Star.
London, England, 1808-06-24 00:00:00

TO 171 E EDITOR OF THE STAR.

SON THE PROPHEMS.
No. Xi.
THE TRFRb TRWPET.

"nie third angel rounded and there fell agreal itarfrom
heaven, burning as it were a Fano, and it fell upon the
-third part of the rivers, and upon thefountains bf loaten ;
and the name of the star is called Wormwood : and the third
part of the waters lecante wormwood, and many men died
of the waters because they were made Litter." (Rev..'
10, 11.)
In treating of this trumpet, though I shall be as
brief as I can, consistently with perspicuity, I shall
be under the necessity of taking up more of the Rea-
der's time than I could wish, but it is humbly hoped
that the importance of the subject will compensate
for the trouble of the perusal. There is not, perhaps,
lathe whole book of the Revelation, a single pariage
that has been more gene: ally misunderstood and mis-
applied, than this third Trumpet ; and yet, trivial as it
may apps: to some persons, there is not, in the whole
book, a single passage, the right understanding cf
Which is more necessary to the elucidation of the
other parts of the prophecy. As the exposition will
necessarily 'occupy this and several of the succeeding
Numbers, I shall divide what I have to offer into a
few Sections.

P.lltr T.
§ 1. Of the Figures employed, and the general import
of Me expressions in this Trumpet. They relate to the Church
—meaning of the word Church.
Stars, as weliave seen, signify 'rulers in the world ;
and, in the first chapter of this book, we are told that
they signify the same in the Church : "The seven
Stars are the Angels of th: seven Churches, and the seven
Candlesticks are the seven Churches."

Waters, we hare also seen, represent the nations of
the world. The same figure is likewise employed to
represent the Church, but with this difference.: the
world, which is the larger mass, is symbolised by
waters and seas, but the Chtirch by rivers and foun-

twins, and for an obruus reason—in the figurative

languages of the East, the streams of rivers and
fountains are living water," in opposition to that
which is stagnant or dead ; and in the Scriptures,

Christians [not mere pretenders to the n'tme] are
represented as quickened to nownest of fife, in cor.
tradistinction to the men of the world, who are cor-

sidered as being dead in trespasses and sins. Agreeably
to the figure here used, the Prophet EZEKIEL (xlviii.)
predicting the increase of the Church, compares it to
waters issuing out of the sanctuary [running water]—a
river that could not be passed over, possessing such a vivi,
lying influence as to give life wherever it flows—filled with
a great multitude of fishes—having all trees fit for food
growing on its banks, whose leaf should not fade, nor
their
_fruit waste away ; bringing forth fruit every
month for meat, and leaves for medicine. Fut this river
came not at once to this magnitude : at first the';
waters were only to the ankles, then to the knees, after
that deep enough to reach the loins,, am', lastly, waters tb
swim in, A RIVER that could not be passed aver. And we
learn from the 22d chapter of the .Revelation, that this
river of living water will not be se n in it p en' tude,
till after the seven vi.:ls of the wr.:th of Gob have
been poured out on those who have opposed the so-
vereignty of 1115 AsOiNTEE.
As the Vegetable kingdom is likewise employed as a
figure to represent the church, [see the First Trum-
pet] those who turn away from the service of the truel
GOD are represented as roots which bear g‘ gall and
wormwood," in place of good fruit (Deut. xxix. 18 )1
Christian churches were warned. by the Apostles to
look diligently lest this root of bitterness should spring vp to
trouble them, and thereby many Le doled, (Heb. xii. 15.) ;I:
but by the sounding of this trumpet we are informed
that, in spite of their warning, this wormwood was
admitted into the waters, and poisoned them to such,:
a degree that many men died of them because of their bit-
terms:. The death here spoken of is the same that was
indicated by the iidcr on the pale horse—spiritual !
death ! death followed by hell; but there the'victims
are faniJed, and here they :V • po:soned :—this leads to
a farther enquiry, respecting the meaning of River-
and Fountains, as distinguished from collections of was

ter: and resu.
The latter, as we have seen, represent kingdoms
or empires, composed of varicus nations, united under
one political head. But the streams of rivers, or of
fountains, arc indivi,lually distinct, and, in the very
nature of things, independent of each other; and, if we
attend to the writings of the Apostles, we shall find
that such, in fact, was the case with regard to the
churches which were planted, and put is order under
their own eyes. The saints in every individual town '
or city, formed the Church at that particular place,
as the Ctluncii at Jerusalem—at Antioch—at Ce:arca—
at C.lichrea--at Corinth;; nor are different assem-
blies in any country or province ever mentioned as
united under one head or jurisdiction, or as constitut-
ing one Church, except where CHRIST himself is spo. I
12n of as the head : on the contrary, like the streams
and rivers of any country, they are always mentioned
in the plural number ; for instance, the CHURCHES of
Naccdonia—of Judea—of Galatiat —and, in this book
of the Revelation, " the seven Churches in Asia"—not
the Church of Asia, of Judea, Sze. This is a circum-
stance which deserves more attention than a super&
• Acts viii. iv?. 1-1 Cor. i.e.
t Acts it. 1-2 Cor. viii I. 22.-1 VIM
14-1 Cor. xvi. 1.