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lifted up, and his train filled the temple. It is fomewhat like the beginning of St. John's prophetic vifions; (IV. 1, 2.) I looked, and behold, a door was opened in heaven; and behold, a throne was fet in heaven, and one fat on the throne. This is much in the fame fpirit: And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was feen in his temple the ark of his teftament; that is, more open difcoveries were now made, and the myftery of God was revealed to the prophet. Lightnings, and voices, and thundrings, and an earthquake, and great hail, are the ufual concomitants and attendents of the divine prefence, and especially at the giving of new laws and new revelations. So at mount Sinai (Exod. XX. 16, &c.) there were thunders, and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice. of the trumpet exceeding loud, and the whole mount quaked greatly. So likewife in this very book of the Apocalyps, before the opening of the feven feals (IV. 5.) there were lightnings, and thundrings, and voices. So again before the founding of the feven trumpets (VIII. 5.) there were voices, and thundrings, and lightnings, and an earthquake: and with as much reason they are made in this place the figns and preludes of the revelations and judgments, which are to follow. It is no just objection, that a new sub

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ject is fuppofed to begin with the conjunction and; for this is frequent in the ftile of the Hebrews; fome books, as Numbers, Joshua, the two books of Samuel, and others, begin with Vau or and; and the fame objection would hold equally against beginning the divifion with the first verse of the next chapter,

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CHA P. XII.

ND there appeared a great wonder in heaven, a woman clothed with the fun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars :

2 And the being with child, cried, traveling in birth, and pained to be delivered.

3 And there appeared another wonder in heaven, and behold, a great red dragon, having feven heads, and ten horns, and feven crowns upon his heads.

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4 And his tail drew the third part of the ftars of heaven, and did caft them to the earth: and the dragon ftood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as foon as it was born.

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(1) A learned correfpondent gion is aptly compared to the obferves, that the Jewish reli- moon, as its light is not its

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5 And fhe brought forth a man-child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.

6 And the woman fled into the wildernefs, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they fhould feed her there a thousand two hundred and threefcore days.

St. John refumes his fubject from the beginning, and represents the church (ver. 1, 2.) as a woman, and a mother bearing children unto Christ. She is clothed with the fun, invested with the rays of Jesus Christ the fun of righteoufnefs; having the moon, the (1) Jewish newmoons and feftivals as well as all fublunary things, under her feet; and upon her head a crown of twelve ftars, an emblem of her being under the light and guidance of the twelve apostles. And fhe being with child, cried, traveling in birth, and pained to be delivered. St. Paul hath made ufe of the fame metaphor, and applied it to his preaching and propagating of the gospel in the midst of tribulation and perfecution. (Gal. IV. 19.) My little children of whom I travel in birth again, until Christ be formed in you.

own, but furnished by the Chrif tian religion, to which it re

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lates, and wherein its types are accomplished.

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But the words of St. John are much stronger, and more emphatically express the pangs, and ftruggles, and torments, which the church indured from the first publication of the gofpel to the time of Conftantine the great, when she was in fome measure eafed of her pains, and brought forth a deliverer. At the fame time there appeared (ver. 3.) a great dragon; which is the well known fign or symbol of the devil ́and Satan, and of his agents and instruments. We find the kings and people of Egypt, who were the great perfecutors of the primitive church of Ifrael, diftinguished by this title in feveral places of the Old Testament: (Pfal. LXXIV.

13. If. LI. 9. Ezek. XXIX. 3.) and with as

much reafon and propriety may the people and emperors of Rome, who were the great perfe→ cutors of the primitive church of Christ, be called by the fame name, as they were actuated by the fame principle. For that the Roman empire was here figured, the characters and attributes of the dragon plainly evince. He is a great red dragon: and purple or fcarlet was the diftinguishing color of the Roman emperors, confuls, and generals; as it hath been fince of popes and cardinals. His feven heads, as the angel afterwards (XVII. 9, 10.) explains the vifion, allude to the feven mountains upon

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which Rome was built, and to the feven forms of government, which fucceffively prevailed there. His ten horns typify the ten kingdoms, into which the Roman empire was divided; and the feven crowns upon his heads denote, that at this time the imperial power was in Rome, the high city, as Propertius (2) describes it, seated on seven hills, which prefides over the whole world. His tail alfo (ver. 4.) drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did caft them to the earth; that is, he subjected the third part of the princes and potentates of the earth and the Roman empire, as we have feen before, is represented as the third part of the world. He stood before the woman, which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as foon as it was born: and the Roman emperors and magistrates kept a jealous watchful eye over the Christians from the beginning. As Pharaoh laid fnares for the male children of the Hebrews, and Herod for the infant Chrift, the fon of Mary; fo did the Roman dragon for the mystic Christ, the fon of the church, that he might destroy him even in his infancy. But notwithstanding the jealoufy and envy of the Romans, the gofpel was widely diffufed and

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(2) Septem urbs alta jugis, toti quæ præfidet orbi.
Propert. Lib. 3. El. 11. ver. 57.
(3) Eufeb.

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