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Heaven, thofe holy Apoftles, and thofe Prophets or Minifters of the Gospel and holy men, whom Rome had put to death, are here invited to rejoice: because the Divine juftice is accomplished in the ruin of that guilty city. Upon which breaks out the following exultation:

APOC. Chap. XIX. v. 1. After these things I heard, fays St. John, as it were the voice of much people in Heaven, faying: Alleluia; falvation, and glory, and power, is to our God:

V. 2. For true and just are his judgments, who hath judged the great harlot, which corrupted the earth with her fornication, and hath revenged the blood of his fervants, at her hands.

V. 3. And again they faid, Alleluia. And her fmoke afcendeth for ever and ever.

V. 4. And the four and twenty Ancients, and the four living Creatures, fell down and adored God that fitteth upon the throne, Jaying: Amen: Alleluia.

V. 5. And a voice came out from the throne, faying: Give praife to our God, all his fervants: and you that fear him, little and great.

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From all that has been faid, this Text is fufficiently clear to need no further explanation.

May we not now reflect with aftonifhment on the dreadful fate of this City. Rome, the greatest of all cities, the moft opulent of all cities, the Queen of the world, is ftruck down from the pinnacle of power, is laid in ruins, and left without an inhabitant. How doth the city fit folitary that was full of people? How is the mistress of nations become as a widow? Jer. Lamen. i. 1. That mighty City, which feemed to be invigorated with more than human ftrength, and had carried her conquefts almost to the bounds of the known world, was laid in afhes by Alaric; and though fomewhat afterwards allowed to recover, it was only to take breath, and then to be utterly

* In the Greek, of a great multitude.

utterly laid wafte, and her walls and fortreffes to be thrown down, The Lord has kindled in me, as it were, a flaming fire devouring round about.The Lord is become as an enemy: he hath caft me down head-long, he hath overthrown all my walls, and hath deftroyed my ftrong-holds, Lamen, ii. 35. Thofe Northern nations, which he had before held in contempt and not thought worth a conqueft, now affault her like ravenous wolves, and raging with rancour and fury they strip her naked, and tear out her bowels without mercy; nor is fhe able to prevent her fate. All thy enemies have opened their mouth against thee: they have hiffed, and gnafhed with the teeth, and have faid: We will fwallow her up: lo, this is the day which we looked for. Ibid. ii. 16. Her Adversaries are become her lords, her enemies are enriched My ftrength is weakened: The Lord hath delivered me into a hand, out of which I am not able to rife. Ibid. i. 5, 14, Who could have imagined that that ftately City, the Metropolis of the world, which had long been the admiration of all nations, and to which they reforted to view her grandeur or to share in her pleasures, would one day be reduced into defolation and made a folitude? Is this the city of perfect beauty, the joy of all the earth? Ibid. ii. 15, But it was clear, fhe was the victim of God's anger, and her fate was juft. For, the Lord had spoken against her for the multitude of her iniquities. Ibid.

i. 5.

Thus, then in fine fell ancient Rome like Babylon, but with this difference, that Babylon was never to rife again; whereas Rome, when the anger of God was fatisfied, was defigned to emerge from her ashes and though not allowed to recover her former temporal dominion, fplendor, and riches, nor to rife, in her outward appearance, fcarce above the condition of a village, when compared

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to her former extent and multitude of people; yet in her depreffed ftate fhe is privileged with a higher dignity of another kind, of being not only a Chriftian city, but appointed the head and centre of fpiritual dominion.

We have now feen the full accomplishment of the predictions, contained in the Apocalypfe, refpecting the deftruction of Ancient Rome and its Empire. But we muft not leave the fubject without obferving, that the fame had been before in a general manner foretold by the Prophet Daniel, and by what hand it was to be done. Thus fpoke that Prophet to Nabuchodonofor: Thus thou faiveft, till a Stone was cut out of a mountain without hands, and it ftruck the Statue upon the feet that were of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces-And the Stone that ftruck the Statue became a great Mountain, and filled the whole earth. Dan. ii. 34, 35, Chrift is the Stone cut out of the mountain without hands; and the Roman Empire, the fourth and greateft of the Empires reprefented by the four parts of the Statue, is here figured by the feet of that Statue. Hence, the circumftance of the Statue's feet being broken to pieces by the Stone, fhews that Chrift was the Hero, who fhould one day overthrow the mighty Empire of Rome. He, by his fuperior might, threw down that great Coloffus, because it had arrogantly bent its power against him, and had endeavoured, by fupporting idolatry, to obftruct that dominion which he himfelf claimed over the whole earth. Chrift could fuffer no competitor: I beheld, fays Daniel, in the vifion of the night, and lo one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and he came even to the Ancient of days: and they prefented him before him. And he gave him power, and glory, and a kingdom; and all people, tribes, and tongues fall ferve him. Dan. vii. 13, 14. This Son of man there

fore, in vindication of his right to univerfal monarchy, crushed his proud enemy, Rome, and with it the empire of idolatry. He threw down the Seat which Satan had fo long held there, and he. fixed in its place his own Throne, to which all people, tribes, and tongues were to bend. To fhew. his fupreme power, this Divine Monarch chofe to convert the centre of idolatry into the centre of Divine Worship and Religion, and there he placed his Viceroy to govern his Holy Kingdom, and to fuperintend his People to the end of the world. The faints of the most high God, continues Daniel, fhall take the kingdom: and they fhall poffefs the kingdom for ever and ever. Ibid. v. 18.

CHA P. VII.

The Hiftory of the fourth Age of the Chriftian Church. The Opening of the fourth Seal.

APOC. Chap. VI. v. 7. And when he, the Lamb, had opened the fourth feal, I heard, fays St. John, the voice of the fourth living creature, faying: Come, and fee.

V. 8. And behold a pale horfe: and he that fat upon him, his name was death, and hell followed him. And power was given to him over the four parts of the earth *, to kill with fword, with famine, and with death, and with the beafts of the earth.

This Seal difclofes to us the rife of the Mahometan empire, which opens the fourth age of the: Church about the year 622.

Here appears to St. John a pale horse, and he that fits upon him is called death. The pale colour of the horse evidently agrees with the character of the rider, who is ftyled death. This rider is Mahomet

* In the Greek text, power was given to them over the fourth part of the earth.

homet and his fucceffors. He is named death, because he deftroys mankind, as it is here faid, with fword, with famine, with death, and with the beafts of the earth. It is well known from hiftory, what deftruction and defolation Mahomet, and his followers, the Saracens, and afterwards the Turks, have made in the world. Their two first inftruments of deftruction here named, are the fword, and famine or devaftation. The fword was appropriated to the fecond age in the fecond feal; and famine was appropriated to the third age in the third feal. Their third deftructive inftrument is ftyled death, a general term, which in this place we apprehend means Gunpowder;" and is in like manner appropriated to the fourth age, as it was invented in that period, and then employed by the Mahometans in a terrible manner. In fine, the laft inftrument of deftruction here mentioned is, the beasts of the earth, that is, horfe-troops or cavalry, which, though generally numerous in the eaftern countries, will be much more used by the Turks hereafter, as we fhall fee particularly in the account of the fixth age.

It is faid that Hell follows him, that is, the infernal Spirits accompany Mahomet and assist him, and his followers, through many fucceeding ages. For, power was given to him over the four parts of the earth, or, as the Greek text expreffes it, power was. given to them, viz. to Death and Hell, or to the Mahometan Princes, and the evil fpirits, over a fourth part of the earth. Who is ignorant of the number of nations the Mahometans have conquered in Europe, Afia, and Africa? Who does not know, that in those countries they have almost extinguished Christianity, and planted by force in its room a fenfual and abominable religion? How many fair Churches in Afia, founded by the Apoftles themselves, have been ruined by the Mahometans, and

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