4 And the four and twenty an- diadems, and he had a name writ· cients, and the four living crea- ten, which no man knoweth bu tures fell down and adored God himself.

18 That you may eat the flesh 10 And 1 fell down before his of kings, and the flesh of tribunes, feet, to adore him. And he saith and the flesh of mighty men, and to me: See thou do it not: I am the flesh of horses, and of them that thy fellow-servant, and of thy bre- sit on them, and the flesh of all thren who have the testimony of freemen and bondmen, and of litJESUS. Adore God. For the tes-tle and of great. timony of JESUS is the spirit of prophecy.

20 And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet, who 12 And his eyes were as a flame wrought signs before him, whereof fire, and on his head were many with he seduced them who received

Ver. 10. Ifell down, &c. St. Augustine (1. 20. contra Faust. c. 21.) is of opinion, that this angel appeared in so glorious a manner, that St. John took him to be God; and there. fore would have given him divine honour, had not the angel stopt him, by telling him he was but his fellow servant. St. Gregory (Hom. 8. in Evang.) rather thinks, that the veneration offered by St. John, was not divine honour, or indeed any other than what might lawfully be given; but was nevertheless refused by the angel, in consideration of the dignity to which our human nature had been raised, by the incarnation of the Son of God; and the dignity of St. John, an apostle, prophet, and martyr. So far at least is certain, that the saint knew his duty too well to offer the angel any idolatrous or superstitious worship

the character of the beast, and who adored his image. These two were cast alive into the pool of fire burning with brimstone.

21 And the rest were slain by the sword of him that sitteth upon the horse, which proceedeth out of his mouth and all the birds were filled with their flesh.

CHAP. XX. Satan is bound for a thousand years. AND I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit, and a great chain in his hand.

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7 And when the thousand years shall be finished, satan shall be loosed out of his prison, and shall go forth and seduce the nations, which are over the four quarters of the earth, Gog, and Magog, and shall gather them together to battle, the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.

8 And they came upon the breadth of the earth, and encompassed the camp of the saints, and the beloved

city.

9 And there came down fire from God out of heaven, and devoured 2 And he laid hold on the dragon, them and the devil, who seduced the old serpent, which is the devil them, was cast into the pool of fire and satan, and bound him for a and brimstone, where both the thousand years.

3 And he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should no more seduce the nations, till the thousand years be finished. And after that, he must be loosed a little time.

beast

10 And the false prophet shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

11 And I saw a great white throne, and one sitting upon it, from whose face the earth and heaven fled away, and there was no placé found for them.

4 And I saw seats: and they set upon them and judgment was 12 And I saw the dead great given unto them: and the souls of and small, standing in the presence them that were beheaded for the of the throne, and the books were testimony of JESUS, and for the opened and another book was word of God, and who had not adored the beast nor his image, nor received his character on their foreheads, or in their hands, and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.

5 The rest of the dead lived not, till the thousand years were finish ed. This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection. In these the second death hath no power; but they shall be priests of God and of Christ: and shall reign with him a thousand years.

opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged by those things which were written in the books, according to their works.

13 And the sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and hell gave up their dead that were in them; and they were judged every one according to their works.

14 And hell and death were cast into the pool of fire. This is the second death.

15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life, was cast 'into the pool of fire.

Ver. 2. Bound him for a thousand years. The power of Satan has been very much abridged by the passion of Christ; for a thousand years; that is, for the whole time of the new testament; but especially from the time of the destruction of Babylon or pagan Rome, ull the new efforts of Gog and Magog against the church, towards the end of the world. During which time the souls of the martyrs and saints live and reign with Christ in heaven, in the first resurrection, which is that of the soul to the life of glory: as the second resin. rection will be that of the body, at the day of the general, judgment.

CHAP. XXI.

The New Jerusalem described.

to a great and high mountain : and he shewed me the holy city Jerusa

A new earth, for the first heaven, from God,

ND I saw a new heaven and a lem coming down out of heaven

and the first earth was gone, and the sea is now no more.

11 Having the glory of God, and the light thereof was like to a precious stone, as to the jasper-stone, even as chrystal.

2 And 1 John saw the holy city the new Jerusalem coming down out of heaven, from God, prepared 12 And it had a wall great and as a bride adorned for her husband. high, having twelve gates, and in 8 And I heard a great voice from the gates twelve angels, and names the throne saying: Behold the ta- written thereon, which are the bernacle of God with men, and he names of the twelve tribes of the will dwell with them. And they children of Israel. shall be his people: and God himself with them shall be their God.

13 On the east, three gates: and on the north, three gates and on the south, three gates and on the west, three gates.

4 And God shall, wipe away all tears from their eyes and death shall be no more, nor mourning, 14 And the wall of the city had nor crying, nor sorrow shall be any twelve foundations, and in them, more, for the former things are the twelve names of the twelve passed away. apostles of the lamb.

5 And he that sat on the throne, 15 And he that spoke with me, said: Behold, I make all things had a measure of a reed, of gold, new. And he said to me: Write, to measure the city and the gates for these words are most faithful thereof, and the wall. and true.

6 And he said to me: It is done; I am alpha and omega: the beginning and the end. To him that thirsteth I will give of the fountain of the water of life, freely.

16 And the city lieth in a foursquare, and the length thereof is as great as the breadth and he measured the city with the golden reed for twelve thousand furlongs, and the length and the height and the breadth thereof are equal.

17 And he measured the wall thereof an hundred forty-four cubits, the measure of a man which is of an angel.

7 He that shall overcome, shall possess these things, and I will be his God: and he shall be my son. 8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and 18 And the building of the wall sorcerers, and idolaters, and all thereof was of jasper-stone: but liars, they shall have their portion the city itself pure gold, like to in the pool burning with fire and clear glass. brimstone, which is the second 19 And the foundations of the death. wall of the city were adorned with 9 And there came one of the se-all manner of precious stones. The ven angels, who had the vials full first foundation, was jasper: the of the seven last plagues, and spoke second, sapphire; the third, a chalwith me, saying: Come, and Icedony: the fourth, an emerald: will shew thee the bride, the wife 20 The fifth, sardonix: the sixth, of the Lamb. sardius: the seventh, chrysolite : the eighth, beryl: the ninth, a topaz:

10 And he took me up in spirit

Ver. 1. The first heaven, and the first earth was gone, being changed, not as to their substance, but in their qualities.

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the tenth, a chrysoprasus: the ele- and his name shall be on their venth, a jacinct: the twelfth, an foreheads. amethyst.

5 And night shall be no more: 21 And the twelve gates are and they shall not need the light twelve pearls, one to each and of the lamp, nor the light of the every several gate was of one seve- sun, because the Lord God shall ral pearl. And the street of the ci- enlighten them, and they shall ty was pure gold, as it were trans-reign for ever and ever. parent glass.

22 And I saw no temple therein. For the Lord God Almighty is the temple thereof, and the Lamb.

23 And the city hath no need of the sun, nor of the moon, to shine in it. For the glory of God hath enlightened it, and the Lamb is the lamp thereof.

24 And the nations shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth shall bring their glory and honour into it.

25 And the gates thereof shall not be shut by day: for there shall be no night there.

26 And they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it. 27 There shall not enter into it any thing defiled, or that worketh abomination or maketh a lie, but they that are written in the book of life of the Lamb.

6 And he said to me: These words are most faithful and true. And the Lord God of the spirits of the prophets, sent his angel to shew his servants the things which must be done shortly.

7 And behold come quickly. Blessed is he that keepeth the words of the prophecy of this book.

8 And I John who have heard, and seen these things. And after I had heard and seen, I fell down to adore before the feet of the angel, who shewed me these things.

9 And he said to me: See thou do it not: for I am thy fellow-servant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them that keep the words of the prophecy of this book. Adore God."

10 And he saith to me: Seal not. the words of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand.

CHAP. XXII. 11 He that hurteth, let him hurt The water and the tree of life. still and he that is filthy, let him AND he shewed me a river of be filthy still; and he that is just, water of life, clear as chrystal, let him be justified still: and he that proceeding from the throne of God is holy, let him be sanctified still. and of the Lamb.

2 In the midst of the street thereof, and on both sides of the river, was the tree of life, bearing twelve fruits, yielding its fruits every month, and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. 3 And there shall be no curse any more: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and his servants shall serve him,

4 And they shall see his face:

12 Behold, I come quickly, and my reward is with me, to render to every man according to his works.

13 I am alpha and omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.

14 Blessed are they that wash their robes in the blood of the Lamb: that they may have a right to the tree of life, and may enter in by the gates into the city.

15 Without are dogs and sorcer

Ver. 11. Let him hurt still. It is not an exhortation or license to go on in sin: but an intimation, that how far soever the wicked may proceed, their progress shall quickly end. And then they must look to meet with proportionable punishment.

344 THE APOCALYPSE OF ST. JOHN the Apostle.

ers, and unchaste, and murderers, heareth the words of the prophecy and servers of idols, and every one of this book: If any man shall add that loveth and maketh a lie. to these things, God shall add unto him the plagues written in this book.

16 I JESUS have sent my angel, to testify to you these things in the churches, I am the root and stock of David, the bright and morning

star.

17 And the spirit and the bride say: Come. And he that heareth, let him say: Come. And he that thirsteth, let him come: and he that will, let him take the water of life, freely.

19 And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from these things that are written in this book.

20 He that giveth testimony of these things saith, Surely I come quickly: Amen. Come, LordJESUS, 21 The grace of our Lord JESUS 18 For I testify to every one that Christ be with you all. Amen.

FINIS.

APR 9. 1919