words, he set in motion every engine of his vast power, in order to destroy the Gentile church in its infancy. The birth of the man-child which follows, and his being caught up to the throne of God, have already been considered, though not in the exact order of the prophetical narration.

After the birth of the man-child, the woman fled into the wilderness, to a place prepared of God, where she was to be fed a thousand two hundred and threescore days. The sojourning of the woman in the wilderness, indicates her being in a state of concealment and invisibility, and also of spiritual barrenness, no longer bringing forth spiritual children. Her nourishment in the wilderness is to be like that of Israel; she is to be fed with heavenly mannathe word and ordinances of Christ. But the woman is to be no longer seen of men, and is to act no open part in the world. The period during which she is to continue in her wilderness condition is twelve hundred and sixty prophetical days, which is the same with the time, times, and half a time, or three years and a half, afterwards mentioned; and likewise the same as the forty-two months during which the Gentiles were to occupy the holy city, and the twelve hundred and sixty days of the prophesying of the witnesses.

History proves that this vision has received its accomplishment. Shortly after the conversion of the Roman empire to the profession of the faith of Christ, the visible church quite altered its appearance. As a community, it seemed to possess none of its former features, but became universally

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corrupted. True religion receded from the eyes of men, and was at length professed and practised only in secret. The change was gradual, and was not completely effected till the spiritual power of the popes had attained to some maturity. But it then was so complete that no Christian church or community could be discerned, which possessed any resemblance to that woman who was clothed with the sun, and had the moon under her feet, and a crown of twelve stars upon her head. The woman had fled into the wilderness.*

And

"And there was war in heaven, Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon "fought and his angels, and prevailed not, neither "was their place found any more in heaven. "the dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called "the Devil and Satan, which deceiveth the whole "world he was cast out into the earth, and his

angels were cast out with him. And I heard a loud "voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, "and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and "the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our "brethren is cast down, which accused them before "our God day and night. And they overcame him "by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of "their testimony; and they loved not their lives "unto the death. Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, " and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters "of the earth and of the sea: for the devil is come

"L'esprt du Christ n'etait plus reconnaissable dans la consti "tution de l'eglise chretienne d'occident au quinzieme siècle." Villers, p. 26.

"down unto you, having great wrath, because "he knoweth that he hath but a short time."*

Two different interpretations have been given of this passage. Mede and Bishop Newton, with most of the older writers suppose, that the war of Michael and the dragon in heaven, describes the struggles between Christianity and Paganism during the three first centuries, which ended in the expulsion of Paganism from the imperial government of Rome. As a consequence of this opinion, they maintain, that the first mention made of the flight of the woman into the wilderness, in ver. 6, is in the way of prolepsis, or anticipation, and that her actual removal thither, does not take place, till after the dragon is cast out of heaven.

The second class of interpreters, among whom are Mr. Faber and the late Mr. Andrew Fuller, conceive that the war of Michael, is subsequent to the retreat of the woman, and denotes the contest between the principles of light and darkness in the Christian Church, during the prophetical period of 1260 years, and that the fall of Satan from heaven to earth, indicates the victory obtained by the true church at the Reformation.

In the former edition of this work, I adopted the last of these expositions; but having been led carefully to re-consider the subject, I have found myself obliged entirely to abandon that opinion. For upon referring to this passage, the fifth general rule of interpretation laid down in the preface,† I could

*Rev. xii. 4-12.

The rule here alluded to is the one adopted from Mr. Frazer, and very much of the arrangement of the Apocalypse seems to hang upon a strict attention to this invaluable canon of interpretation.

not but see that the 6th verse, in which it is said that "the woman fled into the wilderness," corresponds in point of time with the 14th verse, in which we are again told, that "to the woman were given "two wings as of a great eagle, that she might fly "into her place in the wilderness."* Now as we arrive at the flight of the woman, in the last mentioned clause, after the narrative of the war in heaven, and the fall of the dragon to the earth, it may hence be deduced, that this war precedes the retreat of the woman, into her wilderness state. According to this view, the synchronisms of the first fourteen verses of the chapter, must be arranged in the manner following.

And there appeared a great wonder in heaven, a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars. And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered. And there appeared another wonder in heaven, and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth; and the dragon stood

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And there was war in heaven, Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, and prevailed not, neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and

* Mr. Faber gets rid of the argument founded on this correspondence by placing ver. 14. in a parenthesis; but I deem this to be an unwarrantable license, tending to introduce confusion into the proPhecies of this book, by depriving us of some of its great landmarks.

before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born. And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron; and her child was caught up unto God, and his throne.

And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.

the power of his Christ, for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God, day and night. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony, and they loved not their lives unto death. Therefore rejoice ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth, and the sea, for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time. And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman, which brought forth the man-child.

And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.

The foregoing arrangement, which seems necessarily to flow, from the application of Mr. Frazer's rule, to verses 6 and 14, makes it evident, that the first six verses of the chapter, are parallel in time, with the next eight. And as it thus appears, that the war between Michael and the dragon, the