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4 John to the feven churches which are in Afia: Grace be unto you, and peace from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven spirits which are before his throne;

5 And from Jefus Chrift, who is the faithful witnefs, and the firft-begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth: Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our fins in his own blood,

6 And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father: to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

7 Behold he cometh with clouds; and every eye fhall fee him, and they also which pierced him : and all kindreds of the earth fhall wail because of him: even fo, Amen.

8 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, faith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.

The apoftle dedicates his book (ver. 4, 5, 6.) to the feven churches of the Lydian or proconfular Afia, wishing them grace and peace from the eternal God as the author and giver; and from the feven fpirits, the reprefentatives and minifters of the Holy Ghoft, as the inftruments; and from Jefus Chrift as the mediator, who is mentioned laft, because the fubfequent difcourfe more immediately relates to him. To the dedication he fubjoins a fhort and folemn preface (ver. 7, 8.) to show the great authority of the divine perfon, who had commiffioned him to write the Revelation.

9 I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jefus Chrift, was in the ile that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the teftimony of Jefus Christ.

10 I was in the fpirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet, 11 Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the laft: and, What thou feeft, write in a book, and

fend

fend it unto the feven churches which are in Afia: unto Ephefus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatyra, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.

12 And I turned to see the voice that spake with me, and being turned, I faw feven golden candlefticks;

13 And in the midft of the feven candlesticks, one like unto the Son of man, cloathed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle.

14 His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as fnow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire;

15 And his feet like unto fine brafs, as if they burned in a furnace: and his voice as the found of many waters.

16 And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a fharp-two-edged fword: and his countenance was as the fun fhineth in his strength.

17 And when I faw him, I fell at his feet as dead: and he laid his right hand upon me, faying unto me, Fear not; I am the firft and the laft:

18 I am he that liveth, and was dead; and behold I am alive for ever more, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.

19 Write the things which thou haft feen, and the things which are, and the things which fhall be hereafter.

20 The mystery of the feven ftars which thou faweft in my right hand, and the feven golden candlefticks. The feven ftars are the angels of the feven churches: and the feven candlesticks which thou faweft, are the feven churches.

He then (ver. 9-20.) mentions the place, where the Revelation was given, and describes the manner and circumstances of the firft vifion. The place, where the Revelation was given, was Patmos, a defolate iland in the Archipelago, whither he was banifhed for the confeffion

of

of the gofpel. It is not well known, at what time, or by whom he was banithed into this ifland; but we may fuppofe it to have happened in the reign of Nero more probably than in that of Domitian. It is indeed the more general opinion, that the Apocalyps was written in Domitian's reign; and this opinion is founded upon the (9) teftimony of Irenæus, who was the difciple of Polycarp, who had been the disciple of St. John. This authority is great, and is made ftill greater, as it is confirmed by (1) Eufebius in his Chronicle and in his Ecelefiaftical Hiftory. But Eufebius a little afterwards in the (2) fame hiftory recites a memorable ftory out of Clemens Alexandrinus; that St. John, after he returned from Patmos, committed a hopeful young man to the care of a certain bishop; that the bithop received him into his houfe, educated, inftructed, and at length baptized him; that the bishop afterwards remitting of his care and ftrictnefs, the young man was corrupted by idle and diffolute companions, reveled with them, robbed with them, and forming them into a gang of high-way men was made their captain, and became the terror of all the country; that after fome time St. John coming upon other occafions to revifit the fame bishop, inquired after the young man, and was informed that he was not to be found in the church, but in fuch a mountain with his fellow-robbers; that St. John called for a horfe, and rode immediately to the place; that when the young man faw him, he fled away from him; that St. John forgetting his age pursued eagerly after him, recalled him, and reftored him to the church. Now all thefe tranfactions muft neceffarily take up fome years; and may feem credible if St. John was banished by Nero, but are altogether impoffible if he was banished by Domitian; for he furvived Domitian but a very few years, and he was then near 100 years old, and fo very weak and infirm that (3) he was with great diffi

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culty carried to church, and could hardly fpeak a few words to the people, and much lefs ride brifkly after a young robber. Epiphanius (4) afferts, that he was banished into Patmos, and wrote the Apocalyps there, in the reign of Claudius: but Epiphanius being not a correct writer, he might poffibly mistake Claudius for his fucceffor Nero, efpecially as Nero had affumed the name of Claudius, by whom he was adopted, Nero Claudius Cæfar. This date is perhaps near as much too early, as the time of Domitian is too late. The churches. of Syria have thus (5) infcribed their verfion, The Revelation made to. John the Evangelift by God in the iland Patmos, into which he was banished by Nero the Cæfar.' The ancient Commentators (6) Andreas and Arethas affirm, that it was understood to be written before the deftruction of Jerufalem. But if it was written before the deftruction of Jerufalem, it might naturally be expected that fuch a memorable event would not have been unnoticed in this prediction; and neither was it unnoticed in this prediction, as will be feen hereafter. Our Saviour's repeating fo frequently in this book, Behold, I come quickly-Behold, he cometh with clouds, and every eye fhall fee him, and they also who pierced him, and all kindreds of the earth fhall wail because of him-and the like expreffions, cannot furely be fo well understood of any other event as of the deftruction of Jerufalem, which coming was alfo spoken of in the gofpels, and what other coming was there fo fpeedy and confpicuous? So many fpurious Apocalypfes, written by Cerinthus and others in early times, demonftrate evidently that the Apocalyps of St. John, in imitation whereof they were written, was ftill earlier, and was held in high eftimation among Chriftians. But what is to me an unanfwerable argument, the ftile itself, fo full of Hebraifms, and as I may fay fo full of barbarifins and even folecisms, as fome (7) even of the ancients have obferved, manifeftly

(4) Epiphan. adverf. Hæref. Lib. 1. Tom. 2. Sect. 12. p. 434. Sect. 33. P. 456. Edit. Petav.

(5) Revelatio quæ facta eft Joanni evangelifta a Deo in Patmo infula, in

quam injectus fuit a Nerone Cæfare,

(6) Andreas in Apoc. VI. 16. Arethas in Apoc. XVIII. 19.

(7) διαλεκτον μεντοι και γλώσσαν εκ ακριβως ελληνίζεσαν αυτε βλεπω, αλλ'

ιδιωματι

manifeftly evinces, that the author was but lately come out of Judea, was little accustomed to write in Greek, and had not yet attained to that greater purity of ftile, which appears in his Gofpels and Epiftles. On the contrary it is urged, that there are internal marks in the book itfelf of its being of a later date than Nero's reign, that the churches of Afia could not have changed and degenerated fo much in fo thort a space of time, that they had not then been expofed to perfecution, nor had Antipas fuffered martyrdom at Pergamos, the perfecutions by Nero being confined to the metropolis of the empire. But why might not St. John charge the churches of Afia with having degenerated and fallen from their firft love, as well as St. Paul accufe the church of Corinth, (1 Cor. III. 3.) of being carnal and having envying and ftrife and divifions among them; or complain of the churches of Galatia, (Galat. I. 6.) I marvel that ye are fo foon removed from them that called you into the grace of Chrift unto another gospel (III. 1.) Õ foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you that ye fhould not obey the truth, before whofe eyes Jefus Chrift hath been evidently fet forth; or write to Timothy the firft Bishop of Ephefus (2 Tim. I. 15.) This thou knowest that all they which are in Afia be turned away from me? Why might not the churches of Afia be liable to perfecution, when it is faid (2 Tim. III. 12.) that all who will live godly in Chrift Jefus fhall fuffer perfecution; when unto the Philippians (I. 29.) it was given in the behalf of Chrift, not only to believe on him, but also to fuffer for his fake; and when the Theffalonians (1 Theff. II. 14.) fuffered like things of their own countrymen, as the churches in Judea of the Jews; and manifefted (2 Theff. I. 4.) their patience and faith in all their perfecutions and tribulations which they endured? As for Antipas there is no genuin hiftory or authentic account of him; it is not known, who or what he was, when he suffered, or who caufed him to be put to death, so that nothing can be from thence inferred one

ιδίωμασι μεν βαρβαρικοις χρωμενον και TEXAι CORIZONTa. Verum dictionem ejus non admodum Græcam animadverto, fed barbarismis atque interdum

folæcifmis inquininatam. Dionyfius Alex. apud Eufeb. Hift. Ecclef. Lib. 7. Cap. 25.

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