476 They shall make war with the Lamb: but be overcome. SECT. arise out of the ruin of the former state, and kings, which have XX. shall all, for a while, be dependent upon, and received no kingdom subject to the beast; they have not, indeed, yet power as kings one as yet; but receive vii. received their kingdom, but they shall receive hour with the beast. 12 authority from the beast as kings, though greatly Rev. under his limitation and controul, to reign for 13 one hour, for a certain limited time. And 13 These have one however these princes may be disunited in their mind, and shall give political interests, which may, in some respects, strength unto the contradict each other, yet, with respect to their beast. unhappy prejudices in religion, and idolatrous inclinations, there shall be a surprising agreement between them; and they have one mind and sentiment in that respect, and shall consent to deliver over their own power and authority to the beast, to be employed by him for the advancement of his interest; so that they shall act but as his viceroys, even in their own terri14 tories. These also shall presume to make war 14 These shall with the Lamb; and the consequence may easily make war with the Lamb, and the be conjectured; for the Lamb, who bears such Lamb' shall overmagnificent titles, and who hath already tri- come them; for he umphed over all the powers of hell, shall un- is Lord of Lords, doubtedly overcome them, and triumph over and King of Kings; and they that are them; for he is indeed, (what some vain mor- with him, are called, tals have impiously and arrogantly called them- and chosen, selves,) Lord of Lords, and King of Kings, the faithful. supreme Ruler of all governors and magistrates upon the face of the earth, to whom dominion over them belongs, by the strictest and most unalienable right; and those that are with him, and have the honour to fight under his banner, [are] not only called to arm themselves in this glorious cause, but chosen to act in the service, and they are faithful to the engagements 15 into which they enter. All these were the words of that angel who was commissioned to and 15 And he saith Calledd chosen faithful] Here may that this is the uniform idea to be annexed very possibly be, as the ingenious author of to the word chosen in scripture, any more the Christian warfare has represented, in than I can suppose the term called, always his learned and beautiful remarks on this to signify invited to a feast; which is an text, a reference to the military custom of idea another ingenious writer has endeavthe Greeks; who used to call the people oured to lead his readers to affix to it. together when any expedition was design. The truth is, both signify something much ed, out of which there were some selected more general, though both may be applied, to serve in the action intended, who swore in particular cases, in the limited sense fidelity to their leader. (Compare 2 Pet. i. contended for. Compare Isa. xxxiv. 2, 10, note) But I can by no means suppose 6, 7. These shall hate the harlot, and make her desolate. 16 And the ten troduce. sawest upon the 477 XX. Rev. xvii. unto me, The waters instruct me in the meaning of an appearance, SECT. which thou sawest, which had thrown me into such amazement. where the whore sitAnd he proceeded, and said further unto me, teth, are peoples, and multitudes, and The waters which thou sawest, on which the nations, and tongues. specious, but abandoned harlot sate, are people, 15 and multitudes, and nations, and tongues, a vast multitude of different nations and languages, who shall consent for a long time, to those degenerate forms of religion which she shall inAnd the ten horns which thou saw- 16 horns which thou est on the savage beast, these are the kingdoms beast, these shall subject to her. But the princes of them shall hate the whore, and at length turn against her, so that she shall, shall make her des- as it were, be thrown down, and gored by the olate, and naked, and creature that has so long tamely and patiently shall eat her flesh, and shall burn her carried her; for they shall hate the harlot, and with fire: make her desolate and naked; they shall strip her of all those ornaments, which they have profusely lavished away upon her; and they shall be ready, as it were, in the transport of their indignation and zeal, to eat her very flesh, and shall burn her with fire. They shall be bent upon destroying their stupid idolatry, and all the monuments of it, and turn their keenest resentment upon the abettors and instruments of such cruel persecution as they have exercis17 For God hath ed: For God hath given it into their hearts, 17 put in their hearts to by a strong and powerful impression, to execute fulfil his will, and to his council and sentence, and they shall agree agree, and give their kingdom unto the in it, even to perform one purpose. And he hath beast, until the words left them under a fatal infatuation, in opposiof God shall be ful- tion to true policy, as well as virtue and relig filled. ion, so as to give their kingdoms to the beast, till the words of God be fulfilled; and then their minds shall be turned, and their eyes opened, and they shall ruin this oppressive society 18 And the wo- more eagerly than they ever established it. man which thou saw. And the woman which thou sawest, is the great 18 est, is that great city, imperial city, that ruleth over the kings of the which reigneth over the kings of the earth, and now disposes of their crowns at her pleasure, none daring to make war against her. earth. f Execute his sentence.] We render it to fulfil his will. Hence some have inferred, that it is the will of God, that heretics should be cut off. But it is sufficiently known to what extremities people are driven to find any thing that looks like an argument for persecution in the New Testament, when they are forced to have recourse to a text for this purpose, which only proves that God had, in his wise and holy council, determined that the idolatrous and persecuting antichristian power should be destroyed. 478 Reflections on the character of antichristian Rome. SECT XX. verse 9, 18 IMPROVEMENT. EASILY might we have apprehended, that Rome had been here xx. designed, though it had not been so particularly described by its situation on seven hills, or by the empire it then possessed over all the kingdoms of the world. The harlot might be sufficiently distinguished by her names of blasphemy, by her cup of enchantment, 3 by her titles, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE 4,5 MOTHER OF HARLOTS, AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. Yea, she might be known by this single char6 acter, of having made herself drunk with the blood of saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. And is it heathen Rome, to whom these characters are most remarkably applicable? The apostle would not then have wondered with so great admiration, that idolatry and persecution should prevail, where the former had raged for so many ages, and the latter almost from the very beginning of Christianity; and to such a degree, in the days of Nero, who, as their own historian tells us, had, thirty years before this, added mockeries and insults to torment, that Christians were dressed up in the skins of wild beasts, and so exposed to be worried on the theatre: a method which hath, indeed, figuratively speaking, been every where practised, and must be practised, if Christianity is to be made ridiculous, or odious. But the true occasion of the apostle's astonishment was, that Rome professing Christianity, Rome setting up for the head of the Christian world, should have emulated and exceeded. any Pagan city, and even itself in its Pagan state, in its idolatries, and in its cruelties. And this is a fact indeed wonderful. But these are the secret councils of God, even those counsels which are to us unsearchable. Nevertheless, the beauty and glory of 17 them shall at length be apparent. The kings of the earth, though, like Nebuchadnezzar, (Isa. x. 7,) they meant it not, are now fulfilling the plan of Divine Providence; a plan that shall at length appear wise and harmonious, though the permission of all these absurdities and horrors make a part of it. And when the words of God are fulfilled, they who with one mind have given their 19 power and strength to the beast, in order to support the harlot, shall be as unanimous in hating her, and making her desolate and naked, shall be ready to devour her flesh, and consume her in her own fires. Fierce and savage as the beast may at present ap14 pear, its war with the Lamb shall be utterly in vain; for the Lamb is always victorious, and will assert his grand and imperial titles, LORD OF LORDS, AND KING OF KINGS. May we all list under his banner; May we not only be called, but chosen and faithful, faithful even to death; since all the rage of men, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues, if it were united against 15 us, could not prevent his giving us a crown of victory, and a part in his everlasting triumphs. The fall of Babylon is proclaimed. 479 SECT. XXI. Rev. A sublime description of the fall of Babylon, and an account of the REV. XVIII. 1. glory. ND after these the hold of every REVELATION XVIII. 1. xxi. Rev. A things I saw AND after this, I saw an angel descending secr. another angel come from heaven, who had, in his countenance down from heaven, and appearance, the signatures of great power; having great power; and the earth was enlightened with his glory, xviii. and the earth was which spread a vivid lustre all around him, 1 lightened with his reflected from every neighbouring object. 2 And he cried And he cried with great might [and] a loud voice 2 mightily with a of triumphant joy, in the words of Isaiah, (chap. strong voice, saying, xxi. 9,) saying, It is fallen, it is fallen, even Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and Babylon the great; and what was prophesied is become the habi- concerning the celebrated seat of the Chaldean tation of devils, and empire, shall presently be verified in this defoul spirit, and a tested city; so that we may already say, it is cage of every un- become the habitation of demons, (as desolate clean and hateful places were reputed to be,) and the hold of every unclean spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird; (Isa. xiii. 21; Jer. i. 39; li. 37.) 3 For all nations Because she hath caused all the nations to drink 3 have drank of the of the intoxicating and inflaming wine of her her fornication, and raging and insatiable whoredom; and all the the kings of the earth kings of the earth have committed whoredom with have committed for her, and the merchants of the earth have traded nication with her, with her, and been enriched by the abundance of of the earth are wax- her luxuries.b And I then heard another voice 4 edrich through the a- from heaven, saying to the remainder of faithbundance of her deli- ful souls which were yet in Babylon, Come ye bird. wine of the wrath of and the merchants cacies. 4 And I heard out from the midst of her, O my people, sepaanother voice from rate yourselves from this accursed society, heaven, saying, Come that ye may not be partakers with her in her ple, that ye be not sins, which are so polluting and insnaring; partakers of her sins, and that ye may not, by a fatal consequence, out of her my peo Is fallen.] This is still the language chastity; and may well represent the of prophecy, expressing what shall cer- manner in which the Roman clergy have tainly and speedily come to pass; for pampered themselves, and the effects it verse the fourth shows, that, in strictness has produced, to the scandal of the of speech, Babylon was yet to be consid- Christian profession, in the eyes of all the ered as standing world, as well as the idolatries which have been established and maintained to support that luxury. Compare 1 Tim. v. 11, and the note there. Luxuries. The word sgavous, seems to signify such luxury of diet as cherishes wantonness, and disposes to acts of un 480 Rev. Her plagues shall come upon her in one day. SECT. partake of her plagues too, which those who and that ye receive xxi. share her sins must expect to share, whatever not of her plagues: their former profession may have been. Be- 5 For her sins have cause her sins have followed up to heaven with reached unto heav en, and God hath retheir clamours, and her unrighteous actions are membered her income up in remembrance before that God, who iquities. will not fail severely to visit her for them. xviii. 5 ed you, and double ed, fill to her double. 6 And now, O my people, give her, as she also 6 Reward her has given to you, and recompense to her double, even as she rewardaccording to her works; for God will plead unto her double, your cause for you: in the cup of terror, which according to her she has mingled for those whom she was not works; in the cup able to seduce and debauch, mingle her a double which she hath fill7 quantity of those poisonous ingredients: In 7 How much she full proportion to the degree in which she hath, hath glorified her for so many ages, made ostentation of her glory, self, and lived deliciously, so much torand lived in luxury, inflict upon her torment and mer ment and sorrow grief, and vengeance; because she has auda- give her for she ciously said in her heart, while the Divine saith in her heart, I threatenings have been sounding in her very no widow, and shall sit a queen, and am ears, I sit as a queen, enthroned above the see no sorrow. reach of adversity, and I am not a desolate widow, as it hath been pretended I should be ; and I shall not see sorrow. (Compare Isa. xlvii. 87,8.) Therefore, in one day shall her plagues 8 Therefore shall come upon her, even upon this impious and her plagues come in abominable city, death, and mourning, and one day, death, and mourning, and fafamine, which shall all unite their efforts against mine; and she shall her; and she shall be burnt with fire; for he utterly burnt with strong is the Lord God who judges her; and fire: for strong is all her boasted strength will, in his presence, judgeth her. 9 be weakness and confusion. And the other 9 And the kings kings of the earth, who shall not be active in of the earth who the execution before described, but still retain nication, and lived their affection for her, even the remainder of deliciously with her, those, who have committed fornication, and shall be wail her, lived in luxury with her, shall mourn over her, and lament for her, and lament for her, when they shall see the the smoke of her flames of wrath kindle about her, and the smoke burning, of her burning, like that of Sodom in the day the Lord God who have committed for when they shall see of its conflagration, ascending up to heaven. 10 Standing afar 10 They shall see it, standing afar off for fear of off for the fear of her her torment, saying, Wo, wo, and alas, O thou torment, saying, Alas, las, that great great city, Babylon, the strong city! well may city Babylon, that we lament over thee; for in one hour thy judg- mighty city! for in ment is come, and thy desolation is as sudden one hour is thy judg11 as it is dreadful and entire. And the mer- 11 And the merenriched them- chants of the earth chants of the earth, those who ment come. |