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THE

APOCALYPSE, &c.

1 ΚΑΙ εἶδον, καὶ ἰδὲ τὸ ἀρνίον ἑςη κὸς ἐπὶ τὸ ὄρος Σιὼν, καὶ μὲν αὐτῶ ἑκατὸν

τεσσαρακον τα τέσσαρες χι λιάδες, ἔχεσαι τὸ ὄνομα αὐτό, καὶ τὸ ὄνομα τὸ παρὸς αὐτὸ γεγραμμένον ἐπὶ τῶν μελώπων

2 αὑτῶν. Καὶ ἄμεσα

Φωνὴν ἐκ τὸ ἐρανα, ὡς φωνὴν ὑδάτων πολλῶν, καὶ ὡς φωνὴν Ερονης μεγάλης και ἡ φωνὴ ἣν ἤκεσα ὡς κιθαρωδῶν κιθαριζόν των ἐν ταῖς κιθάραις 3 αὑτῶν. Καὶ ᾄδεσιν ὡς ᾠδὴν καινὴν ἐνώ πιον το θρόνα, καὶ ἐνώπιον τῶν τεσσά ζων ζώων, καὶ τῶν

PART V.

SECTION I.

The Lamb on Mount Sion.

CHAP. XIV. VER. 1-5.

1 And I looked, and lo!

the Lamb, standing on the mountain Sion, and with him an hundred and forty-four thousand, having his name, and the name of his Father, written upon their foreheads. 2 And I heard a voice from heaven, as a voice of many waters, and as a voice of loud thunder; and the voice which I heard as of harpers playing playing on 3 their harps. And they

sing, as it were, a new song, before the throne, and before the four living-creatures, and the elders; and no one was able to learn the song, except the hun

1 And I looked, and lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father's name written in their 2 foreheads. And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the. voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps: 3 And they sung as it

were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders; and no man could learn that song, but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were

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dred and forty-four thousand, the redeemed from the earth. 4 These are they who

have not been defiled with women, for they are virgins; these are they who follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth; these were redeemed from among men, a first-fruit unto God and to the Lamb; 5 And in their mouth was found no guile, for they are spotless.

redeemed from the 4 earth. These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins these are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth: these were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God, and 5 to the Lamb. And in their mouth was found no guile for they are without fault before the throne of God.

Ver. 1-4. The Lamb-on mount Sion, and with him,&c.] The seventh Trumpet had already sounded, and a general view of its blissful effects, in restoring the kingdom to the Messiah and his followers, had been afforded *. The conflict is now to be expected. But before the battle takes place, the battlearray is to be viewed. The enemies of Christ and of his Church, the dragon, the beast, the false prophet, have been exhibited in the two last chapters. But "when the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spi"rit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him, " and the Redeemer shall come to Zion †." During the alarming progress of the antichristian powers, the Christian forces are not idle and unemployed. The vision proceeds to exhibit their efforts to check, + Isaiah, lix. 19. 20.

* Cho xin 15.

and

.

and at length finally subdue, the enemies of the Church. The Lamb* appears upon Mount Sion, upon the place of true religious servicet; the site of the heavenly Jerusalem; the seat of the throne of the Messiah + He comes attended by his Church; by the hundred-and-forty-four thousand, who had been sealed as "Israelites indeed §." He comes in the likeness of his suffering state, leading his followers to conquer by suffering, not yet by his vengeance.

This then appears to be the true, persecuted, and suffering Christian Church, which throughout the reign of the dragon, beast, and false prophet, refuses to worship the image, and receive the mark of the beast. These are marked holy unto God; the precious price of Redemption has not been paid for them in vain ¶. And there is joy in heaven," on beholding their array. The voice of Deity from the throne, awful and sublime**, acknowledges them; the heavenly chorus breaks forth into songs of praise and exultation. They sing "a new song tt," the song of the Lamb, a song mysterious, unfit for impure and worldly ears ‡‡; in which those only can be initiated who are pure and faithful: and the delights of the heavenly harmony are unutterable; "none knoweth, but he that receiveth it §§.'

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Ver. 4, 5. These are they, who-&c.]

Here follows a description of that pure Church, which alone

*See note, ch. v. 6.

+ See note, ch. viii. 8.

Psalm ii. 6. Heb. xii. 22. Isaiah ii. 23, &c.; xi. 9, 10; Ivi. 7. Ezek. xvii. 22, &c.; xx. 40. Micah iv. 1, 2. Luke iii. 5, 6.

§ See notes, ch. vii.

|| Note, ch. ii. 7.

¶ 1 Cor. vi. 20.

Η ιτε, βέβηλοι.

** See notes, ch. i. 14. vi. 1.
++ See note, ch. ii. 17.; iii. 12.
§§ Rev. ii. 17.

Christ acknowledges for his own, during the usurpation of Antichrist. 'H yun signifies generally a married woman; the crime committed with such is adultery; which may be taken, in a literal sense, to represent in general all the defilements of the flesh; or in a metaphorical sense, a woman is a Church, or congregation of religious persons*; which, keeping itself pure from idolatry, is styled a Virgin; but, defiled with such abomination, is denominated Harlot or Adulteress. "They called," says Hegisippus, "the "Church a Virgin, when it was not corrupted by "vain doctrines ." Every part of this description may be found applied in other places of Scripture:1. by Saint Peter; they have escaped the corrup"tion that is in the world through lust :" 2. by our Lord; "follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth," . that is, "take up their cross and follow him :" 3. § by Saint Paul; are redeemed, "bought with a price :" 4. by Saint James; "a kind of first fruits of God's "creatures:" Lastly, " speaking no deceit," "blame"less before God **." And this description agrees nearly with that of the Prophet Zephaniah: "I will "leave in the midst of thee an afflicted and poor

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people, and they shall trust in the name of the "Lord; the remnant of Israel shall not do iniquity, nor speak lies, neither shall a deceitful tongue be "found in their mouth. They shall feed and lie down, and none shall make them afraid ††.

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See note, ch. ii. 20.

#2 Pet. i. 4.

**

1 Cor. vi. 20.

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Euseb. Hist. Eccl. lib. iv. cap. xxvi.

§ Matt. x. 38.

James i. 18.

1 Pet. ii. 22.; iii. 10. 2 Pet. iii. 4. Phil. ii. 15. Luke i. 6.

Zeph. iii. 12, 13.

PART

Ο Καὶ εἶδον άλλον
ἄγελον ετώμενον
ἐν μεσορανήματι,
ἔχοντα ευαγέλιον
αἰώνιον, εὐαγγελίσαι
τὰς καιοικᾶνας ἐπὶ
Tüs gös, iỳ eni wār
ἔθνος καὶ φυλὴν κα
γλῶσσαν καὶ λαὸν
7 Λέγων ἐν φωνῇ με
γάλῃ· Φοβήθηκε τὸν

Θεὸν, καὶ δέτε αὐτῷ
x
δόξαν, ὅτι ἦλθεν ἢ
ὥρα τῆς κρίσεως
αὐτο· καὶ προσκυνή
σαλε τῷ ποιήσαν
τὸν ἐρανὸν καὶ τὴν
γῆν καὶ τὴν θάλασ
σαν καὶ πηγὰς ὑδάτ

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PART V.

SECTION II.

The first Angel proclaims.

CHAP. XIV. VER. 6, 7.

6 And I saw another
angel flying in the
space between heaven
and earth, having an
everlasting Gospel, to
preach good tidings to
those that dwell on
the earth, and to every
nation, and tribe, and

language, and people,

7 Saying with a loud

voice; "Fear God,
"and give him glory :
"for the hour of his

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6 And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting Gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and

tongue, and people, 7 Saying with a loud

voice, Fear God, and give glory to him, for the hour of his judgement is come: and worship him that made heaven and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.

The character of the true, faithful, Christian Church having been exhibited, its history now begins to be generally set forth; while solemn warnings, and instructions, and encouragements, most useful to the faithful during the times of the beast, are delivered. And first an angel, flying in mid-heaven *, proclaims

* See note, ch. viii. 13.

the

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