Chapter II
The exposition of the 15th chapter.
THE Holy Ghost having thus first of all shewn how the reformation from
Popery was to be brought about and churches erected, he here beginneth to
set before us the uniform state of believers in this temple, and the several
degrees of their ruining the false church, by several vials; and this, as set
together in one continued view throughout all these times, from the first
separation from Popery until Christ s kingdom. Concerning which, in gene
ral, I shall premise three things.
First, The difference between their condition here and the condition of the
churches under the dark times of Popery, as is uniformly described chap,
xiv. 1-G. And observe this difference in these four particulars
1. Those, chap, xiv., were virgins, but not separate; but these here stand
alone in a temple by themselves, washing themselves from the defilement of
Popery, as being separated therefrom.
2. Those sung a new song confusedly ; but these sing the song of Moses and
the Lamb that is, the law and the gospel distinctly.
3. Those there stood naked upon the hill of Sion, as it was ere a temple was reared upon it ; but these here are gathered into a temple, and roofed
over their heads.
4. Those sung their song in Egypt ; but these are come out of Egypt, and
so sing Moses s song.
The second thing to be premised is, that these seven angels and their vials, and this company here, are in the general description of them, or in that
preface to their description prefixed, ver. 1, called a sign, great and marvel
lous, and another sign.
1. It is called a sign. A sign is always a forerunner of something to
come. Now, what it is that is here pointed at as to come, ver. 5 tells us ;
namely, that after these things, that is, after these vials, the temple of
the tabernacle of the testimony was opened in heaven. So then, these vials,
they are the sign of that glorious holy of holies which John saw was to come
< temple
after them ; or they are the sign of the New Jerusalem, for by that
of the tabernacle of the testimony is that state meant, and also of Christ s
coming ; and so they are that sign of the Son of man spoken of Matt,
xxiv. And these plagues do here go before him, as in like manner the pro
phets use to describe his progress with plagues and pestilence before him. And therefore, if you observe it, just when the last vial approacheth, chap,
xvi. lo, then warning is given, Behold, I come as a thief, &c.
2. It is called another sign : for that sign, chap, xii., was the sign of the
devil s being thrown down in heathenism ; but this, of the devil s throwing down out of Popery, and Christ s coming to set up his kingdom. So that we of this age do indeed stand in the midst of the times of these vials, and
CHAP. II] AN EXPOSITION OF THE REVELATION.
so may see how much. of Christ s train is gone before, and what is to come
hereafter, himself being to come in the rear of all.
The third thing to be premised and observed is, that they are calle
last plagues.
Christ had three sorts of enemies to subdue, by three several sorts o\
. Satan and his false worship, together with the heathenish empire ;
which he. despatched by the six seals, chap. vi.
2 The Roman empire ; which he ruined by the six trumpets.
3. The Pope in the west, and the Turk in the east, who succeeded in the
place of the Roman (both eastern and western) empire ; and for these he hath
prepared seven vials. And because thesfe are the last enemies, therefore
these vials are called the last plagues.
Thus much in general ; now more particularly to descend to the several
contents of this chapter.
There are two things which are more eminently presented to our view in
this 15th chapter
First, The church or company of believers standing in the temple, d
scribed ver. 2-5, and ver. 8.
Secondly, The angels, who are executioners of the vials out ot tnat t smpie,
described ver. 6-8.
First, For the company from among whom the angels come :-
< continually filled with
1 They have a temple over their heads, as ver. 8,
smoke: as at the first dedication of Moses s tabernacle, Exod. xL 34, 65-
and at the dedication of Solomon s temple, which was a larger edition o:
that which Moses had given the pattern of, 1 Kings viii. 16. To shew tJ
dining the vials there should be new erections, and editions, and reforma
tions of the temple ; unto all which God still gives the testimony o
Tu When that first separation from Popery was made, and true churches
were set up by the Waldenses, and smoke filled their temples.
(2.) In the Reformation made by Luther and Calvin there was a further
edition of the temple, and smoke did afresh fill it also.
(3.) In the llth chapter, ver. 1, you will meet with another reformation,
and casting away the outward court ; and smoke will afresh fill those new-
measured temples also : God still giving new testimonies of his presence, as
new editions of purer churches do come forth.
2 Their station in this temple is upon a sea of glass; which as you
heard out of the 4th chapter, was an allusion to that brazen sea in which the
priests washed themselves : to shew that this company of believers, from out
of which the vials do come, should be such as should still more and more
purify themselves afresh in their several ages from those defilements of doc
trine and worship which Antichrist had brought into the church And they,
in their several successions, discovering new and further defilements, are
therefore still presented as coming forth fresh and anew out of the s
glass; and accordingly are presented standing upon the brim as 1
come out from washing themselves, and so growing purer and purer, until
they become a bride fcdly prepared for their Lord and King.
3. They are also presented as victors and conquerors,-for such through
pouring forth these 4ls, they do become,-and in the end shall Mly prevail
over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number
of his name; which are several degrees of Popery and antichristiamsm
whereof some are more gross and some more refined. All which they in HJ
94 AN EXPOSITION OF THE REVELATION. [PART II.
manner do by degrees, in their several successions, go on to discover and to overcome ; until by that time that these vials are all poured out, they have got a full and perfect conquest over all. And therefore, in this general description, they are set forth as those that had such a full conquest ; for that, take them
first and last, they shall have a perfect and complete victory over all these. The meaning is not, as Mr Brightman understands it, that this company had
first got a complete victory over all these before the vials began ; but this is
spoken of the whole company and succession of them first and last conjunc
tively, the intendment being to give a general description of them, and to
set down what they should do and accomplish by that time their whole time
is expired, and to shew how, by that time they shall have poured out their
vials, they shall obtain the victory. Thus, in like manner of speech, it is
said, ver. 1, that in them is filled up, or fulfilled, the wrath of God ; ex-
pleta est ira Dei. Which is spoken as if it were already accomplished and
fulfilled ; but the meaning is, that by that time they are all emptied, the wrath of God will be thoroughly exercised and fulfilled through them and by them. And so doth this here note out, not a full victory before the vials, but a complete victory in and through the pouring out of these vials; and
that this company, ere the time of the vials is fully expired, obtains it. For the vials are themselves the means by which they do overcome ; and for each
degree of which victory they sing a triumphant song.
4. These sing the song of Moses : for the former of the vials are allusions
to the plagues of Egypt ; and by that time that the fifth vial comes they will have drowned the Egyptians in the Red Sea, and so will sing that song, Exod. xv. And after that they will sing the song of the Lamb, even his
marriage-song, as in the 19th chapter, (which comes in after the funeral-
song of the city of Rome, or the fifth vial in chap, xviii.,) ver. 6, 7, Let us be glad and rejoice, for the marriage of the Lamb is come ; that is, is
approaching. Or this song may refer to the doctrine of the gospel, which now began to be taught among them more clearly ; for Moses s song, Deut. xxxii., was doctrinal; and so in the Old Testament it was ordinary to
utter matters of doctrine in songs. And thus in this book the doctrine of the church is still expressed, and is called a song. And so whereas, during the dark times of Popery, they sung as it were a new song, differing from
Popish doctrine, yet so confusedly that none could learn it, as chap. xiv. 3 : now they have the everlasting gospel to preach, as chap. xiv. 6, and they sing Moses s song and the Lamb s distinctly ; they preach the law and the
gospel clearly and rightly, and make manifest his dixaiuftara, which we
translate judgments, but signifies his justifications (as Rom. viii. 4) of poor sinners made manifest, as ver. 4. The doctrine of justification by Christ being eminently revealed and made known in the time of these vials, and the works of redemption most clearly manifested.
And, moreover, these do also set up Christ, both in himself and in his re
lations to his church; as calling him
1. The Lord Almighty ; 2. King of Saints ; 3. The only Holy One. And
1. As the only ruler and lord of his church ; 2. And king that must give laws unto it ; 3. As the fountain of all grace and holiness : in a word, as a God only to be believed in and worshipped, as being only and alone holy. They magnify nor saints, nor temples, nor the Pope; no, nor any creature
whatsoever. For so, Jer. x. 7, the like speech is uttered in opposition to all
false gods ; and therefore, say they, Who will not fear thee ? or worship
thee, and that according to thine own ways prescribed in thy word, and not
CHAP. II.] AN EXPOSITION OF THE REVELATION. 05
according to men s inventions. Just, and true, and righteous are thy ways/ that is part of their song, and all superstitions and human inventions in
worship are false. So says David, I hate every evil way, but thy law do I
love, as being only true and righteous, Ps. cxix. Thus much for their song. Secondly, The description of these angels, and their preparations to pour out their vials, you have from ver. 6 of this loth chapter to the end, as you have the execution and pouring out of their vials in the 16th chapter.
The angels are described as clothed in white, as priests, and girt with a
golden girdle of alacrity, strength, sincerity, and truth ; for in Scripture men
are said to be girt with all these. And one of the four beasts that is, of the
officers of the churches, whose mouths in praying the officers still are is said to give these vials unto these angels, in that theirs and the church s prayers do fill up these vials in their several successions. And the plagues they execute are said to be in vials, both because the prayers of the saints do fill up the wrath poured out, for, chap, v., the vials are interpreted the prayers of the saints, and also in allusion to the expression in the Old Testament., where God s wrath is described by a cup or vial in the hand of the Lord ; as often in the Psalms you have it. And Home s sin being expressed by a cup of abomination in her hands, her plagues are therefore fitly expressed by vials and cups of wrath, irresistibly poured out upon their heads from heaven. And they are said to be filled with the wrath of God, that liveth
for ever and ever, for that these plagues are spiritual as well as corporal, as I shall shew, and are but the beginnings of an everlasting wrath, as that
fire from heaven upon the Sodomites is said to be an everlasting fire, and so
called by Jude.
( out of the temple ; that is, out of the church or churches then erected. Which because it follows the mention of
Again, these vials are said to come
the opening the temple of the tabernacle in heaven, therefore some have mistaken it, as if these angels had come out of the temple of the testimony/ mentioned ver. 5 : whereas that temple there is, by way of distinction, called
the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony, even the holy of holies ; and
the opening of that temple, not spoken in relation unto the angels coming
out, as opening upon their coming forth, but for the discovery of the ark,, as you have it interpreted under the seventh trumpet, chap. xi. 19, in allusion
to the holy of holies, which was kept veiled. Now, by that llth chapter,
it evidently appears that the vials are poured out before the opening of this
tabernacle of the testimony in heaven. For, ver. 5, 6, you read of four
vials before the killing of the witnesses ; and the fifth vial is after their
rising ; and the passing away of the second woe is the sixth vial ; and then the seventh vial and the seventh trumpet are all one, as hath been often times shewed ; and then comes the tabernacle of the testimony, or holy of
holies, to be opened, and the ark to be discovered and seen in it, ver. 19 of
that chapter. And in like manner here also, the opening of this tabernacle-
is said to be /J.BTK ravra, after these things, that is, after these vials, which
is a phrase in this book always noting out things in a several succession-
performed, and a differing vision, as chap. iv. 1, and chap. vii. 9 ; and the mention of it comes in here only to shew the event of these vials. The
temple therefore that these angels come out of is at the purest but the
temple of priests ; and yet filled with smoke from the glory and power of God/ it betokening his special, glorious, and powerful presence in and with the church during the time of the vials, which the smoke that filled the
temple at the dedication was a sign of. And this smoke here implies, and
is the sign of, three things
06 AX EXPOSITION OF THE REVELATION. [PART IL
1. Of God s presence in tliese churches j so, Isa. iv. 5, under the allusion
to the smoke in the temple, God s presence in his assemblies under the New Testament is there spoken of. And here it is interpreted the glory of
the Lord : for so it follows, the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of the Lord ; that is, his glorious presence, which, Isa. vi. 1, is said to fill the
temple.
2. Of God s defence and protection of his church ; and therefore it is here
( and from the power of the Lord. So that none can enter in
also added,
to hurt them within the temple. And thus also, Isa. iv. 5, the smoke is
interpreted a defence ; and, ver. 6, there is said to be a covert and a refuge from the storm, &c.
3. Of offence also to their enemies. So in the 18th Psalm, smoke is made
a sign of God s anger and wrath ; a smoke ascended in his anger. And
so> whereas it is said, that no man was able to enter into the temple, one
probable meaning of that expression, to me, is, that whereas God poured forth upon the enemies of his church vials of wrath, and these plagues were
rained abroad upon them, against which this temple, as was said, was the
only refuge and covert, men still using to fly unto the temple, and to the
horns of the altar, as being their sanctuary, God in his just judgment
hardeneth, and so keepeth those his enemies of the Popish party from
joining themselves to this his temple ; so that they, through the obdurate-
ness of their hearts, of which you may still read in the vials, are not able
to enter into it, and so perish, and are destroyed by these plagues. And whereas it is said, they entered not in till the seven plagues were ful
filled, the meaning is, that they never entered ; as, Gen. viii. 7, and Psalm
cxii. 8, and Acts iii. 21,* until is put for never.
* Perhaps more apposite passages than any of these would be Psalm ex. 1, and Matt,
i. 25. ED.
CHAP. III.] AN EXPOSITION OF THE REVELATION. 97