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merchants of the earth, i. e. land-merchants, who trade by land. These are sea-merchants, who traffick by means of navigation. It is true, Tyrus was the capital of the maritime state of the Phoenicians, and cannot be literally compared with Rome, which never embarked in traffick by sea to any considerable amount, in ancient or modern times; but in a spiritual sense this comparison is very applicable, which, no doubt, is the principle one in the Apocalypse. In this sense Rome has carried on a great and important commerce, through the assistance of the maritime powers of Spain and Portugal, by her missionary establishments, and settlements in South- and NorthAmerica, the East- and West-Indies, in China, Japan and many other parts of the world; where especially the Jesuits in Paraguay and in China, have often combined temporal traffick with the proper object of their mission, to extend the spiritual empire, and increase the commerce of Rome. Of all this spiritual commerce, Rome is the monopoly of the world, as Tyrus had engrossed the Temporal traffick of nations in ancient time. She is the capital of all Romish missions, the chief place of exports and imports, the headquarters of the order of Jesuits, and of every order of men employed in this traffick, either in Protestant countries, or among the Heathen.

All this great commerce is now stopt-the great monopoly destroyed-the sea-merchants stand afar off weeping and wailing, Alas, alas! that great city when they behold the conflagration, or at a distance the smoke of her burning, and cast dust on their heads, in token of their great grief, Ezek. xxvII, 30.

Verse 20. Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her.

This verse is a continuation of the preceding voice from heaven, which expressed the lamentations of the kings and of the land and sea-merchants. It is the Lord

himself verse 4. who exhorts heaven and its inhabitants, to rejoice; not at the ruin of the city, but at the glorious display of divine justice, and the justification of those holy and innocent souls, whom she persecuted. These apostles are not the twelve of the Lord's immediate appointment while on earth, but ministers of the Gospel of Christ; and these prophets are those servants of Christ, who have explained the prophecies of the Old and New Testament, and in particular such, as may have an immediate reference to the whore and her spiritual traffick. Rejoice, says the Lord, οτι εκρινεν ο θεός το κριμα υμών ε avτns, for God hath judged your judgment on her; a righteous judgment, to which they bore testimony from the prophecies of scripture, Isa. XLIV, 23. XLIX, 13. Jer. LI, 48, while on earth.

Verse 21. And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall

that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all.

22. And the voice of harpers, and musicians, and of pipers, and trumpeters, shall be heard no more at all in thee; and no craftsman, of whatsoever craft he be, shall be found any more in thee; and the sound of a millstone shall be heard no more at all in thee;

23. And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived.

24. And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth.

This angel finishes the prophetic elegy on the destruction of mystic Babylon, from verse 21-24, and seems to be another of the prime ministers of the Lord, in administering the government of this world. He appears to be appointed to superintend the execution of divine judgments against the enemies of the Church; where the jus

tice of the Lord requires a final doom, in which some of the powers of nature are necessary to be employed as instruments of destruction. He confirms the purport of the preceding part of this lamentation, and in order to symbolize the manner of Babylon's ruin, he with mighty arms, full of immortal vigour, took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it with violence into the sea, from whence it is irrecoverable. This typical action may indicate an effort of the powers of nature by an earthquake, which often accompany the bursting forth of subterraneous fires, in which a part of the city Rome may sink and disappear; or some other violent and terrible manner of destruction, so as to put her future recovery beyond all hope. Jer. LI, 63. 64.

Verse 22. The voice of harpers, musicians, pipers, and trumpeters. The declaration of this angel refers to pleasure, diversion and mirth, all which shall forever cease in Babylon. Italy has excelled in the art of music-ne country cultivated this science, of combining sound in an agreeable manner, more, or produced more eminent musicians. The greatest musicians for centuries, have been invited, rewarded and esteemed at Rome; and their delightful harmony is always called in aid, to enliven every private and public occasion of joy and festivity. All this charming symphony of vocal- and instrumental music, resounding through the walls of that great city, shall be turned into a dead silence, where the benighted traveller in future, shall pass with awful apprehensions, and shiver at the cries of wild beasts and night-birds. Rome has been famous for the arts of painting, sculpture, and architecture; but all these fine masterpieces of ingenious artists, and of venerable antiquity, shall for ever disappear. The rattling noise of mills will cease, as there are no inhabitants. In place of the numerous lamps to light the city, and of the torches in public processions, the wax-candles and splendid chandeliers in churches,

there will here and there arise an ignis-fatuus in marshy places, decoying the superstitious traveller, and alarming the ignorant. The joy of marriages will cease for ever within her walls, as she is sentenced to remain a place of horrour and desolation to the end of time.

To this description of awful retaliation on mystic Babylon, or Rome, the angel annexes the following reasons. First, for thy merchants were the great men of the earth, i. e. thy ecclesiastics have fleeced the sheep, to accumu late wealth, aspired to posts of high honour and profit, that they might live in luxury and ease, and insidiously crept into the rank of princes, and turned rulers of the earth. Isa. XXIII, 8 Secondly, for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived, i. e. because in place of the salutary doctrines of the gospel, thou hast infatuated all nations of the Western Church, by a round of pompous ceremonies, and specious heresies, invented by designing men. However, the Grek word paguazɛia, veneficium, actually signifies sorcery, and seems to refer to the art of harlots, in preparing potions for their lovers. Thirdly, the blood of the prophets, the saints, and &c. was found in her, i. e. She has been found guilty at the bar of heaven, for shedding the blood of true and faithful ministers of Jesus, of actual saints, and other servants of Christ, within her own walls, and upon the whole Roman earth, under pretence of preserving the faith, and extirpating heresy. The blood spilled by her murderous croisades, the inquisition, and by the civil authorities in defence of her apostacy now recoils on her head as she has been the chief cause of all this dreadful slaughter. When Charles IX, king of France, informed Gregory the XIII, in an exulting letter, that he had murdered 70,000 Huguenots, that pope is said to have commended him for this inhuman slaughter.

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CHAPTER XIX.

The preceding chapter contains the judgment of the great whore, and its more particular manner of execution. In this chapter the holy prophet proceeds to that great theatre of action, on which the Son of God contends with the united powers of darkness in close engagement, fighting that decisive battle, which is to decide the fate of his Church, and his own right to the throne of the world for ever. Its contents may be divided into three parts, the first of which contains the triumphal Hallelujah, sung by three different choirs; the second contains a proclamation, concerning the approaching marriage of the Lamb ; and the third part a prophetic description of the Lords Second Advent, upon which he confronts, and overwhelms all his enemies with utter destruction.

Verse 1. And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God:

2. For true and righteous are his judgments; for he hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and has avenged the blood of his servants at her hand.

3. And again they said, Alleluia. And her smoke rose up for ever and ever.

Here follow the rejoicings to which the Lord himself animated heaven and its inhabitants, in the 20th verse of the preceding chapter. All the hosts of heaven exult in triumph, and shout a sublime Hallelujah over the destruc

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