ftriketh a man. And in thofe days fhall men feek death, and fhall not find it; and fhall defire to die, and death fhall flee from them. And the fhapes of the locufts were like unto horfes prepared unto battle; and on their heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were as the faces of men. And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions. And they had breast-plates, as it were breast-plates of iron; and the found of their wings was as the found of chariots of many horfes running to battle. And they had tails like unto fcorpions, and there were ftings in their tails and their power was to hurt men five months. And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomlefs pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon, One woe is past, and behold there come two woes more hereafter.

This paffage contains a large hieroglyphic made up of many different parts, predictive of the ftate of the church of Rome for the fpace of 150

years.

The

The fifth great event by which Chriftians fhould be alarmed, is represented by a ftar falling from heaven to the earth. A minifter of religion should fall from the church of Chrift; but should still after his fall keep the name of, and be regarded as a minifter of religion in the earth, that is, the Roman empire. He fhould be the inftrument in the hand of the devil of introducing into the world that ignorance, error, fuperftition, and vice, which are derived from hell; which is fignified by the key of the bottomlefs pit being given to him. From that infernal fource of falfehood and vice, fuch ignorance, error, and vice fhould a rife, by his inftrumentality, as fhould darken the facred fcriptures, the fun of the Chriftian church; and fhould corrupt and darken the very air, the Ipirit and genius of religion itfelf. During this period, the bible fhould be gradually obfcured, until it fhould be totally hid from the people; and the very fpirit and genius of religion fhould be the reverfe of what it formerly was. It was once light, but now it fhall be darkness.

Religion in its own nature, and as taught in the facred fcriptures, is founded in the belief and love of truth, and is productive of real holinefs: The fear of the Lord is wifdom, and to depart from evil is understanding." "He that cometh unto God must believe that he is, and that "he is the rewarder of them that diligently feek

VOL. I.

"him,"

"him" "This a faithful faying, and these things "I will that thou affirm conftantly, that they "who have believed in God might be careful to "maintain good works." But, in this period, that which should be called religion in the Roman empire fhould be founded in ignorance and implicit faith, and productive of fuperftitious obfervances instead of true holinefs. Ignorance is the mo

ther of that devotion.

From that ignorance and fuperftition a great fwarm like locufts fhould overfpread the Roman empire. They fhould be like locufts for their number, like fcorpions for their poisonous nature, like horfes prepared to battle for their fierceness. On their heads were as it were crowns like gold, to express their grandeur and magnificence; their faces were as men, to exprefs their policy and worldly wifdom; and their hair as the hair of women, to exprefs their enchanting charms. Their teeth were as lions, to fignify their cruelty and greediness of their prey. By their iron breaft-plates, it is fignified that they should refift all oppofition, for the time specified in this hieroglyphic. By the found of their wings, like the found of chariots of many horfes running to battle, is fignified the loud clamour, great force, and magnificence, with which they purfue all who oppofe them. They had tails like fcorpions, and ftings in their tails. It is by the fhaking of their

tails in a particular way that most of the brute creatures exprefs their fawning. It is univerfally known that in this way dogs fawn upon their mafters: Hence the tails of animals, in the fymbolical language, fignify fawning, flattering, and infinuating manners. Here, and also in verfe 19th of this chapter, they fignify that infinuating and fawning manner in which falfe doctrines fhould be taught in this period. As they have ftings in their tails, thefe falfe doctrines, however smoothly inftilled, shall poison and vex the minds of those who shall receive them.

In one thing they differ widely from locufts. "The locufts," as Agur obferves, Prov. xxx. 27. "have no king; yet go they forth all of them

by bands." But thofe, reprefented in this hieroglyphic by locufts for their number, had a king over them.

However numerous, artful, powerful, and fierce, they have a monarch who reigns over them with abfolute fway. This king is the angel of the bottomlefs pit. He is the fame perfon who is in verfe ift represented by a star fallen from heaven to the earth, to whom the key of the bottomlefs pit is given; and who, in the fecond verfe, opens the bottomless pit, from which the fmoke arofe, out of which the locufts came.

As ftars in heaven fignify the angels, meffengers, or minifters, of the churches of God, fo the ftar 002

fallen

fallen from heaven to the earth, to whom is given the key of the bottomlefs pit, fignifieth the angel or minister of hell, who introduces into and propagates in the world those errors, superstitions, and vices, which are exprefsly called doctrines of devils, 1 Tim. iv. 1,-3. "Now the spirit speak

eth exprefsly that, in the latter times, fome shall "depart from the faith, giving head to feducing fpirits and doctrines of devils, fpeaking lies in hypocrify, having their confciences feared with a hot iron; forbidding to marry, and commanding to abftain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving "of them who believe and know the truth." . His name is written both in the Hebrew and Greek languages. In the former he is called Abaddon, which fignifies the Deftroyer; and in the latter, Apollyon, which fignifies alfo the Deftroyer. This name is given him in both languages, to fhew us that it is not his real name, but a fymbolical one, which is of a fignification very fimilar to that of his real name.

This fymbolical name is of a fignification directly oppofite to that of the name given to the Divine Author of our falvation, Matth. i. 21. "Thou shalt call his name Jefus, for he fhall fave

his people from their fins." Jefus in the Hebrew language fignifies a fuviour, and Abaddon in the fame language fignifies a deflroyer. The Destroyer