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the new heavens and the new earth; and then represents its "coming down from God with "the new Jerusalem, and the blesssed reign "of God, and the Lamb in it, for ever and "ever."

SIXTEENTH CHAPTER OF THE REVELATION.

On the seven Vials of the Wrath of God.

AND I heard a great voice out of the temple, saying unto the seven angels, Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth.

2 And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshipped his image.

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 shalt 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 judg

ments.

8 And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire.

9 And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which had power over these

* Rev. xix. 3.

plagues and they repented not to give him glory.

10 And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for pain.

11 And blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds.

12 And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the East might be prepared.

13 And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet.

14 For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of the great day of God Almighty.

15 Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his

garments, lest he walk na ked, and they see his shame.

16 And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.

17 And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done.

18 And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great.

19 And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath.

20 And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found.

21 And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great.

Ver. 1." And I heard a great voice out "of the temple of heaven, saying to the se"ven angels, Go your way, and pour out "the vials of the wrath of God upon the "earth."

Ver. 2. And the first angel went and "poured out his vial on the earth; and "there fell a noisome and grievous sore on "the men which had the mark of the beast, "and upon them which worshipped his image."

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We have seen that the prophetic contents of the seven seals, relating to the rise and exaltation of the church over the heathen world, were revealed by Christ himself; and the visitations of God upon the church, by angels; but here we find that the last plagues, or the last tremendous judgments of an offended God, represented under the figures of "the seven vials of his wrath," are revealed to the prophet, by a great voice out of the temple "of heaven," or immediately from GOD HIMSELF. Hence, alone, there is reason to expect, that they are to be more exemplary and more decisive, than any of his former judgments up

on the children of men, since the flood. But to remove all doubt upon this point, the vials are expressly called* "the last plagues." They are to be "full of the wrath of God, who liveth for ever and evert." And we are

Rev. xv. 1.

† Ibid. 7.

told*, that "when the seventh angel (having "the third and last woe-trumpet) shall begin "to sound, the mystery of God shall be fin"ished, as he has declared to his servants the prophets." And, moreover, that when the seventh angel shall have " poured out his vial into the air,t" there shall come "a great "voice out of the temple of heaven, from the "throne, saying, IT IS DONE."

Such being the decisive and tremendous nature of these vials, it is a question worthy of consideration, upon whom they are to be poured out? There is no reason to believe, from any part of holy writ, that they are to be emptied upon that remnant of mankind, who shall "fear God, and give him glory." Indeed this is the very condition offered by Christ himself, upon the performance of which they should avoid the threatening judgments. Besides, these are "the children of promise,§" "the children of God." "And God will not "break his promise, nor destroy his children :" "for God will dwell with them, and they shall "be his people¶." These vials, then, are destined to be poured out upon the hardened and incorrigible "children of disobedience**,” in whom Satan "worketh," and has persuaded them to believe they can live "without God in the world."

* Rev. x. 7.

Rev. xiv. 7. xi. 18. xix. 5.

Gal. iii. 26.

** Eph. ii. 2:

+ Rev. xvi. 17.

Gal. iv. 28.

Rev. xxi, 3.

Another question, which is of great importance, is, when is it, that the prophet give us reason to look for their effects? We have seen that he has divided his subject into three periods of events, under the allegories of seals, trumpets, and vials. The events of the two first, we have also seen, have come to pass, and the prophecies respecting them been fulfilled in the order foretold. Nothing then remains but the events of the third period, or of the seven vials. And as we know, from the annals of the world, that God has ever punished the wicked in all ages, pulling down kingdoms and states whenever the measure of their iniquities* has been full, and setting up others in their stead, according to his righteous purposes, can it be supposed, with any degree of reason, that his justice and his power are now asleep, when his all-penetrating eye sees men surpassing all former times in sinful and ungod ly lusts? when he sees whole nations, " mockerst" of his holy word, and, with the most daring impiety, and outrageous blasphemy, proclaiming to the world, that HE DOES NOT EXIST; and when he sees these sons of Belialt, with unceasing exertions, disseminating, throughout the world, the poison of atheism, with design to frustrate the purposes of his holy will? I say, can we suppose that a God, whose " eyes are too pure to behold evil, or to look upon iniquity §, has suffered them to

* Dan. ii. 44.
1 Sam. ii. 12.

† Jude, 18.
§ Hab. i. 13

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