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his church; and the truth of history forces me to attribute it to him, and no other.*

Mr. Faber, in the earlier editions of his work on the 1260 years, explained the fallen star to mean Sergius, the apostate monk, who is said to have assisted Mahummud in his work of imposture; but in the fifth edition he has abandoned this interpretation, and, with a candour that does him honour, adopted the one given in these pages. Mr. Faber now, therefore, agrees with me in supposing the star to denote the Pope: but he still maintains, very inconsistently I think, as well as against historical verity, that the smoke which darkened the spiritual atmosphere, was the false religion of Mahummud. In his Sacred Calendar, Mr. Faber adheres to both these views.

The Reviewer of my work in the Investigator objects to some parts of the foregoing interpretation, particularly to my applying the hair of the locusts like that of women, and also the as it were crowns in a literal sense. I answer that there is in this and the following trumpet an evident mixture of symbol and letter. Thus, no one doubts that the shape of the locusts being like unto horses prepared unto battle, does imply that they were literal cavalry. Having myself lived for some years in the east, I feel that the whole description is graphical; pointing out an army of turbaned cavalry.

CHAPTER VII.

THE SIXTH TRUMPET, OR SECOND WOE.

"AND the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a "voice from the four horns of the golden altar "which is before God, saying to the sixth angel "which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which "are bound in the great river Euphrates. And "the four angels were loosed, which were prepared "for the hour, and day, and month, and year, for to "slay the third part of the men."*

The golden altar before God, is the altar of incense in the holy place, upon which, at the time of the morning and evening sacrifice, incense was burnt, typical of the prayers of the saints, when perfumed by the intercession of Christ. The voice from the four horns of the altar, saying to the angel, to loose the four angels, who were to be the executioners of divine anger under this trumpet, implies, that the judgments now to be inflicted, were called for by the prayers of the saints of God, wearied out with the corruptions of the professing Church, and crying aloud to him to vindicate his own cause. Or it may signify, that our Lord, the great Intercessor for his people, now called to God to avenge the insults offered to his divine Majesty, by the idolatry of the eastern or Greek Christians.

Rev. ix. 13-15.

This trumpet manifestly relates to the overthrow of the eastern empire by the Turks or Ottomans, and there is almost an unanimous consent among the best interpreters in referring it to that event. Considerable difference of opinion, however, obtains among them, with regard to the subordinate parts of the vision.

Mede supposes that the four angels who are loosed, denote four Turkish Sultanies, established at Bagdad, Damascus, Aleppo, and Iconium, which were all at length united under the common empire of the Ottomans, who finally subverted the Greek empire by the capture of Constantinople, in the year 1453. In this interpretation Mede is followed by Bishop Newton, Mr. Faber, and the great body of modern writers. I cannot but think, however, for the following reasons, that it is erroneous.

At the time that the Ottomans overthrew the empire of the East, neither Aleppo, Damascus, nor Bagdad, were under their dominion. Syria formed then a part of the Mameluke kingdom of Egypt. Nor was it till the year 1517, more than half a century after the capture of Constantinople, that Selim I., emperor of the Ottomans, conquered Syria and Egypt, after defeating the Mamelukes in two battles, and thus obtained possession of Aleppo and Damascus. Bagdad did not become a part of the Turkish empire, until the reign of Solyman I., who took it in the year 1534.†

From what has been said, it plainly appears, that Mede's explanation of the four angels is untenable.

* Modern Univer. Hist. vol. xii. pp. 240–252. ↑ Ibid. p. 293.

It is in fact contrary to the truth of history, and if the four angels were symbols representing any particular kingdoms or nations, we must seek for some other solution of the difficulty.

We are informed from history, that four different races of Mahomedan conquerors were instrumental in overthrowing the eastern empire; First, the Saracens, whose conquests we have seen form the subject of the fifth trumpet: Secondly, the Turks of the family of Seljuk, who, in the eleventh century, obtained possession of the greatest part of Asia Minor, by conquest from the Greek emperors: Thirdly, the Moghul Tartars under Jenghiz Khan, and his successors, who, after subjugating the whole of Asia, adopted the Mahomedan faith: Fourthly, the Ottomans, whose rise took place about the end of the thirteenth century. Now the Ottoman power concentrated not only its own resources, but all that remained of the first three races of

conquerors in the northern Asiatic provinces formerly attached to the Greek empire, and united them under its own dominion. For this reason, perhaps, its power might be represented by the four angels.*

I confess, however, that the above solution does not satisfy my mind; and I shall proceed to offer, what appears to me a better one. With the great body of interpreters I conceive, that the Euphrates means the Turkish nation, which first invaded and

* This is very analogous to the interpretation of Vitringa and Archdeacon Woodhouse. But both these writers exclude the Saracens from the fifth trumpet, of which they offer other, but discordant explanations. Vitringa interprets it of the Goths invading Italy; Archdeacon Woodhouse of the Gnostic heretics.

conquered the provinces of the eastern empire, situated near that river. They are on that account, and according to the style of prophecy, symbolized by the Euphrates, in the same manner as the Thames might be used to denote the English nation, or the Forth the people of Scotland.t Though the Turks obtained possession of some of the Asiatic provinces of the eastern empire, as early as the eleventh century, yet they were by the providence of God and by means of the Crusades, prevented from then overrunning the empire. But at length the cup of its iniquity being filled up, they became the ordained instruments of vengeance, for its complete subversion. To signify both the former limits which had been assigned to their conquests, and the office of wrath now committed to them, the power of the Turks or Ottomans, is represented under the symbol of four angels, which had been tied up, or restrained, in the great river Euphrates, but are now to be let loose, in order that they may slay the third part of men. It will here however be asked, why is the precise number of four selected for this end? I

*Is. viii. 7, 8. "Now therefore, behold, the Lord bringeth up upon them the waters of the river, strong and many, even "the king of Assyria, and all his glory: and he shall come up "over all his channels, and go over all his banks. And he shall 66 pass through Judah: he shall overflow and go over; he shall "reach even to the neck; and the stretching out of his wings "shall fill the breadth of thy land, O Immanuel."

I have already shown, (see page 88,) that the symbolical waters signify "peoples, nations, and multitudes," Rev. xvii. 15; therefore a particular river denotes a particular people; and it is easy to see, that no river could have been selected so fitly as the Euphrates to designate the Turks.

H

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