Page images
PDF
EPUB

and published to all nations, and kindreds, and tongues, and people, by the faithful dispensers thereof;

XIV. 7 Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; &c.

Teaching them all the world over, that, forsaking all their superstitions and sinful will worships, they should fear God only, and give glory to him; &c.

XIV. 8 And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.

Then, upon the free and sincere preaching of the Gospel, there followed another messenger from God, which cried, saying, It is fallen, it is fallen; the mystical Babylon, the great city of the world; because she hath drawn all nations, to drink of the cup of her spiritual fornications; and, thereby hath caused them to drink of that cup of God's wrath and vengeance, which belongs to those grievous offences.

XIV. 9 And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,

Then followed a third messenger from God, with further tidings of judgments, upon those, which do wilfully maintain the pride, and tyranny, and wicked errors of the Antichristian state, saying, If any man do, after these clear publications of the Gospel, give divine worship to any created power, whether civil or spiritual, and shall make profession of his servile and idolatrous prostitution thereunto, (See chap. xiii, verse 8.)

XIV. 10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb.

The same man shall drink of that inconceivably bitter cup of God's wrath and vengeance, without any mixture at all of mercy and remission: and he shall be infinitely and eternally tormented, with that fire and brimstone of hell; and both the holy angels of God, and Christ the meek and merciful Saviour of Men, shall see them without pity, so tormented forever. So also verse 11.

XIV. 12 Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus. And now, upon the sight of these torments inflicted upon wicked and idolatrous men, God's children shall well find the fruit of their patience and constant profession of the true faith of Jesus Christ, and their conscionable obedience to the commandments of God; in that they see themselves free from this grievous vengeance, and possessed of joy and happiness.

XIV. 13 And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them.

And I heard a voice from heaven, bidding me to write these words

following, as worthy of perpetual remembrance and considera: tion; Blessed are the dead, which have now laid down their life for Christ; and such as are found in Christ, when they go hence: no less blessed are they, than those holy martyrs of the primitive times: yea, saith the Holy Spirit, they are doubtless blessed, because they both are freed from those calamities which attended their life, and do likewise receive the comfort and benefit of all the good works which they did here below.

XIV. 14 And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of Man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle.

And I looked, and I beheld a present representation of address unto a terrible judgment: for there appeared Christ, the Eternal Son of God, as in his glorious Humanity, sitting upon a white cloud; to shew the integrity and glory of his presence: having on his head a golden crown, representing his majesty and power; and a sharp sickle in his hand, implying his readiness to cut down the ripe sinners of the world, and to execute his just severity upon them. So also verses 15, 16, 17, 18.

XIV. 19 And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God.

Then the angel did, accordingly, by the sickle of his powerful execution, cut down the sinful generation of mankind; and did cast them down into hell, the place of torment appointed for all the wicked enemies of God.

XIV. 20 And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs.

And the execution was wonderfully great and fearful; insomuch as the blood of the slain was so deep, as that it reached up to the very bridles of the horses, for the space of two hundred miles in length so great and general was the destruction of those, whe did wilfully follow the enemies of Christ.

XV. 1 And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvellous, seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God.

And I saw another wonder in heaven, great and marvellous: for, in way of preparation to that Last Judgment and Execution, I saw Seven Angels, which had power to inflict the Seven Last Plagues upon the enemies of Christ; in which is the accomplishment of al! those judgments, which he meant to bring upon the kingdom of Antichrist, before his utmost confusion.

XV. 2 And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God.

And I saw, as it were, a sea of crystal, mixed with some tincture of redness, as of the colour of fire; by reason of the persecutions

attending the profession of Christ: and I saw them, that had courageously and constantly stood out, both against the impious edicts for idolatry which proceeded from the heathenish emperors, and against the wicked and sinful decrees of their successors and the tyranny usurped by them, standing joyfully upon that glassy sea, as having escaped all the billows of their late persecutions, and testifying their joy in outward expressions of a melodious thanksgiving.

XV. 3 And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of Saints.

And they, in acknowledgment of the benefit of their deliverance from these fiery waves of persecution, sung the same song, that Moses, the servant of God, uttered upon his deliverance from the Red Sea; Let us sing to the Lord, for he hath triumphed gloriously; and, together with it, sung a most sweet and pleasant ditty, which was taught them by the Lamb himself, Christ their Redeemer.

XV. 5 And after that I looked, and, behold, the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened:

And, after this, I looked, and beheld the very inward part of heaven, (which was as the Holy of Holies, wherein the Ark of the Testimony was placed,) having been formerly shut, was now opened:

XV. 6 And the seven angels came out of the temple, having the seven plagues, clothed in pure and white linen, and having their breasts girded with golden girdles.

And from thence, even from that more inward and reserved place of glory, came those Seven Angels, which had the Seven Last Plagues to inflict; and they, to signify their purity and faithful diligence in their executions, were clothed in pure and white linen, and had their breasts girded with golden girdles.

XV. 7 And one of the four beasts gave unto the seven angels seven golden vials full of the wrath of God, who liveth for ever and ever. And one of those prime Angels, which were next to the Throne, delivered unto the Seven Messengers of God's Wrath, Seven Golden Vials, wherein were contained those deadly liquors of just vengeance, which the Everliving God had decreed and appointed to be poured out severally upon his enemies, on earth.

XV. 8 And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power; and no man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled. And, as it was of old in the material Temple, that, when God would shew his presence therein the smoke filled the room, so as the ministers of that holy place could not stand in it; so it was now, in the giving of this commission for these Seven Last Plagues: the glory of God did so shew itself, as that no man was able to comprehend the majesty thereof, until this so important a business was dispatched.

N

XVI. 1 And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth.

And I heard a great voice, as proceeding from God, out of his Temple in heaven, saying to those Seven Angels, which were de signed to be the executioners of this vengeance of God, Go your ways, and pour out the several plagues upon the people of the earth.

XVI. 2 And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshipped his image.

And the First Angel went, and poured out his vial upon those re gions of the Earth, which are under the Roman Empire; and there fell a noisome and grievous sore and botch, like to the sixth plague of Egypt, upon the idolatrous clients of that bestial government, and the successors therein; and, spiritually, great exasperation mind, through envy and malice, against those which preached the sincere Gospel of Christ.

XVI. 3 And the second angel poured out his vial upon the sea; and it became as the blood of a dead man: and every living soul died in the sea.

And, that no part might be free, the Second Angel poured his ap pointed plagues upon the Sea, to the effusion of the blood of those that dwelt by or upon it; in so large quantity, as that the waters seemed as the congealed blood of a dead man, so as the corrupted moisture thereof could not but kill all that lived therein: which was literally fulfilled, in those bloody battles, betwixt the Turks and Christians; and those of hostilely affected Christians among : themselves.

XVI. 4 And the third angel poured out his vial upon the rivert and fountains of waters; and they became blood.

Yea, that nothing might remain pure and wholesome, as the earth and the sea were smitten with plagues, so the Rivers and Foun tains also were by the vial of the Third Angel turned into blood; as it was done in the first plague of Egypt; through that extreme bloodshed, which the avenging hand of God should justly cause amongst men, by their own cruel divisions.

XVI. 5 And I heard the angel of the waters say, Thou art righ teous, O Lord, which art, and wast, and shalt be, because thou hast judged thus.

And I heard that angel, which had special charge given him over the waters, confess, how just the proceedings of God were in this vengeance of his; saying, O thou Eternal God, who art of th self, and hadst thy being from thyself before all beginning of time, and shalt be everlastingly, thou art just and righteous in thus plaguing these wicked persecutors of thy servants.

XVI. 6 For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy. For they have not stuck to shed the blood of thy Saints, in their

horrible and frequent massacres; and now thou hast given them blood to drink: neither are they worthy of any other portion, who took delight to spill it.

XVI. 7 And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments.

And I heard a voice of one of those martyrs, which had cried formerly for revenge from under the altar, (Chapter vi.) now applauding the justice of this vengeance; saying, Even so Lord God Almighty, thou hast heard our prayers, and hast approved thy judgments to be most true and righteous.

XVI. 8 And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire.

And yet further, that even the very heavens, whose influence had wont to be wholesome and beneficial to mankind, might now be turned harmful and deadly to wicked men; the Fourth Angel poured out his vial upon the Sun; and, thereupon, that goodly planet, which was wont to bring comfort, by the light thereof, to the inbabitants of the earth, became so fiery and scorching, that the beams thereof were intolerable; breeding extreme plagues and calentures, and other deadly maladies amongst men.

XVI. 9 And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory.

And men, being broiled as it were with the extremity of heat, and tormented with the diseases which followed thereupon, instead of humbling themselves under the just and powerful hand of God, wickedly blasphemed his Name; who had the power to inflict these plagues: and they repented not of their sins, nor gave him the glory of his justice.

XVI. 10 And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for pain;

And the Fifth Angel poured out his vial on the Prime Seat and Metropolis of the Empire; and the power and government thereof, both spiritual and temporal, began to be obscured and abased; and the followers and abettors thereof gnawed their very tongues for indignation;

XVI. 11 And blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds.

And, instead of acknowledging their error, they blasphemed the God of Heaven, because of their deep discontent and vexation, and repented not of their wickedness.

XVI. 12 And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared.

And the Sixth Angel poured out his vial upon the great River Euphrates, which was the defence of the Eastern Babylon; and, as Cyrus, when he went about to take that city, first drained the channel of the Euphrates and derived the streains another way, so shall it be now ordered, by the Providence of God, that this great river shall be made passable to the kings of the East, that so those

« PreviousContinue »