14. Saying to the sixth angel which had the trum

pet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the river Euphrates.

15. And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men. 16. And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand and I heard the number of them.

:

This prophecy refers to an event of such importance and distinction, that it cannot be considered a difficult task, to point out its accomplishment with perfect assurance, on the ensanguined page of history. The astonishing number of horsemen here mentioned, at once designates Asia as the theatre of these murderous armies; whose military forces, at all times, consisted chiefly of cavalry. But they would not have obtained a place in this prophetic journal of Providence, if they had only been the scourge of Pagans, and not also brought great distresses on the Church of Christ. This trumpet proclaims the judgments of God against the nations of Asia, and more especially against the great empire of the Saracens upon the waters of Euphrates, and the Asiatic provinces of the Grecian empire. In all these countries Christianity had made great progress; and though many had been induced by the Saracens to apostatize, and turn Mahomedans; yet there were many thousand Christians living among the Heathens in those countries, whose lives and fortunes were essentially involved in their fate. St. John seems to consider these judgments as a further effect of the efficacy of the prayers of the saints, chap. viii. 3. 4.; to indicate which, he heard a voice from the four horns of the same altar, upon which the prayers of all saints had been placed. These four angels are neither four great conquerors, nor even so many rulers of nations. Though of universal celebrity, yet these legitimate and ingenious cut-throats,

called most consummate heroes, are nevertheless far too insignificant to be thus represented, even by evil spirits like these. I conceive them, to be the military geniuses of those four great and warlike nations: The Arabians, the Turks, the Tartars and the Persians, who during this period rent the empire of the Saracens into many distinct kingdoms and principalities where they now established dynasties for themselves. Though all these nations received the Mahomedan religion, and united into one religious community; they yet waged tremendous and most bloody wars among themselves, and in other countries, where the Christians were largely involved in these revolutionary contests. Perhaps there also were invisible powers of darkness engaged, in the performance of this sanguinary and dreadful tragedy, in which so many tribes and nations, disputed with each other for centuries, to gain the government of the world. For a similar case, I would refer the reader to Dan. x. 20. and ch. xi. 1. where the fatal plans and machinations of evil spirits, have been overruled by the powerful exertions of good angels, and the people of God preserved from impending destruction. 2 Kings vi. 15. 17. These four angels of war had been bound upon the great river Euphrates. That is, Providence prohibited them from bursting the barrier of nations, hitherto preserved among the various and numerous tribes of inhabitants upon the vast banks of the waters of that noted river; who otherwise, long before this time, would have been willing to execute their revolutionary purposes from that part of the world.

The ordinary period of this trumpet is protracted by the following expressions of time: which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year. If unnecessary quibbles are avoided in exploring the true sense of these words, they will be found to contain the extraordinary numbers, by which the spirit of prophecy has here determined the commencement and different degrees of

this woe; or that measure of time in which this woe is to be accomplished. During the time of a prophetic hour, day, month, and year, these four nations would all be engaged upon the stage of action in succession, and accomplish the judgments of God here intimated; but after the expiration of this prophetic term, the calamities occasioned by the wars of these nations, though they might continue with great severity in Pagan countries, would no longer amount to the measure of a woe in Christendom. According to the system of computation, most assuredly displayed under the direction of Providence, by the pious prelate Bengelius, the sum total of these prophetic numbers will amount to 212 years. And no doubt, it required centuries in an ordinary course of Providence, where nothing is forced by a miraculous power, for so many nations to join into one religious community; to raise empires and kingdoms upon the ruin of empires, and exalt one nation to dominion and glory after the other; and to bring so many nations and armies upon the great theatre of the world, as would amount to two hundred millions of horsemen. This amazing number δύο μυριάδες μυριάδων, St. John supposed, might appear almost incredible to some readers, he therefore expressly affirms, I heard the number of them. But when we consider the immense theatre and periphery of these nations, and of the Saracen empire at the commencement of this period, upon which all these nations and tribes of nations were in continual motion, to invade and subdue each other, as the waves upon a tempestuous sea; if we credit the accounts given in profane history, of the astonishing armies, and trains of armies, which these Asiatics were accustomed to bring into the fields of battle; this number will by no means appear so improbable, during a period of 262 years, and amidst such general revolutions in the world. Bajazet is said to have had an army of fourteen, and Tamerlane of sixteen hundred thousand men; and what amazing armies must have

been those of Temudschin, who often cut down three and four hundred thousand of his prisoners of war, in a day! But this period of 212 years only determines this woe, and the armies may be counted to the destruction of these dynasties.

This trumpet commences at the close of the second interval, called for in the text, A. D. 801. If we now add the ordinary time of this trumpet, h. e. 50 years, which has a more particular reference to the preparation of the angels, this second woe will commence A. D. 851, and terminate A. D. 1063; all which perfectly corresponds with the dates of the remarkable events alluded to, on the page of profane history.

The empire of the Saracens had attained the zenith of glory and grandeur, when the Khalif Al Raschid died in the beginning of this period, and divided his vast dominions among his three sons. Al Amin obtained Syria, Erak, Arabia, Mesopotamia, Assyria, Media, Palestine, Egypt, and what we now call the states of Barbary. Al Mamun took possession of Persia, Kerman, India, Khorasan, Tabrésta, Zablestan, and the enormous province of Mawarennahr. Al Kasem was to govern Armenia, Natolia, Georgia, Circassia and the large countries along the Black Sea. What an enormous empire in circumference what a stupendous power, almost capable of engrossing the whole earth; and yet by this division, the Khalif Al Raschid laid the foundation for its downfall, and the ruin - of his Khalifat for ever. His three sons waged intestine wars against each other, for the right of succession; and the last of them who maintained his throne, governed by his prime ministers, with an unsteady hand, from 813 to 833. During his reign, Ibrahim, one of his governors, laid the foundation for the government of the Aglabido at Kairwan, whilst he lost the Easterly provinces by the imprudence of his general Taher. In short, the whole Khalifat, from this time gradually lost its bond of union and

this once mighty fabric assumed the appearance of an antiquated castle, tottering to ruin. Hamun Al Raschid was the last Khalif who possessed this vast empire entire; and a hundred years after his death, his successors had lost all these countries, and merely retained a Papal power in the Mahomedan community, with the city and province of Bagdad. These four nations, the Arabians, the Turks, the Tartars and the Persians, divided the empire among themselves, established kingdoms and principalities upon its ruins, by immense wars, blood and slaughter. As they had all received Mahomedism, and discarded Polytheism and idolatry, the former religion of these nations; they joined a fanatic fury against the Church of Christ, with a flaming enthusiasm for the propagation of the religion of Mahomed, to their thirst for dominion and glory. So numerous were the martyrs, and so many the apostates from the Christian faith, that these infidels had almost crushed the religion of Jesus in Asia.

In order to trace these four angels in their progress, and to bring their several exploits into a more immediate and distinct view; I will here mark the different dynasties established by each of these nations in the Asiatic part of the Khalifat, as regarding their geographical and chronological existence, within the limits of the Saracen empire

in Asia.

1. ARABIAN DYNASTIES,

1. Of the Taherides in Khorasan 820-872.

2. Of the Hamadanides in Syria and Mesopotamia 892-1014.

3. Of the Fatimides in Syria 969 1171.

4. Of the Okailides in Erak or Chaldea 990—1086. 5. Of the Mardasides in Syria and Mesopotamia 1014