carried on between the empire and foreign nations. This, in an empire conftructed upon the principles of the kingdoms of the earth, is literally the fea. It is by navigation on the fea, that either friendly commerce or hoftile attacks are carried on between the Roman empire and foreign countries. This judgement upon the fea, was to become in it as the blood of a dead man, and every living foul was to die in the fea. This is a plain defcription of much bloodshed and death among the fubjects of Rome, in a foreign war which fhould be carried on principally by fea, or in which the field of action fhould be beyond diftant feas.

As the firft vial brought us down into the eleventh century, it is reasonable to conclude, that this one shall be found to commence near the end of that century.

If we look into the hiftory of Rome in the end of the 11th, through the whole of the 12th, and in a part of the 13th centuries, we fhall meet with the most exact account of thefe events, in which the judgement predicted in this verse was actually brought upon Rome, in the hiftory of the Croifades, or Holy wars, as they are called. These commenced in the year 1095, when Pope Urban II. after Peter the Hermit had prepared and inflamed the minds of the people for the holy war, affembled the greatest council at Placentia that

had

had ever been known, in order to perfuade all Christendom to undertake the facred expedition against the infidel Saracens, for the purpose of refcuing from their hands the city of Jerufalem, the crofs of Chrift, and the holy land of Palestine. And they ended in the year 1291, when the Latin empire was entirely overthrown in the eaft, after the taking of Ptolemais or Acra by the Mahome

tans.

These wars exactly agree with every article of the prediction. They coincide with the time; and are carried on with the Mahometans, who, in every sense of the word, were foreigners to the citizens of Rome. Whilft all the western empire, however much divided into distinct kingdoms, in fome refpect acknowledged the Pope as their head, and did this publicly in the affair of the Croisades, the Mahometans acknowledged him in no refpect; but, both in civil and religious matters, acknowledged another mafter, Mahomet.

Well might the fea be faid to "become as "the blood of a dead man," fo many hundred thousands of the votaries of Rome perished in these mad and fuperftitious expeditions. In the first croisade above two hundred and eighty thousand perished; in the second about the fame number; and in all the different croisades, about two millions of perfons perished in the sea, in the field of battle, and of diseases.

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With equal propriety may it be faid, "that every living foul died in the fea." For, by these croifades Europe was nearly depopulated; and it was nothing elfe but want of men and money, which made Rome defit from the mad attempt of driving the Turks out of the Holy Land. This judgement upon Rome did not end, until they had no more men to fend on thefe expeditions; because they had fent all they could fend, and all they had fent had died in the sea.

That all the countries in the empire were depopulated by the croifades, Sigonius afferts, De regno Italia, lib. ix. page 235. "Ex toto occidente

principes, populique adeo frequentes ierunt, ut "crederes vulgo urbes ab incolis deferi agrofque "incultos folofque deferi."

The hiftory of the croifades is fo generally and fo fully known, that it is unneceflary for me to transcribe any part of it in proof of the above facts. And indeed it is fo long, that it would make a large volume by itself. But if any of my readers are ignorant of thefe events, they may fee them stated at great length by Sigonius, De Regno Italiæ, lib. ix. pages 234, 235. by Mosheim, vol. i. pages 467,-475. from 556,-561. from 622,-626. and in the whole of Le Abbe de Vertot's hiftory of the Knights of Malta.

Verfes 4th-7th-And the third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters; and they became blood. And I heard the angel of the waters fay, Thou art righteous, O Lord, which art, and wast, and fhalt be, because thou haft judged thus for they have fhed the blood of faints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy. And I heard another out of the altar fay, Even fo, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgements.

This third vial was poured out upon the rivers and fountains of waters, and it became blood. It is evident from the original, that it was the judgement which was poured out of the vial that became blood, and not the rivers into which it was poured. The blood in this, as in the former vial; fignifies the fhedding of much blood. In the former, blood was poured into the fea; but in this it is poured into the rivers and fountains of water.

The rivers and fountains of water, as diftinguished from the fea in the fymbolical language, fignify the internal ways of intercourfe among the citizens of the fame kingdom. When fountains of water are joined with rivers, they fignify not only those internal ways of communication, but

alfo the fources from which thefe proceed. The internal ways of intercourfe mentioned in this paffage, must be those of the citizens of Papal Rome; for all the vials are poured out upon fome one part or other of that empire, as represented by the earth in verfe ift. That they are the citizens of Papal Rome, is farther evident from the cause which is affigned, in verfe 6th, for giving them blood to drink; "for they have shed the blood of "faints and prophets." The fhedding the blood of faints and prophets is one of the most prominent features of Papal Rome, as her picture is drawn both in this book, and in the hiftory of the many perfecutions in which fhe hath shed, in fuch deluges, the blood of those who adhered to the word of God and to the teftimony of Jefus. In chap. xvii. 6. it is said of Papal Rome, “I saw "the woman drunken with the blood of the

faints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Je-. "fus ;" and in chap. xviii. 24. "and in her was "found the blood of prophets and of faints."

This judgement of blood, therefore, upon the rívers and fountains of water, must be the spilling of much blood of the votaries of Papal Rome in civil wars and contests, which take their rife from the two fountains of all intercourfe among the citizens of Rome. These fountains, it is well known, are the civil and ecclefiaftic powers in harmony. The civil wars, therefore, predicted by blood poured

not