this shall be heard of far and near, who. shall applaud the mighty work, and give God the glory of it, Rev. xix. 1, 2 : and, ye that are near, acknowledge my might; even his omnipotence, which will be seen, observed, and owfied by multudes, who will say, Allelujah, for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth, Rey. xix. 6. there will be some that will be nigh, that shall stand afar off, lamenting her .case, and will not own the hand. of God in it, Rey. xviii. 9, 10, 15. but others will. Ver. 14. The sinners in Zion are afraid, and fear- fulhess hath surprised the hypocrites, &c.3 Meaning not persons of..such a character that dwelt in Jeru- salem, who had the guise and form of religion, and not the power Of it, and were for fleeing to Egypt, and trusting in Pharaoh, and not in the Lord; who were seized with dread and terror, when the Assyrian army besieged them, or when it was so awfully destroyed by the angel in the night; when, observing the. visible and immediate hand of God in it,. they might fear the like judgment would fall upon,them for their irreli- gion and hypocrisy; but rather formal professors, and hypocritical persons, in the reformed churches, Or Pro- testants having only a form of godliness, without the power of it, are meant; who, observing God's judg- ments upon antichrist, shall be seized with a panic, lest the like should c9me down upon them for their hypocrisy and deceit; unless it should be rather thought that antichrist, and his followers themselves, are designed, who himself is said to sit in the temple of God, and who claim to themselves the name of the church of God, and pretend to be Christians, though they are not; when they shall see the city of Rome in flames, and the Vials of God's wrath poured 0n the antichristian states, shall dread the vengeance of eter- nal fire, which they express in the following words: who among. us shall dwell with the devouring .fire.? who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnlags ? that is, the wrath of God in hell, which is the fire that feeds upon and devours Christless sinners; which shall never be quenched, and is called everlasting fire, in which the followers of antichrist will be to. rmented for ever; and the smoke of which will ascend for ever and ever, and will be intolerable; none will be able to abide and endure it; see Rev. xiv. 9, 10, 11. So the Targum ihterprets it of the place where the un- godly are to be judged and delivered ifito hell, an ever- lasting burning. ' Ver. 15. He that walketh righteously, &c.3' These are the words of the prophet, in .answer to those of the hypocrites. So the Targum, , the prophet said, ú the righteous shall dwell in it ;,r not in the devour- ing fire and everlasting bursings, but in Zion, in Jeru- salem, on high, in the munition of rocks, safe from those burnlags; for these words are to be con- nected not with the preceding, but with the fol- lowing verse,. thus, he that walketh righteously, &c. he shall dwell on high, &c.; and such an one is he that walks by faith on Christ as his righteousness; that walks after the spirit, and not after the flesh; that walks uprightl.y, according to the rule of the Gospel, and as becomes it; that walks in the ways of judgment and righteousness, in which Christ leads his people, and lives soberly rightsourly, and godly': and speaketh uprightly; or uprightnesses b; upright things, what is. in his heart, what ts agreeable to the word of God, the standard of truth; who makes mention continually of the righteousness of Christ, and that only as Iris justi- fying one: and whose tongue talks of judgment, just and righteous things, anti not what is corrupt, pro- fane, impure, and impious: he that despiseth gain ofoppressiont ; that which is got by oppression.. and rapine; the mammon of iniquity, as the Targum calls it; but reckons the gain of wisdom, and of god-. liness, ,exceeding preferable to it: that shaketh his hand from holding of bribes; that won't receive any, but when they are put into his hands shakes them out, and will not retain them; expressing his abhorrence of such practices, and declaring that he is not to be in- fluenced by such methods from speaking truth, and doing justice: that 'stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood ; or bloods {s}; from hearing those that shed inno- cent blood, as the Targum; who Will not hearken to any solicitations to shed blood; will not converse with men about it, or enter into schemes in order to it, much less join them in shedding it: and s_hutteth his eyes from seeing evil; done by others; he abhors it in himself, and dislikes it in others; turns his eyes from beholding it, so far from taking pleasure in it, and in those that do it: all this is opposed to the hypocrisy, impiety, profanehess, rapine, bribery, murders, and wickedness of the church of Rome; see Rev. ix. Ver. 16. He shah dwell on high, &c.] And so in safety: this is opposed to the fears of hypocrites, the grovelling life of a worldling, and the low lifeof many professors, and is expressive of the security of good men. It may respect the state of the saints on earth, who dwell by faith on God, as their covenant-God, on his everlasting love and unchangeable grace; on Christ, as their Redeemer and Saviour; and in their thoughts and contemplations on heavenly things, where Christ is'; and particularly in the spiritual reign of Christ, after the destruction of antichrist, when such shall dwell quietly and safely in God's holy hill, the church, which shall be established upon the top of the moun- tains: and it may also respect .the state of the saints in heaven, which is a dwelling' on high, and where they wi.11 be safe from everlasting burnings, and out of the reach of all enemies: his place of defence shall be the munitions of rocks; Christ is the place of defencs to. his people, against avenging justice, the curse and con- detonation of the law, the wrath of God, sin and all its dreadful consequences, Satan and all enemies: and he is the munitions of rocks; he is a Rock himself, for them to build upon, and shelter in; and like .fortresses made out of rocks, which can n. ever be under- mined,' blown up, or broke through: bread shall be given him: not only shall he be in safety,-but shall enjoy the greatest plenty of blessings, particularly spiritual ones; above all, Christ, the bread of God from heaven, thee true bread, the bread $f life, which gives and supports life, and secures an eternal one; as also the word and ordinances, which are the provisions of {b} \^Myrvym rbd\^ qui loquitur recta, Piscator; loquens recta, Cocceius; loquens aequitates, Montanus. {c} \^Mymd emvm\^ ab audiendo sanquines, Montanus; ne audiat sanquines, Cocceius.