Reflections on the happy condition of the saints. 521 Rev. given them blood to drink, for they are worthy of SECT. it; worthy to find such horrors as these, whenever they look for refreshment and comfort. And I heard another angel, whose voice seemed XVI. . 7 And I heard ano- to come from the altar, saying, Yea, O Lord God say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, it is indeed thus; true and righteous Almighty, true and [are] all thy judgments. righteous are thy judg ther out of the altar ments. Heaven adores the equity of thy proceeding; and the most impious inhabitants of earth, or hell, shall not be able to find any thing to object against them, even when they have the appearance of the greatest. severity. IMPROVEMENT. 1 2, LET us now raise our eyes and our hearts above the low and Ver. sordid scenes of mortality, to those happy and exalted spirits who are described as standing before the crystal sea, with golden harps in their hands. Let us attentively hearken to those broken and imperfect echoes of the song of Moses, and of the Lamb, which a gracious God causes to descend, as it were, to this world of ours, and which sometimes sweetly mingle themselves with the clamour of strife, with the din of folly, with the groans of misery. Happy and glorious is their condition now, who are freed from all these evils, and who triumph over all their enemies; whom, as it was said to Israel of the Egyptians, having be• held, they shall see them no more for ever: (Exod. xiv. 13.) They are now acknowledging their great Deliverer, singing everlasting praises to his name, and celebrating the wonders of his works, and the righteousness and truth of all his ways. O Lord God 4 Almighty, O thou King of saints, who would not fear thee, and glorify thy holy name? Let the nations come, and worship in thy presence; let them pay thee their humble reverence and homage, before i Third vial.] Some interpret this of the persecution of the church of Bohemia. (See Mr. Pyle in loc.) But this by no means suits the act of adoration, ver. 5, 6. It seems to refer to calamities to be brought on some parts of the papal kingdom. According to the order of time, Mr. Lowman supposes this to refer to the bloody wars between the Guelphs and Gibellines, or the papal and imperial factions whereby the popes were driven out of Italy into France; from A. D. 1200, to A. D. 1371. During this period, both these parties had joined in many persecutions, and a violent one raged against the Albigenses; the inquisition was began about A. D. 1216; and the council of Lateran established a Fourt 322 5,--7 3, 4 The fourth angel pours out his vial on the sun : SECT. before the vials of thy wrath are poured out: those vials, which, xviii. terrible as their contents are, the benevolent spirits of heaven, 6--8 prepare themselves, at thy command, to pour forth with pleasure; Chap. applauding, in their responsive hymns, thy righteous judgments, XVI. I. even when the sorest and most dreadful plagues torment the worshippers of the beast and his image; even when their seas and their rivers are turned into blood. Whatever be the calamities, whether past or future, to which any of these particulars may refer, surely they are big with terror to those wretches who 6 on any pretence, are pouring forth the blood of thy prophets and thy saints. They are worthy of having blood given them to drink, and accordingly, thou hast a dreadful draught in reserve for them. And, though some of them may have laid down their hoary heads in peace, which we might rather have expected, would have been brought to the grave with blood, the day of thy vengeance will surely come: a vengeance so terrible, that nothing but a zeal for thy violated law, and thine injured gospel, would make the very sight of it, supportable to those whose cause shall then be pleaded, and whose blood shall be visited on their tormentors and murderers. SECT. xiv. Rev. XVI. 8. SECT. XIX. The pouring forth of the four last vials, and the awful events they produce; with the incorrigible obstinacy of the sinners on whom this vengeance is executed. Rev. XVI. 8, to the end. REVELATION XVI. 8. AND a Fourth angel poured forth his vial on the sun.] Some interpret this of the quarrel between the popes and emperors, in the fourteenth, fifteenth, and sixteenth centuries. See Mr. Pyle in loc. Mr. Lowman, with greater probability, refers it to the long and bloody wars in Italy, France, Germany, and Spain, occasioned by a schism in the papacy; (from A. D. 1378, to A. D. 1550;) there being three popes, in three lines of succession, at the same time. During this period the Turks took Constantinople, and put an end to the eastern empire. And some suppose there is a further reference to hot and burning seasons which should destroy the fruits given of the earth, and occasion pestilential dis orders; and historians inform us, that this was the case in the time supposed to be here referred to; particularly by means of the sweating sickness, which began in England, and spread wide into other countries, particularly Germany, A. D. 1517; and again A. D. 1529. But that they repented not, (ver. 9,) is evident from the war commenced against the Bohemians; the infamous conduct of the council of Cou stance, in burning John Huss, and Jerom of Prague, in violation of the public faith, and establishing that scandalous doctrine, that faith is not to be kept with heretics, &c. &c. The fifth angel on the seat of the beast; 523 the name xix. given to it, to scorch men with an intolerable SECT. Rev. 9 And men were the very fire itself. scorched with great with sudden calentures, and with great and un-XVI. 9. heat, and blasphemed of God, sufferable fierceness of heat; and yet, instead of which hath power over giving glory to the great Author of these awful these plagues; and chastisements, which afforded them so lively an they repented not to give him glory. idea of everlasting burnings, as if they had already been inhabitants of the world of despair, they blasphemed the name of God, who had power over these plagues. And the continuance of their torments did not subdue their hearts, but they still persisted, as with a diabolical obstinacy, and repented not, to give glory to him, by a confession of their sins, by seeking his mercy, and returning to his obedience. (Compare Isa, xxiv. 6.) 10 And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon And as these vials had greatly affected the 10 the seat of the kingdom of the beast, the next came still nearbeast; and his king- er to him; for, the fifth angel poured forth his dom was full of dark- vial upon the throne of the beast itself; and his ness, and they gnawed their tongues for pain, kingdom was darkened, so that his unhappy subjects, from whom he had so long veiled the light of God's word, and of his favour, had not the benefit of the solar rays, either to guide or chear them. (Compare Ezek. xxxii. 8.) And yet at the same time, the secret fire kindled in their veins by the former scorching heat continued; and they gnawed their tongues for the extremity of the pain and anguish which they 11 And blasphem- felt; And they still blasphemed the great God, 11 because the tremendous Majesty of heaven, as well as ed the God of heaven b Fifth vial.] Mr. Pyle interprets this of the perplexity occasioned to the See of Rome by removing the seat of it to Avignon, and the schism between the popes. But this prophecy seems to refer to a later period. Mr. Lowman's interpretation is more probable, who refers to the protestant reformation, and the confirmation of it by the principal states of Europe, notwithstanding all the attempts of the pope, and in opposition to the papal authority: from A. D. 1560, to A. D. 1650. During this period, several nations renounced subjection to the pope, and have continued free to this day; and, in other nations, his power has been greatly abridged and restrained. This event gave great vexation to the popes, and their adberents; occasioned invasions, assassina. VOL. X, earth, tions, massacres, and bloody wars; as the 524 And three demons gather the kings of the earth to battle: SECT. earth, for their pains and their ulcers, which because of their pains 12 repented not of their of the kings of the 13 And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the of the beast, and out And the sixth angel poured forth his vial upon 12 And the sixth the great river Euphrates; and its water, wide angel poured out his vial upon the great and rapid as the stream had been, was dried up, river Euphrates; and immediately, that a way might be prepared for the water thereof was the march of the kings from the rising of the dried up, that the way sun, who appeared in vision as coming to the east might be prepar borders of it, with all their armies, to pour forth ed. destruction upon the beast and his kingdom. 13 And, as I saw the dragon standing in my presence, with the beast and the false prophet near him, as the great abettors of his kingdom, which mouth of the dragon, was threatened by this invasion, I had an inti- and out of the mouth mation given me of the various efforts they of the mouth of the should make for the preservation of it: [and] false prophet. out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet, [there came] evidently three animals, which expressed unclean spirits, being re14 presented by creatures like frogs: For these are the spirits of demons, whose design it is to spirits of devils, workimpose upon mankind by the most artful strata- ing miracles, which go forth unto the kings gems, and pretences of working miracles, by of the earth and of the which they attempted to support the kingdom whole world, to gather they had raised and indeed, it seemed they did them to the battle of that great day of God even enchant whole nations; for they were per- Almighty. mitted by God, to go forth to the kings of that part of the earth where the seat of the beast was; and, indeed, his territory was so extensive, that it might be said, they went through the whole world; and they operated so powerfully, as to bring them together, to the battle of that great day of God the Almighty, in which he was secretly determined to pour forth his vengeance 15 Behold, I come 15 upon them. And, as this last effort of this inas a thief. Blessed is fernal agent would be a signal trial of the faith he that watcheth, and keepeth c River Euphrates.] It appears to me, that this implies the invasion of the papal kingdom from the east; but, as I believe the vision not yet accomplished, I freely confess, that it is involved in those clouds and darkness which I am not able to pene trate. Mr. Pyle explains it of the conquest of the eastern Christians, by the growing power of the Ottoman house, and the contempt of popery in some parts of the west. But this part of the prophecy seems to refer to an event much later; and 14 For they are the and like the rest, to denote some judg ment on the papal kingdom, to happen, probably, between A. D. 1700, and A. D. 1900. d False prophet.] As the false prophet is here joined with the beast, and also in chap. xix. 20, and there said to work mira. les before the beast, he seems to be the same mentioned chap. xii. 11, 12, bat there described as another beast, and said to do great miracles in the sight of the beast. See sect. xvi. notes h, i. e Keep th The seventh angel poured forth his vial into the air. xix. Rev. 525 keepeth his garments, and constancy of the saints, in order the better ICT. lest he walk naked, to fortify them against it, I heard a voice which and they see his shame. I understood to be that of our Lord Jesus Christ, saying, Behold I come suddenly and unexpect- XVI. 15 edly, as a thief, that surprises a sleeping family blessed [is] he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, that they may not suddenly be snatched from him, and he may not be forced to walk naked, so that men should see his shame. Let my servants, therefore, guard against these sudden surprizes, which during this time of danger and alarm may frequently happen. And 16 the army appearing against the saints, as was observed above, He, that is, God, by the secret conduct of his Providence, so disposed things, that he gathered them together into a certain place, [which is] called in the Hebrew language, Armageddon, or the mountain of Megiddo, because it was to be a place more remarkable for slaughter than Megiddo had ever been. 16 And he gathered them together into a Hebrew tongue, Ar place called in the mageddon. 17 And the seventh angel poured out his voice out of the tem is done. voices, and thunders, And when they were there assembled, the se- 17 vial into the air; and venth angel poured forth his vial into the air; there came a great and there came forth a great voice from the temple of heaven, from ple of heaven, even from the very throne of God the throne, saying, It himself, saying, "It is now done, the great work is just compleating." And there were 18 18 And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there and lightnings; and was also together with them a great earthquake, great to add new horror to the scene, such as there earthquake such as had not been from the time that men were upon were upon the earth, the earth; even such, and so great an earthso mighty an earth quake, quite unequalled in history or observaquake and so great. tion. And the great city was immediately 19 city was divided into divided into three parts, and the cities of the three parts, and the Gentiles fell down. And thus it appeared, that cities Babylon the great came into remembrance be there was a was not since men 19 And the great e Keepeth his garments.] Dr. Lightfoot thinks here is an allusion to what that Jewish officer called the man of the mountain, that is, of the house of the Lord, used to do, when taking his round in the temple to examine the watch; it he met with any asleep, he had a liberty to set fire to his garments. Perhaps, in this case, the person might be obliged to appear in the fragments of his burnt garments the next day, which would be a great disgrace. See his Works, Vol. I. p. 919. According to Ainsworth, on Numb. xviii. 4, 5,) they were beaten by the provost, and their garments were taken away and burnt. fore This seems a f He gathered them.] |