19 And if any man fhall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book. 20 He which teftifieth these things faith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even fo, Come, Lord Jefus. 21 The grace of our Lord Jefus Chrift be with you all. Amen. St. John (ver. 8, 9.) teftifieth himself to be the perfon who faw and heard thefe things: and in his extafy falling into the fame miftake that he had committed before; (XIX. 10.) he is gently corrected in the fame manner by the angel: Who ordereth him (ver. 10.) not to feal up this prophecy, as Daniel's was, (XII. 4, 9.) for the time is at hand, fome of the particulars would very foon be accomplished, as indeed all would in their due feafon and order: Which he farther inforceth (ver. 11-15.) with promises and threatnings, of rewards to the righteous, and of vengeance on the wicked. It was not thought fufficient to reprefent the angel fpeaking in the perfon of Chrift, but Chrift himself alfo is introduced (ver. 16.) fpeaking in his own perfon, and confirming the divine authority of this book, and attesting it to be properly his revelation. The Spirit and the bride, (ver. 17.) that is, the fpiritual bride, the true church of Chrift, therefore receives it, and ardently witheth and prayeth for its completion. The book being of this importance and authority, a folemn adjuration is added by Chrift himself, that no man prefume to add any thing to it, or take away any thing from it, (ver. 18, 19.) For I teftify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, Iƒ any man shall add unto thefe things God Jhall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man fhall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, "God fhall take away his part out of the book of life, and outof the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book: Which ought to be feriously confidered by all visionaries and enthusiasts on the one hand, who boast their own inventions as divine revelations; and by all fceptics and infidels on the other, who depreciate the value and authority of thefe predictions. He who teftifieth these things, faith, Surely I come quickly; (ver. 20.) he not only attefteth them to be true, but will alfo come speedily to accomplish them: to which St. John anfwers, and in him the whole church, Amen. Even fo, Come, Lord Jefus. He closeth all with the ufual apoftolical benediction (ver. 21.) withing the grace of our Lord Jefus Chrift to the churches of Afia in particular, and to all Chriftians in general. The conclufion is truly excellent, as well as all other parts of this book: and nothing could be contrived to leave these things with a ftronger impreffion upon the mind of the readers. In the whole, from firft to laft, appears the majefty of the divine revealer, the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the author and finisher of every good work, and of this more efpecially. This, as (Sir Ifaac Newton (7) hath hinted; and as Dr. Warburton hath fully proved in fome difcourfes, which it is hoped will be printed at one time or other for the benefit of the public,) is that fure word of prophecy, whereunto Chriftians, as St. Peter faith, do well to take heed and attend. St. Peter (2 Pet. I. 16, &c.) is afferting and eftablishing the truth of Chrift's fecond coming in power and great glory. For we have not followed cunningly dewifed fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jefus Chrift, but were eye-witnesses of his majefty. One illuftrious proof of his coming in power and glory was his appearing in glory and majefty at his transfiguration. (ver. 17, 18.) For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came fuch a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleafed. And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount. His appearing once in power and great glory is a good argument, that he may appear again in like manner: and that he not only may, but will, we have the farther af (7) Sir Ifaac Newton's Obferv. upon the Apoc. Cap. 1. p. 240. The Bishop has fince published a difcourfe upon this fubject in the third. vol. of his fermons; but his fecond lecturer, (Dr. Hallifax) contradicts him herein, and maintains the Revelation to be written after the death of St. Peter in the reign of Domitian.. furance furance of prophecy, (ver. 19.) We have alfo a more fure word of prophecy; wheunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that fhineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day-star arife in your hearts. St. Peter might mean the prophecies in general which treat of the fecond coming of Chrift, but it appears that the Revelation was principally in his thoughts and intentions. Chrift's fecond coming in power and glory is one principal topic of the Revelation. With this it begins, (I. 7.) Behold, he cometh with clouds: and every eye fhall fee him. With this it also concludes, (XXII. 20.) Hewho teftifieth these things, faith, Surely I come quickly. Nothing can better anfwer the character of the Revelation, efpecially in St. Peter's time when as yet fcarce any part of it was fulfilled, than a light fhining in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day-ftar arife in your hearts. It openeth more and more like the dawning of the day; and the more it is fulfilled, the better it is understood. Afterwards St. Peter proceeds, in the fecond chapter, to defcribe, out of this fure word of prophecy, the falfe prophets and falfe teachers, who fhould infeft the church; and in the third chapter, the certainty of Chrift's coming to judgment, the conflagration of the prefent heavens and earth, and the structure of the new heavens and earth; and all agreeably to the Revelation. Attention therefore to this book is recommended to us, upon the authority of St. Peter as well as of the writer St. John: and a double bleffing, as we have seen in the book itfelf, is pronounced upon thofe who fhall ftudy and obferve it; firft in the beginning, (I. 3.) Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep thofe things, which are written therein; and here again in the end, (XXII. 7.) Blessed is he that keepeth the fayings of the prophecy of this book. Emboldened by which bleffing, I would humbly pray with Nehemiah, (Nehem. XIII. 22.) Remember me, O my God, concerning this also, and Spare me, according to the greatness of thy mercy, XXVI. RECAPITULATION OF THE PROPHECIES RELATING TO POPERY. PON the whole it appears that the prophecies relating to Popery are the greatest, the most effential, and the most striking part of the Revelation, Whatever difficulty and perplexity there may be in other paffages, yet here the application is obvious and easy. Popery being the great corruption of Chriftianity, there are indeed more prophecies relating to that than at almoft any other diftant event. It is a great object of Daniel's, and the principal object of St. Paul's, as well as of St. John's prophecies; and thefe, confidered and compared together, will mutually receive and reflect light from and upon each other. It will appear to be clearly foretold, that fuch a power as that of the pope fhould be exercised in the Chriftian church, and fhould authorize and establifh fuch doctrins and practices, as are publicly taught and approved in the church of Rome. It is not only foretold that fuch a power fhould be exercised, but the place and the perfons likewife are pointed out, where and by whom it should be exercifed. Befides the place and the perfons, the time alfo is fignified when it should prevail, and how long it should prevail; and at laft upon the expiration of this term it fhall be deftroyed for evermore. It is thought proper to reprefent the prophecies relating to popery in one view, that, like the rays of the fun collected in a glafs, they may appear with the greater luftre, and have the ftronger effect. I. I fay, the Spirit of prophecy hath fignified beforehand, that there fhould be fuch a power as that of the pope and church of Rome ufurped in the Chriftian world and thefe predictions are fo plain and exprefs, that, was not the contrary evident and undeniable, they might feem to be penned after the event, and to defcribe things paft rather than to foretel things to come. For inftance. Hath there now for many ages fubfifted, and doth 7 doth there ftill fubfift a tyrannical, and idolatrous, and blafphemous power, in pretence Chriftian, but in reality Antichriftian? It is the very fame power that is portrayed in the little horn and the blafphemous king by Daniel, in the man of fin the fon of perdition by St. Paul, and in the ten-horned beaft and the two-horned beaft or the falfe prophet by St. John.-Hath the church apoftatized or departed greatly from the purity of Chriftian faith and worship? It is the very fame thing that St. Paul hath foretold, (2 Theff. II. 3.) The day of the Lord shall not come, except there come a falling away or the apoftacy first: and he faith moreover in another place, (1 Tim. iv. 1.) that the Spirit of prophecy (meaning Daniel) had in exprefs words teftified the fame thing before: Now the Spirit fpeaketh exprefly, that in the latter times fome fhall depart from the faith, or rather apoftatize from the faith: and St. John forefaw the church fo far degenerated as to become (Rev. XVII. 5.) the mother of harlots or whoredoms, and abominations of the earth.-Doth this apoftafy confift chiefly in the worthipping of demons, angels and departed faints, and in honoring them with coftly fhrines and rich offerings, inftead of the worship of the one true God thro' the one true mediator between God and men, the man Chrift Jefus? Nothing can better agree with the prophecy of St. Paul, (1 Tim. IV. 1.) Some fhall apoftatize from the faith, giving heed to feducing fpirits and doctrins concerning demons; and with the phecy of Daniel, that the blafphemous king (XI. 38.) in his eftate fhall honour Mahuzzim, God's-protectors or faints-protectors, and a God whom his fathers knew not, fhall he honor with gold, and filver, and with precious Stones, and pleafant things.-Is the fame church, that is guilty of this idolatry, notorious alfo for injoining celibacy to her clergy, and engaging her nuns to enter into vows of leading a fingle life? doth the make a vain diftinction of meats, and command and inftitute certain times and days of fafting, wherein to tafte flesh is judged a mortal fin? Nothing can more fully accomplish the prediction of Daniel, (XI. 37.) that the blafphemous king, who fhall worship Mahuzzim, fhall alfo not regard the defire of wives; and the prediction of St. Paul, B b 4 pro 1 Tim. |