the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so that the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for the third par thereof, and the night likewise.

13 And I saw and heard an angel flying in the midst heaven, saying with a loud voice, Wo, wo, wo, to i inhabitants of the earth, by reason of the other vo

and plundered it without mercy. In the year 452, Attila treated the part of Italy in the same manner. In 455, Valentinian the Third was and Genseric invited from Afric. He plundered Rome for fourtee together. Recimer plundered it again in 472. During all these comm one province was lost after another, till, in the year 476, Odoacer seiz Rome, deposed the emperor, and put an end to the empire itself.

An eclipse of the sun or moon, is termed by the Hebrews, a stro as such a darkness does not come all at once, but by degrees, so lik the darkness which fell on the Romans, particularly the Western e the stroke began long before Odoacer, namely, when the barba conquered the capital city. And the third part of the moon, and tỉ of the stars; so that the third part of them was darkened-As und second, and third trumpets, by the earth, sea, and rivers, are to be the men that inhabit them; so here, by the sun, moon, and st. understood the men that live under them, who are so overw calamities in those days of darkness, that they can no longer en of heaven: unless it may be thought to imply their being killed sun, moon, and stars, shine to them no longer. The very same find in Ezekiel, chap, xxxii. 8, I will darken all the lights of hea As, then, the fourth seal transcends the three preceding_one fourth trumpet the three preceding trumpets. For in this, not of the earth, or sea, or rivers only, but of all who are un de affected: and the day shone not for a third part thereof-That only a third part of its usual brightness, and the night like), and stars having lost a third part of their lustre, either with who, being dead, saw them no longer, or those who saw the faction.

The three last trumpets have the time of their contin between each of them there is a remarkable pause, whereas former there is no pause, nor is the time of their continuan altogether the four seem to make up a little less than four

V. 13. And I saw and heard an angel fiying-Between t fourth and fifth angel, in the midst of heaven-The three we stretch themselves over the earth from Persia eastward, ¦ ward, all which space space had been filled with the gospe In the midst of this lies Patmos, where St. John saw this wo, wo-Toward the end of the fifth century, there were approaching calamities, to the inhabitants of the earth—A Heavy trials were coming on them all. Even while the a this, the preludes of these three woes were in motion. 1 cially on the Jews. As to the prelude of the first wo in in 454, was resolved to abolish the Sabbath, till he was! from his purpose. Likewise in the year 474, Phiruz af and compelled many of them to apostatise. A prelude the rise of the Saracens, who in 510 fell upon Arabia a pare for the third wo, Innocent I. and his successors, enlarge their episcopal jurisdiction beyond all bounds, powers, by taking every opportunity of incroaching u as yet stood in the way of their unlimited monarchy.

five months; and the torment of them is as the torment 6 of a scorpion when he stingeth a man. And in those days the men shall seek death, but not find it; and shall 7 desire to die, but death will flee from them. And the appearances of the locusts are like horses made ready for battle; and on their heads are as it were crowns like gold, 8 and their faces are as the faces of men. And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the 9 teeth of lions. And they had breast-plates, as it were breast plates of iron, and the noise of their wings was as the noise of chariots of many horses running to battle. 10 And they have tails like scorpions, and stings were in 11 their tails; their power is to hurt men five months. And they have over them a king, the angel of the bottomless pit: his name in the Hebrew is Abaddon, but in the Greek 12 he hath the name Apollyon. One woe is past: behold there come yet two woes after these things.

13

And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from

V. 6. The men-That is, the men who are so tormented.

V. 7. And the appearances-This description suits a people neither throughly civilised, nor entirely savage, and such were the Persians of that age; of the locusts are like horses-With their riders; the Persians excelled in horsemanship; and on their heads are as it were crowns-Turbands; and their faces are as the faces of men-Friendly and agreeable.

V. 8. And they had hair as the hair of women-All the Persians of old gloried in long hair; and their teeth were as the teeth of lions-Breaking and tearing all things in pieces.

V. 9. And the noise of their wings was as the noise of chariots of many horses -With their war-chariots drawn by many horses, they, as it were, flew to and fro.

V. 10. And they have tails like scorpions-That is, each tail is like a scorpion, not like the tail of a scorpion, to hurt the unsealed men five months— Five prophetic months, that is, seventy-nine common years. So long did these calamities last.

V. 11. And they have over them a king-One by whom they are peculiarly directed and governed. His name is Abaddon-Both this and Apollyon signify a destroyer. By this he is distinguished from the dragon, whose proper name is Satan.

V. 12. One wo is past: behold there come yet two woes after these things— The Persian power, under which was the first wo, was now broken by the Saracens; from this time the first pause made a wide way for the two succeeding woes. In 589, when the first wo ended, Mahomet was twenty years old, and the contentions of the Christians with each other were exceeding great. In 591, Chosroes II. reigned in Persia, who, after the death of the emperor, made dreadful disturbances in the east. Hence Mahomet found an open door for his new religion and empire. And when the usurper Phocas, had in the year 606, not only declared the Bishop of Rome, Boniface III, Universal Bishop, but also the Church of Rome the head of all churches; this was a sure step to advance the Papacy to its utmost height. Thus, after the passing away of the first wo, the second, yea, and the third quickly followed: as indeed they were both on the way together with it, before the first effectually began.

V. 13. And the sixth angel sounded—Under this angel goes forth the second

the four corners of the golden altar which is before God, 14 Saying to the sixth angel, who had the trumpet, Loose the

four angels who are bound in the great river Euphrates. 15 And the four angels were loosed, who were prepared for

the hour, and day, and month, and year, to kill the third 16 part of men. And the number of the army of horsemen was 17 two hundred millions; I heard their number. And thus I saw the horses in the vision and them that sat on them,

wo: and I heard a voice from the four corners of the golden altar-This golden altar is the heavenly pattern of the Levitical altar of incense. This voice signified, that the execution of the wrath of God (mentioned ver. 20, 21) should, at no intercession, be delayed any longer.

V. 14. Loose the four angels-To go every way, to the four quarters: these were evil angels, or they would not have been bound. Why, or how long they were bound, we know not.

V. 15. And the four angels were loosed who were prepared-By loosing them, as well as by their strength and rage, to kill the third part of men-That is, an immense number of them, for the hour, and day, and month, and year-All this agrees with the slaughter which the Saracens made, for a long time after Mahomet's death. And with the number of angels let loose, agrees the number of their first and most eminent Caliphs. These were Ali, Abubeker, Omar, and Osman. Mahomet named Ali, his cousin and son in law, for his successor. But he was soon worked out by the rest, till they severally died, and so made room for him. They succeeded each other, and each destroyed innumerable multitudes of men. There are in a prophetic

Hour
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Month fifteen
Year 196

Now the second wo (as also the beginning of the third) has its place, between the ceasing of the locusts, and the rising of the beast out of the sea; even at the time that the Saracens (who were chiefly cavalry) were at the height of their carnage; from their first Caliph Abubeker, till they were repulsed from Rome under Leo IV. These 212 years may therefore be reckoned from the year 634 to 847. The gradation in reckoning the time, beginning with the hour and ending with a year, corresponds with their small beginning and vast increase. Before and after Mahomet's death, they had enough to do to settle their affairs at home. Afterwards Abubeker went farther, and in the year 634 gained great advantage over the Persians and Romans in Syria. Under Omar was the conquest of Mesopatamia, Palestine, and Egypt, made. Under Osman, that of Afric, (with the total suppression of the Roman government in the year 647,) of Cyprus, and of all Persia, in 651. After Ali was dead, his son Ali Hasen, a peaceable prince, was driven out by Muavia; under whom and his successors the power of the Saracens so increased, that within fourscore years after Mahomet's death, they had extended their conquests farther than the warlike Romans did in four hundred years.

V. 16. And the number of the horsemen were two hundred millions-Not that so many were ever brought into the field at once, but (if we understand the expression literally) in the course of the hour, and day, and month, and year. So neither were the third part of men killed at once; but during that course of years.

V. 17. And thus I saw the horses, and them that sat on them in the vision St. John seems to add these words, in the vision, to intimate, that we are not to take this description just according to the letter. Having breast-plates of fire-Fiery red, and hyacinth-Duu-blue, and brimstone-A faint yellow. Of the

having breast-plates of fire, and hyacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses are as the heads of lions, and out of their mouths go fire, and smoke, and brimstone. 18 By these three plagues were the third part of men killed, by the fire, and the smoke, and the brimstone, which went 19 out of their mouths. For the power of the horses is in their mouths and in their tails; for their tails are like serpents, having heads, and with them they do hurt. 20 And the rest of the men, who were not killed by these plagues, yet repented not of the works of their hand, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and wood, which can neither 21 see, nor hear, nor walk: Neither repented of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornications, nor of their thefts.

same colour with the fire, and smoke, and brimstone, which go out of the mouths of their horses, and the heads of their horses are as the heads of lions-That is, fierce and terrible, and out of their mouth goeth fire, and smoke, and brimstone -This figurative expression may denote, the consuming, blinding, all-piercing rage, fierceness, and force of these horsemen.

V. 18. By these three-Which were inseparably joined, were the third part of men, in the countries they over-ran, killed-Omar alone in eleven years and a half took thirty-six thousand cities or forts. How many men must be killed therein?

V. 19. For the power of these horses is in their mouths and in their tails—Their riders fight retreating as well as advancing: so that their rear is as terrible as their front: for their tails are like serpents having heads-Not like the tails of serpents only. They may be fitly compared to the amphisbena, a kind of serpent, which has a short tail, not unlike a head; from which it throws out its poison, as if it had two heads.

V. 20. And the rest of the men who were not killed-Whom the Saracens did not destroy. It is observable, the countries they over-ran, were mostly those where the gospel had been planted: By these plagues-Here the description of the second wo ends, yet repented not, though they were called Christians, of the works of their hands-Presently specified, that they should not worship devilsThe invocation of departed saints, whether true, or false, or doubtful, or forged, crept early into the Christian church, and was carried farther and farther: and who knows, how many who are invoked as saints, are among evil, not good angels: or how far devils have mingled with such blind worship, and with the wonders wrought on such occasions? And idols-About the year 590 men began to venerate images: and though upright men zealously opposed it, yet by little and little, images grew into manifest idols. For after much contention, both in the East and West, in the year 787, the worship of images was established by the second council of Nice. Yet was image worship sharply opposed some time after, by the emperor Theophilus. But when he died, in 842, his widow Theodora established it again; as did the council at Constantinople in the year $63, and again in 871.

V. 21. Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries-Whoever reads the histories of the seventh, eighth, and ninth centuries, will find numberless instances of all these in every part of the Christian world. But tho' God cut off so many of these scandals to the Christian name, yet the rest went on in the same course. Some of them, however, might repent under the plagues which follow.