seen, with his bodily eyes, fuch a majestic and glorious perfon. He fainted for fear, and fell down at his feet. This glorious perfon laid his right hand upon him, thus recovered him from his fainting, and said unto him; Fear not. He then tells him who he is:-" The first and the last." A name which Jesus had taken in verse 11th;— a name which can fuit no being but that God, who is felf-existent and eternal, who was before all other beings, and who fhall live for ever. And he adds, "I am he that liveth, and was dead; and behold I am alive for evermore." Whilft this part of the defcription correfponds with the former, in fhewing that he is more than mortal; that he is divine, because he hath life in himself, and liveth for evermore; it fhews, at the fame time, that, in this perfon, there is also a nature that had been mortal, and is different from the divine nature; for he was dead.

"He hath the keys of hell and of death;" that is of the invifible ftate. He it is only, who refcues from hell those who shall be finally delivered from destruction. He it is, who for himself opened the gates of death, burft open the fealed tomb, unlocked the grave for mortal man, and who, by his own power, fhall raise the dead at the general refurrection: "For as in Adam all die, fo "fo in Chrift fhall all be made alive."

It is highly probable, that Chrift is here faid to

have the keys of hell and of death, in reference to what is frequently faid, in this book, about death, and the keys of hell. In chap. ix. 1, 2.— "And, I faw a ftar fall from heaven to earth; "and to him was given the key of the bottom"lefs pit; and he opened the bottomless pit." Chap. xx. 1, 2.-" And I faw an angel come

down from heaven, having the key of the bot"tomlefs pit, and a great chain in his hand. And "he laid hold on the dragon, that old ferpent, "which is the Devil and Satan, and bound him "a thousand years." In the former of thefe paffages, the many dangerous errors which the Bishop of Rome, after his decline from the purity of Chriflianity, was to be inftrumental in bringing from hell to earth, are predicted; and, in the fecond, the restraint which fhall be laid upon the devil for the thousand years of the millenium ftate, when he fhall be confined to hell, and hindered from tempting men upon earth, is predicted, as fhall be fully fhewn in their places. When it is faid, that Chrift hath the keys of hell, the Chriftian is taught that neither the errors of Popery, nor the temptations of the devil fhall totally banish true religion and virtue from the world, The angel of the bottomlefs pit cannot open a door in hell, through which a fingle doctrine of devils can be conveyed to this world, until Chrift, who has the great key of hell, fhall permit him to open it. And

the

the devil himself can go no longer about like a roaring lion on this earth, feeking whom he may devour, than Chrift, who has the key of hell is pleased for wife, but to us myfterious, purposes, to permit him. When Chrift fends his angel with the key of hell, Satan must be locked up in it as a prifon; and muft deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years be fulfilled.

In this book, it is frequently predicted, that Christians fhall be killed by their perfecutors; and frequent mention is made both of the first and fecond death. It is promised to the Chriftian, who overcomes temptations, that he fhall not be hurt of the fecond death. When, therefore, it is faid, that Christ hath the key of death, the Christian is affured that none of his perfecutors can hurt or kill him, till Chrift is pleased to permit them; and that, if it is the will of him who hath the key of the second as well as of the first death, that he fhall lofe his animal life for Chrift in this world, he fhall fave his fpiritual life in the future and eternal world.

There is only one perfon in the whole universe, to whom all the parts of this defcription, appaparently fo inconfiftent with one another, exactly agree, even Jefus Chrift, the Son of God and the Son of man. This is he of whom infpired fcripture fays, John i. 1.-3. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the

Word

"Word was God. All things were made by him, "and without him was not any thing made that "was made." Heb. the whole of chap. i. Philip. ii. 6.-11. John i. 14.-" And the Word was "made flesh, and dwelt among us; and we beheld "his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of "the Father, full of grace and truth." I Pet. iii. 18.-" For Chrift alfo hath once fuffered for fins, the juft for the unjuft, (that he might

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bring us to God,) being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit." Rom. v.

8.

"But God commendeth his love towards us, "in that while we were yet finners, Chrift died "for us." Rom. vi. 9-" Knowing that Christ

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being raised from the dead, dieth no more; "death hath no more dominion over him." Heb. ix. 24.-28.

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1 Cor. xv. 3.-8. 20.-26.

and 55. 57. O death, where is thy fting? O

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grave, where is thy victory? the fting of death " is fin; and the ftrength of fin is the law; but "thanks be to God, who giveth us the victory

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through our Lord Jefus Chrift." Heb. ii. 14. 16. The reader is defired to confult the paffages of fcripture, which are here referred to, but not tranfcribed. From all thefe paffages, and many others, which might have been adduced, it is as evident as language can make it, that the person marked by the particular features of the character contained in the two verfes now under our view,

is Jesus Christ, the only Saviour of the world, in whom the divine and the human nature are united.

Verse 19th, and 1ft claufe of verfe 20th.Write the things which thou haft feen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter, the mystery of the feven ftars, which thou faweft in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks.

These words contain the commiffion which Jefus gave to John, and the great divifion of this book. He was commanded to write thofe things, as this revelation was made to him, not for his private information only, nor for that of his cotemporaries merely; but also for mankind at large, and for fucceeding ages. He wrote these things, not of his own accord, nor by the advice and command of any mere man; but by the exprefs command of Christ.

First, He was to write "the things which he "had feen;" or, more agreeably to the true meaning of the Greek word, as, he was to write the vifion which he had feen already; and these vifions, also, which he was foon to fee, even all the other vifions contained in this book. As thefe visions were made to John in fuccession, one after another, time, which related to them all, behoved

to