Rome. Though the perfecution of the Chriftian church is the real caufe, why thefe plagues are brought upon Rome; though these are predicted in thofe fcriptures which Chriftians believe to be the word of God, yet, in all thefe, Chriftians are clothed in pure and white linen, for they entertain no revenge nor malice againft the votaries of Rome. Like their great master, they have often, with their dying breath, prayed for their perfecu

tors.

"Father forgive them, for they know not " what they do." They have no active hand neither intentionally nor even unintentionally in inflicting thefe plagues upon Rome, as shall appear in the commentary on the following chapter.

"And one of the four living creatures," (mentioned and explained in the commentary on chap. iv. 6, 7, 8,)" gave unto the feven angels fe

ven golden vials." The gofpel miniftry fhall, from the predictions of fcripture, explain these events to mankind before they happen. This is their duty, because this book, not being sealed, is a part of that inspired scripture, out of which they are to teach the church of Chrift. By this it is predicted that fome of the minifters of the gospel fhall, in fact explain thefe predictions.

"Thefe are golden vials full of the wrath of "God." By this hieroglyphic it is predicted that all these plagues fhall be poured out by measure. Though the vials are not all of a fize, every one of

them

them fhall be exactly fitted to the occafion, and shall be completely filled up. The nature, degree, and continuance of the calamity, shall all be as exactly fixed and determined by God, as the time of its commencement is. They are vials full of wrath. They are not, like the trumpets fent to alarm, rouse, and correct the church of Chrift; but are sent to punish Papal Rome as a collective body for her public iniquities. They are golden to fignify, at once, their ftrength and their purity, Vials of glafs are brittle, and eafily broken; but gold is ftrong and durable. These plagues fhall not be turned afide from Rome, nor fhall any part of them fall on any other kingdom.

They are pure judgements. They are wrath indeed; but it is not the wrath of man, which is influenced by and proceeds from paffion. It is the wrath of God, and therefore perfectly pure; and entirely free from every thing like paffion. They are great, public and terrible calamities; but not one of them is the effect of anger, revenge, or any other paffion. They all proceed from that divine juftice, which, with the most perfect exactnefs, affimilates and proportions the punishment to the tranfgreffion.

They are full of the wrath of God, who liveth for ever and ever. To him who liveth for ever, all times paft, prefent, and to come, are ever prefent. He can therefore, eafily predict these

plagues long before they happen; and he can inflict each of them in its proper time, however diftant they may be from one another. Between the firft and the laft of thefe plagues there fhall be nearly 1240 years; but to him, who liveth for ever, distance of time is nothing.

"And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power." When the tabernacle was confecrated by Mofes and Aaron, Exod. xl. 34. 35. "a cloud covered the "tent of the congregation, and the glory of God filled the tabernacle: And Mofes was not able to enter into the tent of the congregation, be"cause the cloud abode thereon, and the glory of "the Lord filled the tabernacle." And when the temple was confecrated by the priests, in the reign of king Solomon, 1 Kings viii. 10, 11,

"It

came to pafs when the priests were come out of "the holy place, that the cloud filled the house "of the Lord, fo that the priests could not stand to

minifter, because of the cloud, for the glory of "the Lord had filled the houfe of the Lord." In reference to thefe clouds, which filled the tabernacle and temple at their confecration, it is here faid the temple was filled with fmoke from the glory of God. The plain meaning of which hieroglyphic is, that all these perfecutions to which Chriftians are expofed during the wilderness state of the church, and all these plagues, which shall be

inflicted

inflicted upon Papal Rome, during that period, and which, at the end of it, fhall totally overthrow her, are the ways by which God prepares the fettled and glorious ftate of the millennium 40 prepares and confecrates the Chriftian church for that ftate; and thus builds up and confecrates the temple of the living God: In Eph. ii. 19,-22. Paul ftiles the collective body of Christians a boly temple in the Lord."

As Mofes could not enter into the tabernacle, nor the priests into the temple for the cloud, fo it is faid, here," no man was able to enter into the

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temple, till the feven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled." Though the temple as connected with the tabernacle, as in verfe 5, fignifies the wilderness ftate of the Chriftian church, yet › it is the temple in a very particular fituation. It is the temple fhut up. It was formerly fhewn that the tabernacle, with peculiar fitnefs, fignified the wilderness ftate of the church; because it was the place, in which the Jews ftatedly and publicly worshipped God fo long as they were in the wilderness and that the temple fignifies the setled and triumphant state of the church at the millennium; because the Jews worshipped in the temple in their fettled and profperous state in the land of Canaan. But as the pureft worship of God was performed in the temple, and as certain worshippers, who were not confidered as fo holy

as

as others, were not allowed to worship in the temple, but only in the outer court, called the court of the Gentiles; when, as in chap. xi. 1, 2, the outer court, and the holy city were given to the Gentiles for 1243 years, the temple and the altar were excepted; the meaning of all which is, that, during that period, the outward grandeur, extent, and magnificence of the church of Rome were fitly reprefented by the outer court and the holy city: But as the temple reprefents the pureft worship, though their grandeur might have been represented by the magnificence, yet their worship did not resemble, and therefore could not have been reprefented by the purity of the temple worship. But, on the other hand, though the purity of the worship of Chriftians, might have been reprefented by the purity of the worship in the temple, yet their perfecuted condition for thefe 1243 years, bearing no refemblance to the magnificence of the temple, nor to the fettled ftate of the Jews when they worshipped in it, the temple as a place of worship could not be the fymbol for the Chriftian church during that period.

What then fhall become of the temple as a fymbol, fince as an open place of worship, it accords neither to the ftate of the Christian church, nor to that of the church of Rome, during that period. It must be shut up; for the temple of

God