12 / 1060
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 up-
on 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,
(by
which Hi!av.:n is
here meapt, as often elfewhere it is) the place of
Johtls
Vifion ; and in t(!e Air
a
Door 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_
.of
hi<
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 New
Te–
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 Church
of 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