But while "the visible Church," in its most extensive sense, may include all persons, who are, or have been, by outward profession, Christians,it is sufficiently obvious, that the term Angel in this passage of "the Revelation," as well as that of "the visible Church" in the Article, is used in a limited sense; and is applicable only to the Christians of one particular Diocese, or jurisdiction. And, from the peculiar circumstances of the case, the Diocese here intended must have been that of Thrace, the seat of which was at Constantinople; and the Angel of which was the Patriarch of that Church, and the Primate of all Thrace.

And the very circumstances, that "he came, and was stationed at the altar," clearly shew both the novelty and importance of the occasion; and that, if there had been any remissness in duty, during the past period of the external tranquillity and prosperity of the Church,-here was an event, which called forth all the vigilance and exertion of her sacred ministry, and the deepest humiliation before GOD, for the averting of his apparently impending judgments.

And if it be considered what were the condition, and what the prospects of the Church, upon the death of Constantine, when she had lost him, who, under GOD, had been her best friend, and most powerful support,-it will be sufficiently

seen, what ample reason she had, for these most solemn acts of penitence and devotion.

Ver. 5. And the Angel took the censer, and filled it from the fire of the altar, and cast it upon the earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake.

The silence, with which the opening of this Seal was attended, is now broken. It soon appeared, that though "the prayers of the saints" operated favourably in respect to themselves, yet then was the time of wrath; and that nothing, on their part, could preponderate against the causes which had drawn it down. Many enormities had recently been committed, which required the solemn de

b See page 248, for examples of this.

"The inexcusable cruelty and injustice of Constantine drew "down upon his family Divine vengeance; for his brothers, his "nephews, and his favourite ministers, were, soon after his death, "all massacred by Constantius, his second son by Fausta, whom " he had loved and cherished above the rest. Constantine, his "eldest son, was killed by Constans the youngest; Constans "by Magnentius; Gallus, their cousin, by Constantius; and "Constantius died during his war with Julian, the brother of "Gallus. Julian perished in a most miserable manner; and in "him ended the numerous family of Constantine, which every "one expected would have furnished the empire with princes for "many ages;-the emperor having three brothers, four sons, "several sisters and daughters, and nine nephews." Univer. Hist. Vol. XV. book III. chap. xxv. p. 589. "If it were necessary," says Mr. Gibbon, "to aggravate the

Anc.

nunciation, or, at least, the expressed anticipation of it; and it became, therefore, one part of the province of this symbolical Angel, deriving, perhaps, in some degree, his apprehension upon the subject from this very prophecy, to perform the distressful task. For this reason, he is said "to "have taken the censer, and filled it with fire "from the altar: and to have cast it upon the "earth."

"The fire of the altar" which consumes the sacrifice, is a striking emblem of Divine wrath, which can only be extinguished by the oblation and acceptance of the victim. And the circumstance, that so much of the fire still remained, after "the smoke of the incense had ascended up, "with the prayers of the saints, before God," was a deplorable proof, that there was much of the wrath of God that was still unappeased, and could not be appeased without a severe retribution. The filling of the same censer with this fire, which had before been employed for the oblation of the

"horrors of the bloody scene, we might add, that Constantius "himself had espoused the daughter of his uncle Julius; and "that he had bestowed his sister in marriage on his cousin "Hannibalianus. These alliances, which the policy of Con"stantine had formed between the several branches of the "imperial house, served only to convince mankind, that these princes were as cold to the endearments of conjugal affection, "as they were insensible to the ties of consanguinity, and the "moving intreaties of youth and innocence." Decline and Fall, Vol. III. Chap. xviii. p. 132.

incense, was plainly designed to shew, that that was a season of judgment, and not of mercy: and "the casting of it upon the earth," afforded an evident indication, that the destination of it was against the Roman empire.

The consequence was, that, during the period here alluded to, " there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake."

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The "voices" will properly represent the violent contentions and animosities, that should prevail between individuals of the most distinguished rank in the empire *.

The "thunderings and lightnings” are the din and havock of destructive wars, rapidly succeeding each other.

And the "earthquake" predicted the concussion of the empire; and its eventual disruption into certain parts, independent of each other, and expressly pointed out in the context ".

The season of calamity, therefore, denoted by these symbols, commenced with the rejection of Dalmatius and Hannibalianus from their share in the empire; and continued till the final partition of the empire between Valentinian and Valens, in the year 365; comprehending a space of about twenty-eight years.

The earthquake, indeed, that is here foreshewn,

d Introduction, Sect. V. iv. page 45.

e Rev. iv. 5. Page 118.

f Ibid.

Introduction, Sect. V. iv. page 48,

was of long duration; and was attended, through almost the whole of this period, by convulsive agitations, which seemed, at times, to threaten a total subversion. Among these may be enumerated,

1. The murder of the two young princes before mentioned, in consequence of the factions of the court, in the year 337.

2. The new partition of the empire, occasioned by their death, among the three sons of Constantine; which was the ground, soon afterwards, of a fatal contention between them.

3. The destructive war between the Romans and Sapor king of Persia, which began in 337, and did not terminate till the accession of Jovian in 363.

4. The civil war between Constantine II. and his brother Constans, in which the former of these, with his whole army, was cut off near Aquileia, in 340.

5. The revolt of Magnentius and Vetranio, each assuming the purple, the one in Germany, and the other in Pannonia; and the murder of Constans, in 349; which occasioned a civil war, that was only concluded with the utter defeat and death of Magnentius, in 353.

6. The ravaging of Mesopotamia by the Saracens; of Gaul, by the barbarians beyond the Rhine; and of Lycaonia and Pamphilia, by the Isaurian robbers, in the same year, 353.

7. The Alemanni making inroads into the pro