Verſe is much the ſame with Iſa. 34. 4. litterally theſe things were never yet fulfilled. It is a Phraſe fignifying the Fall of great and mighty Men.
.'14 And the heavens departed as a ſcrowl when it is rolled together 7 ; and * every mountain and iſland were moved out of their places F}.
+ x Two Expreſſions more ſignifying the ſame thing, the firſt is uſed by the Prophet to ſignifie the Change God would make in the State of the Edomites, Iſa. 34- 4. as will appear by comparing what that Prophet faith, with what eremiah, Exzekie!, and Obediah ſay, upon the ſame a—_ 49. from verſe 7, to 22. and Zzeb. 25. f All forts of People ſhall be deſtroyed, or all the Paganiſh Relision ſhall be rooted out. |
15 And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bond-man, and every free-man /; hid themſelves in the'dens, and the rocks of the moun- tains 7. = Ap
{ A Terror ſhall fall upon all ſorts of Men, high and low, # Sec Ia. 2. 19. and, like Men affrighted, they ſhall ſeek for themſelves hiding-places, where they can think themſelves moſt ſecure. See Ta. 2. 19. |
16* And faid to the mountains and rocks, Fall or us and hide us « from the face of him thar fitrzth on the throne 6, and from the wrath of the Lamb c :
a' See Hoſea. 10. 8.” Luke 23. 30. They ſhall be in a great con- ſternation, and be ready to take any courſe for ſecurity þ from the Wrath of God, and of c Jeſus Chriſt.
-17 For the great day of his wrath is come d; and
who ſhall be able to ſtand e 2 ; - d For this judgment that is upon us, is the effeft of his Wrath
| for our abuſing and perſecuting his Members; e and we with all our
Courage, Might and Power, are not able to abide his Wrath. Theſe
| Words import, that in this great change, as the greateſt Perfors | ſhould 'be at a loſs what to'do, ſo they ſhould periſh under a con-
viction, that the great Vengeance of God was come upon them for their oppoſing the Goſpel, and provoking Chriſt by perſecuting of his Members. There are other more particular Explications of the Sun, Moon, Stars, Heaven, &c, but they all center in this ge= neral, That here is prophecicd a great and univerſal change of the Religion of the World, which ſhould ſtrike a great Tezror _ 1%
(5 M\
|Or, g ca t L *Ch.15, jt # © : s OE 'T *C:.g. 6 , v} i*#-:
- = of ” = Pts rg
Chap. VIL
the Pagan Rulers, and iſſue in the overturning. al their Altars, and Temples, and the Ruine of the great Mei, relating either to their Ci- vil, or Eccteſtaſtical State; and that they at laſt ſhould know that God w.s God , and that theſe Judgments came upon them for their uppotition to. Chriſt, And { which addeth Strength to. this Interpretation } Mr. Durham hath obſerved, that no ſo ſhort a Period of time hata produced lo many remarkable Judgments, and extorted fo many. ingenuous confeffions from Encmies, that what came upon them was for their Perſecutions; a Catalogue of which may be found in Mr. JMede, and in Mr. Durhzm. Mr. Mede reckoneth Galerinvs, Maximins, and Ficinins. Galerius was eaten up of Worms, being before he died ſenfible of his Guilt, ceaſing trom his Perſecution, and begging the Chriſtians Prayers. Maxi- minis, another Roman Empero:r ( or Partner in the Empire with the former ) being beaten by Licinis, fled to Tar, and there tell up- on his Pagan Prieſts, who had deceived him by their lying Oracles, and m:@> a decree for the Chriſtians Liberty ; but God would not ſuf- fer ſo bloody a Wretch to dye after the ordinary Death of Man ; he died miſerably through intollerable Pain, . his Eyes dropping out of his Head. Licinius was a Chriſtian, aud joined a while with Conſtantine, but apoſtatized ; was overcome in two Battels, taken, and by him put to death. All theſe three were within the ſpace of 18 Years. Mr. Durham to theſe adds the Inſtances of Drocleſizn and AMaximinian, little above 20 Years before, in the heat of their Per- ſecution making a ſtop, and throuzh an Horror of Conſcience,
lJaving down their Imperial Dignity ; and Maxentius drowned in the.
River Tber; and he ſays Licinius before-mentioned, before. he died,
revenzed himſelf upon his Idolatrous Prieſts, that had perſwaded |
him to forſake Conflantine's God. The change was fo great in the Empire, upon Con'tantine the Great his coming to the Throne, by the Death of ſome great Perſons, turning others out of place, de- ſtrovins the whole Frame and PraQtice of the Pagans Religion, that it mizht well be expreſſed by . Earthquakes, the Sun turning black, the Moon as Blood, the Stars falling from Heaven to Earth, the He:vens departing like a Scrowl, and the removing of Iſlands and Mointains, and by the conſternation 1t would bring all the Pagzn ereat Men into, gc. And this time, which was a Period of about 25 or 27 Years, is thought to be underſtood to be the time pre- dicted upon the opening of the ſixth Seal. Thus we ſee the Dra- gon's Reiyn at an end in about 321, or 325 Years aiter Chriſt. The Empire, as Pagan, perſecuting the Church of Chriſt, and fol- lowing it with Ten ſucceffive Perſecutions, - quite overturned, and a Chriſtian Emperor, Conſtantine the Great, ruling it, But we muft underſtand theſe great things were not perfefted in a few Months, ſome Relifts of Paganiſm remained; for though Conſtantine ſhut up the Pagan Temples, yet all the Idols in them were not deſtroyed un- til the time of Theodoſnus, who began to rule in the Empire 379, and reizned 6 Years. Betwixt Conſtantine and him were Con/tantius and Conſtans, Julian the Apoſlate, and Zoviam, Valentinianss, a lens, and Gratian : During ſome of whoſe Reigns ( Zulian's eſpeci- ally ) the Chriſtians ſuffercd much both from Pagans and Arrians, ſo that the Chriſtians had not a full and perfe& quiet till after
350. CHAP. VII.
ohn ſeeth four Angels, who had Power given them to hurt the Earth, 1.
Anather Angel with the Seal of God crieth to them not to hurt, till the
Servants of God were ſealed, 2, 3. The number of them that were ſealed, 4 8. Multitudes of all Nations fland before the Throne and the Lamb, ſinging Praiſe to God and the Lamb, 10. The Angels, the 4 living Creatures, and the 24 Elders, do worſhip and praiſe God, 11, 12. One of the Elders ſheweth John, that they who were cloathed in white, came out of much Tribulation, 13, 14.
Bleſſedrefs, 15 17: ND after theſe things a, I ſaw four angels ſtand-
the four winds of the earth e,- that the wind ſhould