Revelation 11

Revelation 11:1

Angel commanding St. John to measure the temple, and the other, and the other, and the other, and the other, and the other, and the other, and the other, and the other, and the other, and the other, and the other, and the other, and the other, and the other, and the other, and the other, and the other, and the other, and the other, and the other, and the other, and the other, and the other, and the other, and the other, and the other, and the other.

REVELATION XI. 1.

AND when I had eaten the book, according to the Divine command, there was given to me, as there was shewn to Ezekiel, whose vision bore so great a resemblance to mine, (Ezek. xl. xliii.) a reed, like a [measuring] rod; and the angel, which had spoken to me before, stood by me, saying, Arise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and the space filled by those who worship at it in the inner court; And the outer court of the temple, throw out of the account, and measure it not; for there shall be such great disorders introduced, that it shall be given to the Gentiles, and they shall trample, not only upon that, but upon the holy city, for the space of forty two months: such corruptions shall prevail in the Christian church, though by profession the holy city, and the temple of God, that they who pretend to be its inhabitants, and to worship in it, shall be no better, in the Divine account, than Gentiles. And, in the mean time, I will raise up some to bear an united testimony against these growing corruptions; and I will give to my two witnesses an authoritative [commission,]

a Measure the temple of God.] From the proportion between the area of the temple, and the outer court, supposed to be as one to 3 and 1 half, Mr. Mede, understanding by the temple, the pure uncorrupted state of the church; and, by the outer court, its corrupted state, endeavours to prove, that the latter did not entirely commence till the beginning of the fifth century; inferring also from hence the authority of the four first general councils. The argument may be seen at large in his works, p. 588, 589. But it does not seem to require a particular examination,

especially in the face of so many notorious errors, and absurd superstitions, as were evidently introduced into the church long before the time in question. How Grotius should imagine it to signify, that the temple should not be rebuilt by Adrian, though Jerusalem should, is to me very surprising: I doubt not but it signifies the profanation of the church by growing idolatry and superstition, though some few should preserve their purity.

b Two witnesses.] Some have strangely supposed these are Enoch and Elijah, who are to come to fight against anti-

The two witnesses shall prophesy;

and they shall prophesy all this while, that is, during the forty two months, pr a thousand two hundred [and] sixty days, clothed in sackcloth; to denote their afflicted condition. These are dear and precious to me, as Joshua and Zerubbabel among the Jews of old; and in reference to the emblems under which I represented those my faithful servants, (Zech. iv. 3, 11, 14.) I may call these, the two olive trees, and the two burning and shining lamps, who stand before the God of the whole earth; high in his esteem, and continually in his presence, planted like olive trees in his house, or kindled like the sacred lamps in the candlestick of the sanctuary. And if any one will obstinately injure them, encouraged by the gentleness of their appearance, and the seeming weakness of their present state, he shall find to his cost, that they are under an almighty protection. Their cries to God shall be heard, and such sudden and irresistible vengeance shall follow, that fire shall seem to come out of their mouth, and devour their enemies at once: it shall not merely scorch and terrify, but utterly destroy them: and I pronounce it again, If any one will injure them, so must he be put to death. These, despised as they are, have power with God, like my servant Elijah of old, (1 Kings xvii. 1,) by their prayers to shut heaven, so

See Limb. Theol. 7. xi. 51. Dr. understands it of unpolluted priests, faithful magistrates, appearing for nation Others, of the Old and Newment. But the learned Bishop, of the Waldenses and Albigenses, maps it may signify any witnesses for nation, who should be raised up during his period; illustrated by two, as concurring number was necessary, and to the law, to make the testimony; or to intimate, that their father should be but small. See Mr. Day in loc. who proves, there has a succession of faithful witnesses. [clothed in sackcloth.] This was the of mourners, and suited to their pro- character, Isa. xx. 2. This pe- is the same with that after described time of the woman’s abode in the neses, chap. xii. 6; Dan. vii. 25; xii. 7.

d Fire shall come out think it highly probable may be figurative, and the awful vengeance take on their enemies he is revealed in flaming injury received by; and especially his fi be remembered, and avenged.

e Shut heaven, &c.] Hale seems to think that the spirit of Moses be in them, Elijah h. from heaven, and him Moses having turned Hale’s Contemp. Vol indeed seems to intim interpose for their de the cause of his people in the awful manner

And the beast shall overcome and kill them :

that no rain shall be showered down in the days of their prophecy; and like Moses and Aaron, (Exod. vii. 20,) they have power over the waters, to turn them into blood, and to smite the earth as often as they will, with every plague; such is the prevalence of their prayers with God, that they may be said, as it were, to be armed with his omnipotence. And when they shall have finished their testimony, according to the plan of Divine Providence, the fierce and savage beast which ascends out of the abyss, and is afterwards to be described, shall make war against them, and shall conquer, and triumph over them for a while, and carry his success so far as to kill them. And their dead corpses [shall lie] unburied in the open street of the great city, which is spiritually called, on account of its lewdness and persecutions, S O D O M and E G Y P T, where also our Lord was crucified; that is, in the place, where he has suffered so much in his spiritual members, that he may be said to have been crucified over again. And [persons] of [various] people, and tribes, and tongues, and nations, shall look on their dead bodies three days and an half, and maliciously insult over them; and they shall not permit their corpses to be laid in their graves which should be prepared for them. And they who dwell upon the earth, shall rejoice over them, and be

Out of the abyss.] By the abyss Dr. More understands the sea, and thinks this passage is to be explained by what follows, chap. xiii.1. I am rather of opinion, it alludes to what had been said before, chap. ix. 11, where a king of the locusts is mentioned as a most destructive creature, called also the angel of the abyss; and it is certain, the word Dugier is used with this latitude. (Compare Acts xxviii. 4, 5)

The great city.] Mr. Fleming understands this of the German, that is, the Roman empire; of which Bohemia was a part. Indeed, it is probable the whole Roman empire may be here represented, as one idolatrous and impure city; as elsewhere, the church of Christ is represented by one pure, holy, and glorious city. It may intimate the extreme persecution of any of God’s witnesses should suffer; and that their enemies should triumph over them so much, that his cause should seem to be quite ruined.

Sodom and Egypt.] The lewdness of Sodom, and the cruelty of Egypt, are so celebrated in scripture, as to make them proper emblems of these evils in general. And the abominable wickedness of the church of Rome, in both these respects, (I suppose not to be equalled in any other society of men, calling themselves a church,) is most justly, as well as severely, expressed by these appellations. When one sees their places of worship every where adorned with images of a crucified Saviour, one would think, (as our Lord says with respect to the garniture which the persecuting Pharisees bestowed upon the sepulchres of the ancient prophets, that they meant to perpetuate the memory of the dead with honour,) that these persecutors intended to crucify Jesus in effigy: a sentiment, perhaps, not disagreeable to the original design.

And after three days and an half they will

glad, and with mutual congratulation, shall send gifts to each other, to testify their great exultation, because these two prophets, who tormented those who dwelt upon the earth, by their plain and faithful remonstrances, shall be entirely silenced; and, as they suppose, for ever removed out of any capacity of molesting them. All these things I distinctly saw, just as the angel had represented them to me in his description; and while I was looking, with the greatest concern, upon the venerable remains of these two excellent persons, denied the common rites of burial, and exposed to all the insults of their enemies, I saw, that after three days and an half, the Spirit of life, communicated from God, who quickeneth all things, entered into them, and they stood upon their feet again, to renew their testimony; and great fear immediately fell upon those who looked upon them, when they saw so wonderful a resurrection. And they, that is, the witnesses, heard a great voice, saying unto them from heaven, in loud accents, which I likewise distinctly heard, Come ye up hither; and they accordingly ascended up to heaven in a cloud, as our Lord had done in the sight of his apostles; and their enemies, with infinite surprise, and fruitless rage, looked on them, without being able to hinder or oppose the marvellous event. And in that hour, as an earthquake attended the

Three days and an half.] Very different interpretations have been given of this period of time. Mr. Fleming thinks it to his purpose to observe, that from the death of Andrew Pallica, the last Bohemian martyr, to the appearance of Carot-stadius and Zuinghus, at the beginning of the reformation, was just three years and an half. See Flem. of the Resur. p. 144. The above mentioned Bishop Lloyd imagined it was fulfilled in the slaughter of the Albigenses and Waldenses, in the year 1686; and they arose in 1690. He supposes Archbishop Usher’s celebrated prophecy a mistake of this place; he thought the treading down the court was the affliction of external professors; (whereas it was, indeed, the general prevalence of idolatry in the church;) and that the witnesses were slain by the king of France, not by the pope; and that the earthquake, (ver. 13,) signified the

destruction of the kingdom of France. Some think here is an allusion to the time of our Saviour’s lying in the grave; and that it intimates that the time of the witnesses suffering, will be in proportion to the time of their prophecy, which is described as a time of persecution; and so it comports with three times and an half, 1260 days, or 42 months. It may, in general, signify a certain limited time; and, perhaps, three days and an half, may be mentioned, in reference to the state of a dead body, which will seldom keep longer without corruption. See Mr. Lowman in loc.

Ascended up to heaven.] This was, no doubt, to signify, that the cause of true and genuine Christianity should not only be revived, but exalted; and that it should have so illustrious a triumph over all opposition, as no earthly elevation was sufficient adequately to represent.

The seventh trumpet sounds.

resurrection of our Lord, so likewise, at the ascension of these witnesses, there was a great earthquake; and a tenth part of the buildings of the city fell down to the ground, magnificent and sumptuous as they were; and seven thousand men, some of them of great name and figure, were killed by the earthquake; and the rest were terrified, and their alarm wrought more kindly upon them, than judgments had done upon some others; for they gave glory to the God of heaven, as the author of these awful events. The second wo is past, [and] a terrible one it is; but let none imagine all ground of alarm is over, for behold the third wo cometh quickly, to succeed it.

And the seventh angel sounded; and immediately there were great voices of thunder in heaven, saying, At length the happy, the triumphant period is approaching, and seems to be even already come; when it may be said, that the kingdoms of the world are become [the kingdoms] of our Lord, and of his Christ, his anointed Son; and he shall reign for ever and ever. And the twenty four elders, that sate before the throne of God on their splendid thrones, as already described, fell prostrate upon their faces, and worshipped God with profound reverence, on hearing these glad tidings; Saying, We give thanks unto thee, O Lord God Almighty, who art, and who wast, and who art to come; we adore the triumphs of thine omnipotence, and of thy wisdom; because, though

Seven thousand men were killed.] This seems to represent some great calamities, which were to befall the enemies of the reformation during the following period, and which would be a great means of promoting it.

The kingdoms of the world, &c.] The learned Grotius, than whom no great commentator was ever more mistaken in his explication of this book, strangely sinks the importance of the event here referred to, by expounding it of the liberty given to the Christians to profess their religion in Judea, when the Jews were banished. Mr. Mede, and Mr. Clarke, refer it to the reformation. Dr. Samuel Clarke says,

Whether this, and the like passages, shall have a literal accomplishment by the universal prevalency of the gospel of peace upon earth, or only in the new heavens, wherein dwelleth righteousness, is a secret in the breast of Providence, which we ought not to be over confident in explaining. See his Posth. Ser. Vol III. p 295 But it seems probable that this may be designed to intimate, that in the period of time signified by the seventh trumpet, and the vials, following it, there should be a triumph of the Christian cause in its power and purity, notwithstanding all the attempts made to pervert and corrupt it; which has been in fact, the case. Compare chap. vi. ver. 17, note 2.

Reflections on

1. for a while thou didst suffer the interest of thy kingdom to be in part overborn, as if the adversary were stronger than thou art, thou hast at length taken to thyself thy great power, and hast reigned with an uncontrolled dominion. 8 And the nations were wroth, and were transported with rage and pride, that their vain schemes were thus powerfully opposed: And having suffered them, for a season, to exert their impotent efforts, thy wrath came in its awful turn; thou didst display the terrors of thy superior vengeance; and the time of the dead came, when they should be judged, and the blood of thy people avenged, and when a reward should be given to thy faithful servants, the inspired prophets, and to the saints, and, on the whole, to them that fear thy name, both small and great: For, such is thy goodness, that thou wilt not forget any one of them; and the period is at length come, [when thou] shouldest interpose in an awful and irresistible manner, to destroy those that destroy and corrupt the earth by their many vices; and particularly, by their cruel ravages in persecuting those, who were, with the greatest integrity of heart, solicitous to have reformed it.

IMPROVEMENT.

Long hath the court of God’s temple been trodden under foot by the Gentiles, and a party of very corrupt and degenerate Christians, (if they at all deserve the name, though they proudly arrogate to themselves the title of the Catholic church,) been introducing and countenancing all the fopperies and absurdities of pagan superstition, as well as more than the horrors of pagan cruelty, so as indeed to have disgraced, not the gospel alone, but human nature itself. A wise and gracious Providence hath raised up witnesses for the truth in all ages; and it is a signal honour to bear a faithful and courageous testimony against these enormous corruptions, though it were unto bonds and imprisonment, and even at the expense of life. Those noble and heroic confessors God hath remarkably supported; and even when they have been in a state of mourning and oppression, they have borne their testimony and prophesied; their prayers have been

a A reward shall be given to thy servants.] final reward at the judgment day. This The reward to be given to all that fear therefore represents that judgment day as God, both small and great, seems to be the now nearly a proachin.

the case of the two witnesses.

remembered before God, and many have been smitten, who injured and oppressed them. But, notwithstanding this, the beast hath continued his war upon the saints, and their oppressions have increased, until, in many places, they have been cast down, and trodden in the dust, and their blood hath been poured out like water on the earth. Thus hath that great city, the metropolis of the world, once faithful and celebrated, become even as Sodom and Egypt, or even as Jerusalem, where Christ himself, our Divine Master, was crucified. Thus have the enemies of the truth triumphed over the servants of the Lord, and have erected trophies of their victory. But, thanks be to God, their triumph shall not be perpetual; Christ our Redeemer will revive his expiring cause, in a manner as glorious and wonderful as a resurrection from the dead: he will glorify the remnant of his people; he will cause the earth to tremble, and shake down the towers of the enemy; and when the first and second wo is past, will bring upon them a third and more terrible wo. In the faith of this triumphant event let us rejoice; and though in our day we see not this glorious scene, let us consider it as approaching, when the seventh angel shall sound, and when all the kingdoms of the earth shall become the kingdoms of the Lord, and of his Christ. Let our prayers do all that the most earnest prayers can do, towards promoting this great event. O Lord God Almighty, who art, and wast, and art to come, we beseech thee to take to thyself thy great power and reign; for the proudest of the enemies who oppose thy kingdom, reign, and even live, only by thy permission. Overbear, by thy superior rebuke, the rage of the angry nations; and give patience to thy afflicted servants, that if they should wait even till the dead be judged, they may never resign the hope of the reward which thou wilt at length confer upon them: not only on the prophets, and most eminent and distinguished of the saints, but on all them that fear thy glorious and tremendous name; on the small, as well as on the great; when the destroyers of the church, and of the earth, shall be destroyed together. Amen.

Revelation 11:19

On a view of the temple of God, as opened in consequence of the seventh trumpet, a vision appears, representing the multiplication of the church, and the attempt to be made by the devil upon it, under the emblem of a woman bringing forth a son, attacked and persecuted by a great dragon. Rev. XI. 19, XII. throughout.

REV. XI. 19.

AND the temple of God was opened in heaven,

REVELATION XI. 19. AND when these acts of adoration passed, upon the sounding of the seventh angel, the temple of God was opened in heaven; and the

VOL. 6.

A woman in heaven clothed with the sun, &c.

secr. veil, which seemed to separate the most holy and there was seen xv. place being drawn aside, the ark of his covenant in his temple the are of his testaappeared in his temple; to signify further man- Rev. 1. 19 ifestations of the Divine presence, which were were lightnings, and now to be made. And as, when the law was voices, and thundergiven from Mount Sinai, the whole atmosphere ings, and an earthseemed in a violent commotion, which was quake, and great hail.

communicated to the most solid parts of nature, so there were now lightnings, and loud and awful voices, and thunders, and an earthquake, and a great storm of hail, which had been described as a circumstance attending the Divine appearance, under former dispensations. (Compare Psal. cxiv. 4, & sim.) And thus ushered in, there appeared a great sign in heaven, a woman of a beautiful and majestic form, clothed, as it were, with the radiance of the meridian sun, streaming forth on all sides; which I understood as an emblem of the church of Christ, most gloriously arrayed through the comeliness and lustre which he puts upon her: and the moon was under her feet, to signify the conquest which the church should gain over all sublunary enjoyments and terrors; and upon her head there was a crown of twelve stars, to represent the twelve apostles, who had been so illustrious an ornament to that honoured society. And, to signify the increase of the Christian church, this woman, by which she was represented, being apparently pregnant, cried out in travail, and seemed as in violent pangs to be delivered. And, while she was in these circumstances of extremity, there appeared another sign in heaven: and behold! for it was a very memorable phenomenon, there was a great red fiery dragon, having seven heads, and ten horns; and upon his heads,

a Dragon having seven heads, and ten horns] I suppose most of my readers well know, that a dragon is a vast serpent of enormous bulk; there is one of them about 23 feet long, preserved in the repository of the royal society. And Job, the celebrated African, assured me, that one of them carried away a live cow in his mouth, before his face. Nothing could be a more proper emblem of the persecuting power, that by the instigation of Satan, attacked Christians; or rather, of Satan, as instigating these persecuting powers, and those especially of Rome, under its different states, as heathen and Christian, for the directing agent was still the same. I apprehend therefore, that the church is here represented, first, as pregnant, to signify its state while the empire was heathen the more vigorous state it afterwards arrived to, when such large accessions were made to the number of Christians, is de-

Her child is caught up to heaven :

a seven crowns, on each of them one ; which represented satan, the great enemy of the church, as animating a people, who were to answer, in a remarkable manner, to these mysterious and symbolical characters. And he appeared as having a long tail ; and with it he took an horrible sweep over the compass of a considerable part of the heaven, on which he seemed to stand ; and as it then appeared as decked with stars, whereby Christian ministers were especially represented, his tail drew down a third part of the stars of heaven, and cast them to the earth ; which signifies, that many, whose business it was to enlighten and preserve others, should themselves be corrupted, by the attempts of this great and subtle deceiver, whose artifice and rage were so aptly represented, by the seducing nature of this vast and voracious dragon. And the dragon stood directly before the woman, who was about to bring forth, that when she was delivered, he might immediately devour her child, for whose appearance he seemed eagerly to wait. And, to signify the certain success of the church, and the care God would take to preserve it, she whom I saw in the vision as the representative of it, brought forth a masculine son, a male child, who appeared of a vigorous constitution, and likely soon to advance to manhood ; who, as I then learned, was destined by God to a most glorious triumph over all opposition ; so as to rule all the nations with a rod of iron, which they should be unable successfully to resist. And, as the strength of this dragon seemed vastly superior to that of the woman, or the new born infant, her child was, on a sudden, caught up to God, even to his throne, there to be guarded as the charge and favourite of heaven, in full security from all the rage of his furious and destructive enemies. (Compare 2 Kings xi.

scribed by the birth of the child ; and its state, when an almost universal corruption was introduced, by its abode in the wilderness. The dragon, in the mean time, in all these various successions, labours, if possible, to destroy it ; at least to prevent the propagation of its interests.

b Masculine son ] As it was impossible, at very a son, should be an other than

appears, a male, I conclude, that the conjunction of these two words was intended to express the vigorous constitution of the child, and what we properly call a masculine form, which may, or may not, be joined with the male sex. Such was Esau, who from thence had the name of a child fully made. Gen. xxv. 25.

And she flies from a fiery dragon into the wil

23.) And the woman, his mother, fled into the wilderness, by which circumstance was represented to me, the obscure condition in which true Christianity should long remain, while antichristian principles and practices every where prevailed. There she dwelt, where she had a place prepared for her by the ever watchful Providence of God, that she might there be nourished, one thousand two hundred [and] sixty days, for God took care that she should be nourished, though in a wilderness, raising up friends and supporters for her, during that desolate and melancholy time. And there was the appearance of a very formidable war in heaven, and several mighty battles seemed to be fought before my sight; Michael, the great leader of God’s host, and therein an emblem of the great Emmanuel, and his angels, were marshalled on the one side; and they made war against the dragon: and on the other side, the dragon made war with him; and his angels likewise, consisting of many legions of infernal spirits, in confederacy with the great head of the apostasy, made war under him. Nevertheless, they did not prevail against the armies of God, neither was place found for them any more in heaven; but, being unable

c Into the wilderness.] I think I never met with a wilder interpretation than that which Grotius gives of this place; referring it to the banishment of Christianity out of Rome, into little neighbouring towns and villages, (which, in comparison of that capital city, might seem a wilder case,) during the time of the seduction of Simon Magus; an event neither certain itself, nor, if ever so certain, by any means answering to the description of the town, and the great and important idea suggested, and so much insisted upon in this propice. It is on the same precarious principles that he explains the triumph of heaven on casting out the dragon, of Simon’s being vanquished in his contest with St. Peter at Rome.

d One thousand two hundred and sixty days.] These days are some of Papal occupation. Mr. Fleming, who hath the honour herein to be followed by Sir Isaac Newton, and Mr. Lowman, though not as I remember named by the former, whom the latter professes to follow,) supposes them to begin in the year 1700, when

Pepin of France made a grant to the Pope, of the temporal dominion of Rome, on the destruction of the Exarchate of Ravenna, to which that imperial city for a while belonged. Upon this the Pope began the eighth head of Rome; and the period of his continuing so will end, about the year 2016, or if (which seems most reasonable,) prophetical years be used in the computation, consisting of 360 days, about 2000; which he supposes will be the beginning of the millennium. Flem. of Res. p. 130.

e Neither was place found for them any more in heaven.] I once thought this referred to a representation made to the apostle, in the vision of the first expulsion of Satan from heaven; but upon considering that he, who is represented as cast out of the Divine presence, is described as the accuser of the brethren, who had before been among them the and night before God; I was induced to change my mind. On the whole, I am extremely dubious about this, and refer it to further consideration, whether this may not signify

he dragon is conquered by Michael;

to stand their ground, they seemed to be expelled, and fall down to the earth. And thus the great, furious, and voracious dragon was cast out; [even] the old serpent, so long experienced in the arts of mischief: who, from his falsehood, is called the devil, or the false accuser; and from his malice, satan, or the general adversary: he, who deceives the whole world by his subtle temptations, was cast out of heaven, and sunk down to the earth; and his confederate angels were cast out with him, following him in his ruin, as they had done in his guilt. And I heard a great voice saying in heaven, Now is come the long expected salvation; and the power, and the kingdom of our God is now exerted and established; and the authority of his Christ shall now prevail against all opposition; because the malignant and perfidious accuser of our brethren is now cast out, who carried his malice to such a height, that he accused them before our God day and night: unrestrained by a sense of the Divine presence, he was ready, as in the instance of Job, (Job i. 9; ii. 5,) continually to charge them with the greatest evils before him, who was indeed the Witness of their integrity. And now they have overcome him, formidable as he appeared, with all his confederate angels; and it is by the blood of the Lamb they have gained this glorious victory: its sacred efficacy has procured them Divine strength and grace: and the remembrance of it has wrought powerfully on their souls. And their victory has been, under this, in a great measure, occasioned by the word of their testimony; by that word of the gospel to which they had borne their testimony with so much fidelity, and at so great an expense; for they loved not their lives unto the death; they exposed themselves to the greatest dangers, and many of them actually met their death in this glorious conflict; but they fell to rise, and triumph and reign. And therefore, rejoice, ye heavens, and ye who inhabit

the conquest of Satan by Christ, by the first publication of the gospel. Mr. Lowman interprets it of the victory over Satan and his wer, when Christianity had fully prevailed over heathenism in the empire, and when an effectual stop was put to the Mahometan impostor in these western parts.

Yet continues to persecute the woman

them, and, as it were, pitch your tents there: let all the celestial armies proclaim the victory with joy. But wo to those that inhabit the terraqueous globe, consisting of the earth and the sea: for the devil is come down to you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time; and therefore, is maliciously bent to make the most he can of it, exerting one powerful effort more to establish and confirm his cause. And when the dragon saw that he was cast out on the earth, I perceived him to be greatly enraged; and saw, that mindful of the original of the late war, he persecuted the woman who had brought forth a male child. And to signify the extraordinary provision that should be made for her deliverance, there were immediately given to the woman two wings, like those of a great and strong eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, unto her place, which, as I observed before, was appointed for her; where, as I said, she is nourished for one thousand two hundred and sixty days; that is, for a time, or one year, and times, or two years, and half a time, or year, that is, for three years and an half, which is the same period. And thus she was hid from the face of the serpent, and preserved from his destructive efforts. And the serpent threw out of his mouth a flood of water, like a river after the woman, as she was winging her flight from him, that he might cause her to be carried away by the stream. And the earth assisted the woman; and the earth opened its mouth and drank up the flood which the dragon threw out of his mouth, so that it sunk as fast as it fell, and could not swell into such a formidable current as he seemed to have intended it should. And the dragon was enraged

ᶠ Fly into the wilderness.] This is the same event that was represented, ver. 6.

ᵍ A flood of water, like a river.] Perhaps this is one of the artifices which these enormous creatures make use of to beat down their prey, when flying from them, though I cannot, at present, remember any passage that illustrates it.

ʰ The earth arrived the woman, &c.] This may intimate, that notwithstanding all the violent and cruel attempts

of Satan, and of those persecuting powers whom he instigates, God will raise up some persons, (and perhaps, as Mr. Lowman observes, it may mean, some persons of power and authority in the world,) to protect his witnesses, and secure many of those who faithfully retain the testimony of Jesus; and to prevent pure religion from being entirely overborne and lost. And this has been, in fact, the case in many nations; and particularly in this.

Reflections on the vision of the woman in heaven.

the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

against the woman, to see all his efforts against her defeated by a superior power; and he went away to excite new troubles, and to make war against the woman, and against the remainder of her seed, even as many as might by any means be brought within his reach; nor did he spare any of those who keep the commandments of God inviolable, and have the courage to retain, at the greatest expense or hazard, the testimony of Jesus Christ, in his pure uncorrupted gospel.

SECT: xv. Rev. xii. 17

IMPROVEMENT.

WHATEVER concealed and unknown wonders may be intimated in some parts of this grand and awful vision, in others it contains very obvious and important instructions. While we are beholding this emblematical representation of the Christian church, let us adore the great original Sun of righteousness, who has decked her with his glorious beams, and will at length cause every faithful member of this blessed society, to shine forth as the Sun in his Father’s kingdom. And let us be desirous of treading this changeable and uncertain world under our feet. Let us thankfully own the hand which has crowned the church with the apostles, as with a diadem; and taught by their precepts, and inspired by their example, let us prepare ourselves for that sacred war, to which we are called, the war against the devil, and his confederate hosts. It is indeed, under a very formidable type, that he is here represented: His cruelty, his subtilty, his experience in all the arts of destruction, are painted out with dreadful propriety, in the old serpent, the great dragon; but, formidable as his violence, or artful and potent as the confederacy of infernal spirits may be, here is a victory gained over him, which calls for the congratulation of all the armies of the Lord: the dragon and his angels are cast out; the saints are enabled to triumph over him, feeble and impotent as they are. But, in what way are they able to overcome him? It is by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony. Instructive and edifying admonition! Let this be our confidence, even the banner of the cross, the blood of the Saviour, who died upon it; and, in this signal, we shall come off conquerors too; faith in him shall be our shield; the word of God shall be our sword, the sword of the Spirit; and satan, thus resisted shall flee before us, (James iv. 7.) In vain are the floods of temptation, which he may attempt to throw out of his mouth, to debauch our principles, or practices; they shall be entirely swallowed up. And though the church be for a while in the wilderness, it shall be happily sheltered, and tenderly nourished: there, its members shall be in

A beast rises from the sea, with seven heads and ten horns :

safety, as if they were taken up to God, even unto his throne, till xv. the time which he has appointed for its triumph. In the mean while, however the sons of malice, under the instruction and inverse fluence of the great accuser of the brethren, may defame them : 5, 10 however persecution may attack and harrass them ; let them be 11 courageous and undaunted, not loving their lives even to the death, in the cause of Christ ; for, though they fall, they shall rise again to certain victory and glory ; nor shall death bring down their heads so low, as to render them unworthy of wearing a crown of eternal life.