has been here said, explains 'sufficiently the meaning of the shower of hail and fire mixed with blood, which fell upon the Christian Church, according to the text of Apocalypse here considered. And now may we not, for a moment, take a quiet view of the triumph of the Church over ali her enemies? The Devil, like a fierce lion had closely watched her, and made repeated furious attempts to devour her: But the Lion of the tribe of Juda stood for her protection, and defeated all his assaults. Those haughty Princes, the Roman emperors, by Satan's instigation, bore down against her with all the weight of their power, to which the faithful opposed no other arms but patience. Nevertheless the edifice of the Church could not be thrown down because he that built it was himself the corner-stone, and had declared, it should stand for ever. The Pagans persuaded themselves, that by dint of tortures and severities, they could totally crush the Christians, and extinguish their very name: but their expectations were frustrated, and they saw them daily increase under those very oppressions. The more Christians they tortured, or put to death, the more converts were made from the view of such amazing examples of fortitude; and the Christian blood they spilt, as Tertullian told them, was the seed of new Christians. The heavy pressures the Church laboured under, served to purify her members, like gold in the furnace, and from the fire of persecution she rose up, like the Phoenix, more bright and more vigorous. The idolatrous emperors of Rome looked upon the Christian religion as a mere human invention, and in this lay their mistake: They were ignorant that the work was of divine construction, that it was the new kingdom of the God of Heaven which had just been founded, and to which, by the eternal decrees, all other kingdoms were to give place, Dan. ii. 44. It was the stone, foretold by the prophet Daniel, "cut out of the mountain without hands," Dan. ii. 34. which should break down all preceding powers, even the great Empire of Rome itself; that is, it should destroy the empire of idolatry in all nations, and reduce them to the obedience of its own laws, even Rome itself, which was to be for a time the chief seat and fortress of idolatry. "This stone," pursues the same prophet, " grew up into a great mountain, and filled the whole earth," Dan. ii. 35. which signifies, that the extent of the Christian religion was to have no other bounds but the extremities of the earth. Such being the solid foundation of the Church laid by the Almighty's hand, all human efforts against her must of course prove vain and abortive. The persecutions, however violent, had no other effect but to throw a gloomy veil over her for a while; but that being once removed, she appeared with new strength, and like the sun emerging from an eclipse, she shone forth with greater lustre, and spread her influence over the whole earth. Prelude to the pouring out of the seven Vials. Apoc. Chap XV. v. 1. " And I saw," says St. John, "another sign in heaven great and wonderful: seven angels, having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God."* Here is a new vision, great and wonderful, shewn to St. John; seven angels holding the figurative symbols of seven plagues or scourges, that is, of seven dreadful punishments. They are called the last, because in them is filled up or completed the wrath of God, being inflicted on mankind in the last period of the world, which is the period of Christianity. Accordingly, the first of these scourges take place as we shall see, soon after the beginning of the Christian æra, and the seventh puts an end to the world. In the Greek text, "having seven plagues the last, because in them was falfilled the wrath of God," v. 2. "And I saw," continues St. John, "as it were, a sea of glass mingled with fire, and them that had overcome the beast, and his image,* and the number of his name, standing on the sea of glass, having the harps of God: v. 3. "And singing the canticle of Moses the servant of God, and the canticle of the Lamb, saying: Great and wonderful are thy works, O Lord God Almighty just and true are thy ways, O King of ages.† v. 4. "Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and magnify thy name? for thou only art holy. For all nations shall come, and shall adore in thy sight, because thy judgments are manifest." By the sea of glass is meant, as before explained, the firmament that makes the floor of heaven; which here is said to be mingled with fire, in allusion to the persecutions and troubles, which the faithful servants of God, who are seen standing on this sea, have sustained during the whole course of the Christian ages. For here, it must be observed, we are transferred to the moment of time, when all the seven scourges are completed and past, which is at the end of the world Supposing ourselves therefore at that point of time, we see a great body of Christian saints standing upon the sea of glass. But who in particular are they? Those who have overcome the beast and his image, and his character, or mark, and the number of his name. By a beast is generally meant an animal that destroys mankind, or ravages a country. In allusion to that idea, the beast here stands for idolatry and heresy; both which always make great devastation and desolation in the Church. Pursuant to that double meaning of the beast, its image denotes, either the idols of the pagan Gods, I In the Greek is added, "and his character." spread itself through a great extent in Europe, Asia, and Africa; and all considerable cities were governed by their respective bishops. Trajan, the Roman emperor, according to the Pagan writers, was of a mild temper and possessed of many amiable qualities, which gained him from the senate the title of Optimus,' or 'good prince.' But this glorious title received a black and indelible stain from the persecutions which he permitted to be carried on against the Christians. For, though he issued out no new edicts against them, he suffered the former sanguinary laws to be executed in different parts of the empire in the years 106, 107, &c. A clear instance of this appears in his answer to Pliny the younger, governor of Pontus and Bithynia, who had writ to know his pleasure, what should be done with the Christians who were very numerous in the provinces of his government. Trajan's answer was, Let the Christians not be sought for; but if they be accused and convicted as such, let them be punished.' The chief of those who gained the crown of martyrdom in his reign were, St. Clement, bishop of Rome; St. Simeon, bishop of Jerusalem; St. Ignatius, bishop of Antioch, whom Trajan himself condemned and sent to Rome, there to be torn to pieces by wild beasts in the amphitheatre. The fourth Persecution under Marcus Aurelius. The fourth persecution finds its place in the reign of Marcus Aurelius, in the year 166, &c Many Christians indeed had been sacrificed under the emperor Adrian, by virtue of former laws remaining in force, but at last he mitigated them by an express order. Marcus Aurelius was extremely superstitious; and as he also boasted of being a philosopher, he was easily instigated by the heathen priests and philosophers against the Christians, whose principles of religion and philosophy were so contrary to theirs. If Aurelius issued out no new edicts, he permitted at least the governors of provinces to put in execution the laws subsisting. And that the persecution was very violent and bloody, appears from the several apologies presented to him by St. Justin, Melito, Athenagoras, and Apollinaris, intreating him to put a stop to it. The same is also evident from the number of those that were crowned with martyrdom. In Asia, St. Polycarp, bishop of Smyrna, was put to death, and many others about the same time. At Rome was beheaded St. Justin, who wrote two apologies for the Christians. Several others shared with him · the same crown. At Lyons, St. Pothinus the bishop, and many of all ages and conditions were, through the most acute and cruel torments, con veyed to heaven. At length the emperor put an end to the persecution about the year 174, prevailed upon, as is supposed, by the signal favour he and his army, in the German war, received from heaven by the prayers of the Christian legion. He was shut up in narrow defiles, and surrounded by the Quadi and Marcomanni, and his soldiers were ready to perish with excessive heat and thirst. Under these calamities, the Christian soldiers humbly addressed themselves to God, who immediately sent a plentiful shower of rain, which relieved Aurelius's army, and at the same time a violent storm of hail, with dreadful flashes of lightning, upon the enemies; which gave a complete victory to the emperor. The fifth Persecution under Severus. After the death of Marcus Aurelius in 180, the Christians enjoyed a respite of tolerable peace till the reign of Severus, a crafty, treacherous, and bloody prince, and by his nature truly answering H |