had power over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe.

19 And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth,

The cluster of the vine. The sour grapes. The backsliders in heart and life. The Lord brought this vine out of Egypt, (a barren, unproductive soil,) and planted it in the delightful and fertile land of Judea, and when it grew up like the tall cedars of Lebanon, its top reached to heaven, and its branches spread throughout the world. Yet it produced the most vile and vicious fruit, poisonous grapes; and God commanded it to be cut down, and torn up root and branch;

the wild boar of the forest, the heathen emperor, destroyed it. Psalms, 80:13.*

Her grapes are fully ripe. The people are all now ripe for destruction. The measure of their iniquity is full, and the cup running over; therefore put them into the great wine press of God's wrath, that their blood may be poured out as a libation for their sins.

19 The great wine-press. The Roman army, (see Lam. 1:15,) who took

the sacrifice, and pour out the blood on the altar, to make atonement for the sins of the people. This fire was only the shadow; but John in this verse has given us to see the substance. This apostle was to see that the love of God was still burning on the main altar of their hearts, and if the fire was likely to go out, it was his duty to put on more fuel. It was for this purpose that he had been placed at the altar, i. e. that he might still keep the flame increasing higher and higher. But though the fire in one sense may be said to be unquenchable, yet if the minister ceases to be watchful, and the members refuse to work, it will very soon go out for want of fuel. See Levit. 9:24.

• Isaiah asserts that the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel. Chap. 5:7. So that they were the vine; Ps. 80:8; Hosea, 10:1; and the clusters of the vine were all that pertained to the house of Israel, whether Jews or proselytes; and being scattered all over the world, something like grapes on a vine, this angel was sent to collect the clusters of the vine together to Judea and Jerusalem, that they might be thrown into the great wine-press of the wrath of God. And we know that this is a title peculiar to the Jews, and no other nation. And not only so, but a very large golden vine, of great value, with branches hanging down from a great height, was placed in their temple. See Josephus, Antiq. book 15, 11: 3. And if we admit that the house of Israel was the vine, and all that pertained unto her the clusters of this vine, then we must allow that the wine spoken of in verse 8 was the juice of these grapes, and that spiritual Babylon was Jerusalem.

and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great wine-press of the wrath of God.

20 And the wine-press was trodden without the city,

their station outside the walls of the city, on Mount Calvary, where Christ's blood was shed, and there they commenced their operations in cutting down the vine, and squeesing out the grapes. This is the wine press of God's wrath, which he had appointed to slaughter the Jews in every part of Judea.*

20 And blood came out of the press even to the horse-bridles. The effusion of blood was so great as almost to reach the horse-bridles. The bridles were very low; came to the knee of the horse. We frequently say, the blood was knee deep. This is a Rabbinical mode of expression for a great effusion of blood. It must have

been immense, when the fire of many of the houses was put out by it. See Joel, chap. 3:11-14.†

A thousand and six hundred furlongs. That is, two hundred miles. And this is precisely the length of the land of Palestine. St. John alludes here to Isaiah 14: 3. Hence, “Howl O gate, cry aloud O city, for the whole land of Palestine is consumed, destroyed; for there shall come a cloud, a vast army from the north, (Rome,) and they shall assemble at the appointed time." That is, in three score and ten years from the birth of the Messiah. This is the time allotted to man on the earth, and to the Jews to repent of their wickedness.‡

* It was outside the walls the Romans pitched their camp, and it was here that they accomplished all their designs in the destruction of this people. The Jews who fought outside of the walls were either taken prisoners and put to death, or else put to the sword. And if they attempted to escape, the cavalry pursued them and trod them down, or else killed them with their swords. While those that staid inside of the walls were either crushed to death by the large stones thrown in upon them by their enemies' engines, or else killed by their darts; and those who were not destroyed in this manner were afterwards consumed by fire and famine. See chap. 16:21. We need not think strange of this expression, for Josephus declares that after the Romans got possession of the upper city, (Mount Zion,) they ran every person through whom they met with, and obstructed the very lanes with the dead bodies, and made the whole city run down with blood to such a degree that the fire of many of the houses was quenched or put out with the blood. See Josephus, War, book 6, 8:5; and as Mr. Whiston remarks, that in the nature of things, it was almost impossible for such a vast number to be collected together from any other nation as now perished in the city of Jerusalem; nor have we an instance of the above statement in all the cities that have been destroyed from that time to the present, viz. that the fire of many of the houses was quenched with the torrent of human blood.

The city spoken of above must have reference to the capital of Judea, for i was to

and blood came out of the wine-press, even unto the horse-bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs.

this city that the clusters of the vine were to be gathered together, and it was outside of this city that the wine-press was trodden. And to suppose that there ever should be such a vast number of Jews collected together again, and destroyed at Jerusalem, and in Judea, as that the blood should be so deep as to come up to the horse-bridles, is improbable. This slaughter extended throughout the whole land of Palestine; there were slain at Askelon 10,000, and in an ambuscade near the same place, 8.000. At Japha 15,000. And of the Samaritans, on mount Gerizim, 11,600. At Jotapata 40,000. At Joppa 4,200. At Tarichea 6,500. And after the city was taken, 1,200. At Gamala 4,000, besides 5,000 who threw themselves down a precipice. Of those who fled with John of Gischala, 6,800. On the lake of Gennessaret 6,000. Of the Gadarenes 15,000. In the vil lage of Idumea above 10,000. At Gerasa 1,000. At Machirus 1,700. In the woods of Jardes 3,000. In the castle of Masada 960. In Cyrene, by Cattullus, the governor, 8,000. And 11,000 perished during the siege of Jerusalem. So that during the entire war, before this, and to this period, there perished 1,957,660, beside 97,000 who were taken captives. But some may think that the fall of Babylon, and the harvest and vintage spoken of in the latter part of this chapter, are two distinct things, for one is said to have fallen before the other had taken place. To this I would reply, namely, that St. John had only seen these things in the vision which ends in the next chapter; and Babylon had not actually fallen until the time when the 16th chapter and 19th verse was fulfilled. So that those texts which he quoted from the prophets had immediate reference to the destruction of Jerusalem, and their meaning was not made manifest to him until now.

CHAPTER XV.

AND I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvel

1 The seven last plagues. These were not seven new ones, but the old ones alluded to before. They were

only referred to by John, but now they are going to be accomplished on spiritual Pharaoh and all the host of

lous, seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God.

2 And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with

fire and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God.

3 And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints.

4 Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy

Jesus, and would die cheerfully at the stake rather than deny him. But if a creature, and not the Creator, (and they worshipped him as such,) they all lived and died idolaters, equally such with the heathen, and must, therefore, have all finally perished, angels and men; for both worshipped him as God and not as man.

His mark. His brand; mark of his idol, or seal of citizenship. The latter was on parchment, the former on either the hand or the forehead.

The number of his name. The number of his idol 666. This was worn on a medal as a badge of honor, and a token of submission to idolatry.

Stand on a sea of glass. By faith and prayer. They stood on this as the foundation of Christianity. Hence, says Paul, "thou standest by faith; therefore be not high-minded, but fear." Rom. 11:20; 1 Cor. 15:1. The battle was fought on earth, and the victory obtained here through the blood of the Lamb, and it was here the people stood, by faith, on the gospel sea; therefore the people were on earth, and not in heaven, at this time.

Harps. Of praise and of salvation. On this the church sung the new song of redeeming grace and dying love. See chap. 14.

3 The song of Moses and the Lamb. The spiritual song of deliverance through the blood of the Lamb. It was sprinkled on their conscience, tó the washing away of all their sins, and therefore the destroying angel had no dominion over them. It was not their houses but their hearts which were sprinkled with the blood of the paschal lamb. This anthem was sung in shadow by Israel, when Pharaoh and all his host was drowned in the Red Sea; but now it is sung in substance by the true Israel of God, because God had conducted them safely through the Red Sea of human blood, in which spiritual Pharaoh and all his host was overwhelmed. See Ex. 15:1; Deut. 31:30.

Lord God Almighty. See chap.

4: 8.

4 For all nations shall come and worship before thee. They shall come from the East, from the West, from the North and from the South; from