God and Christ, and is denominated fuch in the ancient prophecies, and by Chrift 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 Bap tift. This is he, fays Chrift, of whom it is written: Behold I fend my angel before thy face, who shall prepare the way before thee, Matt. xi. 10. The fame is alfo confirmed by the Baptift's own declaration: I am, fays he, the voice of one crying in the wilderness, make ftraight the way of the Lord, John i. 23. which plainly speaks his function of angel or meffenger of Chrift. A further proof is derived from the words of the angel himself, who thus speaks to St. John the Apoftle: 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 corres ponds very juftly with the character of the Baptist, who had been a fellow-fervant of the Apoflle and his brethren in giving teftimony to Jefus, &c. A function fuitable to the character of St. John the Baptift; who, as he announced Chrift and fhewed him present to the people; fo here, he announceth and fheweth to St. John the Apoftle the Hiftory of Chrift or of his Church. However, as the Apostle gives to St. John Baptift the name of angel, perhaps his form and appearance were fuch on this occafion.

V. 3. Bleffed is he, that readeth and heareth the words of this prophecy: and keepeth those things which 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

* In the Greek text, and those that hear, &c.

are

are pronounced bleffed, who read or hear, read the words of this pophecy, 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 them with what is already fulfilled by real events, to beware of what is foretold to come, and to draw proper inftructions from both. These 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 hiftory will always be near the time of its accomplishment. It might likewife be faid, that the whole would happen foon, with allufion to the fhortnefs 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. iiì. 8. and that of the Pfalmift: A thousand years in thy fight, are but as yesterday, which is paft 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 Afia, which he governed, and which will be specified below, ver. II. We fhall fee him there receive an order to fend them this prophecy. He falutes these churches, wifhing them grace, or benediction and peace from Him who is, and who was, and who is to come, that is, from Almighty God, who exifts from all eternity, continues to exift, will remain for all eternity, and will come at the laft day to reward his faithful fervants, and to punish the wicked. The Apoftle 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 refpect to

mankind.

mankind. These are miniftering Spirits, fent to minifter for them, who fhal receive the inheritance of falvation, Hebr. i. 14.

V. 5. And from Jefus Chrift, who is the faithful witness, the firfl-begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth: who hath loved us, and washed us from our fins in his own blood.

V. 6. And hath made us a kingdom* and priests 10 God and his Father: to him be glory and empire for

ever and ever.

Amen.

St. John continues his falutation to the feven churches, wifhing them grace and peace from Jefus Chrift, whom he entitles the faithful witness, as having given teftimony to his eternal Father upon earth, and executed faithfully the commiffion he had received from him. He is alfo the firft-begotten of the dead, having raised 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 Chrift all fhall be made alive, 1 Cor. xv. 21, 22. Jefus Chrift is likewife ftyled 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 on earth. On that account, all power is given to me, fays Chrift, in heaven and in earth, Matt. xxviii. 18. And again, The father hath given to the fon power to do judgment. Why fo? Because he is the fon of man, John v. 27. Here we fee afcertained the uuiversal dominion of Chrift. Then follow the gracious effects of his bounty towards mankind; for, he hath loved us, and washed us from our fins in his own blood: and he hath made us kings and priests to God and his Father,

I

In the Greek text, made us kings.

that

that is, he hath made us his coheirs, and has admitted us to a participation of his own fovereign power over the world, and likewife of his priesthood, by virtue of which we become alfo a holy priesthood, as St. Peter fays, to offer up fpiritual facrifices, acceptable to God by Jefus Chrift, 1 Pet. ii. 5. This communication of power granted by Chrift to his fervants, by which they become kings and priests, will chiefly take place in the other world; and it is not only founded on the present text, but is clear from our Saviour's own words: I difpofe to you, says he, as my Father has difpofed to me, a kingdom: that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and may fit upon thrones judging the twelve tribes of Ifrael, Luke xxii. 29. 30. And again, To him that fhali overcome, I will give to fit with me in my throne, Apoc. iii. 21. To Chrift therefore, our bountiful Saviour and gracious Benefactor, be glory and empire for ever and ever.

Amen.

V. 7. Behold, he cometh with the clouds, and every eye fhall fee him, and they also that pierced him. And all the tribes of the earth fhall bewail themselves because of him. Even so. Amen.

The fame Jefus Chrift, who is prince of the kings of the earth, who has washed us from our fins in his blood, who has chosen us and made us kings and priests to God, is equally entitled to be our Judge, and will effectually come in his fovereign power at the laft day to judge the world: at which time every eye shall fee him; and his countenance will be terrible to those who pierced him and crucified him. And even all the tribes of the earth, or the people of all nations upon the face of the earth, will mourn and bewail his death, being amazed and confounded at the unparalleled impiety of thofe men who crucified him. In the two preceding verses were defcribed the functions, which Jefus Chrift, the fon of God made man, performed upon earth, in fulfilling the charge he had received

1

received from his Father, in redeeming the world, &c. These functions we see here completed by his coming at the laft day to judge mankind, and to decree their rewards and punishments.

V. 8. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, faith the Lord God, who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.

Here the Almighty himself speaks: I am Alpha and Omega; Alpha and Omega are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet, the meaning of which in this place is explained by the fubfequent words, the beginning and the end. Iam, fays Almighty God, the beginning and end of every thing. I am the first cause and laft end of all beings. I am the fource, from which every thing flows, and to which every thing must return. I created the world by my power, I govern it by my wifdom, and fhall put an end to it at my pleasure. I am He who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty. See above, ver. 4.

Thus we fee the two great Perfonages, who here prefide through the whole fcene of the Apocalypfe, God, and Jefus Chrift. They are placed in the fupreme degree of eminence, and are clearly diftinguished by their refpective titles and attributes. They are exhibited as the Sovereign Rulers of the universe, the Moderators of all human tranfactions. And thus is nobly ushered in the Prophetic Hiftory, which begins as follows.

V. 9. I john your brother and your partner in tribulation, and in the kingdom, and patience in Chrift Jefus, was in the island, which is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the teftimony of Jefus.

V. 1o. I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet,

V. II. Saying, what thou feeft, write in a book: and fend to the feven Churches which are in Afia, to Ephefus, and to Smyrna, and to Pergamus, and to Thya