and a great earthquake; which metaphorically exprefs four various kinds of tribulations, which are to befall the chriftians at the founding of the four firft trumpets, and which will then be feen; and there the above-mentioned four metaphorical terms will be explained. The three laft trumpets, as we fhall fee hereafter, have three particular woes annexed to them.

v. 6. And the feven angels, who had the feven trumpets, prepared themfelves to found the trumpet.

The trumpet is generally founded for war, or to give notice of any public danger or alarm. And fuch is the cafe here. The feven angels found at different intervals of time their Trumpets, to announce alarms to the Chriftians, fuch as perfecutions, herefies, wars, &c. trials, with which they muft ftruggle, and which the Almighty fends them for their probation.

It may not be improper to obferve, that the magnificent fcene, which was exhibited in heaven in the prelude to the opening of the Seals, receives here an addition by the appearance of two new objects, the altar of Incense and the altar of Holocaufts. These are very aptly introduced, to point out fome particular circumftances that have relation to the Trumpets. The first altar, on which the Jews offered daily incenfe to God, prefents to our mind the daily offering the Chriftians make to God of their fervent and holy prayers, which afcend to heaven like fweet perfumes: while, at the fame time, the altar of Holocaufts, on which the Jewish victims were burned, is here a juft reprefentation of Martyrdom, by which the Chriftians are immolated as fo many victims to God in the fire of perfecution.

The Sounding of the first Trumpet.

Apoc. Chap. VIII. v. 7. And the firft angel founded the trumpet, and there followed bail and fire, mingled with blood, and it was caft on the earth, and the third part of the earth was burnt up, and the third part of the trees was burnt up, and all the green grafs was burnt up.

This fhower of bail and fire mingled with blood, denotes the cruel and bloody perfecutions exercifed against the Chriftians in the three firft centuries, till Conftantine, the first chriftian emperor, put a stop to them. The words, kail, fire, and blood, pretty plainly exprefs fome of the most remarkable kinds of death inflicted on the chriftians; fome being confumed by fire, others having their blood fpilt by the fword, and others being ftoned to death, which kind of execution may very well be reprefented by bail. This terrible fhower fell upon the earth, which here reprefents the Church of Chrift, in its firft quiet ftate, in allufion to the land which is the ftable part of the terraqueous globe. Then a third part of the earth was deftroyed by the fhower, that is, the perfecutions fwept away nearly one third part of the chriftians. But in particular, a third part of the trees was burnt, that is, a third part of the Paftors, with their clergy, meant here by the trees, were facrificed in the fire of perfecution: And all the green grafs, or beft grafs, was confumed, that, all the molt fervent and perfect among the faithful were blefied with the crown of martyrdom.

Perfecutions,

*The third part of the earth was burnt, is not in the common Greck text; but it is found in feveral very good manufcripts, and in the Syriac and Arabic verfions.

Perfecutions, tortures, violent deaths by martyrdom, are fuch objects of alarm and terror to human nature, that they may with great propriety be metaphorically filed Thunders, (Apoc. viii. 5. fee p. 30.)

At the opening of the firft Seal we saw the converfion of Jews and Pagans to the Chriftian Faith, and thus the Kingdom of Chrift took its rife. But no fooner is the infant Church formed, than the Trumpet of alarm founds, and Chrift permits his new-acquired people to be fubjected to rigorous trials by repeated perfecutions, and their fidelity to be put to the ftricteft teft. Such is the economy of his unfathomable wifdom.

Satan, who had ufurped for many ages almost an univerfal empire in the world, by fetting himself up to be worshipped in the place of God, feeing his Throne fhaken by the propagation of the Chriftian Religion, was deeply ftung, and refolved ro exert his utmost efforts to crush the new rifing power, and to fupport his

For that purpose he fet out by stirring up the Potentates of the earth: And as the monarchy of Rome was at that time exceedingly powerful, and extended over a great part of the then known world, his chief attempt was to inftil the poifon of his malice into the minds of the pagan Roman Emperors, and to infpire them with the rankeft hatred against the Chriftian Religion. To open the scene of his hellish machinations, he made ufe of the Emperor Nero, doubtlefs a very proper inftrument for the work, as being already a moniter of cruelty and vice. He freely drank the poifonous cup offered him by the Devil, and firft of all the Roman Monarchs drew his fword against the Chriftians. Nine other general perfecutions were raised by the fubfequent Emperors, of all which we fhall here infert a brief account.

The firft Perfecution under Nero.

This brutal prince had privately ordered the great city of Rome to be fet on fire, which reduced the greatest part of it to afhes. Finding himfelf detefted by the people, who imputed the mifchief to him, in order to clear himself, he endeavoured to transfer the odium upon the Chriftians, whom he charged with being the Incendiaries, and immediately began to perfecute them in the most bloody manner. Some were wrapt up in fkins of wild beafts, and fo expofed to be worried by dogs; others were crucified; others burned alive, being clad in coats dipt in pitch or brimftone, that they might ferve instead of torches in the night. The Church celebrates, on the 24th of June, the memory of all thefe Martyrs, the firft fruits which heathen Rome fent up to Heaven. Before the end of this perfecution, fuffered the two great Pillars of the Church, S. S. Peter and Paul, at Rome in the year 67; the first being crucified with his head downwards; the fecond, being a Roman citizen, was put to death by the fword. In confequence of the fevere edicts of Nero, many Chriftians were facrificed to the fury of the Pagans in the different Provinces of the Roman Empire.

The fecond Perfecution under Domitian.

The disturbances in the Roman Empire under the Emperors Galba, Otho, and Vitellius, and the humane difpofition of Vefpafian and Titus, gave fome reft to the Chriftians, till Domitian fucceeding began the fecond. general

general perfecution. This Emperor, a fecond Nero in cruelty, inftigated by the malice of Satan, published in the year 95 new edicts throughout the Empire against the Chriftians, by virtue of which great numbers were made Victims of Religion. In Rome, among others he put to death Flavius Clemens, his own Coufin German, for being a Chriftian, and banished Clemens's wife Domitilla. S. S. Nereus and Achilleus fuffered alfo in this perfecution; as likewife Antipas, mentioned in chap. ii. v. 13. of the Apocalypfe, whom Chrift calls there bis faithful witness. It was by this Tyrant's order that St. John the Apoftle was fent for to Rome, and was caft into a Caldron of boiling oil, but coming out more vigorous than before, he was banifhed to the Ifle of Patmos.

The third Perfecution under Trajan.

The Chriftian Religion, by the beginning of the fecond century, had prodigioufly increased, and fpread itfelf through a great extent in Europe, Afia, and Africa; and all confiderable cities were governed by their respective Bishops. Trajan, the Roman Emperor, according to the pagan writers, was of a mild temper and poffeffed of many amiable qualities, which gained him from the fenate the title of "Optimus," or, "Good "Prince." But this glorious title received a black and indelible ftain from the perfecutions which he permitted to be carried on against the Chriftians. For, though he iffued out no new Edicts against their, he fuffered the former fanguinary laws to be executed in different parts of the Empire in the years 106, 107, &c. A clear inftance of this appears in his anfwer to Pliny the Younger, Governor of Pontus and Bythinia, who had