPartf,had
i% the bewl
«U, Not. I,
irention ap*
unslder the
»a the nth
dan brought
iri on the
relativa to
lUining re>
ition of the
France had
a a profane
e protection
wesentatioi^,
the Spirit df
magined, the
;rue religion,
iou8 revival.
teat measure
irchy began,
can General
nesses were
ickclothh?'*
ley acquirv
8 was espe*
)egan to be
Bible and
isarea adopt-
that at the
upwards of
)e said that

which the
in (ver. 7),
opular revo«
appen upon

a tenth portion of the Papal city, quaic* totre iloin of wun
It will bo anneeessary to enlarge on tevn tkouumd: and fA«
this earthquake, aa it if the same at remnant w*re affrigkttdf
that which takes place under the and fare ghry to the Chd
sixth seal (chap. vi. 12) ; and reoeiv- of heaven.
ed particular notice in commenting on that passage. We can-
not, however, fail to remark what a connected chain of evidence
its insertion here corroborates ; the interpretation is aa con-
sistent and satisfactory as the revelation is definite and circum-
stantial in its predictions. " And in the earthquake were slain of
men seven thousand ; " that is, a large and complete number.
Let the annals of the reign of terror in France, during Robe-
spierre's ascendency, tell how well and truly this was fulfilled.
" And the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to God."
We conceive this remnant to be the British Protestant nation ;
for no other of the ten kingdoms of Christendom had discern-
ment to perceive, or grace to acknowledge, the hand of God in
the appalling events which accompanied the French Revolution.

This verse is evidently inserted 14 TheucondiBoeiipoit t
here as a mark of synchronism, to fmdf behold^ the third tooe
inform us that this history likewise cometh quickly,
is brought down to the eve of this great day f^t wrath, and to
announce that the third and last woe cometh quickly upon the
events just narrated.

Having dilated so largely in our 15 jtnd the uventh angel
obscifvations on chap. z. 7, upon the Bounded f and fAe.e loere
sounding of the seventh angel, and great voices in heaven^ toy"
the events consequent thereon, we ing^ I%e kingdome of thit
have no occasion to repeat our re- towrld are become the king"
marks here. dome of our Lordf and of

It is in woe that the kingdom of Am Chriet ; and he ehall
onr Lord is to be established ; to reign for ever and ever.
which declaration agree all the pro-
phets. As he said at his first com-
ing, he came not to judge, but to before God on their eeats, ,
save ; so may it be said at his second fell upon their faeetf and
coming, he comes, not to save, but worshipped Ood,
to judge. The period to which the 17 Saying^ We give the€

16 jind the four and
twenty elders^ whiek sai

thtmktf O Lord God Jl- oharoh in hearen looked forward
mighty, whidk urt^ md with inch longing desireiii at length
vta$t,mndaTttoeomti be- arrired (ohap. ▼. 10; vi. 10). The
eam$i thou hatt taken to elderi are here introduced M wor-
thee thy great power, and shipping God, and giving bim thanki
hu^ retgned. because be bad taken unto himself

bis great power and reigned. The four liring creatures are
here omitted, either because it was a song more appropriate to
the elders, as appertaining to the kingly character ; or because
the church on earth— which we understand, the liring creatures
represented in the heayenly rision — ^were for the first period of
Ohrist^s iron reign, when his judgments appear to come from
an unseen hand, unconscious as a body of its having commenced*.
18 Jind the natione were This is a most comprehensive
angry, and thy wrath U verse, for it contains the combination
come, and th* time of the of the apostate nations (see Psalm ^
dead, that they ekould be ii) ; the destruction of the Papacy,
judged, and that thou being that great whore that did cor*
shoulder give reward unto rupt the earth with her fornication
thy eervante the prophete, (chap. ziz. 2), the first resurrection,
and to the saintt, and them and the kingdoms of the earth g^ren
that fear thy name, email to the saints of the most high Ood.
and greet ; and ehouldeet By the expression, " and the time of
deetroy thetn which destroy the dead is come, that they should be
the earth. judged," we understand the time of

the dead incorruptible, that they should be raised and righted,

'Although the above remark may am>ly to the church in its colleotive
CHiaeifer.yel it it not to be suppoMd that God left himself without witnes-
ses, to declare the expiration of such a momentous period in the history of
the ohnreh, and of Christendom, as that of the \tm yean of the PaiMl
■uprema^, and that the time was arrived to iudse her for all hw abomui-
atMns. Then is no supposition entertained by the opposers of these views
of the speedy terminatton of ihepreaent state of tmngs,80 Injurious to
themselves, or more unfounded in fsct,tiian tliat these opinions are the
growth of the last two or three years. No sooner had the eventful period
e^tired, than a voice of testimony was raised in this land, fh>m many
guarters, all directing the ohurclrs attention to tLe important subject,
witness ** tlie Illustrations of Prophecy." published in S vols, iu the year
17M| " Simpson's Plea for B^igiou," "Mr. Bicheno's Signs of the Times,"
tcio. so. te.

The French Revolution had Ytoea predicted by many Protestant divines,
fhnn tha Apocalyptic writings, long before it took place; for a Ust of
such authoritifla, see Illustrationa on Prophecy, voL L chan. viii.
Dr. Gill eqiressly foretold a revolution in Frano? ; see his Ezpodtutu. vol,
v.p.6M.4to. *^ ^

•I

i forward
I At length
10). TlM
1 M wor-
limtlwnki
to hlniMir
fttuTM are
opriate to
IT becanM
; crMtureB
period of
some from
nineneed*.
preheniive
mibination
[see Psalm ^
6 Papaey,
at did cor-
fornioation
sarreetion,
arth giTen
high God.
he time of
f shoald be
be time of
A righted,

ts ooUeotive
hoatwitnes-
he histoiy of
f the Papal
hwabomui*
f these views
taj^irtou* to
ions are the
ntftU poiod
.from many
tant subject.
, iu the year
the Times,"

itant divines,
or a list of
olian. viii.
posit&u. vol.

or hftTO jadgment giren into their hands, and reign npon tiie
•arth ; beate the thanksglTing of the twenty-four elders, becAose
their pmyert were answered. From the expression, " sm*!! and
great," we ihould be inclined to regard this promise as inclnd-
ing in this glorious assemblage of resurrection saints, all the
righteoui dead, Although chap. zx. 4 would rather seem to infer
a pariienlar selection of eminent martjrs to ei^oj the privilege
of the first resurrection. All these momentous events are to oc-
ear, and are included in the serenth trumpet ; " For he will
foish the work, and cut it short in righteousness, because a
short work will the Lord make upon the earth." Rom. iz. 28.

This eoaclttding Terse of the epi- 19 And the temple of
tome of the Chureh History clearly God tetu opened in Acoven,
refer as to the erents which occur and there toot uen ^ hi$
upon the serenth angel pouring oat temple the ark of hit tet"
his Tial of wrath. There is the last tament: and there were
earthquake mentioned, aecompanied lightninge, emdvoieet, and
with hail, which distinguishes it thunderingt, and an earth'
from the earthquake of the French quakef and great hail.
BoTolation in chap. ri. 12, and likewise alluded to in the 13th
Terse of this chapter. If hail denotes in feymbolio language a
northern inTasion, then are we to expect this mighty conTolsion
to be attended with an erupti(m from a Northern power. The
temple of Ood was opened, and thore was seen in his temple the
ark of his Testament; by this also we know that this Terse al-
ludes to the final catastrophe, because it sets forth the day of
atonement in the Jewish serTioe, when the Teil was taken away,
and the priests conld enter into the holy place and see the ark .
the antitype to which we haTO before obserred (see note to chap.
THi. 8— ft), is at once the dellTerance of the church, and the
final aet of Tengeaace on her enemies*

't'r^i.i'

,.„...--■ k ?*' j;dt#*a*4 ■ .^titil ■ /:«■?? *> ■ii'ikiii'if

i:|l

,; m ■

. i 'I' *

1.1

!»vj

■y \

V* Xi/^ t T.K F*

History of the Ohurch daring the Pagan Period.

1 jind there appeared a The vision is still in heaven. The ex-
great t4;on(i«rtnA«a«en; a planation of these STmboIi is teiy
tooman clothed with the simple and easy of interpretation,
euUf and the moon under upon a reference to oar dictionary
her/eetf and upon her head in the preface. The oharch is con-
a crown of twelve start: stantlj emblematised by a chaste
woman ; and she is here represented as doUied with the San of
BighteoasnesSf with the brightness of the righteoosness of
Ohrist: the moon being under her feet, which is likewise i^
emblem of the church, must be considered as a designation, joit
as a statue or picture receives a written character at its foot
Upon her head was a crown of twelve stars. She was orna-
mented by her most eminent ministers, wliich are the twelve

Apostles. •^iit-4-.ttvi%yitf'i-'-"%i>'

2 jind she being with From a comparison of this vene
child criedf travailing in with the 6th, we perceive that this
birthf and pained to be de- child was to rule over all nations
livered. with a rod of iron. This is predicted
in Psa. ii. and cz, &c, of Christ, primarily ; but we know. from
chap. ii. 27, it is equally true of all his elect church; for he
there pledges himself to the participation of this honour^ with I
all those who overcome. We are inclined to the opinion that
the child more especially refers to the saints, particularly those
brought forth under the Pagan persecutions, the pain being the
heavy afflictions which the church endured when delivered of |
these children, amidst suffering and death.

3 And there appeared Thia does not mean that the great I
another wonder in heaven f red dragon was in heaven, but that
and behold a great red the Apostle's vision still continued
dragottf having seven heads there. This red dragon with seven |

hoads and ten horn«, we are told and ten honut and avett
(r. 9), i« Satan. If the woman is an erawru upon hit heads,
emblem of the ohorohi then ii the eerpent that of the deTil. Sa-
tan does not work in the inrliible form ; bat he inflaencee the
ipirits of mankind, and thus accompliebes his malicioos par-
poses, throagh the instrnmentality of wicked men, either in their
indiridoal ciHpacitj, or in an associate political body. He tempt-
ed Eve in the garden of Eden, in the form of a serpent. Here he
is represented as embodied in a polity, and inflaencing its actions.
From the characteristics here giren, we are referred to Daniel for
an explanation, who informs as (chap. rii. 22, 23), that the beast
with ten horns is the fourth monarchy that shall arise, or Roman
empire, which shoald sabseqaently be dirided into ten kingdoms :
the seren heads mean, in this instance, the seven hills upon
which is the seat of the empire. The crowns being upon the
heads, and not on the horns, as in chap xiii. 1, signify that, da-
ring the period of which this portion of the rision treats, the
power shoald be inyested in the emperorship, the seat of which
was imperial Rome. The mention of these seven heads, which
is interpreted in the prophecy itself, to have a doable significa-
tion, one of which receives explanation in *< the seven moantains "
(see chap. xvii. 9), gives locality to the prophecy, and fixes its
interpretation to be of the seven-hilled city, Rome. The seven
hills npon which the woman sitteth when the empire assamed its
Papal form, we think, may be given, not merely to determine its
locality, but likewise to denote the perfection of iniquity. Ac-
cordingly we find that the pagan persecutions of the church,
daring the first three centuries, all emanated from, and received
the sanction and encouragement of, the emperors of Rome, as
may be seen by reference to the " Introduction to Cave's History
of the fathers," wherein it is most evident that the condition of
the Ohristian Church enjoyed comparative respite, or sufbred
severe persecutions, just in proportion to tho reigning emperor's
hostility to the Ohristian religion.

The 4th verse is Introduced by a 4 jind hie taU drew the
reference to the false and corrupt third part of the ttare of
doctrines which the dragon succeed- heaverij and did catt them
ed in disseminating in the third part to the earth ; and the dra-

' i

II !•!■''■

;in

g<m»ioodb$fon tkt wmutn of ih« earth, or ttie BMiem RohiAii
loMdi 1MM rMMly io be di- onplre, by which that ehnrch wm
livtrtdtfor to dewmr her broaght to destmetlOB, m we han
ekUda$ toon tuHweu bom. ihewn in the trumpet biitorj. (8«e
I And the brought forth alio Den. riii. 10.) The dregon, who
• man ehildf wAo wu to had Impregnated the third part
ntleuUnoiiont%»Hh orod hj the poison of hi« taH, ii here re*
•/ iron ; emd her child mu presented as holding himself in read-
camght up unto Ood^ and iness to deronr the child as soon u
to hie throne. ^^ it was bom; that is, to destroy by

violence ; which he atttaipted to do bj instigating the Pagan
Roman emperors to those ten snecessire perseeations, many of
which, and especially the last nnder Diocletian, were commenced
with the aTowed object of exterminating erery Christian firom
the fkoe of the earth ; bat " he that sitteth in the heayens shell
langh." He malceth the wrath of man to praise him. Kotwith*
standing all the diabolical attempts to expel the tmth, it still
floorished : the blood of the martyrs was made the seed of the
ehnrch, and those who fell in the conflict were caught np nnto
Qod, and composed part of that glorious assembly, symbolised
in the ir th and r th chapters, by the fonr and twenty elders.

« And the woman fled Similar expressions eccnr in the
into the wildemeeef lehere 14th Terse of tliis chapter; only tbe
ehe hath a place prepared time, times, and a half are here giren
of Qodf that they ehould in days, or 1260 years ; dnriag which
feed her there a thoueand period the woman was to be in the
two hundred and three wilderness. The particulars of the
eeore daye. woman's sojourn so exactly repeated

in the latter part of this chapter, where her history is more
dwelt on, seems here introduced for the purpose of identifying
her as the same, and by way of connecting the commencement
of the period of 1260 years, with the historical event alluded
to in the 16th Terse (see comment). - . '* n- " "^^ t "^'^

7 And there wot war in This is a retetalilon of sotne mj»-
heaoen : Mtehael and hie terious act in the inTisible world, of j
angele fought against the which necessarily we can know bnt
dragon f and tke dror'^^ little. Satan is here spoken of per-
fought and hie angels. sonally in bis^ character as a rebel

til

Bltl RotllM

horch WM
Ml welwT«

ragoB, wbo

third ptrt

if here re-

lelf in read-

I USOOBU

dMtrojbj

tlM PtgtB

SB, many of
coDiincnofld
ristian from
eaToni shftU
i. Notwith-
mth, it still
> teed of the
tght up vnto
. fljmbolised
ty elders.
>ccar in the
er; onlytfce
reliere giren
Inring which
to be in the
ialars of the
ctl J repeated
tory is more
f identifying
mmeneement
vent allnded

if sotne mys-
ble world, of
Min know hut
)oken of per-
T as a rebel

togel, not myttioaUy. A reftnnot i Jmd prmtaiUi nol f
to ethar parta of Soriptart, howoTtr, tuUktr tMs thtir jpface
will perhaps throw soom little light on fnuid any More im Aeaven
this sat^ect. It ia dear from 3 Ohroa. 9 ^nd tkt grtat dragon
ZTiii. ai, 22, and Job ii. 1, that Satan ipm taU oui^ thai old nr-
bad aooess to the presenoe of Ood, peal, ealUd th$ DtvU and
tAar hia (kll from hia original eleva- S^Utm, wkick dccciMlA tk§
tion, and that these instances show lokoU world: ho wa* cosl
him in the character of aocoier of oal inU tht carIA, and Ms
the brethren. It ia CTldant, also, oMgtU wort eaoi out with
firoffl our Sarionr's allusiona to the him.
casting oat of Satan from bearen, 10 jtmd 1 hoard a Untd
before his crncifizion, that hia priri- votes saytag ta Aiaasa
leges were about to receire limita- Now it tome ea/valioa, and
tion i and it is not improbable, that ttrongth, and tho kingdom
Gbrist's expressions occurring imme- of owr Ood^ a$td tho powor
diately preceding the close of his o/hio Chriot t for tho tte^
earthly warfare, and when he de- ciMsr of owr brothron io
dared alio " that the prince of this etut doion, which Oicefuod
world came and had nothing in him," thom b^oro owr Chd dflf
eoDTeys to as the truth, that Christ and night, *■> >'>

having achicTed the victory orar him in fieih, he knew it was
an earnest of that viotory which he shoald farther aocompliah
after his asoenaion in the expulsion of Satan firom hearen, and
that these worda were spoken prophetically by Christ, as signi-
ficant of sach an act baring already entered into the Dirine par-
pose. As it is supposed by some that Michael represents our
Lord, as in Dan. x. 21, and xiL 1. the notion that this war in
hearen took place between Christ and his angels, and the dra-
gon and his angels, receires strength from the same &iigelic cha-
racter being represented by name as taking the lead in tliis con-
test. This opinion seems likewise confirmed, if we contemplata
Christ as the great actor of the purposes of Qod, in which light
the whole of rerelation seems to regard him. When this impor-
tant rictory was gained orer the dragon and his angels, and their
place in hearen was no more found, a roice is heard saying, (rer.
10), " Now ia come salration, and strength, and the kingdom of
oar Qod, and the power of his Christ," which note of exaltation

' i

86 ' ' *

leemi to AcknowledKo thli mightjr aehleremeiit u the fint n*.
nlfritatlon of Ohrif f i power and kingdom, conNqnent apon hit
entrance into hearen. And wefbrther find that when he eonei
to reign npon the earth (lee chap. xix. and zx), SaUn la then
ejected from thlf world alio, of which our Lord himielf Informi
ni he ii now the prince. Rif degradation, howerer, will not
then be complete ; his Jadgment ia progretiire, for we know
there is itill reserred for him the jet deeper pnnifhaent of the
lake of fire, which Is the second death (zz. 10). - -

In support of this riew, see also comment on rerie 18. The
passage does not seem to compose any Integral part of the
Apostolic rlsion, bat to be an interpolation, for the pnrpote of
Introducing the cause which had thus incited the serpent't rage
against the seed of the woman.

11 Jnd they overcame Nothwithstandlng the aeouier of
him by the blood of the the brethren was cast down from
Lambf and by the word of heaven to commence his persecution^
their tettimony ; and they of the church, in great wrath, jet
loved not their lives unto were thej enabled to oreroome him
the death. bj the blood of the Lamb, and bj
the faithfulness of their testimonj, surrounded with trial and
with death. It is the brethren who are represented ai loring
not their lires to the death, which affords another proof that the
Man-child who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron (see
▼. 6) is Ohrist mjstical in his bodj, which Is the church, and
not merelj^ in his personal character.

12 Therefore r^oiee^ ye Here is a song of triumphant joj
h»aven»^ ani ye that dwell from the inhabitants of hearen, that
in them. Woe to the in- Satan is for ever expelled their bles-
habitert of the earth and sed abodes ; but a note of woe is
of the tea! for the devil sounded to those who dwell on the
it come down unto you, earth, because he is come down to
having great torathy be- them, having great wrath. If the
caute he knoweth thai he persecutions referred to in the 13th
hath but a thort time, verse allude to those of the Pagan-

13 And when the dragon Roman power, of which conclusion
Mt0 that he wot eatl unto there can be little doubt, then is it
the earthy he pertecuted evident that tbej were subsequent to

thif oaiting out of SftUua Crom b«*- tk« womum which troughi
Tta, and M« rtproMotod m boiag Um forth th* 9um child,
iMoli of loebtxpalaioa. In Lako x. 18*, wbtn Um Mrenty dls-
oiplM who had boon Mnt ont rttorned AgAin to oar Lord with
J07, and told him the derilf were sabjeot unto them through hie
aeme, Ohriit ezoUimed, ae if the ciroumitanoe had conreyed
•a earneat of the atUl greater power of hii church orer the
wicked splritf, " I beheld SaUn aa lightning fall ttom hearen."
Now it may fairly be inferred that Satan'a expulsion had not
taken place before, and oonaequentlj we fix the period of thia
mighty oonteii in hearen, between thia erent in our Lord'a life,
•ad Um commenoement of the Pagan perseouUonf ; and thus we
liaTe addiUonal eridence coupled with those argrments which
have been adranced above, we think, aa conclu8iv<> aa the cate
will admit ; that thia mighty contest in hearen took place at
oar Lord's ascension into glory. " For this purpose was the
ion of Ood manifested, that he might destroy the works of the
derU." IJohniU. 8. ^ .^

The elect church of Ohrist must 14 jind to Me tooman
be here meant by the woman who were given ttoo winge of a
was nourished in the wilderness, for great eagle f that $he might
a time^ times, and half a time, or fly into the toUdemeUf wto
daring the Papal supremacy. She her place^ where the ienou^
is represented aa being carried on rithed for a tinUf and
the two wings of a great eagle ; that timet,and half a tinu^ from
is, she is supported and sustained by the face of the serpent,
the providence of God : as, when addressing the children of
Israel, God said, '' Te hare seen what I did unto the Egyptians,
and how I bare yon on eagles' wings, and brought you unto
myself." (Bxod. xix. 4.) The protection which the church is
here described aa experiencing during the 1260 years, (and no
interpretation will apply unless connected with this period,)
is firom the face of the serpent ; that is, from the Pagan perse-
cations which Satan stirred up ; from which peculiar form of
the serpent's rage, manifested in openly confessed enmity to the
Christian religion, she was sheltered by that power which was
now inrested in the bishop of Rome. The place of the church's

* See also John xll, 81, and zyi. U.

Mouritjr it dMorlbed m a wUdeniMi ; iluit If, ih* wUdtnMii
lUto of Ui« oburoh, barren and nnprodnoUre.
i"* It ii no objection to thii interpretation to urge that the Papaey
itaelf a^rwardi became a peneouting power; for thli new
form of the serpent's enmity to the truth, ii a dietinot prophecj,
and treated of separately in the following chapter i it it equally
true, thttt the same power which Justinian gave into the hands
of the bishop of Rome, in all ecclesiastical aflkiri, A. D. 183,
ostensibly for the better preserration of the truth against heretics,
served lilcewise as an effisotual protection to the church flrom the
brutal ra(^ of the Pagan persecutors. Indeed Satan has neter
since evinced an open opposition to the Ohriitian faith, but has
proceeded more subtilly, as we shall see when treating of the
Papal period.

15 wind tht Hrptnt ca$t These two verses afibrd us another
out ofhii mouth wat«ra$a grand key, by which we are enabllNi
flood after th« woman, that to fix the commenoement of the
As might cauM h*r to be Papal period of 1260 years, beoauie
carried away 0/ the flood, the I7th verse oonneota this new

16 Jnd the earth helped species of diabolical warfore, with
the woman, and the earth the swallowing up the flood which
opened her mouth, and the dragon oast out of his month,
eu>allowed up the flood which we shall see Was eflbcted by
which the dragon caet out the Roman emperor Justinian, at the
of hie mouth. time of the formation of his celebrat*
ed code of laws, which gave the saints into the hands of the
Papacy, A. D. 633. When Christianity waft incorporated as the
religion of the Roman empire, and after various fluctuationi
assumed the established form of the Papacy in the reign of Jus-
tinian, Satan found himself foiled in all his attack! which he
made by means of his faithful servants, the Pagan emparors of
Rome; and seeing Christianity thus triumph in spite of hii
eflbrts to exterminate it, he straightway adopted anew expedient
alluded to in the 15th verse, " he cast out of his mouth water ai
a flood after the woman." The angel, in chap. zvU. 16, gives
us the true interpretation of waters, to be " peoplei, multitudes,
nations, and tongues." This, therefore, can mean nothing less
than those hordes of Arian invaders, whom Satan, having first

lapNgBAted with th«lr polionoai dootrinei, brought upon iha
Bomui empln and ohoroh, la looh a dtlagv m would Msorodlj
'* iMTt oftrrtod hor away of the flood," if the earth, or Roman
eaipira, had not helped the woman. This wai effected by the
emperor Joetinian by hit general iieiiiariui, who, when he came
to the throne, A. D., 627, found the weitern part of the Roman
empire lubdued and under the rule of the Arian nations, and the
orthodox religion persecuted. . Having prepared his code of olrii
laws, by which enactments, bearing date March 033, such full
powers was invested in the bishop of Rome, and which served,
with other manifestoes to identify this as a religious contest ;
he commenced bis grand oniots upon the Arian powers, whereby
they were destroyed and Anally driven from the empire. Thus Jus-
tinian at once stood forth to retrieve theorthodox church flrom the
Arian nations, " swallowing up the flood which the dragon cast
out of his mouth ;" and at the same time invested that power in
the pope, by which the saints were delivered into his hands for
a time, times, and a lialf, A. D. 633. This is a most appropriate
place for the introduction of the Arian heresy — for it rose at
the dose of the Pagan superstition — and was put down at the
commencement of the Papal.

The dragon was again foiled, and 1 7 And the dragon wan
therefore it is said, " he was wroth wroth toith the tooman, and
with the woman, and wont to renew went to make war with the
the war with the remnant of her remnant of her teed^ which
seed ;" to denote that his rage had kept the commandmentt of
not subsided, but that a new mani- God, and have the teeti-
festation of his enmity was about to mony of Jetut Christ.
appear. As he had not succeeded in carrying away the woman
by the flood of Arian nations, his object being defeated by the
Roman emperor Justinian appearing in behalf of the church,
and extricating her from the impending ruin, A. D. 533, the
serpent whose rage by this failure had received further aggrava-
tion, now addresses himself to the task of concocting a fresh
project of malice against the troth. This proves to be the
Papal apostacy, and being announced in this verse as imme-
diately consequent upon his defeat as described in the 16th and
16tt verses, affords us additional evidence that the period of the

P*pal saperatiiion, or 1260 yean of the sapreniAcy of Danieri
little horn, ii to take the date of iti commencement £rom the
same period, in which Jastinian, or the Roman earth, helped
tlie woman or tlie church, A. D. 633. Thoe confirming oar
remark made in commenting on th» fifth seal, chap. tL 9, tliat
the rise of a new fcnn of enmity to the truth, is to take ite date
from the ioppreasion of the preceding superstition.

ii;:-;,.J?4ii5'i,iaal)^ . yfijiir*,ti^ a^;,*

iU-:

t ^ffffittj'"* A^t% -\^

■c>>^»yM'ir'-t4*

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ii^V*W<'^l: ^

,,- , v^^.frv ■ •>;-:■ -'^^'J^f*- ■-.■-■....

DMktol'i
from the
b| helped
ming oar
rL 9, that
:e its date

iim-m{ ;■•+-.-«?!

'mmf

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'tt-V ,-.» W*^

i^- ■:-;**

i».«' .J5»*

CHAPTER Xni.

History of the Ohareh daring the Papal Period.

Tbis chapter contains a description 1 And I stood upon tkt
of the war which the dragon was $and of the ua^ and taw (t
about to maintain against the rem- beatt rite up out oftht na^
nant of the woman's seed, mentioned having $even head* and ten
in the last verse of the preceding Aonw, and upon hie home
chapter. The beast in this verse is ten croumef and upon hie
the Roman empire, divided into its head* the name of bla*"
ten kingdoms, which is said to arise phemy.
oat of the sea ; that is, nations in a turbulent unsettled oondi]
tion ; and it was exactly into such a state the western Roman
empire was brought previous to its division into separate Icing-
doms. For forty years before the whole of Europe was agitated
by the Goths, the Visigoths, the Alans, and the empire
seemed to have no settled master. The crowns, emblematical
of regal power, in chap. xii. 3, were said to be on the seven
heads ; bat here they are removed to the ten horns, denoting
that the Papal supremacy, of which this chapter treats, should
be exerted over the western empire when it was divided into
ten kingdoms. Upon this beast's heads, instead of the crowns
was the name of blasphemy; whereby is pointed out, that
instead of Rome being the seat of imperial power, as under the
Pagan persecutions, it is now become the seat of blasphemy ;
from whence, as from a centre of iniquity, the pope should issue
Iiis impious bulls and decrees, and upon which theatre he should
exhibit to Christendom his blasphemous mimicries of the offices
and character of Christ. The seven-hilled city of Rome (the
perfection of iniquity) is hereby identified, as the seat of that
power which the Papacy was to exert over the saints of Qod
for 1260 years. The western Roman empire is the seat of the
prophecy, which is represented under three forms : first, the
Pagan ; second, the Papal ; and third, the Infidel,— under whose

'.. i

■ i

!ln^

.1 1

i m

' U

influence she comes to her end, after enlisting in the caom of the
iMt form of the Infidel beast. See chap. xrU.

2 Jnd the betut which I The description of the beast which
iato woi like unto a leopard came up out of the sea giren in this
and hie feet were ae the yerse, identifies it as the fourth mon-
feet of a bear, and hie mouth archy which Daniel saw was to arise ;
ae the mouth of a lion ; combining in this fourth form of
and the dragon gave him brutal power all the qualities of the
hie power, and hie eeeU, three preceding kingdoms, chap. tH
and great authority, 23, 24 : the fleetness of the leopard,
the terrible claws, and savage ferocity of the bear, and the des-
tructiveness of the roaring lion. Satan is here represented as
transferring that power and authority to the Papal-Roman
power, which he possesses as the usurping prince of the king-
doms of this world, and had formerly exercised against the aiUnts,
through the Pagan emperors.

3 jind I eaw oneofite It has been before, remarked, that the
heade ae it were wounded seren heads so often referred to, hare
to death i ami hie deadly two separate significations ; the one
wound tocM healed ; and all identifying the seat of this beast, the
the world wondered after seven mountains, and the other de-
the beaet. scriptive of seven distinct forms of
government. This important key to the interpretation we learn
from the angel, chap. zvil. 9, 10. In this verse the latter is
meant, a sevenfold sovereignty : thus kings, consuls, consular
tribunes, decemvirs, dictators, emperors, were the first six ; for
we learn in John's time (chap. xvii. 10) that five had fallen, or
passed away, one then was, the emperorship of Rome, and
another was yet to arise. The verse before us speaks of one of
these heads being wounded to death, which took place when the
emperor Augustulus resigned the title. The reason why the fUl-
ing of the imperial title is described as being caused by a deadly
wound, effected by a sword (v. 14,) seems to be, because all the
other revolutions of authority in the Roman empire designated
as heads, were brought to pass by internal revolution, and not
by external conquest. Though the head is wounded to death,
yet it does not kill the body, for it is afterwards healed ; that is,
the imperial title was again revived about three centuries after-

lose of the

iMt which
renin thii
arth mon-
ti to arise ;

form of
ties of the
, chap. Til
le leopard,
d the del-
Bsented ai
pal-Roman

the king-
, the sainta,

ed, that the
ed tO| have
IB ; the one
B beast, the
I other de-
it forms of
m we learn
ke latter is
B, consular
rstsix; for
1 fallen, or
Rome, and
:s of one of
30 when the
hy the fUl-
)y a deadly
bose all the
designated
and not
to death,
ed; that is,
;uries after-

wards, in the emperor Charlemagne, and contlnned in the em-
perors of Germany nntU the year 1806, when Napoleon Bona<
parte obliged the emperor of Anstria to renoance the title,
which, with the authority he afterwards centred in himself and
son, thns constituting the serenth and eighth headship, chap,
xrii. 11, the first and second form of the last Infidel antichrist.
He resenred the power to himself, malcing Rome and her depen-
dencies a prorince of France, and giring the title of " king of
Rome " to his infant son, by which designation Napoleon him-
self announced him at his birth to his courtiers*. Thns Napo-
leon annihilated the sixth headship or sovereignty of the Roman
empire, which from Gharlemagne had continued down through
the emperors of Germany for so many centuries, and afterwards
constituted himself the serenth head ; and that this statement
may appear no strained interpretation to build up a system, we
quote the following, to prove it to be an unquestioned histori-
cal feet. ** We have not yet concluded the important changes
introduced into Europe by the consequences of the fatal cam-
paign of Austerlitz. The confederation of the Rhine, which
witlidrew from the German empire so large a portion of its
princes, and, transferring them from the influence of Austria,
placed them directly and avowedly under the protection of
France, was an event which tended directly to the dissolution of
the Germanic league, which had subsisted since the year 800,
when Gharlemagne received the imperial crown from pope Leo
int." " Pope Leo, he (Napoleon) remembered, had placed a
golden crown on the head of Charlemagne, and proclaimed him
emperor of the Romans. Pius YII. he determined should do
the same for a successor to much more than the actual power of
Charlemagne^." " France became therefore in a great measure
the successor to the influence and dignity of the holy Roman
empire, as that of Germany had been proudly styled for a thou-
sand years; and the empire of- Napoleon gained a still nearer
resemblance to that of Charlemagne. At last France succeed-
ed to the imi>erial influence exercised by Anstria and her empire,
over all the south western provinces of that powerful district of
EnropeH.

'ls-^i»f

{ T I ',■" r. 1 1* ''*iiis ; fA^f'j., V ■ -,;-'< :\r r'n';

* Life of Napoleon, by the author of Waverle;, vol. vii. p. 124. t Ibid
▼ol, v. p. 27S. t Ibid. vol. v. p. 156. || Life of Napoleon, vol.v. p. 277.

if: I

l^t

. .■■i

It IB the mora necessary to establish Napoleon Bonaparte as
the seventh soyereignty of the Roman empire, as the right com-
prehension of this portion of the prophecy famishes ns with an
important cine to the interpretation of the mystery of an eighth
bead about to arise, for a short time, who is yet of the seyen.
(see chap. zyii. 11.) *< And all the world wondered after the
beast," that is, when his deadly wound was healed ; and the title
which had been laid dormant for three centuries, was so snd-
denly revived in Charlemagne, who was thus constituted head
of the Papal Roman empire, and of whom medals still exist,
with the inscription "emperor revived." Unusual magnificence
attended this event, attracting for a time the attention of the
whole of the Roman earth. ^ < >>»

4 jSnd they wor$hipped This verse points out to us the
Me dragon which gave true character of that worship which
power unto thebeaet ; and is offered to any other than the Sa-
they worshipped the beatt, preme Being. It is Satan's grand
eayingf Who it like unto object to seduce the homage of men
the beatt t loAo i$ able to from the true God, and to oentre it
make war with him f in himself. Thus every form of idol-

atry, (and it is not necessarily confined to bowing down to im*
ages,) is in fact a worship of demons. The worship of the dra>
gon and of the beast are here mentioned as synonymous.

The beast described in this verse we understand to be of a
two-fold character^ though represented as one beast. The Ro-
man empire, the fourth monarchy united with the Papal apos-
tacy, the harlot committing fornication with the kings of the
earth, the secular power of the Roman empire, having, origin-
ally established and continuing its support and prostituting its
power in helping forward the persecutions of the little Papal
horn. This beast therefore is the Papacy, considered as a cor-
rupt apostate system, incorporated into and conjoined with the
apostate kings of Christendom. This has always been the case
since the emperor Justinian first gave unlimited author!^ in the
church to the bishop of Rome : they have ever mutually sup-
ported ea<ih other's power, and united in the oppression of CK>d'8
saints, (see comment, verse 12.) The most severe persecutions
have ever been conducted by the secular arm, at the instigation

Mparie m
right com-
If with an
r an eighth
Ji6 Mven.
I after the
lid the title
u 80 Bud-
tated head
•till exist,
agnificenoe
tion of the

, to iif the
rehip which
kan the Sa-
tan's grand
ag^ of men
to oentre it
[brm of idol-
lown to im*
I of the dra-
nouB.

I to be of a
t. The Ro-
Papal apos-
ungs of the
ring, origin-
istituting its
little Papal
ed as a cor-
ed with the
»een the case
;horit7 in the
utually Bap-
lion of Qod's
persecutions
le instigation

of the Papacy ; and as they hare been united in iniquity, they
will not be separated in Judgment, chap. xiz. 20 ; see also
Daniel rii. 18-27. im

The inquiry, "Who is like unto the beast, who is able to
make war with him?" conveys to us the undisputed power
which the rulers of the Papal kingdoms represented by their
imperial head should retain, and which they hare exercised for
so many centuries, without any encroachments being effscted
opon their authority. «'*<* **^ «i^y.r(^i

It is the little Papal horn into 6 Jnd there wu given
whose hands the saints are giren for unto him /i numth tpeak-
1260 years ; but it is the secular ing great thingt tmd blat'
power which constituted the author- jAemieef and power teas
ity of the Romish church and assist- given unto him to continue
ed in her iniquity. Thus when the forty and two monthe.
inquisition had condemned a heretic 6 Jind he opened hie mouth
to death, he was always delivered in blaephemy againtt God^
over to the ciril power for execution, to blaspheme hit name,and
Thus Daniel, chap. rii. 20 and 26, his tabernacle, and them
says of this little horn, " he had a that dwell in heaven, v..
mouth that spake very great thin^ 7 ^nd it was given unto
and' he shall speak great words him to make war with the
against the Most High, and shall saints, and to overcome
wear out, the saints of the Most High, . them, and power was given
and they shall be given into his hand him over all kindreds, and
until a time, times, and a half;" tongues, and nations. 'H-
which is the same period of 1260 years, here expressed by forty-
two months, of thirty days to a month, a day for a year. *' And
power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and na-
tions." The unlimited controul which the Papal hierarchy ex-
ercised over the nations and kings of Ghristendom, during the
middle ages, is too well known to need any argument to esta-
blish her as that blasphemous power which should have such as-
cendency over the nations. The Pope, as head of the Papal
hierarchy, dethroned and excommunicated kings ; releasing
their subjects from their allegiance at his pleasure ; whilst their
armies were ever at his command, to dispatch them on a reli-
gious crusade, or to assist him in the subjugation of any prince

I i

;•:

•' \i

8' ttl'

8 Jind all tkat dwell up-
on the earth thall toor$hip
him, who$e namee are not
vnritten in the book of life

who dared to dispute bis universal autliority. Thus, in tbe
words of the prophet Daniel, " his look was more stout than hii
fellowa." Dan. vii. 20.

All that dwell on the Roman earth
shall fall into the delusion of this
apostacy, excepting "those whose
names are written in the book of
4>f the Lamb slain from the life;" and it was consequently
foundation of the world, against these faithful ones who
maintained the truth, that the persecuting war of the beast was
directed. Those who do not preserre a bold and consistent
testimony against the Romish abominations, do not excite her
Tengeance, for they are confederate with her in iniquity, and
shall assuredly participate in her judgment ; as it is written,
" If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his
mark in his forehead, or in his hand, the same shall drink of the
wine of the wrath of Qod, which is poured out without mixt^
into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented wiUi
fire and brimstone," chap. xir. 9, 10. This verse plainly and
unequivocally declares, that exemption from all the Papal
abominations shall constitute the distinction of those whose
names are written in the book of life ; and how is that to be
evinced but by protestation against them? And when this
ceaseth, either as a nation or individually, the apostacy of Rome
put on a level with the religion of Christ, and the same honours
and privileges extended to a corrupt as to a pure religion, tbe
same reverence given to a lie as to the truth, then is that nation
or individual included in that confederacy,and,continuing inco^
rigible in such a state, is to be considered as contemplated in
its fate. -' •-' '»^-»- -"■.•

This announcement is given for
the comfort of those who should suf*
fer under the Papal persecutions, and
likewise affords us a key note, hj
tivUy: he that kUleth with which we recognize an allusion to
the eword muet be killed the fifth seal (chap. vi. 10), whereby
with the eword. Here m we conclude that it is daring thif
thepatitnce and the faith Papal supremacy that the patience
of the tainte* of the saints in heaven as well as on

9 If any man have an
ear, let him hear. i kj :
.r< 10 He that leadeth into
eaptivUy shall go into cap-

Thus, in the
stoat than his

« Roman ««rth
slttsion of thii
"thoae whose
I the book of
oonseqnently
nl ones who
' the beast wu
hnd oonsbtent
not excite her
I iniquity, and
« it is written,
and reoeire his
all drink of the
rithoat miztpre
tormented with
rse plainly and
all the Papal
Df those whose
is that to be
knd when this
ostacy of Rome
e same honours
'e religion, the
a is that nation
atinuing inco^
>ntemplated in

is given for

rho shotdd suf*

secntions, aod

key note, by

sdlusion to

10), whereby

daring thii

the patience

as well as on

the earth is exercised. Accordingly, when that {teriod of 1260
years expired, the judgments on the Papacy commenced, under
the third vial (chap. xvi. 4), being a foreshowing of her ultimate
destruction, under the sevonth rial of wrath (chap. xvi. 19).
From Dan. tU. 36, we gather that the consumption of the Papacy
will occupy a certain space of time, and not be completed
« until the end." The first blow was given by the French Re-
public, in Feb. 1798, when the Roman people proclaimed their
independence, a republican form of government was established,
and the cardinals were compelled to renounce all temporal
authority. The Pope himself was banished from Rome : and
shortly afterwards died, it is supposed, of a broken heart, at
Talence, in France. There was not a cardinal to be seen in
Rome ; and the purple, which had so recently been an object of
envy, soon became a mark for insult, which they were glad to
resign, and seek their protection in obscurity and exile. The
whole Papal hierarchy were sent into captivity, and every
appearance of authority wrenched firom their hands (see com-
ment on third vial, ohap. xvi. 4). , ^^
This beast that comes up out of 11 jSnd I beheld (mother
the earth (that is, in opposition to betut coming up out of the
the turbulence of the sea, represent- earth ; and he had two
ing the more settled state of the horns like a lamb, and he
nations) describes the Pope in his ttpake as a dragon.
individual capacity, as a temporal prince. He was like " a lamb
in appearance, yet he spake as a dragon ; " though assuming the
character and offices of Christ, the Lamb of God, yet he was,
dragon like, tyrannical and merciless in persecuting the saints
all being exercised under the plausible pretext of zeal for the
true church. This hypocritical assumption of clemency towards
his victims, comprises one of the most remarkable features, by
which we are enabled to identify this beast with the Popo of
Rome. Every record which has eluded the vigilance, and has
escaped from the walls of the inquisition, of the enormities trans-
acted within its horrid confines, abound in instances of this
afifectation ; even their forms of address are couched in this dis-
gusting hypocrisy, and it was not unusual to offer sympathy,
whilst their victim was enduring the most excruciating tortures,

;(k -TVu ■ii'? hsA .\i- K\'

•li'

u fe:

! *;

i !

after which they would perbapt oonsiga him to an ignomiaiooa
deftth, with the auantnoe that laoh » Mntenct proceeded ftoa
» compMsionate regard for the welfare of hie tool.
' 12 Jnd htexercUtth all Pope Leo III. reriTed la Charle-
ik€ power oftht firtt btatt magne the title of Bmperor of tbt
before him, and eauaeth Roman Bmpire, in return for hii en*
the earth and them lohich dowing him with the kingdom of
dweU therein to worehip Lombardy, A. D. 774. Thie oompo«<
the ftrttbeaetftohoee dead" ed the third horn, which Daniel
ly wound woe healed. prophesiee this little horn wae to

pluck up by the roots ; and which the angel interpreti, in chap,
vii. 24, to be the subjugation of three kings. By the rcTlral of
this title, he thus " caused the earth, and them which dwell
therein, to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound wsi
healed ; " that is, to do homage to that power, which was under
the influence of the dragon. " He exercised all the power of the
first beast before him " (in his presence), by gradually assum^
that temporal soyereignty, which was more largely pouessed
by the imperial head, as representatire of the secular rulers of
the Roman Empire. •*• -j- - - -^v,

13 And he doeth great Tflbie rerses allude to the falM
• wondere, $o that he maketh miracles to which the Pope resorted,

fire eome down from A«a- in order to establish his authoritj
ven on the earth in the over the minds of men. Fire is an
eight of men. '■ ^i< emblem of Divine wrath : Elias ca'

14 Jlfid deceiveth them led down fire from heaven, by which I
that dweU on the earth by his mission was authenticated ; and
the mean* of those miraclee the Pope constantly appealed to the
which he had power to do truth of his miracles, as evidences of |
in the eight of the beaet ; his being appointed the represents-
eaying to them that dwell tive of Christ upon the earth. Itwa
on the earth f that they by a systematic course of such decep
should make an image to tions, such impious mimicry of Divisc I
the beastf which had the power, that he chiefly acquired andl
toound by a stoord, and did succeeded in maintaining his ascend{
live. ency in those dark ages of the churcli|
over the minds of men. It was by the exercise of this nnbounde
authority be reconstituted that homage to the imperial headship]
which had received the wound by a sword, and yet now lived.

fnomiftioM
iMd«d tnm

in ChMU-
leror of tht
k for bii en-
kingdom of
Phiioompot*
biob Daniel
Mm WM to
reto, in oh*p.
he roTlTftl of
which dwell
f wound wu
ohwM under
e power of the
nlly nsiumi^
(elj poMesMd
alar mien of

, to the false
Pope resorted,
bis anthoritj
Fire is aa
th: Elias ea^
kveui by which
mticated; and
ppealedto the{
eyidences o(|
le representa-
earth. Itwa
ofsuchdecep
iory of Divine I
[7 acquired and
ling his ascend-
ofthechttrcb,|
|thisunbound(
trial headship]
et now IWed.

Bj the expression, " the image of 15 Jnd k* had pomr to
the teMi," we understand thai imi- giv€ l\ft unto tht imagt ^
tatiTe assumption of temporal power Me b*a$t, that tkt iwmg* </
bj the Pope of Rome, which the im- tkt bM$t $kouUl both »ptak
perial headship of the Roman Empire and eauH that aa sMny aa
had so long enjoyed. It is the same woutdnotworahiptha iaaage
prophecy as that referred to in Dan. o/tha baaai ahould ba killad.
Tii. 20, wherein is described three kingdoms falling before, or
into subjection to the little Papal horn. These kingdoms were
Rome, Ravenna, and Lombardy. Rome was taken f^om the
Qreek Emperor Leo, A.D'. 730, after an insurrection had been
raised by the Pope against the Emperor, in consequence of his
discouragement of image worship. About A.D. 756, the exar-
chate of Ravenna was wrested from the hands of the King of
Lombardy. The Pope claimed this territory as the spoil of an
excommunicated Emperor (Leo) ; and Pepin, King of France,
at the suggestion of the Pope, marched an army into Lom-
bardy to enforce the claim, and ultimately compelled him
to cede to him the object of contention. The third and
last addition to the Pope's temporal dominions was made about
A. D. 774. The Pope having quarreled with Desiderins, King
of Lombardy, the latter, after having seised several towns
belonging to the church, prepared to besiege Ravenna,
upon which the Pope applied to Charlemagne, King of France,
who marched an army into Lombardy, took Pavia the capital
city, and put an end to the kingdom of the Lombards ; a consi-
derable portion of whose territories were granted by the Emperor
to the Pope *. Thus the Pope had " power given unto him to
put life into the image of the beast ;" and by the possession of
these kingdoms, and by the exercise of all authority as a tem-
poral prince, he caused it to speak, and had power to inflict
death on such as should dispute his sway.

In these verses are pointed out, 16 ./fnd he eauted all,

not only the exclusive intolerance of both amall and great, rich

the Popish religion, but at the same and poor, Jrae and bond,

time the unlimited extent of its pre- to receive a mark in their

i !

:::i -.i

* Frere'i Combined View of the Frophedes, p.p. IM. iw.

100

right handf or in thtir/ort' lumptaouf power. The Pope'i pro*
ktadi. hibitorj interdioU and ezcommoni-

17 And thai no man cAtioni, hii arbitrary and anprincU
might buy or ««//, tave ht pled dijiolation of the moit laered
that had the mark, of 4h€ engagementa which bind man to man,
■name of the beaet, or the when it saited hia lelfish or ambiti-
number of hie name. oui parpotei, were equally felt by
the king on the throne and bj the meanest of hii inbjeeti.
" Both gmall and great, rich and poor," were alike ezpoied to
his deceptiTC arte, and fell into hii anarei. Bach aa lubmitted
to hia will, and acknowledged the truth of hia arrogant preten-
aiona, are deacribed as having a mark in their right hand, or in
their foreheads, or hij name, or the number of hia name, which
must be understood aymbolically to tignify a wicked acknow-
ledgement of the Pope'a aupremacy, and andacioua uaurpatlon
of the officea and character of Ohrist, as Head of the Ohureb,
or uniTersal Bishop; as likewise his arrogant assumption ef
power as prince of the kings of the earth, and a concurrence
with every other abomination which hna been graffed upon his
apostacy firom the truth.

Such various distinctive marks may possibly point out degrees
of criminality ; in which case, it is to be inferred, aa implicating
those who are not included in that daas, Tih', pay unconditional
homage to the Romiah Ohurch, but yet iiicur guilt by approxi*
mating to the accursed thing. To hold friendly communication
or clandestinely to listen to the suggestions of an enemy for
the acquirement of any power, without the authority of a law-
ful and rightful sovereign, would justly expose such an indivi*
dual to the suspicion of base collusion, and incur the charge of
high treasoi: tgainst his king. And shall not the same jealous
exaction of fidelity be allowed the King of kings, which we are
willing to extend to an earthly sovereign, whose breath is in *
nostrils? Assuredly, Christ will not regurd those to be Vi
faithful servants who have basely and ignominiously tampe. '.
or held any terms of accommodation with hia greateat enemy
and the most ^tetermined persecutor of his church, which ia the
Popish Antichrist, Tv^ith all his apostate hierarchy.

18 Here U wvi^ion.. ' 't The nnmber of the beast is here

101

him that hath >nder$tand'
ing count tht limbtr of
tht beoit ; for U u th*
number of a m< i , andh^
numbtr ia *ix hund> i
thrnteore and tix.

thrown out m a holj enigma, afford-
ing ni another erideneo of the par-
poie of Qod, tbat^thii prophecj was
expreiiljT rovealed for the Chrii-
tlan't) elacidntion and belief. It ap-
pear! ii« though the H0I7 Ohogt,
foreaeeing the improssioni which Satan would raise in the minda
of men, against the study of this rerelation, resorted to this ex-
pedient bj wajr of attracting them to its perusal, in order that
tlM7 might reap the fbll Vitoi ing which it encloses. Speaking
of thii mysterf, fiish.i NT wion lays*, *' No name appears more
proper and snitab. thcii thai famous one mentioned by Ireneeus,
who lived not long if*: i St. John's time, and was the disciple o'
Polycarj,tb< <r3ciple of St. John. He saith, that the nam«
Lateinos cuuri^ins the number of 666 ; and it is rery likely, be-
eaose thd last kingdom is so called, for they are Latins who now
relgu." — " The thing agrees to admiration," continues the bishop
" for after {he dirision of the empire, the Greeks called the peo-
ple of the Western Church, or Church of Rome, Latins. In
short, all things are Latin : Mass, Prayers, Hymns, Litanies,
Oanons, Decretals, Bulls, are all conceired in Latin, the Pope
baring communicated his language to the people under hit
dominion, as the mark and character of his empire."

*DisMrta(ioni,p.618.

1 . ''V

. :>i:

,;? v:

■ J '

■: '.{\ ff^'::*

>.»

east is here

• '. 'S:

.Tv'

ixif '^■'' C:t'< ■^ ''''' '* M

'■ft'fii.

fiiVf

* 1.

« ■

\>\h

102

'} '

CHAPTER XIV.

J fiotij

ConUlning the History of the Church during the Infidel Period.

1 ^nd I lookedj and lo^ Tnw chapter is the history of the
a iMmh itood on the mount church during its last period ; and
5ion, and with him an hun- commences from 1 793, when infidel*
dred forty and four thou- ity burst forth at the French Rero-
Mondf having his Fhther't lution, and began to take the power
name written in their fore- and to disseminate its pornicioas
heade. doctrines orer the Roman empire.
The Pope is said, in chap. xiii. II, to be like a Utmb, that is im-
itating Christ ; but here the true Lamb is presented to us oi^
Mount Sion, surrounded with his true church, in opposition to
the apostacy, which is seated in the seixen-hilled city, Rome.
These one hundred and fbrty-four thousand appear to be the
same as were sealed from the judgments of the first six vials, in
chap. rii. It does not mean, in its primary sense, a church
merely, but a church embodied in a nation, a national church.
They hare " their Father's name written in their foreheads ;"
these hare the seal of the true Qod ; as the apostacy hare re-
ceired their mark of condemnation, by having " the name of the
beast, or his mark, or the number of his name, in their right
hand or in their foreheads." This does not refer Individually to
the elect, but to a true visible church, including the elect. It
is an introduction of this British nation as pure in doctrine
amidst the surrounding apostacy, and therefore so far honoured
of God to perform those services, which are afterwards particu-
larized in this chapter.

2 ^nd I heard a voice This is the voice of the church,
from heaven, as the voice and is compared to the noise of a
of many toaterSf and as the great thunder. Their harping with
voice of a great thunder : their harps is expressive of that tran-
and I heard the voice of quility and peace, which as the seal-

song,

del Period.

;or3r of the
eriod ; and
hen infidel«
mch Rero-
the power
pomicioas
an empire,
that is im-
id to ns 01^
(position to
citj, Rome,
r to be the
six vials, in
), a church
nal chorch.
foreheads ;"
C7 have re-
name of the
their right
ividuallj to
le elect. It
in doctrine
l&r honoured
irds particu-

the church,
9 noise of a
arping with
ofthattran-
I as the seal-

108

fld OAtion, tbej should e^joy, whilst harptrt harping tcith tktir
the Jadgments were pouring out in harpt:
rapid suceession upon the other na- 3 Jnd thty $ung a$ it
tions of Ohristendom. The/ sung a were a new eong he/ore the
new song before the. Throne. When throne, and be/ore the/our
this expression occurs, it always de- beaets, and the eldere ; and
notes the true church. The emblem no man could learn that
is taken from the Jewish temple : tong but the hundred and
the throne in the holy of holies was forty and four thoutand,
shut out by a veil ; the altar is said which were redeemed from
to be before the throne, although it the earth. .•■4>. v^^^ .^ttv
was {before the veil. The Levites, who typified the elect church
were not permitted to go within the veil, though they filled the
holy place without the veil. The song is said to bo a new
song, because it is a fresh note of praise and wonder at the
mighty acts which God was bringing to pass around them. It
was to be sung only by those who were sealed from the judg-
ments, who are thus represented as setting forth a declaration
of the hand of Ood, which was about to be extended over the
nations. Accordingly, at this time, a voice was raised in this
land to direct the attention of the church to the fulfilment of
prophecy in the downfall of the Papacy. (See note to chap, xi
17, p. 80.)

The Protestant nations is here 4 These are they which
pointed out as separating from the were not defiled toith vo-
Papacy at the time of the Reforma- men : for they are virgine,
tion. The fEilse church is regarded TTiese are they which fol-
under her usual figure of an unchaste low the Lamb whitherso'
woman ; and those who have got the ever he goeth. Theee were
victory over the beast, and are re- redeemed from among men
deemed, and become the first fruits being the firtt-fruits unto
of Ood and to the Lamb, are repres- God and to the Lamb.
aented as undefiled with the abominations of the great harlot of
Babylon. They are said " to follow the Lamb whithersoever he
goeth," to denote the devotedness with which the Reformers
should prosecute their holy purpose of protestation against the
corruptions of the Church of Rome.

This verse conveys a full descrip- 6 .And in their mouth

i I

• I

IHI

!.■ il

' I!

I!!

'-I

104

was/oundnoguile/orthty tion of the sincerity which should
are without fault be/ore characterise the first Reformers, who
the throne o/ Ood. were chiefly iostrameiital in reseniog

this country from the ignorance and bigotry of the Papal super-
stition ; for no nation has so effectually subverted Popery as
England. It likewise describes the purity of doctrine and dis-
cipline of the reformed Protestant churches as established in
this kingdom.

6 Jlnd I saw another an- These angels must be understood
gel fly in the midst of hea- symbolically; the first clearly de-
ven, having the everlasting notes an extensive propagation of the
Crospel to preach unto them wordofQod, and the preaching of
that dwell on the earthy the everlasting Gospel to all nations.
and to every nation, and It is remarkable that the Bible Socle-
kindred, and tongue, and ty have had these words of the first
people. angel put upon their medals. That

7 Saying with a loud this has been so fulfilled in the Bible,
voice, Fear Ood, and give Missionary, and other religious sooie-
glory to him ; for the hour ties in this country, is one of the
of his judgnunt is come: many evidences that, since the year
and worship him that made 1 792, we have been in the latter days
heaven, and earth, and the by which we understand the prophet
sea, and the fountains of Daniel's last seventy-five years after
waters. the expiration of the 1260, and which
have been running their course unnoticed by the majority of the
church since that date. It is written, Matthew xziv. 14, " And
this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world
for a witness unto all nations ; and then shall the end come."
This last expression seems to connect it with this angel as a
sign of the end, for it is said, " the time of his judgment is come."
As this has been peculiarly the work of England, the accom-
plishment of this portion of the prophecy affords additional evi-
dence to the correctness of our interpretation, that the one hun-
dred and forty-four thousand who stood on Mount Sion, and
who are here represented as performing this dissemination of
the everlasting gospel, can be none other than Protestant Eng-
land. The general character of the Revelation leads us to such
a conclusion, and the accomplishment confirms its accuracy.

-v

105

The first angel seoma to represent 8 ^nd there followed ano^ t
an ezteniire declaration of the Qoa- therangel, eayingfEabylon *
pel of the kingdom of Christ, which itfaUen^itfallen,that great
receired its accomplishment in the ci/y, becau$e the nuuie all
eztraordinary efforts made to eflfect nations drink of the wine of
this grand purpose of God since the the wrath 0/ her fomictUum
year 1792 ; for the Gospel has cer- 9 jind the third angel
tainly been more widely circulated followed them, taying with
daring the last thirty-fire years, than a loud voice, If any vian
the whole previous period of the worship the beast and his
Christian era. The two angels which imas-e^and receive his mark
follow in succession, however, have in his forehead, or in his
a different commission to perform, hand.
The second appears to be a prophetic 10 The same shall drink
dennhciation of the terrible fate of the wine of the wrath
wliich just awaits the Papacy and its of Chd, which is poured
adherents : and the third angel to be out without mixture into
a last warning voice addressed to the the cup of his indignation.
Papal nations, of the cup of indig- and he shall be tormented
nation which is prepared for all those with fire and brimstone in
who persist in their blind and obsti- the» presence of the holy
nate worsfaip of the beast and his angels, and in the presence
image. Some modern commenta- of the Lamb f
tors consider, that the second and 11 And the smoke of their
third angel are to receive interpreta- torment ascendeth up for
tion from partipuiar societies recent- ever and ever : and they
ly established ; one of which, the have no rest day nor night,
Continental Society, has for its ob- who worship the beast and
ject the preaching of the Gospel in his image, and whosoever
the midst of the Papacy ; and the receiveth the mark of his
other to point out that prophetic name.
voice which has so generally sprung up in this land, and has
continued to sound the note of approaching judgments for the
last three years. But we pretend not to decide, whether the
prophecies symbolized by the last two angels have received an
accomplishment, or point out other duties of the church in this
land, which she may hereafter be called on to perform, probably
in the midst of the judgments. We are, however, rather in-

: '^'

l!!

l'<'

i-v

the taintt : here are they
that keep the rominand'
nuntt of Godf and the
faith o/Jenu.

106

clined to think tbo Utter is the case, and that the prophecies in
these xfnta hare not yet recoirod an adequate interpretation.
12 HereU the patience of Here is another notification, which

has already occurred in chap. xiii.
10, of the patience of the saints in
connexion with the judgment of the
Papacy. It was that for which the
saints in heaven longed an4 waited, (chap. yi. 10.) The day of
wrath is arrived, and their cry for vengeance no longer remains
unanswered.

13 ^nd I heard a voice This announcement of the happy
from heaverij saying unto condition henceforth of those who
me, Write, Blessed are the have died in the Lord, and are now
dead which di: in the Lord made partakers in the first resurrec-
from henceforth: Yea, saith tion, is here introduced with much
the Spirit, that they may beauty and propriety, after the works
reetfrom their labours; and of the church just narrated are fin-;
their works do follow them, ished, and " they shall rest from their
labours." It answers to that period referred to in the prophet
Daniel (chap. zii. 12), when those who come to the end of the
one thousand three hundred and thirty-five days or years, are
pronounced " blessed ;" and when he himself is promised to
stand in his lot, and therefore can mean none other than the
resurrection state. There is likewise a similar declaration of
that holy and happy era in the church's history in chap. zz. 6,
when the reign of the saints on the earth, which has been the hope
of the church in heaven, shall commence, it is said, " Blessed
and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection : on such
the second death hath no power ; but they shall be priests of
God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years."

14 .ind I looked, and bC' This is no representation of tiie
hold a white cloud, and coming of Christ in the clouds of
upon the cloud one sat like heaven, as in chap. xix. 11 to the
unto the Son of man, hav' end, but is part of the vision ; that
ing on his head a golden is the Apostle John saw the Son of

crown, and in his hand a
sharp sickle,

15 .4nrf another angel

man, sitting on a cloud with a
golden crown upon his head, the at-
titude of mildness and peace, and of

107

regal dignity. There are two har- eame out 0/ tht tempU, «
Tests eoBStantly referred to in Scrip- cryi$ig vfitk a loud voice <o *
tare, and which it is rery necessary hin that $tU on the eloud, ^
to keep distinct ; a barrest of mercj Tknut in thy $ickle, and
and a harrest of wrath. Thus John reap : /or the time is como
iftfSf in his prophecy of Christ (Matt, for fhee to reap ; for the !>
ill 12), "be will gather his wheat harvest of the earth ie ripe, "^
into the gamer ; but he will burn np 16 Jnd he that sat on the
the chaff with unquenchable fire." cloud thrust in his sickle on
The angel coming out of the temple the earth ; and the eearth
shews us, that it is the cry of the wa«reop«d.*»<'t ■«*.«•: ^t
church on earth ; a prayer extorted from the church in her peril*"
When she feels the foundations failing beneath and around her, and
the iniquity of the surrounding nations is ripe, the true elect then
call for their King to come to their deliverance. The great Har-
Testman " thrusts in his sickle, and the earth is reaped." This is
eridently referring to that signal deliverance which the church
shall experience in the day of trouble : when, no doubt, there will
be a demonstration of Qod's mighty power, in rescuing his saints
from that overwhelming destruction which shall come upon the
infidel Antichrist, and the armies of the earth. ^ k^^^h^ •>

This angel comes out of the temple 17 jind another angel
which is in heaven : whereby we came out of the temple
learn, that as the voice in the 16th which is in heaven^ he also
verse proceeded from the church on having a sharp sickle.
earth, so this is made to issue from 18 Jnd another angel
the church in heaven ; that is, from came out from the altar j
the ^Itar, underneath which the souls which had power over fire ;
of the saints reposed who had been and cried with a loud cry
slain for the word of God (oh. vi. 9). to him that had the sharp
Fire is an emblem of the wrath of sicklcj saying, Thrust in
God; thus in chap. viii. 5, which thy sharp sickle, and gather
passage refers to the same act of the clusters of the vine of
Divine vengeance. The church is the earth ; for her grapes
constantly compared to a vine in the are fully ripe. .<«'

prophetic Scriptures *, and her iniquity is here declared to be
fully ripe. This is parallel with that passage in the prophet

• Jerem. ii. 21 ; Hos, x. 1 ; Joel, i, 12 » Isaiah, v. 1—7.

• 1

til

■ i:

108

Joel (cluip. iii. 13), " Put yo in the sickle, for the hanrest is ripe ;
oome, get you down ; for the press Jls fall, the fats oyerflow ;
for their wickedness is great." ** i.-kS* rf^ ifl'-thtii'

19 Jind the angel thrutt The treading of the winepress is a
in hie eiekle into the earthy constant emblem used to denote the
and gathered the vine of the final act of the wrath of God, and
earth, and caet it into the particularly as applicable to the
great winepreee of the gpreat battle of Armageddon, detailed
wrath of Ood. in chap. xix. of this Reyelation, when

20 jlnd the toineprees toae Christ personally comes to inflict
trodden without the citify destraction on his enemies. Thus it
and blood came out of the is said (Isaiah Ixiti. 1. 3), " Who is
winepreetf even unto the this that cometh from Edom (or Eu-
horte bridleSf by the apace rope), with dyed garments from Boz-
of a thousand and tixhun- rah^? (the capital city, or Rome*,)
dredfurlonge. this that is glorious in his apparel,
travelling in the greatness of his strength i I that speak in
righteousness, mighty to sare. Wherefore art thou red in thine
apparel, and thy garment like him that treadeth in the wine-fat?
I have trodden the winepress alone ; and of the people there
was none with me : for I will tread them in mine anger, and
trample them in my fury ; and their blood shall be sprinkled
upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiment. For the
day of vengeance is in mine heart, and the year of my redeemed
is come."

This concluding act in the church history is the same event as
that contained in the seventh vial of chap, zvi., and is the last con-
summating act of wrath detailed in the zvi th to the xix th chap-

* Bozrah was tho capital city of the land of Idumea, anciently called
Edom. Wo read (Gen. xxxvi. 1) " Esau is Edom ;" and again (ver. 48)
" Esau, the father of the Edomitos." Now Esau was a t/pe of the Gentile
church, as Jacob was of the Jewish. The destruction of the Gentiles, that
is Christian Europe, when their times shall be fulfilled, is constantly pro-
phesied of in Scripture, under the symbol of Edom or Idumea, as the reader
may perceive by consulting the following passages with their contexts ; by
which will bo seen that such judgments can only applv to the day of God s
wrath upon the Gentile church, and the restoration of the Jewish n<ition :
Obadiah 1 ; Ps. be. 8. criii. 9, 10, Ix. 9 ; Isaiah xi. 14,xxxiT. 6, 6 ; Ezek, xxxv.
15 : Jerem. xliz. 13—17 ; Amos i. 12, ix. 12.

If the reader bo in any doubt, as to Edom shadowing forth the Gentile
Ohristian church, let him ask any intelligent Jew, what Edom means, when
applied to unfulfilled prophecy, such as those cited in the above passages,
and he will invariably receive the reply, Europe.

''^

109

tcrs. It is the day of atonement and the day of vengeance. The
winepress is not within the bounds of the mystical city, or Ro-
man empire ; Scriptore points it ont in Joel ill. as the valley of
Jehoshaphat, which nearly all commentators agree to be a des-
criptire name denoting the same place as Armageddon. The
horses' bridles refer to the winepress being drawn round by
horses ; and thus, by continuing the figure it is kept consistent
throughout. The expression points out the immense destruction
of human life which shall take place in that day of the Lord,
when be cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the
evth. The space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs is sup-
posed, by Hede and other calculators, to allude to the dimen-
sions of the Holy Land. This opinion is confirmed by a com-
parison with Scripture. In the prophet Daniel we read (chap,
xi. 45), that the last form of the wilful king, or Infidel Antichrist
of chap. xix. of Reyelations, " shall come to his end in the glori-
ous holy mountain ;" and it is under this eighth head of the beast,
who is yet of the seven, that the kings of the earth are marshal-
led to the last fatal conflict. See also Zech. xiv. wherein the
whole scene of the gathering of the nations, and the coming of
Ohrist to the discomfiture of his enemies, is represented as tak-
ing place in the Holy Land,

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r

CHAPTER XV. , . :

Preface to the Supplementary Historj of the xvi th Chapter,
common to the Seals, the Trumpets, and the Church Historj.

I And I tavo another tign Evirt distinct Revelation in this
in heaven^ great and mat' book, as we have had occasion to
vellow,$evenangeh having observe, is introduced with a short
the seven last plagues ; for preface. The last chapter closed the
in them ie filled up the church history, or third main branch
torath of God. of the prophecy, and, consequently

we have all three ; namely, the seals, or Western Roman empire,
the trumpets, or Eastern Roman empire ; and the church his-
tory ; all equally brought down to the same period in time, each
containing also a note of synchronism which refers the comple-
tion and consummation of all three to one conuoaon series of
events, contained in the seven vials of wrath, detailed in the
supplementary history of the zvi th chapter. In this first verse,
the seven last plagues or vials, in which is filled np the wrath of
God, are announced as about to be poured out ; and having
given such intimation, that all is now ready for the final catas-
trophe, the remaining portion of this xv th chapter is introduced
as a preface, agreeably to the invariable arrangement of the
book. This preface contains in it a number of synchronisms
and notes of identification, where each history had broken off
abruptly ; whereby is intimated, that the thread is about to be
resumed, and the threefold stream of the prophecy is to be united
and gathered into one, before it enters upon that consummation
which equally applies to all. In this supplementary history of
chapter xvi., is contained a full and final description of the
conclusion of these now combined histories, in those seven suc-
cessive acts of judgment, which should include all three branches
in one indiscriminate undistinguished ruin.
2 And I saw as it were a There can be no doubt that the

Ill

bt that the

Mrrants of Qod referred to in this <ea o/glcut mingled with
verse, are the same as the one hun- fire ; and them that had
dred and forty-four thousand of chap, gotten the victory over the
rii. who were sealed from the judg- beast, and over his image,
ments as a nation ; and also described and over hie mark, and over
as standing on Mount Sion with the the number of his name,
the Lamb, in chapter xir., when it stand on the sea of glass,
was necessary to introduce them having the harps of God.
as forming a prominent character in the history of the church.
It is the same protesting nation, for whoso protection and safety
the four winds of the earth were for a time withheld from blow-
ing on and agitating the sea (chap, vii.); and accordingly they
are here represented as standing upon, what appeared to the
Apostle to be,a sea of glass, that i8,in calm and unruffled serenity
whilst the vials of wrath are pouring out upon the other nations
of Ohristendom. They are the same protesting nation, here
spoken of as having " gotten the victory over the beast, and
over his image, and over his mark ;" who are represented in
chap. xiv. as " being redeemed from the (Papal) earth, as not
defiled with women, as having no guile, being the first-fruits to
Ood and the Lamb." They have likewise the " harps of Qod,"
which they, in both passages, tune to a song of praise and
glory ; all which remarkable features of assimilation, do un-
doubtedly prove them to be the same protesting nation, who
are with much propriety here introduced in a condition of secu-
rity and peace ; whilst the rest of the nations should be afflicted
with the vials of God's wrath. There is, however, fire mingled
with this sea of glass, which is an emblem of wrath ; and points
out that this nation thus sealed should be employed as the
instrument of God, when it suited his purpose against the Papal
nations; or in bringing to his end that scourge which God
should raise up for the execution of his vengeance, when his
appointed work should be accomplished.

They sung the song of Moses the 3 ^nd they sing the song
servant of God, and the song of the of Moses the servant of God
Lamb. Feeling a holy assurance of and the song of the Lamb,
their safety, they sung the trium- saying, Great and marvel-
phant song of Moses, after the chil- lous are thy worksj Lord

- . I !

i I

i-'

' ■ «'

I y' ii I

112

' f

I;'.

God Mmighty ; jutt and dr«D of Igrael IiaU |>Ms«d throuKh
irm art thy wayi, thou tho Red Sen, and th«7, in Mourity,
King of taint a. iaw the ddtruction whi<h eaine

4 ffilo ththU not/ear thee, upon Pliaraon find his host. How

Lord, and glor{fy thy limiUr was the pltaation of this
nam» t for thou only art nation, whilst the yiAls were ponring
holy : for all naiionM $hall out upon Pftpal Ohrlstondonj. This
come and u>orthip before land alone was Icopt aacred ^'cm the
thee ; for thy judgments toot of a hostile invader ; this coun-
tire made manifest. try alono, of all tho ton kingdoms,

was a stranger to the sword and to tho horrors of war. Thoj
sung tho song of the Lamb, (see chap. v. 8—10, and rti. 0—12,)
thus colobrating tho " great and marvellous works of Qod," be-
cause " his judgments were mado manifbst ;" for the time was
now near at band, as is propbeciod by Zochariah ch. ziv, " when
all nations should come and worship before tho Lord of hosts,
and keep the feast of tabernaolos ;" the time was fast hab
toning, when he who alone is " Just and true," should bo " King
ovor the nations of tho earth." ^ * ' ' ' '* ' - " " ♦* "*'

6 And after that I looked, This symbol in taken firom the
and, behold, the temple of Jowish temple. It is oalled " the ta-
the tabernacle of the testi' bernacle of tho testimony," c* QfiU
mony in heaven wasopened noss, and ia said to be in he%vcn.
6 Jlnd the seven angels From Hebrews ix. we learn, that tho
came out of the temple,hav' holy of holies shadowed forth hea-
ing the seven plagues,cloth- von ; in which passage, Ohrist's en-
ed in pure and white linen, trance into heaven is compared with
and having their breasts the high priest entering into the
girded with golden girdles, holy of holies onco every year, in
the day of atonement, which was then made for the people of
Israel not without blood. This opening of the temple, therefore
shews that reference is made to an atonement, and which is al-
ways described in Scripture as being likewise a day of ven-
geance : (SCO Isaiah xxxiv. 8, Ixiii. 4 ;) what ensues, therefore,
in the following chapter, (that is, the pouring out of the vials
of the seven angels that came out of the temple,) is to be
regarded as tho grand day of atonement and consummating act
of vengeance. The seven angels represent the churchjn heaven

113

«d throuKh

ia Nourity,
rhUh eamft

host. How
lion of thli
vera pouring
ndon. Thif
;red ^•tm th«
r ; thii coun-
n kingdoms,

war. Thoy
1 vll. 9—12,)

of God," be-
Iho time WM
1. xiv, " when
iOrd of hosts,
vas fast hab
dd bo "King

ion firom the
lied " the ta-
lony," c* wit-
in he%vcn.
tarn, that the
id forth hca-
OhriBt'8 en-
Impared with
kg into the
|ery year, in
{le people of
Lie, therefore
1 which is al-
lay of ven-
ts, therefore,
lof the vials
I,) is to be
amating act
bh in heaven

as prtoiU and kings, having garments of holiness and rigbteout-
D«ss, and golden girdles of kingly dignity and power.

The contcnU of these seven vials 7 jimt unt of tk§ four
are deolartd to bo the full measure b«ait$ fare unto the ttven
of the wrath of Almighty God. The anffeli $tvtn ffoldtn viaU
temple was " 611ed with smoke from fuU of Ike wrath of GW,
the glory of God, and no man was who livtth/ortverattd ever.
able to enter into the temple, till the 8 Jlml the temple wat
seven plagues of the neven angels jUied with tmoke from the
were fulfilled." When the holy of glory of liod, and from hie
holies was opened, the Glory of God power : and no man wae
which was above the mercy scat, is able to enter into the tern-
lioro represented as filling the entire pie, till the neven plagues
tojiple. In almost every instance in of the $even angela were
lit Old Testament when the glory of fulfilled.
UiC Lord fills the tal)ernacle, the priests are rendered incapable
of standing before it, and performing their various services.
Though, therefore it is said in verse 6, that the " tabernacle of
the testimony in heaven was opened," yet it is evident that the
heavenly things of which the holy of holies was a type, was not
yet made manifest to the church ; nor could be, <>.8 we learn from
verse 8, until the seven plagues were fulfilled. Viewing, there-
fore, the whole period of the seven vials as the day of atonement,
a careiul examination of the Jewish ceremonies of that day may
probably conduct us to some light upon tiie events comprehend-
ed in the antitype. The high priest went into the holy of holies
only once every year, on the day of atonement ; and though it
was necessarily opened for his entrance, yet as long as he con-
tinued within the veil, the people mourned over their sins and
the sins of their nation ; but immediately as he reappeared it was
a signal of extraordinary joy, because it was a token that their
sacrifice had been accepted, and an atonement made for the ini-
quities of the whole land. It was at the close of that day that
the high priest came out from the holy of holies. As our High
Priest, even Christ, ia declared by St. Paul, in his Epistle to the
Hebrews, chap. ix. 24-- 28, to be gone into heaven itself, and his
second coming is compared to the reappearance of the high
priest on the day of atonement ; it follows, if we may be allowed

■

; ,(.

J , ).,

114

to rcMon bj itriet analogj, that tb« gloriooi »pp«Ar»ne« of oar
High Prieit ii to take place ander the MTenth tIaI, at tbo eloM
of that daj,— and, that the neren plagaei being falfilled, he will
bring with him those hf^arenlj thiogf which shall then be no
longer obicurcd from the church's enraptured rif ion, but into
the full enjojment of which our great High Priest himself will
introduce his faithful servants, and install them in CTerlasting
possession.

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4«^1»»^ »»vr»i>4'«i» l9t#y-:'«t«i»t

CHAPTER XVI. -.. .T

Tho Supplementarj History, commencing A. D. 1792, b«tng the
pouring out of the leren Tiali in which "is filled up the wrath
of Ood." Ai all the three preceding histories are brought to a
close before the termination of these rials, they are now com-
bined and treated as a united history, because included in one
common destruction.

Thif Terse links the prophecy to the 1 jlnd I htard a great
first verse of the preceding chapter, voice out 0/ the tempU $ay-
pointing out to us its connexion ; ing to the eeven angels, Go
and that, in respect of time, we hare your loayt, and pour out
made no further progress in the pro- the viale of the wrath of
phecy, than when we had arrived to Qod upon the earth.
the announcement, in that instance, of the seven angels having
been commissioned with the seven last plagues. So, in this
verse, the same angels receive directions from the church in
heaven, " to go their ways, and pour out the viala of the wrath
of God upon the earth."

' A sore on the human body is indi-
cative either of inward disease or
outward corruption, most probably
proceeding from internal causes.
We can be at no loss in ascertaining
what this symbol of bodily infirmity the mark of the beaet, and
is intended to shadow forth in the upon them which worthip-
spiritual. The prophet Isaiah sets ped his image.
forth under the figure of human sickness and corruption, the to-
tal defection from true religion, and debased demoralization of
the children of Israel (chap. i. 6, 6). — The effects of this vial
were to be felt by those men who had the mark of the beast, and
who dwelt in the bounds of the earth, or Papal-Roman Empire.
God's judgments ore generally manifested at the head ; and.

2 jSnd the first went^and
poured out his vial upon
the earth ; and there fell a
noisome and grievous sore
upon the men which had

I ':

•il;!

116

accordingly, we should look to France as " the elder son of the
pope," as exhibiting most conspicuously a fulfilment of this pro-
phecy. We have seen, from the interpretation of Scripture
itself, that this " noisome and grierous sore" is a people given
over to the abandonment of all religious and moral obligations.
To the enquiry, where was this spirit of infidelity nursed and
matured, and brought to display its heidous character before the
astonished world ; none other answer can be given than France,
which may be denominated the hot-bed of atheism and infidelity,
from which proceeded the pois'^nous stream to the other nations
of Christendom ; so that at the period of the French Revolution
the crusade of all men against every religious obligation in
church and state, was of that wild and frenzied character, that,
unless it receives solation by acknowledging such a spirit of
hellish delusion as a judgment from God, it can be accounted
for upon no rational principle whatever. All Europe stood
aghast at the awful scene which was transacting at this period
on the the theatre of that devoted country. Surely such audaci-
ous wickedness, such outrageous blasphemies were never before
committed since the world's creation I But we will refer to a
celebrated modern writer, who has recorded the history of these
fearful times, from the period of which this chapter treats, whose
words we shall, often have occasion to quote, and whose talents
seem pressed by God into the service of an historical commenta-
tor upon this chapter of our own times*. The author of Waver-
ley has well discoursed of the state of France, once so ignorantly
superstitious, then so wildly infidel just prior to the French Re*
volution. We quote the following detached sentences : * ' French
literature, more that any other in Europe, has been liable to the
reproach of lending its powerful arm to undermine whatever
was serious in morals, or hitherto considered as fixed in princi-
plef." " The licentiousness which walked abroad in such dis-
gusting and undisguised nakedness was marked with open in-
famy, deep enough to have called down, in this age of miracles

* No man could write a doner comment on the first and second vial of
chapter xvi^ than is coutained in the author of Waverley's first two vol-
umes of the Life of Napoleon Bonaparte, wherein he traces the origin, pro'
gress. and effects of the French Revolution.

t lAh of Napoleon, by ttie Author of Waverlcgr. vol i. chap. 2.

if son of the

of this pro-
[)f Scripture
)eople given

obligations.

nnned and
er before the
han France,
nd infidelity,
>ther nations
li Revolution
)bligation in
aracter, that,
h a spirit of
)e accounted
Surope stood
at this period

Buch audaci-

never before
rill refer to a
atory of these

treats, whose
mrhose talents
al commenta-

or of Waver-
ignorantly

le French Rc'
les: "French
liable to the

ne whatever

:ed in princi-
in such dis*
ith open in-
of miracles

. second vial of
'8 first two vol-
I the origin, pro'

lp.S.

117 '

an immedlaie jadgment from Heaven ; and crimes, which the
worst of the Roman emperors would have at least hidden in hia
solitary isle of Caprea, were acted as publicly as if men had no
eyes, or God no thunderbolts*." " Religion cannot exist wher^
immorality generally prevails, any more than a light can burn
where the air is corrupted ; and accordingly, infidelity was so
general in France, as to predominate in almost every rank of
society." "Men of the most distinguished parts in France be-
came allied in a sort of anti-crusade against Christianity, and
indeed against religious principles of every kind. How the;
succeeded is too universally knownf." " The world, for the first
time heard an assembly of men, bom and educated in civiliza-
tion, and assuming the right to govern one of the finest of the
European nations, uplift their united voice to deny the most
solemn truth which man's soul receives, and renounce unani-
mously the belief and worship of a Deity. For a short time the
same mad profanity continued to be acted upon.f " It was to
such men as these that Heaven, in punishmbnt of tui bikb or

FRAKOB AND OF BUROPB, AUO PBBHAPS TO TBAOB HANKIND A OBBAD-
FUL LB8S0N, ABANDONBD TUB MANAOBMBNT OF THB FBBNOB BBVOLU-

TiON§." We will refirain from quoting the many passages which
might be produced from the same writer, and satisfy ourselves,
for the sake of brevity, with only one other quotation : — " These
men belonged to that class of athebts, who, looking up towards
heaven, loudly and literally defied the Deity to make his exis-
tence known by launching his thunderbolts. Miracles are not
wrought upon the challenge of a blasphemer more than on the
demand of a sceptic ; but these men had probably before their
death reason to confess, that in abandoning the wicked to their
own free will, a greater penalty results even in this life, than if
Providence had been pleased to inflict the immediate doom
which they had impiously defied||." Such was France under this
first vial ; and every history of these times amply testifies, how
the propagation of these atheistical principles in religion and
government was assiduously persisted in wherever the Repub-
lican French arms secured them influence ; the very spirit of in-

* Life of Napoleon by the Author of Waverley, vol. i. pp. 54, K.

t Ibid. voL L p, 68. ■

t Ibid. vol. ii. p. 305. § Ibid. vol. i. p. «1. || Ibid. vol. it. p, ^1. ' i

■

! ■

:!-.

. i

118

fidelity or liberalism, being that of relaxing erery restraint, and
the remoral of all established authority which religion and
good gorernment impose on the evil passions of mankind.

3 ^nd the tecond angel The second angel ponred ont his
poured out hu vial upon vial upon the sea, emblematical of
the tea; and it became at peoples, in a tumultous and restless
the blood of a dead man : condition ; and describes the period
and every living tout died of the reign of terror in France, from
in the tea. the 10th August 1792 to July 1794,

when Robespierre was executed. During this interval all bul-
warks and ancient landmarks were removed, the empire was
convulsively agitated, and the whole face of things under-
went a change. Paris appeared given up to murders : it re-
sembled nothing but a human slaughter house : the gnillotine
scarcely ever remained inactive ; the streets ran with blood ;
and when one set of executioners were exhausted with taXigde,
reserves relieved them from their horrid and revolting duties.
Multitudes were butchered, not in the heat of contest, but in
cold blood ; aptly described in the text by the "blood of a dead
man." " The quantity of blood," says the author of "Waverley,
" which the revolutionary tribunal caused to be shed, was some-
thing unheard of even during the proscriptions of the Roman
empure*." It was computed that upwards of two millions per-
ished by the hands of the common executioner, and by judicial
murders en matte, in Paris and the departments of France du-
ring this " reign of terror." Human nature recoils from contem-
plating the history of this period, during the operation of this
'second vial, when cold-blooded murder was regarded as a fam-
iliar pastime. " We have mentioned the murders committed at
Lyons ; but even these, though hundreds were swept away by
volleys of musket-shot, fell short of the horrors perpetrated by
Carrier at Nantes, who, in avenging the republic on the obsti-
nate resistance of La Vendue, might nave summoned hell to
match his cruelty without a demon venturing to answer his
challenge. Hundreds, men, women, and childken were forced
on board of vessels which were scuttled and sunk in the

* )4fe of Napoleon, by the Author of Waverley. vol ii. p. 28S,

«-.i' •

fltridnt, and
eligion »nd
nkind.
ired oat his
lematical of
and restless
18 the period
France, from
3 July lt94,
ifval all bul-
empire was
lings under-
rders: it re-
he guillotine
with blood;
with fatigtie,
olting duties,
mtest, but in
ood of a dead
I of Waverley,
id, was some-
f the Roman
millions per-
id by judicial
f France du-
from contem-
ration of this
ded as a fam-
committed at
eept away by
erpetrated by

on the obsti-
soned hell to
answer his
were forced

sunk in the

119

Loire, and this was called republican baptism. Men and women
were stripped, bound together and thus thrown into the river,
and this was called republican marriage. But we hare said
enough to shew that men's blood seems to have been converted
into poison and their hearts into stone, by the practices in which
they were daily engaged. Many affected even a lust of cruelty,
and the instrument of punishment was talked of with the fond-
ness and gaiety with which we speak of a beloved and fondled
object. It had its pet name of the Little National Window, and
others equally expressive ; and although saints were not much
in fashion, it was, in some degree, canonized by the name of the
Holy Mother Guillotine*. Every writer who has narrated the
horrors of this period, concur in representing them as the most
remarkable development of human wickedness ever recorded in
the history of mankind. It has been well remarked, that history
is but the record of the crimes of men ; but the period of the
reign of terror in France mnst stand distinguished from the black
catalogue, as bearing fearfully on its front the hand of a righteous
and indignant God, and marking by its extraordinary character
a new era in the history of the world, and that era to be the
commencement of the day of God's retributive wrath and ven-
geance.

The third vial describes the first 4 And the third angel
act of judgment poured out on the poured out his vial upon
Papacy, emblematized by "rivers the rivers and fountains of
and fountains of waters," the sources waters ; and they became
of instruction to the people. The 6th blood. , . .. , ^

verse clearly points out that this act 5 And I heard the angel
of vengeance takes place upon a body of the waters tay^ Thou art
of men, who " have shed the blood righteous, O Lord, which
of saints and prophets." art, and wast, and shall be,

It is predicted in chap. xiii. 10, because thou hast judged
which treats of the Papal persecu- thus.
tions, that a time should arrive, G For they have shed the
when " he that leadeth into captivi- blood of saints and pro-
ty, shall go into captivity, ho that phets, and thou hast given

!■■ !

^1-

I
I'

!l\-

i ■ I

288,

*i ■ '

' Life of Napoleon, vol. ii. p. 200,'

fV ■ > *

! '■ I*

120

■'

them blood to drink ; for
they are tDorthy. . -» i .
1 And I heard another
out of the altar $ay, Even
«o, Lord God MmigfUy,
true and righteous are thy
jttdgmentt.

killeth with the sword, mutt be kill-
ed with the sword ;" and it is reeor-
ded.when the judgment of Babylon
the great, the mother of harlots, ig
completed, that " in her was found
the blood of prophets, and of saints,
and of all that were slain upon the
earth" (chap, xviii. 24). There can be no doubt, therefore,
both from the symbolical language in the text, and from
the close similarity of expressions, in the above references!
(both passages manifestly alluding to tlie Papacy,) that
this vial describes the first act of judgment upon the Papal
hierarchy. Accordingly, we find the next remarkable fea-
ture in those eventful times was the two several campaigns
into Italy, the seat of the papacy, which the republican
armies made, under Napo^3on, in the years 179*7 and 1798. In
the former year Bonaparte advanced towards Rome, and was pr^
vented from the seizure of the papal throne, only by the treaty
of Tolentino, which was obtained by the Pope at the sacrifice of
three of his legations, Ferrara, Bologna, and Romagna ; an im •
menae sum of money, and the plunder of the chefs d'oenvre of the
Vatican. But this was only a temporary indulgence. The yef^r
following the French army, under Berthier, entered Rome, tooi'c
the city, made the Pope and his Cardinals prisoners, and ban-
ished them their capital. The Pope afterwards died in captivity.
Rome was declared a republic, and the tree of liberty planted in
the seat of the sacerdotal tyrant, who for so many centuries had
held Christendom under his bondage. ^ <-«^-

Such a revolution of opinion towards the Romish Ohtiroh,
which had so long enthralled the minds of men, can only be re-
garded as the work of an Omnipotent Being. Her hour was come
and therefore the angel of the waters ascribes righteousness to
him " who is, and was, and shall be, because he had judged thus :
and a voice from the altar, or the church in heaven, acquiesces
in her doom. The martyrs in heaven had been longing for her
destruction, which, in chap. xiii. 10, is expressly declared to be
" the patience of the saints." We cannot regard such a singular
nnovation upon the established prejudices of centuries, as an

121

ordinary erent ; and how nppHeable the history ha« proved to
the prophecy, we shall see by a reference to the same author
from whom we have already made snch copious extracts. This
author describes Bonaparte* as having " first shaken the Pnpal
authority, and as boasting, in his Egyptian proclamations, that
he had thereby destroyed the emblem of Christian worship."
In another part he says, when alluding to the degradation to
which Bonaparte had reduced the Roman See, " Such was the
celebrated compact, by which Pius YII, surrendered to a soldier
whose name was five or six years before unheard of in Europe,
those high claims to supremacy in spiritual affairs, which his
predecessors had maintained for so many ages against the whole
potentates of Europe. A puritan might have said or thk

POWKR SEATED ON THE SEVEN HILLS, " BaBTLON IS FALLEN, IT IS
FALLEN, THAT GREAT CITTf.

The particulars of this vial, as brought upon the Papacy by the
instrumentality of Bonaparte, is more minutely described in the
Prophet Daniel (xi. 22 — 28), wherein the two Italian campaigns
are given in the history of the vile person, who obtains the
king;dom by " flatteries," and thus becomes the wilful king, or
the first form of the infidel Antichrist. But this visitation, ter-
rible as it was, was but a foretaste of the final doom of the Pa-
pal apostacy.

The extraordinary individual, who 8 ^nd the fourth angel
was mi\de the principal instrument poured out hU vitU upon
for the infliction of the third vial, the aun; and power wot
is hore introduced individually, given unto him to scorch
under the symbol of the sun. The men with fire, ■ .v » -
sun is an emblem of imperial digni- 9 ^nd men were tcorch-
ty. The principle of Infidelity, des- ed with great heaty and
cribed as ascending out of the bot- blasphemed the name of
tomless pit, in chap. xi. 7, and God ^which hath power over
which we interpreted, in that in- these plagues ; and they re-
stance, as influencing the govern- pented not to give him glory.
ment of a state, here assumes a personality as infidel head, the first
form of Antichrist, the seventh head, or beast, of chap. xvii. 10.

{

1 ■

{

■J

!<i "

: I

!; '

't '! '

* Life of Napoleon, by the Author of Waverlcy, vol. iv. p. 107.
-^ - -r- t Ibid. vol. iv. p. S40.

■■:

I [

122

IIo in reproiented m b«lnfir tnTOitcd with tho imptrlal emblen
of th« lun. Thin caii only refer to FrAnoe, ai it was th« lun of
Franco that was darkened (oUap. vi. 12) ; and that country haa
b«on the chief neat of tho prophecy Binoo, bocauao deatined to be
tho principal theatro of tho Kiiropoan drama. It waa in France the
vritnoaaeaof God \Tore slain, intidolity on|(enderod,and after under-
going horstdf a bloody ordoak of tho Divino vengoance under the
lecond vial, became tho intiictor of God'a judgment on the Papal
nations. It is, ihcrofore, Napoleon Uonaparto, late Kmporjr of tho
French, that is symboliKcd by thia sun of tho fourth vial, to whom
WAS given power to scorch tho men of tho Tapal earth with liro."
How truly hu fuKillod his commission of scourge of the Papal
nations, is well-known. Ho made tho round of all the anolont
monarchies of Christendom, deluged evory country with fire and
blood, and mastered tuul took possession of every capital city
of the Roman earth (save this soalod land), oppressing the peo-
ple by every spocios of exaction, and subverting or encroaching
upon every form of govorumont which had hitherto withstood
the vicissitudes of sucocasivo ages. The " suns of Napoleon "
was an expression in every French soldier's mouth : indeed, ho
acquired during his Egyptian campaign, from the rolling fire of
musketry, by which bis victories wero achieved, the oriental ap-
pellation of "King of Firo*." '.-.»■$/?(**«* ,ti J '4
r^; He constantly regarded himself as commissioned by the Deity
for the chastisement of tho nations. Tho following occurs in
his address to tho inhabitants of Cairo :— " Is there any one blind
enough not to seo that I am tho agent of Destiny, or incredulous
enough to call in question tho power of Destiny over human
affairs 7 Make tho people understand, that since the world was
a world, it was ordained, that having destroyed the enemies of
Islamism, and broken down the Cross, I should come from the
distant parts of the West to accomplish the task designed for mc.
Shew them that in more than twenty passages of the Koran f

• Life of Napoleon, by the Author of Wnverloy, vol. iv. p, 60—74.

t It is t<^ ho n^nieinberod that the Koran is a mixture of the truths of tho
Old aud Now Tt^tantcut, with the absurditiua of tho Moliammedan im-
postor ; and to this cause is to b« ascribed tho knowlodffo which the Turks
at the present luoment possess, of tlio speedy dowufall of their empire,
and which was so unequivocally acknowledged in the ftrst proclamation
that i^ued from the Sultan at tne commencoment of the present war with
Ruasia.

123

ipcrial emblem
WM the iun of
«t country Hm
destined to be
I in France the
nd After under-
ance under tlic
t on the Pftpel
Kmporjr of the
h vial, to whom
arth with fire."
e of the Papnl
all the anoiont
ry with fire and
ry capital city
roBsing the peo-
or encroaching
lerto withstood
8 of Napoleon "
uth : indeed, ho
rolling fire of
,he oriental ap-

ed by the Deity

(ving occurs in

e any one blind

or incredulous

ty over human

the world was

,he enemies of

ome from the

isigned for me.

if the Koran t

,60—74.

itruthaof tho
bluunmodan im-
?hlch tho Turks

their empire.
Bt proclamation
(resent war with

my coming is foretold : the day will come when all shall know
from whom I hare my rommisiion, and that human efforts can-
not prevail against mo *." " It was no wonder that others, nay
that he himself, should have annexed to his porHon the degrcii of
superstitious influence, claimed fur the chosen Instruments of
Destiny, vhose path must not Ihs crossed, and whose arms can-
not be arrested f." At no period did this imperial sun appear
invested with more powerful influence than in the montli of May,
1812, at the rendezvous of tho city of Dresden, previous to his
celebrated Russian campaign, when all tlic Papal kings seemed
to move around him, and to i>erform tho subordinate ofhcos of
satellites, at hiis will and pleasure.

Tho duration of this vial, because of its extended application,
we regard as continuing during tho entire period of Napoleon's
successful career as an Emperor, from A.D. 1802, to A.D. 1814,
in which time, it is computed, upwards of C,000,000 perished in
the prosecution of his ambitious views; but, nevertheless, '' they
repented not to give him glory." < .-,11

The seat of the Papal boast cannot 10 JInd the fifth angel
be here meant, because that beast poured out hit vial upon
passed from the prominent stage of the teat of the beatt ; and
the prophecy at tho expiration of the hit kingdom wat full of
forty-two months, or 1260 years, darknett ; and they gnawed
when another boast came up and their tonguet for pain.
slew the witnesses ; which wo have 11 ^nd blatphemed the
seen, in our interpretation of chapter God of heaven becaute of
xi.,i8 the spirit of Infidelity in France, their pains and their toret
The seat of this infidel boast, there- and repented not of their
fore, is Franco , and Napoleon Bona- deedt.
parte the personification of this bcnst. If any doubt should
arise as to the consistency of the sudden transition in the sym-
bols of the prophecy applicable to the same person ; in the one
verse represented as " the imperial sun," and in another as the
beast ; such difficulty is solved by a reference to another part
of this prophecy (chap. zvii. 10, 11), in which instance the fn-
terpreting angel explains the seven heads on the symbolic
monster to be seven kings, and then immediately denominates
the seventh " the beast."

Life of Napoleon, vol. iv. p. 87.

t Ibid, vol. vi. p. 800,

I';

I' i

124

We observed In commenting; on chapter xi., that the beaat
which Blew the witnesses was to be there regarded as the pria>
ciple of Infidelity incorporated into the government of the French
nation ; but the beast is here for the first time presented to us
as the personified head of Infidelity, or the first form of the per<
sonal Antichrist, the two-fold scourge, as the " King of Babylon "
in Isa. xiv., the double representation of Daniel's *' wilful king,"
and the " seventh-eighth " head of the beast of chap. xvii. We
cannot omit one anecdote of this remarkable personage, as nar-
rated by the Author of Waverley, and which, we think, singu-
larly bears upon the appellation given unto him in the text. Na-
poleon once asked one of his courtiers what the people of Vienna
thought of his actions, and received the following reply : "Some
think you an angel, sire ; some a devil ; but all agree you are
more than man*." We conclude, therefore, that France, as the
seat of the beast, was the subject of this fifth vial ; and which
we interpret to be the bloody contest which attended the over-
throw of Xapoleon's power, waged in France, in the army of
occupation of the allies for four years, proving to that proud
nation a darkening dispensation, in which was totally eclipsed
for a time her national glory. The imposition of those restraints
which were enforced upon the French at this period, were
eminently calculated to prove a source of intense mortification
and chagrin, under a sense of which they are described in the
text, as " gnawing their tongues for pain." Yet it is recorded)
they continued to " blaspheme the God of heaven, because of
their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds."

12 Jind the sixth angel This sixth vial has ever been re-
poured out hit vial upon garded by all commentators as the
the great river Euphrates, most important clue to the right in-
and the water thereof was terpretation of the prophecy of this
dried up, that the way of chapter ; for as no difference of opin-
the kings of the east might ion exists as to the river Euphrates,
be prepared. referring to the Turkish power, this

prophecy respecting it stands as a grand synchronism in the
Apocalypse, by which we may assuredly know we have arrived

• Life of Napoleon Bonaparte, vol. vii. p. 405.

^i!

125

»t the tizth vial, when tho OthmAn Empire sball begin to wane.
The waters of the river are described a« graduallj drying up,
from which we infer a progreasive coneunption of tbii power.
We consider this vial began its operations in the ear 1820, when
the revolt of Ali Pacha, followed by the insurrection of the
Greek provinces, was the first manifestation to Europe, of tho
declension of the Turkish power. Uow this has been accelerated
by political events Bince, it is quite unnecessary to state. She is
now engaged in a war with Russia ; that is exhausting her
resources, and diminishing her power, and which we think will
prove one of the causes, amongst others, ordered in Qod's pro-
vidence, to fulfil the purposes expressed in this prophecy. i^ir
The kings of the East, or from tho sun-rising, we conceive,
can refer to none others than the long-lost Ten Tribe of Israel ;
who will then co.ne up with their King at their head, to perform
those mighty achievements in the land of Idumea (or Europe),
foretold by all the Old-Testament prophets *.

Whilst the power, which has so 13 jlnd I saw three Kit-
long held in possession the East, is clean rtpiritt like frogSf
undergoing the judgment of this vial, come out of the mouth of
there is another operation going for- the drtigon^ and out of the
ward, probably less apparent to the mouth of the beastf and out
observation than the consumption of of the mouth of the falte
the Turkish power ; but,neverthele98, prophet.
it is busily accomplishing its destined 14 For they are the $pirit$
work. ofdevilSfWorking miraelet^

*' The spirits of three devils are which go forth unto the
gone forth to the kings of the earth, kings of the earth and of
and of the whole wor!d," to prepare the whole world, to gather
them for the last mighty Antichris- them to the baitle of that
tian confederacy, by undermining great day of Ood Almighty
ererj righteous and holy principle, and possessing mankind
With every species of demoniacal delusion. The spirit coming
ou4 of the month of the dragon, represents the brutal tyranny
and oppression of the rulers of the Roman earth, struggling to

* We refer the reader to a full exposition of the argument on the subject
of this verse, to a Sermon by the Rev. Edward Irving, in vo!. iii. of " Ooca-
•ional Discourses." ,_ ^ „

' 1

1 ;

\ i

1 I

\ i

i •

126

MUin ib th«ir eonmlfiTe gmp their tott«rltog p6irtt haA iQ>
thoritj. Tb«t out of the mouth of the infidel beast, deicribei
the revolutionarj spirit of anarchj and rerolt, of iniubordina-
tion and resistance to all rule, and impatience to erery moral
and religious restraint, \vbich has been foisted upon Europe, as
the result of increasing knowledge, and speciously demanding a
more extended and enlightened liberality. The nations of Chris-
tendom are eaten up with this false principle : it is making its
insidious progress into the most sacred precincts. But if it be a
light, it is, as the text describes, a gleam borrowed from the
deepest hell. The Papacy is meant by the false prophet : which
designation is retained in chap, xix., to distinguish this super-
stition from the infidel power, who is henceforth denominated
the beast. This describes the efforts of the Papal hierarchy to
re-establish itself; and surely no period of its history exhibits
more extended or indefatigable exertions to re-constitute its lost
influence, than has been put forth since its resumption of politi-
cal and ecclesiastical power. This she ban effected, through the
assistance of this spirit of demoniacal liberality, and baa
acquired a footing in this Protestant country, which she
never could attain unto since the Reformation. But it is like
those dynasties which were successively swept from their base,
and have now received temporary restoration, in order to their
utter demolition at the battle of Armageddon.

The whole of Europe is one vast theatre of these conflicting
spirits of absolute rulers, liberals, and apostolicals, and men's
hearts seem conscious of some indefinite change about to hap-
pen, some mighty crisis near at hand, which shall alter the
features of society, and develop some momentous era in the his-
tory of the world. And thus it is-^but none of the wicked shall
understand—though "the wise shall understand."

15 Behold I come as a In this awful crisis, reader, do
thief. Blessed is he that we now stand !* Five acts of judg-
ment have passed over ; the sixth
is working its slow but sure effects
on the Turkish power, and that por-
tion of the vial which is preparing

wcUcheth ; and keepeth his
garments, lest he walk
naked, and they see his

tAame. ^"•- :'^'"" i^ "=^; >'■

* What was thus only conjecture respectiug the fulfilment of the re-
maining part of the prophecy in 1889 is now so far history in 1860.

12?

the klngi of the earth and the inhabitants of the world for the
great daj of God Almighty, we can percetre has well nigh
accomplished its piicparatorj work prior to the final catastrophe.
The clouds have been long gathering around us, threatening
and blackening as they approach, accumulating in one dense
and portentous mass over our devoted heads. A few big drops
hare escaped, harbii ^crs of the terrific tempest. There is an
ominous silence, fearful and appalling : " men's hearts failing
them for fear," yet still interchanging assurances of peace and
safety, though doubting the meaning of their own words. All
is ripe, all is ready : what hinders the bursting of that cloud
so chai^ged with heavy vengeance? A voice of warn-
ing ; one short moment ; peradventure one soul may repent.
" Behold I come as a thief t blessed is he that watcheth and
keepeth his giirments." We are now arrived at the termination
of th4 fulfilled prophecy,

AXD lyiBTTHIKQ PREDICTBD HINOirORTH REMAINS TO Bl ACCOM-
, ^ , PUSHED. ^ »

'if tji^^ :ru. ..■>:. ,--'.•; '' - '•• •^ ^ . '■>-Y■"^i^

This Terse seems to be cc nnected IQ Jnd he gathered them
with the prophecy to the 14th, the together into a place called
intervening verse being introduced in the Hebrew tongue^ Ar-
as a notification of warning of the moffeddon.
speedy approach of our Lord. It is for the battle of Armaged-
don that the kings of the earth and the inhabitants of the world
are gathering together. It is acknowledged by most commen-
tators to be the same as that referred to by the prophet Joel,
chap, iii., described as occurring in the " valley of Jehoshaphat,"
when the mighty men of the earth are collected to be trodden
in the wine-press of the wrath of Almighty God. It is the
same final conflict which is the burden of every prophet from
Moses to St. John ; when the iniquity of mankind shall be rijpe,
and Christ shall reveal himself, to the utter destruction of his
enemies. l;« ■■■■> ^'•■^ • ■''''' ';••-*• '•'-•■ m>' ■ ' ' '-^ ■■• i''**y'' ■^'•^^

As we are now entering upon that 1*1 And the seventh angel
portion of the prophecy still future, poured out hit vial into the
any attempts at the explanation of air, and there came a great
the text we offer as dedacible from voice out of the temple of

i'('

1^1

J !

I !

1 '*

128

htaven, from the throw, tbo pafiage iUclf, or by coupArUon
faytfif , It ;'« done. wilb other parU of Scriptarc. Though

thf outlioe of unfulfilled prophecy may be pretty accurately aa-
certained from the Scriptures, yet the peculiar manner and
circumstances of its a<;coropli8hment must be erer left to the
inscrutable wisdom of God, who ordaineth all things according
to the pleasure of his own will. The seventh angel poured his
rial into the air, by which expression is conreyed to us its uni-
rersality of application. This vial is the consummating act of
Qod's wrath ; and is of such importance, that the events conse-
quent on its pouring out are detailed at length in the descrip-
tions contained in the three following chapters. Immediately
after the seventh angel had poured out bis vial into theair,a voice
ia heard from the church in heaven, saying, " It is done ;" by
which declaration, we conceive, is announced that therein is
contained the full cup of the wrath of God, the final catastrophe
of the Gentile church, the ingathering of the ^lect, and the
total destruction of the reprobate. Some render it, " It is gene-
rated f which likewise conveys the same truth, including the
commencement of the new order of things in the same act in
wliich the present perish for ever.

18 Jlnd there were voices The first grand effect of the pouring
and thunders, and light- out of the seventh vial is a mighty
ninge ; and there was a earthquake, or political ^evolution ;
great earthquake, such as so extensive in its application and
was not since men were so disastrous in its consequences,

that such a convulsion of nations
was never before known " since men
were upon the earth." During the
operation of this earthquake we are
and the cities oj the nations informed that the great city is divi-
fell $ and great Babylon ded into three parts, when the cities
came in remembrance be- of the nations fell, apparently indi-
fore God, to give unto her eating that in the struggle and con-
the cup of the wine of the fusion the shattered powers of the
fierceness of his wrath. Papal earth should form themselves
under three predominant headships or kingdoms. The city of
confusion is broken down, and the time for judging Babylon the

upon the earth, so mighty

an earthquake,and so great.

19 ^nd the great city

was divided into three parts

1129

compariion
are. Though
curatoly m-
manner and
r left to the
l» according
!l poured hii
to ua its uni-
Hating act of
srenta conse-
the descrip-
Immediatelj
he air,a Toice
is done ;" by
at therein is
A catastrophe
lect, and the
, " It is gene-
including the
e same act in

Df the pouring
,1 is a mighty
1 ];eToltttion ;
plication and
consequences,
)n of nations
n " since men
' During the
<[uake we ate
It city is divi-
rhen the cities
tparently indi-
ggle and con-
powers of the
■m themselves
1. The city of
>g Babylon the

great, the mother of harlots, is at length arrived. The inter-
preting angel, in the following chapter, has left little room for
scepticism in determining the question what Babylon means.
In verse S, Babylon is symbolized by a woman ; in verse 0, wo
are informed that it is upon seven mountains the woman sitteth ;
and in verse 18, the angel clears np the mystery by declaring,
that the " woman which the Apostle saw, was that great city
which reigneth over the kings of the earth ;"— demonstration
sufficient to Mtisfy the most sceptical if the devil had not
blinded their eyes.

The effects of the symbolic earth- 20 jSnd every UlandJUd
quake, or revolution of the sixth away^ and the mountaine
seal (chap. vi. 12—14), was attended toere not found,
only with " a removal out of their places " of the islands (the
established forms of government), and the mountains (the emi-
nences of political power) ; and which we have seen was so
remarkably fulfilled at the period of the French Revolution, and
the years succeeding, in the dethronement or debasement of
every prince and dynasty in Ohristendom. But the effects of
this last vial on such human associations of political power,
now restored to their former ascendancy, are felt commensurate
with the commotion here predicted ; for " every island shall
then fly away, and the mountains shall not be found." So com>
plete shall be the destruction, so overwhelming the ruin, no
vestige of their former existence shall reit ^in. " But the judg-
ment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume
and to destroy it unto the end. And the kingdom and dominion,
and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall
be given to the people of the saints of the Most High, whose
kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall
serve and obey him." (Dan. vii. 26, 27.) .-^ ,

It is the peculiar characteristic of 2\And there fell upon men
this last earthquake of the seventh u great hail out of heaven,
vial, and distinguishes it from the every ttone about the
earthquake of the sixth seal, that it weight of a talent : and
is accompanied with a " great hail." men blasphemed God be'
This symbol, we have before ob- cause of the plague of the
served, denotes a hostile invasion hail; for the plague there-

/•

t '\

130

from the North, where hail maj be of tooi exeteding great.
■apposed to generate. Viewing the present state of Enropei we
should feel little hesitation in pronouncing this to be spoken of
Russia, whose eztensive accessions of territory and ambitions
strides for power, point her out with sufficient distinctness as
that northern hail which forms such a conspicuous feature in
the prophetic writings as a distinguished instrument of inflicting
Qod's judgments in the last days. (Jer. vi. 22, 23, xxr. 32, 1.
3, 40, 42; Ezek. xzxviii. 22 ; Isai. xxx. 30, &c. kc.) "Every
stone about the weight of a talent," conveys to us the resistless
Airy and overwhelming destruction with which this power will
accomplish her appointed task. Every infliction of previous
judgment left the men of the earth impenitent : there is now no
time for repentance as heretofore; for having proved incor-
rigible after such successive warnings, they are now consumed
without hope in this exterminating judgment, and die blasphe-
ming God, whose righteous vengeance their im|>ieties have
called down upon their^guilty heads, "^" "^v^ '^«. «^^ ^^

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131

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Barope, wo
) spoken of
ambitioas
inctness u
I feature In
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, XXV. 32, 1.
.) " Every
tie resistless
power will
of previous
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If"

CHAPTBK XVII.

Commencement of the Explanatory Histories *, this chapter in
troducing that of the History of the Seals, or Western branch
of the Roman Empire, under its last Infidel head, during the
period of the Seventh Vial.

EvBRT historical prophecy, lilce the 1 .dnd there came one of
Apocalypse and that of Daniel, is the seven angelt tchich had
composed of two parts , of which the Me teven viale^ aiid talked
former is symbolical, containing the with mf, eaying unto me,
prophecy ; and the latter is intro- Come hither ; I will $hew
duced as an exposition of the same, unto thee the judgment of
generally delivered to the seer by an the great whore that titteth
interpreting angel sent by God for upon many waters :
that purpose. From the beginning 2 With whom the kinge
of this chapter to the end of the o/the earth have committed
boolc we have given to us an exposi- fornication, and the inha-
tion of all that preceded ; and as bitere of the earth have
the vision consisted of three distinct been made drunk with the
parts, so likewise does the explana- wine of her fornication.
tlon. " One of the seven angels which had the beven vials " is
here commissioned with an enlargement, and an Interpretation
of one of those grand events announced as following the pouring
out of the seventh vial : " and great Babylon came in remem-
brance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the
fierceness of his wrath" (chap. xvl. 19). U Is the Papal hierar-
chy, the apostate church of Rome, who Is designated as the
i' great whore " with whom the kings of the earth committed
fornication.

The true church Is ever represented as the chaste spouse of
Christ, the affianced bride of our Lord, waiting for her espousals
at his second coming. On the other hand, the apostate church
it emblematized under the figure of a harlot, as having forgotten
her allegiance, and departed from her fidelity to her true lord
and husband.

;

: 1

• '

;

■

%«

in-
ch

ilHv.

■I

132

3 So he carried me away In thif verse is again represented
in the epirit into the wilder' the oompoand emblem of the Papacy
neie i and I tata a woman interwoven with the Roman Empire
tit upon a tcarht'coloured with seven heads and ten horns, or
beattJullo/nametofbUu- seven successive sovereignties and
phemy, having teven headt ten ruling kingdoms. It is the same
and ten horns. beast that is mentioned in chapters

xii. and xiil. In the former, under the Pagan superstitionj the
crowns were on the heads of the beast (ver. 3) ; that is, the
supreme authority was invested in the emperors of Rome. In
the latter, under the Papal superstition, the crowns were on the
ten horns of the beast (ver. 1), signifying that the Empire was
then in its divided state of ten kingdoms. In the verse before
ns, the beast or Roman Empire is represented carrying the
woman, scarlet coloured and full of names of blasphemy ; but
no crowns are mentioned. Some commentators have supposed
that this omission is because, in the mystery, the kingdoms of
the earth passed to Christ, upon the supposition that his iron
reign commenced in the year 1*792, when the first vial was
poured out, and the " stone cut out without hands first smote
the ten toes of the great image." (Dan. ii. 34.) But we think a
more simple interpretation can be offered of this interesting par-
ticular in the prophecy. It is admitted by all, that the scarlet-
coloured beast full of names of blasphemy, with seven heads
and ten horns, is the Roman Empire in its last form of infidelity.
We have seen infidelity as a principle in chapter xi. and after-
wards assuming a personification in Napoleon Bonaparte, the
sun of the fourth vial and the beast of the fifth vial. Napoleon,
therefore, is the first infidel king of the Papal earth. We have
already referred to him, and shall again have occasion to shew
that he is the seventh bead or sovereignty of the Roman Empire.
He is now passed away, but an eighth head is yet to appear who
is of the seven ; and if our conjecture be true (and we can per-
ceive no other solution of the enigma), that this remains still to
be fulfilled in his son, the present Duke of Reischadt,* who

* As the Duke haa been dead these many years, we muKt look (Or the
eighth head elsewhere : is it not much more likely to be the present Empe>
ror, Louis Napoleon, who is uudoubtedly (if t.^ «ev«tt.

133

epresenied
he Papacy
an Empire
horns, or
{nties and
is the same
n chapters
itition, the
hat is, the
Rome. In
rere on the
Empire was
erse before
irrying the
>hemy; but
re supposed
:ingdoms of
at his iron
It vial was
first smote
we think a
resting par-
the scarlet-
even heads
)f infidelity,
and after-
laparte, the
Napoleon,
We have
ion to shew
lan Empire,
appear who
we can per-
ains still to
ihadt,* who

look fw the
resent £mpe-

woald be " of the seven," the father and the son would present
that doable falfilment of the infidel Antichrist, which is nniform-
ly preheated in Scripture as consisting of a twofold character.
Upon this asiumptioEi of Napoleon Bonaparte being the first infi-
del head of the Roman Empire, wo are to furnish a reason why
the crowns are removed from the beast in this last stage of
apostacy. We think this is sufficiently accounted for in the his-
tory of this remarkable personage, who is constantly distin-
guished in prophecy from the other kings of the earth, and
regarded as " a vile person to whom they should not give the
honour of the kingdom, but who should possess it by flatteries'*
(Dan. xi. 21); and in Isai. xiv. 18, he is placed in direct con-
trast to the other " kings of the nations, who all lie in glory,
every one in his own house : but he is cast out of his grave as
an abominable branch, who shall not bo joined with them in
burial." It is a truth that has prevailed undisputed in Christen-
dom, until witbiu ^ ^ ^^st few years, that " by God kings rule and
princes decree ja* . ' and every Christian king acknowledges
his consent to th^cs luodamental principle of earthly sovereignty,
by receiving his crown at the hand of the church, who is
regarded in this ceremony as the delegate of the King of kings.
But Napoleon Bona^ te, as if to stamp his assumption of impe-
rial power as his own wilful act, and in open defiance and con*
tempt of any higher authority than his own military prowess
had acquired, he refused to receive the emblem of imperial
dignity from the hands of the distinguished ecclesiastic who
assisted at his coronation, and placed the crown upon his own
head. By this extraordinary act, never before transacted in
Christendom, in a most eminent manner he discarded the
character of a Christian prince, and declared himself to be the
infidel head of the Roman monarchy. We cannot refrain from
extracting the following from the same work to which we have
already been so largely indebted. " The Emperor took his coro-
nation oath, as is usual on such occasions, with his hands upon
the Scripture, and in the form in which it was repeated to him
by the Pope. But in the act of coronation itself, there was a
marked deviation from the universal custom, characteristic of
the man,the age,and the conjuncture. In all other similar solem-

.li'fi

i:f

^l^^':

i ,:

I'!

i !

134

nlties the crown had b«en placed on the sorereign'f head hj the
presiding spiritual person, as representing the Deitjr, bj whom
princes rule. But not even from the head of the Catholic
church would Bonaparte consent to receive as a boon the golden
symbol of sovereignty, which he was sensible he owed solely to
his own unparallel' train of military and civil successes. The
crown having been blessed by the Pope, Napoleon took it from
the altar with his own handa, and placed it on his brows. He
then put the diadem on the head of his empress, as if determined
to shew that his authority wat* chc child of his own actions."*
We consider, therefore, from the coronation of Napoleon, the
Roman Empire to be under its seventh head. It is for this
reason, we conceive, no crowns are seen upon the beast of the
Roman Empire when arrayed under her infidel head ; because
God does not acknowledge any king in a Christian country
that refuses to receive the crown from the ecclesiastical hand,
any more than he acknowledges an individual in covenant with
him who has not submitted to the initiatory ordinance of Chris-
tian baptism.

4 ^nd the woman was The woman who is represented, in
arrayed in purple and verse 3, as sitting on the beast, is
scarlet colour, and decked arrayed in purple and scarlet, and
with gold and precious decked with gold and precious
stones and pearls, having a stones; these conspicuous and gor-
golden cup in her hand full geous colours the Papal hierarchy
of abominations and fiUhi' peculiarly aflfect in their apparel,
ness of her fornication : with every other demonstration of
costliness and grandeur, to attract the admiration and secure
the respect of mankind. " She has a golden cup in her hand
full of abomination and filthiness." This cup in the harlot's
hand is in contrast with the cup of our holy communion ; which
cup she is represented as having polluted and filled with her
abominations. The same figure of the mystical Babylon occurs
in the prophet Jeremiah, chap. li. 7—9. " Babylon hath been a
golden cup in the Lord's hand, that made all the earth drunken :
the nations have drunken of her wine ; therefore the nations are
mad. Babylon is suddenly fallen and destroyed : howl for her r

'Life of Napoleon, vol. v. p. 1S9.

135

iftd by the
by whom
I Catholic
the golden
d solely to
•sses. The
)ok it from
irows. He
ietermincd
I actions."*
poleon, the
is for this
>east of the
,d; becaase
an country
itical hand,
renant with
ce of Chris-
presented, in
le beast, is
scarlet, and
d precious
IS and gor-
il hierarchy
eir apparel,
nstration of
1 and secure
n her hand

the harlot's
nion; which
led with her
jylon occurs

hath been a
rth drunken :
B nations are
lowl for her ;

5 ^nd upon her forehead
was a name toritten, mt8-

TSRT, BABTLOir TBM ORIAT,
TnH MOTHBR OF HARLOTS
AXD ABOMINATIONS Or TBI
EARTH.

take balm for her pain, if so she may be healed. We would
bare healed Babylon, but she is not healed ; forsake her, and
let 08 go erery one into his own country ; for her judgment
reacheth unto heaTen, and is lifted up even to the skies."

The woman is here announced to
be the great mystery of all the pro-
phets, the mystical " Babylon, the
mother of harlots." So plain a de-
claration can scarcely ieave a cavil
for scepticism itself, as to the true ap-
plication of this prominent object in the prophetic writings, so
often denounced as sustaining the whole weight of the Divine
vengeance. The literal Babylon to which the prophecies
primarily applied had long ceased to exist ; and yet we find
Babylon the great, in Saint John's time, reserved for future
punishment, and her destruction still a subject of inspired pro-
phecy. The conclusion, therefore is obvious, withoi<t any fear
of contradiction, that the grand object which all the prophecies
have in view is the mystical Babylon of the last times, apostate
Christendom ; and that they tad reference to the literal Babylon
only in that primary yet subordinate degree, which is the invari-
able custom in the prophetic writings co shadow forth a deeper
and far more important mystery ; — the immediate and palpable
fulfilment of the prophecy thus affording a sure and certain
pledge of its ultimate accomplishment.

The woman is still in existence, G ^^nd I saw the woman
when the beast has become infidel, drunken with the blood of
with blasphemy written all over him, the saints, and with the
although she is carried by him, help- blood of the martyrs of
less in herself, and reduced to the Jesus : and when I saw
condition of impotency, being " drunk her, I wondered with great
with the blood of the saints, and with admiration.
the blood of the martyrs of Jesus." Thus, when the third angel
pours out his vial upon her, it is recorded (chap. xvi. 6), "She
shed the blood of saints and prophets ; " and when utterly des-
troyed (chap, xviii. 24), it is said. " In her was found the blood
of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the
earth." The Apostle wondered to see the woman, carried on

U\l

iHl

r.i

i;:i'

; ;|

136

the beast of blMphemjr or infidelity. From the purticulars con-
tained in this and the preceding rerees, we concludei that
though the infidel boast shall deprire the Papacy of all remains
of her former influence and power, yet she shall still struggle on
a feeble existence, probably sustained by him to suit bis own
purposes, as the infidel Antichrist ; and reserved by Qod, for
their mutual destruction t the battle of Armageddon (ohap.
six. 20).

9 ^nd the angei sail unto The interpreting angel proposes an
m«, Where/ore did$t thou explanation to the Apostle, of the
marvel? I will tell thee mystery of the woman, and of the
the myttery of the toomanf beast that carrieth her, which hath
and of the beaat that car- the "seren heads and ten horns," by
rieth her, tehich hath the which, we hare already seen, is
sev*n headt and ten horns, identified the fourth monarchy of
8 7%e beast that thou Daniel, the Pag^n, Papal, and Infidel
sautest was, and is not; Roman Empire of the Apocalypse.
and shall ascend out of the The beast that the Apostle had just
bottomless pit, and go into seen carrying the drunken woman, is
perdition ; and they that the Roman Empire in its last stage,
dwell on the earth shall and under its last twofold infidel
wonder, whose names were head. We are, therefore, to account
not written in the book of for the enigma of the beast " that

fe from thejoundation of was, and is not, and yet is ;" not in
he worldjwhen they behold the situation of the Roman Empire,
the beast that was, and is as it was when this interpretation
not, and yet is. was given to the Apostle, under the

Pagan emperors, or during the Papal period, when the woman
exerted her influence over the kings of the Papal earth : but in
that peculiar feature of its last stage, when the crowns are
removed, and blasphemy is written over the body of the beast,
and when the woman herself is shorn of all power, reduced to
the helpless condition of a drunkard, and distinguished only by
the black record of her crimes. The period of suspension from
active existence, conveyed in the significant words of the text,
when the beast " was, and is not, and yet is," has been most
appropriately selected by God, as the most fit occasion to
enlighten his church upon this curious prophetic enigma. It

137

would have beeu uaeleM and premature to have attcmpteU aujr
explanation of tbia double pergonification of the infidel btaat,
before the first form should bare run his appointed course. The
first part of the prophecy having been fulfilled in the i>erson of
Napoleon Bonaparte, the first infidel king of Bubylon, who is
the seventh head of the beast mentioned in verse 10, we are now
standing, in point of time, precisely in the situation which the
angel supposes in bis interpretation of the mystery. Napoleon
appeared for a few short feverish years, as a burning meteor
blazing and astonishing the inhabitants of the world : he is now
sunk beneath the political horizon ; and he, for whose insatiable
ambition the world was too limited, now occupies a few feet of
unoonsecrated ground, on a remote and barren rock, fit habita-
tion for the infidel blasphemer ! The man who once had Europe
at his nod, and boasted that ho had established a dynasty, which
should give the world a race of successive princes*, died in a
foreign country, a stipendiary prisoner ; and was refused the
solitary satisfaction of a grave in that land over which he had
once exercised such undisputed sway. The stupendous power
and mighty dominion, which kept the v rid in e we, exists now
only in history ; his influence apparer ^ extinguished, and his
astonishing career remembered and recorded, as the irruptions
of a volcano, or the convulsions of an earthquake, that had once
visited the world, but which was never expected to recur. His
family of kings and princes are reduced to the rank of private
individuals, being sunk into obscurity ; and mankind have
scarcely ceased from their mutual congratulations, because the
" feller is laid low." But what saith the Prophet Isaiah, in des-
cribing the period, which the interpreting angel contemplates
in this interval of deceitful peace in which we now stand 1
" lie who smote the people in wrath with a continual stroke,
ho that ruled the nations in anger, is persecuted, and none
hinderoth. The whole earth is at rest, and is quiet, they break
forth into singing. Yea, the fir-trees rejoice at thee, and the
cedars of Lebanon, saying. Since thou art laid down, no feller
is come up against us.... Thy pomp is brought down to the

^l;l«

* Life of Napoleon, vol. v.. p. 161.

138

i I

grare, and the noise of ihj viols : the worm is spread under the«,
and the worms cover thee. How art thoo fallen from heaven,
O Lucifer, son of the morning I how art thou cut down to the
ground, which didst weaken the nations !. . . .They that see thee
shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this
the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake king-
doms ; that made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the
cities thereof; that opened not the house of his prisoners? All
the kings of the nations, even all of them, lie in glory, every
one in his own house. But thou art cast out of thy grave like
an abominable branch, and as the raiment of those that are slain,
thrust through with a sword, that go down to the stones of the
pit, as a carcase trodden under feet. Thou shaH not be joined
with them in burial (that is, in the sepulchre of Royalty),
because thou hast d^^^stroyed thy land, and slain thy people :
the seed of evil doers shall never be renowned." (Isa. ziv.)

Gould the state of Europe, after the downfall of Napoleon, be
more closely depicted than in these verses, when a long course
of peace and prosperity was universally - expected after that
scourge of the nations was laid low ? * >% i* i^*

But what saith the Prophet Isaiah to such congratulations of
peace and safety ? " Rejoice not thou, whole Palestina (which
is Christendom, the scat of the visible church), because the rod
of him that smote thee is broken : for out of the serpent's roon
shall come forth a cockatrice, and his fruit shall be a fiery flying
serpent;" and then immediately follows the destruction of
Christendom* for it is added, "Howl, gate; cry, city;
thou whole Palestina art dissolved." And who is this flying fiery
serpent, that is to bring such destruction upon those nations,
who are represented as congratulating themselves that their
scourge had been laid low ? Doubtless the same mystery as
that contained in the text, the beast that " was, is not, yet is,
the eighth head of the beast, though of the seven," who is to lead
up the confsderation of the kings of the earth, to make war with
the Lamb, and whom " Christ will destroy with the breath of
his mouth, and consume with the brightness of his coming 7"

'■ — ■' " ■■■■ ' ' ■■ ■' ■■-■■!■ I ■ .. ■ I... ..... I . , ,. , ■ . . !■« . .1 all i-^*i

^ • Life of Napoleoiii vol. ix. pp. 4(7-HH. * ^

130

under thM,
>m heATen,
)wn to the
lat see thee
ring, Ii this
ihake king-
stroyed the
mers? All
glory, erery
grare like
at are slain,
ones of the
t be joined
)f Royalty),
thy people :
[sa. ziv.)
Napoleon, be
long course
cl after that

itulations of
stina (which
ause the rod
srpent's roo«
a fiery flying
»struction of
cry, city ;
is flying fiery
kose nations,
!S that their
! mystery as
i not, yet is,
nrho is to lead
ake war with
he breath of
lis coming?"

Does the reader ask, When are we to look for a development of
this new character who is thus predicted to appear in snch fear-
ful terms, who is " to ascend out of the bottomlcKS pit, and go
into perdition ;" and at whose sudden re-appearancc, " they that
dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were cot written
in the Book of Life '" we answer, Await a few short years, and
thou shalt be at no pains in answering the question. Ood will
reveal him in his own time ; but in the interval, wo will throw
out for thy meditation, that Napoleon left a son, who was usher-
ed into being, with the ominous title of King of Rome, or Baby-
lon; and we doubt not, Ood will bring him forth from his youthful
retirement, to the astonishment of Europe, to the end thnt he
may complete the work which his father began. We leave thy
own discretion to decide, (if our conjecture prove to be true,)
with what accuracy and nicety this curious enigma of the beast
that " was, is not, and yet is," who is the " eighth, yet of the
seven," hath been explained*. We cannot fail, however, to
notice that it is those whose names arc not written in the Book
of Life, who shall wonder at the beast ; by which wo recognize
the oft-repeated assurance in Scripture, that " the wise shall
understand, but the wicked shall not understand."

9 ^nd here is the mind
which hath wisdom. The
seven heads are seven moun'
tains, on which the woman
sitteth.

10 And there are seven

We are here taught by the angel
that the seven heads which have
been represented in tho beast, when-
ever he has made his appearance
upon the Apocalyptic drama, have
two significations ; the one expres-
sive of the locality of the seat upon kings; five are fallen^ and
which the woman sitteth, by which one is, and the other is not
every one must recognize the seven- yet come : and when he
hilUJ city of Rome ; and the other cometh, he must continue
is declared by the angel to mean a short space.
seven kings or sovereignties, which were to have their appoint-
ed time in exercising rule over the Roman Empire. Five of
these are pronounced to have fallen ; and one was then in exis-

* For au enlarKement of tho ar^mentson this intereHting portiou of tho
unfuiailed prophecies of this book, sec " Frere's Combinea View of tho
Prophecies/' pp. 477—600.

■ti

140

tenco, at tbo time the Apostle iaw tbo vision. The Grst five are
kiagi, consuU, consular tribunes, dccc-mviri, dictators ; and tbc
sixth, which tlicn was, id emperors : the " other," or the serentb,
was " not yet come:" and before looking fur its manifestation,
it was of course necessary that the sixth should first disappear.
This did uot take place until the year 180C, when the Emperor
of Austria ceded the title before the victorious arms of Napoleon.

It is the common method of historians, when writing the his-
tory of the emperors, to carry on a connected nsrratiop from
the Roman Cffisars, down in succession, to the Emperors of
Germany, who succeeded to the title after its revival in the
West by Charlemagne. Immediately afier this imperial head-
ship was destroyed by Xapoleon, he centered the power in him-
self, at the confederation of the Rhine ; and thus constituted the
seventh head, who, we are informed, was " to continue a short
space," in opposition to the lengthened duration of his predeces-
sor in the dignity. Accordingly, we have seen, he did continue
only a short period, to make way for another head about to be
revealed. • • ■

llJlnd the beast that was Here we have introduced the
and is not, even he is the double personification of the infidel
eighth, and is of the seven, beast, who is " the eighth, and is of
and goeth into perdition. the seven ;" two persons, though re-
presented as one, in character and in purpose ; — the former pos-
sessing the power, the latter the title ; but hereafter to possess
both the power and the title. The solution we have already
given, we think, is reduced to as clear a demonstration as un-
fulfilled prophecy will admit ; the seventh head being Napoleon
Bonaparte ; the eighth, yet to come, in the person of his son,*
under which last personification of the infidel Antichrist, the
kings of the earth, and their armies, with the false prophet, are
to meet their final doom. Compare Isaiah xiv. and Daniel xi.
with chap. xix. of this Revelation — all of which treat of the same
mystery, and terminate in the same catastrophe, at the battle
of Armageddon.

12 ^nd the ten horns It is curious, as well as instructive,

doubt his Nephew.

141

Ont five arc
irs i and the
the sereDtb,
inifeBtation,
t disappear,
he Emperor
[>f Napoleon.
.ing the his-
rratiop from
Emperors of
vival in the
perial head-
)wer in him-
nstituted the
nue a short
his predeces-
did continue
about to be

roduced the
»f the inadel
th, and is of
i, though re-
B former pos-
ir to possess
h&ve already
ation as un-
ng Napoleon

of his son,*
ntichrist, the

prophet, are
id Daniel xi.
itof the same
at the battle

,3 instructive,

hour with the bcmi.

13 That have one mind^
and shall give their power
and strength unto the beaet

to obMfTe the critical accuracy of which thou $aji>e*t are ten
the prophecy, as if Ood was willing kinge, which have received
to meet even the scepticism of the age, no kingdom a$ yet ; but
to which it particularly referred, receive power ae kinge on*
The Apoitle is informed, that the
'< ten horni are ten kings, which have
received no kingdom as yet," the
Roman Empire not being in its divid-
ed state at the time the prophecy was given, but that "they^
should receive power as kings one hour with the beast." Dar-
ing the period of Napoleon's ascendency, the kings of the Papal
earth could scarcely be considered as exercising kingly authori-
ty ; for they were all, or nearly all, more or less, under his con-
trool : but they seem now to be restored, only to retain their
power "one hour," when the eighth head uf the beast is reveal-
ed ; for it is evident that he is to possess uncontrolled authority
over these ten kings of the Papal earth. How he is to acquire
this ascendency we y>retend not to define. When the judgment
of the first six vials were poured out upon the Papal nations,
we have seen that this British nation, one of the ten
kingdoms, in virtue of her Protestant church (chap, vii.)
was sealed from their direful effects ; but, in the text before
us, no exception is provided, by which we should assured-
ly have concluded; that some national iniquity had been
committed, by which she would have included herself in
the common fate that awaited the other Papal nations. The
fact of her submission to the infidel beast, about to arise, is so
plainly declared in the prophecy, that it would be impossible to
evade its application, had we even difficulty in conceiving such
fatal apostacy ; but we are left no room for mere conjecture.
The act now passing the British Legislature*, by which the
adherents of the Papal harlot are admitted to the same rights
and privileges as the servants of the true church ; the formal
and deliberate abrogation of every Protestant feature in our
constitution, and the free and unchallenged admission of men of
every religion to offices in a state, which heretofore exacted such
righteous and solemn tests of Christianity, we consider to be an

* The above was written during the month of March, 1829.

142

! i

Mt 10 marked with apostacj, that men could not fiul of acknow-
ledging it, were thej not given orer to believe a lie. But it ii to
written ; and let Qod be true, and every man a liar. Bnglaad,
tbj doom is sealed t A short interval— ah, how short I — will
prove thj coward ezpediencj, thy subtle infidelity, miscalled
liberality, the treacherous rook upon which thou shalt meet thy
destruction.

14 T/uif thall malce war This verse seems introdnoed as a
unth the Lamb, and the parenthesis, to signify that it is this
Lamb ihall overcome them ; infidel beast, and these ten kings,
for he it Lord o/lordi, and that make war with the Lamb ; and
King of kinge; and they who meet their fate at the battle of
that are with him are call- Armageddon, detailed in chap. xix.
ed, and choten^ and faith- 11. The "Lamb shall overcome
ful. them, because he is King of kings,

and Lord of lords." It is the same grand confederacy of the
kings of the earth, mentioned in Psalm ii. and the parallel pas-
sages. " The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers
take counsel together, against the Lord, and against his anoint-
ed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away
their cords from us. He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh :
the Lord shall have them in derision. Then shall he speak unto
them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure. Thou
shalt break them with a rod of iron ; 4hou shalt dash them in
pieces like a potter's vessel." He comes to this act of judgment
with all his saints, " who are called, and chosen, and faithful."
15 And he saith unto me. In the ^rst verse of this chapter it
The waters which thou saw- is declared, that the woman " sitteth
ettf where the whore sitteth upon many waters ; " and this verse
are peoples^ and multi- furnishes us with the angel's inter-
tudeSf and nations^ and pretation of this expression, to mean
tongues. "peoples, multitudes, nations, and

tongues ;" otherwise, those ten Papal nations, who profess her
religion or acknowledge her authority. (See also Jer. li. 13,
42, 66). ?:»*^r

16 Jind the ten horns The same powers which have been I
which thou sawest upon the so long held in superstitious bondage
beattf these shall hate the to the Papal harlot, shall at last

143

^.^\

grow wearj of her territode, and irAorr, and thall make htr
shftU gire their power onto the infidel detolatt and naktd^ and
beMt, for the purpose of promoting ahall tat htr fteth, and burn
her deitmction. This last incarna- her with fire.
tion of Infidelity shall complete the 17 For God hath put in
work which the first accomplished their heart $ to fulfil hit
only in part, at the pouring out of trU I, and to agree, and give
the third rial (chap. xri. 4), when their kingdom unto the
the Pope and his cardinals were beast, until the wordt of
banished f^om Rome, their posses- GodshallbeJulfilUd.
lions confiscated, their palaces plundered ; and the whole sys-
tem of their superstition for a time abolished. i>at now the
demolition of the Papacy, as an ecclesiastical power and estab-
lishment shall be complete, for the set time of her dedtruction
is come, when *' the words of God shall be fulfilled." No vcstigo
of her shall remain ; for it is written, thcj *' shall hate the
whore, and make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flseh,
and burn her with fire." hy s vnv;, " ." '■-•; ,Vvb«,

This concluding rerse sums up the 18 Jnd the tooman which
interpretation of the mystery, in thou sawest is that great
terms most intelligible and expres- city, which reigneth over
give—" The woman is that great the kings of the earth.
city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth,"— and can
apply, when compared with other circumstances of the prophecy,
to none other than the seven-hilled city of Rome, miscalled the
" eternal city," and which has been for so many revolving ages
the chief seat of the enemies of Christ and his church. First
under the Pagan emperors of Rome, then that of the Pope
and his myrmidons; and, when these are removed, we sus-
pect likewise to prove the seat of the last infidel Antichrist.

U 'il

^-' •• 1-

■ . 'I'tj J.-. J < »;

.i:

^'Vi.

144

-fi\rf

ii i

♦*

V y.'-

':i-;i-i •:'iV*^>i *Ca,^ 'hiU. iMii'

V.-T"

;;^h'i -ami '^i'itixi-^n^:i
CHAPTER XVIII. '* '^•'< ^vr>^<^f^*'i^

I .i.-

potver ; and the earth was
lightened with his glory.

2 ^nd he cried mightily
with a strong voice ^ saying

Containing the Destruction of the Mystical Babylon.

1 ^nd after these things I This angel appears to be parallel
savoanother angel comedoxon with the second angel in the xiv Ih
from heaven, having great chapter, and indicates, as we there

expressed, a prophetic voice pro-
ceeding from the true church, an-
nouncing the speedy downfall of the
Papal Apostacy. It cannot be a
Babylon the great is fallen, voice of triumph, after the destruo-
is fallen, and is become the tion of Babylon, because the second
habitation ofdevils,and the angel that follows, in ver. 4, is made
hold of every foul spirit, to utter an exhortation to God's peo-
and a cage of every un- pie to come out of her, previous to
clean and hateful bird. the infliction of her plagues : and it
3 For all nations have therefore follows, that she has not

met with her destruction at the time
this angel is represented as exclaim-
ing, " Babylon the great is fallen, is
fallen," but that it is a prophetic an-
with her,and the merchants nouncement of her fate, preparatory
of the earth are waxed rich to the address of the second angel.
through the abundance of How similar is the language employ -
her delicacies. ed in ver. 2. to that contained in the

Prophet Isaiah, chap, xxxiv. describing the utter desolation which
shall take place in the land of Idumea, or Papal Christendom,
upon the people of God's curse, when he cometh to judgment.
An attentive comparison of the two passages will leave no doubt
in the mind of the reader, that they describe the same event.
The act of vengeance is not only upon the Papal Hierarchy,
symbolized in the preceding chapter as a drunken harlot, but
" The kings of the earth that have committed fornication with

drunk of the wine of the
wrath of her fornication
and the kings of the earth
have committed fornication

145

fi ij*? *?' '4' *^^ ■

* •■

ibylon. .,

I be parallel
a the jxv Ih
as we there
I voice pro-
church) an-
wnfall of the
cannot be a
the deatruo-
le the second
er. 4, is made
to God's peo-
, previou3 to
gues: and it
she has not
tn at the time
d as exclaim-
t is fallen, is
prophetic an-
preparatory
econd angel,
uage employ -
atained in the
olation which
Christendom,
to judgment,
eavo no doubt
same event.
.1 Hierarchy,
n harlot, but
ication with

her, and the merchants of the earth who have waxed rich
through the abundance of her delicacies," shall likewise " drink
of the wrath of her fornication." The rulers and nations of the
earth have been connected with her in iniquity, and they shall
not be separated in punishment.

The Judgment of Babylon having 4 .^nd I heard another
'been pronounced by the preceding voice from heaven saying,
angel, the voice of this angel is di- Come out of her^my people,
rected to the people of God to come that ye be not partaket 4 of
out of her. Though we do not ob- her $int,and that ye reeaive
Ject to the application of this re- not of her plaguee.
markable expression occurring, 6 For her sine have reaeh-
wherever the destruction of Babylon ed unto heaven, and God
is spoken of in the Prophets, to a hath remembered her ini*
separation from her abominations, quities. ^ ti>''#''^
yet we do most strenuously oppose the limitation of its f^Il
meaning to this interpretation, by which we consider the pass-
age to be spiritualized away, and the church deprived of the
consolation the prophecy is intended to cor^vey. It is the wisdom
of an interpreter of Scripture, not to allow the literal to be
frittered away by the spiritual, and at the same time to pre-
serve distinct and entire the spiritual, whilst giving fUll effect
to the literal accomplishment of the prophecy. Here are errors
to be avoided on both sides of the question ; the danger is in the
limitation or contraction of the words of Scripture. The ad-
dress in ver. 4, is to the people of God, whom it is presupposed
have come out of, or separated from, the abominations of the
Papal apostacy, and are not confederate with her iniquity ; for
an apostate flrom the truth, still continuing an adherence to the
apostacy, cannot be denominated one of the people of God.
The " partaking of her sins," in the text is one thing; and " the
receiving of her plagues," is another. Those who have partici-
pated in the former, shall be included in the latter. If the judg-
ment be literal, then also is the exemption literal. If the arm
of God's vengeance is to come down upon " the people of his
curse," dwelling in the mystical Babylon, and which is ever
described in Scripture as soaking the land with the blood of tho
victims, then surely the call to " come out of her," is to be un-

JJ"

"i
\\\

* I

htrdovble,

X How voMch the hath
glorified hersel ft and lived
delicioudyt ao much tor*

derstood as &n act of faith in the church, departing firom the
precincts of the doomed land : even as Noah built his ark. Lot
went out of Sodom, and the Christians escaped to PelU) by
faith in Qod's warning voice ; and thus avoided those several
judgments predicted in each instance above referred to. Oom-
pare Isaiah zlviiL 20 ; lii. 11 ; Jer. 1. 8 ; li. 6, 9, 45—50.

6 Reward her even a» the Her judgment is here declared to
rewarded you, and d(»i.Me be the same in kind, as she has dealt
unto her double according out to God's saints, though double
to her workt : in the cup in degree, as it is written, Jer. 1. 16,
v)hich she hath filled fill to " Take vengeance upon her ; as she

hath done, do unto her," and record*
ed in this Prophecy, chap. ziii. 10,
and xvi. 6.
The Papacy is here again intro-
ment and eorrow give her ; duced as the woman sitting upon
for $he eaith in her heart f many waters, that ruled over the
<^../ $U a giMcn, and am no kings of the earth : she is represent-
vridoWf and ehall see no ed as living in secure enjoyment,
sorrow. totally unconscious of her approaeh-

. ing fate. A similar vision occurs in the Prophet Isaiah, chap,
xlvii. " Gome down and sit in the dust, virgin r*^ushior of
u Babylon, for thou shalt no more be called tender a^l ielioate.
,,, Bit liiou silent, and get thee into darkness, daughter of the
g Chaldeans ; for thou shalt no more be called, the lady of king-
doms. And thou saidst,! saall be a lady for ever ; so that thou
didst not lay these things to thy heart, neither didst remember
the latter end of it. Therefore hear now this, thou that art
given to pleasures, that dwellest carelessly, that sayest in thine
heart, I am, and none else beside me ; I shall not sit as a wi-
dow, neither shall I know the loss of children : But these two
things shall come to thee in a moment, in one day, the loss of
children and widowhood ; they shall come upon thee in their
perfection, for the multitude of thy sorceries, and for the great
abundance of thine enchantments."

8 Hurefore shall her Her judgment shall come upon her
plagues cotne in one day^ in the height of her pride and confi-
dftath^ and mourning^ and dence, abrupt in its approach^ rapid

!',V

147

ig from the
his Mk, Lot
to PelU» by
[hose •et«ral
ad to. Oom-
5—50. ion
) declared to
she has dealt
tioagh double
en, Jer. 1. 15,
a her *, as she
r," and reoord-
chap. xUi. 10,

e again intro-
i Bitting upon
iiled over the
he ia represent-
ue enjoyment,
»f her approach-
)t Isaiah, chap,
fin ''Tighter of
r a*4<! ielioate.
daughter of the
tie lady of king-
er; so that thou
didst remember
, thou that art
ii sayest in thine
lot sit as a wi-
; But these two
day, the loss of
ponthee ia their
knd for the great

ftll come upon ber
r pride and confi-
9 approach, rapid

9 Jnd the king$ of the
earth, who have committed
fornication and lived deli-
ciotuly trith her, $hall 6e-

and compete in its execution ; as it famine ; and $he ahall be
li written in the prophet Isaiah, utterly burned yritkfire:
"Therefore shall evil come upon for etronsfie the Lord Qod^
thee ; thou shalt not know from who judgeth her.
whence it riseth : and mischief shall fall upon thee : thou shalt
not be able to put it off: and desolation shall come upon thee
suddenly, which thou shalt not know," (chap, xlrii. 11.) There
is no hope of escape for her, for " strong is the Lord Qod who
Judgeth her.'

The kings of the earth who have
eommitted fornication and lived de-
lioiously with her, are represented as
lamenting her miserable downfall
and doleful end. These kings are wail her, and lament for
not to be understood as the ten kings her, when they shall see
in chap. zvii. 16, 17 ; of whom it ia the smoke of her buminf^.
recorded, " they shall hate the 10 Standing afar offfor
rrhore, and make her desolate ;" bat the fear of her torment,
they appear introduced as represen- saying, jlla^, alas that great
tative of the long line of Papal city Babylon, that mighty
kings, who have drunk into the city ! for in one hour is thy
abominations of the Papal harlot, judgment come,
and supported her by their authority in the times of her supre-
macy. They are brought forward as the subordinate parts in the
scene, to give consistency and completeness to the representa-
tion, as bewailing the fate of their partner in iniquity. " Alas,
alas I that great city Babylon, that mighty city ! for in one hour
is thy judgment come."

Babylon is constantly set forth in 11 Jnd the merchants of
the prophets as a great city. Thus the earth shall weep and
it ia said in Jeremiah, zxv. 29, when mourn over her ; f&r no
the destruction of the mystical Bab- man buyeth their merchan-
ylon is prophesied of, " For lo 1 1 be- diss any more.
gin to bring evil on the city which is called by my name ;" and
in laaiah, xiv. 31, " Howl, gate ; cry, city ; thou, whole
Palestina, art dissolved ;" and Isaiah, zxiv. 10, " The city of
confusion (or Babylon wliich being interpreted means confu-
sion) is brc^en down." The ecclesiastical rulers and chief men

l^^^^K-

Sll!

i I

^ hi /

148

of the mystical city are therefore designated merchants, in order
to preserre the consistency of the fi;;-nre. These merchants are
they who make a profit of the commerce of the place signified,
and they are here represented as bewailing her, becanse the
source of their gain was destroyed, " for no man bayeth their
merchandise any more."

12 3Tlc merchandine of Under th-i symbol of various arti-
goldf and tilver, and pre- cles oi merchandise, the covetoas-
cious ttones, and ofpearlit, ness and selfishness of the Papal ec-
andfine linen, and purple, closiastics is set forth. It is said of
and silk, and scarlet, and the woman, in chap. xvii. 4, " that
all thyine wood, and all she was arrayed in purple and Bctkt'
manner vessels of ivory, and let colour, and decked with gold and
all manner vessels of most precious stones, and pearls." Their
precious wood,and of brass ostentatious display of this gaudy
and iron, and marble. apparel, and the costly profusion of

-'' 13 Jind cinnamon, and their ornaments, united to a form of
odours, and ointments, and service eminently calculated to ex-
frankineense, and wine, cite and gratify the senses of man-
ami oil, andfinefiour, and kind, have proved some of the
wheat, and beasts, and strongest means by which they have
sheep, and horses, and cha- deluded and enslaved the minds of an
riots, and slaves, and souls ignorant and superstitions people.
of men. / ^i 'w; ^ - it {g truly a religion of sense, and no

wonder therefore, they should seek an object of worship in idols
of wood and of stone. This is the true essence of all idolatry,
to which sin the mind of man is peculiarly prone, the rejection
of the worship of an invisible God to beBtow it upon an object
cognizable to the senses of man : as the former elevates the soul
and lifts it up to the contemplation of a higher state of ezist-
•^vce ; so, in proportion, the latter debaseu and brutalizeiii it be-
aeath the level of the irrational creation. ^ ^ fiV-^iftJ vr -Ka?
' The catalogue of her merchandize is summed up with "slaves
and souls of men ;" the one pointing out her horrid traffic in the
slave trade, which all the treaties and exertions of this country
have never been able effectually to P'^ippress ; acd the latter, the
deeper responsibility they have incurred in the destruction of
men's souls, by their sale of indulgences, dispensations, and ab-

149

B, in order
ohants are
e signified,
ecause the
nyeth th«ir

wious artl-
covetoaa-
e Papal cc-

1 19 aaid of
ii. 4, " that
le and sear-
ith gold and
irlB." Their

this gaudy
profusion of

to a form of
ilated to ex-
isea of man-
ome of the
Ich they hare
le minds of an
tions people,
sense, and no
orship in idols
' all idolatry,
, the rejection
ipon an object
evates the soul
state of exist-
rutalizes it be-

ip vith "slaves
id traffic in the
of this country
i the latter, the
, destruction of
sations, and ab-

solutions. We think the mention of the rich articles of com*
merce in these two verses calculated to convey a true idea of
the splendour, luxury, and ostentation, that has ever been so
conspicuous in the magnificent seat of the Papal hierarchy.

But such wickedness was destined 14 ^nd the fruit$ that thy
to have its end : The termination of soul lusted after are c/e-
the career of thy prosperous iniquity parted from thee, and all
is at length arrived, and thy hideous things which were dainty
traffic can now no longer be toler- and goodly are departed
ated and prosecuted with impunity ; from, thee, and thou shall
for "the fruits that thy soul lusted af- find them no more at all.
ter are departed from thee," no more 15 The merchants of these
to return for ever. Thy gorgeous ap- things, which were made
parol, thy costly trappings, and thy rich,by her,»hall stand afar
blasphemous assumptions will not off for the fear of her tor-
avail to save thee from the burning ment,weeping and wailing.
anger of Him who jn^geth thee t 16 And saying, Mas,
And the merchants vvino formerly alas, that great city, that
trafficked in thee, are fain to stand teas clothed in fine linen,
afar off for the fear of thy torment, and purple, and scarlet,
weeping and wailing for thy disas- and decked with gold, and
trous plight— thy unmitigable tor- precious stones,and pearls.
ment— thy irremediable woe I Saying, '^ Alas, alas, that great
city, that was clothed in fine linen, and purple, and scarlet, and
decked with gold, and precious stones, and pearls I"

Her destruction is again declared 17 For in one hour so
to come in ooe ho)<.t . The figure of great riches is come to
a merchant city is still retained : nought. And every ship-
" And every shipmaster, and all the master, and all the com-
company in ships, and sailors, and pany in ships, and sailors,
as many as trade by sea ;" that is all and as many as trade by
who profited by her establishment, sea, stood afar off.
and trafficked In her abominations, 18 Aifd cried when they
converting her iniquity into gain ; saw the smoke of her fi >rn-
are represeuted as contemplating ing, saying What city is
and sjrmpathising in her direful like unto this great city !
downfall ; for her ruin ia perfected, 19 And they ctut duet on
her fate hopeless; "and they cried their head, and crUd,wtep-

\ ':X

"ft-r*^f,

^«'».'M

2:ii

i !

l&O

ittg attd wailingf sayingf when they saw the smoke of her
jiUUf alaSf that great eity^ burning, saying, Wliai city is like
wherein were made rich all unto this great ciW 1" Thns it is
that hadthipein the $eaby written in the Prophet Isaiah : "AvA
reaeon of her cottlinees/or the streai is thereof shall be torneii
in one hour i§ ehe made imo pitch ; and the dust thereof intt:
deeolate. ^^ brimstone, and the land ihali becom^it

burning pitch. It shall not be quenched, night nor daj ; the
smoke thereof shall go up for ever^ from generation to genera-
tion it shuU lie waste ; none shall paas through il for ever and
ever." tt is well worthy of remark, how often in Ibis chapter
the ex:,)res£ia.a occurs, that in oae hour her visitation cometh ;
by which repet^aon, ap; assuredly conveyed, the f&arful iibrupt-
ness with which judf^ieat will overtake the Papal apoatacy ;
and in one consummaiintr act of God b vengeance, she shall be
laid prostrate in frightfui r<jlu, in irretrievable desolation. »?^V
20 Rejoice over her^thou There is no sympathy in he&ven
heavenf and ye holy apot' with her downfall, no commiserating
ties and prophets ; for pity heard from the apostles and
€rod hath avengai you an martyrs there, but a shout of nnmin-
/:')-. gled triumph at her misery : her sins

have reached up into the heavens, and her judgment is true and
righiaouB ; for she had shed the blood of martyrs and of saints^
and Go 1 hath now heard their cry for retribution npon her, and
hath avenged them. How shall we compare the holy exulta-
tion of these apostles and prophets when she is thus judged,
wit'h the affected clemency of our rational and liberal reli-
gionists whose complacency and enlightened liberality would
purely induce them to extend the right hand of fellowship to
Satan himself, seeing that they are so willing to offer it to his
prime minister and his chief representative ? Surely the concln-
siot. 13 irresistible ; that in so far as we cannot cordially sympa-
thise vith the song in heaven, so far are we removed from that
standard of purity and holiness which undoubtedly they have
attauaed unto. It is an .^iccursed tiling, a damnaUe apostr.' y,
black with iniquity agairRt Heaven, bloated with wtokedt.'«
and blasphemy, and ripe ov destmotioni for whom /ay l^ a
crime, and mercy high treason against Christ th« Kin^,

151

This rerse reproMnts tho riolence 21 ^nd a mighty angel
And completeneM of her destruction, took up a ttone like a great
Whht figure coald be more express- milltioiUj and ca$t it into
irt: ^ What restige woald remain ? the mo, eaying, Thut with
W'm>. memento left behind of a mill- violence shall that great
aim'h ASt into the capacious sea? city Babylon be thrown
Thf. language is taken from the Pro- down, and thall be found
phet Jeremiah, li. 63, after enlarg- no more at all.
ing upon the orerthrow of the mystical Babylon, which he sums
V }j hy declaring that " it shall be cut off, that none shall re-
main in it, neither man nor beast ; but that it shall be desolate
for ever :** the prophet instructs Seraiah, when he has made an
end of reading this book, to bind a stone to it and cast it into
the midst of Euphrates ; and he adds, " Thou shalt say. Thus
shall Babylon sink, and shall not rise from the evil that I will
bring upon her. " •'

How solemnly impressive is this 22 .4nd the voice ofharp-
deacriptionl how expressive of that en, and muncian$, and
dreary waste, that desolate solitude, of pipers, and trumpeters,
which shall exist in lands where now shM be heard no more at
only is heard the busy hum of men, all in thee ; and no crafts-
an eagerly engaged in the pursuit man, of whatsoiever craft
of some perishable worldly object 1 Ae be, thall be found any
Who, that reads this affecting pass- moreinthee; and the sound
age, but feels an unconscious sadness of a milstone shall be heard
steal over his mind, at the melan- no more at all in thee :
choly condition which sin haa entail-
ed on mankind, the awful consequen-
ces attending a departure from the
living and true Gh)d 1 A few short
years, and what a change will be ex- and of the bride shall be
hibited in Europe 7 Human nature heard no more at all in
may shrink at tha picture herein des- thee ; for thy merchants
cribed : but faith exclaims, "Great were the great men of the
and marvellous are thy works. Lord earth ; for by thy sorceries
God Almighty ; just a^ai true are were all nations deceived.
thy ways, thou Kicg of saints." We cannot refrain from quot-
ing the parallel passage in the Prophecies of Isaiah, describing

23 And the light of a
candle shall shine no more
at all in thee; and the
voice of the bridegroom

111

I i

I I
)

I ■

152

the same event ; and, in equall/ affecting and aublimo teraif ,
he sets forth the utter desolation that shall come upon the land
ofldumea, or Europe (chap, xxxiv. 11); "But the cormorant
and the bittern shall possess it ; the owl also, and the raven
shall dwell in it ; and he shall stretch out upon it the line of
confusion, and the stones of emptiness. They shall call the no-
bles thereof to the kingdom, bi t none shall be there, and all her
princes shall be nothing. And thorns shall come up in her pa-
laces, nettles and brambles in the fortresses thereof ; and it shall
be a habitation of dragons, and a court for owls. The wild
beasts of the desert shall also meet with the wild beasts of the
island, and the satyr shall cry to his fellow ; the screech owl
also shall rest there, and find for herself a place of rest. There
shall the great owl make her nest, and lay and hatch, and ga-
ther under her shadow ; there shall t^ o 'iltures also be gather-
ed, every one with her mate."

Thus complete shall be Babylon's Icsuucc'cu 1 Where there
is now fertility and beauty, decked in natuivVs loveliest garb,
behold ! barrenness, and the wildness of dreary solitude. The
song of mirth, the festal dance, the hour of careless joy, shall be
succeeded by a frightful silence, interrupted only by the discor-
dant notes of nature's wildest creatures ; the hideous echo, re-
verberating through the dismal waste, a<.Ming to the gloomy hor-
rors of the scene. The perpetual conteniluns for wealth, the
unceasing struggles for honourable distinctions, the pride of
pomp, the splendour and circumstance of rank, the brilliancy
of talent, ah I where is it all ? Passed away for ever ? Wealth
has no owners, coronets have no claimants . they lie tarnished
and unnoticed; sceptres unchallenged, for there are none to
contend for them ; kingdoms and thrones, but, behold, there are
none found to fill them : and thus will the land exist, a dread-
ful record to after-ages, that, though God is gracious and full
of tenderness and compassion, yet man's iniquity can arrive at
ripeness, and God's long suffering patience hath a limit.

24 jind in her was found In this verse, it is declared, that
the blood of prophets, and in her was found the bipod of pro-
of saints, and of all that phetsand of saints, and of all that
were slain upon the earth, wore slain upou the earth. Thus t^

the
to

153

ime Urmt,
>n the land
cormorant
i the raren
the line of
call the no-
and all her

► in her pa-
and it shall

The wild
easts of the
screech owl
rest. There
tch, and ga-
be gather -

Where there
iveliest garb,
»litade. The
joy, shall be
J the discor-
)U8 echo, re-

> gloomj hor-
wealth, the

the pride of
the brilliancy
ver? Wealth
lie tarnished
axe none to
lold, there are
xist, a dread-
ioua and full
can arrive at
, limit.

ieclared, that
blQod of pro-
ud of ail that
xth. Thus ^"'

found, in chap. vi. 11, that the martjn under the Pagan perse-
cutions were told " they should rest yet for a little season, until
their fellow serrants also, and their brethren, that should be
killed as they were, should be fulfilled ;" which we explained to
refer to the Papal persecutions; and haying filled up the cup of
her iniquity, she is judged for the blood she has shed, and which
is found contained in her.

We hare,. in the first eight verses Chap, xix.-^^nd after
of this chapter,a procession of praise then thing$ I heard a great
and thanksgiving for the destruction voice of much people in
with which Qod has at length visit- heaven, taying Alleluia ;
ed " the great whore, which did cor- Salvation, and glory, and
rupt the earth with her fornication ;" honour and power, unto the
proceeding, as we are informed, Lord our God. ^ .^
verse 6, from " all the servants of 2 For true and righi"
Qod, both small and great." It is eous, are hit judgment i ;
the fulfillment of Jeremiah's prophe- for he hath judged the great
cy (chap. Hi. 4*7, 48) ; " Therefore, whore^ which did corrupt
behold, the days come that I will do the earth with ker/omica-
judgment upon the graven images of tion, and hath avenged the
Babylon ; and her whole land shall blood of his servants at her
be confounded ; ana all her slain hand.
shall fall in the midst of her. Then 3 And again, they said,
the heaven and the earth, and all Jilleluia. And her smoke
that is therein, shall sing for Baby- rose up for ever and tver.
Ion." The song contained in these first three verses, fs that of
the church on earth, though the apostle heard the song in heo •
ven. Thus it is written, Isaiah xxiv. 13 — 16 ; after describing
the utter desolation wihich shall come upon the city of confusion
in that day of God's vengeance, it is added, — " When thus it
shall be in the midst of the land among the people, there shall
be as the shaking of an olive tree, and as the gleaning grapes
when the vintage is done. They shall lift up their voice, they
shall sing for the majesty of the Lord, they shall cry aloud from
the sea. Wherefore glorify ye the Lord In the fires, even the
name of the Lord God of Israel in the isles of the sea. From
the uttermost parts of th^ „".. Lh have we heard aongs, even glory
to the tigf teotts." There will l>e some, therefore, even on earth

(( !

'■ ;

who thall exalt with a boly Jdf tii tike lilts^rabTe dofi^rill of Ba-
bylon ; and ihall echo back the song of triamph that proceeds
from the hearenl j host, " saying, Alleluia I Salration, and gtory
and honour, and power ul ai the Lord our Qod, for true and
righteous are his judgments." If the reader > , ouv '^t those who
still dreams of the Sonrishing condition of the chnreh, let him
try his opinion by this test. Where is this holy indignation now
to be found 7 Docs he reply, he also is anilous for the rdmoral
of the Papal sur brstition ; but it Is by the dzh.'vition of the true
light, in ordf p that their darkness might sink beneath its beams*
^^ h t reader, where dost thou find that blodd, and fire, and pesti-
lent") and fr.mine, and the instruments of the Gospel missionary 7
We read, IL^t the harlot of Babylon has blood given her to drink
because «\8 has shed the blood of saints ; that her body is con-
sumed and burned with unquenchabl<« fire ; and We shall here-
after see, that all that adhere to her, and the infidel beast, are
slain '7ith the sword of Him that sat upon the horse, and all the
fowls were filled with their flesh." But there shall be some,
who, in that day, are found to give praise to God ; and if the^
are not to be found in the present liberal professing church, God
will be at no loss to gather in the high ways and hedges to give
the glory due unto his great and holy name. We doabt not
there is still a rich harvest to be gleaned amongst such outcasts,
who will present to God abundant fruits from the good soil of
an honest heart.

4 Jlnd the four and We have endeavonred to shew, in
twenty elder* and the four our comment on chaps, iv. and r.,
heatte fell down and wor- that the fonr-and-twenty elders and
shipped God that tat en the living creatures represent the
theihrone, saying f J -im! church in heaven; and they are
JlUeluia. ; here described as uniting In an act

5 Jind a voice came out of worship to God that sat upon the
ofthethrone,saying,Praiu throne. A voice proceeded from the
our G')d, all yi his servants throne, calling "on all the servants
and *j€ that fear him^ both at Qod, both small and great," to
tittall and great. join in a simultaneous ascription of
' Q And I heard ca it were praises and thanksgivings to God,
the voice of a great muVl- because he had answered the phtyers

if «-:

downfall of Bft-
}h that proceed!
atlon, and glory
)d, for tme and
mv '>f tboie who
church, let him
indignation now
for the romoral
ition of the trne
ineath its beams*
id fire, and peati-
gpel missionary T
liven her todrinlc
her body is con-
id we shall here-
nfldel beast, are
lorse, and all the
) shall be some,
Qod; andifthev
sing charch, Qod
id hedges to give
, We doubt not
l(8t such outcasts,
a the good son of

mred tO §hew, In
laps. IT. and r.,
wenty elders and
a represent the
and they are
miting in ah act
that sat upon the
roceeded from the
i all the sertants
.11 and great," to
lous ascription of
iSgiyingS to Qod,
iwered the pfrayera

of the martyrs, and had judged thai tudt, ami at fht voice of
corropt harlot, who was so deeply many tooicrt, and a$ the
imbned with their blood. "Hhall voice of mighty thunder'
not Qod avenge hti own elect, which ing; easing, Alleluia : for
cry day and night unto him, though the Lord Ood omnipotent
he bear long with them ? I tell you reigneth. •T'^'^ '

that be> will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son
of Man Cometh, ahall he find faith on the earth?" (Luke xviii.
7, H :) In this passage in the Qospel, the church is represented
under the symbol of a widow, crying to Qod for vengeance,
whose long suffering mercy, ever unwilling to inflict judgment,
is presented under the figure of an unjust judge, whose tardiness
hath the appearance of iujustice, though not so in reality. We
see wlien the judgment is consummated,—" when the Son of Man
Cometh ;" which truth, we shall find as we proceed, is enlarged
on in the sequel of this xixth chapter of Revelation. The church
in heaven are continually presented in this prophecy as antici-
pating the judgment of Babylon ; for they knew when her time
should arrive, that then " the Lord Qod omnipotent reigneth,"
and that the snints should possess the kingdom.

If the ohar> i were not immersed 7 Let w be glad and re'
in the grob<iest blindness and igno- joke; and give honour to
ranee of the parpoaes of God as re- him ; for the marriage of
vealed in his word, we should not the Lamb it come^ and hit
find that tolerance and complacency wife hath made hertelf
now ripened into confederacy with ready.
the abominable thing which the Lord 8 And to her was granted
hateth. To listen to th<) proposals that she should be arrayed
of an enemy, would be regarded as in fine /tnen, clean and
high treason against an earthly white ; for the fine linen it
king: Ohrist's faithful servants ought the righteoutnets of taintt.
cordially to hate Ghrist's enemies. If Satan can but secure a
parley, he has half entangled his victim. The present church
is steeped in this spirit of iilMraiity and toleration of Ghrist's
enemies; fostering the deception, by imagining it proceeds
from superior charity, and a more merciful and compassionate
dispositicm of mind. This deep delusion has entirely arisen from
neglecting the prophetic word of Ood. If men will not look

H i

i I

156

Into his rerealed will, thejr will oeccsiarily follow Ui« corru|it
bent of their own deprared he«rta, and thai mbjeet themMWtt
to be taken captive hj Satan at hii will. The whole company
of the elect church in heaven and earth are described as saying,
" Let tts be glad and rejoice, and give honour to Ood." Tme
holiness is that which most closelj assimilates, and most cor-
dially acquiesces in the will and purposes of Ood, whatever they
may be ; and every sentiment of the heart that rises in opposi-
tion, however it may recommend itself to the natural man, it so
far opposed to the standard of true piety, and is to be unhesita-
tingly condemned as rebellion against Ood. Ood only is good,
and everything out of him, or opposed to his will, is only evil.
Implicit obedience, unconditional submission, and conformity to
the mind and will of Ood, alone can be regarded as true piety,
and every pretension to its possession that falls short of this, is
either wilful hypocrisy or satanic delusiou. " The marriage of
the Lamb is come, and the bride is arrayed in fine linen, white
and clean ;" that is, decked in her priestly garments of righte-
ousness with which her Lord hath clothed her, and now appear-
eth clean and bright in all her loveliness and beauty.

9 And he ioith unto me. As St. John was formerly directed
Writtt Ble$$ed are they to write chap. xiv. 13, '* Blessed are
tohich are called unto the the dead which die in the Lord, from

henceforth ; so now he is instructed
to "Write, Blessed are they which
me, Thete are the true are called unto the marriage supper
Mayings of God. of ihe Lamb." The period has arriv-

10 Jnd I fell at his feet ed that Daniel pronounced blessed,"
to worship him. And he in which he is promised to stand in
said unto me, See thou do his lot at the end of the days ; and
t^ not: I am thy fellow blessed will all those be who are
servant^and of thy brethren made participators in the same. The
that have the testimony of xlvth Psalm contains the key to un
Jesus; worship God; for derstanding the expression "the
the testimony of Jesus^is marriage supper of the Lamb,"where'
the spirit of prophecy. in Christ is represented as unitin
his church to himself, under the symbol of a bride. In the xlvitb
and xlriiith Psalms she is set forth under the emblem of a city

marriage supper of the
Lamb. And he saith unto

ow ih* corrupt
jeei themMlTtf
whole company
ribed m Mjing,
to God." True
, and moit cor-
l, what«Ter they

risei in opposU
itural man, ii so
I to be unheaita-
od only ii good,
ill, ia only eril.
td conformity to
ed aa true piety,
I ahort ofthia, ia
The marriage of
ine linen, white
rmenta of righte-
and now appear-
sauty.

ormerly directed
3, "Blessed are
in the Lord, from

he ia instructed
are they which
marriage aupper
period has arrir-
iounced bleaaed,"
kised to stand in
Bf the days ; and
lose be who are
in the same. The
ns the key to un-
expression " the
the Lamb,"where
lented as uniting
ide. InthezlYith
emblem of a city

167

In tho ApdealypM bofti tbeie are taken up and blended together,
significant of the redeemed church, and their bearenly dwelling-
place ; the house not made with hands, eternal in the hearens,
and hereafter to be rerealed on the earth, when the kingdom
of heaven shall be established here. St. John would hare wor-
ahipped the interpreting angel ; but he was prcTcnted, with
the assurance that he was not an object of worship, for be waa
of John'a fellow-servants, and of his brethren, who had the tes-
timony of Jesus, for " the testimo:;^ of Jesus is the spirit of pro-
phecy." With such a declaration before ns, how awfully impi-
ous does the conduct of those individuals appear who discourage
the study of that portion of Qod's word, and who prefer its re-
maining a sealed, and therefore unprofitable book, rather than
search into the mysteries it contains, and especially of this pro-
phecy, which was given with the express assurance that the
sayings of this Book were not to be sealed, (chap. i. 3 ; xxii.
10.) Surely if the spirit of prophecy be the testimony of Jesus
such men are resisting the Holy Qhost, and to them may be ap-
plied the awful words of our Lord, in Matt, xxiii. 13, " that they
shut up the kingdom of heaven against men ; for they neither
go in themselves, neither suffer they them that are entering to
go in." With this verse ends the explanatory history of the seals
or Western branch of the Roman Empire, during the operation
of the seventh vial,having brought it down to the consummation
of all things in this present dispensation.

.4 V

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158

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gii.v.

t ■ » - ■■ *-'' ', < ■' . ♦■ •" *

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itJ-fr V-4**^ *'t''*l^

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y i -M<-'..'i}.. *iv«^'"r-*-J,l»^

.«, .J. t> ;.-jk?^ -..-.

o ,„ ^.. .i^>...ii».ii'j(ii,li

CHAPTER XTX.

!«**►♦ i4 .^»* ,-»»i*i*f^^

The commoncemont of the explanatory history of the Eastern
Branch of the Empire, during the Period of the Seventh Ylal.

11 jiad J saw heaven Haywo considered the angel's ex-
openedy and behold a white planatory vision, wherein the history
horee ; and he that $at up- of the western branch of the Roman
on him was called Faith/id empire is brought to its termination,
and True^ and in right- the ten-kingdoraed city of Babylon
eoutneM he doth judge and finally overtlurown and judged, and
make war. the announcement given, that the

marriage of the Lamb is come, the scene of the Apocalyptic
drama shifts from contemplating the Western to the Eastern
branch of the Roman Empire, because the grand battle of Ar-
mageddon takes place in the land of Judea (Dan. xL 44, 46 ;
Zech. xiv. 2) ; when Christ himself is revealed against that eon-
federation of the kings of the earth on Mount Olivet, Zech. xiv.
4, and Jerusalem and the land of Judea (comprehended in the
Eastern division of the Roman Empire) becomes the chief seat,
the metropolitan centre of the millennial reign of Christ over
the earth.

The explanation therefore of the interpreting angel must be
regarded, from this verse as referring to the grand events which
are to happen within the boundaries of the Eastern branch of the
Roman Empire ; and it will be found by our interpretation, that
whilst the former explanatory history from chap. xvii. was ex-
clusively confined to that of the Western, (in which the Gtentile
dispensation was brought to a close,) this as scrupulously is lim-
ited to that of the Eastern, the seat of the new dispensation of
things, which Christ will establish after the ^-*''nent shall have
been swept away. This sublime portion of the vision eommences
with the declaration of the Apostle, that "he saw heaven itself
opened, and behold a white horse ; and he that sat upon him

^ii;;

159

WAS called FaithftUftad True, and ia rigbteouaneBs he doth judge
and make war."

We bave here a fifth horse and rider presented in the Apoc-
aljpse, a symbol of imperii^ power and of eonquesi. Thin is a
magnificent symbdlc representation of the second coming of
Christ, when he shall appear as a man of war, taking Tengeanoe
upon his enemies (Is. Ixiii. 1-— 3). It can apply to none other,
for of him alone can it be said, that he was " faithful and true,"
a title which Ghrist appropriates to himself in the character of
UniTersal Bishop, in which this vision first presented him to otir
Attention (see chap. L 6, iii. 7—14 ; John xir. 6). This and the
following verses contain an enlargement of that grand event
whieh was declared to be the object of the revelation expressed
in the title, the if ocu^tpsi or jisds chkibt : " Behold He com-
eth with clouds, and every eye shall see him, and they also which
pierced him : and all kindredi of the earth shall wail because of
him. Even so, amen." It is a more detailed description of that
mighty act of the coming of the Lord to judgment, found in
every prophet in the Inspired volume. Though the representa-
tion be symbolical, yet the event predicted must be real, and
describes his personal bodily coming, because the God-man,
Ghrist Jesus, is united to human nature for ever. The actings
of Jesus Gbriflt, therafore must be thoee, of a man ; the God-
head acting in the glorified man, Ghrist. " In righteousness he
doth judge and make war." Thus it is written in Ps. xlv. 3, 4 ;
" Gird thy sword upon thy thigh, most mighty, with thy glory
and thy majesty. And in thy majesty ride prosperously, because
of tmth, and meekness, and righteousness \ and thy right hand
shall teach thee terrible things."

Every characteristic of this rider 12 Hi$ eyei wtre a$ a
on the horse corresponds with des- Jlame o/firef and on his
criptions and titles applied to Christ head toere many croums ;
in the sacred volume. Thus " his and he had a name writttn
eyes were as a flame of fire " agrees thcU no man knew but he
with the vision of our Lord which the himulf. ^
Apostle saw at the commencement of this revelation (c^>ap. i.
14), and wliich expression Christ applies to himself, as Son of
God, when addressing the aagel of the church at Tbyatira (chap.

160

ill '

ii. 1«) : " On his head were matiy crowns ;" by which is conrey-
ed the truth, that the crowns have passed from. the earthly sover-
eigns in consequence of their apostacy, and now rest only with
him who is King of kings. It signifies his coming to take pos-
session of his kingdom, the purchased inheritance. The king-
doms of this world are now become the kingdoms of our Lord
and his Christ. "He had a new name that no man knew but
he himself;" which new name Christ promises to him that over-
cometh, in the Philadelphian church ; " And I will write upon
him my new name." (chap. iii. 12.)

13 Jind he tms clothed In Psalm criii. 10, it is written,
with a vesture dipt in blood « Who will bring me into the strong
and hi$ name is eaUed, ITie city, who will lead me into Edom
Word of God. (orBoroy.)? wilt notthon, God?"
This is spoken of Christ ; and we find the prophet Isaiah celebrat-
ing his return from Edom, after inflicting vengeance on the land.
" Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments i^om
Bozre h ? this that is glorious in his apparel, travelling in the
greatness of his strength ? I that speaketh in righteousness,
mighty to save. Wherefore art thou red in thine apparel, and
thy garments like him that treadeth in the wine-fat ? I have
trodden the wine-press alone, and of the people there was none
with me : for I will tread them in mine anger, and trample them
in my fury ; and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my gar-
ments, and I will stain all my raiment : for the day of vengeance
is in mine heart, and the year of my redeemed is come." This
is Christ,as a man of war,covered with the blood of his enemies.—
" And his name is called the Word of God." If we were at any
loss in ascertaining who the rider on the white horse represent-
ed, the title in these words would resolve any doubt that could
exist ; for the same Apostle informs us in his Gospel (John i. 1)
" In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God ;" and afterwards, that " the Word was
I t.ade flesh and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the
glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and
iruth."

14 Jlnd the armies which Every prophecy of Cbrist's mani-
were in heaven followed festation for judgment is almost Ir-

ifl conrey-
rthly soter-
t only with
;o take poe-
The king-
»foar Lord
L knew but
a. that over-
write upon

ia written,

the strong
into Edom

on, God?"
iah celebrat-

1 on the land,
ixments f^om
illing in the
ighteousness,
apparel, and
"at? I have
ere was none
xample them
pon my gar-
of vengeance
lome." This
is enemies.—

were at any
•se represent-
)t that conld
el (John i. 1)
as with God,
le Word was
is glory, the
of grace and

nrist's mani-
is almost ir-

16)

variably accompanied with the pre-
diction that his saints shall come with
him. Thns we learn from Jade 14,

him upon vhitt kortts,
clothed in fine linen, Vfhite
and clean.

" that Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied, saying
Behold the Lord cometh with ten thousand of bis saints, to exe-
cute judgment upon all ;" and in the prophet Zechariab, xiv. 6,
when prophesying of Christ's appearance, when h«s feet sball
stand in that day upon the Mount of Olives, described in this
chapter of the Apocalypse, " And the Lord my God shall come,
and all the saints with thee." They were clothed in fine linen,
white and clean ; which has been explained (ver. 8) by the in-
terpreting angel to mean the righteousness of saints. That the
saints shall assist in that great day of wrath is evident from
Psalm cl. 6—9 : " Let the saints be joyful in glory ; le^ them
sing aloud upon their beds. Let the high praises of God be in
their mouths, and a two-edged sword in their hands ; to execnto
vengeance upon the heathen, and punishments upon the people ;
to bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of
iron ; to execute upon them the judgment written : this honour
have all bis saints. Praise ye the Lord."

We have before observed, that, 15 Jtnd out of his mouth
though the event here predicted is a goeth a sharp sivord, that
reality, yet the method of its presen- with it he should sr^J*? the
tation to the Apostle is in strict con- nations : and he sha:. rule
formity to the general character of them with a rod of iron t
the book, which is that of a symbo- and he treaieih the wine-
Ileal prophecy. We read, Eph. vi. 17, press of the f-«Tceness and
" The sword of the Spirit, which is wrath of Almighty God.
the word of God ;" and again, Heb. iv, 12, "For the word of
God is quick and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged
sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit,
and of joints and marrow." That stich power of the sword of
'.he Spirit, proceeding out of the mouth of Christ, is not limited
to a spiritual meaning, we refer to St. John, xviii. 6, where it is
recorded, that as soon as Christ announced himself to Judas, and
the band who went out to take him, " they went backward and
fell to the g jund." "And he shall rule them with a rod of
iron ;" as it is declared in Psalm ii. 7, " Thou art my Son, this

! ;

I 1

Ui2

day have I begotten thee. Ask of me, and I shall gire tb«e the
heathen for thine inheritance; and the uttermoit parts of the
earth for thy poBsession. Thou shalt break them with a rod of
iron, thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's Tessel." In
chap. xiT. 19, we learn that the rine of the earth (which, in our
comment on that text, we saw was the Ohristian church), was
cast into the great winepress of the wrath of God, which was
trodden until '' blood came out of the winepress, even unto the
horses' bridles." We can be at no loss in finding a parallel to
th<^ truth contained in this verse, as we find it declared, in Isaiah
ixiii. by Him « that speaketh in righteousness, mighty to save,*'
" / have trodden the winepress alone, and of the people there
vraa none with me." " For I will tread them in mine anger, and
trample them in my fury .'I

16 Jnd he h(Uh on hi$ We cannot pretend to determine
vesture and on hit thigk a whether the designation, contained
7iame written^ kino or in this verse, is the new name refer-
KiKGs, AND LORD or red «,o in verse 12 ; but it is evident-
LORDS. ly a title indicative of that assump-
tion of Ohrist's king'y power, which is the object of the entire
prophecy. It conveys the same dignity as that title contained
in chap. i. 5 : "And from Jesus Christ, the Prince of the kings
of the earth."

17 jlnd I saw an angel We have considered the sun as an
standing in the sun ; and emblem of imperial power, wherever
he cried with a loud voicef it occurs ; and in this verse it refers
saying to all the fowls that to the ascendant power at the time.
fly in the midst of heaven. The prophecy alludes to an angei
Cojne and gather your- placed in the sun, from whom pro-
selves together unto the ceeds the call to the fowls of heaven.
supper of the gr.at God. This angel appears to be iutroducod

18 That ye may eat the by way of preserving the propriety
fitsh of kings, and the flesh of the symbol, as it would be in con-
ofcapiainff and the flesh sistent with the uniform accuracy of
of mighty men, and the symbolical language for a voice to
flesh of horses, and of them proceed from the sun. The combined
that sit on them, and the symbol represents the same individ-
flesh of all men, both free ual alluded to in chap. xvii. 11, " the

16^

gUe tbee the
parts of th«
wl\h a rod of
retael." In
Fhich, In our
ihorch), wan
i, which wa»
ren unto the
Bk parallel to
tred, in Isaiah
hty to save,'*
people there
le anger, and

to determine
on, contained
w name refer-
t it is evident-
that assnmp-
of the entire
itle contained
^e of the kings

the snn as an
wer, wherever
verse it refers
jr at the time,
to an angei
m whom pro-
awls of heaven,
be introduced
the propriety
ould be Incon-
rm accuracy of
for a voice to
The combined
game individ-
.xvil.lt, "the

eighth head of the beast, who is yet and 6and, MA 9m(Ul tmd
of the seven, U> wlmvi the ten kings great.
shall agree to givt, their kingdoms, 19 Jnd I $aw tk* 6«ul,
antil the words of God be fulfilled." and the kings of the earthy
No question can arise as to this iden- m$id thtir armift, gathered
tity with the eighth head ; for in the together to twice war
14th verse of the same chapter it is against him that tat on the
expressly said, ^^I%ue shall make horte and against his arwiy
war with the Lamb." It is worthy of observation, that a similar
transition in the symbols takes place in the verses before ns, as
that which occurred in the fourth and fifth vial, in the xvi th
chapter ; which we interpreted, in that instance, to refer to Na-
poleon Bonaparte, the first form of the infidel Antichrist. So in
the present case the last personification of the infidel Antichrist
is represented first under the symbol of the imperial sun (ver.
17); and immediately afterwards, in verse 19, under a similar
designation of a beast. It is evident, therefore, from this passage
compared with the xvii th chapter, that it is this eighth head of
the beast, who shall be in being, and possess the ascendancy
over the kingdoms of the Roman earth, and head this last confe-
deracy of the kings of the earth, an(^ their armies, against the
Lamb, and those that are with him (chap. xvii. 14) ; or, as it is
written in our text (ver. 19), " And I saw the beast and the kings
of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war
against him that sat on the horse, and against his army." This
is the final confederacy of the kings of the earth, mf ntioned in
Psalm ii. : " The kings of the earth set themselves, ^nd the
rulers take counsel together, against the Lord, and u^ainst his
anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast
away their cords from us. He that sitteth in the heavens shall
laugh ; the Lord shall have them in derision. Then shall he
speak unto them ; Iiis wrath, aud vex them in his so;e displea-
3ure." Then follows the result of this combination to oppose
the Lord's anointed, as shortly expressed in this Psalm, but as
detailed at more length in the following chapter of this Rcvela-
lion, "Yet have I set my King upon my holy bill of Zion." The
fearful carnage that shall attend this last conflict, called (chap,
xvi. 16) the battle of Armagedd n, is continuully prophesied of

I .\ >

■, : 1

V Kv

164

in Scripture, under various imagiry. It is here Mt forth «• ** tkt
supper of the great Qod." So also in Etelc. zzxiz. IT— 20: "And
thon Son of Man, thus saith the Lord Qod ; Speak onto eTery
feathered fowl, and to every beast of the field, Assemble jonr-
selves, and come ; gather yourselves on evcrj side to my laeri-
fice, that I do sacrifice for you, even a great sacrifice upon the
mountains of Israel, that ye may eat flesh, and drink blood. Ye
shall eat the flesh of the mighty, and drink the blood of the prin-
ces of the earth, of rams, of lambs, and of goats, of bullocks, all
of Uiom fatlings of Bashan. And ye shall eat fat till ye be fall,
ar>d drink blood till ye be drunken, of my sacrifice whir h I have
m rificed for you. Thus ye shall be filled at my uMo with
horses and chariots, with mighty men, and with all men of war,
saith the I ord God."

Tl 'a no new thing for the human intellect to be so deadmed
uiid 3tupified, and man's heart to become so hard, as to fight
against the Almighty. Sennacherii^ and his host had audacity
enough to defy the living Qod ; and there perished in one awfhl
night 185,000 souls, a hecatomb to the oifended Majesty of heaven
(2 Kings xix. 35). Pharoah and the host of Egypt persisted in
their pursuit of the children of Israel, notwithstanding the God
of Israel looked upon them in anger from out of the cloud ; and
he and his host perished in the rash and nneqnal contest (Ezod.
ziv. 24). The final destruction of that wicked or lawless one,
•»-? iearn from 2 Thess. ii. 8, is reserved for Christ himself,
" whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth,
and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming ; even him,
whose coming is after the working of Satan, with all power and
signs, and lying wonders."

20 And the bectst was The beast, or last form of the in-
taketif and toith him the fidel Antichribt, who is the eighth,
false prophet that wrought yet of the seven, is the head and
miracles before him, with leader of the civil rulers anti anthori-
which he deceived them that ties of the Roman Empire, and the
had received the mark of false prophet of Rome, is the ac-
the beast, and them that knowledgedheadof the#cclesiastical
worshipped his image, estate, the apostate cbrirch of Ohris-
These both were cast alive tendom. It appears from the text,

165

b«fortt Qfl, thai although th« Papal into a lakt of fir % huminii
hierarchj, m aa ettabliahed charch, voUh brimttont.
it deiiroyed, and her inflaence annihilated, and th« Roman enpira
ranged, not nnder the spell of that auperstitioD, bat under their
infidel head ; yet, the false prophet has lingered oat his ezis-
tence, Ull the final csitastrophe. From this rerse we should
gather that the infidel king, after destroying the power of the
false prophet, as it now exists in the Papal hierarchy, obliges
him to act a part subordinate to the accomplishment of his own
ends ; for it is said^ " the false prophet wrought miracles before
him, with which he deceired them them that had the mark of the
beast, and them that worshipped his image." One delusion of
Satan invarlAbly leads to the adoption of others. Thus, those
who had submitted to the abominable superstitions of the Papacy
are found easy dupes to Satan's more subtile form of infidelity .
It was thus at the time of the French revolution, which we can-
not but regard in every respect, as a foreshewiag of that course
of events, contained under the seventh vial, about to be trans-
acted upon the European stage. It v as no difficult step, from
the blindest and most degrading superstition to the wildest
atheism that ever infatuated a race of men.—" They were both
cast alive into a lake of fire, burning with brimstone." It is
singular that these characters are both cast into the final state
of punishment before the Millennium ; the second death (chap,
XX. 14) ; whereas, we shall find Satan himself is cast only int
the bottomless pit, the lake of fire being reserved for his recep-
tion at the end of the Millennium (chap. xx. 10) This seem s
to [mark out the Infidel and Papal apostacy, as of a deeper dye
of wickedness, than that of Satan himself. There is something
remarkable in the expression, " they were taken alive, and caet
into the burning lake ;" as if Satan's mimicry of the truth, so
observable in every fabric of iniquity which he has raised upon
the earth, should receive a similarity iu the last great act. A s
the saints are changed without seeing death, so these apostates
are cast into the second death, without undergoing the common
lot of humanity.

Thus it is written of Christj the 2lJnd the remnant were
stem of Jesse, the Branch that shall slain with the sword of him

16^

; I

'ii

that uU uptm tl kontf grow oat of his roots, " He thaM
u^ick nuord proctededout smite the Darth with the rod of his
of hii mouih : and all the month, and with the breath of his
fowlt wrtJUUdwUk tk$ir lips shall he sli^^ the wioked-^CIsaiah
fitik. xi. 4.) The destractioD of this Anti-

ohcistian confederacy shiAl be complete, none shall escape. The
details of this fearfal day of the i jord are giren i^t more length
in tliB prophet Isaiah chap, xxziv : " Come near, ye nations, to
hear, and heiMrken, ye people : let the earth hear, and all that is
therein; the world, and all things that conie forth of it. For
the indignation of the Lord is upon all nations, and his ftiry
npon all' their armies ; he hath utterly destroyed them, he haUi
delivered them to the slaughter. Their slain also shall be cast
out, and their stink shall come up oat of their carcases, and the
monntains shall he melted with their blood. And all the host
of hearen shall be dissolved, and the heavens shall be rolled to-
gether 8s a scroll : and all their host ^ball fall down, as the leaf
falleth off from the vine, and as a falling fig from the fig tree. For
my sword shall be bathed in heaven : beheld, it shall come down
npon Idamea (or Europe), and upon the people of my curse, to
judgment. The sword of the Lord is filled with blood ; it is
made fat with fatness, and with the blood of lambs and goats,
with the fat of kidneys of rams ; for the Lord hath a sacrifice in
Bozrah; and a great slaughter in the land of Idamea,"

THUS INDBTH IBS VOUBTH MOIUBOBY OF DAHUL, TBI BOMAM IK-
PIBI, VIBST PAG AX, THM PAPAL, AVD, LA8TLT, INSIDSL. TBI TBHll
OOKLOUDIXO GBAPTIRS OF TBIS BOLY PBOPBBOT BILATI TO TBI BS-
TABLiaSaiBNT OF TBAT BBAVBHLT KUI«D01C, SPOKSN 01* IN TBI PRO-
V'dBT DANIBL, WBIOB IS TO LAST FOR IVKR ANU lYIR 1

John LoveU, PMnteiv
St. NictaolM Street. liontrMl.