THE historical illustrations of the events announced on the sounding of the fourth trumpet having been completed in our last lecture, the order of the prophecy presents the fifth trumpet's proclamation for our next consideration. The consequent events are foreshown by the following numerous and interesting terms and symbols :

"And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall" ("fallen" is a more correct translation) "from heaven unto the earth and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit. And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit. And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power. And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads. And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man. And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them. And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle; and on their heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were as the faces of men. And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions. And they had breast-plates, as it were breast-plates of iron; and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle.

And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in their tails: and their power was to hurt men five months. And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue, is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon. One woe is past; and, behold, there come two woes more hereafter."

The continuity of correspondence between revealed and accomplished events, we have already seen to be dependent on these terms and symbols being found to foreshow the revolution caused by Mahomet, and which, Gibbon says,

changed the civil and religious state of the world." Our area of enquiry being thus limited, we have only now to see if the history of Mahomet, and of the consequences which attended the forces set in motion by him, satisfactorily illustrates the Apocalyptic figure. Our success seems to be already promised by the locust symbol employed, inasmuch as the locust, as well as the scorpion, has been peculiarly associated with Arabia in all ages, both in the Scriptures, and by profane historians; and the local appropriateness of a symbol is never lost sight of in the Apocalyptic figures. Arabia, being eastward of Egypt, is referred to in Ex. x. 13, "The east wind brought the locusts." Again, in Judges vii. 12, “And all the children of the east (Arabs) lay along in the valley like locusts" ("grasshoppers" is an incorrect translation)" for multitude." And Moses, Deut. viii. 15, "who led thee through that great and terrible wilderness, wherein were fiery serpents and scorpions." Profane historians, too, often speak of swarms of locusts arising from Arabia. The desert of Orfah has been described as famous for a large black scorpion, whose bite or sting is generally fatal; and very singularly, Mahommedan tradition speaks of locusts having dropped into the hands of Mahomet with "we are the army of the great God" inscribed on their wings.

Presuming, therefore, that history will again prove a faithful interpreter, we may proceed to analyse the symbols and terms of the Apocalyptic figure, on the assumption that Arabia is the primary locality of representation, and

Mahomet the primary actor in, or promoter of, the events foreshown.

"I saw a star fallen from heaven unto the earth" will require Mahomet's being seen at the sounding of the trumpet degraded from an exalted rank or position, either inherited by birth, or previously held by him in the political or ecclesiastical firmament of his country. "And to him was given the key of the bottomless pit" beautifully symbolizes the indoctrination of Mahomet's mind with a principle of evil, hitherto confined to the unfathomable source of all darkness and error; of which indoctrination, a proper visible sign would be afforded by Mahomet's being given the custody, either by a presentation of the keys or otherwise, of a temple or mosch, or city, hitherto devoted to the propagation of doctrines at enmity with God. Such a locality, as a perpetual source of disseminating error, would be fitly symbolized by a bottomless pit, and thus be an appropriate visible representation of the orifice, through which the symbolic smoke is seen to issue on the pit being opened, as shown by the succeeding terms, "And he opened the bottomless pit, and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit," by which is indicated, in conjunction with the foregoing, that Mahomet would successfully propagate his principle of evil, now pointed out by "the smoke," to be a false religious doctrine, and that the Caliph and people would embrace it, and be enveloped by its darkening influences. It will be remembered that this interpretation of "smoke" has been advanced in a previous figure, and that the evidences then produced to justify its being so interpreted were satisfactorily endorsed by the historic fulfilments of the prophecy agreeing therewith. In addition to the foregoing, a further signification is attached to this part of the prophecy by the term "the bottomless pit," which, by its figure of boundless capacity, implies that the pit of destruction, opened by Mahomet, would receive countless victims through a long duration of time. This has been abundantly fulfilled, inasmuch as at the present day (so truly was the air darkened

by the smoke), the false doctrines of Mahomet are embraced by millions of his deluded votaries. The assumption, indeed, appears to be justified, though its mention is perhaps a slight deviation from our purpose of not diving into the future, that "the bottomless pit" further implies that Mahommedanism would not be extinguished until the final triumph of Christ over all His enemies. Before passing to the remaining terms, it may be observed, as a circumstance possessing some interest, and not unconnected with our subject, that an eminent Arabian historian relates, that from October, 626, to June, 627, half the body of the sun was eclipsed. At this time Mahomet was exercising his followers in depredations at home, to fit them for the foreign conquests indicated by, "And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth," which symbolizes swarms of the followers of Mahomet leaving Arabia, and spreading themselves over the Roman empire. The propriety of interpreting "the locusts" by the Arabs or Saracens has been already shown ; a further support will, however, be attached to the interpretation by characteristics subsequently noted in the prophecy.

Their "coming out of the smoke" signifies their leaving Arabia, where it first arose, and by "the earth" we have been previously instructed to understand the Roman empire. It may be here noticed, that as no restriction is made under this trumpet to a third part of the earth, we may be prepared to find that the empire generally was invaded by the symbolic locusts, and the next term fulfilled," And unto them was given power as the scorpions of the earth have power,' by their subjecting the Roman people to the same chastisements of war as are inflicted by political conquerors; or if "the scorpions of the earth" be interpreted literally, by their forcibly and oppressively infusing and spreading the venom of their false doctrines wherever they appeared. As in a previous instance, where the Apocalyptic terms admitted a double interpretation, a corresponding double illustration was supplied by history, so probably both these interpretations may be found to be confirmed by the event. The next terms, "And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree;

but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads," whilst precluding all idea of natural locusts, appear to apply a severe historic test, inasmuch as to satisfy their requirements, it must be shown that the armies of Mahomet were publicly charged with the rather improbable command in the warfare of those days, to spare the men, children, and women, with the exception of the apostate Christians, whom we have already seen to be those who have not the seal of God in their foreheads. "And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months; and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion when he striketh a man. And in those days shall men seek death and shall not find it, and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them," signifies that the apostate Christians would be subjected to every religious and cruel indignity and torture on account of their faith, through a period of about one hundred and fifty years; but, nevertheless, that their life as a religious or political community would not be extinguished. The evidences in support of interpreting a symbolic day by a year, giving in this instance a period slightly over one hundred and fifty years for the symbolic five months (the precise period will be subsequently shown), having been previously noticed, their repetition here is unnecessary, but we must not pass on without observing the peculiar force of the above terms to denote such a state of accumulated wretchedness as history rarely supplies. Somewhat similar language is used in Jeremiah viii. 3 of the calamities of the Jewish captives— "And death shall be chosen rather than life by all the residue of them that remain of this evil family, which remain in all the places whither I have driven them, saith the Lord of Hosts."

The characteristics of the symbolic locusts next follow, and are remarkable for their Arabian appropriateness. "And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle," will be readily recognised as fitly representing the cavalry of the Arabs, who have been in all ages held to be famous for their horses and superiority of horsemanship: this symbol will be therefore fitly illustrated by the armies