5. And 4 voice came ont of the throne, ſaying /, Praiſe our God, all ye his ſervants, and ye that tear him, both ſmall and great . |
| From Chriit. m Declaring it the Will of God, that all holy Ones ſhould praife him upon this account, :
6 find I heard as it were the voice of a great multi- tude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thundrings, ſaying Allelujah : for
*C.11.15 the * Lord God omnipotent reignerth 7z:.
& 12.1% mn By this Multitude moſt underſtand the Church ; ſome under- ſtand the Jews as well as the Gentiles, ſuppoſing that they ſhall be before this time converted and added to the Church. Others think their Converſion is the Marriage ſpoken of in the next Verſe, The Saints do not rejoice in the Ruine of their Adverſaries, but 1n the Glory of God advanced by it, and as by it his Kingdom 1s pro- moted.
7 Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to
* Mat. >», 1M : for the * marriage of the Lamb is come, and
2.X25.10, NIS wife hath made her ſelf ready p. p A late Reverend Author tells us, That as there is a threefold | Reſurreftion mentioned in Scripture, 1. A nfing to a Newneſs of Life, Epheſ. 5. 14. 2. The Converſion of the Jews, called Life from the Dead, Rom. 11.15. 3. In the end of the World : So there is a threefold Marriage of the Lamb, 1. To particular Souls, when by Faith they are united to Chriſt. 2. To his Church com- pleated, when the Jews ſhall be called. 3. When all his Ele& ſhall be made one with him in Glory, after the General Reſurreftion. He ſeemeth to underſtand it of all theſe. Probably the Converſion of the Jews ſtayeth for the Fall of the Papacy, whoſe Worſhip and Perſecution are great Scandals to them. Probably alſo upen the Fall of it, many will be converted beſides the Jews, and the gene- ral ReſurreRion will not be far off, . The learned Dr. Moor ſeems to reſtrain it to the Jews Converſion; I had rather underſtand it more generally,
$ And * to her q was granted, that ſhe ſhould be * Plal. 45- arrayed in fine linnen, clean, and + white 7 : For
131+ the fine linnen is the righteouſneſs of the ſaints /. Ezck. 16, : bn . h
9 That is to the Lamb's Wife, whether Jews or Gentiles, or both. oo y That ſhe ſhould be cloathed with the Righteouſneſs of Chriſt, reckoned to her for Righteouſneſs, { This is the Righteouſneſs of the Saints, called the Righteouſneſs of God, Rom: 1. 17. a Righteouſ- neſs through the Faith of Chriſt, Phil. 3. 9. called Righteouſneſſes in the Greek, becauſe there are many Saints to be cloathed with it, and becauſe it is imputed for our Juſtification, ſo as to be the cauſe alſo of our San&ification, whoſe DeteRs it covers, but doth not excuſe us from its Duties.
*Mat.22.2 © And he faith unto me, Write 7, * Bleſſed are they Luk.14.15 Which are called to the marriage-ſupper of the + Ch.2t.5. Lamb z : And he faith unto me, + theſe are the true K 22.6. ſ1yings of God w. t Write it, as a Buſineſs of Moment, of which a Record is fit to be kept. « That is, (ſay thoſe who underſtand by the Marriage of the Lamb the Jews Converſion) who live in this happy Period of Time when the Jews ſhall be converted, and with the Gentiles make one Goſpel-Church. But this ſeems to me not ſufficient. The Marriage is one thinz, the Supper anpther, and (ordinarily) couſequential to the Mazriage it felf. The Kingdom of Glory ſeems to me rather intended, and thoſe are called to it, who are made meet for the Inheritance of the Saints in Light. w That 1s, theſe are the undoubred Truths of God, and theretore to be called into que- ſtion by none.
10 An 1 fell ar his feet to worſhip him x. And 1 at 10. he faid unto me, || See tho do zt not y: Iam thy fel- 25. & 14. low ſervant 2, and of thy brethren F that have the 13 teſtimony of Jeſus: Worſhip God a, for the teſtimo-
: 4 ou ny of Jeſus is the ſpirit of prophecy 5b. | Ch.12.175, * Proſtration, or falling at the Feet of Superiors, to pay them an Homaze in Confideration of their Superiority, was ordinarily uſed in thoſe Eaſtern Countries, Gen. 44. 14. 1 Sam. 25. 24, 2 Kings 4.37. Ether 8. 3. To: worſhip. him therefore, here muſt be under- ſtood of Prajzer or Praiſe, which are pieces of Divine Adoration, _ which it 15 not probable this great Apoitle would have offered, had he not miſtaken him, and thouzht him an uncreated Angel. y But
*Ch.4-4,6.
Lb
1A
REVELATION.
Chap. XIX,
the Angel doth not only refuſe it, but with ſome Indignation, ex wn, have a care you dv it not. From whence we may obſerve, what a Fig-leaf they have made to cover the Papiſts Idolatry, in worlhipping the Bread in the Euchariſt, who (to ſhew us their great Skill in Divinity) think they may be excuſed from Idolatry in it becauſe they think the Bread is turned into the Body of Chriſt - idolatry is not to be excuſed by Think ſo's. x The Angel gives him 4 reaſon why there was no Adoration due to him, becauſe he was Equal 1n Office, though not in Nature ; he was both his and all their Brethren's Fellow-Servant, who by preaching the Goſpel give a Te- ſtimony to Chriſt, Well therefore, chap. 2. and chap. 3. may the Miniſters of Churches be called Angels. a There is no Prayer, no Pratſe due but to the Creator. b There are divers Senſes given of the laſt Phraſe; but of all given, there are two which ſeem to me moſt probable : Either, 1. The Spirit of this Prophecy, by which I have revealed theſe things to thee, is not mine, it is the Teſtimony of Jeſus ; ke therefore 1s to be adored, not IT. Or, 2. The preach- ing the Goſpel, which is thy Teſtimony to Chriſt, is as much from the Spirit of God, as my Spirit of Prophecy : We are therefore Equals, and I am not to be Worſhipped more than thou art. We have the ſame, chap. 22. 8, 9. to let us know that even good Men may twice run into. the ſame Error ; and to let us knoiy, that by the Mouth of theſe two Witneſſes this Truth ought to have been eſtabſſhed, ſo that Papiſts ſhould not after this have paid any Di- vine Adoration to Angels, much lefs to Saints; and if Invocation be no Divine Adoration, nothing is, This deſerveth the Confide- ration of them, who think it ſo eafie to excuſe the Popiſh Religi;n from 1dolatry.
11 And I ſaw heaven opened c, and behold a white horſe d, and he that fat upon him waz called * Faith- * C319, ful and True, and in righteouſneſs he doth judge and make war.