they have described a thing in the most symbolical and figurative diction, to represent the same again in plainer language:: and the same method is observed here, (ver. 15-17,) "And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every freeman;" that is, Maximian, Galerius, Maximin, Maxentius, Licinius, &c. with all their adherents and followers, were so routed and dispersed, that they "hid themselves in the dens, and in the rocks of the mountains, and said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us;" expressions used, as in other prophets, (Isa. ii. 19, 21, Hos. x. 8, Luke xxiii. 30,) to denote the utmost terror and consternation; "Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; for the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?" This is therefore a triumph of Christ over his heathen enemies, and a triumph after a severe persecution; so that the time and all the circumstances, as well as the series and order of the prophecy, agree perfectly with this interpretation. Galerius," Maximin,' and Licinius,2 made even a public confession of their guilt, recalled their decrees and edicts against the Christians, and acknowledged the just judgments of God and of Christ in their destruction. CHAP. VII. (1.) "AND after these things, I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree. (2) And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, (3) Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads. (4) And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand, of all the tribes of the children of Israel. (5) Of the tribe of Judah were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Reuben were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Gad were sealed twelve thousand. (6) Of the tribe of Aser were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Nepthalim were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Manasses were sealed twelve thousand. (7) Of the tribe of Simeon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Levi were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Issachar were sealed twelve thousand. (8) Of the tribe of Zabulon were sealed Euseb. Eccles. Hist. 1. 8, c. 17. De Vita Constant. 1. 1, c. 57. 'Euseb. Eccles. Hist. 1. 9, c. 9, 10, 11. De Vita Const. 1. 1, c. 59. 2 Euseb. de Vita Constant. 1. 2 c. 18. twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Joseph were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Benjamin were sealed twelve thousand. (9) After this I beheld, and lo, a great multitude which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands ; (10) And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb. (11) And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders, and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God, (12) Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen. (13) And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they? (14) And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. (15) Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them. (16) They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more, neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. (17) For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.” What follows in this chapter is still a continuation of the sixth seal, for the seventh seal is not opened till the beginning of the next chapter. It is a description of the state of the church in Constantine's time, of the peace and protection that it should enjoy under the civil powers, and of the great accession that should be made to it both of Jews and Gentiles. Four angels (ver. 1, 2, 3,) are ordered by another angel to restrain the four winds from blowing with violence on any part of the world; to show that these were halcyon days, wherein the former wars and persecutions should cease, and peace and tranquillity be restored for a season. Eusebius is very copious upon this subject in several parts of his writings; and hath3 applied that passage of the Psalmist in the version of the Seventy, (Psal. xlvi. 8, 9,) "Come hither, and behold the works of the Lord, what wonders he hath wrought in the earth: He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth, he breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear asunder, he burneth the chariot in the fire;" which things, saith he, being manifestly fulfilled Euseb. Eccles. Hist. 1. 10, c. 1. 'E' οἷς εἰς ἡμᾶς ἐναρνῶς πεπληρωμένοις χαίροντες Quæ cum omnia nostris temporibus manifeste completa sint, lati deinceps et gratulabundi. 5 4 6 in our times, we rejoice over them. Lactantius also saith in the same triumphant strain, that tranquillity being restored throughout the world, the church which was lately ruined riseth again. Now after the violent agitations of so great a tempest, a calm air and the desired light become resplendent. Now God hath relieved the afflicted. Now he hath wiped away the tears of the sorrowful.' These are testimonies of· contemporary writers; and some medals of Constantine are still preserved with the head of this emperor on one side, and this inscription CONSTANTINUS AUG., and on the reverse BEATA TRANQUILLITAS, Blessed Tranquillity. During this time of tranquillity the servants of God were to be sealed in their foreheads. It is an expression in allusion to the ancient custom of marking servants in their foreheads to distinguish what they were, and to whom they belonged. Now among Christians baptism being the seal of the covenant between God and man, is therefore by ancient writers often called the seal, the sign, the mark, and character of the Lord: and it was the practice in early times, as it is at present, to make the sign of the cross upon the foreheads of the parties baptized. The same sign of the cross was also made at confirmation; and upon many other occasions the Christians signed themselves with the sign of the cross in their foreheads, as a token that they were not ashamed of a crucified master, that on the contrary they gloried in the cross of Christ, and triumphed in that symbol and representation of it. The sealing therefore of the servants of God in their foreheads at this juncture can imply no less, than that many converts should be baptized, and those, who before, in times of persecution, had been compelled to worship God in private, should now make a free, open, and public profession of their religion; and that such an accession was made to the church, every one knoweth who knoweth any thing of the history of this time. 7 As the church of Christ was first formed out of the Jewish church and nation, so here (ver. 4-8,) the spiritual Israel is first mentioned; and the number of the thousands of Israel is that of the twelve patriarchs multiplied by the twelve apostles, which we shall find to be a sacred number throughout the Revelation. But the twelve tribes are not enumerated here in the same method and order, as they are in other places of Holy Scripture. Judah hath the first rank and precedence, because 4 Restituta per orbem tranquillitate, profligata nuper ecclesia rursum exsurgit. -Nunc post tantæ tempestatis violentos turbines placidus aer et optata lux refulsit. Nunc Deus afflictos sublevavit. Nunc mærentium lacrymas detersit.' Lactantius de Mort. Persecut. c. 1. 40* 'See Daubuz, p. 311 See Mede, p. 511. Bingham's Antiquities, b. 11, c. 1, § 6 et 7. "See Cave's Primitive Christianity, part 1, c. 10. Bingham's Antiquities, c. 9 $4, &c. 3 K 8 from him descended the Messiah. Dan is entirely omitted, and Ephraim is not mentioned, because they were the principal promoters of idolatry, and therefore Levi is substituted in the room of the one, and Joseph is mentioned instead of the other. The children too of the bond-women and of the free-women are confounded together, there being (Gal. iii. 28,) "in Christ Jesus neither bond nor free." Besides some of all the tribes of Israel, there was "an innumerable multitude of all nations and tongues, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;" (ver. 9, 10,) who received and embraced the gospel: and as Sulpicius Severus says, it is wonderful how much the Christian religion prevailed at that time. The historians, who have written of this reign,' relate how even the most remote and barbarous nations were converted to the faith, Jews as well as Gentiles. One historian in particular affirms,' that at the time when Constantine took possession of Rome after the death of Maxentius, there were baptized more than twelve thousand Jews and Heathens, besides women and children. The angels also (ver. 11, 12,) join in the celebration of God upon this occasion: for if "there is joy (Luke xv. 10,) in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth," much more may those heavenly spirits rejoice at the conversion of whole countries and nations. Then one of the elders (ver. 13-17,) explains to St. John some particulars relating to this innumerable multitude of all nations. They have "palms in their hands," as tokens of their victory and triumph over tribulation and persecution. They are arrayed in white robes as emblems of their sanctity and justification through the merits and death * of Christ. They are, like the children of Israel, arrived at their Canaan or land of rest, and they shall no more suffer hunger, or thirst, or heat, as they did in the wilderness. They are now happily freed from all their former troubles and molestations; and their heathen adversaries shall no more prevail against them. This period we may suppose to have continued with some little interruption, from the death of Constantine the Great to the death of Theodosius the Great, about seventy years. VIII.-(1) CHAP. 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. (3) And another angel Hoc temporum tractu mirum est quantum invaluerit religio Christiana.' Sulpic. Sever. Sacr. Hist. I. 2, p. 100. Socrates Hist. Eccles. 1. 1, c. 18, 19, 20. Sozomen. Hist. Eccles. 1. 2, c. 5, 6, 7, 8, &c. &c. Hoc tempore Romæ baptizati sunt e Judæis et Idololatris ultra duodecim hominum millia, præter mulieres et pueros.' Abul Pharajii Hist. Dyn. 7, p. 85. Vers. Pocock. Vide etiam Epiphanii adv. Hæres, hær. 30, c. 4. came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. (4) And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God, out of the angel's hand. (5) And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake. (6) And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets, prepared themselves to sound." The seventh seal or period is of much longer duration, and comprehends many more events than any of the former seals. It comprehends indeed seven periods distinguished by the sounding of seven trumpets. At the opening of this seal (ver. 1,)" there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour." This silence of half an hour is a sign that the peace of the church would continue but for a short season. It is an interval and pause as it were between the foregoing and the succeeding visions.. It is a mark of solemnity, to procure attention, and to prepare the mind for great and signal events; and not without an allusion to a ceremony among the Jews. Philo2 informs us, the incense used to be offered before the morning, and after the evening sacrifice; and while the sacrifices were made, (2 Chron. xxix. 25-28,) the voices and instruments and trumpets sounded; while the priest went into the temple to burn incense, (Luke i. 10,) all were silent, and the people prayed without, to themselves. Now this was the morning of the church, and therefore the silence precedes the sounding of the trumpets. It was necessary, before the trumpets could be sounded, that they should be given (ver. 2) to the seven archangels, who were to execute the will of God, and to sound the trumpets each in his season. At the same time, (ver. 3, 4, 5,) "another angel," like the priest, "having a golden censer," offereth incense" with the prayers of all saints;" and then filleth the censer "with fire of the altar, and casteth it into the earth;" as in Ezekiel (x. 2,) "coals of fire are taken from between the cherubim," and scattered over Jerusalem, to denote the judgments of God to be executed upon that city. Whereupon immediately ensue "voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake," the usual prophetic signs and preludes of great calamities and commotions upon earth. Then the angels (ver. 6) "prepare themselves to sound:" and as the seals foretold the state and condition of the Roman empire before and till it became Christian, so the trumpets foreshow the 2 Πρό τε τῆς ἑωθινῆς θυσίας καὶ μετὰ τὴν ἑσπερινὴν—Ante matutinum et post vespertinum sacrificium-Philo de Animal. sacrif. idon. § 3. |