CHRIST. It arose from Heresy. The Stars who fell from the heaven unsealed the abyss from which the cloud of Locusts issued who veiled the face of the Sun. But it could not hurt those who had the Seal of God in their foreheads. Rather, it exercised and strengthened their faith and courage, and quickened their vigilance. They were unhurt, like Job, when tempted by Satan1; and, like him, they desired to depart rather than to live on earth. Besides, it united Christians 3. Heresies and Schisms were checked by the fear of Apostasy.

3

6. The next, the SIXTH, Trumpet has occasioned some perplexity.

A voice from the horns of the altar of incense cries to the sixth Angel, who has the sixth Trumpet, Loose the four Angels, who are bound at the great river, the river Euphrates.

Modern Expositors, for the most part, understand by these Angels and their host, some great, earthly, powers, Turkish, Saracenic, Oriental,-which come forth from the literal river Euphrates.

These expositions do not appear satisfactory; and let me crave your indulgence in declaring my opinion concerning this Trumpet.

Loose the four Angels. This carries us back to the Sixth SEAL, where we have already seen four

1 Job i. 12; ii. 6.

2 Job iii. 21; vi. 9.

3 This is specially true of Christians in Greece and Asia Minor, in which a spirit of religion has been kept alive by Turkish persecution.

Angels, to whom reference is here made in the term," the four Angels." In the Sixth Seal these four Angels are represented as standing at the four corners of the earth, having power to hurt the earth, the sea, and the trees, holding the four winds, that they may not blow upon the earth. And an Angel cries to these, Hurt not the earth, nor the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads'. And they are restrained, till the Sealing of the Saints is complete.

We

In the Sixth Trumpet these four Angels are now described as bound-bound at the great river EUPHRATES. The Euphrates is the river of Babylon; and Babylon in the Apocalypse is always used in a figurative sense: it designates the Great City, concerning which more will be said hereafter2. cannot, therefore, concur with those Interpreters who, while they understand Babylon in a typical sense, interpret the river of Babylon in a literal sense. If Babylon is figurative (as doubtless it is), Euphrates, the river of Babylon, is figurative also 3.

These four Angels, then, in the Sixth Trumpet, are said to be bound as captives in the Great City; and yet, in the Sixth Seal, they are not bound; for

1 Rev. vii. 1-3. See the Parallels in "Harmony," pp. 12 and 13. 2 In Lectures IX. and X.

3 This was seen by the ancient interpreters, e.g. Haymo: Euphrates, fluvius Babylonis, potentia secularis intelligitur; and Aquinas: Dicitur flumen magnum propter multitudinem scelerum.

they are said to stand at the four corners of the earth. How is this to be explained?

As the Four Living Creatures under the heavenly throne represent the fourfold GOSPEL in its glorified condition, adoring God in heaven, so these Four Angels represent the Gospel-the Eternum Evangelium 2-diffused to the Four Winds of heaven; preached in the Four quarters of the World. And this Gospel is free as air: as St. Paul says, The Gospel is not bound *.

3

And yet, in a certain sense, the Gospel has been bound, bound at the great river Euphrates; bound in the Great City-the mystical Babylon-the Church of Rome: for that great City has put fetters upon it; it has chained the Word of God.

These four Angels are loosed, in obedience to a voice from the Altar of incense, which is before the face of God; and loosed by the sixth Angel, an Angel of God.

Thus they are contrasted with the Locusts of the preceding Trumpet, who were loosed by Satan from the bottomless pit.

Again: This Altar of incense, from which the voice issues, had been kindled with incense, which are the

1 Rev. iv. 6. See above, Lecture II.

2 There is a certain ὁμοφωνία in the τέσσαρες ἄγγελοι and τέσσαρα evayyéλia, which will be observed by the Greek reader.

3 The number four in the Apocalypse expresses universality of extent and diffusion, and is very appropriate to the Gospel. Rev. vii. 1 ; xx. 8.

4 2 Tim. ii. 9.

prayers of the Saints'; and therefore the loosing of the Four Angels is represented as a gracious answer from God to those prayers.

To proceed: These Angels are said to be prepared for the hour2, the day, and month, and year, to destroy the third part of men; that is, they represent the Gospel, which is prepared for the hour of retribution, the day of wrath, the month of God's harvest, the year of His visitation, the Great Day of Doom, when all will be judged by the Word of God.

A great Army is with them. I heard their number; Two hundred thousand thousand of horsemen; that is, two myriads of myriads. This extraordinary number seems also to intimate that these are not human hosts, but armies of GOD. And so they are regarded by some ancient Expositors. And this exposition is confirmed by the Apocalypse itself. In a former passage we read, I looked, and heard the voice of many Angels round about the throne, and their number was myriads of myriads1. And Daniel speaks of

1 Rev. viii. 3-5.

2 Not "for an hour," &c. as in the authorized version. The reference is to our Lord's words, " Of that day and that hour knoweth no man," &c. Matth. xxiv. 36. Mark xiii. 32. See " Harmony of the Apocalypse," § 38, or chap. ix. 15, and note.

3 See for example Arethas and Ecumenius, p. 321, p. 528, (ed. Cramer,) who interpret these four Angels as Ocious ayyéλous, Angels of GOD, and the pvpiádes pvpiádwv, as the armies of God, pp. 321-3, p. 528.

4 Rev. v. 11. In ix. 16, some MSS. omit the duo, and thus the parallel is exact.

L

the same number; myriad-myriads of Angels'. And the Psalmist says, The Chariots of GOD are two hundred thousand thousand Angels (so the passage ought to be translated 3); that is, the same number as in the Vision before us. And Jude says, The LORD cometh with myriads of His holy Angels 5.

Next observe, Their horses have breastplates of fire and jacinth.

The colour white, in the Apocalypse, is restricted to what concerns CHRIST; So the colour jacinth, or violet, is applied in Scripture to divine things. Thus, in the Old Testament, it describes the colour of the curtains of the Tabernacle, and of the Veil, and of the High Priest's attire. And in the Apocalypse jacinth is one of the twelve jewels of the heavenly city'. Here is another proof that these Angels and their armies are divine.

Again: their horses' heads are said to be like lions'. And in this book, Christ is called the Lion of the tribe of Judah, and to utter a voice as the Lion roareth 9.

Further we read: And from their mouths go forth fire and smoke and brimstone; and the third part of men are killed by the fire and smoke and brimstone

1 μύριαι μυριάδες. Dan. vii. 10.

2 Psalm lxviii. 17.

3 See Vitringa, p. 401. "Idem plane numerus in Ps. lxviii. 17, qui

in hoc loco."

4 Cf. Heb. xii. 22, where the word is μvpiáoi.

5 Jude 14. ȧyiwv ȧyyéλwv is the reading of many MSS.

Exod. xxv. 4 ; xxvi. 1. 31. 36; xxviii. and xxxix. passim ; xxxviii. 18. 23, where the Hebrew has

7 Rev. xxi. 20.

S Rev. v. 5.

9 Rev. x. 3.