but like the locusts, “they had in their tails power to do hurt,”—­the deadly poison of the Koran.  The Turks left behind them wherever they went, as the Saracens had done before, the poisonous and ruinous religion of Mahomet, more durable and injurious to men than all their bloody conquests.  By this abominable system of delusion, the remains of the Greek church in the Eastern division of the Roman empire, were almost extirpated; Christianity was nearly extinguished in that part of the world where the gospel had shone brightly, and there Mahometanism continues till the present day.  Such has been the desolating effect of the sixth,—­the second woe trumpet.  Thus the Judge of all the earth punishes impenitent communities.  Besides the positive effects of the second wo, we have intimation of some that are negative in the close of this chapter.

20.  And the rest of the men, which were not killed by these plagues, yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood; which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk: 

21.  Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.

Vs. 20, 21.—­The “rest of the men that were not killed by these plagues,” or morally destroyed by becoming Mahometans, by the foregoing calamities, were not brought to repentance of their evil deeds.  The population of the Western Latin empire and nominal Christian church, still persisted in their idolatries and immoralities.  Both individually and as associated, they openly violated both tables of the moral law.  It is evident from these two verses, that the sins enumerated in them were the procuring causes of the divine judgments symbolized by the trumpets,—­the two woe-trumpets, all the trumpets,—­yes, including the seventh and the last.  Professing Christians both in the Greek and Latin churches, after all the plagues inflicted by the angels of the past six trumpets, continue to this day in the practice of worshipping demons, angels and saints, for which they can produce no better arguments than their Pagan predecessors whom the Lord charges with “worshipping devils” here and elsewhere. (1 Cor. x. 20; Ps. cvi. 37.) In their stupid worship of senseless images, consecration of places, etc., who cannot perceive the identity of modern Papists and prelates with those portrayed by the pen of inspiration in the passage before us?  The horrible “murders,” massacres and bloody persecutions of the saints, are verified in authentic history.  Papal bulls, imperial and royal edicts, issued against heretics, answer to the second part of this awful picture.  Then follow “sorceries,” plainly pointing out pretended revelations, false miracles, etc.  To these are to be added “fornications,” corporeal and spiritual, in a mass of superstitions added to, or supplanting divine ordinances; together with vows of celibacy, monkeries and nunneries,—­followed