the Church by the antichristian powers, are announced. The first of these takes place immediately, and in chap. ix. 12, is said to be past, and the second follows: but this, though it begins, like the first, with an hostile invasion, does not end in like manner. No period (as in the first woe, of one hundred and fifty years) is assigned for its continuance; and when the description of the invasion is finished, no similar notice is given that the woe is ended. On the contrary, it seems to continue till the seventh trumpet sounds (chap. xi. 14,) when it is declared to be past. The whole prophecy had now begun to appear as drawing to its close, for the seventh and last trumpet was expected. But a new and enlarging scene opens under the remains of this sixth trumpet, and before the end of the second woe. The famous period of forty-two months, or 1260 days, is here presented to view; the usurped dominion of the Mahometans continues with it. But there is another antichristian usurpation, belonging to the same period, which is now to be prefigured.

Ver. 1. And I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud, and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was at it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire.] This appearance of an angel from heaven was pronounced by Sir William Jones to equal in sublimity any description to be found in the inspired writers, and to be far superior to any thing of the kind produced by human composition.

The surpassing splendour of this mighty angel, his coming in the clouds of heaven, the heavenly iris or bow surrounding his head, his tread extending over earth and sea, have given him, in the opinion of many commentators, a divine character, an origin more than angelic; and some of the foreign commen

tators, when they found that they could not consistently pronounce him the second person in the Trinity, have hesitated whether they should not account him the third. But it is to be considered, that he is expressly denominated an angel," another angel," a being of the same order and description as the other heavenly messengers employed in these visions under the name of angels. The Son of God is already upon the scene in his emblem of the Lamb of God, and occupying his seat on the great Father's throne, and there he continues, even to the fourteenth chapter, and before the throne is stationed the representation of the Holy Spirit, (ch. iv. 5.) But such another angel had been seen to officiate in the presence of the Lamb, (ch. vii. 2, and again viii. 3,) yet of less glorious appearance. This then will appear to be the same kind of divine messenger, but coming with a more dignified commission,-to convey to the Church of Christ, through the apostle St. John, prophetical information of the highest import.

Ver. 2. And he had in his hand a little book open.] For the purpose above described he holds in his hand 66 a LITTLE BOOK," a little, not in respect of its contents, which are of the greatest importance, but with a view to the object for which it was immediately designed to be eaten and digested spiritually by the prophet. The book is open, unsealed; by our Lord's merits it had become so, (see ch. v. 9.) It was probably a part of the larger sealed book which was opened by the Lamb, for it comes under the seals which are not yet emptied of their contents. It may also be the same in part with the prophecies of Daniel, (ch. xii. 4, 9,) which were sealed in his time for a distant period; a period

which will be seen to have relation to the times of these apocalyptic visions now coming into view.

And he set his right foot upon the sea, and his left foot on the earth.] In the scene now before St. John, the heaven, containing God's throne and altar, and his surrounding ministers, are above; and the earth beneath, not suspended in an orbicular form, but extended as a plain, and containing the divisions, before marked, of land, sea, and rivers. The angel descends from heaven, and takes his station on the earth, placing one of his gigantic feet on the sea, the other on the land. The eastern nations, expressed by the division of the land, had been hitherto the principal scene of action under this trumpet. The angel's placing one foot on the sea, and that his principal or right foot, seems to intimate that the western nations, or Gentiles, are to be a principal object of the remaining prophecy under this trumpet. And this accords with the commission given to St. John in verse 11, he is "to prophesy before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings."

Ver. 4. And when the seven thunders had uttered their voices, I was about to write; and I heard a voice from heaven, saying unto me, seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered, and write them not.] The whole prophecy is delivered under seven seals, seven trumpets, seven vials. In this passage a particular prophecy, or, it may be, seven distinct prophecies are uttered by seven voices, loud as thunder, awful and terrible as the lion-like voice of the angel who introduces them. But whatsoever intelligence may have been received by the prophet from this divine communication, he is forbidden to publish it. Thus events of great import, which were to happen under this seal and trumpet, are not revealed in this pro

phetical book. Some of the commentators have pretended to point out the history in which these unpublished predictions have been fulfilled." But," says Bishop Newton," as we know not the subjects of the seven thunders, so neither can we know the reasons for suppressing them." Suppressed they are by divine wisdom; and all that we can fairly collect from the transaction is this, that there are great events in history, and probably relating to the Christian Church, which are not made the subject of open prophecy.

Ver. 5. Lifted up his hand to heaven, and sware, &c.] The angel takes a solemn oath, in a form of scriptural antiquity, (Gen. xiv. 22; Deut. xxxii. 40 ; Ezek. xx. 5.) This mode of swearing has descended even unto our own times and nation, being still used in Scotland, and there allowed by act of parliament to those dissenters who are styled Seceders, (Paley's Moral Philosophy.) The solemn league and covenant, in the time of Charles the First, was taken in this scriptural form.

that there should be

Ver. 6 and 7. And sware time no longer but in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets.] There is considerable difficulty in this passage, as it stands in the original language. The student, who wishes to be ably conducted through it, will do well to read Vitringa's learned observations, (in locum,) and to add to these the remarks of an able scholar, who has successfully studied the use of the Greek article, as applied by the writers of the New Testament, (Dr. Middleton, late bishop of Calcutta,) who authorises us to translate the words ετελέσθη το

μvoτпpiov τov Oεov, the mystery of God SHALL be finished. Many instances occur also in the Septuagint of the use of this tense, as applicable to future time. This supports the translation offered with great authority, for the Greek of the Septuagint is the language of the New Testament.

These remarks tend to support those of the commentators, who, though they could not but see difficulty in the first clause of the angel's oath, xpovos ουκ ετι εσται, yet seem clearly to have collected from the following part of it, that it refers upon the whole to that happy time, promised by divine prophecy, when the antichristian factions being subdued, the blessings of pure and peaceful religion shall abound. That period will occur under the seventh and last trumpet; for then the warfare predicted is concluded by the final victory and ascendancy of the Christian cause. In the visions succeeding to that now before us, the prevalence of the beast and his false prophet are foretold. This consolation therefore is now afforded us, before we enter upon that lamentable scene.

Ver. 8-11. And the voice which I heard, &c. &c.] In this passage St. John receives commission, as a prophet to the Christian Church, in a form nearly resembling that by which, under the Old Testament, Ezekiel was commissioned as a prophet to the house of Israel, (Ezek. ii. and iii.) The roll, or book, (for they are the same,) upon which the prophecy is written, is delivered to each prophet with a command that he should eat it; to eat it in a figurative sense, so that the contents, the prophetic denunciations, shall be completely possessed by him internally, that he may become "the living oracle of God."

Both these prophecies contained woe, and were ungrateful to both prophets, though at their first re