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THE
SEVEN ANGELS
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sign.
Again the order is renewed. And as if he were about to relate the
same plagues of the last persecution, he wished the hearer to be
made attentive, in that he said, "a sign great and marvellous."
seven.
That is to say, the Church which is replete with sevenfold grace.
last.
He calls them "the last," because in them the wrath of
God is consummated. For the wrath of God ever smites the rebellious
people with seven plagues. He says repeatedly in Leviticus, "And
I will smite you with seven plagues."
And these are to be the last, when the Church shall have come forth
from the midst of it.
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glass.
That is, the pellucid fount of Baptism,
which is consecrated by the fire of the Holy Ghost. Or else: because
it pertains to the nature of fire, in that it is made red by martyrdom.
victory.
They who overcome the wiles of the beast, appear in consequence
to stand upon a baptism of fire. For they desire, as the Apostle
says, "to contend earnestly for the faith once delivered
unto the saints."
harps.
That is, they have the hearts of those who praise dedicated to
God, and melodious with the truth of both Testaments; or, the
flesh extended on the wood of passion. And here, not the sound
of the voice alone is signified, but the operation of a good work.
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Great
and marvellous. I have found this song in
both Testaments,
where the Lord, both true and merciful, is celebrated as the Judge
Who is to be worshipped by all ages.
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temple.
He repeats what he had set forth before,
and the vision accords with the song. For, in order that the Lord
may be worshipped by all nations, the temple of the mysteries of
God, formerly inclosed within the walls of one city, now begins
to be opened spiritually to the world.
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came.
This is the same with that which Mark says, "But they went
forth, and preached everywhere."
linen.
"As many of you," the Apostle says, "as have been
baptized into Christ have put on Christ." For "He is
the chief corner-stone, elect."
Or, if the singular be understood to be put for the plural, it
signifies various ornaments of virtues. Another translation has,
"white linen," which indicates mortification of the
flesh in teachers, according to this, "I chastise my body,
and subject it to servitude, lest perchance, while preaching to
others, I myself be found reprobate."
girdle.
Let him who desires to preach strong things not only mortify the
body, but also bind the breast with the gold of wisdom. Or, at
least, to bind the breasts with golden girdles, is to restrain
all the motions of changeful thoughts by the bands of the love
of God alone.
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THE
POURING OUT OF THE BOWLS
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seven
vials. These are the bowls which are carried
with their odours by the living creatures and the elders, who are
the Church, and who are also the seven angels. The same bowls are
said to contain both the sweetness of supplications, and the wrath
of punishments. For they are poured forth by the saints before the
advent of the kingdom of God, when the judgements of God, which
are now no longer secret as the abyss, but open as the bowls, are
announced as being salvation to the righteous, but destruction to
the ungodly. As the Apostle says, "Because we are unto God
a sweet savour of Christ in those who are saved, and in those who
perish."
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smoke.
The Church, when it is to preach to the nations, is first influenced
itself with the fire of love, and sends forth the smoke of pious
confession, while it "gives thanks to God for His unspeakable
gift
."
enter.
No one is able to be incorporated among the members of the Church,
but he who hears the mysteries of faith from the preachers, and
learns that Jesus is constituted by God the Judge both of the
living and the dead. But if thou shalt interpret the smoke to
be the secret judgement of God, these remain impenetrable, and
closed to mortal men "until,"
after the plagues of the present age are ended, "the Lord
come, Who is both to bring to light even the hidden things of
darkness, and make manifest" how much the coming of Antichrist
confers which is either of utility in proving the faith of the
Church, or of judgement in blinding the eyes of the Jews, "Who
received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved."
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