all the earth drunken: the nations bave drunken of her wine, therefore the nations are mad. As by the first angel calling upon men to worship God, we understand the opposers of the worship of images in the eighth and ninth centuries, fo by this fecond angel proclaming the fall of myftic Babylon or Rome, we understand particularly (4) Peter Valdo and those who concurred with him the Waldenfes and Albigenfes; who were the firft heralds, as I may fay, of this proclamation, as they first of all in the twelfth century pronounced the church of Rome to be the apocalyptic Babylon, the mother of harlots and abominations of the earth; and for this cause not only departed from her communion themselves, but engaged great numbers also to follow their example, and laid the first foundations of the Reformation. Rome then began to fall; and as the ruin of Babylon was completed by degrees, fo likewife will that of Rome; and these holy confeffors and martyrs first paved the way to it. 9 And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man (4) Mede p. 517, 722, &c. Fred. Spanhem. Hift. Chriftian. Sæc.12.Cap.6.--receffifle a doctrina et praxi recepta Romanæ worship worship the beaft and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, 10 The fame fhall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he fhall be tormented with fire and brimstone, in the prefence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: II And the fmoke of their torment afcendeth up for ever and ever, and they have no reft day nor night, who worship the beaft and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name. 12 Here is the patience of the faints: here are they that keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jefus. 13 And I heard a voice from heaven, faying unto me, Write, Bleffed are the dead which die in the Lord, from hence forth, Yea, faith the Spirit, that they may reft from their labours, and their works do follow them. But hæc dogmata ferebantur; Eccle- bylonicam meretricem effe, &c. fiam Romanam, quoniam veræ p. 221. Edit. Buckley. Chrifti fidei renunciaverit, Ba But not only the capital city, not only the principal agents and promoters of idolatry, fhall be destroyed; the commiffion of the third angel reacheth farther, and extends to all the subjects of the beaft, whom he configns over to everlafting punishment. (ver. 9, 10, 11.) And the third angel followed them, faying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beaft and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead or in his hand, if any man embrace and profess the religion of the beast, or what is the fame, the religion of the pope; the fame ball drink of the wine of the wrath of God, or rather of the poisonous wine of God. His punishment fhall correfpond with his crime. As he drank of the poisonous wine of Babylon, fo he fhall be made to drink of the poisonous wine of God, T xExεpaoμeve angats, which is poured out without mixture, or rather which is mixt unmixt, the poisonous ingredients being stronger when mixt with mere or unmixt wine, in the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. By this third angel following the others with a loud voice we understand principally Martin Luther and his fellow-reformers, who with a loud voice protefted against all the corruptions of the church of Rome, and declared them to be deftructive of falvation to all who ftill obftinately continue in the practice and profeffion of them. This would be a time of great trial. (ver. 12.) Here is the patience of the faints; here are they who keep the commandments of God, and the faith of fefus. And it is very well known, that this was a time of great trial and perfecution; the Reformation was not introduced and established without much bloodshed; there were many martyrs in every country. But they are comforted with a folemn declaration from heaven. (ver. 13.) And I heard a voice from heaven Saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord, from henceforth, if they die in the faith and obedience of Chrift, and more efpecially if they die martyrs for his fake: Yea, faith the Spirit, that they may reft from their labors, for immediately upon their deaths they enter into reft; and their works do follow them, they enjoy now fome recompense, and in due time, at the day of judgment, they shall receive the full reward of their good works. It is most probable that St. John alluded to a paffage in Isaiah, where the Spirit hath made the like declaration; (LVII. 1, 2.) The · righteous perifbeth, and no man layeth it to heart; and merciful men are taken away, none confidering that the righteous is taken away from the evil to come: He fhall enter into peace: they shall rest in their beds, each one walking in his uprightness. But the greatest difficulty of all is to account for the words from henceforth; for why should the blessednefs of the dead who die in the Lord be reftrained to this time, and commence from this period. rather than from any other, when they are at all times and in all periods equally blessed, and not more fince this time than before? Commentators are here very much at a lofs, and offer little or nothing that is fatisfactory: but the difficulty in great measure ceafes, if we apply this prophecy, as I think it should be applied, to the Reformation. For from that time, tho' the bleffednefs of the dead who die in the Lord hath not been inlarged, yet it hath been much better understood, more clearly written and promulgated than it was before, and the contrary doctrin of purgatory hath been exploded and banished from the belief of all reasonable men. This truth was moreover one of the leading principles of the Reformation. What first voked Luther's fpirit was the fcandalous fale of indulgences; and the doctrin of indulgences having a close connexion with the doctrin of purgatory, the refutation of the one naturally led him to the refutation of the other; and his (5) first work of reformation was his (5) Sleidan's Hift. of the Reform. B. 1. Ann. 1517. Fa ther Paul's Hift. 95 pro thefes or pofitions of the Ccun1. Sect. 18. Span |