THE SONG OF MOSES AND THE LAMB. Rev. XV. .'5, 4. And they sing the song of Moses the servant of G»d, and of the Lamb, sai/ing, Great a?id marvellous ore tliij icorks. Lord God Aim) ghhj • just and true are thy icriys; ilvii Khia nf Sa/nts. fFlio shall not fear thee, 0 L-i d. (I lid glorfij ihij name?
TiWi reign of Antichrist, and his ultimate destruc- tion, occupy a large portion of the Revelation of St. John. His destruction has been foretold in the chapter which precedes my text; and is more cir- cumstantially declared iu that which follows it. In
the
the chapter before us, we have an introductory vision, representing the joy and triumph which the glorified saints would express on that occasion. But respect- ing the particular circumstances of the vision, Com- mentators are by no means agreed. Where this is the case, I would by no means presume to speak with confidence, especially where I am under the necessity of differing from those which are most generally, and most justly, approved. But it appears to me, that too little attention has been paid to the context ; and that, if the parallel, which is evidently drawn be- tween the deliverance at the Red Sea and our re- demption by Christ, be taken as a clue, the whole will be unravelled, and simplicity itself will pervade that, which, with any other interpretation, will pre- sent nothing to our view but inexplicable obscurity. *' A sea of glass" is mentioned before, in the fourth chapter "^ ; where it is supposed to refer to the brazen sea which was in the Temple, and which was filled with water for the serv^ice of the Priests ''. But we are not on that account limited to that view of it in this place. It is well known, that the same images are used in reference to different things, especially in this highly figurative Book : and the reference must always be determined by the context. Now con- sider, What is the subject that is here spoken of? It is the destruction of all the enemies of God and of his Christ. And what is the illustmtion given of it ? It is taken from the destruction of Pharaoh and the Egyptian hosts in the Red Sea. And what are the terms in luhich this deliverance is celebrated? They ])recisely accord with those which were used by Moses and the Israelites on that occasion ; as we shall more distinctly point out in our further view of the subject. Now take this clue, and the whole vision will be extremely clear, and perfectly har- monious in all its parts, without any occasion for fancilul conjectures. We will paraphrase the whole in conformity with this idea.
*' I saw,
* Ch. iv. (j. '' 1 Kin. vii. 23—20".