Surely, I come quickly; I shall certainly come soon, for good and all, to judge the whole body of mankind at the last day, and to recompense the just, and punish the wicked. St. John answers his divine master: Be it so, O Lord Jesus: come, and grant us, your servants, the favour of enjoying you for all eternity.

CHAPTER XV.

REFLECTIONS ON THE SEVEN AGES OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH.

THUS have we taken a view of the whole prophetic history of the Apocalypse. We have travelled through the whole tract of duration, which reaches from the rise of Christianity to the fixed state of eternity after the close of all time. We have seen the most remarkable transactions, that take place in the Christian Church during that whole period. And thus we are arrived at last to enjoy a full view of the plan of economy which Christ, the supreme governor, observes in the administration of his Church. This plan appears truly grand and admirable. It consists of three parts, contained under the seals, the trumpets, and the vials. The trumpets exhibit to us the painful trials he thinks fit to subject his people to. The vials describe the punishments which he inflicts on their enemies. The nature therefore of both these parts of his conduct towards his Church is sufficiently clear: but that of the seals, it must be allowed, is not so obvious, and may require some elucidation. In the prelude to the seals the Lamb was introduced, all power was given him, the period of his sovereignty was opened, and his reign commenced. This clue leads us to the understanding of the general tendency of the seals. In them we see Christ proceed to the work of forming and establishing his kingdom or Church, which he carries on through all ages. But as every prince, who undertakes to conquer to himself a new kingdom, must necessarily encounter many enemies and obstacles; so here we see enemies rise up against Christ, the prince of the Christian kingdom, and oppose his undertaking. Thus, in the first seal, Christ sets out upon his conquests to form his kingdom upon earth. The second seal shows us the rise of a body of heretics, the Arians,

Christ's own subjects, who rebel against him, and attempt to wrest from him part of his kingdom. The third seal opens to us the scene of the subversion of pagan Rome with its empire, which is the triumph of Christ over that mighty idolatrous power, and the establishment of his kingdom in its place. In the fourth seal we see again the rise of another powerful enemy of Christ, namely, the Mahometan or Antichristian empire, which deprives him of some part of his dominions for a time. The fifth seal exhibits to us the martyrs of the fifth age, who are told that vengeance will in due time be taken on their persecutors, for the spilling of their blood: and in the mean time they are clothed with the robe of beatitude. This shows Christ's economy with regard to these his faithful and valiant soldiers. Under the sixth seal we see dreadful prodigies and signs, and the heavens and the earth in confusion. By these, Christ, the bountiful King, alarms the impious and rebellious part of his people, and tries by terror to bring them back to their allegiance and duty, and to reform them into good subjects, before he comes to judge them. The seventh seal opens the scene, in which he completes his work by taking possession of the whole earth, and putting an end to all other power. In consequence of this he is acknowledged universal Lord and Master of the world, and receives the applauses and acclamations of the heavenly choirs, who sing: The kingdom of this world is become our Lord's and his Christ's, and he shall reign for ever and ever." Apoc. xi. 15. Thus then we see described in the seals the series of Christ's operations for the formation and establishment of that kingdom which was promised him upon earth. "I beheld," says Daniel, "and lo one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and he came even to the Ancient of days: and they presented him before him. And he gave him power, and glory, and a kingdom: and all people, tribes, and tongues, shall serve him: his power is an everlasting power, that shall not be taken away: and his kingdom, that shall not be destroyed," vii. 13, 14. Such in fine is the abstract of the history, that is written in detail in the book sealed with seven seals, where this new powerful King, the Son of man, had laid down before hand the whole plan of the work he designed to carry on during all future ages.

Here it may be further proper to remark, that the prophecies contained under the seals are delivered in natural historical language; whereas those under the trumpets and vials are expressed in allegories: the reason of which seems to be, that

as the seals exhibit to us the abstract of a history contained in the book sealed with seven seals, this abstract must be supposed to be written in the same natural historical style as the full history itself. The style of the trumpets is allegorical, because, as the trumpets sound alarms, troubles, and persecutions to the Church, a previous general notion of them would be useful and at the same time sufficient, and such is conveyed to us by obscure allegory: but a clear and minute detail of those calamities would naturally terrify and make too much impression upon the mind. Likewise, if the punishments announced by the vials were clearly and fully expressed, such might be the malice and perversity of some among the guilty part of mankind, as to attempt to frustrate the decrees of God and oppose their execution. Such punishments therefore are purposely covered with the veil of allegory, the meaning of which remains more or less uncertain.

In fine such a compass of knowledge, imparted to us through the channel of the Apocalypse, ought to inspire us with the warmest sense of gratitude for so signal a favour, and should be a powerful motive for making good use of it. We see laid open to us the course of the dispensations of God towards man; and what subject can furnish us with more useful instructions, for admiring the bounty of this sovereign administrator, for contemplating his wisdom, and dreading his justice? To promote this sort of consideration, we shall here subjoin a few reflections upon each of the seven ages, to which we recommend the reader to add his own.

I.

IN the first age of the Christian Church, which comprehended little more than the space of three hundred years, we saw the gospel preached to the greatest part of the known world, notwithstanding all the opposition that earth and hell could contrive against it. The divine power shone in its full lustre, and confounded all the enemies of religion. Miracles were so frequent, that every day was distinguished by some illustrious marks of supernatural interposition. The meridian sun could not appear clearer and brighter than the divine power operating in favour of the new promulgated doctrine. In this manner Christ builded his Church on such a firm foundation as nothing could ever shake, and he established his religion by such incontestable proofs as no pretences could invalidate.

But the sanction of the Christian religion was not only divine and irrefragable, its influence on the minds of its professors was altogether astonishing. It inspired them with such firmness of fortitude, that they were ready on all occasions to shed their blood in defence of it. When put to the trial, they resigned all temporal advantages, they were deaf to all entreaties and offers, they viewed without emotion the racks and cruelest torments, and bowed down their heads with joy to the executioner. Such was the behaviour of not a few only, but of prodigious numbers. As Adam had first yielded to sin, through want of courage, and infinite calamity had fallen upon all his posterity, it would seem that Almighty God designed that fault should be retrieved, as far as possible to human nature, by the eminent fortitude of his new servants, the Christians; whom for that purpose he made pass through most severe persecutions, the acutest tortures, and death itself in its most dreadful shapes. Thus the earth was bathed with Christian blood, but the souls of the generous victims went to share immortal glory and power with the Lamb: "And I saw seats," says St. John, "and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them, and the souls of them that were beheaded for the testimony of Jesus, and for the word of God.—And they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years." Apoc. xx. 4. The spirit of the Christian doctrine was no less manifest in those that were left on the stage of life. They appeared by the sanctity of their conduct to form a new community entirely different from the rest of mankind, and they practised such transcendent virtues as before were deemed impossible. Some entered into courses of the severest austerities, of mortification and fasting. Others retired into remote solitudes, consecrating their whole time to God, with little or no allowance to nature; spending days, weeks, and years, in contemplating the perfections of the Supreme Being, in meditating on his bountiful dispensations to mankind, and in aspiring after that state of bliss which they hoped to succeed to after this mortal life. Thus the infancy of the Church was decorated with all the highest ornaments of religion. This was the age of Christian perfection and Christ set up the most eminent models of all the virtues human nature is capable of, that he might make appear to the world the power of his grace, the excellence of his doctrine, and that all future ages might have before their eyes perfect examples for their encouragement and imitation.

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On another hand it is necessary to observe, that if such be the all wise economy of the Almighty to put the fidelity of

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many of his servants to the test, by conducting them through the fiery trials of persecution, he nevertheless views with detestation the hands that inflict those severities on them. persecutions crown the faith and fortitude of the sufferers. But the persecutors are guilty of malice and cruelty, and in consequence draw the divine vengeance upon them. And thus it happened to the heathen Roman emperors and people, who for spilling the Christian blood, felt, as we have seen, the weight of God's judgments. Many examples likewise of this sort in prior ages are recorded in holy writ. Among others, Sennacherib, the Assyrian king; Nabuchodonosor the Babylonian, and Antiochus the Syrian, were punished by the hand of God for their malicious attempts, and inhumanities, against his people, the Jews. The course of his providence we see is the same under the Christian dispensation. For from the Apocalypse we learn, that seven vials of the wrath of God are poured out for the punishment of the enemies of the Christian Church. Ought not this reflection be sufficient to deter the evil-minded from directing their malice and power against the people of that community?

II.

In the second age of the Church, which begins about the year 320, and contains nearly 100 years, we see rise up a scene of a different kind. This age may be styled the age of heresy. In the preceding period we saw a strenuous contest between religion and idolatry, between Christianity and paganism, or as one may say, between the Almighty and Satan, which should claim the worship of mankind. The Almighty having vanquished his enemy, and exploded idolatry by the preaching of the Christian religion, and establishing the adoration of the one supreme Deity; Satan, to pursue his unrelenting malice, shifts his ground, and renews his stratagems, still to defraud the Almighty of his right, and to rob him, if possible, of his favourite creature man. For that pur

pose this infernal fiend, by his wiles, prevails upon an ambitious man, to renounce his allegiance to Christ and submission to Christ's Church. Arius is inspired by that spirit of falsehood with sentiments wholly incompatible with the divine nature and perfections of the Son of God, and by divulging those sentiments he sows the seeds of rebellion and heresy. Though some heretical principles had been set forth in the preceding age, yet they had been confined to narrow