516 Reflections on the account here given of Divine vengeances SECT. amazing extent and quantity was the effusion of xvii. blood represented to me in vision. (Compare Isa. Ixiii. 3. Ver. 15--20 3, 4 IMPROVEMENT. IN what awful characters is the righteous vengeance of God here described! How quickly do his haughtiest enemies fall before him, like corn before the sickle, or clusters of grapes before the knife! His wine-press shall indeed be trodden, and the blood of his enemies shall overflow; but blessed are all they that put their trust in him, and look to him, who trod the wine-press alone, and who distinguishes himself by the title of him, who is mighty to save, and who travels in the greatness of his strength. (Isa. Ixiii, 11-3.) Arrayed in terror, he will vanquish all the enemies of his people; but, to his faithful followers, will appear with the gentleness of the Lamb, of the Lamb their Redeemer, to whose honour their voices and their harps shall resound. O, how happy are those souls, who by his special love, being redeemed from among men, and having humbly traced the steps of his purity and goodness on earth, shall, in the heavenly world, follow the Lamb whithersoever he goes! Let us be accordingly engaged to preserve ourselves unspotted from the world, and to walk worthy of so ex5 alted a hope and expectation; to keep our mouths from every deceit, that we may be found blameless in the presence of God, and 6, 7 of the Lamb. God hath granted us the everlasing gospel, on purpose that we might be taught to fear him, and to give glory to his name; to worship him, as the great Creator and righteous Gover nor of the universe and while we are under the conduct of his Providence, and devoted to his service, let nothing discourage or dismay us. Though for the present we see that Babylon is triumphant, though its patrons are making themselves drunk with the blood of his saints, a very different cup is prepared for her, and will assuredly be given her to drink, even the cup of the wrath of God, poured forth without mixture; while blessings, inconceivable and eternal, are reserved for those that suffer for righteousness 11 sake. Let the patience, therefore, of those who keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Christ, be invincible; for their fiercest, and most formidable enemies, can only kill the body; and having done that, can neither prevent, nor delay, the blessedness 8--10 that after the antichristian powers had of presented as a harvest ripe, and fit for reap ing, &c. the measure of their iniquities being full. a Sea The vision of seven angels with seven vials; 517 xvii. of the dead that die in the Lord. The infallible Spirit has said it, SECT. the blessed apostle hath, by Divine command, recorded it, for the instruction and triumph of his people in all ages, that they Ver. rest from their labours, and that their works follow them; while 11 those that persecuted and hated them, rest not day nor night; but 9 the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever. And, O, that numbers of those who worship the beast; and who receive its image, may be awakened, while the day of their visitation continues; lest they also, after having dealt damnation, in their arro. gant censures, upon men of much purer faith, and holier lives, 10 than themselves, be tormented with fire and brimstone, in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb. SECT. XVIII. The appearance of seven angels, with seven vials, full of the seven last plagues; and the pouring out of the three first vials, with their consequent effects. Rev. XV. 1. to the end, XVI. 7. REV. XV. 1. AND I saw another great and marvellous ; seven angels, having the seven last plagues, for in them is filled up the wrath of God. REVELATION XV. 1. SECTI Rev. sign in heaven, AND I saw another great and wonderful sign xviii. in heaven, which fixed my attention, and will demand that of the reader; Seven angels, xv.i. who had the seven last plagues: so called, because in them the wrath of God was to be completed; and, because they refer to some of the last judgments, which he shall pour forth on 2 And I saw as it the enemies of the church, before the time of were a sea of glass its most illustrious triumph. And I saw, as mingled with fire; and it were a sea of glass a great crystal vessel, the victory over the like the sea in Solomon's temple; and it was over his so irradiated with the reflection of that light which fell upon it from the throne of God, that its waves seem mingled with fire. And those stand who overcame the beast, and his image, and stedfastly them that had gotten beast, and image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, a Sea of Glass. Some explain this in a different manner, as if there were properly a sea, seeming to lie before the ground which appeared in the vision, through which they had passed who now stood upon the shore of it; and they suppose the glass to represent the frail nature of this world; and the fire, the mixture of calamity and misery to which they had been exposed, before they arrived at the state of security and happiness in which they then were, Many other interpreta tions have also been given. But the con b Overcame the beast.] It is, in the ori e Song 2 518 XVIII. Rev. The seven angels come out of the temple. glass, having the harps of God. 3 And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and LordGod Almighty;just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints ! SECT stedfastly refused, though at the expence of their stand on the sea of possessions and lives, amidst so many who were devoted to him, to receive his mark; [and] the XV. 2. number of his name, I saw standing by the sea of glass, having the harps of God in their hands, with which they were celebrating his praises, for that powerful presence and assistance which 3 had rendered them victorious. And they sung the song of Moses, the faithful and beloved servant of God, and the song of Jesus, the Lamb, the song of the Lamb, who had bought them with his blood . They saying, Great and mar celebrated the triumph they had gained over the vellous are thy works, proud enemy, with a joy, like that with which Israel of old, at the Red Sea, celebrated the destruction of the haughty and cruel Egyptians, by the immediate and glorious interposition of the Divine power, saying, "Great and wonderful [are] thy works, both of judgment and of mercy, O Lord God Almighty; nor dost thou use thine almighty power to oppress any, the meanest of thy creatures; on the contrary, perfectly righteous and true [are] all thy ways and administrations, O King of saints, who art thyself supremely holy, as well as power4 fal. Vho should not fear thee, O Lord, and thee, O Lord, and gloglorify thy great and adorable name? because rify thy name? for [thou] only [art] holy; and in thy presence, all nations shall come the holiness of all other beings disappears, as and worship before unworthy to be mentioned or remembered. thec; for thy judgSurely all nations shall come and worship be- ments are made mafore thee, in token of the humblest adoration, because thy righteous judgments are already in many instances, made manifest, and are about to be manifested in a yet more illustrious degree." 5 4 Who shall not fear thou only art holy; for nifest. I 5 And after that, the temple of the ta And after this I saw; and behold the temple of the tabernacle, in which was the ark of the looked and behold, testimony, was opened again in heaven: the most bernacle of the testiholy place, which since the vision I before de- mony in heaven was scribed, had been veiled again, being now sub- opened: 6 And the seven anjected to my view. And the seven angels, gels came out of the who had the seven plagues already mentioned, temple, having the c Song of Moses and of the Lamb.] That is, saith Mr. Mede, upon the conversion of all nations from idolatry, they sung a song of congratulation to Moses and Jesus, whose doctrine had so directly opposed it. Mede on Luke xi. 2. But I think this a very low interpretation. Whoever diligently observes the contents of the came seven song of Moses, Exod. xv. will find many expressions finely adapted to the occasion here supposed. And if it were true, as Maimonides tells us, that the song of Moses was sung daily in the temple-service, it may be considered as a beautiful illustration of this circumstance, agrecable to the general plan pursued in these visions. d And The three angels pour out their vials. 519 seven plagues, clothed came out of the inner apartment of the temple, SEC1. in pure and white linen, and having their as from the immediate as from the immediate presence of God; and xviii. breasts girded with like the High Priest on the day of his most sa- Rev. golden girdles. And one of the four beasts gave unto the seven angels seven golden vials full of the wrath of God, who live cred ministration, they were clothed with pure XV. 6, and shining linen [garments;] only with this difference, that whereas he had on this day only his linen girdle on, and continued in that dress till the time of the evening sacrifice, they were girded about the breasts with golden girdles. And one of the four living creatures, which I have 7 so often mentioned, gave to the seven angels, seven golden vials, or censers, full of the wrath of the great and blessed God, who liveth for ever eth for ever and ever. and ever; and, therefore, is to be regarded as the most formidable enemy, as well as the most 8 And the temple desirable friend, to immortal beings. And, 8 from the glory of God agreeably to that wonderful event, which hapand from his power; pened when God first took possession of the taand no man was able to bernacle, and of the temple, (Exod. xl. 34; till the seven plagues of 1 Kings viii. 10; 2 Chron. v. 14; Isa. vi. 4;) the seven angels were the temple was full of smoked; which came from the glory of God, and from the symbol of his power. And no one could enter into the temple, till the seven plagues, which were signified by the vials of the seven angels, were finished; and, till they had emptied them by the Divine was filled with smoke enter into the temple, fulfilled. And I then heard a great voice Chap. CHAP. XVI. 1. And command. I heard a great voice out of the temple, saying to the seven angels, whom XVI. 1. out of the temple, say- I have described above, Go, and pour out the ing to the seven angels vials of the wrath of God, with which you are Go your ways, and pour out the vials of charged, upon the earth; for his patience will the wrath of God upon no longer endure the provocations they are intended to punish. the earth. 2 And the first went upon the earth; and And the first angel, in obedience to this Di-2 and poured out bis vial vine injunction, went forth, and poured out his there fell a noisome vial upon the earth; and there was a malignant and grievous sore up- and grievous ulcer, which broke out in large and on the men which had dreadful scars, upon the men who had the mark the mark of the beast, of the beast, and them who worshipped his image, and upon them which worshipped his image. and they were extremely tormented with it, and found it incurable. (Compare Exod. ix. 810.) d And agreeable to that wonderful event, &c.] Indeed it appears most surprising, and worthy of greater notice than has generally been taken of it, that the blessed God should thus, on the consecration of the temple, possess it alone, and drive out, as it were, even the favourable tokens of his majestic presence. And e First vial.] Mr. Lowman supposes, that this third period of the vials, reveals the state of the church and providence in the times of the last head of the Roman government, represented by the beast, for 1260 years, from about A. D. 756, to its final overthrow about A. D. 2016; and he interprets each vial of some signal judgment 520 SECT. xviii. Rev. Another angel celebrates God's righteous judgments. angel poured out his And the second angel poured out his vial upon 3 And the second the sea; and it became a mass of blood and pu- vial upon the sea; and trefaction, like that of a dead man, and every XVI.3. living soul [that was] in the sea died; the fish were immediately destroyed, and the sea appear ed a most gloomy and terrible spectaclef. (Compare Exod. vii. 20 ) it became as the blood fountains of waters; 5 And I heard the wast, and shalt be; because thou hast judged thus: And the third angel bore a commission to 4 And the third anspread the same terrible calamity over all the gel poured out his vial fresh waters; and accordingly he poured forth upon the rivers and his vial on the rivers, and on the fountains of and they became water, and they also became blood; as the sea blood. had done on pouring out the vial of the former 5 angel. And I heard the angel of the waters, who seemed to be appointed to have the care of angel of the waters say, Thou art righteous, them, instead of repining at what was done, O Lord, which art, and adoring the hand of God in it, and saying, Most righteous art thou, O Lord, who art, and who wast, the same immutable and everlasting Jehovah; and [thou art] holy, because thou hast judged these, and executed such awful vengeance 6 upon them. Justly dost thou make these persecuting and wicked countries the scene of such desolating judgments; because they have poured forth the blood of thy saints, and even of thy drink; for they are prophets, like water; and it hath flowed in a crimson stream, till their rivers have been dyed with it. And, accordingly, thou madest them read their crime in their punishment, and hast judgment upon the papal kingdom; sup- given 6 For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to worthy. Normans invaded and plundered France, the Saracens ravaged Italy, and the Hungarians the western parts of Germany and Italy. f Second vial.] Mr. Pyle, and Mr. Lowman, agree in referring this to the great effusion of blood in the holy wars, to recover Jerusalem from the Saracens. This romantic project was set on foot by the pope, pursued by the emperor, the king of France, our king Richard, and other princes, and many prelates; and about two millions lost their lives in the several expeditions; from A. D. 1040, to A. D. 1190. And this appears to me a very probable interpretation. g Angel of the waters.] From this text, compared with chap. xiv. 18. some have inferred, that there are certain intellectual beings which preside over the several elements of water and fire; and by consequence, of earth and air. h Thou art holy.] I follow those copier, which read it, xai o solos, whereas others have it, coμevos, as in other places of this book. i Third |