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designs which he executed. St. John places him there at the same time with the woman, and his appearance is also called a sign; namely, of the importance of the manly son, and that his kingdom was now about to suffer in its vital parts, and would be brought to the brink of a very alarming catastrophe. Hence he is described as of a red, fiery colour, which indicates his raging wrath and indignation, as the complexion of his proceedings.

Verse 4. And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth. Here St. John begins to relate the inimical machinations, which the dragon put in execution against the woman and her manly son. His first design was, to corrupt the clergy of the whole Western Church, signified by the emblem of stars of heaven, in which alas! he too well succeeded, to the third part of the whole number. His tail denotes the remaining manners, customs, habits and opinions of Paganism, many of which, in former time, almost every nation upon their conversion, blended with Christianity and others were afterwards introduced by corrupt teachers. Church and state retained a large remnant of these corruptions, through which the arch-enemy of man, now exercised a destructive influence on the Church. While yet Pagans, they used to hold their priests in the highest veneration; and the common multitude honoured them as a sort of deities, and would not transact any business of importance, either civil or military, without their counsel and authority. These rights and privileges of Pagan priests, were now transferred to the Christian bishops and ministers of the Gospel; and even augmented by immense donations from princes and persons of rank, during this period, to expiate their sins, and attach the bishops to their interest. Hence they were now created dukes, counts, marquises, judges, legislators, military and oivil officers and sovereigns ; with whole provinces, cities, castles, fortresses and many worldly possessions and do

mains, with various rights and privileges. But the effects were dreadful. Enriched from motives of superstition, or maxims of policy, the clergy became a most scandalous source of vice, tumults, ambition and worldly pomp, where they should have exhibited examples of piety and virtue to their forsaken flocks. As this extravagant liberality was confined to the nations of the Western Church in Europe, it must have been founded on the above mentioned customs, peculiar to the European nations, as vestiges of Paganism among them. Thus the dragon drew by his tail the third part of the Christian ministry, which apostatized from the spirit and purity of their heavenly employment, and became carnal, earthlyminded lords of this world, Isa. IX, 15.

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 part of the prophecy has been accomplished by the wars, which the Saxons waged for near thirty years, against the introduction of Christianity in Germany, and by the conversion of their own nation. They were a powerful, valiant people, and most obstinately attached to their idolatrous worship, which they defended on this occasion with inexpressible ferocity; which, with their excessive aversion to Christianity, bore evident marks of the invisible agency of Satan. However, Charlemagne induced two of their most valiant chiefs, Widekind and Albion publickly to embrace Christianity, and the nation after many rebellious attempts, finally followed their example.*

Verse 5. And her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne. Bengelius and Young have been led into an error concerning this man-child, by forming too high an idea of it at the time of its birth, from the consideration of its future glorious destiny. But the prophecy terms it no more at the then present time than a manly son, brought forth by the Church; and that character the

Germans have realized by their manly opposition to image-worship in the ninth century, on many other occasions, and more particularly during the Reformation. We are yet surprised to read, what manly resolutions the learned, the nobility, and the German princes formed, what sacrifices they made, and the interest they took at that time, in the emancipation of the Church of Christ from that more than Egyptian thraldom, under which she had suffered for centuries. They first lighted the torch, by which the path of so many nations has since been illuminated; and history bears ample testimony, that others have participated in their labours in the Lord, and were excited by the flame of vital religion, kindled among that manly people. Be not deceived reader, by the present infidelity of many in Germany. Some power in that nation will once more arise, assume its former attitude in the Church of Christ, and accomplish in due season the eternal designs of Jehovah. Of this the Reformation is the pledge to that people, and to the world. That this manly son was caught up to the throne of God, immediately after its birth, signifies the superintending care into which the Lord received this people, in order to nurish and educate it himself, by the dispensations of his special providence for his purposes, until the appointed time. We shall again meet with this subject ch. XIX, 15. where this manly son has arrived to maturity, and will realize his whole character in his appointed sphere. At that place I shall consider this manly son and the nature of his appointment more at large.

I cannot divest myself of the opinion, that it was at the birth of this manly son, and from a view of his future appointment, that Satan conceived the first idea of projecting a scheme for the posterior enlargement of Popery. And it appears from the nature of that once universal monarchy, that he had formed a pretty accurate conception of the intentions of the Lord; since his aim was, to

make it the first source of all power and authority, both. temporal and spiritual, and to rear it up to maturity, in anticipation of the designs of Heaven in the man-child. Wherever the Lord establishes his Church, there Satan erects his chapel. During many centuries, he has had his residence in those four great empires of the world, near the people of God, in order to assail the Church, and afflict the servants of the Most High; and now he contemplated a new establishment in the very heart of Christendom.

SPECIAL HISTORY OF THE WOMAN.

We have hitherto considered the woman and her apparel, her time of pregnancy and parturition, the appearance of the dragon, and his attempt on the woman and her manly son. Upon a survey of my "Prospective view," inserted in the first volume, the attentive reader will observe, that all these events are comprised within that period, which I term the ordinary and methodical time of the seventh trumpet. It will be unnecessary to fill these pages with more arguments in confirmation of this point, as I consider it proved by its accomplishment to the satisfaction of the historian and divine. But as we now proceed with the special history of the woman, I shall again enter, in some measure, on untried ground; which however is distinguished and limited, by extraordinary numbers expressed in the text. We are expressly informed that the woman has changed her place of abode twice ; and I consider it a mistake of great importance, not to make the necessary distinction between the first and second change, or to let these periods run parallel to each other, or synchronize even for one day. Of all the authors, which I have seen on this subject, Bengelius and Young

have excelled in drawing the necessary line of distinction; but they also consider the annexed periods as running parallel in part, and have, in my opinion, not paid sufficient attention to the sense of the original. This double change of abode is mentioned in verse 6, and 14, by two very different words in the original Greek; the first of which, ɛʊyw, signifies to move swiftly on the earth over the ground; the other, α, denotes to fly, to pass through the air by the use of wings We will place both passages in opposition to each other, in order to bring all their points of distinction into one clear view.

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From these points of distinction, every discerning mind may be convinced, that the prophecy intends two different, and totally distinct flights of the woman into the wilderness. And it would be unnatural in the figure of the language, by which the Church is here represented, as a woman cannot divide herself, to suppose these two annexed prophetic periods to synchronize. The first must necessarily terminate, before the second commences; and the two terms added up, run on to the end of the war of desolations, and determine the time of the marriage of the lamb. If there should any doubts remain on the mind of my reader, upon these points, I hope they will be solved by the following elucidation.

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