CHAPTER II.

HISTORY OF THE WOMAN (THE CHURCH) AFTER THE DRAGON'S DEJection.

"Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! For the Devil is come down to 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 that had brought forth the man-child. And to the woman were given two wings of the great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness into her place from the face of the serpent; where she is nourished for a time, times, and half a time.-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. And the earth helped the woman: and the earth opened its mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth.-And the dragon was wroth with the woman: and went to make war with that remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and hold the testimony of Jesus Christ.” Apoc. xii. 12-17.

"Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and of the sea! For the Devil is come down to you in great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time."-It surprizes me that so many Commentators should have regarded this denunciation as the concluding part of the EIVIKOV, or song of triumph, just preceding. It is not merely that no such ill-omened anticipations were mixed up with those christian rejoicings, to which, on

1 Ambrosius Ansbertus marks the distinction, by making the denunciation, as I do, the commencement of a new chapter. But I know of no modern Commentator that has done so.

I think abundant evidence, I have referred it, of the time of Constantine. It would surely be a strange appendage to any επινίκιον. On the other hand its similarity of expression and form to the several denunciations of coming Woes under the Trumpets,' suggests the presumption, (a presumption to which no objection seems to offer,) that this, like them, is to be regarded as a detached and solemn notification by the dictating prophetic Spirit of some woe on the Roman Empire, soon about to follow. -Is it asked, What woe? The answer is ready. Either the Arian heresy raised up within the empire to be the disturber and persecutor of the Church or else the Gothic scourge, which first of all external judgments, as we know, fell on the christianized Roman world.2 In either case the woe was denounced distinctively against the earth and the sea, or those that dwelt in them ; a phrase specially significant of the earthly-minded, as long since observed; whereas it seemed implied that they who in heart dwelt in heaven,5-a class marked out as separate from the former, just like the sealed ones of a former vision,—had a charter of exemption from real evil."—But how different the character of the coming future here, as in the parallel previous prophecy foreshown, from what was expected by the Christians at this epoch of their triumph! I have made the observation before, and cannot but now repeat it. They spoke as if the times of promised happiness and glory to the church were just commencing. The prophetic vision, on the other hand, spoke of coming woe and persecution, of floods of im

3

1 Apoc. viii. 13; "I heard an angel saying with a loud voice, Woe, Woe, Woe, to them that dwell on the earth, by reason of the remaining trumpet-voices that have yet to sound." ix. 12; "The one woe hath past: behold there come yet two woes after this." xi. 14; "The second woe hath past: behold the third woe cometh quickly."

2 If the latter, then the development of this Gothic Woe under four successive Trumpets may be compared with that of the last Woe under seven successive Vials. 3 Griesbach's and Tregelles' reading in the present passage is simply, Oval τn γη και τη θαλασσῃ. 4 See Vol. I. p. 390, Note 3. So Apoc. xii. 12. 6 So Apoc. vii. 3. See Vol. i. p. 249, &c.

7 V. C. ii. 19; Κακων παλαιων και δυσσεβειας ἁπασης ληθη, παροντων δ' αγαθών απολαυσις, και προσετι μελλόντων προσδοκια. See too what I have stated more fully to the same effect, Vol. i. pp. 230, 231.

pious invading enemies, and times impending on Christ's true church of famine, distress, and desolation. At the same time it revealed too the original author of all the evil; viz. the Devil, the Prince of this world, now for the first time fallen from the mundane heaven, and cast out from his throne of this world, agreeably with the Lord's far-seeing prophecy.1 Wretched Spirit! incapable of repentance and only gathering fresh malice against Christ Himself, and Christ's cause and Church, from each partial victory they might have gained over him; and the terrible consciousness of the ceaseless shortening of his respite from the sentence of final judgment! 2

But to proceed.-We have here,

I. THE DEJECTED DRAGON'S PERSECUTION OF THE WOMAN. And when the Dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man-child."

It is of course implied in what follows that the woman no more appeared in heaven, but on earth. But how such a change? And how might the Dragon find means to persecute her, when himself cast down to the ground: especially after her children had just been made the subject of an EIVIKO, and called on to rejoice and triumph? -The fact however proved as prefigured. The Church soon found herself not only a wanderer again on earth, but persecuted and suffering. The very next point which Eusebius describes,-next, I mean, after the Christians' congratulatory songs and rejoicings, consequent on Licinius' overthrow and the establishment of Christianity throughout the Roman empire, -—is a tale of her distress and persecution.

John xii. 31; Luke x. 18.

2 "Knowing that his time is short." The knowing may here mean simply persuaded; just as in the case of the unprofitable servant, "Thou knewest that I was a hard man;" Matt. xxv. 26. It is reasonable to suppose that the Devil knows not, any more than the angels in heaven, the exact time of the last judgment: and might thus anticipate, as the early Christians did, that it would follow speedily on the breaking up of the Pagan Roman empire. (Compare Matt. viii. 29, and xxiv. 36.)—Or perhaps the expression may refer to the brief remaining time in which profest Paganism would be tolerated.

In order however to the right understanding of the gist and point of the prophecy, it is essential to mark how in singularly distinctive phrase it characterises the woman meant as her which brought forth the man-child.1 It was evidently the true, primitive, orthodox Church, which was the object of this persecution: the same that had accomplished the victory over Paganism; especially as holding even unto death the testimony, referred to in the Apocalyptic song of victory, of a divine atoning Saviour, the Lamb that took away the sins of the world. Indeed there might almost seem in the words an allusive contrast to some anti-primitive Church or Churches then risen or to arise. If so, they would not be the subjects of the Dragon's persecution; though indeed the very sufferers from his deceit and guile. Rather they might be in it his instruments and co-operators.-I observe this because, though there may be a partial allusion, in what is said of the Dragon's persecuting the woman, to the bitter mockings of Christians by the Pagans remaining in the Roman empire,-mockings like as of Isaac by Ishmael,2 -and, where opportunity might offer, their opposition and even violence, also to the savage persecutions of Christians by heathen princes without the empire,*—yet I conceive, in common with other commentators, that first his direct assault on the very vitals of Christianity, and persecution of orthodox and true Christians by Arianism and the Arians, next and connectedly, his indirect but not less hostile attack on them through temptations to superstition, are the things here mainly prefigured."

5

Vitringa well calls attention to this point. "Non tantùm innuit inter causas iræ et odii (Draconis) fuisse conversionem Imperatorum Romanorum ad fidem Christianam : sed precipuè ut nos commonefaceret Sp. S. Ecclesiam illam,

cui hæc et sequentium temporum intentata est persecutio, fuisse Ecclesiam veram, quæ persisteret in fide Apostolicâ." p. 738.

2 In Gal. iv. 29 this is called a persecution: He that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit:" with reference to Gen. xxi. 9. 3 See Mosh. iv. 1. 1. 24. Julian's momentary elevation afforded an excellent opportunity of exhibiting the bitter enmity of fallen Paganism against Christianity.

As by Sapor the cotemporary Persian king, and Athanaric the Goth.

5 So Num. xxv. 18; "They ver (or persecute) you with their wiles;" said of the Midianites tempting Israel to idolatry. Heb. 7.

* So Tichonius on the later verse xii. 17; "Draco, cum vidisset non posse

Of the latter, having to speak elsewhere, it needs not that I speak now. On the more passing history of the Arian heresy and persecution it may be well to pause a moment. It was in Alexandria that the spark was kindled, which was to spread into so wide a conflagration. The presbyter Arius threw out insinuations against the divinity of the Lord Jesus:-a view which, like all that has since been called Socinianism, at once impeached his omnipotence to save, and the perfectness of his propitiatory sacrifice as the spotless all-atoning Lamb of God. Was not the prompting Spirit that spirit of philosophy and vain deceit against which St. Paul had lifted his forewarning voice?1 and that too which yet earlier made the Jews cry "blasphemy" against Jesus, when calling Himself the Son of God?-Excommunicated by his bishop, Arius' heresy became one forth with of discussion and strife in every part of Roman Christendom. Constantine assembled the Council of Nice to decide the question ;—the first General Council of the christian Church. Arianism was condemned, the true Deity of Jesus asserted, and orthodoxy and truth retained thus far in the ascendant. But, after a few years, Constantius succeeded to Constantine in the empire;-an avowed, devoted Arian. was Athanasius, the champion of the true faith, chased from his see of Alexandria; and persecutions began against those who, like him, maintained the primitive orthodox faith, almost throughout the empire. For 40 years, or more, the persecution more or less prevailed: through the reign of Valens, as well as of Constantius.2 -And did not the Spirit of Paganism manifest his participation in it? "The Pagans took courage," says Milner,3" and assisted the heretics in the persecution;

By it

Then

continuari persecutiones quas per Paganos solebat immittere, hæreses concitavit."

1 Col. ii. 8, 9; "Beware lest any one spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, according to the principles of the world, and not according to Christ : for in Him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily."

2 Constantius reigned from 337 to 360; Valens from A.D. 362 to 378. "Ecclesiam quam Valens hæreticus vehementer afflixerat." So Augustin, C. D. v.

26. 1.

3 Cent. iv. c. 4, p. 226. At p. 222 he notes from Athanasius that Jews and Pagans were encouraged to murder Christians.