shall be heard no more at all in thee; and no craftsman, of whatsoever craft be be, shall be found any more in theels and the found of a militone shall be heard no more at all in thee;

23 And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy forceries were all nations, de-: ceived:

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24 And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of faints, and of all that were flain upon the earth...

Yet farther to confirm the sudden fall and irrecoverable destruction of Rome, an emblem is copied and improved from Jeremiah; (LI. 63, 64.) a mighty angel (ver. 21.) cafteth a milftone into the fea, declaring that with the fame violence this great city shall be thrown down, and shall never rise again. Her utter desolation is farther described (ver. 22, 23.) in phrases and expreffions borrowed from the ancient prophets. (If. XXIV. 8. Jer. VII. 34. XVI. 9. XXV. 10. Ezek. XXVI. 13.) There shall be no more musicians for the entertainment of the rich and great; no more tradef

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tradesmen or artificers to furnish the conveniencies of life; no more fervants or flaves to grind at the mill, and to fupply the neceffaries of life. Nay, there shall be no more lights, no more bridal fongs; the city shall never be peopled again by new marriages, but shall remain depopulated for ever. For which utter desolation there are affigned these reasons, (ver. 23, 24.) her pride and luxury, her Superstition and idolatry, her tyranny and cruelty. Her punishment shall be as fevere and exemplary, as if the had been guilty of all the perfecutions that ever were upon account of religion; for by her conduct she hath approved, and imitated, and furpassed them all. But Rome hath never yet been depopulated and defolated in this manner. She hath been taken indeed and plundered (1) by Alaric king of the Visigoths in the year 410, by Genseric king of the Vandals in the year 455, by Totilas king of the Oftrogoths in the year 546, and by others fince that time: but yet she is still standing and florishing, and is honored by many nations as the metropolis of the Christian world; she still resounds with fingers and musicians; she still excels in arts which serve to pomp and luxury; she still

abounds with candles, and lamps, and torches, burning even by day as well as by night; and confequently this prophecy hath not yet been, but remains yet to be fulfilled.

CHAP. ΧΙΧ.

I AND after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power unto the Lord our God:

2 For true and righteous are his judgments; for he hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand.

3 And again they said, Alleluia. And her smoke rose up for ever and ever.

4 And the four and twenty elders, and the four beasts fell down and worshipped God that fat on the throne, saying, Amen; Alleluia.

5 And a voice came out of the throne, saying, Praise our God, all ye his fervants, and ye that fear him, both small and great.

6 And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings,

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erings, faying Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.

7 Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made her self ready..

8. And to her was granted, that the should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white for the fine linen is the righteoufness of faints.

9 And he faith unto me, Write, Bleffed are they which are called unto the marriage-fupper of the Lamb. And he faith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.

10 And I fell at his feet to worship him: And he faid unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellow-fervant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.

Hereupon the whole church, (ver. 1-4.) agreeably to the exhortation of the angel, (XVIII. 20.) join in praises and thanksgivings to almighty God for his truth and righteousness in judging this idolatrous city, his truth in fulfilling his promises and threatnings, and his righteousness in proportioning her punishment to her VOL. III. crimes.

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crimes. And her smoke rose up for ever and ever; which intimates that she should be made as fignal a monument of divine vengeance as Sodom and Gomorrah. It is taken from Ifaiah, who hath said much the fame thing of Edom, and by Edom (2) the Jews understand Rome. (If. XXXIV. 9, 10.) And the streams thereof shall be turned into pitch; in the genuin (3) editions of the Chaldee paraphrase it is, And the rivers of Rome shall be turned into pitch, and the dust thereof into brimstone, and the land thereof shall become burning pitch. It shall not be quenched night nor day; the Smoke thereof shall go up for ever. This tradition of the rabbins may receive some confirmation from these words of the apostle: and fuch an event may appear the more probable, because the adjacent countries are known to be of a fulphureous and bituminous foil; there have even at Rome been (4) eruptions of fubterraneous fire, which have confumed several buildings, so that the fuel seemeth to be prepared, and waiteth only for the breath of the Lord to kindle it. But God is praised not only for the destruction - of the great feat of idolatry, but also (ver. 5