476 X. Reflections on the happiness of those who are sealed. shall dwell among SECT. service to him day and night in his temple; and sitteth on the throne he who sitteth upon the throne, pitches his taberRev. nacle, as it were, upon them, and displays the ger no more, neither ther shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. thirst any more; nei of the throne shall feed tains of waters: and VII. 16. tokens of his presence all around them. They 16 They shall hunshall hunger no more, neither shall they thirst any more, for ever; nor shall the scorching rays of the sun fall upon them, nor any other in17 convenient and disagreeable heat; For the 17 For the Lamb Lamb, who is in the midst of the throne, shall which is in the midst himself, as it were, own the relation of a them, and shall lead Shepherd to them, and take care to feed them, them unto living founand he shall lead them to fountains of living wa- God shall wipe away ter; and that God, whom they have faithfully all tears from their served, and whose interest has been so dear to eyes. them, shall act, as it were, the part of an indul gent Father, and tenderly wipe away every tear from their eyes; comforting them with the most reviving consolations, after all the calamities and distresses he has permitted them to endure below. IMPROVEMENT. Ver. How inexpressly happy are the thousands of those who are 4-8 sealed, those whom God has marked out for his own, and in that character, has taken them under his special protection. Whatever storms and tempests may arise, they are in no danger of being forsaken; they shall be preserved inviolably safe, and their happiness is secure. They shall be brought at length to join with the 9 innumerable multitude, who surround the throne, and ascribe, as all Israel must do, salvation to God who sitteth on the throne, and to the Lamb. And O! that the salvation of Israel were come out of Sion, that their praises might sound sweeter here on earth, and that myriads of new voices might unite in the harmonious concert. 12 Those songs of heaven let us begin below, and say, Amen: blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and 10 power, and might, be to our God for ever and ever; amen! If through his grace, we can call him our God, how cordially should we join in this sublime ascription! 14, 13 In the mean time, we may see the church in affliction; we may feel a large share of personal, or public tribulation; but, when it hardest presses upon us, let us lift up our eyes to that glo. rious scene which the apostle beheld, and which was so excellent and sublime, that it might well transport him, even under the tribulations through which he was then making his way to it. Let us persevere, steadily and faithfully, as they did; and the day will come, The vision of the seven angels with trumpets : 16 X. 477 come, when our robes shall be as white, and our crowns as radiant, SECT. and our palms as verdant as theirs. Let us then bear with patience, hunger and thirst, heat and weariness, while we travel through this vale of tears; rejoicing in hope of the everlasting refreshment and pleasure to which the Lamb will lead us; even those 17 fountains of living water, of which he will give us to drink, when God has wiped away all tears from our eyes, and placed us before his throne, where we shall serve him day and night in his temple, and 15 see his face, and dwell with him, and have him for ever dwell with us, and in us. Amen. SECT. XI. On the opening the seventh seal, the seven angels appear with their trumpets, and the four first of them sound. Rev. VIII. through out. REV. VIII. 1. AND when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour. 2 And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets. REVELATION VIII. 1. a SECT. xi. VIII. 1. THUS I have given an account of the man- a Silence in heaven.] Some are of opinion, bere is an allusion to the silence which used sometimes to be kept in the worship of God in the temple, while the people were praying, Luke i. 10.—I think, with Mr. Lowman, that the seventh seal was only introductory to the trumpets, and the seventh trumpet to the vials. b The seven angels which stood, &c. The manner in which this is expressed in the Greek, as agnes do, is very emphatical. It seems to signify the 478 xi. Rev. . And of an angel before the altar, with a golden censer : 3 And another angel came and stood at the altar, baving a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the pray 4 And the smoke of SECT. the seals. And while they were preparing to execute the orders they had received, another angel, whom I understood as a typical representaVIII. 3. tion of the great High Priest of the church, came and stood before the altar which I saw in this celestial temple, having a golden censer, and ers of all saints upon there was given to him much fragrant incense, the golden altar, which consisting of a variety of excellent perfumes was before the throne. mingled together, that he might present [it] with the prayers of all the saints, upon the golden altar which was before the throne; just as the Jewish high priest used to burn incense on the golden altar in the temple, while the people were praying in the courts of it, at the hour of 4 morning and evening sacrifice. And the smoke of the perfumes went up in a thick and odorifer- the incense which came ous cloud, together with the prayers of the saints, ascended up saints, from the hand of the angel as he stood be- before God out of the fore God; and seemed thereby emblematically angel's hand. to signify, how grateful to the Divine Being those prayers were, which proceeded from holy hearts, being recommended by the intercession of that great High Priest, whom this glorious angel had the honour, upon this occasion, to represent; as Aaron and his sons did in the Jew5 ish tabernacle of old. And when the angel had performed this office, in order to shew the awful manner in which God would avenge the injury which his praying people upon earth received from its tyrannical and oppressive powers, he took the censer, and advancing towards the brazen altar of burnt-offerings, he filled it with c With the prayers of all the saints.] Some have thought, that this is a plain intimation of the doctrine of the intercession of the angels, which is urged to have been an erroneous Jewish notion; and those who imagine it to be taught here, have made it an argument against the inspiration of this book. But I rather agree with those interpreters, who consider this angel as an emblem of Christ. If we were indeed to consider Christ as appearing in the shape of a lamb, this would be a diffi. culty; but it does not appear at all absurd to me, that while the efficacy of Christ's atonement was represented by a lamb slain, his intercession, consequent upon it, should be represented by an angel offering the incense; which seems only a symbolical, or hieroglyphical declaration of this truth, that the prayers of the saints on earth, are rendered acceptable to God by the interces sion of one in heaven, who appears as a priest before God: just as the vision of the fire with the prayers of the 5 And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the lamb represents to us, that a person of perfect innocence, and of a most gentle and amiable disposition, eminently adorned and enriched with the Spirit of God, has been offered as a sacrifice; and is, in consequence of that, highly honoured on the throne of God. But who this important Victim, and this Intercessor is, we are to learn elsewhere; and we do learn, that both these offices met in one, and that this illustrious Person is Jesus the Son of God. As the golden altar made a part of the scene, there was a proprity in its appearing to be used, and the time of praying was the hour of incense. This vision may probably be designed to intimate, that considering the scenes of confusion represented by the trumpets, the saints should be exceeding earnest with God, to pour out a spirit of wisdom, piety, and zeal, upon the church, and preserve it safe amidst these confusions. Who cast fire upon the earth, and it thundered, &c. into the earth: and 479 SECT. xi Rev. the altar, and cast it fire of the altar and threw it upon the earth; there were voices, and and as soon as ever this action was performed, thunderings, and light- there were long and terrible voices and thun. enings, and an earth- ders and lightenings, which seemed to break out VIII. 5, quake. from the Shechinah, the glorious token of the Divine presence; and there was also the sudden and violent shock of an earthquake, which seemed to shake the foundation of the world; And the seven angels, who had the seven trumpets, 6 stood out in order, and prepared themselves, that they might sound, as every one should receive the appointed signal; which hereupon was given to each in his order. 6 And the seven angels which had the se ven trumpets, prepar ed themselves to sound 7 The first angel lowed hail and fire And the first angel sounded his trumpet ; and 7 sounded, and there fol- there was a violent storm of hail and fire, and mingled with blood, the shower was also mingled with blood, and it and they were cast was cast down upon the earth, greatly to the upon the earth and detriment of its productions; and particularly, the third part of it seemed to me, that a third part of the trees were burnt up, and all the green grass of the field was also burnt and scorched up. (Compare trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up. 8 And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great moun Exod. ix. 23.) And the second angel sounded; and it was as 8 if a great mountain burning with fire, was cast tain into the sea; and it produced so great an altera With fire of the altar.] There was no fire upon the golden altar, but that which was in the censer, in which the incense was burnt; so that we must necessarily, by this fire of the altar, understand that of the brazen altar, though it is not expressly declared to be so; and this may intimate, that in some other places the same words may, by comparing different circumstances, have different ideas annexed to them. e Voices and thunders.] If the latter word be intended to explain the former it might be rendered, voices, even thunders. But if different ideas are to be annexed to the words, I must confess, that I know not what they are. Yet we may imagine some distinct articulate sounds different from thunder, to be mixed with it, like that which some of those present heard, John xii. 29. (Compare Isa. xxix. 6.) This representation may be intended to intimate, in general, the confusion and calamities, with which the period, expressed by the successive trumpets, should be filled, and the regard God would shew to his praying people during its continu ance. f Hail and fire mingled with blood.] tion Grotius explains this, of the hardness of ៩ Mountain burning.] Grotius explains this, of the soldiers' rapine upon the people of Jerusalem, and firing the towers; Mr. Mede, of the firing of Rome; Mr. Clark, of the spirit of ambition and pride among the clergy; Mr. Lowman, of the invasion of Italy by the northren nations and the taking of Rome by Alaric, general of the Goths, who plundered it and set it en fire, and this calamity was followed by the spoil of the greatest part of Italy, from A. D. 379, to A. D. 412. h There 480 The second and third angels sound. was cast into the sea. SECT. tion in the colour of the waters, that it seemed tain burning with fire xi. as if a third part of the sea became blood, which and the third part of I easily apprehended to signify the slaughter the sea became blood: VIII. 8. which should come upon many people by means Rev. of some victorious Prince, and those who 9 And the third 9 fought under his banner. And, as a further part of the creatures token of it, a third part of the creatures which which were in the sea, had animal life in the sea died, and a third part and had life, died; and of the ships were destroyed thereby, and the per- ships were destroyed. the third part of the sons sailing in them all perished. (Compare Jer. li. 25.) 10 10 "And the third upon the fountains of And the third angel sounded; and to represent some great destroyer that was to appear, and be angel sounded, and come very conspicuous, both for the mischief there fell a great star from heaven, burning he should occasion, and the ruin in which he as it were a lamp, and should be involved, there fell from heaven a it fell upon the third great star, burning like a torch; and it fell part of the rivers, and upon a third part of the rivers, and upon the waters. fountains of waters; to signify the influence which the Person represented by it should have upon human affairs, and upon those things that were the springs of comfort and support to 11 mankind. And, in reference to the effect it of the star is called was to produce, the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the Wormwood, and a third part of the waters be- third part of the waters came impregnated with wormwood; but with and many men died this additional circumstance, that it was poison- of the waters, because ous as well as distasteful; and many men died they were made bitin consequence of drinking the waters, because ter. they were become bitter. (Compare Exod. vii. 20, 21.) 12 11 And the name became wormwood: 12 And the fourth angel sounded and the third part of the sun And the fourth angel sounded; and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so was smitten, and the that the third part of them, even of their light, was darkened1; and the day did not appear, h There fell from heaven a great star.] Compare Dan. viii. 10. Grotius interprets it of the Egyptian impostor, Acts xxi. 38. Mr. Mede, of the fall of the western empire under Augustulus; and Mr. Clark, (see his Annot. in loc.) of the corruption of ordinances by an heretical churchman, of great parts and considerable figure, whom he supposes to be Pelagius. Some explain it of Mahomet, whose name signines illustrious. Mem. of Literal. Vol. V. p. 253. But Mr. Lowman, with greater probability, interprets it of the succeeding ravages in Italy, founding the Gothic kingdom there, and putting an end to with and the third part of third part of the moon, the the Roman empire; from A. D. 412, to A. D 493. Agreeable to this, historians inform us, that several provinces of the empire were dismembered, the city of Rome again taken, and plundered, and Italy became a prey to the barbarous nations. i Darkened.] Compare Ezek. xxxii. 7, 8. Grotius intereprets this of taking the south Galilean towns; Mr. Mede of the destruction of the light of Rome, when deprived of regal and consular majesty. And Mr. Clark, see his Annot in loc. of eclipsing the light of the church, by tradition and human inventions. Mr. Low mas |