the prophet Joel, who denounced God's judgments against the enemies of his people in the like terms; Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe; come, get you down, for the press is full, the fats overflow, for their wickedness is great,'-iii, 13. What particular events are signified by this harvest' and 'vintage,' it appears impossible for any man to determine, time alone can with certainty discover, for these things are yet in futurity. Only it may be observed, that these two signal judgments will as certainly come, as harvest and vintage succeed in their season and in the course of providence the one will precede the other, as in the course of nature the harvest is before the vintage; and the latter will greatly surpass the former, and be attended with a more terrible destruction of God's enemies It is said that the blood came even unto the horse-bridles,'-ver. 20, which is a strong hyperbolical of speaking to express vast slaughter and effusion of blood; a way of speaking not unknown to the Jews, for the Jerusalem Talmud describing the woful slaughter, which the Roman emperor Adrian made of the Jews at the destruction of the city of Bitter, saith that "the horses waded in blood up to the nostrils."* Nor are similar examples wanting even in the classic authors; for Silius Italicus, speaking of Annibal's descent into Italy, useth a like expression of "the bridles flowing with much blood." The stage where this bloody tragedy is acted, is without the city, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs,' which, as Mr. Mede ingeniously observes, "is the measure of stato della chiesa, or the state of the Roman church, or St. Peter's patrimony, which reaching from the walls of Rome unto the river Po and the marshes of Verona, contains the space of 200 Italian miles, which make exactly 1600 furlongs "+ way CHAP. XV. 1. AND I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvellous, seven angels having the seven last plagues, for in them is filled up the wrath of God. • In Taanitb, fol. 69, col. 1. Lightfoot's Harmony of the N. T. in locum. Vide etiam Echa R. ii. 2. Tribus annis cum dimidio obsedit Adrianus Bitterem, nec cessarunt in ea interficientes. donec mergeretur equus in sanguine usque ad os, &c. [Adrian besieged the city of Bitter during three years and a half: nor did the slaughter cease till a horse might have waded in blood up to the nostrils, &c.] apud Westein in locum. ↑ Sil. Ital. iii. 705. -multoque fluentia sanguine lora. [Translated in the text.] In vicino item locus est cui dictus stadiorum numerus perinde convenit; puta stato della chiesa, seu ecclesiæ Romanæ latifundium, quod ab urbe Roma usque ad ultimum Padi ostium et Paludes Veronenses porrigitur spaiio milliarium Italicorum ducentorum, 630 2. And I saw as it were a sea of glass, mingled with fire; and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God. 3. And they sing the songs of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou king of saints. 4. Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou only art holy for all nations shall come and worship before thee: for thy judgments are made manifest. 5. And after that I looked, and behold, the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened: 5. And the seven angels came out of the temple, having the seven plagues, clothed in pure and white linen, and having their breasts girded with golden girdles. 7. And one of the four beasts gave unto the seven angels, seven golden vials full of the wrath of God, who liveth for ever and ever. 8. And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power; and no man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled. God's judgments upon the kingdom of the beast, or Antichristian empire, are hitherto denounced, and described only in general terms under the figures of harvest' and 'vintage.' account of them follows under the emblem of A more particular seven vials,' which are called the seven last plagues, for in them is filled up the wrath of God,'-ver. 1. These seven last plagues must necessarily fall under the seventh and last trumpet, or the third and last woetrumpet; so that as the seventh seal contained the seven trumpets, the seventh trumpet comprehends the seven vials. Not only the concinnity of the prophecy requires this order; for otherwise there would be great confusion, and the vials would interfere with the trumpets, some falling under one trumpet, and some under another but moreover, if these seven last plagues and the consequent destruction of Babylon be not the subject of the third woe, the third woe is no where described particularly as are the two former woes. id est, stadiorum 1600. [Near at hand there is a place, whose measurement exactly &c When four of the seven trumpets had sounded, it was declared, 'Woe, woe, woe to the inhabiters of the earth, by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels which are yet to sound,'—viii. 13. Accordingly at the sounding of the fifth' trumpet, ix. 1, commences the woe of the Saracen or Arabian locusts; and in the conclusion is added, 'One woe is past, and behold, there come two woes more hereafter,'-ver. 12. At the sounding of the 'sixth' trumpet, ix. 13, begins the plague of the Euphratean horsemen or Turks; and in the conclusion it is added, "The second woe is past, and behold, the third woe cometh quickly.'-xi. 14. At the sounding of the seventh' trumpet therefore, xi. 15, &c. one would naturally expect the description of the third woe' to suc ceed: but as it was before observed, there follows only a short and summary account of the seventh trumpet, and of the joyful rather than of the woeful part of it. A general intimation indeed is given of God's 'taking unto him his great power,' and 'destroying them who destroy the earth' but the particulars are reserved for this place; and if these last plagues coincide not with the last woe, there are other plagues and other woes after the last; and how can it be said that the wrath of God is filled up in them,' if there are others besides them? If then these seven last plagues synchronize with the seventh and last trumpet, they are all yet to come; for the sixth trumpet is not yet past, nor the woe of the Turkish or Othman empire yet ended: and consequently there is no possibility of explaining them in such a manner as when the prophecies may he paralleled with histories, or evinced by ocular demonstration. The many fruitless attempts which have hitherto been made to explain them, are a further proof that they cannot well be explained, the best interpreters having failed and floundered in this part more than in any other. other. But before the vials are poured out, the scene opens with a preparatory vision, which is the subject of this chapter. As seven angels sounded the seven trumpets, so seven angels are appointed to pour out the seven vials, angels being always the ministers of providence: and in order to shew that these judgments are to fall upon the kingdom of the beast, the true worshippers of God and faithful servants of Jesus, who had escaped victors from the beast,' vikwVTES EK T8 Onpis, and had never submitted to his tyranny or religion, are described, ver. 2, 3, 4, like unto the children of Israel after their deliverance and escape out of Egypt. For as the children of Israel, Exod. xv. having passed through the Red Sea, stood on the shore, and seeing their enemies overwhelmed with the waters, sung the triumphant song of Moses: so these having passed through the fiery trials of this world, 'stand on the sea of glass mingled with fire,' which was mentioned before, iv. 6, and seeing the vials ready to be poured out upon their enemies, sing a song of triumph for the manifestation of the divine judgments; which is called 'the song of Moses and the song of the Lamb,' the words in great measure being taken from the song of Moses and other parts of the Old Testament, and applied in a christian sense. After this 'the most holy place of the temple is opened,'-ver. 5; and 'the seven angels came out of the temple,'-ver. 6; to denote that their commission is immediately from God, clothed' like the high-priest, but in a more august manner, 'in pure and white linen,' to signify the righteousness of these judgments, and having their breasts girded,' to show their readiness to execute the divine commands, 'with golden girdles,' as emblems of their power and majesty. A vial then is given unto each of the seven angels by one of the four living creatures,'-ver. 7, the representatives of the church; by which it is intimated, that it is in vindication of the church and true religion that these plagues are inflicted. Moreover the temple is filled with smoke from the glory of God and from his power,' so that no man is able to enter into it,'-ver. 8; in the same manner as the tabernacle when it was consecrated by Moses, and the temple when it was dedicated by Solomon, Exod. xl. 34, 35, 1 Kings viii. 10, 11, were both filled with a cloud and the glory of the Lord, so that neither Moses nor the priests could enter therein; a farther proof of the majestic presence and extraordinary interposition of God in the execution of these judgments. CHAP. XVI. 1. AND I heard a great voice out of the temple, saying to the seven angels, Go your ways and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth. In obedience to the divine command the seven angels come forth to pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth,'-ver. 1: and as the trumpets' were so many steps and degrees of the ruin of the Roman empire, so the vials' are of the ruin of the Roman church. The one in polity and government is the image of the other; the one is compared to the system of the world, and hath her earth,' and 'sea,' and 'rivers,' and 'sun,' as well as the other and this is the reason of the similitude and resemblance of the judg ments in both cases. Some resemblance too there is between these plagues, and those of Egypt. Rome papal hath already, xi. 8, been distinguished by the title of 'spiritual Egypt,' and resembles Egypt in her punishments as well as in her crimes, tyranny, idolatry, and wickedness. 2. And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth; and these fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshipped his image. Vial the first is poured out upon the earth,'-ver. 2; and so the hail and fire of the first trumpet were cast upon the earth,'viii. 7. It produced a noisome and grievous sore;' and in this respect resembleth the sixth plague of Egypt, Exod. ix. 10, which was 'boils breaking forth with blains.' This plague is inflicted ' upon the men who had the mark of the beast, and upon them who worshipped his image;' which is to be understood of the others also, where it is not expressed. Whether these sores and ulcers are natural or moral, the event must show. 3. And the second angel poured out his vial upon the sea; and it became as the blood of a dead man; and every living soul died in the sea. 4. And the third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters; and they became blood. 5. And I heard the angel of the waters say, Thou art righteous, O Lord, which art, and wast, and shall be, because thou hast judged thus: 6. For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy. 7. And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments. Vial the second is 'poured out upon the sea,' and the sea becomes as the blood of a dead man,'--ver. 3, or as congealed blood: and in like manner under the second trumpet the burning mountain was cast into the sea, and the sea became blood,'-viii. 8. Vial the third is poured out upon the rivers and fountains of waters, and they became blood,'-ver. 4: and in like manner under the third trumpet the burning star fell upon the rivers and fountains of waters,'-viii. 10. There is a close connexion between these two vials; and the effects are similar to the first plague of Egypt, when 'the waters of Egypt,' and 'their streams,' and 'their rivers, and |