living fountains of waters ; + and God ſhall wipe away {7 all tears from their eyes g. | j e Chriſt, the Lamb mentioned, Chap. 5. 5. f Shall take care of .them to fatisfie; and to protect them, and give them the beſt Sup- plies, and-both make them to forget their former Sorrows, and pre- vent any further cauſe of Sorrow and Aflidion to them. A perfett Deſcription of the glorious and happy ſtate of Saints in Heaven. For wherein lieth the Happineſs of Heaven, but in a freedom from all the Evils that incumber us in this Life, and the Enjoyment of all Happineſs we are capable of, and being ever with the Lord Jeſus Chtiſt under his Influence and Condu& ? So as I cannot agree with Mr. Mede, or any of thoſe who think this Viſion, and theſe Phraſes deſcribe any happy, peaceable ſtate of the Church in this Life, af- ter the throwing down of Antichriſt ; but do think that Fohn was ſhewed this great Reward of Martyrs, to encourage the Church of God under all thoſe Evils they were to ſuffer under Antichriſt and the Beaſt, in that Period of Time which is deſcribed myſtically upon = _— of the ſeven Seals, which we now come to in the next apter.
{a. 25.8. hap.21.4-
CHAP. VIIL
The ſeventh Seal opened, filence in Heaven, ſeven Angels with (even Trum- pets appear, 1, 2. Another Angel putteth Incenſe to the Prayers of the Saints on the Golden Altar, 3. Then he filleth his Cenſer with Fire from the Altar, caſting it upom the Earth, 5. The fir$ Angel ſound- eth, which is followed with Hail and Fire, mingled with Blood, 7. The caſting a great burning Mountain into the Sea, followed the ſecond, 8, 9. And the fall of a great Star, called Wormwood, followed on the third Angel's Soundjng, 10, 11. The fourth Angel bloweth the Trumpet, and the third part of the Sun, Moon, and Stars ſmitten with Darkneſs, 12. Anther Angel crieth woe, becauſe of the three follow- ing Trumpets, 13.
A N D when he had opened a the ſeventh ſeal 5, there was filenc? in heaven c about the ſpace of
haltan hour g. |
a That is, the Lamb mentioned, chap. $. 7. who took the Book out of the Hand of him who ſate upon the Throne, the Book ot God's Counſels, and had now revealed myſteriouſly to John what ſhould come to paſs ( under all the Pagan Emperours ) to the Church of Chriſt, until the time of Conſtantine the Great, who ( as was faid ) about the year 325. had ſettled the Chriſtian Religion, and ſhut up all the Idols Temples, having conquered the Apoſtate Zicinns.
b He cometh now to open the ſeventh Seal, that is, to reveal to Zohn what ſhould be in the ſucceeding time of the Church to the end of the World, But before the great Evils ſhould break out, which were to come {to paſs'in this time, there was in the Church a Reſt d for a ſmall time; for from the year 317 ( when Conſtantine bare the great- eſt ſway in the Empire ) or 325, when he had got a full Victory over Licinus, the Church had a great Peace for a little time, till 339, when the Empire being divided, and Conftantius having the Eaſtern part, and Conſtans the Weſtern ( both Sons of Conflentiey FOE being an Arrian ( whodenicd the Go?-h2id of Chriſt ) began azain to perſecute the Chriſrjans ; and after him Fulian, who apoſtatized to Paganiſm. But after him they had a little further reſpite to the year 395, when Thendoſaes died, and the Chriſtians quite Died with him. I rather chuſe to interpret this thus, than with thoſe who uns derftand the Silence in Heaven, of a Silence in the third Heavens, in Allufion to the Jewiſh Order 3 who, though they ſung during the time of the Sacrifice, and played upon Inſtruments of Muſick all that time, yet kept filence while the Incenſe was offering. For (as divers have noted ) it ſeemeth hard to judge, that in this Revelation there ſhould be no mention of that ſhort Truce which the _—_ had during the Reign of Conſtantine, and for a ſmall time af- ter. |
2 And I ſaw the ſeven angels which ſtood be-
fore Po e, and to them were given ſeven trum- pets f. e The ſeven mentioned hereafter, which blew with the Trumpets. f For we preſently read, that ſeven 75umpets were given to them. Trumpets were uſed to call the People together, to proclaim Feſti- vals, and in War, The uſe of theſe Trumpets we ſhall hereafter read, which was to proclaim the Will and Counſels of God, as to things to come. : = 3 And another angel came g and ſtood at the altar, having a golden cenſer h, and there was given unto him much incenſe z, that he ſhould || ofter 7t with the || or, add * prayers of all ſaints, upon the golden altar &, which # to the
was before the throne. hong g By this Ange! I underſtand Chi ; ( as do many very valuable Chap. 5.8.” Authors ) nor, indeed, can what is faid of this Angel agree to any other but him, who is called an Angel, Gen. 48. 16. and the Ange! of the Covenant, Mal. 3. 1. h Here is a manifeſt Alluſion to the Or- derin the Jewiſh Worſhip, they had an Altar of Incenſe, Exod. 3o.r. upon which the High-Prieſt was to burn Incenſe every Morning and Evening, verſe 7, 8. Whilſt the Prieſt was burning Incenſe, as ap- rs, Luke 1. 10. the People were without, Praying. Chriſt 1s here repreſented as having a Golden Cenſer. The High-Prieſt's Cen- ſer amongſt the Jews was of Brafi, but he was a more excellent High- Prief#. 1 By which is meant the infinite Merit of his Death, þ to he offered up by himſelf ( who is the Golden Altar ) with the Prayers of all his Saints. By all this Chriſt is repreſented to us, as interceding for his Saints that were to live after this time, during all the Troubles that were immediately to begin, and to follow on, duzing the Reign of Antichriſt, | 4 And the ſmoke of the incenſe which came with
{ 6M 2] the
\&!
Chap. VIII.
the prayers of the ſaints, aſcended up before God, out
_ of the angels hand /.
1 This only denotes the Acceptableneſs of Chriſts Interceſſion, and God's Peoples Prayers, through the Vertue of that Interceſſion unto God
5 And the angel took the cenſer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and caſt it into the earth zz : and * there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings,
and an earthquake 0.