of horfes or mules, they were con"demned to ride on affes, in the attitude "of women. Their public or private

buildings were meafured by a dimi"nutive ftandard; in the ftreets or the "Baths it is their duty to give way or "bow down before the meaneft of the "people; and their teftimony is rejected,

if it may tend to the prejudice of a "true believer," (Ch. 51.) In addition to this account of general afflictions I could tranfcribe from the fame writer others of particular prefecutions fanguin ary and cruel; but I think I have produced enough to demonftrate, that under the dominion of the Mahometans the profeffors of the Gospel testify their faith indeed in mourning as well as to prove, by what I have brought forward underthelaft article, as well as under this, that in correspondence with the words of Daniel, the power prefignified by the

by

"has

little horn in his eighth chapter, "ftood up against the Prince of Princes."

Whatever events may be contained in that part of this prediction which speaks of the murder of thefe witnelles, it is plain they are yet future; but as a very ftrong fuggeftion is given it, that Jerufalem fhall hereafter fail under the papal power, and the most bitter perfecution of the faithfull fervants of Chrift, be there carried on by it, I would earnestly recommend to any, on whom the feeming improbability of fuch occurrences may prefs, to reflect on the rapid change which we have lately feen, when that nation, whofe monarch was ftyled the eldest son of the church, and whose word was a law to his fubjects, pofitively renounced Chriflianity, and ftrove to eradicate every veftige of its rites. For this change is full as wonderfull as that which would happen in the Bishop of Rome's

Q 3

Rome's falling in with the inclinations of the age to farther apoftacy; and fecuring his fupremacy by accomodating his doctrines to the vices of thofe over whom he wishes to rule.

The connecting circumftances in the fortunes of the Eaftern and Weftern Churches being thus gone through, the vifion proceeds to a more particular defcription of the state of the last, during the period that the former should continue under the Mahometan yoke; prefacing the account with a fuccinct representation of the attempts which would be made by Satan, through the Miniftry of the Pagan Emperours of Rome, to prevent the establishment of Christianity in the Empire, by keeping a fon of the church from the imperial throne; and, on failure of these and some other exertions, his yielding his feat, and delegating his power to a new head of that Em

pire

pire, which after falling once was again recovered.

This portion of the prophecy commences at the firft verfe of the twelfth chapter. "And there appeared (not as "our tranflators have rendered it, a

great wonder," but) an important fymbol in Heaven:" The explanation of which, as well as that of the reft, with the reafons, on which they are founded, being given by Daubuz and Newton, I need only fuggeft to the reader;. that, while it is the practice of the other evangelical writers to speak of the church under the image of a mother, the phrase "to rule the nations with a rod of iron' though at other times joined with another to exprefs that univerfal and irrefiftible dominion, with which our beffed Lord fhall reign, might yet be juftly applied to Conftantine the great, (in whofe perfon a fon of the church first afcended the

Throne

1

Throne of Rome) as the head of that Empire, characterized in Nebuchadnezzar's image, as to be ftrong as iron. And for the throne he obtained being termed that of God; we find in the twenty ninth chapter of the first book of Chronicles, Solomon faid to be feated on "the throne of the Lord." Neither canI here omit to notice the refemblance between these two Monarchs in the following points.As to Solomon, after a period of wars and turbulence, it was given: to build a temple, where the ark of the covenant might reft: fo to Conftantine after a season of trouble to its profeffors, (marked by the pains and travail of the woman) was it granted to afford an establishment to Chriftianity. Again, as Solomon's acceffion was opposed by rivals whom he vanquifhed, fo was that of Conftantine by thofe whom he fubdued, and laftly, if the behaviour of Constan tine towards the clofe of his life fhould excite a doubt of his being made the fubject