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The irruption of the barbarous nations of the North, upon the declining Empire, is of great importance in civil history. It occasioned a signal revolution in power and property, and produced wonderful effects on the manners, customs, and laws of Europe. But although it took crowns from kings, and property from rich laymen, and overwhelmed multitudes in slavery, its disastrous influence was small, or of no permanency, on the Christian Church. That Church had already degenerated, through ignorance and corrupt worship; but it retained its property, and power, and the number of its subjects: nay, it greatly increased all these; for the conquering nations forsook their pagan creed for the religion of the conquered *.

* Mosheim, Cent. vi. part i.—Gibbon narrates the number of the barbarous nations which had become Christian before the age of Charlemagne; and remarks that the Christians were then in possession of all the fertile lands of Europe, which had been seized by these warriors. (Decline of the Roman Empire, ch. xxxvii. p. 532, 4to.)

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ἐκ τῶν λοιπῶν φω τῶν τῆς σάλπιγε τῶν τριῶν ἀγγέλων τῶν μελλόντων σαλο πίζειν.

"who dwell upon the
<< earth, from the re-
"maining voices of
"the trumpet of the
"three angels, who are
"yet to sound!”

the trumpet of the three angels which are yet to sound.

Ver. 13. And I beheld, and I heard one Seagle? Langel flying; &c.] Griesbach has admitted the word detɣ (eagle) into the text, and seems to produce powerful authorities for the admission. But the received reading, Afyελ (angel) seems also supported by good authorities; and internal evidence will appear decisive in its favour. The two words have resemblance in Greek character, and might be confounded by transcribers. I prefer the word angel, because, in the scenery of the Apocalypse, the action is almost entirely and exclusively administered by angels. And in ch. xiv. 6, the Prophet sees" another angel flying in "the space between heaven and earth.” To what former angel does this other angel refer, but to this of the eighth chapter, who is the only one before described as flying? And it is in the same space between "heaven and earth." And this angel of the xivth chapter is followed by others, all of them angels, no eagle. I remark also the application of the word vos, one, to this angel or eagle, whichsoever it may be. If it be to be applied to an eagle, why does the Prophet say one eagle; why not an eagle? for no eagles had been mentioned. But there is a propriety, if it be an angel, in saying one angel, because many angels had been, and were then, employed in the action. The cohort of seven angels were then standing forth with their trumpets.

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Ib. In the space between heaven and earth.] The μεosavμ appears to have been one of the cardinal points in the Chaldean astronomy, opposed to the hypogæum*: but in this passage, it seems simply to mean the intermediate space between heaven and earth, as they appeared in this vision; the one extended above, the other below †.

Ib. Woe! woe! woe!] The Divine messenger, at the command of God, leaving heaven, and hovering over the earth, proclaims three woes, or dreadful calamities, to happen to its inhabitants, under the three remaining Trumpets. No greater calamity can happen to the sons of inen, than the corruption, the rejection, the loss of true Religion. Under the four preceding Trumpets, an hostile invasion of the whole Christian Church, in its fourfold division, had taken place; but the view of its effects had been hitherto general, and representative of few particulars. The warfare s now exhibited more plainly and openly; and Antichrist will soon stand confessed. In the apostolic times, in the times when this vision was exhibited (and the four first Trumpets seem to have their date from those times, ch. i.), Antichrist already was said to be come; the mystery of iniquity did then work §, " and waxed "worse and worse []." So, under the four first Trumpets, the storm seems increasing; but the calamity is as yet described only in general terms, previous to a more particular exhibition. Now it advances to its maturity, and most desolating effects, by three distinct. and particular explosions, under the three last Trumpets.

* Brucker, Hist. Crit. Philos. i. 139.

‡ 1 John ii. 18, 22. iv. 3. 2 John 7.

+ See note, ch vii. 1. § 2 Thess. ii. 7.

2 Tim. iii. 13. What is thus expressed by the Sacred writers, has always been understood to signify the beginnings of Antichristian

power.

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PART

PART III.

SECTION IV.

The fifth Trumpet, and first IVoe.

1 Καὶ ὁ τέμπλο γελῶ ἐσάλπισε, και εἶδον ἀγέρα ἐκ τῆ ἐξανᾶ πεπιωκότα εἰς τὴν γῆν καὶ ἐδό θη αὐτῷ ἡ κλεῖς τὸ φείαλος τῆς ἀξύσσα. 2 Καὶ ἄνοιξε τὸ φρέας τῆς ἀβύσσα καὶ α νέβη καπνὸς ἐκ τῶ

φρέαίο, ὡς καπνὸς καμίνι μεγάλης· καὶ ἐσκολίσθη ὁ ἥλιος κ ὁ αὴς ἐκ τῇ καπνό 3 το φρέατος. Καὶ

ἐκ τὰ καπνᾶ ἐξῆλθον ἀκρίδες εἰς τὴν γῆν, καὶ ἐδόθη αὐταῖς ἐξεσία, ὡς ἔχεσιν ἐξεσίαν οἱ σκορπίοι 4 Tñs yñs. Kai ipθη αὐταῖς, ἵνα μὴ ἀδικήσωσι τὸν χόςτον τῆς γῆς, ἐδὲ πᾶν χλωρίν, ἐδὲ πᾶν δένδρον· εἰ μὴ τὰς ἀνθρώπες, ο τινες ἐκ ἔχεσι τὴν σφραγίδα το Θε

ἐπὶ τῶν μετώπων Καὶ ἐδό

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CHAP. IX. VER. 1-12.

1 And the fifth angel sounded and I saw a star from heaven fall to the earth: and to him was given the key of the pit of the bot2 tomless deep. And he opened the pit of the bottomless deep. And there arose smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace. And the sun was darkened,

and the air, by the 3 smoke of the pit. And out of the smoke came forth locusts upon the earth. And to them was given power, as the scorpions of the 4 earth have power. And

it was commanded them, that they should not injure the grass of the earth, nor any green thing, nor any tree; but only the men whosoever have not the scal of God upon 5 their foreheads. And it was given them not

1 And the fifth angel

sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit. 2 And he opened the

bottomless pit, and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened, by reason of the smoke 3 of the pit. And there

came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth; and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth 4 have power. And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their 5 foreheads. And to them it was given that

θη αὐταῖς, ἵνα μὴ
ἀποκλείνωσιν αὐτὸς,
ἀλλ ̓ ἵνα βασανιστ
θῶσι μήνας πέντε
καὶ ὁ βασανισμός
αὐτῶν ὡς βασανιστ

μὸς σκορπία, ὅταν παίσῃ ἄνθρωπον 6 Καὶ ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις ἐκείναις ζητήσωσιν οἱ ἄνθρωποι τὸν θάνατον, καὶ ἐ μὴ εὐρήσεσιν αὐτόν· καὶ ἐπιθυμήσασιν ἀποθα νεῖν, καὶ φεύξεται ὁ θάναλος ἀπ' αὐτῶν· 7 Καὶ τὰ ὁμοιώμαλα τῶν ἀκρίδων ὅμοια ἵπποις ἡτοιμασμέ νοις εἰς πόλεμον καὶ ἐπὶ τὰς κεφαλὰς αὐτῶν ὡς σέφανοι χρυσοῖ, καὶ τὰ πρό

σωπα αὐτῶν ὡς

πρόσωπα ανθρώπ 8 πων.

Καὶ εἶχον τρίχας ὡς τρίχας γυναικῶν, καὶ ὀδόνιες αὐτῶν ὡς λεόνων ή9 σαν. Καὶ εἶχον θε

ρακας σιδηρᾶς· καὶ ἡ φωνὴ τῶν πλεού γων αὐτῶν ὡς φωνὴ ἁρμάτων, ἵππων πολλῶν τρεχόντων 10 εἰς πόλεμον. Καὶ

ἔχεσιν ἐρὰς ὁμοίας σκορπίοις, και κέντρα ἦν ἐν ταῖς ἐξαῖς αὐ τῶν καὶ ἡ ἐξυσία αὐτῶν ἀδικῆσαι τὰς

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8

And they had hair, as
it were, the hair of

women; and their teeth 9 were as of lions. And they had breast-plates, as it were, breastplates of iron. And the sound of their wings as the sound of

chariots, of many horses 10 rushing to battle. And they have tails like to | scorpions; and stings were in their tails. And their power was to injure the men five 11 months. They have

over them a king, the angel of the bottomless deep; his name in He

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they should not kill
them, but that they
should be tormented
five months: and their
torment was as the tor-
ment of a scorpion,
when he striketh a

6 man. And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall de-' sire to die, and death shall flee from them. 7 And the shapes of the

locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle; and on their heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were as the 8 faces of men. And

they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the 9 teeth of lions. And

they had breast-plates, as it were breast-plates of iron; and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses 10 running to battle. And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in their tails and their power was to hurt men five 11 months. And they had a king over them, which is the angel of

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