The palm-bearing multitude, which, under the sixth seal, intervened between the throne of God and the four beasts and twenty-four elders, are now removed; Romish worship is partly renounced in the papal Churches; the two witnesses, who are the same as the hundred and forty-four thousand, or at least a part of that multitude, have extended the pure and simple worship of the New Testament; man is permitted to commune directly with the Father through the one Mediator, Jesus Christ, and, by the help of the Divine Spirit, and urged imperatively to regard him as his protector and friend. The apostasy, however, is only subdued, it is not destroyed; the militant Church is yet incomplete; the four beasts are not restored to their just privileges, but are omitted in this part of the vision, the twenty-four elders only being brought before us: these, however, joyfully praise God for riding triumphantly, and declare their expectation, that now at length

the prayers of the prophets and of the universal Church will be fulfilled in the reduction of their enemies and the conversion of the world.

Encouraging as all this appears, we may confidently affirm, that the blast of the seventh trumpet will be the renewal of sorrows;. for under it the final conflict between the enemies of mankind and Christ in his Church will take place. Though the resurrection of the witnesses, and the earthquake accompanying it, will disconcert the wicked hierarchy and its confederates, they will rally again, and become angry, and make a last attempt to regain their lost ascendency. But in vain. The temple of God will be opened, or popish ceremonies will be exposed; the Bible will obtain a general circulation; its true sense made obvious by private intercourse, by the press and pulpit; and such a rent will be made in the veil or curtain, which the hierarchy placed before the truth,

that mankind will see what has been concealed, and wonder a, and blush, at having so long permitted the folly, sin, and infamy of the dominant Church.

a Rev. xvii. 6, 7.

CHAPTER XII.

Repetition of the prophecy. A feature of prophetic writing. Symbols always obscure. The Roman apostasy very great. - The Gospel gives birth to infant corruptions; which paganism, under Galerius, attempts to destroy; but is defeated by Constantine the Great. - Corruptions grow into favour. The rod of iron wielded by the apostasy. - The journey of the woman contemporaneous with the man-child. - Her nourishment or affliction. Michael, or outward Christianity, contends with paganism. —Victories of the saints and martyrs, not of Christ or of the emperors, celebrated. - Man of Sin expected, not perceived. — Metamorphosis of visible Christianity into the spirit of the dragon. — Growth of corruptions, or the flight of the woman, aided by the division of the empire. The people favourable to true religion.

Verses 1-6.

"AND there appeared a

great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars: and she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered. And there appeared another wonder in heaven;

and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born. And she brought forth a man-child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne. And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days."

The preceding chapter introduced the seventh trumpet, the last judgment on the Man of Sin; we might, therefore, naturally expect, either the subject will be more fully developed, or something new brought before us. But the latter is improbable; for we presume, that the sealed book involves every thing subsequently related in the Revelation. It describes the foretold departure from God,