Ch. i ò. Thefeven Thunders. Revel C H A P. X. L A ND I faw another mighty an- gel come down from Heaven, clothed with a cloud, and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as it were the fun, and his feet as pil- lars of fire. r. The circumltances defcribe the Glory of this Angel, which Come take for Chrift, and fome for a proper Angel. 2. And he had in his hand a little book open : and he fet his right foot upon the Tea, and his left foot on the earth. a. The plain fenfe is, that he lhew'd the univerfality of his commiftond power, (Sea and Land comprehending the World below) and that the eoakwas the Decreeof God com- mitted tohim to execute. But the conjethur'd fenfe is manifold : Some fay it was God's De- cree to deltroy Yerufalem, and that Sea and Land was Galilee and ytedea : And others,. that it was God's Decree to deftroy the Roman Hea- then Power, and deliver his Servants ; And others, that it was his Decree to deftroy the Papacy, and reform and deliver the Church : And others, that it was his Decree to deltroy all bppreflingPowers, and fet upChritt's thou- fand years reign in Righteoufirefs: And others, that it was his Decree to end the World, and come in Judgment. 3. And cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roareth : and when he had cried, feven thunders uttered their voices. 3. His. terrible AfpeEt and Cry, was to pre- pare fora progreffhve encreafe ofthe Plagues, ugnifiedby feven Thunders, which are louder thanTrumpets. 4. And when the feven thunders had uttered their voices, I was about to write : and I heard a voice from Heaven, fayingunto me, feal up thofe things which the feven thunders utte- red, and write them not. 4. Say Tome, Becaufe the Plagues are fo grievous, that (on yerufalem, fay force ; on the Empire, fay others ; on the Papacy, fayothers) they fhall be known byExperience, and not by Words. Therefore write them not (at all, fay Tome ; ornot yet, fay others.) 5. And the angel which I law (land upon the fea, and upon the earth, lift- ed up his hand to heaven. 6. And ation. The Book, &c: Ch. I e fware by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven and the things that therein are, and the earth and the things that therein are, and the feaand the things that are therein, that there flaould be time no longer. 7. But in the days of the voice of the feventh angel, when he mall begin to found, the myflery ofGod Should be finifhed, as he hath declared tohis fer vants the prophets. 5, 6, 7. He fware by God, that therefhould be no longer delay ; that is, fay fonte of the Deftruiion of the Gems, but till..4drian'stime ; or, as others, of the Ruin oftheRoman Empire; or, as others, of the churches Deliverance from Popery and Perfecution , or. as others,that there foal' be no longer durationof this World, but that at the feventh Trumpet God's decreed Judgments fhall be accomplith'd. Or, as Lira, that the ,ArrianHerefie Ihould no longer pro. fper. 8. And the voice which I heard from Heaven fpake untome again, and faid,Go and take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel which ¡landed] upon the fea, and upon the earth. 9. And I went unto the angel, and faid unto him, Give me the little book : and he faid unto me, Take it, and eat it up, and it fhall make thy belly bitter, but it Mall be in thy mouth Tweet as honey. S, 9. The Voicebid me take the Book, &c. and I ask'd the Angel for it, who bid nie eat. it, dre. It Shall be pteafant to thee, to know what will be as News, but bitter to know filch heavy things: or, it will be fweet to thee to foreknow the Churches Deliverance, but bitter to know the dreadful Judgments that of let ir, (againfi theyews, fay Tome; the RomanEmpire, fay others ; the Papal Church, fay others, tire.) so. And I took the little book out ofthe angeI's hand , and ate it up, and it was in any mouth Tweet as honey: and as foon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter. to. The Mercy reveal'd in it was lwest, but the dreadful Judgments of Bloodshed bitter. r r. And he Paid unto nie, Thou muff prophefie again before many people, and nations, and tongues, and kings. t I. SayCome, when Taus bath deftroy'd ye- ruf:lem, there is more for thee to prophefie of which I Á
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