odours, and are prefented to Chrift by the Saints in heaThen the four living Creatures and the four and twenty Ancients, being proftrate before the Lamb, fing a new canticle; new, becaufe the fubject of it is new, ziz. the actions of the Lamb. This new canticle is, Thou art worthy, to take the book, and to open the feals thereof; because thou waft flain, and baft redeemed us, noť only us, but also our pofterity, the Chriftian race; for, thou haft redeemed us, cut of every tribe, and tongue, and people, and nation. Thus thefe Saints and Prophets acknowledge, that the Lamb has, at the expence of his blood, redeemed mankind, and reftored them to the rights they had loft by Adam's fin, and confequently that he is intitled to an abfolute dominion over them through all fucceeding generations. Thus they also acknowledge, that they are indebted to him for the ineffable bleffings, of heavenly glory, and of kingly and priestly power, which they now themfelves poffefs, and which will hereafter be likewife the portion of their pofterity. On these accounts they proclaim, the Lamb has merited to take the book, and to open the feals there ef, that is, to reveal to men what relates to his Church. Thus we fee the double character of Chrift. What he is here declared to have merited, as the flaughtered Lamb; he was alfo before intitled to in quality of the conquering Lion.

V. II. And I bebeld, proceeds St. John, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne, and the living creatures and the ancients and the number of them was thousands of thousands,

v. 12. Saying with a loud voice: The Lamb, that was flain, is worthy to receive power, and diviniC 3

ty,

ty*, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and benediction.

After the adoration and homage paid to the Lamb by the ancient prophets and faints, St. John now fees an infinite multitude of Angels round the throne and round the celeftial choir, who come next to addrefs the Lamb with their praifes and loud applaufes, faying, The Lamb, that was flain, is worthy to receive power, and riches, &c. becaufe by being flain, he has purchased a power of forming to himself a people out of every nation of the earth, that is, of founding a new univerfal Church, and has alfo merited to be vefted with the government of it through all fucceeding time. And as the period of the Chriftian Church's duration is, by Divine appointment, divided into feven ages, fo the Lamb is reprefented as intitled to seven special qualities, power, riches, wisdom, ftrength, bonour, glory, and benediction, which bear a relation to that part of his government of the Church, which is described under the seven seals. Thefe feven qualities are therefore to be applied to the feven fucceffive ages, each to each respectively; and there the meaning of them will be explained.

V. 13. And every creature, which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and fuch as are in the fea, and all that are in them: I heard all faying: To him that fitteth on the throne and to the Lamb, benedition, and honour, and glory, and power, for ever and ever.

After the homage of the Angels fucceeds that of all Creatures, both animate and inanimate, which are in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, or in hell, and in the fea; and, in fine, of all that are in them, that

In the Greek text, riches. The manufcripts and the ancient writers read the fare.

that is, of every individual atom of the creation. They are all beard to fay: To bim (God) that fitteth on the throne and to the Lamb, benediction and honour and glory and power for ever and ever. Thus they pour forth their praifes to God and the Lamb, for their creation, their confervation, the beautiful harmony and order they hold in the general fyftem of nature, &c. In the verfes 9th and 11th of the preceding chapter, (fee p. 16.) three terms of praife were offered to him that fitteth on the throne; here a fourth is added, viz. power, on account of the Lamb, who has acquired all power over this world, and which is thus confeffed by every individual part of it. In the fame fenfe St. Paul declares, that in the name of Jefus every knee fhall bow, of thofe that are in heaven, on earth, and under the earth, (Philipp. ii. 10.)

v. 14. And the four living creatures faid: Amen. And the four and twenty ancients fell down on their faces, and adored him that liveth for ever and ever.

To the above praises and homage offered to God and the Lamb, the four living Creatures, or ancient Pro. phets, join their affent by faying, Amen. This conclufion comes fuitably from them who had fo often proclaimed to the world the great works of the Almighty and the Lamb, and their gracious difpenfations to mankind. Then, conformably to what is faid in the preceding chapter, verfe 9th and 10th, (fce p. 16) the four and twenty Ancients clofe this awful religious fcene of homage and praife by adoring the Almighty in unity of Godhead.

Thus we have seen an auguft fcene exhibited, where God the Almighty appears, fhining in all the brightnefs and dignity of Divine Majefty, and round him an illuftrious Choir, compofed of the ancient prophets re

prefented

prefented by four emblematical animals, and of four and twenty Ancients reprefenting all the Saints of the ages antecedent to Chriftianity. By this difpofition of the fcene, our view is removed back to the time of the clofe of the Old Law, and the commencement of the New, that is, to the birth of the Chriftian Church. The ancient Saints and Prophets found forth their praifes, their thanks, and hymns of gratitude to God for all his bleffings received, and for the all-wife and bountiful œconomy he had exercifed over them through all past ages. And thus they close up the period of the Patriarchal and Jewish Church.

The Lamb then appears, who had just been flain for the redemption of the world. He has by his blood acquired the dominion over the whole fucceeding race of mankind; and therefore he now opens a new period by founding his own Church, the Church of the Chriftians, of which he is declared, conjointly with God, Lord and Governor. Immediately the ancient Prophets and Saints direct their homage to him, acknowledging they owe to him their redemption, their power and blifs, and all other bleflings. Thus they give teftimony to the Lamb, they confefs his fovereign power, and that his reign now begins, and will last for ever. The fame is re-echoed by every part of the creation.We must obferve, that no chriftian faints appear in this celcftial affmbly: The reafon is, because the scene exhibits to us the moment in which Chriftianity commences.

The Opening of the firft Seal.

APOC. Chap. VI. v. 1. And I faw, fays St. John, that the Lamb had opened one of the feven feals, and I

beard

beard one of the four living creatures, as it were the voice of thunder, feying: Come and fee.

v. 2. And I faw and behold a white barfe, and he that fat on bim bad a bow, and there was a crown given kim, and he went forth conquering that he might conquer.

Previously to the explication of the text, let us obferve, that at the opening of each feal of this myfterious book, a new fpectacle offers itfelf to St. John, which feems to reprefent, under an emblematical figure, what is written in that part of the book that is laid open on breaking the fcal. And the feven figurative reprefentations, that thus follow on the opening of the feven feals, mark feven particular events, which open the foven ages, into which is divided the whole period of the Church's exiftence.This obfervation premifed.

At the opening of the first feal, there appears to St. John a perfon upon a white horse. This perfon is our Saviour, as appears from chap. xix. of the Apocalypfe, ver. 11 and 13, where St. John fays, I faw heaven open, and there appeared a white horse; and be that fat upon kim, was called the Faithful and True-And his name is, the Word of God. The crown that is here given him, and the white colour of his fteed, fhew him victorious and triumphant. Chrift had been victorious: Firft, over Satan, by overthrowing the dominion that murderous enemy had ufurped over mankind; fecondly, in purchafing, by extreme fuffering, and at the price of his blood, a perpetual peace between God and man; thirdly, in conquering death, by railing himfelf to life from the grave by his own power. Fraught with these victories, he had afcended triumphant in glory into heaven, amidst the acclamations of the heavenly choirs, finging, Princes, lift up your gates; eternal gates, be ye lifted up, and the King of Glory fhall enter in, (Pfalm