"he was terrified both by fea and land, and could hope for no refuge from the vexation and fear of "his mind, he flew to death, as to the cure of the " evils which God had brought upon his head.” And fo taking poifon, he died in that miferable manner. Is not this to call upon the rocks and mountains to fall upon them, and to hide them from the face of him who fitteth upon the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb? Are not the kings of the earth affrighted and in defpair? Mofheim Hift Vol. i p. 170. "The joy with which the Chriftians were elated on account of the fa

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vourable edicts of Conftantine and Licinius, was "foon interrupted by the war which broke out "between these two princes. Licinius being de"feated in a pitched battle in the year 314, made

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a treaty of peace with Conftantine, and obferved "it during the space of nine years. But his turbu"lest fpirit rendered him an enemy to repofe; and his natural violence, feconded, and still further incenfed, by the fuggeftions of the Heathen priefts, armed him against Conftantine, in the ." year 324, for the fecond time. During this war, "he endeavoured to engage in his caufe all those “who remained attached to the ancient fuperfti"tion, that thus he might opprefs his adverfary "with numbers; and, in order to this, he perfecu"ted the Chriftians in a cruel manner, and put to "death many of their bishops, after trying them

"with torments of the most barbarous nature. "But all his enterprizes proved abortive; for af"ter feveral battles fought without fuccefs, he was "reduced to the neceffity of throwing himself at the "victor's feet, and imploring his clemency, which,

however, he did not long enjoy, for he was frang"led by the order of Conftantine, in the year 325. "After the death of Licinius, the empire was rul"ed by Conftantine alone, until his death; and the

Christian cause experienced, in its happy progrefs, "the effects of his aufpicious adminiftration. This "zealous prince employed all the refources of his ge"nius, all the authority of his laws, and all the engag

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ing charms of his munificence and liberality, to "efface by degrees the fuperftitions of paganism, "and to propagate Chriftianity in every corner of "the Roman empire. He had learned, no doubt, "from the disturbances continually excited by Licinius, that neither himself, nor the empire could enjoy a fixed state of tranquillity and fafety, as "long as the antient fuperftition fubfifted; and "therefore, from this period, he openly oppofed "the facred rites of Paganism, as a religion detri"mental to the interefts of the state."

CHAP. VII.

VISION II.

Verse 1fi, A

ND after these things, I faw four angels ftanding on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind fhould not blow on the earth, nor on the fea, nor on any tree,

The whole book was opened in the preceding chapter, except fo much of it as was contained between the seventh feal and the end of it. A great part of the book is contained under the feventh feal, as fhall appear, when the whole hieroglyphics contained under that feal fall to be explained.

As the state of the Roman empire, and of the Christian church, fhould be very different in the period of the feventh feal, from what it was in the period of the fix preceding feals, the vifion contained in this feventh chapter, is thrown in between the end of the fixth and the opening of the seventh feal, as a kind of interlude, in order to give us a comprehenfive view of the ftate of the Chriftian

church

church during the approaching period of the feventh feal, and to prepare Chriftians for the new kinds of trials to which they should be exposed in that period.

This vifion John faw, "after these things." This vifion refers to events, which were to take place in regular fucceffion after those predicted under the fix feals in the preceding chapter. And, confequently, the first of them was to commence immediately after the establishment of the Chrif tian church in the Roman empire, at the revolution under Conftantine the Great.

John faw four angels, ftanding on the four cor ners of the earth. An angel, as was formerly fhewn, fignifies any meffenger of God commiffioned to execute any of his purposes, in the government of the world, whether that messenger be one of the heavenly fpirits, one of the fons of men, or a particular event in the course of divine providence. In this vifion, they appear to be four men.

They stand on the four corners of the earth; that is, their influence fhall extend over every corner of the Roman empire. And in particular, they fhall hold the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree. By this hieroglyphic, it is predicted, that these four men fhall be the inftruments, in the hand of God, for preferving an univerfal calm and peace over the whole empire.

As

As the earth fignifies the Roman empire, fo the fea, in the fymbolical language, fignifies a fluctuat ing and diffolved state of government. It fignifies a multitude of people like the drops of water, which make up the fea, but like these drops not connected together, but easily diffolved, fluctuating, and frequently changing their places. We meet with this fymbol, chap. x. 2. and xiii. 1. In both which places, it fignifies a diffolved and fluctuating ftate of civil government, as fhall be fhewn, in the commentary on them, particularly on the laft of them This fymbol is used to fignify the fame thing by Daniel, chap. vii. 2, 3. In this verse, it fignifies, that though the Roman empire seemed to be diffolved, as every government is, when a revolu tion is taking place in it; these four men should be the inftruments of bringing about and preferv. ing a profound peace and calm in the empire, notwithstanding the late diffolved ftate of govern

ment.

Trees are the produce of the earth, hence they fignify the temporal interefts of the Roman empite. The fame fymbol occurs, chap. ix. 14. and there has the fame fignification. This peace fhall be fo great, that noite of the temporal interests of the empire shall be hurt during its continuance. This prediction was exactly fulfilled in that period of the history of the Roman empire, and of the Christian church, which immediately followed the revolution