5. Nepthalim is put next, who.was:7aceb ' Maid, Gen. 2o. 8, bins 1g HH 6. Manaſſe« is put next, who was Fo/eph's Son.. 1, _ . 7. Simeon, Facob's ſecond Son by. Leab, Gen. 29. 33+ is put in the ſeventh place. = , | 8. Levi, Leab's third Scn, in the.cizhth place, Gen. 29. 34- Hh Iſachar, Leah's fitth Son, Gen. 30..18..3s put in the ninth PCs
10. Zebulon, Leah's f1xth Son, is put in the tenth place, Gen. 39. 2
oN 11. 7-feþh is" put in the eleventh place for Ephraim his Son. 12. Benjamin, Rachel's ſecond Son, is put in the laſt place. If there be any Myſtery in this O«der, differmg from all other Scriptures, where there is a mention made of the twelve Patrijarchs,
it is probab'e that Mr. Mede - hath hit upon it, 'in regard of the gccd
on the Forecheads of their Slaves, by which they were known to be
VII
3 Saying,* Hurt not the earth, nor the ſea, nor the * C5. 5,
9. 4.
t Ch14,
Chap. VII.
good or ill Deſerts of theſe Tribes, ſome of which are mentioned by him, all may be learned from the Hiſtory of the Jews recorded in Holy Writ. Hence we may learn, that the ſummary Senſe of all
theſe Verſes, is this, Thatalthough within the Period of Time, wich |' is fignified under the ſeventh Seal, there ſhould be great Perſecati- |
ons of the Church, yet God would preſerve unto himſelf a great Number in all his Churches, which ſhould not Apoſtatize, and who in the Perſecutions ſhould not be hurt, ſo as his Church ſhould not fail, though the Archers ſhould ſhoot ſore at it; for though Men raged, yet it was by God's Permiſſion; and his Angels over-ruled it, who ſhould take notice of thoſe Numbers that he had ſealed, and marked in their Forcheads, Rn 9 Atrer this I beheld, and lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and Kin- dreds, and people, and tongues 7, ſtood before the * Chap, 3. t1:01::2, and before the lamb &, * clothed with white
5, 18. & robes /, and palms in their hands .
6.11.0 7. # If ze enquire who theſe were, we are told verſe 14. by the beſt
I 4 Interpreters, Theſe are they which come out of great Tribulation, and have waſhed their Robes, &c. So that they do not ſeem to be the 144000 mentioned for Preſervation in, and from the Evil, werſe 4. but ſuch as had eſcaped, or were not in, or going into Tribulation, but come out. The Number of the former was determined, it is faid of theſe, it could not be numbred. kh Theſe were glorified ones, not militant; they ſtood before the Throne, and the Lamb. / Cloth- ed in the Habits offuch as amongſt the Romans had fought, and con- quered, and triumphed. m And to this end they are ſaid to have carried Palms, the Enfigns of Vidory, in their Hands,
* Pfal. 3.8.
114. 43-11: on to our God 7 which fitteth upon the throne, and
= TH unto the Lamb o. | 2b | " n They acknowledge their temporal, ſpiritual, and eternal Salya- tion to the gift, and free Mercy of God in whom they had truſted. o And to the Lord Jeſus Chriſt, by whoſe Merits and Spirit they had got the Vidtory. ,
11 And all the : angels p ſtood round about the throne, and about the elders 9, and the four beaſts 7, and fell before the throne on their faces /; and wor- ſhipped God 7.
þ The good Angels, who always in Heaven behold the face of their, and our heavenly Father. q And about the twenty four El- ders mentioned chap. 4.4. r And the living Creatures mentioned, chap. 4.6. { The Angels, Elders, and living Creatures, all fall down on their Faces in a reverend Senſe of the infinite diſtance between them and their Creator. # Thus paying an Homage to God fitted to their glorified ſtate, in confideration of his Excellen-
CY. ; : 12 Saying, Amen : Bleſſing, and glory, and wil: dom, and thankſgiving, and honour, and power, and might be- unto our God for ever and ever.
Amen 2. u Theſe words only fignifie the Union and Harmony of the Angels
and Saints in praifing God : See the Notes on Chap. 5. 12. 13: And oneof theelders anſwered, ſaying unto me, What are theſe which are arrayed in white robes? and
whence came they w * % w Not that he did not know, but to try whether Zohn knew, or rather to ſet Fohn upon enquiring. | 14 And I ſaid unto him, Sir, thgu knoweſt x. And he ſaid to me, Theſe are they which came * 141.18, out of great tribulation y, and have * waſhed their Heb. 9. 14. robes, and made them white in the blood of the 1 Joh. 1.7. Lamb Z. Oo :
Chap. 1.6. * , ng confeſfing his own Ignorance, applies himſelf to this El- Zech. 3-3, der for Inſtruction, who tells him, y Theſe were the Souls of 4, 5- - i them that 'came out of great Sufferings and Perſecution. x But 5"; he addeth,that they were ſuch as were waſhed in the Blood of Chriſt. Suffering'will not bring us to Heaven, without having our Souls waſh-
ed with the Blood of Chriſt. | 15 Therefore are they before the throne of God a,
and ſerve him day and night in his temple þ ; and *If.4.5,5. he that fitteth on the throne ſhall -* dwell among
Chap.21.3- them c. : a Not that they by their Sufferings have merited Heaven, but be-
cauſe it pleaſeth God of his free Grace ſo to reward them ; therefore it was ſaid, not only that they were ſuch as came out of Tribulation, but that they had waſhed their Garments in the Blood of the Lamb, whoſe Blond had paid the Price of their Salvation. b By the Temple, ſome underſtand the Church in this Life ; but it is foreign to the true Senſe of the Text ; for John ſaw only their Souls before the Throne, their Bodies were in their Graves. By the Temple is meant Heaven where God dwelleth, and is worſhipped more gloriouſly and conſtantly than he was in the Jewiſh Temple, or in any part of the militant Church. c As God by his gracious Preſence dwelt in the urs Temple ; ſo God by his glorious Preſence ſhall dwell amongſt is glorified Saints. : 16 They ſhall hunger no more, neither thirſt any
*;Pfal.121, 12OTe, * neither ſhall the ſun light on them, nor any 6. hear d.
d This is taken out of Ja. 49. 10. They arz all Metaphorical Ex- pre{Hons, all fjgnifying the perfe&t ſtate of glorified Saints. They - ſhall have no Wants, nor be expoſed to any affliftive Providen-
CCS.
r7 For the Lamb which is in the midſt of the Yol. II.
REVELATION.
10 And cried with a loud voice, laying, * Salvati- |
Chap. Vili
; throne e * ſhall feed them f and ſhall lead them unto *Pſul. 23-r-
Joh.10.1 1.