As we proceed, we fhall find this to be uniformly the cafe with all the trumpets.

The alarming event to the Christians, which this fecond trumpet predicts, is the apoftacy of the emperor Julian, and the confequences of that apoftacy. In the year 381, Julian was declared fole emperor of the whole Roman empire, on the death of Conftantius, the laft of the fons of Conftantine the Great. Though he had been educated in the principles of Chriftianity, he apoftatifed from that religion, and employed all his efforts to reflore the expiring fuperftitions of Polytheifm. He not only deprived the Chriftians of their civil eftablishment, but he alfo hindered them from teaching philofophy and the liberal arts, that thus he might bury Christianity in the grofs ignorance of its votaries.

Thus a prince or king raged against Christians, as reprefented by a burning mountain. Thus the mountain was caft into the fea, when, by the fall of this apoftate emperor from the Chriftian faith, Chriftians were deprived of a great proportion of their foreign advantages. All the advantages which arife to Chriftians from a civil establishment, and from the knowledge of philofophy and of the liberal arts, however valuable when rightly used, are only foreign advantages. Chriftianity in its purity, can exift without them; and, without them, Chriftians can enjoy the peculiar

and

and native advantages of that divine religion. Deprived of thefe, however, Chriftians have it not fo much in their power to propagate their religion to diftant countries. Thefe external advantages are the feas to them, by which foreign commerce is carried on.

The account which Morheim gives of this event correfponds with the moft minute exactnefs to the hieroglyphic under this fecond trumpet.

Mofheim Hift. Vol: i. pages 171, 172.

"This

flourishing progrefs of the Chriftian religion was "greatly interrupted, and the church reduced to "the brink of deftruction, when Julian the son of Julius Conftantius, and the only remaining branch of the imperial family, was placed at the "head of affairs. This active and adventurous prince, after having been declared emperor by the army in the year 380, in confequence of his exploits among the Gauls, was, upon the death of "Conftantius, the year following, confirmed in the "undivided poffeffion of the empire. No event "could be lefs favourable to the Chriftians. For

though he had been educated in the principles "of Chriflianity, yet he apoftatifed from that di"vine religion, and employed all his efforts to re"ftore the expiring fuperititions of Polytheism to "their former vigour, credit, and Iuftre. This apoftacy of Julian from the gospel of Chrift to the "worship of the gods, was owing partly to his averfion

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to

"to the Conftantine family, who had imbrued their "hands in the blood of his father, brother and kinf"men; and partly to the artifices of the Platonic "philofophers, who abused his credulity, and flat"tered his ambition, by fictitious miracles and pompous predictions. It is true, this prince feemed a"verfe to the use of violence in propagating fuperftition, and fuppreffing the truth; nay, he carried the

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appearances of moderation and impartiality fo far, "as to allow his fubjects a full power of judging for "themselves in religious matters; and of worship

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ping the Deity in the manner they thought moft "rational. But, under this mask of moderation, "he attacked Christianity with the utmost bitter"nefs, and, at the fame time, with the most con"fummate dexterity. By art and ftratagem, he "undermined the church; removing the privileges "that were granted to Chriftians, and their spiri"tual rulers; shutting up the schools in which they taught philofophy and the liberal arts; encou

46

raging the fectaries and fchifmatics, who brought "difhonour upon the gofpel by their divifions;

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compofing books against the Chriftians; and uffing a variety of other means to bring the reli

gion of Jefus to ruin and contempt. Julian ex"tended his views yet farther, and was meditating projects of a still more formidable nature against "the Chriftian church; which would have felt, no doubt, the fatal and ruinous effects of his in" veterate

"veterate hatred, if he had returned victorious "from the Perfian war which he entered to imme

diately after his acceffion to the empire."

The apoftacy of Julian, with its confequences to Christians, was an event of that magnitude which accords to the dignity of prophecy; and by which the Chriftian church had good reason to be alarmed. The Chriftian church had been established by law, for above fifty years, under the reigns of Conftantine the Great and his three fons. It had enjoyed not only protection and civil eftablishment, but many privileges had been lavished upon it with a profufe hand, by thefe emperors. During that period, it is natural to fuppofe, that the Chriftians concluded that the emperors fhould ever after protect and countenance the church. When therefore the emperor Julian not only withdrew his protection, but apoftatized from, and oppreffed the Christian church, they would have been apt to have funk into despair; and many of them might have been tempted to have abandoned that church which they faw abandoned, and again perfecuted by the lords of the world, had it not been for the prediction of the apoftacy of Julian, and its confequences, by this trumpet. That event, as the accomplishment of this prediction, instead of shaking their faith and patience, tended to ftrengthen and confirm them both. It ferved to teach them that the revolutions of empires are forefeen and overruled by that

God,

God, who protects truth and true religion; that the church of Chrift is not to depend upon civil establishments for its existence, or even its profperity; that these fhall rife or fall as the purposes of the ftate, the policy of the rulers, or circumstances often more fecret than the greatest of these fecrets direct; while the church of Chrift, fupported by that Being by whom kings reign, fhall ftand immoveable as on a rock.

Verfes 10th, 11th.-And the third angel founded, and there fell a great ftar from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters: and the name of the ftar is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood, and many of the men died of the waters, because they were made bitter.

The third great event by which the Chriftian church fhould be alarmed, is predicted by a great ftar falling from heaven. It was formerly fhewn, that a ftar is the fymbol for a minifter of religion. In chap. i. 20. it is exprefly faid, "the feven ftars "are the angels (i. e. minifters) of the feven "churches."

This