and religious, not the political state of the world. The same events may be viewed, but in a different light; and an exposition will thereby be obtained, not only consistent throughout in the principle of interpretation, but also more consonant with the dignity and importance of the subject; which is the progress of religion and virtue among men.

Pursuing this plan, the as it were crowns of gold' on the heads of the locusts, are conceived to have a more important signification than that assigned in supposing them to refer to the turbans worn by the Saracens. They are understood to symbolise the crown of martyrdom, promised by Mahomet, to those who fell in his cause. By inspiring them with the hopes of Paradise, he roused the fanaticism of his followers; who willingly sacrificed their lives to obtain, not the true, but the spurious crown of martyrdom; the as it were crown of gold.'

The faces of men,' instead of alluding to the beards or mustachios of the Saracens, are also conceived to have a more important meaning. Man was created, as we are told, after the image of his Maker; not indeed corporeally, but mentally, that is, a rational being. The human face is thus the emblem of reason; and is here understood to designate the manly and imposing aspect of the doctrine and avowed object of Mahomet; which he insidiously pretended to be the restoration of true religion, and the extirpation of idolatry.

Long hair is considered in the east as emblema

tic of effeminacy and allurement; and is here conceived to denote the means by which this artful impostor seduced his followers; namely, by allowing the indulgence of their favourite passions. While the teeth as of lions,' declare the real objects of his pretended revelation; which were not religion, but conquest, devastation and dominion.

Their commission' to torment, but not to kill,' is well explained by history; which shews, that although they seduced into apostacy, yet they tolerated Christianity in the nations which they conquered; and did not wholly abolish it, as did their successors the Turks, who were commissioned to kill.

The torment they inflicted was, according to the true scriptural sense, no other than the scorpion sting of conscience, felt sooner or later by those who renounced their religion for worldly gain; these being the men who had not the seal of God in their foreheads,' not having imbibed the true spirit of Christianity.

Their 'seeking death but not finding it,' is readily explained on the same view. The life, that became burthensome to them, was the life which is in Christ, as it obstructed their worldly views; a life, which they were willing therefore to renounce, but the reproaches of conscience would not be hushed, and unable to eradicate their belief, the death which they sought for, fled from them.

Thus the spiritual sense affords an historical view of the events more accurate and minute than the political; and that without violating consisten

cy of interpretation; while the symbols are all taken according to the true scriptural signification.

THE HEAVENLY LUMINARIES--SUN, MOON,

AND STARS.

Commentators on the Apocalypse are also agreed that the meaning of the symbolical language, is to be sought for in scripture itself. But their agreement in this principle signifies little, when there is such ample room for difference in its application; as the political and spiritual plan of interpretation may be alike supported by scriptural authority.

But if the superiority of the spiritual be not apparent from the comparison just presented to the reader; if the nature of the Messiah's kingdom be insufficient to shew the necessity for employing it in what relates to that kingdom; then have we, as the last and most conclusive argument, the authority of our Lord himself and his apostles; who employed the same symbols, in the sense here affixed to them, and interpreted several of the prophecies in which they are used, in the manner here adopted; thus clearly pointing out what plan ought to be pursued with regard to the rest,

The kingdom of Heaven being equivalent to the kingdom of the Messiah, and signifying the Christian dispensation on earth, there seems little room to doubt what we are to understand by the heaven

ly luminaries, the Sun, Moon, and Stars. But when we search the scriptures, we find that our Saviour calls himself the Light of the World, and applies the same phrase to his apostles. (John 8. 12. Matt. 5. 14.) Again, in the symbolical representation of our Lord, in the Rev. Ch. 1. V. 15. it is said,

And his countenance was as the Sun shineth in his strength.' Further we find this symbol applied to him in Malachi, as follows, Ch. 4. V. 2.

Unto you that fear my name, shall the Sun of Righteousness arise, with healing in his wings.'

Thus we have sufficient authority for applying this symbol to our Lord himself; or by the simplest metonomy, it may signify his doctrine or religion.

With regard to the Moon, analogy alone would be sufficient, were other proof wanting, to shew that this symbol signifies the church, which receives its light from Christ, as the moon does from the sun ; while the Stars are expressly declared in the prophecy before us, to be the angels or ministers of the church. Rev. Ch. 1. V. 20.

* The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches.' In conformity with this exposition, the darkening of the heavenly luminaries denotes the obscuring of the light of true religion, as by corrupting its purity; and the falling of a star means falling from the truth, as by apostacy. Equivalent to this is also the expression, the moon became as blood,' or was turned into blood;' the change of the pure silvery light of that

luminary into blood-red, figuratively signifying an inauspicious change in the light of the church, by the loss of its purity, either in doctrine or practice, These three symbols occur together in Rev, Ch. 6, V. 12. as follows,

And the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; and the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind; and the heaven departed as a scroll, when it is rolled together.'

Here we have a general eclipse of the glory of Christ's kingdom, from a darkening of all the heavenly luminaries at once; and accordingly that kingdom, or the figurative heaven, is then said to depart like a scroll that is rolled together. The latter part of this imagery, not only amplifies but explains the former; and the whole appears to be taken from the prophet Joel, who used the same expressions in a prophecy, which was at the time of its fulfilment, about 400 years afterwards, applied by St, Peter to the day of Pentecost. The darkening of the heavenly luminaries was interpreted by him precisely in the manner here proposed; as alluding to the transient failure of the divine light, which had then recently preceded the day of Pentecost, at the death of our Saviour.

Shortly after the apparent extinction of the Messiah's kingdom, by the crucifixion of our Lord, and the temporary defection of his apostles; the latter recovered from their recent consternation, and convinced of his resurrection, were now ashamed of their late desertion and denial of him; and being