the four living creatures and the four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one a harp, and golden phials full of incence, which are the prayers of 9 the saints. And they sing a new song, saying, Worthy art thou to take the book, and to open the seals thereof; for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood, out of every tribe, and tongue, and people, and 10 nation. And hast made them unto our God kings and 11 priests, and they shall reign over the earth. And I saw and heard a voice of many angels round about the throne, and the living creatures, and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thou12 sands of thousands, Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive the power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, 15 and blessing. And every creature which is in the heaven,

make the beginning, and afterward, ver. 14, the conclusion. They are together surrounded with a multitude of angels, ver. 11, and together sing the new song, as they had before praised God together, chap. iv. 8, &c. Having every one The elders, not the living creatures, a harp-Which was one of the chief instruments used for thanksgiving in the temple-service; a fit emblem of the melody of their hearts: and golden phials-Cups or censers, full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints-Not of the elders themselves, but of the other saints, still upon earth, whose prayers were thus emblematically represented in heaven.

V. 9. And they sing a new song-One which neither they nor any other had sung before, Thou hast redeemed us-So the living creatures also were of the number of the redeemed: this does not so much refer to the act of redemption, which was long before, as to the fruit of it: and so more directly to those who had finished their course, who were redeemed from the earth, chap. xiv. 1, out of every tribe, and tongue, and people, and nation-That is, out of all mankind.

V. 10. And hast made them-The redeemed. So they speak of themselves also in the third person, out of deep self-abasement: they shall reign over the earth-The new earth: herewith agree the golden crowns of the elders. The reign of the saints in general follows, under the trumpet of the seventh angel; particularly after the first resurrection, as also in eternity, chap. xi. 18, xv. 7, XX. 4, xxii. 5, Dan. vii. 27, Ps. xlix. 15.

V. 11. And I saw-The many angels, and heard-The voice and the number of them, round about the elders-So forming the third circle. It is remarkable, that men are represented, through this whole vision, as nearer to God than any of the angels. And the number of them was-At least two hundred millions, and two millions over. And yet these were but a part of the holy angels; afterward, chap. vii. 11, St. John heard them all.

V. 12. Worthy is the Lamb The elders said, ver. 9, Worthy art thou. They were more nearly allied to him than the angels. To receive the power, &c. This seven-fold applause answers the seven seals, of which the four former describe all visible, the latter all invisible things, made subject to the Lamb. And every one of these seven words, bears a resemblance to the seal which it answers.

V. 13. And every creature-In the whole universe, good or bad, in the heaven, on the earth, under the earth, on the sea-With these four regions of the world, agrees the four-fold word of praise. What is in heaven, says

and on the earth, and under the earth, and on the sea, and all that are in them, I heard them all saying, To him that sitteth on the throne, and to the Lamb, is the blessing, and the honour, and the glory, and the strength, 14 for ever and ever. And the four living creatures said, Amen: and the elders fell down and worshipped.

CHAP. VI. 1. And I saw when the Lamb opened

blessing; what is on earth, honour: what is under the earth, glory; what is on the sea, strength, is unto him. This praise from all creatures, begins before the opening of the first seal; but it continues from that time to eternity, according to the capacity of each. His enemies must acknowledge his glory; but those in heaven say, Blessed be God and the Lamb.

This royal manifesto is, as it were, a proclamation, shewing how Christ fulfils all things, and every knee bows to him, not only on earth, but also in heaven and under the earth. This book exhausts all things, 1 Cor. xv. 27, 28, and is suitable to a heart enlarged as the sand of the sea. It inspires the attentive and intelligent reader with such a magnanimity, that he accounts nothing in this world great, no, not the whole frame of visible nature, compared to the immense greatness of what he is here called to behold, yea, and iù part to inherit.

St. John bas in view, through the whole following vision, what he has been now describing, namely, the four living creatures, the elders, the angels, and all creatures, looking together at the opening of the seven seals.

CHAP. VI. The seven seals are not distinguished from each other, by specifying the time of them. They swiftly follow the letters to the seven churches, and all begin alınost at the same time. By the four former is shewn, That all the public occurrences of all ages and natious, as empire, war, provision, calamities, are made subject to Christ. And instances are intimated of the first in the East, the second in the West, the third in the South, the fourth in the North and the whole world.

The contents, as of the phials and trumpets, so of the seals, are shewn, by the songs of praise and thanksgiving annexed to them. They contain, therefore, the power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing, which the Lamb received. The four former have a peculiar connexion with each other; and so have the three latter seals. The former relate to visible things, toward the four quarters to which the four living creatures look.

Before we proceed, it may be observed, 1. No man should constrain either himself or another, to explain every thing in this book. It is sufficient for every one to speak, just so far as he understands. 2. We should remember, that although the ancient prophets wrote the occurrences of those kingdoms only with which Israel had to do, yet the Revelation contains what relates to the whole world, through which the Christian church is extended. Yet, 3. We should not prescribe to this prophecy, as if it must needs admit or exclude this or that history, according as we judge one or the other to be of great or small importance. God seeth not as man seeth. Therefore what we think great is often omitted, what we think little inserted, in Scripture-history or prophecy. 4. We must take care, not to overlook what is already fulfilled, and not to describe as fulfilled what is still to come.

We are to look in history for the fulfilling of the four first seals, quickly after the date of the prophecy. In each of these appears a different horseman. In each we are to consider, first, The horseman himself; secondly, What he does.

The horseman himself, by an emblematical prosopopœia, represents e swift

one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures saying, as the voice of thunder, Come and see. 2 And I saw, and behold a white horse, and he that sat on him had a bow, and a crown was given him, and he went forth conquering and to conquer.

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And when he opened the second seal, I heard the 4 second living creature saying, Come. And there went

power, bringing with it either, 1. A flourishing state, or, 2. Bloodshed, or, 3. Scarcity of provisions, or, 4. Public calamities. With the qualities of each of these riders, the colour of his horse agrees. The fourth horseman is expressly termed, Death; the first, with his bow and crown, a conqueror. The second, with his great sword, is a warrior; or, as the Romans termed him, Mars. The third, with the scales, has power over the produce of the land. Particular incidents under this or that Roman emperor, are not extensive enough to answer any of these horsemen.

The action of every horseman intimates farther, 1. Toward the East, widespread empire, and victory upon victory; 2. Toward the West, much bloodshed; 3. Toward the South, scarcity of provisions; 4. Toward the North, the plague and various calamities.

Ver. 1. I heard one-That is, the first, of the living creatures—Who looks forward toward the east.

V. 2. And I saw, and, behold, a white horse, and he that sat on him had a bow This colour, and the bow shooting arrows afar off, betoken victory, triumph, prosperity, enlargement of empire, and dominion over many people.

Another horseman, indeed, and of quite another kind, appears on a white horse, chap. xix. 11. But he that is spoken of under the first seal, must be so understood, as to bear a proportion to the horsemen in the second, third, and fourth seal.

Nerva succeeded the emperor Domitian, at the very time when the Revelation was written, in the year of our Lord 96. He reigned scarce a year alone; and three months before his death, he named Trajan for his colleague and successor, and died in the year 98. Trajan's accession to the empire, seems to be the dawning of the seven seals. And a crown was given himThis, considering his descent, Trajan could have no hope of attaining. But God gave it him by the hand of Nerva; and then the East soon felt his power. And he went forth, conquering and to conquer-That is, from one vietory to another. In the year 108, the already victorious Trajan went forth toward the East, to conquer not only Armenia, Assyria, and Mesopotamia, but also the countries beyond the Tigris, carrying the bounds of the Roman empire to a far greater extent than ever. We find no emperor like him for making conquests. He aimed at nothing else: he lived only to conquer: meantime in him was eminently fulfilled, what had been prophesied of the fourth empire, Dan. ii. 40, vii. 23, that he should devour, tread down, and break in pieces, the whole earth.

V. 3. And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature-Who looked toward the West, saying, Come-At each seal, it was necessary to turn toward that quarter of the world which it more immediately concerned.

V. 4. There went forth another horse that was red-A colour suitable to bloodshed. And to him that sat thereon it was given to take peace from the earth-Vespasian, in the year 75, had dedicated a temple to Peace. But after a time, we hear no more of peace. All is full of war and bloodshed, chiefly in the western world, where the main business of men seemed to be, to kill one another.

To this horseman there was given a great sword-And he had much to do with it. For as soon as Trajan ascended the throne, peace was taken from the

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forth another horse that was red; and to him that sat thereon it was given to take peace from the earth, that they should kill one another; and there was given him a great sword.

And when he opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, Come. And I saw, and, behold, a black horse, and he that sat on him had a pair of scales 6 in his hand. And I heard a voice in the midst of the four living creatures, saying, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and hurt not the oil and the wine.

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And when he opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice 8 of the fourth living creature, saying, Come. And I saw,

earth. Decebalus, king of Dacia, which lies westward from Patmos, put the Romans to no small trouble. The war lasted five years, and consumed abundance of men on both sides; yet was only a prelude to much other bloodshed, which followed for a long season, All this was signified by the great sword, which strikes those who are near, as the bow does those who are at a distance.

V. 5. And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature -Toward the South, saying, Come-And, behold, a black horse-A fit emblem of mourning and distress; particularly of black famine, as the ancient poets term it. And he that sat on him had a pair of scales in his hand-When therc is great plenty, men scarce think it worth their while to weigh and measure every thing, Gen. xli. 49. But when there is scarcity, they are obliged to deliver them out by measure and weight, Ezek. iv. 16. Accordingly these scales signify scarcity. They serve also for a token, that all the fruits of the earth, and consequently the whole heaven, with their courses and influences; that all the seasons of the year, with whatsoever they produce, in nature or states, are subject to Christ. Accordingly his hand is wonderful, not only in wars and victories, but likewise in the whole course of nature.

V. 6. And I heard a voice-It seems from God himself, saying-To the horseman, Hitherto shalt thou come, and no farther. Let there be a measure of wheat for a penny-The word translated measure, was a Grecian measure, nearly equal to our quart. This was a daily allowance of a slave. The Roman penny, (as much as a labourer then earned in a day,) was about seven-pence halfpenny English. According to this, wheat would be near twenty shillings per bushel. This must have been fulfilled, while the Grecian measure and the Roman money were still in use; as also, where that measure was the common measure, and this money the current coin. It was so in Egypt under Trajan. And three measures of barley for a penny-Either barley was, in common, far cheaper among the ancients than wheat, or the prophecy mentions this as something peculiar. And hurt not the oil and the wine-Let there not be a scarcity of every thing. Let there be some provision left to supply the want of the rest.

This was also fulfilled in the reign of Trajan, especially in Egypt, which lay southward from Patmos. In this country, which used to be the granary of the empire, there was an uncommon dearth at the very beginning of his reign; so that he was obliged to supply Egypt itself with corn from other countries. The same scarcity there was in the thirteenth year of his reign, the harvest failing for want of the rising of the Nile; and that not only in Egypt, but in all those other parts of Afric where the Nile uses to overflow. V. 7. I heard the voice of the fourth living creature-Toward the North. V. s. And I saw, and, behold, a pale horse-Suitable to pale Death, his rider:

and, behold, a pale horse, and he that sat on him, his name is Death, (and Hades followeth even with him,) and power was given him over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with the scimetar, and with famine, and with death, and by the wild beasts of the earth.

9 And when he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that had been slain for the word

and Hades-The representative of the state of separate souls, followeth even with him-The four first seals concern living men. Death, therefore, is properly introduced. Hades is only occasionally mentioned as a companion of Death. So the fourth seal reaches to the borders of things invisible, which are comprised in the three last seals. And power was given to him over the fourth part of the earth-What came single and in a lower degree before, comes now together, and much more severely. The first seal brought victory with it. In the second was a great sword; but here a scimetar. In the third was moderate dearth; here famine, and plague, and wild beasts beside. And it may well be, that from the time of Trajan downwards, the fourth part of men upon the earth, that is, within the Roman empire, died by sword, famine, pestilence, and wild beasts. "At that time, (says Aurelius Victor,) the Tyber overflowed much more fatally than under Nerva, with a great destruction of houses; and there was a dreadful earthquake through many provinces, and a terrible plague and famine, and many places consumed by fire." By death, that is, by pestilence. Wild beasts have, at several times, destroyed abundance of men. And undoubtedly there was given them, at this time, an uncommon fierceness and strength. It is observable, that war brings on scarcity, and scarcity pestilence, (through want of wholesome sustenance,) and pestilence, by depopulating the country, leaves the few survivors an easier prey to the wild beasts. And thus these judgments make way for one another, in the order wherein they are here represented.

What has been already observed, may be a fourfold proof, that the four horsemen, as with their first entrance in the reign of Trajan, (which does by no means exhaust the contents of the four first seals;) so with all their entrances in succeeding ages, and with the whole course of the world, and of visible nature, are in all ages subject to Christ, subsisting by his power and serving his will, against the wicked, and in defence of the righteous. Herewith, likewise, a way is paved for the trumpets, which regularly succeed each other. And the whole prophecy, as to what is future, is confirmed by the clear accomplishment of this part of it.

V. 9. And when he opened the fifth seal-As the four former seals, so the three latter have a close connexion with each other. These all refer to the invisible world; the fifth, to the happy dead, particularly the martyrs; the sixth, to the unhappy; the seventh, to the angels, especially those to whom the trumpets are given. And I saw Not only the church warring under Christ, and the world warring under Satan, but also the invisible hosts, both of heaven and hell, are described in this book. And it not only describes the actions of both these armies upon earth, but their respective removals from earth, into a more happy or more miserable state, succeeding each other at several times, distinguished by various degrees, celebrated by various thanksgivings and also the gradual increase of expectation and triumph in heaven, and of terror and misery in hell; under the altar-That is, at the foot of it. Two altars are mentioned in the Revelation, the golden altar of incense, chap. ix. 13, and the altar of burnt-offerings, mentioned here, chap. viii. 5, xiv. 18, xvi. 7. At this the souls of the martyrs now prostrate themselves. By and bye, their blood shall be avenged upon Babylon; but not yet: whence it appears, that the plagues in the fourth seal do not concern Rome in particular.

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