fhall be heard no more at all in thee; and i no craftsman, of whatfoever craft he be, fhall be found any more in thee; and the found of a milftone fhall be heard no more at all in thee;

23 And the light of a candle fhall fhine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride fhall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy forceries were all nations, deceived:

24 And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of faints, and of all that were flain upon the earth.

Yet farther to confirm the fudden fall and irrecoverable destruction of Rome, an emblem is copied and improved from Jeremiah; (LI. 63, 64.) a'mighty angel (ver. 21.) cafteth a milftone into the fea, declaring that with the fame violence this great city fhall be thrown down, and shall never rife again. Her utter defolation is farther described (ver. 22, 23.) in phrases and expreffions borrowed from the ancient prophets. (If. XXIV. 8. Jer. VII. 34. XVI. 9. XXV. 10. Ezek. XXVI. 13.) There fhall be no more musicians for the ntertainment of the rich and great; no more

tradef

tradefmen or artificers to furnish the conveniencies of life; no more fervants or flaves to grind at the mill, and to fupply the neceffaries of life. Nay, there fhall be no more lights, no more bridal Songs; the city fhall never be peopled again by new marriages, but fhall remain depopulated for ever. For which utter defolation there are affigned these reasons, (ver. 23, 24.) her pride and luxury, her fuperftition and idolatry; her tyranny and cruelty. Her punishment shall be as fevere and exemplary, as if fhe had been guilty of all the perfecutions that ever were upon account of religion; for by her conduct fhe hath approved, and imitated, and furpaffed them all. But Rome hath never yet been depopulated and defolated in this manner. She hath been taken indeed and plundered (1) by Alaric king of the Vifigoths in the year 410, by Genferic king of the Vandals in the year 455 by Totilas king of the Oftrogoths in the year 546, and by others fince that time: but yet he is ftill ftanding and florishing, and is honored by many nations as the metropolis of the Chriftian world; fhe ftill refounds with fingers and musicians; the ftill excels in arts which ferve to pomp and luxury; fhe still

abounds

(1) See Petav. Rat. Temp. and Blair's Chron. Tables.

abounds with candles, and lamps, and torches, burning even by day as well as by night; and confequently this prophecy hath not yet been, but remains yet to be fulfilled.

CHAP. XIX.

AND after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, faying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power unto the Lord our God:

2 For true and righteous are his judg ments; for he hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his fervants at her hand.

3 And again they faid, Alleluia. And her fmoke rofe up for ever and ever.

4 And the four and twenty elders, and the four beafts fell down and worshipped God that fat on the throne, faying, Amen; Alleluia.

5

And a voice came out of the throne, faying, Praife our God, all ye his fervants, and ye that fear him, both small and great.

6 And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thund

erings,'

erings, faying Alleluia: for the Lord God somnipotent reigneth.

7 Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made her felf ready.'

58 And to her was granted, that he fhould be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white for the fine linen is the righteoufnefs of faints.

9 And he faith unto me, Write, Bleffed are they which are called unto the marriage-fupper of the Lamb. And he faith unto me, Thefe are the true fayings of God. 10 And I fell at his feet to worship

him

And he faid unto me, See thou do it not; I am thy fellow-fervant, and of thy brethren that have the teftimony of Jefus : worship God: for the teftimony of Jesus is the fpirit of prophecy.

Hereupon the whole church, (ver. 1-4.) agreeably to the exhortation of the angel, (XVIII. 20.) join in praises and thanksgivings to almighty God for his truth and righteoufnefs in judging this idolatrous city, his truth in fulfilling his promises and threatnings, and his righteoufness in proportioning her punishment to her VOL. III.

Y

crimes.

crimes. And her smoke rofe up for ever and ever; which intimates that the fhould be made as fignal a monument of divine vengeance as Sodom and Gomorrah. It is taken from Isaiah, who hath faid much the fame thing of Edom, and by Edom (2) the Jews understand Rome. (If. XXXIV. 9, 10.) And the ftreams thereof shall be turned into pitch; in the genuin (3) editions of the Chaldee paraphrase it is, And the rivers of Rome shall be turned into pitch, and the dust thereof into brimstone, and the land thereof shall become burning pitch. It fhall not be quenched night nor day; the smoke thereof shall go up for eder. This tradition of the rabbins may receive some confirmation from thefe words of the apoftle: and fuch an event may appear the more probable, because the adjacent countries are known to be of a fulphureous and bituminous foil; there have even at Rome been (4) eruptions of fubterraneous fire; which have confumed several buildings; fo that the fuel feemeth to be prepared, and waiteth only for the breath of the Lord to kindle it. But God is praised not only for the destruction of the great feat of idolatry, but also (ver. 5 -8.

(2) R. David in principio Obadia, Quod autem dicunt prophete de vaftatione Edom in extremitate dierum, de Roma dixerunt. Buxtorf. Chald. Lex.-in

voce

17.

(3) Et convertentar Alumina Romæ in picem &c. Pofteriores editiones vocem Roma omiserunt. Buxtorf. ibid."

(4) Vide