to a place called in the Hebrew tongue, Armageddon.

471

Rev.

The seventh angel poured forth his vial into the air. surprises, which during this time of danger and SECT. 16 And he gather- alarm may frequently happen. And the army xix. ed them together in- appearing against the saints, as was observed above, He, that is, God, by the secret conduct xvi.16 of his Providence, so disposed things, that he gathered them together into a certain place, [which is] called in the Hebrew language, Armageddon, or the mountain of Megiddo, because it was to be a place more remarkable for slaughter than Megiddo had ever been.

17 And the seventh angel poured And when they were there assembled, the 17 out his vial into the seventh angel poured forth his vial into the air; air; and there came and there came forth a great voice from the temthe temple of hea- ple of heaven, even from the very throne of God ven, from the throne, himself, saying, "It is now done, the great saying, It is done. work is just completing." And there were 18

a great voice out of

were voices, and

19 And the great

18 And there voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and thunders, and light- there was also together with them a great earthnings; and there quake, to add new horror to the scene, such as was a great earth- there had not been from the time that men were quake, such as was not since men were upon the earth; even such, and so great an earthupon the earth, so quake, quite unequalled in history or observamighty an earth- tion. And the great city was immediately 19 quake and so great. divided into three parts, and the cities of the city was divided in- Gentiles fell down. And thus it appeared, that to three parts, and Babylon the great came into remembrance before the cities of the na- God, to give her the long threatened cup of the tions fell: and great wine of his fiercest wrath, in which all the most membrance before dreadful ingredients of vengeance were, as it God, to give unto were, mingled together, like poignant poison her the cup of the in the strongest wine, to give it the greater ness of his wrath. power and efficacy. And the whole face of 20 20 And every nature was thrown into such a consternation by island fled away, and means of this grand event, that every island fled away, and the mountains were found no more. 21 And there fell And a great and violent storm of hail, the stones 21 upon men a great of which were as of the weight of a talent, dehail out of heaven, scended from heaven upon men, so as to dash in weight of a talent pieces the stoutest heroes, how well soever

Babylon came in re

wine of the fierce

the mountains were

not found.

every stone about the

:

He gathered them.] This seems a memorable circumstance; they were the dragon's army, yet God assembled them. Such oblique intimations of the interpo. sition of Providence, are wonderfully instructive, and they are scattered up and down in many places of the sacred writings.

That Megiddo had been a place remarkable for slaughter, See Judges v. 19; 2 Kings ix. 27; 2 Chron. xxxv. 22. Compare Zech. xii. 11. To express the certain destruction that should come upon these antichristian powers, they are described to be brought together to this mountain.

472

Reflections on the pouring out the four last vials.

SECT. they might be armed and defended. And men, and men blasphemxix. instead of being reformed by it, blasphemed God ed God because of so much the more for the plague of the hail for the plague there. the plague of the hail xvi.21 for the plague of it was very great, and brought of was exceeding along with it a very extensive ruin and desola- great. tion.g

Rev.

verse

18

IMPROVEMENT.

WHATEVER particular events these vials might be respectively intended to represent, they all agree in giving us most 1 awful views of the Divine power and agency over the whole 8-10 universe. He is able to scorch and blast the earth with insuffer12 able heat, to veil it in midnight darkness, to dry up its rivers, or even shake its foundations, so as to throw down, in a moment, 21 the strongest and the proudest cities. From the air he can cause even rivers of ice to descend, sufficient, not only to destroy our frail and tender bodies, but those regular fortifications which are deemed impregnable; turning them into the graves of those who seek and expect protection from them. How worthy is this tremendous Being of our homage and reverence? And yet men 9 hear of his awful judgments, and sometimes see and feel them too, and continue unreformed. Even while they are gnawing 10,11 their tongues through the extremity of pain and anguish, it is possible, that as well as their wounded tongues will give them leave, they may blaspheme the God of heaven, and utter their impotent rage and malice against him. The infernal regions resound with diabolical language: and O, that so many parts of this earth bore no resemblance to them. But let the outrage of the wicked be what it may, God, when he enters into judgment, 14 will overcome. And, though the rage of his enemies engages them to gather themselves together, the event will prove, that it 16 is only as sheep for the slaughter. And, while they are acting in this with the utmost freedom, they are indeed assembled by him, their own angry passions subserving the purposes of his righteous Providence.

15

Let us confide in his word, let us attend to his voice; and, in spite of all our difficulties and dangers, let us do our endeavour, to secure the blessedness of that man, who watcheth, and keepeth his garments; who is always on his guard against every surprise, which might expose him to shame in the presence of his Master, though he should come in ever so unexpected a manner, even like a thief in the night.

* Seventh vial.] This is introductory to the fall of the papal kingdom; and the expressions, ver. 19, may only signify, that great numbers should fall by these

awful judgments, which were only introductory to the full and complete ruin afterwards described.

An angel shews St. John the judgment of the great harlot. 473

SECT. XX.

In order to let the author into the meaning of the seven vials, he sees a representation of the great harlot sitting upon a mysterious beast; and hears her doomed to destruction by the Divine judgments. Rev. XVII. throughout.

REV. XVII. 1.

A

ND there came one of the seven angels which had the

AN

REVELATION XVII. 1.

SECT.

Rev.

xvii. 1

ND, when all this was done, one of the seven angels, who had been honoured with xx. seven vials, and talk. bearing the seven vials, the pouring forth of ed with me, saying which I have just described, came and spake unto me, Come hithi with me, saying to me, Come, [and] I will shew to thee the judgment thee, to what this prophetic scene, which has of the great whore, passed before thy view, principally refers, even that sitteth upon the judgment of the great harlot, that sitteth

er: I will shew un

many waters ;

have committed for

drunk with the wine of her fornication.

upon many waters, whom thou shalt now see; and observe the terrible vengeance to which she is reserved, though so many people have been corrupted by her, and though she has tyrannized over them in so insolent and impe2 With whom the rious a manner : Even of her with whom the 2 kings of the earth kings of the earth have so long committed forninication, and the in. cation, (compare Isa. xxiii. 17,) and their subhabitants of the earth jects have been debauched with them; so that, have been made in a manner, all the inhabitants of the earth have been drunk with the wine of her whoredom, as if they had taken some powerful provocative, to make them doat upon her, and sacrifice every dictate of religion, and reason, and even common sense, to those alluring arts with 3 So he carried me which she has been tempting them. away in the spirit brought me in the spirit into the wilderness; and and I saw a woman I saw a woman, of an impudent front, and a sit upon a scarlet most imperious and cruel appearance, sitting coloured beast, full of names of blas-upon a scarlet beast, fierce and savage; and the phemy, having seven beast had gaudy trappings of embroidery upon heads, and ten horns. it, full of blasphemous names, ascribing to itself,

into the wilderness:

And he 3

and the harlot upon it, properties and glories which belong to God alone; and having also, like the beast which I saw before, (chap. xiii. 1,) seven heads, and ten horns; referring to the hills on which the city, designed by this harlot, stood, and the number of kingdoms subject to 4 And the woman its government. And the charms of her per- 4 son, such as they were, were set off with all

474

Rev.

Drunk with the blood of the saints, &c.

our, and decked

SECT. the gorgeous ornaments of the most splendid was arrayed in p xx. dress; for, the woman was clothed with purple, ple, and scarlet col and scarlet, and adorned with gold, and precious with gold, and prec xvii. 4 stones, and pearls; having also a golden cup in ious stones, and her hand full of that inflaming mixture, by pearls, having which those who drank of it, were instigated hand full of abomi golden cup in her to all the abominations and pollution of her dis- nations and filthiness solute and abandoned whoredom; that is, those of her fornication. idolatrous practices, which the society of men represented by this infamous woman, had carried to so shameful a height. (Compare Jer. 5 li. 7.) But, that she might appear in my 5 And upon her eyes as a criminal, marked out by God for forehead was a name speedy and dreadful execution, [she had ] upon RY, BABYLON her forehead [her] name, her titles and crimes, THE GREAT, written; and the first word was MYSTERY: THE MOTHER

written, MYSTE

AND ABOMINA

And I 6 And I saw

with the blood of the

the great mystery of iniquity, abetted by all OF HARLOTS, the fraud and artifice which can be conceived, TIONS OF THE is represented by this woman: after which fol- EARTH. lowed these words, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS, AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH; the most impudent strumpet that ever appeared upon earth, and the greatest procuress of lewd6 ness that ever polluted the face of it. saw the woman drunk; and was informed, that the woman drunken it was with the blood of the saints, and with the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus; of which she blood of the martyrs had gorged vast quantities, and for which she of Jesus: and when still thirsted impatiently; and seemed to cast I saw her, I wen. dered with great her greedy eyes around, as longing for re- admiration. newed draughts of it. And I wondered, when I saw her, with great amazement, as I knew she represented a society that would call itself Christian, and pretend a regard for Jesus and his saints, in the midst of all this cruel persecution of them; and also, for the honour of God, amidst all these unequalled idolatries and im7 moralities. And the angel said unto me, Why 7 And the angel dost thou wonder? Hast thou not thyself had in- fore didst thou marsaid unto me, Wheretimation of this antichristian sect, and this great vel? I will tell thee apostasy? I will tell thee the secret of the whole the mystery of the matter; the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth woman, and of the beast which carries her, which hath, as thou her, which hath the

Amazement.] This seems a plain ar- Christian; for it had been no great wongument, that the society referred to, was der, that a heathen power should persecute,

horns.

Having seven heads, which are seven mountains :

8 The beast that

ascend out of the

names were not

:

wisdom. The seven

· 475 The SECT.

8

Rev.

Here 9

seven heads and ten seest, the seven heads, and the ten horns. beast which thou formerly sawest, was, and is xx. thou sawest, was not; that is, God will cut short its reign, and and is not; and shall he will indeed ascend, as has been represented, vi bottomless pit, and out of the bottomless pit, and go suddenly into go into perdition destruction; and the inhabitants of the earth, and they that dwell (whose names, as I said, are not written in the on the earth shall book of life, from the foundation of the world,) wonder, (whose shall wonder, seeing the beast, who, for a little written in the book while, was, and is not; that is, he shall quickly of life from the foun- be overthrown, though he is to appear for a dation of the world,) while and perform such great wonders. when they behold the beast that was, [is] a proof of the understanding that hath wisand is not, and yet is. dom; for the utmost sagacity may here be put 9 And here is the to the trial. But this I will observe, to guide mind which hath the inquiring mind, and I am commissioned by heads are seven God to give this key to the mystery, that the mountains, on which seven heads of the beast are seven mountains, on the woman sitteth. which that celebrated city is built, on which the infamous woman I have been describing, sitteth. 10 And there are seven kings: five are And there are seven kings, or forms of govern- 10 fallen, and one is, and ment, five of them are fallen, and one is, [and] the other is not yet the other is not yet come; and when he comes, he come; and when he cometh,he must con- must endure for a little time, but will soon be tinue a short space. destroyed and swallowed up. And the beast, 11 11 And the beast of whom I said, that he was, and is not, he is that was, and is not, the eighth, and he is of the seven, he ariseth out eighth, and is of the of the remainders of this people, but at length seven, and goeth in- goes into destruction, as the rest, though his to perdition. reign shall be so much longer than any of his And the ten horns which thou 12 horns which thou predecessors. ten sawest, are ten kings, or kingdoms, which shall

even he is the

12 And the ten

sawest, are

b The beast-was, and is not.] This seems to intimate, that the persecuting power of Pagan Rome, should for a while revive in Papal Rome, and, ere long, be utterly destroyed.

sense, a new form of government, and yet hardly so distinct and proper a form, as to be reckoned for a different head. Com. pare chap. xii. 6, note d

He is the eighth, &c.] Mr. Fleming unSeven-forms of government.] Some derstands this of the government of the reckon these to be the Roman kings, con- Ostrogoths in Rome; who, though they suls, dictators, decemvirs, military tribunes, were the seventh head in number, yet were emperors, and popes. But I much question, not of the seven, that is, such as the six whether this be a right solution. Mr. first, and the eighth, because they were for Lowman supposes here is an intimation, eigners, whereas the others were natives. that the seventh form of government was not to begin till the imperial power was destroyed. And this last may, on some account, be called the seventh, and for other reasons, the eighth head of government, as the exarchate of Ravenna was in some VOL. 6.

61

Flem. on the first Res p 106, 107. This exact prophecy, he says, is a great confirmation of the Divine authority of this book. Limborch understands it of the German Emperor, who was only titular king of Rome. See the preceding note.