14 And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horfes, cloathed in fine linen, white and clean. 15 And out of his mouth goeth a fharp fword, that with it he fhould fmite the nations: and he fhall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the wine-prefs of the fiercenefs and wrath of almighty God. 16 And he hath on his vefture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. 17 And I faw an angel ftanding in the fun; and he cried with a loud voice, faying to all the fowls that fly in the midft of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the fupper of the great God; 18 That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horfes, and of them that fit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both fmall and great. 19 And I faw the beaft and the kings of the earth, and their armies gathered together to make war against him that fat on the horfe, and against his army. 20 And the beaft was taken, and with him the falfe prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beaft, and them that worshipped his image. These both were caft alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. 21 And the remnant were flain with the fword of him that fat upon the horse, which fword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh. It was faid by the angel, fpeaking of the king fubject to the beaft, (XVII. 14.) These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb fhall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords and King of kings; and they that are with him, are called, and chofen, and faithful: And this vifion (ver. 11-21.) is added by way of inlargement' and explanation of that great event. Heaven is opened, and our Saviour cometh forth riding upon a white horse, as a token of his victory and triumph over his enemies. He is defcribed in fuch characters as are appropriated to him in this book, and in the ancient prophets. On his head alfo were many crowns, to denote his numerous conquefts and kingdoms, which were now (XI. 15.) become the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Chrift, and he Shall reign for ever and ever. As the Jewith high-priest wore the ineffable name of Jehovah on his forehead, fo he had a name written, which none could perfectly comprehend but himself; his name is called the Word of God. He had likewife another name written on that part of his vefture which covered his thigh, King of kings, and Lord of lords; a title much affected by the (5) eaftern monarchs, and by Antichrift himfelf. The pope is (6) ftiled King of kings, and Lord of lords; but what he is only in pretence, Chrift is in reality. His armies are mounted upon white horfes, as well as himfelf, and are cloathed in fine linen, white and clean, as emblems of . their victory and fanctity. An angel standing in the fun, and fo confpicuous to all, in lofty ftrains copied from the ancient prophets, and particularly from Ezekiel, (XXXIX. 17, 18.) calleth the fowls to the great flaughter of Chrift's enemies. Thefe enemies are the beaft and the falfe prophet, the Antichriftian powers civil and ecclefiaftical, with their armies gathered together, their adherents and followers combined and determined to fupport idolatry, and oppofe all reformation. But the principals, as deferving of the greateft punishment, are taken, and caft alive into a lake of fire burning with brimftone: and their followers are flain with the word of Chrift, the fword which proceeded out of his mouth; and all the fowls are filled with their flesh; their fubftance is feifed for (5) Artaxerxes king of kings. Ezra VII. 12. Rex regnum Sapor. Amm. Marcell. Lib. 17. Cap. 5. p. 163. Edit. Valefii. Paris 1681. Baothaus Baσιλέων και δεσπολης δεσπόΐων Σεσοωσις. Rex regum, et dominus dominorum Sefoofis, vel Sefoftris. Diod. Sic. 3 Lib. 1. p. 35. Edit. Steph. p. 51. (6) See Jewel's Defenfe of his Apology. Part. 5. and Barrow's Introduêtion to his Treatile of the Pope's Supremacy. other other perfons, and for other ufes. In a word, the defign of this fublime and figurative defcription is to fhow the downfall of popery, and the triumph of Chriftianity: the true word of God will prevail over fuperftition and idolatry; all the powers of Antichrift thall be completely fubdued; and the religion of Rome, as well as Rome herfelf, be totally deftroyed. 1 AN CHAP. XX. ND I faw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit, and a great chain in his hand. 2 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old ferpent, which is the devil and Satan, and bound him a thoufand years. 3 And caft him into the bottomlefs pit, and fhut him up, and fet a feal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thoufand years fhould be fulfilled: and after that, he must be loofed a little feafon. 4 And I faw thrones, and they fat upon them, and judgment was given unto them; and I faw the fouls of them that were beheaded for the witnefs of Jefus, and for the word of God, and which had not worthipped the beaft, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. 5 But the reft of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first refurrection. 6 Bleffed and holy is he that hath part in the first refurrection on fuch the fecond death hath no power, but they fhall be priefts of God and of Chrift, and fhall reign with him a thoufand years. After the deftruction of the beaft and of the falfe prophet, there ftill remains the dragon, who had delegatedhis power to them, that old ferpent, which is the devil and and Satan: but he is bound by an angel, an efpecial minifter of providence; and the famous millennium commences, or the reign of the faints upon earth for a thousand years. (ver. 1-6.) Binding him with a great chain, cafting him into the bottomlefs pit, fhutting him up, and fealing a feat upon him, are strong figures to fhow the ftrict and fevere reftraint which he should be laid under, that he might deceive the nations no more during this whole period. Wickednefs being reftrained, the reign of righteoufnefs fucceeds, and the adminiftration of juftice and judgment is given to the faints of the moft High: and the martyrs and confeffors of Jefus, not only those who were beheaded or fuffered any kind of death under the heathen emperors, but alfo thofe who refused to comply with the idolatrous worship of the beaft and of his image, are raised from the dead, and have the principal fhare in the felicities of Chrift's kingdom upon earth. But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished; fo that it was a peculiar prerogative of the martyrs and confeffors above the rest of mankind. This is the firft refurrection, a particular refurrection preceding the general one at least a thousand years. Blefjed and holy too is he who hath part in the first refurrection; he is holy in all the fenfes of the word, holy as feparated from the common lot of mankind, holy as indowed with all virtuous qualifications, and none but fuch are admitted to partake of this bleffed state. On fuch the fecond death hath no power. The fecond death is a Jewith phrafe for the punishment of the wicked after death. So the (7) Chaldee paraphrafe of Onkelos upon that text in Deuteronomy (XXXIII. 6.) Let Reuben live, and not die, hath Let him not die the fecond death; and the other paraphrafes of Jonathan Ben 'Uziel and of Jerufalem have Let him not die the fecond death by which the wicked die in the world to come. It is a familiar phrafe in the Chaldee paraphrafes and Jewish writings, and in this very book (XX. 14. XXI. 8.) it is declared (7) Non moriatur morte fecunda. Onk. Nec moriatur morte qua morientur improbi in futuro feculo, Jonath. Neque moriatur morte fecunda qua moriuntur improbi in futuro feculo. Hierof. to to be the fame as the lake burning with fire and brimftone. The fons of the refurrection therefore thall not die again, but shall live in eternal blifs, as well as enjoy all the glories of the millennium, be priests of God and of Chrift, and reign with him a thousand years. Nothing is more evident than that this prophecy of the millennium, and of the firft refurrection, hath not yet been fulfilled, even tho' the refurrection be taken in a figurative fenfe. For reckon the thoufand years with Uther from the time of Chrift, or reckon them with Grotius from the time of Conftantine, yet neither of thefe periods, nor indeed any other, will aufwer the defcription and character of the millennium, the purity and peace, the holiness and happiness of that bleffed ftate. Before Conftantine indeed the church was in greater purity, but was groaning under the perfecutions of the heathen emperors. After Conftantine the church was in greater profperity, but was foon fhaken and difturbed by herefies and fchifms, by the incurfions and devaftations of the northern nations, by the conquering arms and prevailing impofture of the Saracens and af terwards of the Turks, by the corruption, idolatry, and wickedness, the ufurpation, tyranny, and cruelty of the church of Rome. If Satan was then bound, when can he be faid to be loofed? Or how could the faints and the beast, Chrift and Antichrift, reign at the faine period? This prophecy therefore remains yet to be fulfilled, even tho' the refurrection be taken only for an allegory, which yet the text cannot admit without the greatest torture and violence. For with what propriety can it be faid, that fome of the dead who were beheaded lived and reigned with Chrift a thousand years, but the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished, unless the dying and living again be the fame in both places, a proper death and refurrection? Indeed the death and refurrection of the witneffes before mentioned (Chap. XI.) appears from the concurrent circumftances of the vifion to be figurative, but the death and refurrection here mentioned muft for the very fame reafons be concluded to be real. If the martyrs rife only in a fpiritual fenfe, then the rest of the dead rife only in a fpiritual |