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The feventh feal or period is of much longer duration, and comprehends many more events than any of the former feals. It comprehends indeed feven periods diftinguished by the founding of seven trumpets. At the opening of this seal (ver. 1.) there was filence in heaven about the space of half an hour. This filence of half an hour is a fign that the peace of the church would continue but for a fhort feafon. It is an interval and paufe as it were between the foregoing and the fucceeding vifions. It is a mark of folemnity, to procure attention, and to prepare the mind for great and fignal events; and not without an allufion to a ceremony among the Jews. As Philo (2) informs us, the incenfeufed to be offered before the morning, and after the evening facrifice: and while the facrifices were made, (2 Chron. XXIX. 25--28.) the voices, and inftruments, and trumpets founded; while the prieft went into the temple to burn incenfe, (Luke I. 10.) all were filent, and the people prayed without to themselves. Now this was the morning of the church, and therefore the filence precedes the founding of the trumpets. It was neceffary, before the trumpets could be founded,

p. 836. Edit. Paris. 1640.

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founded, that they fhould be given (ver. 2.) to the seven archangels, who were to execute the will of God, and to found the trumpets each in his feafon. At the fame time (ver. 3, 4, 5.) another angel, like the priest, having a golden cenfer, offereth incense with the prayers of all faints; and then filleth the cenfer with fire of the altar, and cafteth it into the earth; as in Ezekiel (X. 2.) coals of fire are taken from between the cherubim, and scattered over Jerufalem, to denote the judgments of God to be executed upon that city. Whereupon immediately enfue voices, and thundrings, and lightnings, and an earthquake, the ufual prophetic figns and preludes of great calamities and commotions upon earth. Then the angels (ver. 6.) prepare themJelves to found: and as the feals foretold the state and condition of the Roman empire before and till it became Chriftian, fo the trumpets forefhow the fate and condition of it afterwards! The found of the trumpet, as Jeremiah (IV. 19.) fays, and as every one understands it, is the alarm of war: and the founding of these trumpets is defigned to roufe and excite the nations against the Roman empire, called the third part of the world, as perhaps including the third part of the world,

(3) Socratis Ecclef. Hift. Lib. 6. Cap. 1. Sozomen. Lib. 8.

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Cap. 1. Zofimi Hift. Lib. 5 & 6. Pauli Orofii Hift. Lib.7. Cap.

world, and being feated principally in Europe, the third part of the world at that time.

7 The firft angel founded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were caft upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grafs was burnt up.

At the founding of the first trumpet (ver. 7.) the barbarous nations, like a ftorm of hail and fire mingled with blood, invade the Roman territories; and destroy the third part of trees, that is the trees of the third part of the earth, and the green grass, that is both old and young, high and low, rich and poor together. Theodofius the great died in the year 3955. and no fooner was he dead, than the (3) Huns, Goths, and other barbarians, like hail for multitude, and breathing fire and flaughter, broke in upon the best provinces of the empire both in the eaft and weft, with greater fuccefs than they had ever done before. But by this trumpet, I conceive, were principally intended the irruptions and depredations of the Goths (4) under the conduct of the famous Alaric, who began

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his incurfions in the fame year 395, first ravaged Greece, then wasted Italy, befieged Rome, and was bought off at an exorbitant price, befieged it again in the year 410, took and plundered the city, and fet fire to it in feveral places. Philoftorgius, who lived in and wrote of these times, (5) faith that the fword of the barba⚫rians destroyed the greatest multitude of men; and among other calamities dry heats with flashes of flame and whirlwinds of fire occa• fioned various and intolerable terrors; yea, and hail greater than could be held in a man's

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hand fell down in feveral places, weighing

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as much as eight pounds.' Well therefore might the prophet compare thefe incurfions of the barbarians to bail and fire mingled with blood. Claudian in like manner compares them to (6) a ftorm of bail in his poem on this very war. Jerome alfo (7) faith of fome of thefe barbarians,

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(5) βαρβαρική μην γας το της titudinem delevit;-ficcitates, φθοράς πλήθος ειργάζετο μαχαίρα. flammeæ, et ignis turbines cæαυχμοι φλογώδεις, πρητηρες τε litus immiffi, multiplicem atque εσιν δις εμβαλλόμενον, ποικίλον τε intolerabilem intulerunt calaτο δείνον εποίων και αφόρητον και mitatem Sed et grando, lapide δη και χαλάζα μειζων η κατα χερ- manum implente major, multis μαδα πολλαχε γης κατεφέρετο. in locis decidit. Deprehenfa enim άχρι γαρ και όκτω των λεγομένων eft alicubi, quæ odo librarum, λίτρων ελκεσα βαρος, ώφθη κατα- ut vocant, pondus æquaret. σκήψασα. Nam et barbaricus Philoftorgii Hift. Ecclef. Lib, enfis maximam hominum mul- 11. Cap. 7. (6) Claudian de Bello Getico. ver. 173. Ex illo, quocunque vagos impegit Erinnys,

Grandinis

that they came on unexpectedly every where, and marching quicker than report, fpared not religion, nor dignities, nor age, nor had compaffion on crying infants; thofe were compelled to die, who had not yet begun to live.' So truly did they deftroy the trees and the green grafs together.

38 And the fecond angel founded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was caft into the fea; and the third part the fea became blood:

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9 And the third part of the creatures which were in the fea, and had life, died; and the third part of the fhips were destroyed.

At the founding of the fecond trumpet (ver. 8,9.) as it were a great mountain burning with fire, that is a great warlike nation or hero, (for in the (8) ftile of poetry, which is near akin to

Grandinis aut morbi ritu per
devia rerum
Præcipites, per claufa, ruunt.

the

Where Mr. Daubuz would read nimbi instead of morbi.
(7) Infperati ubique áderant,
et famam celeritate vincentes,
non religioni, non dignitatibus,
non ætati parcebant, non va-
gientis miferabantur infantiæ. Benedict.
(8) So Virgil of his hero. Æn. XII. 701.

Cogebantur mori, qui nondum
vivere cæperant, Hieron. Epist,
84. de morte Fabiola. Col.
661. Tom. 4. Par. 2. Edit.

Quantus Athos, aut quantus Eryx, aut ipfe corufcis
Cum fremit ilicibus quantus, gaudetque nivali
Vertice fe attollens pater Apenninus ad auras.

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