eftablished. Those barbarous perfecutions, which have been kindled by the antichriftian church, the fifth feal represents it plainly announces that those who should stand forward in defence of Evangelic truth fhould be expofed to them for a very long duration of time; and, including the Albigenfes and Waldenfes, the Bohemian Brethren and French Proteftants, as well as a crowd of contemporary fufferers that might be enumerated, it comprehends the far greater number of those who have ever perished in the cause of religion. It embraces the period which runs from the 13th century to the fall of the antichristian empire. As this great catastrophe is yet future, we appear to be now living under the fifth feal, though near the close of it, and when the fury of religious zeal has almost spent its force.

The next of these prophecies, which is to be a more particular object of enquiry, is thus fublimely expreffed: and I beheld when he had opened the fixth feal, and lo, there was a great Earthquake; and the fun became black as fackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; and the ftars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig-tree cafteth her untimely figs when he is fhaken of a mighty wind. And the heaven departed as a ferowl when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. And the kings of the earth,

it had at one time made a considerable progress in the islands of Socotra and Ceylon, in Iberia and Thrace, in Arabia and Perfia, in Tartary, China, and Hindoftan. But at prefent, among the natives of all these countries, the knowledge of Christianity is either completely obliterated, or it is obfcurely professed by a scanty portion of illiterate believers. The religion of Mahomet, on the contrary, in almost every one of these countries, either bears an undifputed fway, or has acquired very numerous profelytes. See Mofheim's Eccl. Hift. (vol. I. p. 199, 274, 275; vol. II. p. 2, 43, 179), and the Decl, and Fall of the Rom. Emp. (vol. VIII. p. 339-347). Early in the 5th century, there were, fays Sir I. Newton, in Africa alone about 700 bishoprics Obf. on Dan. p. 298.

and

and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every freeman, hid themselves in the dens, and in the rocks of the mountains; and said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that fitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: for the great day 45 of his wrath is come; and who fhall be able to ftand 46 ?

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The expreffions of this feal, fays Dr. Wall, are always the emblems of kings, emperors, governments, falling. Not only does a part of this ftriking paffage bear, on the very face of it, a ftrong refemblance to the prediction of Jefus; but it may be regarded as representing the very fame events in a more expanded form. What is faid here, that there was a Great Earthquake, fignifies, fays Vitringa, that there would be a mighty Revolution, which would happen in fome great empire, or rather in the world, or fome eminent part of it, which ' is treated of in this prophecy.' Now this part of the world, he observes, is Europe. Under the emblem of 'the heaven being rolled together is fignified a thorough change or abolition of the whole system both political and ' ecclefiaftical. For in the prophetic style, as I just now observed, the whole body of those who have rule and authority, both civil and ecclefiaftical, are included un. ⚫der the name of heaven.' And, in another place, Vitringa fays, this feal foretells, that Great Commotions 'would fuddenly arife, both in the empire of Papal • Rome, and in the other kingdoms and republics of Europe, God being about to raise up by his providence avengers, who would undertake the caufe of the af 'flicted.' Nothing, fays this judicious commentator, can

45 On the expreffion, the Great Day of God, fee the observations from Lowth, Daubuz, and Mede, in p. 294.

16 VI. 12-17.

be

be more evident than this explication of the fixth feal, if we have compared it with the feventh vial, which, in almoft the fame words, foretells the deftruction of the antichriftian empire.

In

The fixth feal has, however, been applied by bp. Newton and by various other commentators to the fuc ceffive defeats of Maxentius and Licinius, to the deftruction of the pagan temples, and to the various alterations accomplished by Conftantine". But, befides obferving, that, according to the ideas I entertain of the former feals, thefe events belong to a period far remote from that of the fixth feal, and therefore that this interpretation cannot poffibly be the true one; I appeal to the good fenfe of the unprejudiced reader, whether thefe occurrences, though of acknowledged importance, are adequate to the grandeur or to the import of the prophetic images. 'divine writings,' fays Dr. Apthorp, this rule is indif'penfable, that a profufion of the higher figures be not employed on a difproportioned fubject, or to impress ideas too vaft for the event 48.' Befides is it not faid, that the kings of the earth-hid themfelves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; and is it not admitted without difpute, in other places, that the kings of the earth are the modern monarchs of the European world? Whence then is it applied to a period of time, when thefe kings had no exiftence? That the period referred to fhould not be paffed over in filence, Vitringa thinks it reasonable to expect ; and he accordingly is of opinion, that the times of Conftantine are painted in vivid colours through the greatest part of the xiith chapter ""."

47 Should any perfon, notwithstanding all the force of the objections against it, apprehend, that the fixth feal has an aspect to these inferior and lefs important events, yet he will probably acquiefce in an obfervation of Mr. Waple, that it has also a relation to the final judgments upon Anti'chrift.'

48 Vol. I. p. 86.

49 P. 239.

An

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An interpreter of the apocalypse' muft,' says Daubuz, 'enlarge his thoughts, and embrace at once the whole 'extent and duration of the Chriftian religion or church.' It is evident that the whole church is concerned in the events defcribed, fo that when large and noble events or revolutions fit the fymbols exactly, it is unworthy of the Holy Ghost, to think they are ap'plicable' to fuch as are lefs confiderable and lefs important 50.

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That the fymbols of the fixth feal are of too august a kind to be applied to the occurrences which happened in the time of Conftantine, is a circumftance on which Vitringa has not omitted to lay proper ftrefs. But this is not all. The civil government was NOT overturned. It is true, fays Vitringa, that fome emperors were divested of their power. But in this there was nothing new or fingular.' The fame rank and the fame title, which Conftantine had wrested from his rivals, he himfelf continued to retain. The imagery of the fixth feal exhibits to us the change and fubverfion of the ftate of • fome empire, which should be accomplished with a ⚫ fudden fhaking and the moft violent commotion.' But the alterations introduced by Conftantine were, fays this learned divine, executed in a period of profound peace; and there was nothing in them that corresponded to the figures of the prophet. In the fubverfion of paganism, the Christian emperor did, fays Vitringa, proceed with moderation and with caution. Many of its temples and its fhrines continued untouched; the art of divination was ftill publicly practised"; their eftates, their SALA

.

RIES,

s Preliminary Discourse, p. 42.

There is a law of Conftantine, which shews that himself was not 'altogether free from pagan fuperftition, in which he orders the harufpices 'to be confulted, if any public edifice was ftruck with lightning.-We

RIES, their PRIVILEGES ftill remained in the hands of the vestals and the priests and the hierophants; in the greater cities, and especially at Rome, where an altar ftood to the honour of the Goddess Victory, public facrifices were permitted; and a large proportion of the Roman senate, many years after the time of Conftantine, continued in the belief, and perfevered in the patronage, of the heathen fuperftitions. Do these, and other 'things which I omit, answer to the imagery of the fixth 'feal? Whilft men, addicted to the idolatry of pa⚫ganism, were every where promoted to the higheft dignities of the ftate, at a time when Chriflian emperors held the reins of government; had they any neceffity to fay to the mountains and to the rocks, fall on us, and hide us from the wrath of the Lamb? Was paganism 'fubverted with violence and a mighty commotion, when, long after the time of Conftantine, it fubfifted and flourished in the principal cities of the empire 52 ?'

Of

* may add to this, that a temple of the Goddess Concord, being decayed by "length of time, was repaired or rebuilt by Constantine, if we may trust to ' an infcription in Lilius Giraldus.' Jortin on E. H. vol. II. p. 305. 5 P. 235. There is an original epistle remaining, which Conftantine 'addreffed to the followers of the ancient religion; at a time when he no ⚫ longer disguised his converfion, nor dreaded the rivals of his throne. He 'invites and exhorts, in the moft preffing terms, the subjects of the Roman ⚫ empire to imitate the example of their master; but he declares, that those ⚫ who ftill refuse to open their eyes to the celeftial light may freely enjoy ' their temples, and their fancied Gods. A report, that the ceremonies of 'paganism was fuppreffed, is formally contradicted by the emperor himfelf, who wifely affigns, as the principle of his moderation, the invin'cible force of habit, of prejudice, and of fuperftition.-The evidence ' of facts, and the monuments which are ftill extant of brafs and marble, 'continue to prove the public exercise of the pagan worship during the • whole reign of the fons of Conftantine. In the Eaft, as well as in the West, in cities, as well as in the country, a great number of temples were refpected, or at least were spared; and the devout multitude fill enjoyed the luxury of facrifices, of feftivals, and of proceffions.-The title, the ⚫enfigns

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