answer is, the religious world in the time of St. John was divided into three grand branches, viz. ́ The Christian world, the Jewish world, and the Heathen or Pagan world; consequently as a dragon, a fabulous animal, is an emblem of a religion founded infable, it necessarily follows, that the stars or ministers of the Jews and Christians cannot be numbered among those which the Dragon, or the Heathen Roman power, draws with his tail, as they were not the advocates of his idolatry, but were ministers of a religion founded by the God of Heaven, and consequently formed no part of the Pagan world; though they were in subjection, in secular matters, to the Pagan Roman empire. The tail of the Dragon, therefore, draweth after him the whole Heathen world, "and hath cast them upon the earth,” that is, reduced all the Pagan priests under the Roman yoke. The words of the prophecy are very remarkable. It is said the tail of the Dragon "draweth the third part," speaking in the present tense; but it is added, " and hath cast them upon the earth." What is the reason that the Greek xal couples verbs in different tenses? Evidently to shew that in the time when St. John wrote the Apocalypse, the world was divided into the three grand religious divisions already referred to, but that the tail of the Dragon, or the Pagan Roman power under its last form of government, had brought the whole Heathen world into subjection previously to the introduction of Christianity, when the world was divided religiously into only two

grand branches, viz. Jews and Gentiles. That the meaning in which the third part is here understood is that which is designed, is put beyond all controversy when it is considered that this very division is made in the first and third verses of the chapter now under consideration. In the first verse we are informed of the woman, the Christian church; and the moon under her feet, the Jewish church; and in the third verse a great red Dragon is mentioned, which has been shewn to be the Hea

then power.

"And the Dragon stood before the Woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born." This, I think, cannot be better explained than in the following words of Dr. Mitchell: "Before the death of Constantius, the heathen party being aware that the filial piety of Constantine would induce him to follow the example of his father, who so much favoured the Christians, beheld him with a watchful and malignant eye: many were the snares that, according to Eusebius, were laid for him by Maximian and Galerius: he relates the frequent and dangerous enterprises to which they urged him, with the design that he might lose his life. When Galerius heard of the death of Constantius, and that he had appointed Constantine for his successor, he was filled with the most ungovernable rage and indignation; notwithstanding he did not dare to take any steps contrary to the interest of Constantine; the dread of the armies of the west, which were mostly

composed of Christians, was a sufficient check to all attempts of that kind. Thus the Dragon, or Heathen power, stood before the Woman, or Christian church, to devour her son or deliverer, as soon as he was born.” *

"And she brought forth a man-child who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron." That is, the Christian church, when her full time came, obtained a deliverer, who, in the course of the Divine Providence, was destined to rule all nations, that is, the Heathen Roman empire, with a rod of iron, a strong figure to denote the very great restraint that should be put upon Paganism, so that it should not be able longer to persecute the Christian church. This man-child is the dynasty of Christian emperors, beginning with Constantine's conversion from Paganism, which happened in the latter part of A. D. 312, after the defeat of the emperor Maxentius.

"And her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne." That is, a succession of Christian emperors was raised up to the church; for the Roman throne is here called the throne of God, as Bishop Newton very properly observes, because 'there is no power but of God; the powers that be are ordained of God.'

"And the woman fled into the wilderness," a very striking figure to represent the great and ra

*See Dr. Mitchell's New Exposition of the Revelation, in loc.

pid increase of errors and heresies in the Christian world after the time that Christianity was made the religion of the empire, "Where she hath a place prepared of God that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days." How this was accomplished will be seen in a subsequent part of this chapter.

"And there was war in heaven." As heaven here means the throne of the Roman empire, the war in heaven consequently alludes to the breaking out of civil commotions among the governors of this empire. But it appears that the war is undertaken on a religious account: for "Michael and his angels fought against the Dragon." Michael is evidently put in opposition to the Dragon; therefore the former must represent the Christian power, as the Dragon comprehends the Heathen power. The Christian power is very properly represented by Michael, because he "is the great Prince which standeth for the children of God's people." "The Dragon" also "fought, and his angels," or ministers, " and prevailed not" against the cause of Christianity; "neither was their place found any more in heaven," the advocates of the Heathen idolatry were deposed from having any further share in the government of the empire. The civil wars evidently alluded to in the prophecy are thus given by Dr. Mitchell from the Encyclopædia Britannica: "Licinius is convicted of having persecuted Christianity, which was so highly favoured by his rival; and Constantine is known to have

been the first to begin the preparations for an open rupture. Both sides exerted all their power to make opposition: and, at the head of very formidable armies, came to an engagement, near Cybalis, in Pannonia. Constantine, previously to the battle, in the midst of his Christian bishops, begged the assistance of heaven; while Licinius, with equal zeal, called upon the Heathen priests to intercede with the gods in his favour. Constantine, after an obstinate resistance from the enemy, became victorious, took their camp, and after some time compelled Licinius to sue for a truce, which was agreed upon. But this was of no long continuance; for soon after the war breaking out afresh, and the rivals coming once more to a general engagement, it proved decisive; Licinius was entirely defeated. The consequence of this victory was, the supreme power of the whole empire came into the possession of Constantine, the first Christian emperor, and the religion of Jesus Christ was established through all his dominions."

"And the great Dragon," or Heathen power, was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he I was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him." Here the Heathen power is represented under some of the most horrid characters of the great apostate spirit, the enemy of mankind. First, it is called the "serpent which deceiveth the whole world," in evident allusion to that which deceived our first parents; and it is