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that other judgment, reprefented in Rev. xvi. 4, 7. by the pouring out of the third vial upon the rivers and fountains of water.

Ver. 12. And the fourth angel founded, and the third part of the fun was fmitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the ftars; fo as the third part of them was darkened, and the day fhone not for a third part of it, and the night likewife." This trumpet alfo relates to Europe, and perfects that for which the other trumpets prepared the way, the extinction of the western empire. We may here recollect what Sir I. Newton, in his Observations upon the Prophecies, fays, refpecting this fort of figurative language." In facred prophecy, which regards not fingle perfons, the fun is put for the whole fpecies and race of kings, in the kingdom or kingdoms of the world politic, fhining with regal power and glory; the moon, for the body of the common people, confidered as the king's wife; the ftars, for fubordinate princes and great men. Darkness is put for obfcurity of condition, and for error, blindness, and ignorance; darkning, fmiting, or fetting of the fun, moon, or ftars, for the ceafing of a kingdom, or for the defolation thereof, proportional to the darkness; darkning of the fun, turning the moon into blood, and falling of the ftars, for the, fame,"

There appear no events to which this extinguifhing of the third part of the fun, moon, and stars, can be fo properly applied as to what took place towards the end of the fifth century, when the western emperor, and his fubordinate governors, were utterly extinguished, and an entire end was put to the very remainders of the Roman Cæfars. This was effected by the fourth inundation of the barbarous nations, when the Heruli, under Odoacer, their leader, invaded Italy, about the year 4:6 A. C. and, having conquered Auguftulus, gave the mortal blow to the western empire, and reduced all Italy under the dominion of the barbarian, who affumed the title of king of Italy. About fixteen years after this, Theodoric, king of the Oftrogoths, at the request of Zeno, empe. ror of the caft, made war upon these invaders in their new fettlement, conquered Odoacer in feveral battles, and obtained, as the fruits of his victories, a kingdom for the Oftrogoths in Italy, which fubfifted, under various turns of fortune, from the year

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This are wt be difroatian of the Roman empire in Ecopt efter i de mans ferus nations, not at Fram is runs inrung ur the ten kingdoms, Whipt dat neet her at Nenucrainer as the ten-toes of a great image, Dan. in 41. and to Dane ant john as to many horns of montres and bags mais. Dan. vi... Krv, zi.. §. xiii. *

WHAT was the efû winch in their great and confiant calamites that we have been reviewing, preared on the minds of the f£eren? Did they put a Hop to correption, and reduce mankind to repentance? Inftead of this, immerity, fuperftition, proftcraft and cruel oppreflions, civil and religious, feemed to ineedle in proportion to the corrections of Providence, and ven to outftrip the calamities which precipitated the downfal of the Roman empire. Inftead of turning to God by repentave, and fecking to him for protection, they multiplied their godas and the only exhortations of the clergy were, "The holy Martyrs, wir defenders, are prefent; they would be entreated,

they look that they may be fought. Seek therefore unto the fe helpers unto your prayers, find out these protectors of your guilti

Let St. Peter be now your helper in all things, that aftermay be able to forgive you your fins. : Cant to the cross,

wherein

wherein is the wood of the Lord's cross, and the hair of John the Baptift: we fetch always the comfort of our Saviour through the interceffion of his fore-runner." Thus idolatry was grafted on the Christian profession; and these antichriftian apoftates thought, by thefe devotions, and by making converts by fire and fword to the holy Catholic church, to atone for their fins, and bribe the Divinity to interpofe in their favor. But while they are chanting to faints and relics. for peace, and shedding the blood of the faints as the price of safety, behold an angel flying through the midst of heaven, (ver. 13.) faying, with a loud voice," Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabitants of the earth, by reafon of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels which are yet to found!" The three laft trumpets are called woe trumpets, and this because the plagues which were to come, either on account of their much greater severity or longer duration, would be much more terrible than the four former. S

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Chap. ix. 1.." And the fifth angel founded, and I faw a ftar fall from heaven unto the earth, and to him was given the key of the bottomlefs pit." Our commentators are generally agreed, that the judgment intended by this trumpet is very obvious, and cannot be cafily mistaken. This falling ftar, or comet, is the grand impoftor Mahomet, who, in the unfearchable operations of Providence, was the inftrument of preparing a race of men, or monsters rather, for the fcourging of apoftate Chriftians. Mahomet commenced his career about the year of Chrift 608. Then he began to propagate his impofture, and to take to himself the title of The Apoftle of God. He did not pretend to deliver a new religion, but to revive that which had been given to Adam. In the year 622 he began to teach his difciples that God had ordered him to propagate and enforce his religion by fire and fword. Accordingly, in 623, they began to put in practice this pretended miffion. Ver. 2. "And he opened the bottomlefs pit, and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the fmoke of a great furnace; and the fun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit." This smoke is his erroneous doctrine. Ver. 3. And there came out of the pit locufts upon the earth, and to them was given power as the Scorpions of the earth have power." It does not comport with my limits, nor is it neceffary to my defign, to enter into the minutia

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sion: I shall only obferve, that by these

and the Saracens, the difciples of Mahcny years, were the fcourge of the Grk and recurves, dra and Europe. Here is no mention mace of ****s in the other trumpets, but their commion was

teen who had not the feal of God in their forebenda, wo were act the fervants of God, but had apolarized tech to fuperftition, idolatry, and perfecution, and which e care with the pretended Chriftians both of Afa and Eiz• s, buch of thofe who acknowledged the fupreme authority of Suhop of Rome, and of those who did not. But thele locuita were not to kill these men, but only to torment them. This does

ignify, in the strictest sense, that they were not to infli& death on any, for this they did on innumerable multitudes; but it means that, though they were to be the authors of numberless torments to both the Greek and Latin churches, yet, they were not to deftroy them in their corporate capacity. This was to be effected by the

future woes.

As to the time during which these Saracen locufts were to torment them who had not the feal of God in their foreheads, it is faid, in the fifth verfe, to be five months, prophetic months undoubtedly, or 150 years. Again, it is faid, ver. 10. that “they had tails like scorpions, and there were ftings in their tails; and their power was to hurt men five months;" the fame period of time with that mentioned before, 150 years. There is some difficulty in reconciling this time, which the prophecy allots, with the hiftory of facts. Some fuppofe that an allufion only is here made to those hot fummer months in which locufts are wont to prevail and do mischief, without intending to mark out any certain time. Some, again, suppose, that as a prophetic month contains 30 years, the period of 150 years was intended, and that this refers only to that period in which the Saracens made their chief conquefts, and occafioned the greateft calamities. Others imagine that both thefe five months are to be reckoned; and then the period of their tormenting men is fixed to 300 years. But

have thought, that here has been, through the mistake of me alteration of the original text. See Whifton's Ef ulations, p. 196. By this hypothefis, John is fup

pofed

posed to have written IE or dexaTETE, and not E or TEVTE, that is fifteen months inftead of five, this being a period which feems to agree much better with the hiftory of the Saracens; for from the beginning of the Saracen empire, or of the impofture of Mahomet, in 608, to the firft grand downfal of it, by the rife of the Turkish empire, at the inauguration of Tangrolipix, (after the taking of the capital city of Bagdad) A. D. 1057 or 1058, are about 450 years. As it is not effential to my design, I shall not labor to folve the difficulties which here present themselves, it being enough for our prefent purpose, if this fifth trumpet be allowed to refer to the depredations of this cruel people. I fhall therefore only beg leave to suggest to the curious, and to those who may have more ability and leisure for the investigation, whether the first five months may not refer to the feverest period of their conquefts and cruelties in Afia, where they had their beginning, and the latter five months to the time of their chief and most tormenting depredations in Europe. Those who wish to see a more labored explanation of these trumpets, may confult Brightman, Mede, Lowman, Newton, Whifton, and others. The latter of whom, except Mede, has the most originality, and though he may have fome peculiaries, and ftart fome hypothefes which may be thought to be unfupported by good argument, yet, altogether, he feems to have had the most confiftent ideas, and I acknowledge my obligations to him.

Ver. 12. "One woe is paft, and behold there come two woes hereafter. And the fixth angel founded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar, which is before God, faying to the fixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates. And the four angels were loofed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to flay the third part of men." It is almoft impoffible not to believe that this woe refers to the Turks, who overthrew and entirely extinguished all that part of the Roman empire which they affaulted, by the taking and facking of Conftantinople, A. D. 1458, and by the entire conqueft and poffeffion of the eastern empire to this day. This people perfectly agree with the following defcription. They were to be prodigiously numerous, especially in cavalry. (ver. 17.) Such has been

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