of his vast empire should become obedient to the bishops. Henry, and several of his successors, persecuted their subjects for non-conformity to the rules of their prelates. Thus since those days, the church has always had heads, and with them done hurt. See verse 19.

*

As this period is much alluded to by the prophet, let it be noted that Dioclesian and Maximinus, who jointly ruled the empire, resigned it in one day in A. D. 303. They were the last of the heathen emperors, and at their exit, Constantine claimed the empire, though he did not obtain quiet possession till A. D. 311.

Verse 1: "And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth; and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit." Thus we may see that pure and spiritual church government, whose foundation was laid by the Redeemer, built up and adorned by his disciples, falling to ruins. In a little more than two hundred years, its fall was great, even from heaven to the earth. Its professors becoming earthly and sensual, it fell from its primitive state of purity and love to its now debased state of ignorance, selfishness and pride. It now receives from the hand of Constantine the key of the bottomless pit, whereby it is gratified with power, pomp, and the liberty of reigning over the minds and consciences of mankind at pleasure; for Constantine commanded that in all the provinces of the empire, the orders of the bishops should be exactly obeyed. There was no power to control it now no government over the church.

no limits to the hierarchy,

Verse 2: "And he opened the bottomless pit: and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit." The bishops being now in sure possession of the key, they opened the bottomless pit, from which issued such a smoke of ignorance, superstition, error and idolatry, that the sun or pure light of the gospel was

darkened; even the air, which signifies reason and understanding, was obscured by the doctrines imposed on mankind at this time.

Verse 3: "And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth; and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power." This is plain language. The bishops having now established their kingdom of spiritual darkness, raised up the locusts, or inferior clergy, to assist them, and gave them power like the scorpions of the earth, to scatter infectious poison of false doctrines all around. To this day see how the inferior clergy obey their superiors.

Verse 4: "And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, nor any green thing, nor any tree; but only those men who have not the seal of God in their foreheads." As was observed before, trees and green grass signify the greater and lesser ceremonials established at this time. Any ordinance or ceremonials established by the bishops, was not to be hurt by the locusts. It was the business of the bishops to decree rites and ceremonies; it was the work of the inferior clergy to obey and enforce them. Even at this time, we see the power exercised by the bishops over their inferior brethren: they create them, and then appoint their livings, thus binding them to obedience. The locusts of the fourth century had power given them to hurt only those who had not the seal of God in their foreheads. This is very plain, because the men whom God had sealed wore the Christian armor, and were proof against all delusive snares. The men who had not this armor became

a prey, and were hurt.

Verse 5: "And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the, torment of a scorpion, when it striketh a man.' This verse shows the miserable condition of the laity in the days of Constantine, and above a century after. In those days, the Arian and Athanasian

factions strove violently against each other, concerning the two natures of Christ, as God and man. It appears that both parties were numerous, and treated each other with great severity, and lest they should kill each other, the imperial or civil power was frequently obliged to interfere to prevent it. What must the poor laity have done in those days, when their spiritual guides were at such variance ? Must they not have been filled with gloomy apprehensions concerning their eternal happiness, and fearful terrors as when a man is struck by, and receives the poison of a scorpion. This is proved by the next verse.

Verse 6: "And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them." When the mind is filled with fearful apprehensions concerning its future state, it is the natural wish or desire, in the apostle's words, to die to sin that it may live to righteousness. But in those days, this could not be done. The jarring and discordant instructions of the clergy led to no such thing. The people did desire to die the death of the righteous, but this comfort fled from them. They had none to show them the way of eternal life.

Verses 7: "And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle; and on their heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were as the faces of men.' Lest men should mistake whom the prophet alludes to, he now gives a further description. The locusts were like unto horses prepared for battle; that is, all were animated by one and the same principle, being determined to execute and obey the will of their superiors; they were thus crowned when adorned with their mitres; their faces were as the faces of men, which shows that after all their boasted power in heaven and on earth, they had the human form they were but men.

and

Verse 8: "And they had hair as the hair of women, their teeth were as the teeth of lions." This proves that

they had the appearance of meekness and chastity outwardly, while inwardly they were as ravening wolves, and preyed on the flock.

Verse 9: “And they had breast-plates, as it were breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle.” This shows three things: that they fortified themselves in the defence of their errors; that they were swift and decisive in opposing the truth; that they ran with winged speed to oppose everything that interfered with their usurped and grasping prerogative.

Verse 10: "And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in their tails: and their power was to hurt men five months."

Verse 11: "And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon."

In these two verses we may observe, first, the government of the church by the bishops, under the Christian emperors of Rome.

Second, the exhorbitant power then held by the prelacy. Third, that the prelates had tails, or inferiors, who were obedient to their will.

Fourth, that the tails were like unto scorpions, which produce the most deadly of all poison.

Fifth, that in those tails there were stings, with which they stung the laity, and tormented them.

Sixth, that this torment was to continue five months, or one hundred and fifty years.

Under the four first sounds of the trumpet, the prophet has mentioned no particular or definite time for the continuance of any of them. But under this he is very particular, because the work of apostacy went on very rapidly, which is in reality the first woe. In this chapter, and under the

fifth sound, the five months' torment is twice mentioned. In prophetic language, a day is mentioned as a year, and therefore five months, at thirty days each, which was the ancient mode of reckoning, amount to one hundred and fifty years.

Let it next be noted, that the first general council was held at Nice, A. D. 325. Here the key was given, the pit was opened, the locusts came out, and the broad foundation of popery was laid. These two numbers amount to 475, the exact year in which the western empire fell a period remarkable for the great events attending it. These were the overthrow of the empire by the barbarous idolators of the north, whereby the kind of Christianity that then existed became mixed with pagan rites, out of which popery arose. Thus ended the five months' torment, or the first woe.

To conclude this grand description of prelacy, the prophet adds, and they had a king over them, which is the angel or governor of the bottomless pit. Singular it is that where prelacy prevails, it must have a king, emperor, or pope, to reign over it. It would lie beneath the dignity of a lord spiritual to bow under the sceptre of the meek and lowly Jesus. Prelacy will not admit the Redeemer to hold the government of the churches. In his hand it would not be so lucrative an office. In these days, therefore, the bishops must undertake its government, and appoint an earthly king over them, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, and in Greek, Apollyon, and in the English, the Destroyer. He and his bishops usurp that power which alone belongs to Christ; and as their kingdom is of this world, what can be expected but lamentations, mournings, and

woe.

Verse 12: "One woe is past, behold there come two woes more hereafter." The prophet now closes this scene with the fall of the western empire, and the end of the first