"warning, if the fword come and take him away, "his blood fhall be upon his own head" Hence a trumpet is the fymbol of a public warning or alarm given to a people by their watchman.

Thefe angels ftood before God, received their inAtructions from him, and confequently were the watchmen for the fealed fervants of God. Therefore all the feven trumpets fignify feven great and triking difpenfations of divine providence, intended to give warning to the people of God of the various dangers, arifing from the corruptions of religion, to which they fhould be expofed during a period which commenced in the year 325, and fhall terminate in the year 2000; at which laft year their dangers fhall end, and their triumphs dhall commencé.

Verfes 3d, 4th-And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden cenfer, and there was given unto him much incenfe, that he fhould offer it with the prayers of all faints, upon the golden altar which was before the throne. And the fmoke of the incenfe which came with the prayers of the faints, afcended up before God, out of the angels hands.

This

This angel perfumes with incenfe the prayers of all faints, and presents them unto God. This is the peculiar office of Chrift as the High Prieft, the Interceffor and Advocate of his people with God the Father. He offers incenfe with the prayers of all faints; but none, except a divine perfon, can know all without exception, who are faints. Hence this Angel is Chrift, who, as their Interceffor and Advocate with the Father, presents the prayers of .all true Chriftians before the throne of God. And these prayers when presented by Christ are acceptable to God. 1 Tim. ii. 5. "There is one God "and one Mediator between God and man, the man "Chrift Jefus." Heb. vii. 25. "Wherefore he is "able alfo to fave them, unto the uttermoft, that come unto God by him, feeing he ever liveth to "make interceffion for them."

The trumpets are about to open up moft alarming, enfnaring, and dangerous difpenfations to Christians in those great and deep floods of errors, which were to be let loose upon the world by the Papal hierarchy, and by Mahomet. When we confider the art, the authority, and power of thefe two arch deceivers, we are apt to exclaim, that if poffible they would deceive the very elect. In this fituation. Christ is represented as interceeding in heaven for every faint on earth, without one fingle exception; and it is declared by this hieroglyphic, that, by their pray

ers,

ers, prefented to God by him as their Interceffor, they shall be preferved, fupported, and directed under that long train of trials. As Chrift faid to Peter when he was about to meet with a great trial, he fays here to all his faints when about to enter on the long train of trials predicted under the seven trumpets, Luke xxii. 31, 32. “Behold "Satan hath defired to have you, that he may fift you as wheat: But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not."

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Verses 5th 6th.-And the angel took the cenfer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and caft it into the earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightenings, and an earthquake. And the feven angels which had the feven trumpets prepared themselves to found.

Fire caft upon the earth fignifies a flame, or hot contention which was to be kindled in the Roman empire. This contention was to be of the religious kind; for the fire by which it was to be kindled was taken from the altar. This fire was taken from the altar, and was thrown upon the earth by the fame angel, who in verfe 3d offered incense with the prayers of all faints, to intimate to us, that no flame or contention can arife in the world, or in the

church,

church, without the knowledge and permiffion of Chrift, and that it cannot burn to a greater extent or height than he is pleased to permit it. This flame was to kindle up events, which like the voice of God in the awful difpenfations of his providence ought to alarm and warn mankind, particularly the faints. Events which fhould appear in thundering and lightenings, that is, in violent contentions, quarrels, and wars; and in an earthquake, that is, in a revolution: There are voices, thunderings, and lightenings, to fhew, that during this period there fhall be many warnings, contentions, and wars. But there is only one earthquake, to fhew that that period fhall be clofed with a great revolution. That fuch fhall be the cafe fhall appear in the commentary on the seven trumpets. Juft when the religious flame was beginning to born in the empire, the first of the difpenfations predicted by the trumpets was approaching, and the reft were to follow in fucceffion.

Verfe 7th-The first angel founded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were caft upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grafs was burnt up.

The

The first event in the courfe of divine providence by which Chriftians fhall be warned of their dangers, and of the corruptions which were coming upon the world, fhould be a violent and hot contention, expreffed by the fymbols of hail and fire. This contention, though of a religious kind, fhould be attended with bloodshed, for the hail and the fire were mingled with blood. This violent, hot, and bloody religious contention was to rage in the Roman empire, for the hail, fire, and blood were caft upon the earth. Though the contentions should be of a religious kind, yet the empire fhould be as much engaged in them and difturbed by them as the church fhould be. By this ftorm nothing was to be hurt but the trees and green grafs.

In the fymbolical language, we frequently meet with trees, grafs, feas, rivers, fun, moon, and stars. All these terms occur in this and the five following verfes. When any of thefe fymbols are ufed, they always fignify fomething which bears the fame relation to the fyftem treated of that these things themselves do to this folar fyftem, of which this earth is a part. For inflance, if the fyftem treated of is the Papal hierarchy, all these terms have a reference to it. In this fenfe they are all ufed in chap. xvi. If again the fyftem which is treated of is the Chriftian church, which is the cafe here under the trumpets, then all these terms VOL. I. K k have