46

government. And, as there were many impor "tant reafons which induced him to fuit the ad"miniftration of the church to thefe changes in "the civil conftitution, this neceffarily introduced among the bishops new degrees of eminence and "rank." Then to the end of that paragraph are enumerated the various ranks introduced among the clergy at this time, viz. Patriarchs, Exarchs, Archbishops, &c.

Pages 206, 207. "No fooner had Conftantine "the Great abolished the superftitions of his ancef"tors, than magnificent churches were every "where erected for the Chriftians, which were

richly adorned with pictures and images, and "bore a striking refemblance of the Pagan tem'ples, both in their outward and inward form.

Of thefe churches, fome were built over the "tombs of martyrs, and were frequented only at ftated times, while others were fet apart for the ordinary affemblies of Chriftians in divine worfhip. The former were called Martyria, from "the places where they were erected, and the "latter Tituli. Both of them were confecrated “with great pomp, and with certain rules bor"rowed moftly from the antient laws of the Roman

86

pontiffs. But our wonder will not ceafe here, "it will rather be augmented, when we learn, "that at this time, it was looked upon as an effen"tial part of religion to have in every country a G g multitude

VOL. I.

"multitude of churches; and hence the true and

66

only origin of what is called the right of patro"nage, which was introduced among Chriftians "with no other view, than to encourage the opu

lent to erect a great number of churches, by giv

ing them the privilege of appointing the minif"ters that were to officiate in them. This was a "new inftance of that fervile imitation of the an"tient fuperftitions which reigned at this time; for "it was a very common notion among the people "of old, that nations and provinces were happy "and free from danger, in proportion to the num"ber of fanes and temples which they confecrat"ed to the worship of gods and heroes, whose pro"tection and fuccour could not fail, as it was

66

thought, to be shed abundantly upon those who worshipped them with fuch zeal, and honoured "then with fo many marks of veneration and ref

pect. The Chriftians unhappily contracted the "me erroneous way of thinking. The greater "the number of temples was, which they erected "in honour of Chrift and his chofen friends and

followers, the more fanguine did their expec"tations grow of powerful fuccours from them, and "of a peculiar intereft in the divine protection. "They were fo weak as to imagine, that God, Christ, and celeftial intelligences, were delighted "with those marks and teftimonies of refpect, which captivate the hearts of wretched mortals."

66

.

Verfes 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th.—And I heard the number of them which were fealed; and there were fealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children

of Ifrael. Of the tribe of Judah were sealed twelve thoufand. Of the tribe of Reuben were fealed twelve thoufand. Of the tribe of Gad were fealed twelve thoufand. Of the tribe of Afer were fealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Nephthalim were sealed twelve thoufand. Of the tribe of Manaffes were fealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Simeon were fealed twelve thoufand. Of the tribe of Levi were fealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of lfachar were fealed twelve thoufand. Of the tribe of Zabulun were fealed twelve thoufand. Of the tribe of Jofeph were fealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Benjamin were fealed twelve thoufand.

In these verses, we have an account of the fervants of God who were fealed. They are faid to be of the twelve tribes of Ifrael.

Ifrael was of old During the time

the people or church of God.
that Ifrael was the church of God, the limits of
his church were comparatively very contracted.

Hence, Ifrael is the fymbol for the Chriftian church during its comparatively contracted ftate, previous to the millennium ftate, when Jew and Gentile shall be brought into the Chriftian church, and when all the kingdoms of the world fhall become the kingdom of our God and of his Christ, Rom. ix. 6. "They are not all Ifrael who are of If"rael." Rom. xxviii. 29. "He is not a Jew, "which is one outwardly; but he is a Jew, which is one inwardly."

That these twelve tribes, do not here fignify literally the twelve tribes of Ifrael, but fymbolically Chriftian churches, appears not only from the language of prophecy, which is fymbolical; not only from the connection of the following and preceding parts of this vifion; but alfo from this circumftance, that the twelve tribes, enumerated in these verfes, do not correfpond, either in all the particular tribes, or in the arrangement of them, to the twelve tribes of Ifrael, among whom the land of Canaan was divided. In that partition, Reuben was named first, because he was the oldeft. Judah is named first, because the tribes of ifrael represent Chriftian churches, and Chrift, their head, and from whom they derive the name of Christian, came of the tribe of Judah. In the partition of the land of Canaan, Levi had no portion, excepting only the Levitical cities and their fuburbs, because Levi was to wait on the altar, and to live by the altar.

Here

But

But here Levi is mentioned as a tribe, because the Levites, or priefts under the law, are the proper fymbolical reprefentatives of Chriftians, who are denominated priests unto God, and who look not for a temporal, but a fpiritual inheritance.

As the two fons of Jofeph were ranked among the tribes of Ifrael, in place of their father, and as Levi is mentioned here, there would have been thirteen tribes, if one of the antient tribes of Ifrael had not been omitted in the verfes now under our view: But the tribe of Dan is omitted here. And the leaving out of this particular tribe, ferves ftill farther to confirm the interpretation given of this fymbol. For Dan very early went in queft of a worldly inheritance, out of his proper diftrict; and apoftatifed to idolatry, as is narrated, with many particular and ftriking circumstances, throughout the whole xviii. chapter of the book of Judges. He was therefore an improper representative of a Christian church, and rather a reprefentative of an Antichriftian one, by his fondness for a worldly inheritance, and his pronenefs to idolatry. Of all the tribes of Ifrael, only one is omitted; and that one had apoftatifed to idolatry. And though there are fome fervants of God fealed in every one of the other twelve tribes, no whole tribe is fealed.

Twelve thousand are fealed out of every tribe. We are not to imagine, that the exact fame number of individuals fhall be fealed in every tribe or Chriftian