but in the Greek tongue hath his name 12 One woe is past, and behold, there come two woes more hereafter. At the founding of the fifth trumpet (ver. 1, 2, 3.) a ftar fallen from heaven, meaning the wicked impoftor Mohammed, opened the bottomlefs pit, and there arofe a fmoke out of the pit, and the fun and the air were darkened by it; that is, a falfe religion was fet up, which filled the world with darkness and error; and fwarms of Saracen or Arabian locufts overspread the earth. A false prophet is very fitly typified by a blazing ftar or meteor. The Arabians likewife are properly compared to locufts, not only becaufe numerous armies frequently are fo, but alfo becaufe fwarms of locufts often arife from Arabia; and alfo because in the plagues of Egypt, to which constant allufion is made in these trumpets, the locufts (Exod. X. 13.) are brought by an east-wind, that is from Arabia, which lay eastward of Egypt; and also because in the book of Judges (VII. 12.) the people of Arabia are compared to locufts or (4) Vide Gefner. de Infect. Plin. Nat. Hift. Lib. 11. Cap. 29. Se&t. 35. Edit. Harduin. (5) Anno Heraclii decimo graf feptimo dimidium corporis folaris lumine defecit, manfitque ejus deliquium a Tifrin priori ad Haziran, adeo ut non appa reret grafhoppers for multitude, for in the original the word for both is the fame. As the natural locufts (4) are bred in pits and holes of the earth, so these myftical locufts are truly infernal, and proceed with the fmoke from the bottomless pit. It is too a remarkable coincidence, that at this time the fun and the air were really darkened. For we learn from an (5) eminent Arabian hiftorian, that in the feventeenth year of Hera clius half the body of the fun was eclipfed, ' and this defect continued from the former 'Tifrin to Haziran, (that is from October to June) fo that only a little of its light appeared.' The feventeenth year of Heraclius (6) coincides with the year of Christ 626, and with the 5th year of the Hegira; and at this time Mohammed was training and exercifing his followers in depredations at home, to fit and prepare them for greater conquefts abroad. It was commanded them (ver. 4.) that they fhould not hurt the grafs of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; which demonstrates that these were not natural, but fymbolical locufts. The like injunctions were given to the Arabian reret nifi parum quid de lumine ipfius. Abul-Pharajii Hift. Dyn. 8. p. 99. Verf. Pocockii. (6) Blair's Chron. Tab. N° 33. Abul-Pharaj. Dyn. 9. p. 102. Elmacini Hift. Saracen. Lib. I. P. 6. H 2 (7) Ockley's Arabian officers and foldiers. When Yezid was marching with the army to invade Syria, Abubeker charged him (7) with this among other orders; "Deftroy no palm-trees, nor "burn any fields of corn; cut down no fruittrees, nor do any mischief to cattle, only fuch "as you kill to eat." kill to eat." Their commiffion is to hurt only those men who have not the feal of God in their foreheads; that is thofe who are not the true fervants of God, but are corrupt and idolatrous Chriftians. Now from history it appears evidently, that in thofe countries of Afia, Africa, and Europe, where the Saracens extended their conquefts, the Chriftians were generally guilty of idolatry in the worshipping of faints, if not of images; and it was the pretence of Mohammed and his followers to chaftife them for it, and to re-establish the unity of the Godhead. The. parts which remained the freeft from the general infection were Savoy, Piedmont, and the fouthern parts of France, which were afterwards the nurseries and habitations of the Waldenfes and Albigenfes: and it is very memorable, that (8) when the Saracens approached these parts, they were defeated with great flaughter (7) Ockley's Hift. of the Saracens. Vol. 1. p. 25. by (8) Petavii Rationar. Temp. Part 1. Lib. 8. Cap. 5. Mezeray Abregé by the famous Charles Martel in several engagements. As they were to hurt only the corrupt and idolatrous Chriftians, fo these (ver. 5, 6.) they were not to kill but only to torment, and fhould bring fuch calamities upon the earth, as should make men weary of their lives. Not that it could be fuppofed that the Saracens would not kill many thousands in their incurfions. On the contrary their angel (ver. 11.) hath the name of the destroyer. They might kill them as individuals, but ftill they fhould not kill them as a political body, as a state or empire. They might greatly harrafs and torment both the Greek and the Latin churches, but they fhould not utterly extirpate the one or the other. They befieged Conftantinople, and (9) even plundered Rome; but they could not make themselves mafters of either of thofe capital cities. The Greek empire suffered most from them, as it lay neareft to them. They difmembered it of Syria, and Egypt, and fome other of its beft and richest provinces; but they were never able to fubdue and conquer' the whole. As often as they befieged Conftantinople, they were repulfed Abregé Chronol. A. D. 732. &c. and (9) Sigonii Hift. de Regno Italiæ Lib. 5. Ann. 846. H 3 (1) Theoph. and defeated. They attempted it (1) in the reign of Conftanftine Pogonatus A. D. 672; but their men and fhips were miferably destroyed by the fea-fire invented by Callinicus, and after feven years fruitless pains fruitless pains they were compelled to raise the fiege, and to conclude a peace. They attempted it again (2) in the reign of Leo Ifauricus A. D. 718; but they were forced to defift by famin, and peftilence, and loffes of various kinds. In this attempt they exceeded their commiffion, and therefore they were not crowned with their ufual fuccefs. The taking of this city, and the putting an end to this empire, was a work referved for another power, as we shall fee under the next trumpet. In the following verfes (7, 8, 9, 10.) the nature and qualities of these locufts are described, partly in allufion to the properties of natural locufts and the description given of them by the prophet Joel, and partly in allufion to the habits and manners of the Arabians, to fhow that not real but figurative locufts were here intended. The (1) Theoph. Cedren, ad. ann. Conft. 5. Zonaræ Annales. Lib. 14. Cap. 20. &c. Petavii RatioTemp. Part 1. Lib. 8. Cap. 1. Blair's Chronol. Tab. No 34. Part zd. nar. (2) Sigonii Hift. de Regno Italiæ Lib. 3. Anno 718. Petav. ibid. Cap. 5. (3) Vide Albertum, Aldrovandum, Theodoretum &c. apud Bochart. Hieroz. Part. Poft. Lib. 4. Cap. 5.-caput aut faciem equinæ non abfimilem. A qua locuftæ ab Italis vocantur cavalette. Col. 474. (4) Arabes |