In v. 20 the prophet adds, that the wine-prefs was trodden without the city, that is,' fays Mr. Cradock, ' without the bounds of the true church, so that none of her members fhall fuffer by this judgment.' Without doubt, fays Vitringa, Jerufalem, the image of the true church, is here defigned 10. But by fome this clause has been thought to denote, that the catastrophe, alluded to by the prophet, fhall take place fomewhere out of the bounds of the Western Roman empire. And blood came out of the wine-prefs, even unto the horse-bridles, which,' bp. Newton remarks, is a ftrong hyperbolical way of speaking, to exprefs vaft flaughter and effufion ' of blood.' 6 ་ Reference has been made to a paffage of ftriking import in the iiid. ch. of Joel; which chapter, says Mr. Lowth, relates to the latter times of the world.' “Vast ⚫ multitudes of the Antichriftians,' fays Dr. Wells, ' fhall 'be destroyed' at the period of its accomplishment. It is thought to be prophetic of the very fame events, which St. John has foretold fhall take place in the course of the fymbolic vintage and in the war of Armageddon. It begins with foretelling the mighty military preparations which fhall be made, and the numerous forces which fhall be affembled together by the friends of tyranny and antichriftianifm. Proclaim ye this among the Gentiles: prepare war, wake up the mighty men, let all the men of war draw near: let them come up. Beat your plowfhares into fwords, and your pruning-hooks into Spears: let the weak fay, I am strong. Affemble yourfelves, and come, all ye heathen, and gather yourfelves together round about: thither caufe thy Mighty Ones to come down, O Lord. Let the heathen be weakened, and come up to the valley of Jehofaphat; for there 10 P. 730. 11 will I fit to judge all the heathen round about1. Put The learned and pious Dr. Owen, in alluding to the To judge all the heathen, i. e. fays bishop Newcome, to punish by a "Here the prophet clearly makes a transition, and addresses those, who 13 The repetition of this noun signifies, fays Dr. Pococke, according to a 14 Bp. Newcome renders it, the valley of excifion. 17 In Apoc. xvi. 16. See the fame observation in Brenius (De Regno ' on on the earth? Rev. vi. 10.-Will not the Lord-call * the fowls of heaven to eat the flesh of kings, and cap'tains, and great men of the earth? Rev. xix. 18.— The time fhall come, wherein the earth fhall disclose her flain; and not the simplest heretic (as they were counted) fhall have his blood unrevenged: neither shall any atonement be made for this blood, or expiation be allowed, whilst a toe of the Image, or a bone of the Beaft, is left unbroken 18.' ་ In reading the predictions, which I have recently cited, of future flaughter, humanity cannot but be wounded. But it is proper that the truth should be told. It is time, that thofe who believe in prophecy fhould learn, on what class of persons the full weight of the divine vengeance is finally to fall. That it is no light matter to pay a fervile obedience to the unholy commands of the civil magiftrate and the hierarchies, and to affift them in their unrighteous defigns, the following alarming declaration will ferve to evince. In ch. xiv. of the apocalypfe, an angel is reprefented as faying with a loud voice, If any man worfhip the Beaft and his Image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, the fame fhall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation". He fhall drink of the wine of the wrath of God; i. e. fays Mr. 18 Coll. of Ser. ut fupra, p. 329. This distinguished divine, a few pages farther (p. 335), asks, in language adapted to the taste of the times,' Is it ⚫ not evident to him that hath but half an eye, that the whole present confti'tion of the government of the nations is fo cemented with antichriftian 'mortar, from the very top to the bottom, that, without a thorough shaking, they cannot be cleansed?'. In another fermon (fer. 37), he says, 'God hath three great works to do, in the day of his carrying on the in' tereft of Christ and the Gospel. 1. He hath great revenges to take. 2. He ' hath great deliverances to work. 3. He hath great difcoveries to make.' 49 V. 9, 10. Cradock, Cradock, he shall partake of fevere judgments, the ' effect of God's wrath.' This paffage, in the opinion of Daubuz 20, refers to the accomplishment of the fymbolic harvest and vintage, and to the infliction of thofe judgments, which are denominated the Seven Vials. The threatening,' says this learned commentator, 6 6 being ⚫ levelled against such as any way yield to the religion of the Beast, and submit to the taking only of the public mark of profeffion in the forehead, as well as giving actual affistance, which is the case of them that take it ' upon their hands, fhews us, that God's plagues affect 'not only thofe that prefumptuously act in the corruptions, but all those fearful perfons, who did not actually ' refift, or avoid giving way to them.' In the next verse the prophet adds, that the smoke of their torment afcendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the Beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name. • The expreffion for ever and ever is,' fays Daubuz, to be ' understood during the continuation of the subject; that is, whilst the Beast and Falfe Prophet have adherents, 6 they shall have a perpetual torment.' Thefe awful denunciations, in the opinion of Vitringa, have a double reference; and respect alike the punishments of a future ftate and the judgments to be inflicted in the present world. 20 P. 809. END OF THE FIRST VOLUME. СНАР |