446 And she flies from a fiery dragon into the wilderness. SECT. 23.) XV. Rev. fled into the wildershe a thousand two hun And the woman, his mother, fled into 6 And the woman the wilderness, by which circumstance was ness, where represented to me, the obscure condition in hath a place preparxii. 6 which true Christianity should long remain, ed of God, that they while antichristian principles and practices should feed her there There she dwelt, dred and three score every where prevailed. where she had a place prepared for her by the days. 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, dur7 ing that desolate and melancholy time. And 7 And there was there was the appearance of a very formidable war in heaven; Michael and his angels war in heaven, and several mighty battles seem- fought against the ed to be fought before my sight; Michael, the dragon, and the great leader of God's host, and therein an em- dragon fought, and his angels, blem 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. 8 Nevertheless, they did not prevail against the 8 And prevailed not, neither was armies of God, neither was place found for there place found them any more in heaven; but, being unable any more in heaven. Into the wilderness.] I think I never Pepin of France made a grant to the met with a wilder interpretation than that Pope, of the temporal dominion of Rome, which Grotius gives of this place; re- on the destruction of the Exarchate of ferring it to the banishment of Christianity Ravenna, to which that imperial city for out of Rome, into little neighbouring a while belonged. Upon this the Pope towns and villages, (which, in comparison of that capital city, might seem a wilderness, during the time of the seduction of Simon Magus; an event neither certain in itself, nor, if ever so certain, by any means answering to the description here given, and the great and important idea suggested, and so much insisted upon in this prophecy. 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. One thousand two hundred and sixty days] These days are years of Papal usurpation. 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,) sup. poses them to begin in the year 736, when 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. 120. 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 accusing them day 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 him. in heaven, Now is The dragon is conquered by Michael; 447 Rev. to stand their ground, they seemed to be ex- SECT. 9 And the great pelled, and fall down to the earth. And thus xv. dragon was cast out, the great, furious, and voracious dragon was that old serpent, called the devil, and Sa- cast out; [even] the old serpent, so long expe- xii. tan, which deceiveth rienced in the arts of mischief: who, from his the whole world: he falsehood, is called the devil, or the false accuwas cast out into the ser; and from his malice, satan, or the generearth, and his angels were cast out with al adversary: he, who deceives the whole world by his subtile 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 10 And I heard a guilt. And I heard a great voice saying in 10 loud voice, saying heaven, Now is come the long expected salvacome salvation, and tion; and the power, and the kingdom of our strength, and the God is now exerted and established; and the aukingdom of our God, thority of his Christ shall now prevail against all and the power of his Christ for the accu- opposition; because the malignant and perfidiser of our brethren ous accuser of our brethren is now cast out, who is cast down, which carried his malice to such a height, that he acaccused them before our God day and cused 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 11 And they over- indeed the Witness of their integrity. came him by the now they have overcome him, formidable as he blood of the Lamb, and by the word of appeared, with all his confederate angels; and their testimony; and it is by the blood of the Lamb they have gained they loved not their 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 joice, ye heavens, they fell to rise, and triumph and reign. And 12 and ye that dwell in therefore, rejoice, ye heavens, and ye who inhabit night. lives unto the death. 12 Therefore re And 11 the conquest of Satan by Christ, by the fully prevailed over heathenism in the emfirst publication of the gospel. Mr. Low- pire, and when an effectual stop was put to man interprets it of the victory over Sa- the Mahometan impostor in these western tan and his power, when Christianity had parts. 448 Rev. Tet continues to persecute the woman. SECT. them, and, as it were, pitch your tents there: them. Wo to the isIV. let all the celestial armies proclaim the victory and of the sea: for habiters of the earth, with joy. But wo to those that inhabit the the devil is come x. 12 terraqueous globe, consisting of the earth and down unto you, barthe sea: for the devil is come down to you, hav- ing great wrath, being great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath that he hath but a but a short time; and therefore, is maliciously short time. bent to make the most he can of it, exerting one powerful effort more to establish and con cause he knoweth 13 firm his cause. And when the dragon saw that 13 And when the he was cast out on the earth, I perceived him to dragon saw that he be greatly enraged; and saw, that mindful of was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the original of the late war, he persecuted the the woman which woman who had brought forth a male child. brought forth the 14 And to signify the extraordinary provision that man child. 14 And to the woshould be made for her deliverance, there were man were given two immediately given to the woman two wings, wings of a great ea like those of a great and strong eagle, that she gle, that she might might fly into the wilderness, unto her place, ness, into her place Hy into the wilderwhich, as I observed before, was appointed for where she is nourher; where, as I said, she is nourished for one ished for a time, thousand two hundred and sixty days; that is, and times, and a half a time, from the for a time, or one year, and times, or two years, face of the serpent. 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 fuce of the serpent, water as a flood, af. and preserved from his destructive efforts. ter the woman, that 15 And the serpent threw out of his mouth a flood he might cause her to be carried away of water, like a rivers after the woman, as she of the flood. was winging her flight from him, that he might 16 And the earth cause her to be carried away by the stream. helped the woman, 16 And the earth assisted the woman; and the earth and the earth opened her mouth, and opened its mouth and drank up the flood which swallowed up the the dragon threw out of his mouth, so that it sunk flood which the dragas fast as it fell, and could not swell into such a on cast out of his formidable current as he seemed to have in- mouth. 17 And the drag17 tended it should. And the dragon was enraged on was wroth with f Fly into the wilderness.] This is the Lame event that was represented, ver. 6. 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, re member any passage that illustrates it. The earth assisted the woman, &c] This may intimate, that notwithstand ing all the violent and cruel attempts 15 And the serpent cast out of his mouth 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 remnant of her 449 XV. the woman, and went against the woman, to see all his efforts against secr to make war with her defeated by a superior power; and he went seed, which keep away to excite new troubles, and to make war the commandments against the woman, and against the remainder of God, and have the of her seed, even as many as might by any testimony of Jesus means be brought within his reach; nor did he Christ. spare any of those who keep the commandments of Rev. xii. 17 IMPROVEMENT. WHATEVER Concealed and unknown wonders may be inti- verse mated 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 1,2 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 7 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, formi- 3 dable 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 ad- 11 monition! 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 15, 16 practices; they shall be entirely swallowed up. And though the church be for a while in the wilderness, it shall be happily 14 sheltered, and tenderly nourished; there, its members shall be in 9 10 450 A beast rises from the sea, with seven heads and ten horns : XV. verse 5, 10 SECT. safety, as if they were taken up to God, even unto his throne, till the time which he has appointed for its triumph. In the mean while, however the sons of malice, under the instruction and influence of the great accuser of the brethren, may defame them: 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. SECT. xvi. Rev. The vision of the two beasts, and the outrages committed by them. REVELATION XIII. 1. I REV. XIII. 1. on the sand of A' AND I stood upon the sand of the sea, as apprehended in the vision, and saw a the sea, and saw a fierce and savage beast ascending out of the beast rise up out of xiii. 1 sea, having seven heads, and ten horns; to in- the sea, having setimate the city of Rome standing upon seven ven heads and ten horns, and upon his hills, and the ten kingdoms into which its do- horns ten crowns, minions were to be divided and upon his and upon his heads horns [were] ten diadems; to signify the royal the name of blaspower that was to be found in each: and on phemy. his heads [there were] names of blasphemy, such names as it was most profane and blasphemous 2 to assume. And the beast which I saw, was, as to the 2 And the beast form of the greater part of its body, like a leop- which I saw was like unto a leopard, ard, and its feet [were] like those of a bear, and his feet were as to signify its exceeding great fierceness; and its the feet of a bear, mouth was like the mouth of a roaring and furious and his mouth as lion: and the dragon, who still appeared on the the mouth of a lion: and the dragon visionary scene, that is, the devil, gave him, gave him his power, • Savage beast.] This I understand of the papal power, as exercised by the bishop of Rome, supported by his regular clergy, and by those secular princes, who have given up their name and power to him. And when the dragon is said to give him his power and throne, &c. ver. 2, it intimates, that he should have his seat or residence there, where the dragon had reigned, even at Rome; which had been the seat of idolatry and persecution during its pagan state. b Names of blasphemy.] They must have very little acquaintance with the arrogant titles which have been assumed or admitted by the popes, who discern not in them a very remarkable illustration of this circumstance of the prophecy. Instead of orque, the common reading, I think ovouara, names, in the plural, which is supposed by the authority of the Alexan drian, and other manuscripts, to be pref erable. |