The hundred forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel who are sealed with the name of God in their foreheads, as being his servants, were, as has been already observed, represented in that portion of the Apocalypse, chapters iv. to x. 7, which relates to the kingdoms of the world, as an elect nation. But the passage before us, occurring in chapters x. 8, to xiv., which contain the history of the Church, describes the same people "having the name of God written in their foreheads," in their ecclesiastical character, united with Christ, the head of his Church, who is represented as a lamb, i. e. in his priestly office, standing upon Mount Sion; which peculiar imagery of the servants of God standing upon MOUNT SION, itself an emblem of the Church, has reference to the custom of writing the name of any picture or statue upon a scroll placed under its feet, and designates the elect multitude standing upon it, as THE TRUE CHURCH OF CHRIST: in the same manner that the TRANQUIL AND GLASSY SEA upon which the Israelitish nation stand, having the harps of God (Rev. xv. 2), is their designation, symbolically written under their feet, and to be read thus, viz. A PEOPLE IN A TRANQUIL STATE: and as the woman "clothed with the sun," i. e. with Christ the sun of righteousness, and the ruler of the spiritual world, has the MOON (which in the poetical language of scripture is always considered to be the spouse of the sun*) placed under her feet †, as her name and designation there symbolically written, viz. THE TRUE CHURCH-THE SPOUSE OF CHRIST 1.

And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many

*Gen. xxxvii. 9, 10. Rev. vi. 12; viii. 12.

Rev. xii. 1.

The scrolls upon which are written the names of the apostles, saints, and prophets, as "St. Peter," "Zechariah," "Nahum," &c., at the foot of the niches where their images formerly stood on the outside of King Henry the

waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps. The heaven, from whence this voice is heard, is rather to be considered as part of the machinery of the prophecy, or the scene of the visions exhibited to St. John, than taken in any symbolical sense. The sound of many waters" is in this passage used to describe the voice of the Church on earth, whereas in the opening vision (chap. i. 15) the voice of Christ himself is said to be "as the sound of many waters," the same symbols being employed throughout the Apocalypse in reference to Christ the head of his universal Church, to the Church of the glorified saints in heaven, and to the Church militant on earth; which beautifully intimates that they form together but one united body. Similar to "the voice of many waters" is "the voice of a great thunder," mentioned with it; which also describes the voice of the protestant Church on earth, while in Rev. vi. 1, x. 3, &c., according to the principle just adverted to, it is used as a symbol of the voice of the Church of the glorified saints in heaven.

"And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four Beasts (or Living Creatures) and the Elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand which were redeemed from the earth." The protestant British people being said to sing, as with a voice of thunder or of many waters, their new and extemporaneous song of thanksgiving, harping with their harps; represents them, while the other nations are visited with divine judgments, as in a state of internal peace and tranquillity, engaged, as members of the true Church, in the solemn and delightful

Seventh's chapel, Westminster Abbey, and upon which scrolls it may be said that these images formerly stood, afford an interesting example of this modern as well as ancient custom,

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worship of God: A similar representation occurs in chap. xv. 2, 3, where they are described as "having the harps of God," and as standing on a tranquil and glassy sea, corresponding to the description given of the twenty-four Elders and four Living Creatures, or Church of the glorified Saints in heaven, who, "having every one of them harps," worship before the throne of the Lamb, and sing a new song of thanksgiving; before which throne is a sea of glass clear as crystal," indicative of the purity as well as of the tranquillity of the heavenly state: (chap. iv. 4, 6, v. 8, 9). And the union existing between the Church in heaven, and this elect body, representing the Protestant British Church on earth, is evidenced, not only by this similarity in the scenery, and in the description given of their employments, but also, by the express declaration that the latter sing this song "before," or in the presence of Christ, seated on his mediatorial throne, and in the presence of the four Living Creatures and the Elders, with whom they form the one united body of the universal Church.

When we farther read "that no man could learn this song but the hundred and forty and four thousand which were redeemed from the earth," we must advert to the principle that this prophecy treats solely of the ten kingdoms of the western Roman empire; and the British nation, in their ecclesiastical character, who, alone of these, see and acknowledge the hand of God in his judgments, and rejoice in every manifestation of his glory, is here again contrasted with the nine papal kingdoms who are the subjects of these judgments, but repent not to give him glory, in whose idolatrous worship it is however intimated, in the following verse, that they were once partakers.

"These are they which were not defiled with women;