. ἔτεκεν υιὸν ἄρρενα, ὃς μέλλει ποιμαί · νειν πάλα τὰ ἔθνη ἐν ράβδω σιδηρά καὶ ἡρπάσθη τὸ τέκνον αὐτῆς πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν καὶ πρὸς τὸν Ο θρόνον αὐτέ. Καὶ ἡ γυνὴ ἔφυγεν εἰς τὴν ἔρημον, ὅπε ἔχει ἐκεῖ τόπον ἡτοιμασμένον από το Θεό, ἵνα ἐκεῖ · τρέφωσιν αὐτὴν ἡΗ μέρας χιλίας διακοησίας εξήκοντα. Καὶ -ἐγένετο πόλεμΘ ἐν τῷ ἐρανῷ ὁ Μια χαὴλ καὶ οἱ ἄγγελοι αὐτὸ τὸ πολεμῆσαι μετὰ τὸ δράκοντα καὶ ὁ δράκων ἐπολέμησε καὶ οἱ ἄγγελοι 8 αὐτῷ, καὶ ἐκ ἴσχυσαν, ὅτε τόπα εὑρέθη αὐτῶν ἔτι ἐν Ο τῶ ἐρανῷ. Καὶ ἐβλήθη ὁ δράκων ὁ μέγας, ὁ ὄφις ὁ ἀρχαῖς, ὁ καλά μεν ο διάβολο και ὁ σαλανᾶς, ὁ πλα νῶν τὴν οἰκεμένην ὅλην, ἐβλήθη εἰς τὴν γῆν καὶ οἱ ἄγγελοι αὐτὸ μὲν αὐτὸ 10 εβλήθησαν. Kai ἤκεσα φωνὴν μεγά λέγεσαν. "Αξι ἐγές brought forth a malechild, who is about to rule as a shepherd all the nations with an iron rod. And her child was caught up to God and to his throne. 6 And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has there a place prepared of God, war in heaven; Mi- of iron and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne. 6 And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and three. 7 score days. And there was war in heaven; Michael and his angels fought against the dra gon, and the dragon fought and his angels: 8 And prevailed not, nei ther was their place gon fought and his | 9 heaven. And the great 8 angels, And prevailed not; neither was their I heard a loud voice dragon was cast out, that old serpent, call. ed the Devil and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: be was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with 10 him. And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before God day our 11 and pight. And they πεῖο ἡ σωτηρία, καὶ ἡ δύναμις, καὶ ἡ βασι λεία τῇ Θεῖ ἡμῶν, καὶ ἡ ἐξεσία το Χριςα αὐτό ὅτι xxlcanon oxalɣp τῶν ἀδελφῶν ἡμῶν, ὁ κατηγορῶν αὐτῶν ἐνώπιον το Θεό ἡμῶν ἡμέρας καὶ 11 νυκτός. Καὶ αὐτοὶ ἐνίκησαν αὐτὸν δια To aiμa To apvíz, καὶ διὰ τὸν λόγον τῆς μαρτυρίας αυτ τῶν καὶ ἐκ ἠγάπη σαν The Juxnx αὐτῶν ἄχρι θα 12 νάτε. Διὰ τἒτο εὐφραίνεσθε οἱ ἐξανοὶ καὶ οἱ ἐν αὐτοῖς annverles. Ovxi T γῇ καὶ τῇ θαλάσσης ὅτι κατέβη ὁ διά βολία πρὸς ὑμᾶς, ἔχων θυμὸν μέγαν, εἰδὼς, ὅτι ὀλίγον 13xzıgòv ixu. Kai ὅτε εἶδεν ὁ δράκων, ὅτι ἐβλήθη εἰς τὴν γῆν, ἐδίωξε την για ναῖκα, ἥτις ἔτεκε 14 τὸν ἄῤῥονα. Καὶ ἐδόθησαν τῇ γυναικὶ δύο πολέςυγες το απλά μεγάλο, ἵνα πέτηται ais Th ἔρημον εἰς τὸν τόπον αὐτῆς, ὅπως τρέφεται ἐκεῖ καιρὸν καὶ καιρες, καὶ ἥμισυ καιρᾶς, ἀπὸ they loved not their "life even unto death. 12" Therefore rejoice, O "ye heavens, and ye "that dwell, therein. "Woe to the earth, "and to the sea; be"cause the Devil is 66 knowing that he hath 13" a short season." And when the dragon saw that he was cast down to the earth, he pursued the woman who brought forth the male14 child. And to the woman were given two wings of the great eagle, that she might flee into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished there, a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the ser15 pent. And the serpent cast out of his mouth, after the woman, water like a river, that he sea: for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a 13 short time. And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the which brought forth the man14 child. And to the wo man woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of 15 the serpent. And the. serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood, after the woman; that he might cause her to be carried away of the 16 flood. And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed Ver. 1. A great sign-in heaven.] The word anμLELOV is used here to signify a type, a symbol, or figura. tive representation; and occurs in the same sense in other parts of Scripture *. of Scripture. The verb nav, as used in ch. i. 1., includes the same meaning. The scene of this representation continues yet in heaven. We are prepared to expect under this Trumpet the description of that conflict and victory, by which the Christran Church will be placed in security from her enemies. And in order to exhibit this in all its parts, the Holy Spirit begins the representation from the earliest times. To enable us to understand things future, * Matt. xii. 38. xvi. 1-4. Rom. iv. 11. past past events are first represented under the same kind of allegory. Ibid. A Woman.] A woman, in figurative language, is used to signify a city, a state, a body politic. Such is the daughter of Tyre, of Babylon, of Jerusalem *; the latter of whom, when virtuous, is honoured with the high appellation of the espoused of Godt; when wicked and idolatrous, she is styled the harlot, the adulteress . This method, of representing nations and cities under the symbol of women, was copied from the eastern by the western world. Rome is represented upon the ancient medals under the form of a woman. Britannia appears under the same emblem. There is, among the Roman coins, one of Vespasian, upon the reverse of which is a captive woman, hanging her mournful head, and the inscription is Judæa. She is there depictured, as by the master-hand, in Lament. i. 1-4, and in the 137th Psalm, where the daughter of Babylon and the captive daughter of Jerusalem, are contrasted. But the woman, the city now represented, is of heavenly origin, "whose builder "and maker is God," of which "Christ is the corner "stone; the New, the heavenly Jerusalem, the mother of us all §." She is, in short, the Church of Christ ||, * Psalms xlv. 12; cxxxvii. 8. 2 Kings xix. 21. + Isaiah liv. 1. 5. Ixvi. 6-14. Jer. xxxi. 4. 2 Cor. xi. 2. See notes, ch. ii. 20. xvii. 1. § Matt. xvi. 18. Gal. iv. 26, 27. 1 Cor. iii. 9, &c. 2 Cor. v. 1-3; vi. 16. Eph. ii, 21; iii. 9; iv. 12. 16. Col. ii. 7. 1 Tim, iii. 15. 1 Pet. ii. 3-7-10. Heb, iii. 6. xi. 10; xii, 22; xiii. 14. Rev. iii, 12; xxi. 2. || Methodius, one of the most ancient commentators on the Apo calypse, who wrote about the year 290, applies this symbol to the Christian Church. (See the commentary of And. Cæs. in loc.) In the Shepherd of Hermas, and in the apocryphal Esdras, a woman repre sents the Church, and and is to be known as such, not only by these Scrip or offspring, attriproduced the great "Christ the first tural marks, but by the seed, buted to her. For, after she has Shepherd of the Christian flock, "fruits," the rest of her offspring are said to be, "those who keep the commandments of God, and "hold the testimony of Jesus." (ver. 17.) But who can be entitled to this character, unless the true sons of the Christian Church? The mother therefore is the Christian Church. She is represented as arrayed in the most pure and splendid light; the Sun, the Moon, the Stars, those acknowledged symbols of pure knowledge, and of dignity, are employed to adorn her. The lustre of her attire; the elevation of her throne, expressed by the second luminary being her footstool; her crown, not of diamonds or rubies, but of the stars of heaven; all imply the greatness of the personage, and her high acceptation with the King of Heaven. In the vision of Joseph, which displays the future glories of the patriarchal family; of that family which was then the Church of God; in which all the nations of the earth were to be blessed; the same symbols are employed. The Sun, the Moon, the twelve Stars, represent the then infant Church. In her original purity, she was thus splendid; and when purified from her corruptions, she will again appear in splendour †. Ver. 2.] But pure and splendid as she appears, Gen. xxxvii. 9. + Ch. xxi. &c. The reader is referred to the following passages of Scripture, in which the Sun is used as an emblem of the Church :Judg. v. 31 Psalm 1xxxix, 36; Isa, xxx. 26; Mal, iv. 2; Matt. xiii. 43. The twelve stars seem to allude to the division of the Church under twelve Patriarchs, and afterwards under twelve Apostles. (and |