already given, that the imperial power was the seventh and not the sixth Draconic head. * "His tail" also "draweth the third part of the stars of heaven." This passage does not appear to have been understood by any commentator. A pretty general opinion respecting the tail is, that it is a symbol here used, because the strength of the Dragon is supposed to reside in his tail. † But Dr. Mitchell comes nearest to the true meaning, when he says it alludes to the hindmost or last of the heathen emperors; and his quotation of a passage of Scripture is very appropriate for this purpose. He observes that it is no unusual mode of expression in the Old Testament to call the hindmost of an enemy the tail; as in Joshua x. 19. “Ye shall cut off the hindmost of them," which is literally ye shall cut off their וזנבתם אותם in Hebrew tail." Though Dr. Mitchell be right in supposing the tail to mean the last part of the Dragon; yet his application of it solely to the last heathen emperors, is incorrect. The truth is, the tail of the Dragon is the seventh or last form of government in the Heathen Roman world, viz. the imperial power. And the tail, or imperial power, "draweth the third part of the stars of heaven." By the third part has generally been understood, * In our common translation σupa is translated "drew," but this is evidently a mistake; for the Greek word is in the present tense, and consequently ought to be translated "draweth." + See Poli Synopsis Critic. in loc. See his New Exposition of the Revelation, in loc. that the Roman empire subjected the third part of the princes and potentates of the earth.* But that this is not a correct statement of the fact is evident from the testimony of ancient history. The Roman empire was always considered and called the empire of the world by ancient writers; and it is even so named in Scripture, for St. Luke, in the second chapter of his Gospel, informs us that "there went out a decree from Cæsar Augustus that the whole world should be taxed," by which is evidently meant the Roman empire. Dionysius of Halicarnassus gives an account of the extent of the Roman empire in words to the following effect: The city of Rome rules over the whole earth, even over places which are inaccessible, as well as those inhabited by men for she sways the whole sea, not only within the pillars of Hercules, but also over every part of the ocean which is navigable and is the first and only city, in the memory of man, which made the east and west the bounds of its empire."+ Petronius informs us that "the Roman conqueror had already in possession the whole globe, wherever there is sea, or land, or * See Poli Synopsis Critic. in loc. † Ἡ δὲ Ῥωμαίων πόλις ἁπάσης μὲν ἄρχει γῆς, ὅση μὴ ἀνέμ ἔατος ἐςὶν, ἀλλ' ὑπ' ἀνθρώπων κατοικεῖται· πάσης δὲ κρατεῖ θα λάσσης, οὐ μόνον τῆς ἐντὸς Ἡρακλείων σηλῶν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῆς Ωκεανίτιδος, ὅση πλεῖσθαι μὴ ἀδύνατος ἐςὶ, πρώτη καὶ μόνη τῶν ἐκ τοῦ παντὸς αἰῶνος, μνημονευομένων, ἀνατολὰς καὶ δύσεις ὄρεις ποιησα μένη τῆς δυνασείας. Lib. i. prope principium. L 2 star;" and Ovid observes that "the territories of other nations were circumscribed within certain limits, but that the dominion of the Roman city is that of the world."+ Hence it is evident, the third part of the stars of heaven, cannot mean the third part of the princes and potentates of the earth; for it is totally incredible that the whole world should signify in the Apocalypse any thing more than what it did in the time when that book was written, that is to say, the whole earth known at that time. Others suppose, that the reason why the Roman empire was called the third part, is because its power was principally exerted in Europe, one of the three grand divisions of the ancient world. But this is entirely indefinite. For the words of the prophecy are evidently designed to comprehend the whole, and not a principal part, of the imperial power. Secondly, it could not be properly called the third part in this sense, unless it could be proved that the Roman empire only ruled over Europe, the then third part of the known globe; but that it had great dominion out of Europe is a fact well known to every one conversant in Roman history. The whole mystery of * Orbem jam totum victor Romanus habebat, Romanæ spatium est urbis, et orbis idem. Fast. 11. 683. See also Pitiscus, ib. See Bishop Newton, in loc. this passage consists in the misapprehension of its symbolical language. In order, therefore, to understand it, the symbols here used, must be examined. By heaven is meant the most eminent, or ruling part, of any nation. This is evident from the very nature of the symbol: for "heaven is God's throne;" they, therefore, who are advanced to the supreme authority in any state, are very properly said to be taken up into heaven, because they are raised to this eminence by the favour of the Lord, and are "ministers of his, to do his pleasure." And the calamity which fell upon Nebuchadnezzar was to instruct him in this important truth, that "the Heavens do rule," that is, that all monarchs possess their kingdoms by Divine appointment, and that no man is raised to power by the chances of war, but "that the Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will, and setteth up over it the basest of men." The meaning of the symbol heaven being thus ascertained, it cannot be difficult to comprehend the meaning of earth, this being evidently its opposite, that is, every thing in subjection to the heaven or ruling part. The figure is very appropriate, for as heaven is God's throne, so is the earth his footstool; and as the heaven of an empire is the throne of that empire; so the earth must be all in subjection to it. Stars have been already shewn to denote religious ministers; and this is more fully evident from the first chapter of the Revelation, where the seven stars which the Son of God holds in his right hand are explained to signify the seven angels of the seven churches; by whom must be meant the seven pastors or ministers of these churches; for as angels are "ministering spirits sent forth to minister unto them who shall be heirs of salvation;" so ministers of the Gospel are the spiritual pastors of the Christian church. The resemblance of ministers to stars is very striking; for as the stars are the lamps of heaven which give light upon the earth; so are ministers the lights of the cause they advocate: and their position in heaven, the symbol of domination, very fitly betokens the spiritual authority of priests or ministers over their flocks. Hence as the Woman, or Christian church, has "upon her head a crown of twelve stars," which signifies that she is under the guidance of the Twelve Apostles, who are the twelve principal lights of the Christian world; so has the Dragon also his stars or ministers. The stars therefore which the Dragon is said to draw with his tail must represent the whole body of Pagan priests, who were the stars or lights of the Heathen world. From what has been said it is evident, that the third part of the stars of heaven which the Dragon draws with his tail, must mean that the Heathen Roman empire draweth to his side, the third part of religious priests or ministers. But it has been already proved that the Heathen Roman empire ruled over all the world then known; in what sense then can it be said that it draws only a third part of the stars of heaven? The |