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flourishing, and is honoured by many nations as the metropolis of the Chriftian world; fhe ftill resounds with fingers and musicians; fhe ftill excels in arts which serve to pomp and luxury; the ftill abounds with candles, and lamps, and torches, burning even by day as well as by night and confequently this prophecy hath not yet been, but remains yet to be fulfilled.

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CHA P. XIX.

ND after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, faying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power unto the Lord our God:

2 For true and righteous are his judgments; for he hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his fervants at her hand.

3 And again they faid, Alleluiah And her smoke rofe for ever and ever. up

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And the four and twenty elders, and the four beafts fell down and worfhipped God that fat on the throne, faying, Amen; Alleluia.

5 And a voice came out of the throne, faying, Praise our God all ye his fervants, and ye that fear him, both fmall and great.

6 And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of ma

ny waters, and as the voice of mighty thundrings; faying, Alleluiah: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.

7 Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.

8 And to her was granted, that the fhould be arrayed in fine linen, clean andwhite for the fine linen is the righteoufnefs of faints.

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9 And he faith unto me, Write, Bleffed they which are called unto the marriage-fupper of the Lamb. And he faith unto me, Thefe are the true fayings of God.

10 And I fell at his feet to worship him: And he faid unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellow-fervant, and of thy brethren that have the teftimony of Jefus worship God: for the teftimony of Jefus is the fpirit of prophecy.

Hereupon

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Hereupon the whole church, ver. 1-4. agreeably to the exhortation of the angel, xviii. 20. join praises and thanksgivings to almighty God for his truth and righteoufnefs in judging this idolatrous city, his truth in fulfilling his promife and threatenings, and his righteousness in proportioning her punishment to her crimes. And her fmoke rofe up for ever and ever;' which intimates that she should be made as fignal a monument of divine vengeance as Sodom and Gomorrah. It is taken from Ifaiah, who hath faid much the fame thing of Edom, and by Edom the Jews understand Rome. Ifaiah, xxxiv. 9, 10. And the streams thereof fhall be turned into pitch; in the genuine f editions of the Chaldee paraphrase it is, And the rivers of Rome fhall be turned into pitch, and the duft thereof into brimstone, and the land thereof fhall become burning pitch. It fhall not be quenched night nor day? the fmoke fhall go up for ever.' This tradition of the rabbins may receive fome confirmation from these words of the apostle: and fuch an event may appear the more probable, because the adjacent countries are known to be of a fulphureous and bituminous foil; there have even at Rome been & eruptions of fubterraneous fire, which have confumed feveral buildings; so that the fuel feemeth to be prepared, and waiteth only for the breath of the Lord to kindle it. But God is praised not only for the deftruction of the great feat of idolatry, but also, ver. 5-8. for the manifestation of his kingdom, as before, xi. 17. and for the happy and glorious state of the reformed Christian church. She is no harlot tainted with idolatry, but a spouse prepared for her Lord Chrift: fhe is not arrayed like an harlot in purple and scarlet colour,' but like a decent bride, in fine linen clean and white,' as the propereft emblem of her purity and fanctity. Christ hath now, as St Paul expreffeth

e R. David in principio Obadiæ, Quod autem dicunt propheta devaftatione Edom in extremitate dierum, de Roma dixerunt. Buxtorf. Chald. Lex. in voce X377.

f Et convertentur flumina Romæ in picem, &c. Pofteriores editiones vocem Roma omiferunt. Buxtorf. ibid.

g Vide Dionis Hift. Lib. 66 in Tito, ug de da regov exision Tw ins έτει πολλά πανυ της Ρώμης επενέματο. κ. τ. λ. Ignis autem alius fupra terram exortus anno infequenti magnam admodum Romæ partem abfumfit, &c. p. 756. Edit. Leunclav.

expreffeth it, Eph. v. 26, 27. fanctified and cleanfed his church with the wafhing of water, by the word, That he might present it to himfelf a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any fuch thing, but that it fhould be holy, and without blemish.' So great is the felicity of this period, that the angel orders it, ver. 9. to be particularly noted: and blessed and happy are they who fhall be living at this time, and be worthy to partake of this marriage feaft. It is a matter of confolation to all good Chriftians, and they may affuredly depend upon it, as the never-failing word of God. St John was in fuch rapture and extafy at these discoveries, that, ver. 10 not knowing or not confidering what he did, he fell down at the angel's feet to worship him:' but the angel prohibits all manner of worship, for he was no more than a fellow fervant' of the apoftle's and of all true prophets, of all who have the teftimony of Jefus,' and the testimony of Jefus is the fpirit of prophecy.' Worship not me then, fays the angel, but God, whofe fervants we both are, and who infpires us both with the fame spirit of prophecy.

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goeth a fharp fword, that` with it he should smite the nations:- and he fhall rule them with a rod of iron :: and he treadeth the wineprefs of the fierceness and wrath of almighty God.

16 And he hath on his vesture 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 midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the fupper of the great God;

18 That

18 That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that fit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small 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 worfhipped his image. Thefe 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.

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It was faid by the angel, fpeaking of the kings fubject to the beast, xvii. 14. Thefe fhall 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 vi fion, 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 described 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 Christ, and he fhall reign for ever and ever.' As the Jewifh highpriett wore the ineffable name of Jehovah on his forehead, fo he had a name written,' which none could perfectly comprehend but himfelf; 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 heastern monarchs, and by Antichrift himself. The pope

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h Artaxerxes king of kings. Ezra VII. 12 Rex regum Sapor. Amm. Marcell. Lib, 17. Cap. 5. p. 163. Edit. Valefii. Paris 1681. Baoiλeus

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is i 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 horses,' as well as himself, and are cloathed in fine linen, white and clean,' as emblems of their victory and fanctity. An angel ftanding 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 brimstone :' and their followers are flain with the word of Chrift, the sword which proceeded out of his mouth; and all the fowls are filled with their fleth ;' their fubftance is feized for other perfons, and for other ufes. In a word, the defign of this fublime and figurative defcription is to fhow the downfal of popery, and the triumph of Chriftianity: the true word of God will prevail over fuperftition and idolatry; all the powers of Antichrift fhall be completely fubdued; and the religion of Rome, as well as Rome herfelf, be totally destroyed.

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3 And caft him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and fet a feal upon him, that he fhould deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that, he must be loofed a little season.

4 And I faw thrones, and they fat upon them, and judgment

βασιλεων και δεσποτης δεσποτων Σεστωσις. Rex regum, et dominus domi. norum Sefoofis, vel Sefoftris. Diod. Sic. Lib. 1. p. 35. Edit. Steph. P. 51. Edit. Rhodomani.

i See Jewel's Defence of his Apology. Part. 5. and Barrow's Introduction of his Treatife of the Pope's Supremacy.

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