tira, and to Sardis, and to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea.

St. John here informs us, that he had shared in the perfecution and tribulations, which were common to the chriftians; that he was partner with them in being a member with them of the body of chriftians, which formed the kingdom of Jefus Chrift. By the orders of the Emperor Domitian, St. John, as we have seen, was put into a caldron of boiling oil at Rome, which he bore with invincible patience, and came out unhurt; after which he was banished into the island of Patmos, in the Archipelago. There he was an exile for the word of God, for having preached the word of God in oppofition to the fuperftitions of idolatry, and for the testimony of Jefus, or for having borne teftimony to Chrift, by confeffing publicly his holy name, and maintaining his doctrine. He was there ravifhed in Spirit on the Lord's day, or Sunday, which being fanctified by the great myfteries of the refurrection of Chrift and the defcent of the Holy Ghoft, was certainly a proper day for receiving this important Revelation, which comprifes the whole hiftory of the Christian Church from her birth to her final triumphant ftate in heaven.

He then proceeds to defcribe the manner in which this Hiftory was communicated to him: And I heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet, faying, what thou feeft, write in a book. We proved, ver. i. p. 2. that this Prophecy was delivered to the Apoftle by the angel of Chrift, St. John Baptift: and He is the great voice like that of a trumpet, which here speaks to the Apostle; for the function of the voice on this occafion is fimilar to that, which the Baptift performed when on earth. He then announced, as with the voice of a trumpet, the coming of his Divine Master: I am the voice, fays he, of one crying in the wilderness: make straight the way of the Lord, John i. 23. In like manner he is here diftinguished by

the

the appellation of a great voice, and announces what is and what will be his Mafter's government and administration of his Church. Befides, we read in verfe the firft of chap. iv. of the Apocalypfe: The firft voice which I heard, as it were, of a trumpet fpeaking with me, faid: Come up hither, and I will fhew thee the things which must be done hereafter; which being compared to verfe the eighth of chap. xxii. After I had heard and feen, I fell down to adore before the feet of the angel, who fhewed me these things; it plainly appears that the voice and the angel indicate the fame perfon, viz. St. John Baptift. This obfervation premised, the Apoftle is told: What thou feeft, write in a book, and fend to the feven Churches, which are in Afia, &c. He is ordered to fend this book of the Apocalypfe to the feven Afiatic Churches mentioned in the text, whence it was circulated over the chriftian world, and tranfmitted down to us.

V. 12. And I turned, continues St. John, to see the voice that spoke with me: and being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks.

V. 13. And in the midst of the feven golven candlefticks one like to the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the feet, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle.

V. 14. And his head and his hairs were white, as white wool, and as fnow: and his eyes were as a flame. of fire.

V. 15. And his feet like unto fine brass, as in a burning furnace: and his voice, as the found of many

waters.

V. 16. And he had in his right hand feven ftars. And from his mouth came out a sharp two-edged fword: and his face was as the fun fbineth in his power.

St. John, in looking behind him to fee the voice that Spoke to him, is furprized by the appearance of a remarkable fcene: Seven golden candlesticks ftanding, C

and

and in the midst of them a Perfon refembling the Son of man, or Chrift, clothed with a long garment down to the feet, and girt about the breaft with a golden girdle, a drefs, that denotes high rank and dignity; and being girt in this manner fhews him to be about bufinefs, namely, the government of his Church. His head and hair were white, as white wool, and as fnow; an emblem of Chrift's divine existence from all eternity, whitenefs of hair naturally indicating old age. And his eyes were as a flame of fire, as piercing as the flame of fire, penetrating into every thing, as he himself fays: I am he, that fearcheth the reins and hearts, Apoc. ii. 23. His feet were like unto fine brass, as in a burning furnace; the feet make the extremity of the body, and appear here inflamed as brass in a glowing furnace, to fhew that at the extremity or end of time, Chrift will come to deftroy the world by fire. His voice was as the found of many waters; his voice founded like the noife of mamy flowing waters, as terrible as the roaring of a tempeftuous fea. Such will be his voice in denouncing fentence against the wicked at the laft day. In his right hand he held feven Stars, which will be explained below, ver. 20. And from his mouth came out a sharp two-edged jword, the terrible weapon which Chrift will ufe, as we fhall fee hereafter, to flay Antichrift and his armies. It appears to proceed from his mouth, as ready to execute his command. It also fhews in general, that Chrift punishes his enemies. Laftly, his face fhone as bright as when the fun fhineth in its full power; this is, the bright pleafing countenance which he will fhew to his Saints at the last day.

Thus appears the Son of man, arrayed in dignity, with the marks of his unlimited power and dominion, with the symbols of his divine and human attributes, and as the Sovereign Administrator of his Church.

V. 17. And when I had feen him, continues St. John, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his righthand upon me, faying: Fear not, I am the first and the luft.

V. 18. And alive*, and was dead. And behold I am living for ever and ever, and have the keys of death and of hell.

St. John, ftruck at the awful appearance of his Lord, falls down at his feet as dead; but is raifed up by Christ, who tells him, not to fear, and adds, I am the firft and the laft; I exift before all created beings, and fhall continue to exift when time fhall be no more; I am from all eternity, and shall be to all eternity. I am alive, and was dead: I am the living one; life is effential to me, as God; but I died, as Man-God; and behold I am now living for ever and ever. I hold the keys of Death and of Hell; mine is the power of opening the graves, and raifing the dead bodies; mine is the power of opening hell, and drawing thence the fouls, to reunite them to their bodies: And thus I am He that shall refufcitate all mankind, and fhall be their Judge.

V. 19. Write therefore the things which thou haft feen, and which are, and which must be done hereafter.

Our Saviour here orders St. John to write the fċene he has already feen, and the things which are, or which have juft now been dictated to him; and to write alfo the things which must be done hereafter, that is, the Hiftory, that will prefently be given him, of the events which will happen in the Chriftian Church. V. 20. The mystery of the feven Stars, continues our Saviour, which thou faweft in my right hand, and the feven golden candlesticks. The feven ftars are the angels of the feven churches; and the feven candlesticks are the feven churches.

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Here Chrift his felf explains to St. John the myf tery or meaning of two particulars: The feven ftars, which thou faweft in my right hand, are, or denote the angels of the feven churches in Afia, that is, the Bishops

In the Greek text, the Living-one.

1

of those Churches: And the feven candlesticks are, or represent those feven Churches. Let us alfo obferve, that these feven candlesticks, or feven Churches, may very well reprefent all the Churches of the christian world; and in that cafe, our Saviour, who is placed in the midst of them, is naturally exhibited as administering and governing the whole.

CHA P. II.

The Hiftory of the firfl Age of the Chriftian Church. CHRIST proceeds, in the fecond and third chapters of the Apocalypfe, to dictate to St. John particular inftructions for each of the feven abovementioned Churches; which, as they do not belong to the general hiftory of Chriftianity, we shall pass over, and fhall now proceed to the fourth and fifth chapters, which open a general magnificent fcene, that prepares us for the particular transactions.

Prelude to the Opening of the feven Seals.

A POC. Chap. IV. v. 1. After these things I looked, fays St. John, and behold a door was opened in heaven, and the first voice which I heard, as it were, of a trumpet fpeaking with me, faid: Come up hither, and I will Thew thee the things which must be done hereafter.

V. 2.

the

And immediately I was in the spirit: and behold there was a throne fet in heaven, and upon throne one fitting.

V. 3. And he that fat, was to the fight like the Jasper and the Sardine ftone: and there was a Rainbow round about the throne, in fight like unto an Emerald.

No fooner had St. John received, in the preceding vifion, the documents he was to tranfmit to the feven Afiatic Churches; when behold! a new scene difplays itself. Heaven opens. St. John is invited up thither by the voice which had spoken to him before, that is, by St. John Baptift, and is told he fhall fee what is to happen in future ages. On a fudden appears a Throne, and the Almighty himself feated up