2. And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arofe a fmoke out of the pit as the smoke of a great furnace; and the fun and the air were darkened by reafon of the smoke of the pit.

3. And there came out of the fmoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power as the locusts of the earth have power. 4. And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only thofe men which have not the feal of God in their foreheads.

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 fcorpion when he ftriketh a man.

6. And in thofe days fhall men feek death, and shall not find it: and fhall defire to die, and death fhall flee from them.

7. And the shapes of the locufts were like unto horfes prepared unto battle; and on their heads were as it were crowns like gold; and their faces were as the faces of men ;

8. And they had hair as the hair of women; and their teeth were as the teeth of lyons;

9. And they had breaft-plates as it were breast-plates of iron; and the found of their wings was as the found of chariots, of many horfes running to battle.

10. And they hadtails like unto fcorpions, and there were stings in their tails: and they had power to hurt men with their tails five

months.

11. And theyhad 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 bath his name Apollyon ; [the destroyer.]

12. One wo is paft: and behold there come two woes more here. after.

Here we have a terrible Trumpet indeed, and an Item of two others, at leaft as dreadful to fucceed it. And these three were to be of fo different a Nature from the former, fo much more fevere and terrible by their long durations, in comparison with them; and were to be defer'd fo long after the laft of them, that a folemn pause and diftinction is made between them, by the intervention of an Angel with an affrightning forewarning of that difference. And accordingly the folemnity of the Ap paratus, the Variety and Terror of the defcriptions, and the

length

67.

Exod. x. 13.

Judg. vij. 12.

:

length of the durations of thefe three Woes, or woful Trumpets following, are all fitted to make a remarkable diftinction between them. But then to come to the fifth Trumpet before us, the Judgment thereby intended is very obvious, and cannot cafily be miftaken; viz. the rife of Mahomet, and those long and terrible devaftations and miferies which He and his Succeffors, with their Saracens, brought on the Roman Empire in Europe, Asia, and Africa, or, to fpeak according to the divifion of the Empire which then obtain'd, both on the Eastern andWestern Empire: which Interpretation is allow'd by almost all the Proteftant Expofitors. For here comes Lucifer fallen from See Juricu P. Heaven, or Satan himself, and opens the bottomless pit, for the peftilent Smoke of Mahometanifm to arife and darken the very air. Out of this fmoke come Locusts i. e. Mahometans from Arabia. Which Interpretation is moft natural because that Plague of Locufts in Egypt, to which the Allufion is here made, came by an Eaft-wind, i. e. from Arabia, which lay on the Eaft of Egypt and becaufe the Arabs are particularly compared to Locusts for their multitude in the Book of Judges. And thefe Locufts were fuch as refembled Scorpions, or Serpents, i. e. fuch Troops of Arabians as the Old Serpent had feduced to the Impofture of Mahomet. Thefe Locusts are bid to fpare all those who have the Seal of God in their fore-head i. e. thofe 1440co undefiled ones, who were fealed at the commencing of the Trumpets, and had preferv'd themselves innocent, when both the Body of the Eaftern and Western Churches were fallen into Antichriftian Idolatry and Perfecution. Sothat their Commiffion was to fpare thofe parts of the Roman Empire, where the few Worshippers of God and the Lamb, in Purity and without Idolatry were plac'd; but to torment the reft of the Roman Empire; and that without any confinement to the ·To Tell or European part of it, as in the foregoing and following Trumpets; and this fo feverely that they fhall be weary of their lives, and yet so as not to kill them; i. c. They have power moft grievoufly to affict both the Eastern and Western Empires, but not wholly to overthrow or conquer either of them. Thefe Locusts are alfo defcrib'd like Terrible Warriors, as the Saracens were, with Crowns of Gold on their Heads,

repre

reprefenting the many Kingdoms they conquer'd; with long hair like the hair of Women, which tas Pliny, and feveral other Ancient Authors teftifie, was the cuftom of the Arabians. Their tails aljo were like unto Scorpions; i. e. The latter ages of their Empire, as well as the former were infected with the fame Impoture of Mahomet. And they had ftings in their tails ; thefe latter ages did as well afflict the Roman Empire in the Weft, as the former had done in the Eaft: and each of them for much the fame space of time,about five months or1 50years a piece. And they have a king over them, the angel of the bottomless pit, by name the Destroyer: 1.e. their great Impoftor,whom they fo high- See Juricu p ly reverence, Mahomet himself, the author of their Religion; who may well be call'd a Destroyer, fince he Ordain'd that his Re

* Succeffum & Dominationis acquirende amplitudinem indicant Impofita Capitibus earum tanquam corona fimiles auro. Neque fane immerito. Nulli unquam Genti tam late regnatum fuit; neque tam brevi temporis fpatio unquam tot regna tot regiones fub jugum miffa: Incredible dictu, veriffimum tamen eft, Octoginta aut non multo plurimum annorum fpatio fubjugarunt illi, & Diabolico regno Muhammedis acquifiverunt Palæftinam, Syriam, Armeniam utramque, totam ferme Afiam Minorem, Perfiam, Indiam, Ægyptum, Numidiam, Barbariam totam ad Nigrum ufque fluvium, Lufitaniam, Hifpaniam. Neque hic ftetit illorum fortuna aut ambitio, donec & Italiæ magnam quoque partem adjecerint, ad portas ufque Urbis Roma; quin etiam Siciliam, Candiam, Cyprum, & reliquas Maris Mediterranei infulas. Deus Bone! quantus hic terrarum tractus! quot hic Corone! Unde dignum quoque obfervatu eft non hic ut in cæteris tubis Trientis mentionem fieri; fiquidem non minus extra Imperii Romani fines quam intra ipfum caderet hæc clades, ad extremos uíque Indos fefe porectura. Med. Comment. Apoc. p. 581. 582.

† Ex ea enim Orientalium Turma Crinitus quidam, nudus omnia præter pubem, fubraucum & lugubre ftrepens educto pugione agmini fe medio Gothorum inferuit:&c.Ammian Marcellin. lib. 31. Ad quem locum fic Cl. Valefius, Talis erat habitus Saracenorum, ut docet Hieronymus in vita Malchi. Ecce fubito equorum camelorumque feffores Ifmaelite irruunt, crinitis (vittatisque capitibus, ac feminudo corpore pallia & latas caligas trahentes. Et Theodorus Mopfueftenus in Caput decimum Hieremix, Saracenos, ait, comam a fronte quidem detondere, retro autem intonfam dimittere. Denique Plinius in fexto [libro, capite 28,] Arabes, ait, mitrati degunt,aut intonfo crine. Cui fubfcribit Claudianus in lib. primo de laudibus Stiliconis, Hinc mitra redimitus Arabs, Unde etiam in veteribus nummis Agbarus Arabum in Edeffa Regulus mitratus cernitur.

Y

ligion

71.

ligion fhould be propagated by the Sword, inftead of miracles; and thereby fet them upon all their after Wars and Defolations. Upon this fhort view of this fifth Trumpet, we fee that all things proceed very eafily and naturally excepting these two (1) How it does appear, that it was confin'd to the Subjects of Antichrift, or the Idolatrous part of the Christian Church, without affecting thofe few undefiled who were in being at that time. (2.) How it can be twice faid to continue but five Months, or 150 Years; when we know that the Power of the Saracens, continued in all,at the leaft between 400 and 500 Years, and afflicted the Roman Empire all the time of its continuance. In answer to which queries, I fhall propose my own Sentiments in order, only warning the Reader that if either of these enquiries, fhould not yet be capable of the fame degree of fatisfaction, that we meet with in the other parts of this, or in the other Trumpets, that he will not on that account reject and disbelieve, what is clear and evident in this or the reft of them. Every thing is not clear'd at once: and if after all one or two doubts fhould ftill remain in this Book of the Apoclypfc, 'tis no more than does remain in every other Book of the Scripture, where yet the main and general sense is agreed on. Nay 'tis no more than remains in thofe other Prophecies of Scripture, which relate to things long fince fulfilled, and whofe application notwithstanding is generally agreed upon by Expofitors. And fure we may rely upon the prefent fenfe of this Book, if we can fhew that the Interpretations here produc'd, are lyable to leffer and fewer difficulties in proportion, than any of thofe Ancient Predictions, whofe Expofitions yet noneare fo hardy or captious as to deny, or even doubt of. But after all, perhaps the Reader will fee that we can go fo near to the clearing of both thefe difficulties, that there will appear no great occafion for this digreffion. Tho' I thought it not improper here to forewarn the Reader, that in case here, or elsewhere, a few difficulties fhould arife in the prefent Scheme of this Book, he rather fet himself to clear what may ftill appear dubious therein, than for fuch small matters against fo great evidence and convincing reafonings in the reft, to give up the whole Book as inexplicable and unintelligible.

But

But to return (1) I fhall enquire how it does appear, that the Saracens were confin'd to the Subjects of the Beast, or the Corrupt and Idolatrous part of the Chriftian World, without affecting the few undefil'd who were in being at that time. Now this I think will pretty easily appear; if we confider what parts of the Chriftian World, the Saracens over run and tormented viz. The Greek Churches in Asia, and the East parts of Europe adjoining. The Southern parts of Italy as far as Rome, the whole Kingdom of Spain and Portugal, and the Churches of Africa, with thofe of the Iftands between Europe, Afia and Africa. Now we have no footsteps, that I know of, of the Purity of the Chriftian worship without Idolatry in of these Countries. The Greek Church was fo univer any fally Idolatrous, that all the difputes of that nature, were only about the worship of Images; the worship of the Saints and Angels reprefented by the Images being then, I think, not queftion'd by any and if the Greek Church was certainly corrupt, thofe parts of the Latin Church before mention'd, have lefs reafon to pretend to Purityof worship. Those who have the best Plea from Hiftory, Being indeed really witnesses against the Idolatry and Corruptions of the Church in that Age; were fuch as inhabited fome parts of Savoy, Piedmont, Milan, and perhaps fome in the Southern parts of France i. e. The Forerunners or firft Authors of the Waldenfes and Albigenfes, of whom thofe were the Habitations. And the Providence of God was fo remarkable in delivering thefe People from the plague of the Saracens, that when A. D. 726. They attempted thefe Southern parts of France, they were fo terribly destroy'd, and with fo little flaughter on the other fide, that History can scarce afford a parallel. Take the account in brief in the words of Peravius. Eudo, inquit ille, rebus fuis dif- Rationar. fifus Saracenos ex Hifpaniis, cum eorum Rege Abdirama in fubfidium excivit anno 705. Quibus facra profanaque late popu Lantibus occurrit Carolus [ Martellus,] eofque internecione con'cidit. Cafa funt uno die ad trecenta feptuaginta quinque millia; cum ex Francis 1500 haud amplius defiderati funt; ut fcribit Anaftafius. Mox Bargandia, Lugdunoque potitus Anno 727 infequenti, Eudone vita functo, Aquitaniam invafit. Saracenos

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Temp. p. 477