most general and essential interest, and pregnant with consequences of the greatest moment to the Church. All christendom is even now one great theatre of spiritual warfare, where two most illustrious and immortal generals, each in his sphere, display supreme wisdom, consummate prudence, and invincible courage in concerting their plans, and executing their opposite designs. They have been concentrating immense armies for many years together, which they now marshal and confront to each other in battle-array. The vanguard of the Lord's army consists of many divisions, such as Bible societies, Missions among the Heathen, Tract-associations, Itinerant preachers, Sunday schools, and revivals of religion in every part of the world; all of which will have assumed a sublime stand and portentous aspect in those days. But the great Enemy of God and man, will be no less formidable in his forces. His van consists of that flood of deistical writings, which has issued forth, in every shape, from the press since the days of Voltaire; of all those deistical and political societies, breeding apostacy & revolutions over all christendom; of the host engaged in defence of the Papal hierarchy, and the numerous body that will compose the false prophet, or support the beast from the bottomless pit. These advance-guards have had many partial engagements during the last thirty years, in which victory was often doubtful, sometimes on one side or the other, and often claimed by both. Satan has all along been afraid to risk a general engagement in close combat, for want of generals of sufficient capacity under his command. These he will find in the false prophet, and in the ten-horned beast; whom he will arm with a supernatural influence, such as hell may afford, before this tremendous conflict will be finally decided on the theatre of the world. Thus prepared, the great enemy will once more step forward with all the confidence and assurance, which the greatest abilities and an intrepid army can inspire; and

as it appears, would meet with final success, were it not for the supernatural interposition and manifestation of the Lord. To this all important point of time, St. John is now arrived in the course of this prophecy. The great harlot is judged, the bride of the Lamb hath made herself ready, the manly-son is of age to administer the government of nations, and the beast of the abyss rages with unspeakable fury.

I saw heaven opened. This the holy prophet beheld by way of vision, and not in the same manner as it will actually take place on the day of completion. Heaven in this prophecy often signifies the Church; but here, where the word heaven is put in opposition to the kingdom and coalition of the beast from the bottomless pit, and in connexion with the manifestation of the King of kings with many crowns, it must be taken in a more restricted sense to signify that recently established, or reformed kingdom of faithful confessors, of which we have spoken in the 6th verse. The opening of this heaven probably signifies a powerful manifestation of the presence of the Lord, and of his royal priesthood among this people. We must not expect that this vision will be accomplished in a day; for this prophecy often mentions in a few words, what will require years in its completion. This vision is to be considered in connexion with the last words of the preceding 6th verse, and as a continuation of the same subject ; for the marriage of the Lamb is certainly posterior to the battle at Armageddon, in which this vision terminates.

And behold a white horse. White horses are emblems of victory, conquest and succeeding prosperity. See chap. VI, 1. in this Exposition. This white horse refers to the great success of Christ's personal kingdom, which the Lord has now began to establish under a different order of things in the world, by the agency of the Manly-son at its head, who appears to act by divine inspiration like Moses at the head of Israel, or by the indications of an

Urim and Thummim as under the high-priest, by the immediate direction of Christ. Exod. xxvIII, 30. Numb. XXVII, 21. 2 Sam. II, 1. 1 Sam. xxx, 8. This is the reason, why the history of the manly-son is here so closely interwoven with the prophecy of the Lord's second advent; and why all is thus ascribed to the Lord himself, which he will effect by that government indicated by the iron-sceptre, chap. XII.

And he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True. Here that noble conqueror, who set out chap. VI, 1. with only one crown, in token of his overthrow of Judaism, now again returns after many glorious conquests of principalities, republics, kingdoms and empires; all of which have since become christian, and parts of his universal kingdom; for which reason his head is now decked with many crowns and ensigns of glory. It is the Lord Jesus Christ, who now upon his return receives these titles from his own people, of being faithful and true. He has proven himself faithful, by fulfilling his promisses to them in his return; and true, by establishing his kingdom as it had been predicted by his servants and himself.

In righteousness he doth judge and make war. He judges with righteousness, for that is the sceptre of his kingdom, Ps. XLV, 1-7. and the girdle of his loins, Isa. XI, 4. 5; this he has shown in all his judgments on cities, kingdoms and nations. But he also makes war in righteousness, by marching forth his people in those days, under the sceptre of the manly-son, to behold his judgments on the beast and his coalition at Armageddon; where there will be no more than a righteous retaliation for

+Urim signifies lights, and Thummim perfections, two Hebrew words. It was a divine virtue and power annexed to the breast-plate of the high priest, by means of which, the Lord answered to questions of high importance to the nation, in a clear and perspicuous manner. Frant in pectorali illo summi sacerdotis Vet. Test. peculiaria indicia voluntatis divinæ, quæ per gemmas 12 cognosci potuerunt.

those cruel and bloody persecutions of the saints and witnesses of Christ, and for their opposition to his kingdom.

His eyes were as a flame of fire, which may indicate his omniscience, and fierce anger against his enemies on, the day of wrath. Blessed is he who can behold them with a cheerful eye! whose conscience speaks peace to his soul on that occasion.

On his head many crowns. This is an allusion to the custom of oriental princes, who wore the crowns of vanquished kings on their days of triumph. II Sam. XII, 30. I Maccab. XI, 18. He will have many more, after his whole plan is accomplished, chap. x1, 15.

He had a name written that no man knew but he himself. This hieroglyphic name appears to be different, from those names mentioned in verses 11. 13 and 16; all three we know, for they are here expressed, but this name no man knows except he himself. It may probably indicate the execution of a new scheme during his Millennian reign, as yet beyond the reach of our anticipation; or it may refer to his state of relation with the invisible world, and be only legible to spirits and saints in heaven.

A vesture dipped in blood, either in his own blood when he died for us on Golgotha, or rather in the blood of his enemies, during the time he executed his judgments against the whore and her accomplices. It is, no doubt, an allusion to Isa. LXIII, 1. 2. 3. where the LXX read egvInpa μalia, the Vulgate tinctis vestibus, and some moderns trabeatus veste, robes of triumph made of purple, in which kings anciently celebrated their victories, and refers to a great slaughter.

His name is called The Word of God. We meet with this name of our Lord Jesus Christ in none of the inspired writings, except in those of St. John the Evangelist, Jonh 1, 1-14. I John 1, 1. v, 7; the other passages, Hebrews rv, 12. Act. xx, 32. Luke 1, 2. where this word is said to occur in the same signification, are not so

ο λόγος,

certain. It is agreed on all sides that the original 200s, ratio, sermo, verbum, signifies both the internal and external word; the conception in the mind, and its external representation by expression or communication to others. Christ is called the Logos of God in regard to his divine nature, being begotten in the eternal mind of the Father from eternity to eternity, in a similar manner as a thought is produced in the human mind, which is the birth, the son and image of our mind, immaterial, an inconceivable mystery, and yet real, and actually present to our consciousness, and co-existent with our souls. This name also indicates his state of essential relations between God and the universe; being the omnipotent λoyos, or word, by which the eternal mind called all things into existence, and its essential and only organ, of all revelation and manifestation of the Deity and his will to his creatures. Hebrew 1, 1. 2. Gen. 111, 8. Acts vII, 38. Isa. XLVIII, 16. LII, 10.*

*The origin of this phrase, as an appropriate name of the Son of God, is involved in a considerable degree of darkness. Some authors deduce it from the Hebrew DABAR, which signifies Word, and is used in this sense, Ps. xxxIII, 6. Gen. 1, 1 3. 6. as also from the Chaldean version of the Old Testament, in which the Targumists often translate the word Jehovah by Memra, the word, or Memra Jak the word of the Lord. I doubt whether the Jews ever used the word DABAR in this sense, before their return from the Babylonish captivity; but since that period they used it often. It is evidently used in this sense by the Targumists, Plato and his followers, the Hellenistic Jews (see Philo Alexand.) the Gnostic sects, (See Clemens of Allex.) Cerinthus, and the Jewish cabalists. But from whence did it originate and obtain such a general use? In my opinion from the Chaldean philoso phy and the Zend-Avesta of Zoroaster, where it was used in such a sacred sense, long before these sects existed. See Zend-Avesta T. Пll p. 340. 674. 761. 792. It is there said to have been from the beginning in God, abiding in him to all eternity and is personified as his image as having life in itself, self-existence, indissolvable union with God, and an object of divine worship.