The Lord God Almighty. A title full of comfort to the saints in their greatest straits, and full of terror to their enemies in the midst of their abundance. 2. He is styled King of Saints, they receiving special protection from him, and he exercising a particular care over them. 3. He only is said to be holy, that is, essentially and causally: essentially in himself, and causally with respect to us: all holiness is originally in him, all holiness is derivatively from him, therefore should the praise thereof be given to him. Observe lastly, The duty inferred from all those glorious titles which are here given to God, and for all the great and marvellous works done by him: Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? As if he had said, "All ought to do so, and there is great reason for so doing." As God is to be feared, because he is full of power and justice, so then especially should his people fear him when he is taking vengeance on his enemies, his own and his church's adversaries: Who shall not fear thee? for thy judgments are manifest. 5 And after that I looked, and, behold, the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened; 6 And the seven angels came out of the temple, having the seven plagues, clothed in pure and white linen, and having their breasts girded with golden girdles. Observe here, 1. The vision which St. John had he thought he saw the Holy of holies open to him, and seven angels coming forth with seven plagues, as the executioners of God's judgments upon idolatrous persons. Where note, 1. The instruments employed by God for executing his wrath upon sinners, angels, seven angels; not that he needs them, but he is pleased to make use of them; and they are but instruments in his hand, his bow and his battleaxe, mere dead tools, who receive all their efficacy from the hand that uses them: their presence adds no strength to him, their absence makes the work no more difficult before him. Note, 2. From whence these seven angels came, namely, out of the temple, out of the oracle, more immediately from the presence of God; implying, that they came forth to execute vengeance by God's special directions, and not barely by his permission: and consequently that the work was very acceptable and well-pleasing unto God which they went about. Note, 3. How they are furnished, having seven plagues; namely, to inflict upon the idolatrous enemies of the church. Note, 4, In and after what manner these angels were apparelled and appeared. 1. They were clothed in pure, white linen, to denote the holiness of their persons, as also the holiness of that work which they had then in hand. 2. This clothing of theirs was girded to them, expressing thereby their great readiness for, and their great alacrity and cheerfulness in, their work. 3. The girdle wherewith they were girded was a golden girdle, exactly answering the habit of the High-priest, when he entered into the Holy of holies to enquire of God, or came out with an answer from God. From the whole learn, That when the Lord comes to pull down Babylon as well as to build up Sion, he will appear in glory: the angels are God's special ministers; when they go forth to pour out the vials of his wrath upon Babylon, they appear gloriously apparelled, glittering like the High-priest, and girded with golden girdles. 7 And one of the four beasts gave unto the seven angels seven golden vials, full of the wrath of God who liveth for ever and ever. 8 And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power: and no man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled. Observe-here, 1. That what was called seven plagues in the foregoing verse, is here called seven golden vials full of the wrath of God; in this verse vials are full cups. Vials of wrath are prepared when the measures of a people's sins are filled up; full cups of sin are followed with full vials of God's wrath. Next, these vials are said to be of gold, signifying, that these judgments proceed from a just God, with whom there is no corruption nor iniquity in judgments, he being holy in all his ways, and righteous in all his works. These vials are also said to be full of the wrath of God, who liveth for ever and ever, as an aggravation of the same, it not being like the wrath of a mortal man, of short continuance, but of endless duration; it is the wrath of him that ever lives to maintain his wrath, and to uphold and sustain the sinner under the execution and infliction of his wrath, that the sinner cannot run from him. O what a fearful thing is it to fall into the hands of the living God, whose wrath is both intolerable and interminable! the sinner can neither stand under it, nor flee from it. Observe, 2. The executioners of this wrath are said to be seven angels. The angels which are merciful attendants upon the godly, are also at God's command the executioners of his wrath upon the wicked. These angels are here said to be seven, to signify that God's judgments upon his church's adversaries shall be heavy and great, one angel plagued all Egypt, and destroyed Sennacherib's mighty host, but here went out seven angels to destroy antichrist. Observe, 3. The tremendous dreadfulness of this wrath, intimated by filling the temple with smoke; thereby signifying, that the wrath of God kindled against his enemies shall be unto them like a devouring and consuming fire, before the flame of which burst forth, a cloud of smoke appears. And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power. Learn thence, that Almighty God is glorified in the destruction, as well as in the salvation, of sinners; his glory is as well seen in his smoking wrath against the wicked, as in his saving mercy towards the godly. The temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power; it follows,-No man was able to enter into the temple; that is, to deprecate God's anger, and supplicate his mercy, or to avert the plagues threatened, and now just ready to be inflicted: when mercy has been long offered and despised, the Lord at last becomes inexorable, and will suffer none to intercede or plead with him: Jer. xv. Though Moses and Samuel stood before me, yet my mind cannot be towards this people; cast them out of my sight, &c. The sins of a people may sometimes grow to such an height, that Almighty God will no longer be entreated; and when we know it, it is our duty to cease praying for them, Woe, woe, woe be unto such a people! CHAP. XVI. In the former chapter, preparation was made and a general commission given, for inflicting the seven plagues, and pouring forth the seven vials, upon the antichristian state. In this chapter we read an account at large of the infliction of those plagues, and the effusion of those vials accordingly; and forasmuch as Rome is often in this prophecy compared to Egypt, Sodom, and Babylon, for their idolatry, cruelty, and other sins, Almighty God is here pleased to parallel her plagues with theirs: and it is observable, that many of the plagues mentioned in this chapter do very nearly resemble the plagues of Egypt, recorded in the book of Exodus; as will appear by consulting the chapter itself. which speaks thus: VOL. II. AN ND I heard a great voice out of the temple, saying to the seven angels, Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth. Observe here, 1. The command given to justice, to do their office, namely, in pourthe seven angels, the executioners of God's The command is here said to be given by ing out the vials of his wrath upon the earth. the command of a great God, and about a a voice, by a great voice, because it was great work; and it is said to come out of the temple, in allusion to the Holy of holies, the place of God's exhibiting himself, and from whence he gave forth oracles of old. Observe, 2. How the seven angels (the instruments of God in executing his judgments) receive their commission from God, and our not out one vial on the earth till they vials of the wrath of God, it gives us this are required so to do; and being called intimation, that what is done against antichrist, is not the effect of man's revenge, but the fruit of God's wrath; and whereas vials are vessels of large content, but of nardistil effectually, and drench deeply, it imrow mouths, which pour out slowly, but ports that the wrath of God is, though slow, yet sure; it comes upon sinners gradually; but if upon its approach they repent not, it will at last, like a mighty torrent, wash them away from off the earth. 2 And the first went, and poured there fell a noisome and grievous out his vial upon the earth; and sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshipped his image. Observe here, 1. What allusion this plague inflicted upon Babylon has to that plague which God of old inflicted upon Egypt, Exod. ix. 9. Egypt had her boil, breaking forth with blains, upon men and upon beast; in like manner the worshippers of the beast have noisome and grievous sores upon them; that is, great trouble and uneasiness of mind, upon the first prospect of the shaking of their kingdom, by discovering the vanity, blasphemy, hypocrisy, and tyranny, of their devised religion; even as sores and blains do vex and torture those that are troubled with them. Learn hence, That it is no small vexation and trouble to the wicked, when they have their sins de 3 K Observe here, That this second and third plague poured out upon the sea, and the rivers of waters, whereby they became blood, have a manifest allusion to that plague of Egypt whereby all the waters were turned into blood, Exod. vii. 19. Observe farther, That by the sea and the rivers full of blood, the bloody persecutors in the antichristian church are supposed to be meant, who by slaughter and bloodshed seek to plant and propagate a bloody religion throughout the earth. Observe lastly, That the pouring out of these vials gradually and successively upon idola'ers and persecutors, and not altogether, and all at once, but one after another, teaches us how abounding the patience, forbearance, and Jong-suffering goodness of God is, even towards the worst of sinners; not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. 5 And I heard the angel of the waters say, Thou art righteous, O Lord which art, and wast, and shalt be, because thou hast judged thus. 6 For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy. 7 And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments. These verses seem to be a key to let us into the right understanding of the verses immediately foregoing; and clearly show, that as the idolatrous enemies of the church did shed the blood of saints and martyrs, so should theirs be shed: which is called their having blood to drink. Here note, 1. The approbation which the angel gives of the equity and righteousness of God's judgments upon these bloody persecutors: Righteous art thou, O Lord, for thou hast given them blood to drink. Where the ments. 8 And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire. 9 And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory. Observe here, 1. That the fourth vial is said to be poured forth upon the sun, which metaphorically taken in scripture usually signifies some great prince or potentate: here the head of the antichristian party is supposed to be the sun, upon which Observe, 2. the wrath of this vial falls. The effect which followed hereupon, power was given him to scorch men with fire; and the event which ensued was double, men blasphemed the name of God, and repented not to give him glory. Learn hence, 1. That although God sends his judgments to call the wicked to repentance, yet they will not repent of sin, even when they lie under the wrathful hand of God, but will rather break forth to further wickedness, even to blaspheme the holy name of God. Learn, 2. That what the damned do in hell, where the wrath of God is poured out upon men to the uttermost, that do incorrigible and unreclaimable sinners upon earth; they are scorched with great heat, the vengeance of God cometh upon them, they are mad and enraged, and blaspheme the holy and just God, who bringeth such plagues upon them; but they have no sense of their sins, no thoughts of turning unto God, or of giving glory to him: these men here blasphemed, but repented not. 10 And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for pain, 11 And blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds. Observe here, 1. The gradual approaches which Almighty God makes by his plagues and judgments towards the antichristian beast; he began farther off at first, and then came nearer and nearer to him; the first vial was poured out upon the earth, the second upon the sea, the third upon the rivers, the fourth upon the sun, now the fifth upon the seat of the beast; that is, probably, the seat of his empire, the chief place where he appeareth in the highest majesty and glory. This should teach us all at the first alarm of judgments to draw near to God by a true and timely repentance, before he comes nearer to us by a succession of plagues and punishments. Observe, 2. The effect and consequent which did ensue and follow upon the pouring out of this vial upon the throne or seat of the beast. 1. His kingdom was full of darkness; this vial did not destroy, but distress him; it filled his kingdom with the darkness of misery and trouble, of calamity and confusion; not but that the kingdom of the beast was a kingdom of darkness before, but that darkness was a darkness of ignorance and error: this is a darkness of calamity and horror; by the loss of that lustre, respect, and reverence, which the throne of the beast had before, but was wanting now. 2. As an evidence of this distress, it is here said, that they gnawed their tongues for pain, that is, they were almost distracted at the declining of their grandeur. Where note, 1. From the gnawing of their tongues, which was an indication of the horror of their consciences, that as Almighty God makes the guilty consciences of the wicked to be their own accusers, so he can make them, whenever he pleases, to be their own tormentors. Note, How Almighty God so suits his judgments sometimes to a people's sins, as that if they do not wink hard, or wilfully shut their eyes, they may and must see and read their sin in their punishment. These worshippers of the beast seduced others by their false doctrine, and sinned with their tongues, and now God makes their tongues, like so many scorpions' tails, the instruments of their torment: They gnawed their tongues for pain; it is added, That they blasphemed the God of heaven, and repented not of their deeds. Where note, That as the plagues he inflicted resembled the plagues of Egypt, so the worshippers of the beast, whom they were inflicted upon, resembled Pharaoh king of Egypt, who hardened his heart yet more and more against the Lord, and repented not. 12 And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared. Observe here, 1. In the drying up of the river Euphrates, a manifest allusion to the manner of old Babylon's destruction. The river Euphrates ran through old Babylon, and was a greater defence to it than its celebrated walls, which for thickness and height were the wonder of the world. Cyrus, when he took Babylon, cut many ditches, and let the river Euphrates run out, and so he and his soldiers entered the city, then fordable, and took it. Now, as the drying up of Euphrates, then, was an immediate forerunner of the destruction of Babylon, in like manner the drying up of Euphrates, signify it what it will, shall be the immediate forerunner of the destruction of antichristian Babylon, whenever it shall be. The Romish Euphrates being dried up, the Romish Babylon will hasten amain towards its final ruin. Quest. But what is meant by Euphrates heic? Answ. Probably the Turkish empire, according to Mr. Mede and Dr. More, the Turks first taking up their habitation about this great river so that by Euphrates may be understood the people inhabiting about Euphrates; and by drying up its waters, the diminishing and lessening of their empire. By the kings of the east, the Jews are said to be understood, who inhabit the eastern countries, to whom God made a promise, Exod. xix. 6. that they should be a kingdom of priests: so that here seems to be a prophecy of the Jews' conversion to the christian religion, which two things do chiefly hinder, namely, the idolatry of Rome, and the power of Constantinople; the image-worship of the Papists, and the puissance of the Turks: but both these being taken away by the fall of Babylon, and the ruin of the Turks, the way then will seem prepared for the Jews' receiving of the christian faith. Taking the words in this sense, the notes are these, 1. That the days will come wherein christian princes and states shall pour out the wrath of God upon Popish idolatry and Turkish tyranny. 2. That the pouring out of the wrath of God upon both these grand enemies of God, will prepare and make ready the way for the Jews' conversion to hiin. 13 And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. 14 For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. In the foregoing verses an account was given of the subject upon which the sixth vial was poured out, namely, upon the river Euphrates. Here we have an effect that followed thereupon, namely, a warlike expedition, or gathering to battle. Where note, 1. The principal commanders in this battle, namely, the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet. 2. The instruments employed and made use of by them, who are here said to be, for their nature, spirits, for their quality, unclean, for their number, three, for their similitude and resemblance, like frogs; namely, with respect to their original, they breed of corruption, and in great numbers swarm and croak in all places, and live both in the water and upon the earth; by all which many interpreters understand emissaries, missionaries, negoci ators, solicitors, and legates, sent forth and employed by antichrist for the support and strengthening both of him and his kingdom, by soliciting the kings of the earth to join together in a battle against the church. Behold here how the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet, do send forth all their emissaries, and employ all their instruments, do stir up princes, and engage them in battle, to withstand the reformation of christians, and the conversion of the Jews: I saw unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and go furth to the kings of the earth, to gather them to battle. Observe farther, The actions here said to be performed by them, namely, their working miracles by the power of the devils; that is, such wonderful things as Satan can sometimes produce, or at least delude people's senses, and make them believe that they are produced and effected by him. Where note, That the advantage which the false church makes of a pretended power with her to work miracles, the Spirit of God both here and elsewhere (2 Thess. ii. 9.) makes to be a badge of antichrist and his followers: They are the spirits of devils, working miracles. Blessed is he that watcheth, and 15 Behold, I come as a thief. keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame. These consolatory words of Christ seem to be inserted here for the support of the faithful servants of God, against those great preparations of the enemy in the day of batthief, secretly, suddenly, and unexpectedly, tle. Behold, says Christ, I then come as a to destroy these enemies when they least expect me; and then I am at hand to take vengeance on them, and to deliver my church when they least think of me: Blessed is he that watcheth, namely, against those temptations which he will be then exposed to: and keepeth his garments, that is, his profession unspotted from sin, and the defilements of antichrist; lest he walk naked, that is, appear as a man destitute of uprightwhich ever follows upon a sinful course. ness and sincerity; and they see his shame, Note here, 1. That when Christ comes, he 2. That although Christ comes suddenly, comes suddenly, even as a thief cometh. and as a thief; yet he is pleased to give us warning of his coming: Behold, I come. 3. That when Christ's coming is near at hand, there is danger that many for want of watchfulness will lose their garments. shall lose their garments, this misery will 4. That is, to such as through negligence befall them; they shall walk naked, and men shall see their shame. 5. That those few who watch and keep their garments, dition: Blessed is he that watcheth and are certainly in a happy and blessed conkeepeth his garments. 16 And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon. He, that is, Almighty God, by his permissive providence suffered the kings of the earth to hearken to antichrist's missionaries, who, like frogs, hop abroad even into kings' palaces, and persuade them to assemble and gather together, as Jabin and |