his name, that is, the names of God and the Lamb expreffed in one name, as both are one God: and thus they will carry an honourable and distinctive. mark of their having been the devoted fervants of God and the Lamb. We may observe, that in this and other places of the Apocalypfe, where St. John names together God and the Lamb, he always proceeds to speak of them in the fingular number, to fhew the unity of Godhead.

V. 5. And night shall be no more: and they shall not need the light of the lamp, nor the light of the fun, because the Lord God fball enlighten them, and they shall reign for ever and ever. We faw above, xxi. 23 & 25, nearly the same things applied to the city, which are here promised to the inhabitants, who will never more be troubled with the viciffitude of day and night, but will be cheered with perpetual day. Nor will they want a fun, a lamp, or any other created light; because the Almighty himself will enlighten them with the glory and luftre of his divinity, and they will reign with him in an ocean of happiness for ever and ever.

Thus we have seen a full defcription of the Heavenly Jerufalem, that is, of the triumphant state of the Chriftian Church, which when once begun will laft for evermore. The Saints here will be filled with all thofe gratifications that can footh and make happy the foul and body. Both these component parts of the human individual, as they concurred to advance the glory of God in the world, fo they will have both their refpective objects of delight and happiness. But it muft here be obferved that, though our explication has been moftly literal, we cannot pretend to determine how far the Prophet's glorious defcription of the heavenly city is to be understood in the literal, how far in the allegorical fenfe. We are certain that the happiness of the Saints will be complete, but it is not allowed to

man to investigate the particulars of that future ftate; for eye hath not feen, nor ear heard, neither hath it entered the heart of man, what things God hath prepared for them that love him, 1 Cor. ii. 9.—To return to the text, St. John fays,

V. 6. And he faid to me: Thefe words are most faithful and true. Here is the Seal put to the whole preceding account of the Heavenly Jerufalem: The Angel gives teftimony, that it is most faithful and true, or that it will certainly take place, as God's word and promife cannot fail. This conclufion is always fubjoined to thofe parts of the Prophecy, which treat of the ultimate ftate of man, namely, a happy eternity. Then is added,

V. 6. And the Lord God of the fpirits of the Prophets fent his Angel to fhew his fervants the things which must be done fhortly. That is, God, who infpires the Prophets or is the author of all prophecy, has vouchfafed to fend his Angel, St. John the Baptift, to fignify the preceding prophecy of the Apocalypfe to his fervants, agreeably to what was notified in the very beginning of it, c. I. V. I. Here then feems to terminate the Prophetical hiftory of the Chriftian Church. We have feen her described, in her rife, in her progrefs, and in the principal events that related to her. The whole courfe of her exiftence and tranfactions was aptly divided into feven Ages, the laft of which fhews her triumphing in Heaven, and crowned with immortal glory.

CHAP. XIV.

Conclufion of the Apocalypfe.

THE remaining part of the Apocalypfe contains

feveral useful admonitions which claim our attention, and with them the Book concludes.

Apoc. chap. xxii. v. 7. Behold I come quickly, Bleed is he that keepeth the words of the prophecy of

this book. Here Chrift himfelf fpeaks: Behold I come quickly, to execute the things delivered in this Prophecy therefore bleed is he who keepeth the words of the prophecy of this book, or who attends to what is contained in this book, and takes warning and inftruction from the important events therein defcribed. The fame admonition had been given at the beginning, c. r. v. 3.; a repeated argument of the extraordinary usefulness of this book.

V. 8. And I John, who have heard and feen thefe things. Here St. John fpeaks: I John am the perfon that heard and faw all these things; by which declaration he gives teftimony of having received from the Angel the whole preceding Prophecy. And then he proceeds,

V. 8. And after I had heard and feen, I fell down to adore before the feet of the Angel, who fhewed me thefe things:

V. 9. And he faid to me: fee thou do not: for I am thy fellow-fervant, and of thy brethren the Prophets, and of them that keep the words of the prophecy of this book. Adore God. St. John offers, as he had done before, xix. 10. his homage of gratitude to the Angel, St. John Baptift, who had fhewn him thefe things. The Angel refufes it, and tells him to offer his adoration and thanks to God, who is the author and giver of this Prophecy. The Angel furthermore plainly infinuates, that he has no title to the Apostle's thanks, nor is of a nature fuperior to the Apoftle; for he tells him, he is his fellowfervant, having been formerly fo on earth; and, the fellow-fervant of his brethren the Prophets, that is, of the minifters of Chrift's Church; and, fellowfervant of them that keep the words of the Prophecy of this book, that is, of all the faithful Chriftians from the beginning of Chrift's Church to the end of time.

V. 10. And he faith to me: feal not the words of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand. The Angel, or perhaps Chrift, fays to St. John: feal not the words of this prophecy of the book; leave the book open, that every one may read it, and be informed of the contents; because the time is at hand for their accomplishment to begin, or which is already begun, and which will continue fucceffively, till the whole be completed.

V. 11. He that hurteth, let him hurt ftill: and he that is filthy, let him be filthy ftill: and he that is juft, let him be juftified ftill: and he that is holy, let him be fanctified ftill. That is, the unjuft and the wicked, who are obftinately fo, may make hafte, fays Christ, to complete their injuftice and iniquity: and the juft and the holy fhould endeavour to haften their fteps in fanctifying and perfecting themselves more; for,

V. 12. Behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to render to every man according to his works. Behold, I fhall foon fummon them by the writ of death, to appear before me, fays Christ, and shall reward thefe according to their merits; and those, the impious, I fhall punish in the rigour of juftice according to the measure of their iniquity. Let us then be prepared for the fummons.

V. 13. I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the laft, the beginning and the end. Chrift here attributes to himself the fame divine qualities, which were affumed by Almighty God, Chap. xxi. v. 6. I am, fays Chrift, the beginning and the end. I exifted from all eternity, and fhall exift to all eternity. I am the creator of the universe, the confervator of it, and fhall put an end to it. I am the first and the laft, as he had before faid, Chap. i. v. 17.: I am prior to all mankind, they die and return to duft, but I am living for ever and ever. I am the first

founder

founder of the new Church on earth, and I fhall be the last and eternal reward of the fame.

V. 14. Bleffed are they, that wash their robes in the blood of the Lamb*: that they may have a right to the tree of life, and may enter in by the gates into the city.

V. 15. Without are dogs, and forcerers, and unchafte, and murderers, and fervers of idols, and every one that loveth and maketh a lie. Chrift continues to fpeak, and pronounces Blessed those Chriftians, that wash their robes in the blood of the Lamb by fuffering martyrdom, or by preferving themselves clean from the filth of fin, and by the obfervance of his commands. Thefe will be entitled to be admitted through the gates into the city, that is, into the manfions of the Chriftian heavenly Jerufalem; where they will have a right to the tree of life, to eat the fruit of immortality. But all thole others will be excluded from this heavenly city, who, after the nature of fnarling dogs, calumniate and flander their neighbour; alfo all forcerers, unchafte, murderers, idolaters, and those that love and make lies, or impoftors and teachers of falfe doctrine.

V. 16. I Jefus have fent my Angel, to testify to you thefe things in the churches. Jefus Chrift here fpeaks and fays: I have fent my Angel, John the Baptift, to deliver to you, John the Apoftle, this my Revelation, and to give teftimony to it; that you may transmit it in an authentic manner to the feven churches of Afia, and they to others.-Chrift continues,

V. 16. I am the root and stock of David, the bright and morning ftar. I am the root and flock or ftem that spring from David: I am that Son of David, of whom it was faid: The Lord God fhall give unto him the throne of David his Father, and he fall reign in the house of Jacob for ever, and of his kingdom tehre fhall be no end, Luke i. 32, 33. To me then

* In the Greek, that obferve his commandments.

were