7. Many inferior dynasties have been established, more especially by the house of Ali in Arabia, and in other parts of the Saracen empire during this period.

II. PERSIAN DYNASTIES,

1. Founded by the Barmakides in Persia 801. 2. Soffarides in Khorasan, Tabarestan, Sedschestan, Fars and Dschebal 872-902.

3. Samanides in Mawarennahr, and in Persian countries 874-1000.

4. Dailemites in Dailem, Gilan, Dechordschan, Tabarestan, and in almost all Persia, 927-1012.

5. Buides in Persia, Bagdad, (in the character of Emir. Al Omrah) Erak, Kuzistan, Oman, Mosul, Diarbekr, 933-1055.

6. Merwanish Kurdes in Syria and Mesopotamia 9841085.

III. TURKİSH DYNASTIES,

1. Founded by the Telunides in Syria 868-905. During the reign of the Khaliff Motassem 841, the Turks made their first successful efforts against the Khalifat. Motawakkel lost his life by his Turkish lifeguard 861, and Mostain by the same A. D. 862, his throne. Achmed was the first Turkish governor, who made himself sovereign lord in the empire and founded the Telunidan state in Egypt and in part of Syria, A. D. 868.

2. Ichschidides in Syria 935-968.

3. Gaznevids in a part of India, in Persia and Mawarennahr, 975-1183.

IV. TARTAR DYNASTY.

That fierce and warlike people, which under the command of Togrul Bek, or Tangrolipix, established a great

and powerful empire in Asia since A. D. 1037, upon the ruins of the Arabian Khalifat, have been incorrectly called Hungars, Huns, and Turks. Their native country is not the province Turkestan, to the East of the Caspian Sea, properly the country of the Turks; but their country is that vast region between the rivers Irtisch and Sihon, They are a Tartar tribe, who were compelled by the perpetual invasions of the Chinese and the people of Cathay, to leave upper Asia, and remove to the South; which they accomplished under their great commander Seldschuk, by whose name they distinguished themselves and their dynasty in succeeding times. At first they acted as auxiliaries to the Khan of Turkestan, but soon after an open rupture, invaded his country with fire and sword. They, at last, settled themselves near the city Bochara in Mawarennahr, and received the Mahomedan religion. Here Mahmud found them A. D. 999. when he established the Gaznevids dynasty upon the ruins of the Samanides, and permitted them to settle in Khorasan against the advice of his ministers, which he soon regretted as an impolitic measure. Togrul Bek began his heroic career A. D. 1034, at the head of his warlike Tartars, and by a number of well improved victories, subdued all the countries from the little Buckharia and the Indus, to Jerusalem and Nice in Bythynia, and died A. D. 1063, sole lord of this vast and well established empire.

Here we stop. This trumpet only refers to the judgments of God against the nations of Asia, and the seventh trumpet proclaims the judgments against the nations in Europe. The conquests and establishments of the Ottoman empire, are not included in this trumpet; we shall meet with it in ch. xii. under the emblem of a flood of water, which the serpent cast forth after the woman, in order to carry her away.

If we now take a retrospective view of this tremendous scene of revolutions in Asia, during a time of more than

two centuries, in which so many kingdoms and dynasties have been established, destroyed, and founded anew, and all this upon the wrecks of a well organized empire; we may perhaps not find the armies of all these Asiatic nations much inferior, to the number expressed in this prophecy. For the amount of these armies and roaming tribes of nations, should be taken, from the commencement of their preparation for these bloody scenes, to the extinction of their dynasties, beyond the close of this prophetic period, determining only the duration of this woe, which will, no doubt, rise to an amazing sum. And if we consider all the blood and slaughter in battles, the lives lost, by that dreadful train of consequences attending such a warfare, the sanguinary persecutions of these furious fanatics against Christians and Pagans, if they refused to become Mahomedans; we shall be ready to grant, that the third part of men, immediately concerned in these terrible scenes during this period, may not have died natural deaths, but by means of these judgments. The expression, "the third part of men," does not refer to all the inhabitants of the world, but only to the inhabitants of the Asiatic part of the Saracen empire, and to the Christian provinces in Asia. Verse 17. And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and of brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions ; and out of their mouths issued fire, and smoke, and brimstone.

18. By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths.

19. For their power is in their mouth, and in their tails: for their tails were like unto serpents, and had heads, and with them they do hurt.

This is an emblematical representation of this terrible army of horsemen, in which their distinguishing charac

teristics from other armies, are professedly delineated; that the believer in this prophecy might take notice and warning, when it should actually appear upon the stage of action. St. John beheld them, full of martial fire and courage, as indicated by their breastplates; which according to the different customs of these nations, actually were of the three colours here mentioned. They appeared fierce and powerful, as lions, roaring for their prey; and from their mouths proceeded most severe and peremptory commands, orders and sentences, for plunder, torment, death, and heinous destruction. Their power was in their mouths. For it had been given to these commanders to inflame their whole armies with a cruel, ferocious, and frenetic spirit of war, for the execution of plans, which humanity would otherwise have shuddered to accomplish. What such a genèral, at the head of a nation, will be able to achieve, we have but lately witnessed in France. Their tails signify both the pillaging trains of their armies, who immediately took possession of the whole country, and of every thing in it; and the successors to the thrones of these conquerors, whose governments were like unto serpents, full of crafty, subtle policy and of a poisonous, deadly effect to the prosperity of their conquered countries. History testifies these to have been the distinguishing features in the character of these nations, and the dreadful complexion of their wars, during this period. Thus the Christians in those countries received solemn warning of the wrath to come in order that they might either withdraw from the field of battle, or join in with the divine purposes, and prepare to meet the enemy in a becoming manner. Verse 20. And the rest of the men, which were not killed

by these plagues, yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood; which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk.

21. Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.

The Saracens then caused the first woe in Christendom, in propagating Mahomedism by a tormenting war of conquest, with all its attending train of persecutions and vexatious measures; and these four nations were the agents of the second woe, in establishing it, by still more severe measures of torture and death in every shape. We may expect, that only crimes of general prevalence, and these too of the blackest die, could be sufficient to induce the Lord to permit such heavy judgments on his Church, as are contained in this second woe. And such is truly the nature of the offences, laid to the charge of both Heathens and Christians, as the causes of these dreadful calamities. They were idolatry, murder, sorcery, fornication, and thefts, which kindled the anger of the Lord to inflict these judgments. And these crimes being the distinguishing characteristics of the nations, alluded to in this prophecy, may also enable us to know and determine them, among the nations of the world.

I. They worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood. The word τὰ δαι povia, in the original, should not be rendered devils, which does not convey the same idea to an English reader; and as we have no appropriate word in our language, better adapted to express that idea, the word demon might have remained. This expression in Holy Scripture always refers to Pagan idolatry, 1 Cor. x. 20. 21. because the first Church of Christ knew nothing of image-worship; the Revelation excepted, in which also Christians are accused of this irrational worship of demons. But as the text before us distinguishes between the worship of demons, and the worship of idols, I would consider the first as referring to Pagans, and the last to Christians. Demons are imaginary deities, who once were mortals of renown on earth,