and riches, and wifdom, and ftrength, and honour, and glory, and bleffing. 13 And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and fuch as are in the fea, and all that are in them, heard I, faying, Bleffing, and honour, and glory, and power be unto him that fitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever. 14 And the four beafts faid, Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever. Future events are fuppofed by St. John, as well as by Daniel and other prophets, in a beautiful figure, to be registered in a book, for the greater certainty of them. This book (ver. 1.) is in the right hand of God, to denote that as he alone directs the affairs of futurity, fo he alone is able to reveal them. This book, thro' the abundance of the matter, was (9) written within and on the backfide; as the roll of the book, which was spread before Ezekiel,. (II. 10.) was written within and without. It was alfo fealed, to fignify that the decrees of God are infcrutable, and (9) So in Juvenal Sat. I. 5. Scriptus and fealed with feven feals, referring to fo many fignal periods of prophecy. In fhort we should conceive of this book, that it was fuch an one as the ancients ufed, a volume or roll of a book, or more properly a volume confifting of feven volumes, so that the opening of one feal laid open the contents only of one volume. All creatures are challenged (ver. 2.) to open the book, and to loose the feals thereof. But (ver. 3.) no one (des) in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, neither angels, nor men, nor departed fpirits, were any of them qualified to comprehend and communicate the fecret purposes of God. St. John wept much (ver. 4.) at the fad disappointment: but who now is concerned or grieved, that he cannot understand these prophecies? However he is comforted (ver. 5.) with an affurance, that ftill there was one who had power and authority to reveal and accomplish the counsels of God. The Son of God, and he alone, was found worthy to be the great revealer and interpreter of his Father's oracles; (ver. 6, &c) and he obtained this privilege by the merits of his fufferings and death. Whereupon the whole church, (ver. 8, &c) and all angels, (ver. 11, &c) and all creatures (ver. 13, &c) Scriptus et in tergo, necdum finitus Oreftes. E fing (1) Hujus 1 fing praises to God and to the Lamb for fuch glorious manifeftations of divine providence. All this is by way of preface or introduction, to show the great dignity, importance, and excellence of the prophecies here delivered. 1AN CHAP. VI. ND I faw when the Lamb opened one of the feals, and I heard as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beafts faying, Come, and fee. 2 And I faw, and behold, a white horse; and he that fat on him had a bow, and a crown was given unto him, and he went forth conquering, and to conquer. ! As the feals are opened in order, fo the events follow in order too. The first feal or period (ver. 1, 2.) is memorable for conqueft, and was proclamed by the first of the four living creatures, who was like a lion, and had his ftation in the eaft. And I saw, and behold, a white horse; and be that fat on him had a bow, and a crown was given unto him, and he went forth conquering, and to conquer. This first period commenceth with (1) Hujus (Vitellii) tempore Epit. Cap. 8. Vefpafian (2) Tacit. Hift. Lib. 5-p. t Vefpafian and Titus, who from commanding (1) in the eaft were advanced. to the empire; and Vefpafian for this reafon was regarded, (2) both by Romans and foreigners, as that great prince who was to come out of the east, and obtain dominion over the world. They went forth to conquer; for they made an entire conqueft of Judea, deftroyed Jerufalem, and carried the Jews captive into all nations. As these prophecies were written a few years before the destruction of Jerufalem, they properly begin with some allufion to that memorable event; and a fhort allufion was fufficient, our Saviour himself having inlarged fo much upon all the particulars. The bow, the white horse, and the crown are proper emblems of victory, triumph, and royalty; and the proclamation for conqueft is fitly made by a creature like a lion. This period continued during the reigns of the Flavian family and the' fhort reign of Nerva, about 28 years. 3 And when he had opened the fecond feal, I heard the fecond beaft fay, Come and fee. 4 And there went out another horfe that was red: and power was given to him that fat thereon, to take peace from the earth, and that they fhould kill one another and there was given unto him a great fword. The fecond feal or period (ver. 3, 4.) is noted for war and flaughter, and was proclamed by the second living creature, who was like an ox, and had his ftation in the weft. And there went out another horfe that was red: and power was given to him that fat thereon, to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another; and there was given unto him a great fword. This fecond period commenceth with άλλοι τε και Λύκιος ύπο Τραϊανο πεμφθεις κατεςρέψαντο. Interin Judzi, qui circum Cyrenen habitabant-Romanos pariter atque Græcos concîdunt-ita ut interierint hominum ad ducenta viginti millia. Præterea in Egypto Cyproque-confimilia quædam perpetrarunt, ubi defiderata funt hominum ducenta quadraginta millia.-Sed Judæi et ab aliis, et maxime Lucio, quem Trajanus miferat, fubacti funt. Dion. ibid. p. 786. (5) ὥσπερ ὑπὸ πνευματος δει να τικος και τασιώδες αναρριπισθεν τες εν τη πρώτη συμβολη επικρα τησαν |