V. 17. And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

Καὶ ὠργίσθη ὁ δράκων ἐπὶ τῇ γυναικί, καὶ ἀπῆλθε ποιῆσαι πόλεμον μετὰ τῶν λοι πῶν τοῦ σπέρματος αὐτῆς, τῶν τηρούντων τὰς ἐντολὰς τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ ἐχόντων τὴν μαρ τυρίαν Ἰησοῦ.

§ 291. And the dragon raged against the woman.'-This was not merely for the moment when she first took flight, or when the flood was first poured out; we may presume it to be something continual in its action, although the object of hostility may not be directly attacked. The legal accuser rages perpetually against the economy of grace, perpetually exhibiting the wrath of offended justice as opposed to the exercise of mercy; which exhibition, instead of affecting the arrangement of grace, is applicable only to the literal and self-righteous scheme presented by the earthly system. All this action we say must be continual, in the nature of things, as long as the male child is not revealed from heaven; or so long as the principle of imputed righteousness is not manifested as the offspring of the covenant of grace.

And went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep,' &c., or, with the remaining ones of her seed ;-the opposites of the rest of men who repented not, mentioned Rev. ix. 20. The Greek term of 2017oi, λοιποὶ, being rendered in one place the rest, in the other the remainder. The signification of the word is strictly plural, corresponding with the et cetera of the Latins, and applicable to all other principles or elements of the class under contemplation: id omne genus. The seed of the woman was to bruise the serpent's head; this we apply more especially to the male-child, the element of divine righteousness brought forth by the purpose of sovereign grace to countervail the plea of a broken law. But with this we suppose the same covenant, or purpose to bring forth a multitude of auxiliary and subordinate elements or principles, which as forming parts of the same plan, or expression of the divine mind, (the Logos,) are figuratively spoken of as those who keep the commandments of God;-the element of imputed righteousness being out of the reach of the accuser, protected as it is by the principle of divine sovereignty; and the economy of redemption as a whole being also safe, protected as that is by its place resting on its mountainChrist. The attention of the adversary, like that of a skilful military commander, is directed to the outworks, making war upon elements and principles, all intimately connected with these two special objects of hostility ; but apparently more or less in proportion as they seem to be more or less dependent upon these distinguishing elements of truth. This warfare might be illustrated by adverting to a multitude of polemical discussions upon points of Christian doctrine, in which neither the element of imputed righteousness nor the plan of sovereign grace are distinctly or directly the

assailed. The woman and her male child may be both out of sight, and as it were out of reach in these controversies, but the remaining principles of doctrine connected with the development of the divine plan of redemption, are pursued with unrelenting virulence.

'And have the testimony of Jesus.'-That is, they all bear testimony to Jesus; principles figuratively spoken of as martyrs witnessing for the truth, -testifying of Christ, especially as the Saviour-and on this account peculiarly the object of the accuser's hostility.

There is no mention in the Apocalypse of any other seed or offspring of the woman than the male child. The expression oi hooì rov oriqμaros avris, must be taken as a license of vision; the remaining ones of her seed being other principles of the same character, figuratively assumed to be a kindred offspring, from their character and tendency. As if the question were asked, Who are these? The answer is immediately given, Those that keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus. This, as we may say, being the gospel rule of kindred; corresponding with the declaration of Christ himself, "My mother and my brethren are those which hear the word of God, and do it," Luke viii. 21, and elsewhere.

Of the commandments of God, one of the most prominent is to believe on him whom He hath sent; but, apocalyptically, "those which keep the commandments of God" may be put here for elements of doctrine so sustaining the requisitions of the law, as to manifest the necessity of a superhuman provision to satisfy its demands ;-the serpent making war upon these elements by bringing down, when it suits his purposes, the standard of law to the supposed capability of human fulfilment ; thereby endeavouring to show the absence of a necessity for the scheme of redemption.

According to our text, those which keep the commandments of God are also those which have the testimony of Jesus Christ; which testimony is declared, Rev. xix. 10, to be the spirit of prophecy. Those that have this testimony, we suppose accordingly to be all the elements of the prophecies; as well as all elements of the interpretation of the divine purposes, tending to exhibit Jesus Christ as the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth, Rom. x. 4. This war of the dragon is therefore equivalent to the general hostility continually carried on by the spirit of legal accusation against the covenant of grace, as exhibited in the law and the testimony. Perhaps an equivalent of the war made against the two witnesses prophesying in sackcloth by the beast from the bottomless pit, as related in the last chapter, (Rev. xi. 7.)*

* Our edition of the Greek, with some others, closes this chapter with the words “ Καὶ ἐστάθην ἐπὶ τὴν ἄμμον τῆς θαλάσσης And I stood upon the sand of the sea ;”, but this clause so evidently belongs to the subject of the next chapter, that we prefer following the arrangement of our common English version in this respect.

RETROSPECT.

§ 292. In the first part of this chapter we are indulged with an insight into the secret purposes of Deity. The temple of God having been opened, even the Holy of Holies is exposed to view. The plan of divine wisdom laid before the foundation of the world, for the redemption of that world, is revealed.

We have witnessed the throes, the travail, the difficulties existing in the way of the consummation of this plan the efforts of vindictive justice to defeat the design of sovereign mercy. The element of salvation-the imputable righteousness of Jehovah-has been nevertheless brought forth, and we have seen it safely sheltered in the love and sustained by the sovereignty of the Most High. The element of man's salvation triumphs over the power of accusation, and is destined to rule and to control every opposing principle, as with an iron sceptre.

The difficulties here overcome have been besides exhibited to us as the martial power of an enemy conquered only by Him, who is the express image of the Almighty; the result of this contest being apparently a necessary consequence of the manifest sovereignty of the element of redemption, taken to the throne of God; the elevation of the man-child, and the victory of Michael, constituting one triumphant display of redeeming power, and giving occasion to a joy in heaven corresponding with that typically spoken of by the prophet, as a joy according to the joy of harvest-as victors rejoice when they divide the spoil. "For thou hast broken the yoke of his burden, and the staff of his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, as in the day of Midian. For every battle of the warrior is with confused noise, and garments rolled in blood; but this shall be with burning and fuel of fire. For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace," Is. ix. 4-6.

"The accuser being driven from heaven by the power of the element of propitiation, or of vicarious justification, we have the assurance that whatever may be the mistakes of man upon the subject, the power of Christ is invincible. The disciple therefore may safely cast his care upon Him, who is thus manifested to be able to save to the uttermost.

So far, however, we have seen things only as they actually exist in heaven; the latter part of the chapter exhibits to us things as they appear on earth. The accuser has really no power in God's system of government; but he appears to have great power in man's view of that system.

Driven from heaven to earth, the element of accusation is seen directing its energies in the first instance against the exhibition of the economy of grace, endeavouring to prove its insufficiency; and when incapable of doing this, undermining the various principles connected with it-principles spoken of as the seed of the woman. Perhaps the same offspring as that alluded to in the language of the prophet: "Behold, I and the children whom the LORD hath given me (are) for signs and for wonders in Israel from the LORD of hosts, which dwelleth in mount Zion."-"To the law and to the testimony if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them," Is. viii. 18 and 20.

The latter part of this chapter, from the flight of the woman to the end of her sojourn in the wilderness, and probably to the end of the war made upon her seed, covers the same ground as that occupied by the other symbolical narrations, characterized by the three and a half years' standard, which may be symbolized by the measuring-rod given the apostle, to measure the temple of God and the altar, and them that worship therein. We are to expect, accordingly, in the subsequent portion of the book, not something different from what has been already represented, but a further development of the same mystery; the particulars of this war carried on by the dragon against the woman and the remnant of her seed. The devil however in the earthly vision, as we shall see, does not appear in his true character. There he acts by proxy, under an assumed garb he is a deceiver; and he could not deceive, if he exhibited himself in his proper colours. Those who bow with submission to his vicegerent may not be. aware of the master whom they really serve. Accordingly we do not find him making his appearance again in this apocalyptic narrative, till we reach the twentieth chapter; where he is represented as altogether deprived of power, even upon the earth, for a certain period.

We are not sufficiently advanced in this revelation to make an application of the subject. We are but just now entering the commencement of the third wo; the picture of the influence of Satan upon earth and upon the earthly system. Hitherto our attention has been occupied with particulars of the different characters of this dramatic vision, preparatory to the principal development of the plot. The interest increases as we advance, and the chapter we have just gone over gives us a general idea of what we are further to expect. The plot thickens; bat still it remains for us to see in what manner this earthly warfare is conducted, and which of the parties is triumphant here.

It may be a disappointment to some who accompany us in this examination, that, according to our construction of the term brethren, they are not themselves to be viewed as combatants in the heavenly contest with the dragon. They wish to share the glory of the triumph, not merely as recipi

ents of its advantages, but as victors who divide the spoil; and they say, If this be not the case, what interest have we or others in the representation we have been witnessing? We would ask them, When Jesus was wounded for their transgressions, did they take a part in his wounds? When he was smitten, afflicted, chastened, did they share in his sufferings? When he was forsaken of God, were they also forsaken? When he poured out his soul unto death, did they pour out their souls unto death? Yet it was by these very sufferings, and by this very death, that the victory we have been contemplating was obtained. He was wounded for our transgressions; he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. He trod the wine-press alone, and of the people there was none to help. Shall it be said because we are not

sharers in the work we have no interest in it ?

The mystery of salvation is set before us in the Apocalypse, as it is by the symbolical history of the Old Testament; by the visions of the prophets; and by the literal history of the New Testament. The whole modus operandi, with the difficulties of the work, are exhibited on the one hand, and all the proofs of its sufficiency on the other; and this is done for the purpose of engaging our faith. As if it were said, Behold the coming deluge! here is the ark! satisfy yourselves of its strength and capability to protect you, and fly to it for refuge while there is yet time. Is it for the passer-by to say within himself, I have had no share in the labour of constructing this wonderful provision for escape; I can reap no glory from it; and I can feel therefore no interest in it? Or is it not rather for him to ask, Shall all this be done in vain for me? Shall the infinite wisdom of the Deity be engaged in devising a means of salvation for a world of sinners, consistently with his justice and his perfect purity, and shall I treat this plan of mercy with contempt, or contemplate the exhibition of it with indifference?