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ruin as a Beast, or predominant Power. The Papacy
was the only Beast on the Roman earth, till the Anti-
christian Beast arose. The Beast in the fifth vial there-
fore, must have been the Papal Beast. Whether his
seat (throne) and kingdom mean his temporal princi-
pality; or his influence in Papal delusion, or both;
may be a question. Both in fact were to be subverted.
Accordingly in the year 1789, sixteen years after the
last most signal event of the fourth vial, in the sub-
version of the order of the Jesuits, the revolution
in France cominenced. This opened a new and most
interesting era, and did in its progress overturn the
throne of the Papal Beast, in both the senses afore
hinted. It has filled the Papal kingdom with gross
darkness; and has exhibited scenes probably the most
terrific and bloody, which ever blackened the historic
page. The rise of Antichrist will be found, I appre-
hend, to have opened the scene of the fifth vial. The
events of the four preceding vials greatly perplexed the
Papal Beast.
But they were not to subvert his throne,
nor fill his kingdom with darkness. He still had light;
hoped to continue his existence; yea, hoped to regain
something of his former glory. But the fifth vial was
to overturn his seat; and for the first time to fill his
kingdom with darkness! And the French revolution
has done both, in relation to the Papal see.

No light, no rational hope of a restoration remained to the Pope. His clergy in France were destroyed. His dominions in Italy were overrun. His authority, and the Christian religion itself, were rejected. The person of "the Pope was seized. He was divested of his temporal dominions; restricted to a certain pension; and exiled from his royal city." The events, which have followed, are so well known to the people of this generation, and the impressions made by them are so deep, that they need not here be recited. The Papal power has ceased to be a Beast; having fallen wholly under the power of the Antichristian Beast, newly risen. The remains of the Papal power (now, and henceforth, till he shall be utterly destroyed with the Antichristian Beast) constitute the false prophet, under the power

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and management of the Roman Beast, under his last, and newly healed head. He may now be viewed as the tail of this Beast. The governing power, he is the head; "and the prophet that teacheth lies, he is the tail." Isa. ix, 15.

The evidence, that the rise of Antichrist in France opened the period of the fifth vial, with awful precision, I cannot but conceive to be more clear, than what usually attends the fulfilment of ancient prophecies. In addition to the evidence arising from its period, in connexion with the preceding vials, the evidence arising from the events, in view of the prophetic description of the fifth vial, seems to be conclusive. Until the fifth vial, the Papal Beast had a throne and a kingdom. After it, he has none! For the fifth vial is pouréd upon his throne; which must indicate its subversion. Consequently, his kingdom is filled with darkness. And till the rise of Antichrist in France, the Papal power may be said to have had a throne and a kingdom. Now he has neither. His throne is destroyed; and his kingdom is filled with darkness. Few fulfilments of prophecy were ever capable of equal demonstration. And have not the consequent blasphemies and events, predicted in this vial, been fulfilled? The people of the Papal earth may well be said to have gnawed their tongues for pain. They have indeed languished under their pains and their sores. Their judgments have been, and are awful. How abundant have been their atheistical blasphemies! and how obdurate their im penitence!

Since the printing of the first edition of this disser tation, I have found it to be a question, in some wri ters, whether all seven of the vials have not an exclusive appropriation to the destruction of the Antichristian Beast, or the last head of the secular Roman Beast? They have doubted whether any of the vials were to be executed on the Papal Beast: Or whether it be the Papal Beast, that is mentioned in Rev. xvi, 2, 10, on which the five first vials are executed. A piece was bence inserted in the Panoplist, for October, 1811; or vol. iv, (New Series,) page 195, in which it is thought

to be shown, that the Beast on which the five first vials are executed, Rev. (xvi, 1—11,) is most clearly the Papal Beast. Any, who entertain a doubt upon this subject, are referred to that piece in the Panoplist.

Some have expressed an opinion, on the other hand, and according to the old scheme of the vials, that the late tremendous scenes of judgment in Europe were the commencement of the seventh vial on the Papacy; all the vials having been exclusively appropriated to that corrupt power; and the vials having been running. for a great course of centuries.

Diffidence and caution become writers upon this subject. For it is involved in some mystery. And the greatest and best of men have, in relation to it, had their different opinions. I shall here adduce arguments to show the great probability, that the vast events of modern date, or since the French revolution, are not in fulfilment of the seventh, but of the fifth vial. At the time of writing the first edition of this work, I thought the truth of this opinion was so evident, that but little was said upon this vial. I shall now say considerable more, to evince the truth of this opinion.

Perhaps the time has not yet arrived for the great events of the last days, predicted by Daniel and John, to be correctly understood. If so, all conjectures concerning them will be found to be premature. Daniel, after he had predicted the great infidel Power of the last days, in chapter xi, and in the first of chapter xii, and had spoken of the time of trouble in those days, pleads for further information upon the subject. He receives the following reply; "Go thy way, Daniel; for the words are closed up and sealed, till the time of the end." It seems to be here decided, that the great peculiarities, relative to this terrible Power of the last days, were not to be understood, till the time of the end; or till the events were transpiring before the eyes of men. I do not recollect, that any such intimation was ever given, relative to other events of prophecy. They might be understood before their fulfilment. But this event should not be understood, till it opened upon the world. The words were "closed ub and sealed, till

the time of the end." If the present period may not be considered the time of the end, then it is in vain to conjecture what may be the sense of the prophecy. For we are divinely assured, that it shall not be known, till the time of the end. But these words to Daniel imply, that the sense of the prophecy may, at the time of the end, or as the event is unfolding, be known.

John is the best interpreter of Daniel. The most important prophecies of Daniel are noted and enlarged upon, in the Revelation. Should we find the sense of the above passage in Dan. xii, 9, noted in the Revelation, we should have further light upon the subject. This, I conceive, is the case, in Rev. xth. In chapter ixth, the first and second wo-trumpets are described. In chapter xth, instead of going on, to describe the third wo, as would seem natural, and as is done in the xith chapter; we have information of a signal intervening event, attended with an express caution not to believe this to be the seventh trumpet; for that is then still future. And we there find the very idea, of the sealing up of the import of the prophecy, (til it should open upon the world,) in the sealing up of the seven thunders. As I conceive this tenth of Revelation to throw light upon some of the last parts of Daniel's prophecy; that it predicts the events of modern date, which have astonished the world; and is a description of the events of the fifth vial;-I shall comment upon the chapter, in order to make this appear, and to compare it with parallel prophecies.

"And I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven." Some great event, after the sixth trumpet in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries and before the seventh trumpet (which in verse 7 is declared to be still future) is here indicated. The Angel is a mighty Angel. And he is another Angel beside and after the one, who had sounded the sixth trumpet. He is "clothed with a cloud." The several comings of Christ are in clouds. "Behold he cometh in clouds.' "The Lord rideth on a cloud." "Clouds and darkness are round about him." This Angel has "a rainbow upon his head." The rainbow is an emblem of God's cove

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nant faithfulness. The great events, to be accomplished by this Angel, were in faithful fulfilment of God's word. "And his face was as it were the sun; and his feet as pillars of fire." We here find, as we may believe, a most signal descent of Christ, the adorable Angel of the covenant; though not his great coming in the third wo; as he himself by and by decides. "And he had in his hand a little book open." So great is the event, about to be accomplished, that a little book is appropriated to it; indicating, that it is going to form a distinct history, or open a new era, in the affairs of men. The book being open may suggest, that at the fulfilling of the event, the time has arrived for it to be understood. The Angel "sets his right foot upon the sea, and his left foot upon the earth." He is Lord of earth and sea. And the sea, as well as earth, is now going to be the theatre of astonishing events; as is said in chapter xi, 12, upon the same period; "Wo to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea; for the devil is come down unto you having great wrath." This Angel "cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roareth.” When God (in prophetic language) cries with a loud voice, the indication is dreadful: As God says by the prophet; These things hast thou done, and I kept silence.-Now will I cry like a travailing woman; I will destroy and devour at once. "And when he had cried, seven thunders uttered their voices." Thunder is a prophetic emblem of war. (Isai. xxix, 6) The number seven is, in this book, a number of perfection. Here we read of the seven Spirits of God: The seven seals: And various other septenaries.-Seven shocks of thunder, striking at once, afford a perfect emblem of an unprecedented scene of wars; such as must attend the rise and progress of Daniel's wilful king. These seven thunders were made to communicate to John some intimation of their import. This intimation John was about to write. But a voice from heaven forbid. "Seal up those things, which the seven thunders uttered, and write them not." Here is the same idea, with that to Daniel, relative to the same event, the period of the reign of the wilful king: "The words are

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