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The most notable article in the list of her commodities is "the souls of men." There is doubtless an allusion to Ezek. xxvii. 13. ; but the persons of men" can there mean only slaves; whereas "the souls of men" are here distinguished from slaves. Tyre dealt only in men's bodies, but Rome in their souls. I know not what else to make of the sale of indulgencies and pardons; of the buying and selling of church livings; of confessions, prayers for the dead, and of every other mean of extorting money from the ignorant.

That which will excite the most doleful lamentations among the adherents of the antichristian church will cause the friends of Christ to shout for joy. The marks of desolation are recounted with triumph. The sounds of music, the bustle of craftsmen, the grinding of the millstone, the light of a candle, and the joyful salutations of the bridegroom and the bride, are all ceased, and succeeded by the awful stillness of death. And if any ask, Wherefore bath the Lord done this? What meaneth the heat of this great anger? the answer is, " In her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth."

The first ten verses of the nineteenth chapter, which are a part of the sacred ode, describe the effect of the fall of Babylon on the friends of God both in heaven and earth.

1 And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power unto the Lord our God: 2 For true and righteous are his judgments; for he hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand. 3 And again they said, Alléluia. And her smoke rose up for ever and ever. 4 And the four and twenty elders, and the four living creatures, fell down and worshipped God that sat on the throne, saying, Amen; Alleluia. 5 And a voice came out of the throne, saying, Praise our God, all ye his servants, and ye that fear him, both small and great. 6 And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. 7 Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and

his wife hath made herself ready. 8 And to her was granted, that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.

The heavenly host with one voice raises the shout of "ALLELUIA! Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God, for true and righteous are his judgments: for he hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand. And again they said ALLELUIA! and her smoke rose up for ever and ever." What a contrast between this and the whining lamentations of the merchants!

The punishment of every community as such requires to be in this world when therefore her smoke is said to "rise up for ever and ever," the allusion may be to a city consumed by fire; and the meaning is, that it shall never be rebuilt, but its overthrow like that of Sodom, shall be set forth for an everlasting monument of the divine displeasure.

"Praise

After this a voice is heard out of the throne, saying, our God all ye his servants, and ye that fear him both small and great." The theme is acceptable to him that sitteth upon the throne, and must be encored. In answer to this call of the angel, the servants of God both in heaven and earth are described as in a state of delightful agitation. With one voice they renew the song, and expatiate on the subject. The sound of their voices is as that of an immense multitude of people, or as the roaring of the sea, or as continued peals of thunder, saying "ALLELUIA; for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth!" God had always been omnipotent, and had always reigned; but while his enemies were suffered to prevail on earth he did not appear to reign in that part of his empire as he now will. Now his right hand and his holy arm will have gotten him the victory!

But the song is not yet finished: it is added, "Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him, for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready." The Lamb and his wife are fitly introduced in opposition to the harlot and her paramours; namely, the beast and the kings of the earth. The fall of the one is the signal for the glorious appearance of the

other. Such was the taking away of the dominion of the little horn to the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven being given to the people of the saints of the most High. (Dan. vii. 26, 27.) This marriage of the Lamb I conceive is the Millennium itself. Both this and the fall of Babylon, which precedes it, are here introduced by way of anticipation. They each come into the song of heaven previously to their being actually accomplished on earth. The account of the one follows in the remainder of this chapter, where the beast and the false prophet are taken; and that of the other in the first six verses of the chapter following.

The accession of believers to Christ at any period is repre sented by the espousal of a chaste virgin to her husband; and the whole gospel dispensation is described as a marriage supper. What an espousal then, and what a supper will that be, when Jews and Gentiles, from every nation under heaven, shall be brought to believe in him! The appearance of the Christian church has not been such of late ages as might have been expected of one that bad Christ for her head. She has been not only scattered by persecution, but her beauty greatly tarnished by errors, corruptions, and divisions, so as scarcely to sustain a visible character: but when believers all over the world shall have purified their souls by obeying the truth; when they are what they were in the days of pentecost, "of one heart and of one soul;" and when there is nothing but distance of situation to hinder their being united in one body; then will "the bride have made herself ready."

The church is described as being active in putting on her robes of glory, but they are ready prepared for her. To her was "granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white." Reference may be had to the wedding garments provided according to the representation in the parable, at the expense of the bridegroom. It is said to be "the righteousness of the saints;" yet as it respects the saints, not individually but collectively and at the Millennial period, it would seem to denote a justification of the church from all things which have stood against her, analogous to that of an individual believer on his first espousal

to Christ. As the perdition of the antichristian community is described in language alluding to that of individual unbelievers, (Ver. 3, 20.) so that the glory bestowed on the church at this period alludes to that which is conferred on individual believers when they are "washed, and justified, and sanctified, in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God." Thus the church in the days of Zerubbabel, when she had been polluted among the heathen, is represented by Joshua the high priest, "clothed with filthy garments," and her justification by the "taking away of his filthy garments and clothing him with change of raiment." Thus also the glory of the church at another period is expressed in language applicable at all times to individual believers-" I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, and bath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth with jewels." (Isa. Ixi. 10.) Christ's salvation will then be to her as a beautiful garment, and his righteousness as an ornamental robe.

9 And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage-supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.

A blessing was pronounced by our Lord on those who saw and heard the things which were then to be seen and heard, and a still greater blessing is in reserve for those who shall see and partake of the good here predicted. The most glorious things spoken of the church of God will then be accomplished. The success of the gospel in different parts of the world during the period of the vials will then meet as a confluence of rivers near the ocean. The tides of mercy and judgment towards Jews and Gentiles will now find their level in the salvation of both. "In times past we believed not God, but obtained mercy through their unbelief:" now through our mercy they also shall have obtained mercy." Rom. xi. 30, 31. In former ages God blessed the eastern parts of the world; of late ages the western; but now the kingdom of Christ, like a returning tide, shall spread over both west and east. Isa. ix. 1-11, "Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days!" Dan. xii. 12.

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These predictions respecting the overthrow of Babylon, and the establishment of the church are attested by the angel as "the true sayings of God." Such an attestation would tend to strengthen the faith and hope of believers, who might otherwise during the long reign of the antichristian beasts be tempted to think that God had forgotten to be gracious, and would be favourable to his church

no more.

Here I consider the sacred ode on the fall of Babylon and the marriage of the Lamb as closing, with only a few words of the apostle concerning his informant.

10 And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellow-servant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.

The angel here spoken of seems to be him whose voice was heard out of the throne, calling for a repetition of the song. Ver. 5. John probably supposed him to be the Son of God himself, who had more than once in his visions appeared as an angel, and whom he was in the habit of worshipping. But the angel refuses his adoration on the ground of his being merely a servant, the fellowservant of him and of his brethern, who had the testimony of Jesus. They testified of things concerning him which were accomplished; as of his birth, life, death, resurrection, ascension, and the way of salvation by him: he revealed prophecies which as yet were unaccomplished. Yet their work was much the same: the theme of their testimony contained the spirit or substance of what he had imparted by prophecy. They were therefore fellow-labourers in the same cause, and must not worship one another, but God. Christ himself is not an object of worship considered as man, but as God only. That he is God as well as man, and as such an object of divine worship, this circumstance of the angel's refusal fully evinces. We see in his conduct what we see in that of Paul and Barnabas at Iconium; and every creature who fears God must follow the example. If Jesus therefore were not God, he ought on all occasions to have refused divine worship, and certainly would have done so. His never having done this is sufficient proof of his divinity. Nor can it be justly alleged that the worship paid

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