17. And every ship-master, and all the company in ships and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off,

18. And cried when they saw the smoke of her burning saying, What city is like unto this great city?

19. And they cast dust on their heads, and cried weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas, that great city wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea, by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate.

20. Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets, for God hath avenged you on her.

In this solemn manner, by an angel and by a voice from heaven, is declared the fall of Rome, and her destruction by fire: and then are set forth the consequences of her fall, the lamentations of some, and the rejoicings of others. 'The kings' of her communion, 'who have committed fornication, and lived deliciously with her, bewail and lament for her,'-ver. 9, 10: but what kings were they who lived deliciously' with old Rome, and had reason to lament her fall? The merchants of the earth weep and mourn over her,'— ver. 11-17; for there is an end of all traffic and commerce with her, whether spiritual or temporal; for it is intimated, ver. 13, that they make merchandise of the 'souls' as well as of the 'bodies' of men. The ship-masters, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, weep and wail,'-ver. 17, 18, 19: for they can now no longer import or export commodities for her, or convey strangers to and fro; for there is an end of all her 'costliness.' These lamentations are copied from the like lamentations over Tyre in the 26th and 27th chapters of Ezekiel; and are equal to the most mournful strains of the Greek tragedians over Thebes or Troy. In all they 'stand afar off,'-ver. 10. 15, 17, as if they were unable or afraid to help and assist her. In all they cry sat, sat, alas, alas,'-ver. 10, 16, 19, which is the third woe' sa before mentioned, viii. 13, xi. 14; for as the fall of the Othman empire is the end of the second woe,' so the fall of Rome is the completion of the third woe.' In all they lament the suddenness of her fall, ver. 10. 17, 19,—' for in one hour' is her destruction come. At the same time her destruction is matter of joy and triumph, ver. 20, to the holy apostles and prophets, for God hath avenged them on her :' but what reason had the Christians to rejoice over the calamities brought on Rome by Alaric or Totilas, in which they themselves were the principal sufferers? and how were these calamities any vindication of their cause, or of the cause of true religion?

21. And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all.

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22. And the voice of harpers, and musicians, and of pipers, and trumpeters, shall be heard no more at all in thee and no craftsman, of whatsoever craft he be, shall be found any more in thee; and the sound of a millstone shall be heard no more at all in thee?

23. And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived:

24. And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth.

Yet farther to confirm the sudden fall and irrecoverable destruction of Rome, an emblem is copied and improved from Jeremiah, li. 63, 64; a mighty angel' ver. 21, casteth a millstone into the sea,' declaring that with the same violence this great city shall be thrown down' and shall never rise again. Her utter desolation is farther described, ver. 22, 23, in phrases and expressions borrowed from the ancient prophets: Is. xxiv. 8; Jer. vii. 34, xvi. 9, xxv. 10; Ezek. xxvi. 13. There shall be no more musicians for the entertainment of the rich and great; no more tradesmen or artificers to furnish the conveniences of life; no more servants or slaves to grind at the mill, and to supply the necessaries of life. Nay, there shall be no more lights, no more bridal songs; the city shall never be peopled again by new marriages, but shall remain depopulated for ever. For which utter desolation there are assigned these reasons, ver. 23, 24, her 'pride' and 'luxury,' her 'superstition' and 'idolatry,' her tyranny' and 'cruelty.' Her punishment shall be as severe and exemplary, as if she had been guilty of all the persecutions that ever were upon account of religion; for by her conduct she hath approved, and imitated, and surpassed them all. But Rome hath never yet been depopulated and desolated in this manner. She hath been taken indeed and plundered by Alaric king of the Visigoths in the year 410, by Genseric king of the Vandals in the year 455, by Totilas king of the Ostrogoths in the year 546, and by others since that time:* but yet she is still standing and flourishing, and is honored by many nations as the metropolis of the Chris

* See Petav. Rat. Temp. and Blair's Chron. Tables.

tian world; she still resounds with singers and musicians; she still excels in arts which serve to pomp and luxury; she still abounds with candles, and lamps, and torches, burning even by day as well as by night; and consequently this prophecy hath not yet been, but remains yet to be fulfilled.

CHAP. XIX.

1. AND after these things, I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honor, and power unto the Lord our God:

2. For true and righteous are his judgments; for he hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand.

3. And again they said, Alleluia. And her smoke rose up for ever and ever.

4. And the four-and-twenty elders, and the four beasts, fell down and worshipped God that sat on the throne, saying, Amen; Alleluia.

5. And a voice came out of the throne, saying, Praise our God, all ye his servants, and ye that fear him, both small and great.

6. And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.

7. Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.

8. And to her was granted, that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.

9. And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage-supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.

10. And I fell at his feet to worship him : and he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellow-servant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.

Hereupon the whole church, ver. 1-4, agreeably to the exhortation of the angel, xviii. 20, join in praises and thanksgivings to

Almighty God for his truth and righteousness in judging this idola trous city, his truth in fulfilling his promises and threatenings, and nis righteousness in proportioning her punishment to her crimes. And her smoke rose up for ever and ever;' which intimates that he should be made as signal a monument of divine vengeance as Sodom and Gomorrah. It is taken from Isaiah, who hath said much the same thing of Edom, and by Edom the Jews understand Rome,* Isaiah xxxiv. 9, 10,- And the streams thereof shall be turned into pitch;' in the genuine editions of the Chaldee paraphrase, it is, And the rivers of Rome shall be turned into pitch, and the dust thereof into brimstone, and the land thereof shall become burning pitch. It shall not be quenched night nor day; the smoke thereof shall go up for ever."+ This tradition of the rabbins may receive some confirmation from these words of the apostle and such an event may appear the more probable, because the adjacent countries are known to be of a sulphureous and bituminous soil; there have even at Rome been eruptions of subterraneous fire, which have consumed several buildings; so that the fuel seemeth to be prepared, and waiteth only for the breath of the Lord to kindle it. But God is praised not only for the destruction of the great seat of idolatry, but also, ver. 5—8, for the manifestation of his kingdom, as before, xi. 17, and for the happy and glorious state of the reformed Christian church. She is no harlot' stained with idolatry, but a spouse' prepared for the Lord Christ; she is not arrayed like an harlot in purple and scarlet color,' but like a decent bride,' in fine linen, clean and white,' as the properest emblem of her purity and sanctity. Christ hath now, as St. Paul expresseth it, Eph. v. 26, 27, -sanctified and cleansed his church with the washing of water, by the word, that he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that it should be holy, and without blemish.' So great is the felicity of this period, that the angel orders it, ver. 9, to be particularly noted: and blessed and

* R. David in principio Obadæ,—Quod autem dicunt prophetæ devastatione Edom in extremitate dierum, de Roma dixerunt. [Rabbi David, at the beginning of Obadiah, -But what the prophets say of the destruction of Edom in the last days, they have spoken concerning Rome.] Buxtorf. Chal. Lex. in voce

+ Et convertentur flumina Roma in picem, &c. Posteriores editiones vocem Roma omitterunt. [And the rivers of Rome shall be turned into pitch, &c, The later editions nave omitted the word Rome.] Buxtorf, ibid.

+ Vide Dionis Hist. lib. 66, in Tito. πυρ δε δη έτερον ἐπίγειον τω έξης έτει πολλά πάνυ της Ρωμης ἐπενείματα, x. T. λ. Ignis autem alius supra terram exortus anno insequenti magnam admodum Romæ partem absumsit, &c. [But in the following year, another fire bursting forth upon the ea th, consumed a very great part of Rome, &c.] p. 756 edit. Leunclav.

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happy are they who shall be living at this time, and be worthy to partake of this marriage-feast. It is a matter of consolation to all good Christians, and they may assuredly depend upon it, as the never-failing word of God. St. John was in such rapture and ecstacy at these discoveries, that, ver. 10, not knowing or not considering what he did, he fell down at the angel's feet to worship him:' but the angel prohibits all manner of worship; for he was no more than a fellow servant' of the apostle's, and of all true prophets, of all who have the testimony of Jesus, -' and 'the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.' Worship not me then, says the angel, but God, whose servants we both are, and who inspires us both with the same spirit of prophecy.

11. And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.

12. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written that no man knew, but he himself:

13. And he was clothed with a vesture dipt in blood: and his name is called, The Word of God

14. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.

15. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations; and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the wine-press of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.

16. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.

17. And I saw an angel standing on the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God;

18. That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great.

19. And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army.

20. And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them