2 ruin ExPOSITION •~ in Comedies of old): So in this Chapter the Apofile bath the .Vifion of the P~Scene, Theatre; or Stage, namely, the Church of Chrift, in a general view, L throughout a)! Ages, prefented ; the Members whereof are the Chor~s, who upon any great or folemn occafion, give their Plapdite or Acclamation of Glory unto God; So the four Beafts, and four and twenty Elders, you may in this Book often obferve to do. And then, as in fuch Shews and Reprefentations, there uled to be a Prologue, fo Chap. 5· you have as artificial a Prologue acted, as any in any Poem : from whence (Chap. 6.) the Reprefentation of the Story of things begins. ' T'oj. 1. Ver. I. John is caUed up fro.m the Earth into the Air, (bywhich Hi!av.:n is here meapt, as often elfewhere it is) the place of Johtls Vifion ; and in t(!e Air aDoor feemed to O?.'n, in at which pe entring, fees the Sigh" following. Verf. 2. Verf. 2. And immediately I WM in the Spirit.] The Phrafe [in the Spirit] is like to that, when we fay, a Man is in Love, or a Mill is faid to be in theWind; as noting out fuch a repletion, or filling with the Spirit, a• poiTeifed, and took up all the Powers of his Soul to attend this Vifion : it filled all, it carried all in him unto the thing in band, and wholly acted his Faculties by a fupernatural Motion of the'Spirit, fo that his Underll:anding and Senfes acted not in their na– tural way, but as moved by the Spirit. Now this his being in the Spirit was extraordinary, and to an extraordinary purpofe, even to fee thefe Vifions, and by the Holy Ghoft to write them: yet to us it lhould be ordinary, fo far as in our ordinary courfe, to walk in the Spirit, and be in the Spirit; that is, to giv~ up our Selves, our Powers and Faculties, to the Spirit's Rule and Guidance, fo that he 01ould move all Wheels in us. Objirvat.r. Now from this [immediately] obferve, That a believing Soul may prefently be in the Spirit; he foon and fuddenly comes upon a Man. The Vi!ion that follows, is of the Church, which is made the Scene of all things prophefied ofin this Book ;for all things done,are either for it or concern– ing ir. And thougp Paifages ofJudgments on the World are recorded,yet for the Churches fake they are recorded, and are done as by God out of the Church. Now this Vi!ion of the Throne, Beaf'ts, and Eld'ers, is a Reprefentation of the Church (wherein God bath his Throne) of Men on Earth, Univerfal in all Ages ; fet forth according to the Form or P.attern of Inftitntion of a Church, into which all Saints on Earth lhould be moulded. To prove this in the feveral parts of it: I. It is a Repreftntation of the Church: For, r. In the Church only is God worlhipped; as here, verf. 8, 9, Io. In the Church only is God known; and there they f}cak_ .ofhi< Glory, Pfal.29·9· 2. The Throne here is evidently God's Seat in his Temple the Church : So Chap. I 6. I 7. A Voice came from the Temple, from the Throne, &c. 0 . Accordingly the Allufion in this Vifion is to Solomon's Temple, and to the Tabernacle, which were the Types of the Church to come, under the NewTe– frament. Therefore God here fits on a Throne, as he did then in the Holy of Holies : and there are feven Golden Lamps here, as there the Candlef!ick ; and a Sea of Glafs here to walh in, as there was there one of Brafs : All Ornaments and Utenftls of that Temple typifYing forth ours. Il. It is the Reprefentation of a Churchof Men, not Angels. For, r. thefe Elders and Bea{ls fing, that they are redeemed by the Blood of the Lamb; which the Angels were not, Chap. 5· 9· And, 2. verf.I J. the Angels are reckoned dif!intt from thefe Elders and Beall:s, and are faid to be about them: as alfo Chap. 7· rr. llf. It is of the Church of Men dn Earth: For, I. the Allu!ion is to the madhalling of the Church of the Jews about the Tabernacle; as !hall be lhown. 2, Here
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