"proof, for correction, for inftruction in righteouf

nefs; that the man of God may be perfect, tho"roughly furnished unto all good works;" Chriftians are required to hear it with fincerity and attention; for "faith cometh by hearing, and hear

ing by the word of God." We must not only read, ftudy, and hear, but we muft alfo keep the fayings of this book. By them we must regulate our conduct. By them we must prepare to meet, in a proper manner, the various events predicted in this book, as they fhall occur to us in the course of divine providence.

"For the time is at hand." Though this book contains a long connected chain of predictions of future events, fome of which were at a great many hundred years diftance from its date, yet the first events in that chain were to happen very foon, even in that year in which it was written. That they have done fo fhall appear as we proceed in this commentary. As fuch is the nature of this book, and as the men now living must foon meet with fome of the events, which it predicts, they fhall most certainly confult their own duty and happiness, by studying and practifing the fayings which it contains.

From the nature of this book, as a closely connected chain of predictions, the motives in this verfe, to read, hear, and obey, the things that are written therein, are equally strong in every age, as they were at the time the apoftle wrote them; or rather they

grow

grow stronger and ftronger every day. As a prophecy it must be studied with candour, knowledge, and diligence, otherwise it cannot be understood. As a chain of prophecies, refpecting a chain of e vents, which reaches from the Apostle's days to the end of this world; fome of the events must be at hand in the prefent, and in every present age.

At this time, 1700 years from the date of the prophecy, many of the events predicted have taken place; fo that, by them, much additional light is thrown upon this book. Before the present time, much more than the half of the prophecies contained in it have been accomplished; fo that the greateft part of the book is now in the fituation of a prophecy fulfilled; the meaning of which may, therefore, be fully and minutely discovered. By comparing the facts as recorded in authentic history, with the correspondent predictions in this book; we may clearly fee the meaning of thofe already accomplished, obtain a convincing evidence of the inspiration of this book, and of scripture in general, be fully fatisfied of the omnifcience of God, and of his moral government in the world, obtain a juft view of the nature of Chrift's kingdom, and percieve much light reflected upon thofe parts of this propheey, which are not yet accomplished.

Ver. 4, 5-John to the feven churches VOL. I. which

B

which are in Afia: Grace be unto you, and peace from him who is, and who was, and who is to come; and from the seven spirits which are before his throne: and from Jefus Chrift, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth.

As the apoftles addreffed their epiftles to fome particular church or perfon, fo John addreffes this book to the feven churches which were then in Afia Minor. In the 11th verfe of this chapter Jefus exprefsly commands John to write this book, and to fend it to the seven Chriftian churches in Afia. It was, therefore, neceffary that he should address it to them. Without fuch a command, it was very. proper and natural for him to addrefs this book to thefe churches; because a part of it confifts of a particular epiftle to each of these feven churches, contained in chapters fecond and third: and to whom is it fo proper to addrefs a letter as to the perfon, or collective body to whom it is written?

As John was in a flate of banishment, this book might have been foon deftroyed by his perfecutors, had it remained in his own cuftody; and, at any rate, it would not have been of ufe to the fervants of God, if it had not been communicated to them. It was therefore proper that he should addrefs it

to

to fome Christian church or churches; and to none was it more natural for him to have done fo than to thofe in Afia Minor, for he had refided for a confiderable time at Ephefus, and fuperintended the church there, which was one of them, and all the feven were at a fmall diftance from the island of Patmos, where he wrote this book.

Like the other apoftles, in their epistolary addreffes, he prays for grace and peace to those churches. By grace we are to understand, the free favour of God to pardon their fins, and to renew and perfect their natures: and by peace, peace with God, peace of mind, and peace with man; the natural confequences of that grace. Thefe bleffings he prays for them from God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghoft, the only fource from which we are taught by the gospel of Jefus, to hope for that grace and peace. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, he describes by a kind of circumlocution; or rather, according to the idiom of prophetic writing, he gives them fymbolical names, evidently expreffive of the names which are given to them, in common or alphabetical language. As we proceed, we shall meet with fymbolical names, uniformly in this book in place of literal ones, and for this obvious reason, that the book is written in the fymbolical language, which is the language of prophecy. The nature of the fymbolical language B 2

fhall

fhall be explained in our commentary on verfes 12, 13, 14, 15, and 16, of this chapter.

God the Father is ftiled, "him which is, and "which was, and which is to come:" A defcription exactly expreffing that felf-existence, independence, omniprefence, and eternity, which are fignified by Jehova, the incommunicable name of God. The Holy Spirit is ftiled "The feven fpirits which are before his throne." In the fymbolical language Seven fignifies Holy and perfect. It fignifies Holy in allufion to the seventh part of time having been confecrated as a holy Sabbath to the Lord. This was the cafe not only at the creation of the world, when "God bleffed the seventh day " and fanctified it ;" but under the Mofaic difpenfation, God faid "Remember the fabbath-day to 66 keep it boly, fix days fhalt thou labour, and do

thy work but the feventh day is the fabbath of "the Lord thy God" The feventh year was holy as the Sabbatical year, and feyen times feven years were to be counted to mark out the holy year of Jubilee. The number seven too was very common in the facrifices and purifications among the Jews, in order to ceremonial holinefs. It shall afterwards be fhewn, in its proper place; that thefe Sevens, which run through the Old Teftament fcriptures, and through this book, have a reference to the feventh Chiliad, (or seventh thousand years) of the world; which shall be the Millennium or great

Sabbath