and renewed under the papal, the laft of the feven forms of Roman government.

In the first of these fituations, the weftern world was at the commencement of the fixth trumpet, and indeed from the fifth century, to the year 756. Upon the last of these, the Roman empire entered in that year, in which it hath still continued, and fhall continue until the 1243 years from the year 756 fhall be accomplished. These things fhall be clearly fhewn in the explication of the particular predictions in the following chapters, to which this, expreffed in general terms, is only introductory.

wars.

"Seven thunders uttered their voices." Thunders and lightnings fignify violent and deftructive The wars carried on by the Turks, under the fixth trumpet were violent, continued long, and were carried to the very foot of the walls of Rome Rome itself, in the period referred to in this hieroglyphic, fell into the hands of the barbarians, and ceafed to be the feat of government. That proud city, which had long been regarded as the mistress of the world, was reduced to the humiliating fituation of a fmall dukedom under the authority of the Exarchate of Ravenna, on which accounts these wars were, with propriety represented by thunders. When fo many barbarous nations overran and overturned the Roman empire, and when the city of Rome itfelf ceafed

ceafed to be a feat of government, it was natural for those, who lived in these days, to conclude that the laft revolution of the Roman empire had taken place, and that Rome fhould no more be named among the kingdoms of the world. They certainly did not entertain the least expectation that she should rife again in a new form, to be a more imperious miftrefs of the world, than fhe had ever formerly been in the days of her greatest power, pomp and glory. But he, by whom kings reign, forefaw that this was not to be the final overthrow of Rome, and therefore, did not allow his prophet John, to write down at this time, the voices of these thunders.

Verfes 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th. "And when the feven thunders had uttered their voices, I was about to write : and I heard a voice from heaven, faying unto me, Seal up thofe things which the feven thunders uttered, and write them not. And the angel which I faw ftand upon the fea, and upon the earth, lifted up his hand to heaven, and fware by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the fea and the things which are therein, that there fhould be time no longer; but in the days of the voice

voice of the feventh angel, when he fhall begin to found, the mystery of God fhould be finished, as he hath declared to his fervants the prophets."

The thunders are called feven, to fignify that the wars predicted by them fhould be complete, fuch as finish. For that is the fymbolical meaning of feven. Thefe wars, in one fenfe completed the overthrow of Rome, in its heathen state; and, in another fenfe they were the types of those wars which, under the feventh trumpet fhall complete its final overthrow.

"I was about to write." By this expreffion, John declares that he confidered these thunders as the whole thunders foretold chap. viii. 5. which were to be accompanied with lightnings and an earthquake, and was juft about to write them down accordingly. In this way, John foretells, what the opinion of men in general fhould be of these wars, when they fhould happen. When they fhould fee Rome overthrown by them; they should conclude that it is the last revolution of Rome; and, that the empire fhould rife no more. Such in fact was the conclufion many drew from thefe incurfions of the barbarous nations, which put an end to the Roman government under its fixth head, that of the emperors.

There have not been wanting fome, who in lat

ter

ter times have reprefented that overthrow of Rome as the one foretold in this book, by the overthrow of the last head of Roman government, that thus they might fcreen the head of Papal government. The entertaining, or at least publishing this opinion, is a confirmation of the truth of this prophecy, fince it is intimated in thefe words of John, that they fhould do fo. But the following parts of this paffage declare, that fuch an opinion is erroneous, for the total and final overthrow of Rome was to be long pofterior to the time when the imperial government fhould be deftroyed by thefe wars of the barbarous nations.

"And I heard a voice from heaven," &c. These wars however deftructive to the imperial government of Rome, fhould not be the wars which fhall finally overthrow the Roman empire in that last head of it, which, fo far as Rome is concerned, is the principal object of this prophecy. It fhall be overthrown by wars, of which, in many respects, thefe are ftriking types. The armies who diffolved the Roman empire in its imperial ftate, firft came from the other fide of the Euphrates, chap. ix. 14, and thefe which fhall finally overthrow Rome in its Papal ftate, fhall alfo come from the other fide of the Euphrates, chap. xvi. 12,-21. Thofe armies totally deftroyed the Roman empire under its imperial form, and thefe fhall totally deftroy it under its papal form. Imperial Rome was

deftroyed

deftroyed by thofe men, upon whom in the pride of her civil elevation fhe looked down with contempt as barbarians; and Papal Rome fhall be finally overthrown by thofe men, upon whom in her religious pride and vain infallibility, fhe had looked down as barbarians, (heretics), in point of religion.

But the refemblance of these wars to those by which Papal Rome fhall be finally overthrown, fhall be more evident, when the time for that great event fhall come. When that time shall 'come, and when the great antitype of thefe fealed thunders or wars fhall appear, is declared in verfes 5th, 6th, and 7th.

A wrong tranflation of the la claufe of verfe 6th hath rendered the true meaning of these verfes undifcoverable by those persons who are unacquainted with the Greek language. In our translation is is faid, "That there fhould be time no "longer." The words in the original are, or xporos oux sa T. The real meaning of which is, "That "the time fhall not be yet." Jefus having commanded John to feal up these thunders, and not to write them down as a prediction of the final overthrow of Rome, affigns as the reafon of this prohibition, that the time of its final overthrow fhall not be yet, but that it fhould come when the feventh angel fhould found his trumpet. Thus, Chrift in the most folemn manner declared, that the time of

the