THE

GENERAL HISTORY

O F THE

CHRISTIAN CHURCH,

Divided into feven Ages, and deduced chiefly from the APOCALYPSE.

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EFORE we enter upon this prophetic hiftory, it will be neceffary to explain the first chapter of the Apocalypfe, as it contains the preface to the whole book, and, on that account, is effential to the prefent work,

Explication of the firft Chapter of the Apocalypfe.

APOC. Chap. I. verse 1. The Revelation of Jefus Chrift, which God gave unto him, to make known to his fervants the things which must shortly come to pass: and fignified, fending by his angel to his fervant John.

V. 2. Who bath given teftimony to the word of God, and the teftimony of Jefus Christ, what things foever he bath feen.

We are here informed that the book of the Apocalypfe is a Revelation, which Jefus Chrift, as Man-God, received from God: the purpose of which is to disclose B

to

to his fervants, the chriftians, a ferics of events very interefting to them, and which must fhortly come to pafs. This revelation Jefus Chrift communicates by the channel of his angel, whom he fends to deliver it to his fervant John. The character here given to this fervant John fhews him to be the Apostle St. John; for he is here faid to have given teftimony to the word of God, by his preaching and suffering for the cause of God, and to have alfo given teftimony of Jefus Christ, by bearing witness to what things foever he had feen of his divine mafter. And this account of him coincides with what St. John fays of himself at the beginning of his first epiftle: That which we have beard, fays he, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the word of life-we declare unto you.

We have faid that it was Chrift who fignified or notified this his Revelation, fending it by his angel; which is confirmed by what he speaks himself in the conclufion of the Apocalypfe: I Jefus have fent my angel, to testify to you these things in the churches, (Apoc. xxii. 16.) But it might be equally faid, that God himself communicated this prophecy by his angel; for we likewife read: The Lord God of the fpirits of the prophets fent his angel to fhew his fervants the things which must be done fhortly, (Apoc. xxii. 6.) which words are quite fimilar to those above of verse the firft. However, it is not ma terial whether to God or to Jefus Chrift the communication of the prophecy be afcribed, when we confider the divinity of Chrift.

Another obfervation we muft here make, is concerning the angel of God or Chrift, who is fent to communicate the Apocalypfe to St. John. He is ge

nerally

nerally fuppofed to be a real angel; but upon clofe examination we think he will appear to be St. John the Baptift. This perfonage is peculiarly vested with the character of angel* or meffenger of God and Christ, and is denominated fuch in the ancient prophecies, and by Christ himself: Behold, I fend my angel, faid the Lord by his prophet Malachy, and he shall prepare the way before my face, (Mal. iii. 1.) which Chrift applies to his precurfor St. John Baptift. This is be, fays Christ, of whom it is written: Behold I fend my angel before thy face, who shall prepare thy way before thee, (Matt. xi. 10.). The fame is also confirmed by the Baptift's own declaration: I am, fays he, the voice of one crying in the wilderness, make ftrait the way of the Lord, (John i. 23.) which plainly fpeaks his function of angel of meffenger of Chrift. A further proof is derived from the words of the angel himself, who thus fpeaks to St. John the Apostle: I am thy fellow-fervant, and of thy brethren who have the teftimony of Jefus, (Apoc. xix. 10.) And again, I am thy fellow-fervant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them that keep the words of the prophecy of this book, (Apoc. xxii. 9.) This language, it is clear, cannot be that of a real angel, but tallies very juftly with the character of the Baptift, who had been a fellow-fervant of the Apostle and his brethren in giving teftimony to Jefus, &c. However, as the Apoftle gives to St. John Baptift the name of angel, perhaps his form and appearance were fuch on this occafion.

v. 3. Bleffed is be, that readeth and beareth the words of this prophecy: and keepeth those things which

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are

The word angel fignifies meenger. theje that hear, &c.

In the Greek text, and

are written in it: for the time is at hand. We are here affured that great is the advantage of attending to what is delivered in the Apocalypfe; for they are pronounced bleffed, who read or hear read the words of this prophecy, and who keep the things which are written in it, that is, who take due notice of the things which are written in it, in order to compare what is already fulfilled with the real events, to beware of what is foretold to come, and to draw proper inftructions from both. Thefe prophecies are the more interefting, as the time is at hand, for the accomplishment of fome of them, and the reft will follow in their order. This was true at the period when St. John wrote, and will be equally true at whatever period of time the Apocalypfe be confulted, as fome part of its prophetic history will always be near the time of its accomplishment. It might likewife be faid, that the whole would happen foon, with allufion to the fhortness of all time when compared with the eternal exiftence of God, according to that of St. Peter: One day with the Lord is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day, (2 Pet. iii. 8.) and that of the Pfalmift: A thousand years in thy fight, are but as yesterday, which is past and gone, (Pfalm lxxxix. 4.)

v. 4. John to the feven Churches which are in Afia. Grace be unto you and peace from Him that is, and that was, and that is to come; and from the feven Spirits which are before his throne.

St. John addreffes the feven Churches of leffer Asia, which he governed, and which will be fpecified below (ver. 11.). We fhall fee him there receive an order to fend them this prophecy. He falutes thefe churches, wifhing them grace, or benediction and peace from Him who is, and who was, and coho is to come, that is, from Almighty

Almighty God, who exifted from all eternity, continues to exift, will remain for all eternity, and will come at the last day to reward his faithful fervants, and to punish the wicked. The Apostle offers the fame good wishes from the feven Spirits which are before the throne of God, always ready to depart and execute his commands with respect to mankind. Thefe are miniftring fpirits, fent to minifter for them, who fhall receive the inberitance of falvation, (Hebr. i. 14.)

v. 5. And from Jefus Chrift, who is the faithful witness, the firft-begot.en of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth: who bath loved us, and washed us from our fins in his own blood.

v. 6. And bath made us a kingdom* and priests to God and his Father: to him be glory and empire for ever and ever. Amen.

St. John continues his falutation to the feven churches, withing them grace and peace from Jefus Chrift, whom he entitles the faithful witnefs, as having given teftimony to his eternal Father upon earth, and faithfully executed the commiffion he had received from him. He is alfo the first-begotten of the dead, having raifed himself from death to life by his own power, which no man ever did or can do, nor can any man rife again but by virtue of the refurrection of Chrift, according to that of St. Paul: By a man came death, and by a man the refurrection of the dead. And as in Adam all die, fo alfo in Christ all shall be made alive, (1 Cor. XV. 21. 22.) Jefus Chrift is likewife ftiled the prince of the kings of the earth, not only as God, but likewife as God-Man, having acquired, by the merits of his Incarnation, a fovereign power upon earth.

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* In the Greek text, made us kings.

On that

account,