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the political heaven, and cast down to the earth: and from that time to the present, with some slight and partial exceptions, paganism has ceased to exist as an established religion throughout the Roman empire. This overthrow of the strong hold of Satan was represented by the devil's being cast out of heaven; for, by the power of idolatrous emperors, magistrates, and priests, he had maintained that false religion by which he had deceived the inhabitants of the world, and seduced them to be his subjects and worshippers. By the subversion of that authority, and by the demolition of idolatry, he was, for a time, and in a measure and degree, cast down from the throne he had usurped; and as on a former occasion, when our blessed Lord sent out his seventy disciples to preach the Gospel, so now he "saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven." His angels were also cast out with him; for, when the pagan emperors were dethroned, the instruments and ministers of idolatry were laid aside, and their idols were destroyed with contempt and execration.— Upon the account of this glorious victory, the Apostle heard songs of joy in heaven: for now salvation and strength were come. The church was delivered from persecution, and its friends advanced to authority; the kingdom of God was openly established, and the power of his anointed Son most gloriously displayed. It has, however, been objected by some, that the triumphant language heard in heaven on this victory of Michael, does not well suit the change which happened in the time of Constantine. But was there not the most abundant reason for such a song of triumph? Here was a most glorious victory of the Christian Church over heathen idolatry. Whether we consider the voice in heaven, as referring to the joy of the redeemed, who had finished their course and were in heaven, literally; or, as expressive of the joy of the Church militant on earth, which had now entered into the symbolical heaven;

surely there was a sufficient cause for the triumphant song heard by the Apostle, "Now is come salvation "and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and "the power of his Christ," &c.-But we have a strong confirmation that this exposition of the prophecy is the genuine and true one, from the view which the Christians had of it immediately after its fulfilment; and, without doubt, they properly understood, and rightly interpreted, the prediction. The Christians of that time described the object of Constantine's conquest under the image of a dragon; and that emperor himself, in his letter to Eusebius and other bishops, concerning the re-edifying and repairing of churches, saith, that " liberty being now "restored, and that dragon being removed from the "administration of public affairs, by the providence "of the great God, and by my ministry, I esteem "the great power of God to have been manifest even "to all." To this may be added, that " a picture of "Constantine was set up over the palace gate, with a cross over his head, and under his feet the great enemy of mankind (who persecuted the Church by "means of impious tyrants) in the form of a dragon, "transfixed with a dart in the midst of his body, "and falling headlong into the depths of the sea.' These testimonies, with several others which might be added, evidently demonstrate that the Christians then understood the prophecy as explained above; and afford a strong collateral argument that this interpretation is the true one.-But this victory was not obtained by the sword of war; which, as far as it was used, was only a subordinate means, when matters were brought to a crisis. On the contrary, it was achieved through the merits and death of the Redeemer. The Christians fought in the armour of God, and overcame by the blood of the Lamb. They obtained their victory by a constant and bold profession of the Gospel; by the word of their testimony, who went forth every where preaching the doc

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trine of salvation; and by the patient suffering and tortures of those who loved not their lives unto the death, but readily sealed their testimony with their blood. These were the warriors, and these were the weapons, by which Christianity has subverted the power of the empire of idolatry; and if Christians had continued to fight with these weapons, their victories would have been more numerous and glorious, and the effects of them more lasting and beneficial. The conquest, however, at this period, was illustrious: and, therefore, the inhabitants of heaven, the members of the Church triumphant and of the Church militant, were called on to rejoice. But, at the same time, a prophetic woe was denounced against the inhabitants of the earth and the sea, or the nations in general; for, though the dragon was deposed, he was not destroyed. Satan and his dethroned agents would not rest in their degraded condition. The great adversary would now become more furious than ever. Knowing that his time was short, and that the seed of the woman would at length bruise his head, he would effect all possible mischief to mankind as long as he had power.

While Michael, our prince, the great leader of God's host, makes war against the dragon, those who fight under the banner of the former, need not fear the prevalence of any enemy. Satan is, indeed, here represented to us under a very formidable type. His cruelty, his subtilty, and his experience in all the arts of destruction, are pointed out, with dreadful propriety, in the old serpent, the great dragon. But formidable as this enemy is, a glorious victory has been gained over him-a victory which called forth the songs and congratulations of all the armies of the Lord. Feeble, therefore, and impotent as we are in ourselves, if we wage the Christian war under the banner of the cross, we may rejoice in our prospect of conquest over all the powers of hell.-But if we expect victory, in what way is it to be obtained?

It must be by the blood of the Lamb. Let our confidence then be placed upon that Saviour who died upon the cross; and under the Captain of our salvation, let us fight the battles in which we are called to engage, and we shall assuredly come off as conquerors, and more than conquerors, over the dragon and his angels. And while we sing the song of triumph ourselves, all the inhabitants of heaven will rejoice in our victory.-The power of Satan is limited in respect to time, as well as to all other circumstances, and the "God of peace will bruise him "under our feet shortly."

SECTION III.

The Dragon persecuting the Woman.

Chap. xii. 13-17.

AND when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man-child. 14. 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. 15. And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood. 16. And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth. 17. And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

When the dragon was thus deposed from the imperial throne, and cast unto the earth, he still continued to persecute the Church with equal malice,

though not with equal power. The idolatrous party who were the agents of Satan, were constrained to submit to the power of Christian rulers and magistrates; but they still persisted in their persecuting enmity to the Church, and used various methods to re-establish their ancient worship. Several attempts of this kind were made during the reign of Constantine. Julian the apostate left no method untried by which he hoped to effect it: he attempted to prevent the liberal education of the Christians, that their ignorance might expose them to contempt, and render them incapable of defending and propagating their religion: he employed writers of great learning and ingenuity to ridicule, revile, and reason against Christianity: he excited Arian princes to persecute their orthodox subjects; and, in many other ways, he attempted to undermine the cause of Christ. At the same time, Satan and his agents prevailed to corrupt the Church with manifold heresies, to deform it with various scandals, and to rend it in pieces by fierce contentions: and these evils grew worse and worse during the period of the first four trumpets. Thus the way was preparing for another idolatrous persecuting power, which shortly will be introduced under the symbol of a seven-headed and ten-horned beast. In the mean time "were given to the woman two wings of "a great eagle; that she might be ready to flee to "her place in the wilderness," when the appointed time should arrive. Here seems to be an allusion to the gracious conduct of Jehovah in protecting the Israelites:-"Ye have seen what I did unto the "Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagle's wings, "and brought you unto myself*." But the imagery here seems not only to be figuratively proper, but symbolically emblematic. The eagle is the ensign of the Roman empire, and the wing is an emblem of

Exodus, xix. 4.

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