power of Him who was justly exalted. It was not then the Son of Man, in his titles of inheritance, but the Lamb who opened the book: to Him and the Church, in measure as one with Him as suffering, rejected, and exalted in her head, the opening of the book appertains.
He came and took the book. The moment he had done this, the beasts and elders (i.e. in principle and title, creation, providence, and redemption), all own his headship, the headship of this humbled but exalted one; for, though the Lion of the tribe of Judah had undertaken it, yet the Church knew His titles as Root of David, and yet the Lamb slain, but now exalted to the throne as such. The book unfolded what in his hand concerned them; all was the counsel of God to bring all out into their place in his mind and purpose. Verse 9 should be, “they sing,” not “they sung.” This is what they do in heaven, as under the Lamb. This being so, “us” would be no difficulty; perhaps we are bound to take the correction of Griesbach, which would remove even its appearance to the eye, the sense remaining the same. It is remarkable, that while the same confidence and title is expressed by St. John writing to the saints on earth in the first chapter, and here by those around
