Pagina-afbeeldingen
PDF
ePub

may fafely argue to what he will do ; and be affured, that the hour is coming, in the which all that are in their graves fhall hear his voice and come forth; they that have done good unto the refurrection of life, and they that have done evil unto the refurrection of damnation.

arife to condemnation. And their union to their bodies will doubtlefs increase their mifery.

Surely it is not strange, that the fophifts of this world, and obftinate finners, are exerting every nerve to difprove the bible, and efpecially the doctrine of the refurrection of Jefus Christ. For if that be true, they well know the bible must be true, and that a day of judgment will come ;a day of unutterable woe and mif

This doctrine of Chrift's refurrection, is a doctrine of comfort to believers. They look forward to the time when their bodies fhall put on incorruption, and their mortal, immortality; and be fafh-ery to them.-But, the evidence ioned like his glorious body.

of the refurrection of Chrift is ftrong and conclufive, as has been fhewn. It has fupported the doctrine, for almoft 1800 years, against all the art and sophistry of wicked men; and never can be overfet, while the teftimony of man has weight with men.

How fhould thefe confiderations excite all of us to the dili

tion? We have now an opportunity to prepare for the resurrection of life. Bleed be the God and Father of our Lord Jefus Chrift, who, according to his abundant mercy, hath begotten us again unto a lively hope, by the refurrection of Jefus Chrift from the dead. In him, we look for new heavens and a new earth-In him, we look forward to eternal rewards, or endless punishments, according to the deeds done in the body.

The meeting of righteous fouls with their bodies, will be a glorious meeting! How happy will they be to meet their bodies, delivered from the bondage of corruption, into the liberty of the fons of God! How will the foul rejoice, to be reunited to that tongue, which used to exprefs its delight in God, and fing the praif-gent ufe of the means of falvaes of redeeming love-to thofe hands, which used to be raised, in adoration and fupplication to the Supreme Being, and extended in charity to man-to thofe eyes and ears, which were once opened to the word of life-to thofe knees, which often bowed before the throne of grace—and to thofe feet that weekly bore the foul to the houfe of God? I fay, how inexpreffibly happy will be the foul and body, when they fhall again be united at the refurrection, never more to part; but mutually to enjoy, love and worfhip the triune God forever and ever Let the righteous take comfort in the promises of Chrift; and wait patiently for his coming, with affurance, that when he, who is the refurrection and the life, fhall appear, they fhall be like him.

This confideration gives a reafonable ground for the ufe of means; our preaching is not vain in the Lord. An eternity, my readers, an eternity of happinefs or mifery will follow upon this life; our good or evil improvement of time and the means of falvation, will determine our portion. In this life, and in this only, we have opportunity to secure a part in the refurrection of the

But how different will be the cafe with the wicked! They will' juft.

This renders the wife and

diligent ufe of appointed means, infinitely important to every fon and daughter of Adam, Let us then ftrive to know Chrift, and the power of his refurrectionLet us be ftedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord; forafmuch as we know that our labor is not in vain in the Lord.

ISRAEL.

events. Omitting remarks refpecting the date of the book, this fubject is introduced for the purpose of fubmitting the following queftion to the candid confideration of your learned readers, whether it be abfurd, and contrary to fcripture precedent, to fuppose the Revelation written in the reign of Domitian, and yet apply the vifion of the white horse and his rider, to Vefpafian and Titus? According to which it

On the eleventh chapter of the Re- would be the representation of

velation.

MESS'RS EDITORS,

Some of your readers having expreffed a particular defire to fee an expofition of the 11th chapter of the Revelation, I fend you the following, which if you judge worthy, you will pleafe to give a place in your excellent Magazine.

PART I.

REVIOUS to the propofed

Pexplanation, permit fome

general introductory remarks upon the prophecy contained in the Revelation. The compofition of this book is univerfally afcribed to the apostle John; but chronologers difagree about the date of it. Some fuppofe it was written in the reign of Domitian, the Roman emperor. Bishop Newton gives it an earlier date, fuppofing it to have been written in the reign of Nero, that he might confiftently apply the opening of the firft feal, or the vifion of the white horse and his victorious rider, to the Roman emperors, Vefpafian and Titus, with particular reference to their conqueft of Judea; fuppofing it would have been abfurd to make this application, if he admitted, that it was written in the reign of Domitian, as this would make it an hiftory of paft, rather than a prophecy of future

an event which exifted thirty or forty years, before it was exhibited in the vifion. On this fubject let only fcripture example be confulted. The prophet Daniel had the firft of which is interpreted a vifion, chap. 7. of four beafts; to fignify the Babylonish empire, but this vifion was in the reign of Belshazzar, the laft of its kings, and in whofe reign that empire was fubdued.-The events which

were comprifed in this vifion,

must confequently, have generally exifted a longer space of time be fore the prophet had this vifion, than Vefpafian and Titus lived before Domitian. Befides, the rapidity and extent of conqueft, or that elevated ftate represented by the eagle's wings which the lion had, was not effected by Belfhazzar, a luxurious and effeminate prince; but by his great progenitor, Nebuchadnezzar.-So the apostle had a vifion, chap. 12, of a great red dragon, and chap. 13. of a beaft coming up out of the fea, which vifions are interpreted to denote the Roman empire. But if this beaft which the apoftle faw, having feven heads and ten horns, reprefented the Roman empire, with the different forms of government under which it had fubfifted, from the first commencement of it, of which it is faid, five

commencement of it? In like manner, why was it not as confiftent to represent to the apostle, in the reign of Domitian, that scheme of events which commenced in the conquefts of Vefpafian and Titus, by a book sealed with feven feals, as to reprefent the Babylonish empire when a much greater scheme commenced in Nebuchadnezzar, to Daniel, by a lion, in the reign of Belfhazzar? Or even to represent the Roman empire itself by a beast dreadful and terrible, and having great iron teeth, when that empire had been founded by Romulus, fome generations, if not centuries, before the prophet had this vifion of it ?* Confidering the book which the apostle saw in the vifion, as containing that series of events which commenced about his time, relating immediately to the Roman empire, by the opening of the feals, and the fymbolic appearances confequent upon it, we have difclofed to us, the wars, fam

are fallen, it certainly represented | play to Nebuchadnezzar, near the many and great events which exifted long before the days of the apostle; yea, by far the most interefting and important events which exifted in it, through the whole term of its duration; it being a much longer term from the rife of it to the days of the apoftle, than from the reign of Domitian, or even Nero, to the diffolution of the old Roman empire by the northern nations—a period alfo, in which with its great iron teeth, (it being the fourth terrible beast of Daniel) it had broken in pieces and fubdued the beafts which were before it-in which it had displayed its national policy, the military prowefs and conquefts of its arms- -and in which it had paffed the zenith of its power and glory. According to these remarks, bishop Newton might have conceded, that the apoftle wrote the Revelation in the reign of Domitian, and yet have applied the vifion of the white horse and him that fat thereon to Vefpafian and Titus, and fupported the proprie-ines and peftilences, by which ty of it by fcripture precedents and example.

If it be enquired, does not this fubject the fcripture to the imputation of abfurdity? It may be replied, perhaps not; for these are not of the nature of fimple prophecies; but fymbolic reprefentations of important events, or particular great fcenes of divine providence and is it not as proper to make fuch a difplay, in the middle, or at the end, as at the beginning of the fcene? When the Babylonish empire was to be represented by a lion with eagle's wings, why was it not as proper to make this representation to Daniel, near its deftruction; as when it was to be represented by an head of gold, to make this difVOL. III. No. 10.

God punished the idolatrous perfecutors of his people, until in his holy providence, the empire by a great revolution became Chriftian. We have, Chap. 7. reprefented, by the angel's holding the winds that they fhould not blow, and the fealing of the fervants of God in their foreheads, that peaceful and profperous state of the church which fucceeded the conversion of the empire from heathenifm to Chriftianity. We have next, Chap. 8. on the opening of the feventh feal, a vifion of feven angels with feven trumpets prepared to found.

* Suppofing the Roman empire to have been founded in the reign of Joafh king of Judah, it was more than 300 years before the prophet had this vifion of it.

Ccc

By the founding of the four firft, with their effects, are fignified, the calamities with which God punished the herefies of the Christian empire, and the extinction of it by the irruptions of the barbarous nations. In the conclufion of thefe, we have an angel flying thro' the midst of heaven, and proclaiming woe, woe, woe, to the inhabiters of the earth and sea, portending the dreadful calamities which would fucceed the founding of the three remaining trumpets. We then have, Chap. 9. the founding of the fifth trumpet, which constituted the first woe, upon which a star fell from heaven, the bottomlefs pit was opened, and the fmoke of it afcended, filled with locufts; denoting the impofture of Mahomet, the spread of his delufion, and the conquefts and cruelties of his followers the Saracens or Arabians, by which God chaftifed the corruptions and fuperftitions of the Chriftian church but not reformed by thefe judgments, we have the destruction of the eastern empire represented by the fixth trumpet and second woe, or the loofing of the four angels which were bound by the river Euphrates, i. e. the removal of those obstructions which impeded the progress of the Turks, and giving them opportunity to pur fue and extend their conquefts, by which they fubdued the eastern or Greek empire, and established themselves upon its ruins. Thefe vifions being completed, the apostle then had a vifion of a mighty angel with a little book, which, according to direction, he took and ate, remarking, that in his mouth it was fweet as honey, but in his belly it was bitterfignifying, that however pleasant and agreeable thefe revelations of future events relating to the

church were, in their completion they would be painful and diftreffing. We come now to the propofed fubject, an explanation of the eleventh chapter. As this is an obfcure part of holy fcripture, the prefent expofitor is fenfible, that for him, an unusual degree of diffidence is peculiarly proper; without deciding therefore upon any fubject, he will only fubmit his general view of it to the confideration of the candid and judicious. This chapter is understood by all expofitors to confift of the contents of the book, which bishop Newton concludes with the 13th verfe; the reft of the chapter being a continuation of the visions contained in chapter ninth. Concerning this little book, admit the two following general conjectures.

1. May it not be confidered as a prophetic reprefentation of events, collateral with the preceding vifions and predictions? From the commencement of the prophetic vifions, or the opening of the feals, Chap. 6. to the conclufion of the ninth chapter, we have a progreffive series of vifions, denoting future events. If, according to commentators, the opening of the feals, and the founding of the four first trumpets related to the empire, we shall find thefe prophecies fulfilled within the first fix hundred years of the Chriftian era. If we apply the fifth or firft woe trumpet, to the Mahometan, and the second woe trumpet to the Turk, it will bring down the series of events to the feventeenth century. And the fifth and fixth trumpets will include the extended period of more than one thousand years. It is now to be obferved, that these diftreffing scenes were chiefly opened on the eaftern empire; and the fuperftition and voluptuoufnefs of the

1

*

not."

Greek church particularly were about the fame time, and that each
chaftifed by the wars, cruelties will probably terminate about the
and merciless exactions, of the fame period? According to this
Saracens; and fimilar diftreffes hypothefis, we have the Revela-
with the extinction of the empire tion divided into two parts, from
by the Turks, were confined to the fourth to the feventh trumpet.
it almoft entirely. In thefe vifi- One part confifting of the fifth and
ons no proper notice is taken, on- fixth trumpets, containing the vi-
ly a general hint given of the de- fions or prophecy of the Saracens
fection of the western church, by and Turks. The other confifting
"The rest of the men repented of the little book, containing a
There are no diftin&t re- prophecy of antichriftian idolatry,
presentations of the blafphemy, and the fufferings of God's peo-
arrogance, cruelties and perfecu-ple from it; after which the fyf-
tions of the man of fin. Neither tem of vifions is renewed by the
are there any reprefentations of feventh trumpet, and continued to
the faith, fufferings and patience the end.
of those who kept the command-
ments of God, or the true church,
for the extended period of one
thousand years. Why might not
the spirit of infpiration, on the
one hand, to preferve the chain
of events, continue the vifions?
And on the other, to expofe fuch
interefting fubjects, give the apof-
tle the little book, as a fummary
of them, and which, if I under-
ftand its contents, related wholly
to them, as a collateral prophecy?
So, as the church was divided in-
to the Geeek or eaftern, and the
Latin or weftern church, and
God's providence extended to
each; as in the two trumpets we
have the rife and propagation of
the fatal delufion of Mahomet,
and the calamities with which
God punished the fuperftition,
formality and vices of the eastern
church, by the Saracens and
Turks, fo in the little book, we
have the blafphemy and perfecu-ject? Will it not probably appear,
tions of antichrift and the fuffer-upon examination, that the fol.
ings of God's faithful fervants in
the western church. Is it not a
confirmation of this conjecture,
that there is such a parallel in their
dates, the fpread of Mahometifm,
and the confirmed afcendency of
the bishop of Rome commencing

2. May not this little book be confidered as an introduction to the feventh trumpet, and a fummary of the fubfequent vifions relating to antichrift? If the judgments which conftitute the third woe, be not inflicted upon antichrift, we know not where to find them. If they were to be inflicted upon him, without any previous information of him, the scene would have commenced very abruptly, and be involved in great obfcurity. To fupercede these effects, we have the vifion, making a concife difplay of him, and his enormous wickedness, as the procuring cause of these terrible calamities, by which the whole procefs of divine providence is made plain, and the infliction of these judgments naturally introduced. May we not alfo confider it as a fummary of the fubfequent vifions which relate to this fub

lowing vifions contained in the Revelation, relating to antichrift and the witneffes, are bnt fo many expofitory lectures making a full difplay of them, of which this vifion in the eleventh chapter furnished the several texts? If this

« VorigeDoorgaan »