suppose that the spirit of God, will fettle the impious controverfy for them.

By the fun here, therefore, we are to understand all those, in whom all these three parties in the church of Rome have placed infallibility, viz. the Pope, general councils, and general councils with a Pope at their head. Upon all thefe this vial was to be poured, and these were to fcorch men with great heat.

In this book, men as opposed to faints fignify the fubjects of the earth, or the Roman empire. Whenever the rays of the fun become too many and strong, instead of affording to men that light and heat, which are pleasant and beneficial, they hinder them from feeing clearly, and they scorch, torment, and hurt them. In fuch a fituation, rays fo uncommonly luminous and hot, dazzle, weaken, and torment the organ of fight.

In warm Afiatic climes, fuch as that in which this book was firft publifhed, fcarcely any thing can be more painful or deftructive than the fcorching rays of the fun. In fome hot seasons, this pain is felt to a very high degree, even in our temperate zone. Hence, during the period to which this vial refers, fuch fhould be the ftate of the Popes, the general councils, and of the general councils with Popes at their heads, that the votaries of Rome fhould be unable to know what or whom to believe, and fhould be darkened and tormented,

mented, by those parts of the fyftem of their hier archy, from which they expected information, fupport, and comfort.

As this prediction refers to fuch a ftate of all these three parts of the Papal hierarchy, to which infallibility hath been afcribed, it is more improbable, in the ordinary course of things, that they fhould all three fall into the same state, at the fame period of time, than that one of them only fhould do fo. Hence, if in the hiftory of the period, to which this prediction refers, it shall be found that fuch, in fact, hath been the state of all the three, fo much stronger muft the proof from history be that thefe events are the very ones, which were predicted by this fourth vial: It is reafonable to conclude, that when fuch diforder, confufion, and darkness, fhould overspread all thofe, whom the votaries of the Romish church regarded as infallible guides, that they would no longer follow them implicitly, but begin to think for themselves, and to search these scriptures which are every way fit to make the man of God perfect. But the prophecy informs us that this was not to be the cafe; but that they fhould blafpheme the name of God on account of these plagues, and should not repent. Even when the state of their Popes and councils was fuch as might fully convince every unprejudiced perfon, that they had

nothing

nothing of infallibility about them, these deluded men should still yield to them implicit faith.

As the events predicted in the third vial brought us in the history of Rome down to near the end of the 14th century, we may expect to find those which relate to this fourth vial in the end of it and in the fifteenth century. Accordingly, in fact, we find a moft exact and ftriking accomplishment of this judgement in the fchifm of the Popes, known by the name of the great Western fchifm. This fchifm commenced upon the death of Gregory XI. which happened in the year 1378. When the cardinals were affembled at Rome to choofe a fucceffor to him, the people of Rome, fearing that the vacant dignity might be conferred on a Frenchman, came in a tumultuous manner to the Conclave, and with great clamours and many outragious threatenings, infifted that an Italian fhould be advanced to the popedom. The cardinals terrified by this mob, immediately proclaimed Urban VI. Pope. Soon after the cardinals withdrew from Rome to Anagni, and from thence to Fondi, a city in the kingdom of Naples, where they elected Clement VII. Pope, and declared, at the fame time, that the election of Urban was nothing more than a mere ceremony, which they had found themselves obliged to perform, in order to calm the turbulent rage of the populace. Urban remained at Rome. Clement went to Avignon in

France:

France: His caufe was efpoufed by France, Spain, Scotland, Sicily, and Cyprus; while all the rest of Europe acknowledged Urban to be the true vicar of Chrift. On the death of Urban VI. at Rome, A. D. 1389, Boniface IX. was chofen his fucceffor there. Clement VII. died, A. D. 1394, and Benedict XIII. fucceeded him at Avignon. During thefe tranfactions, various methods were propofed and attempted for healing this melancholy breach in the church, Kings, princes, and bishops appeared with zeal in this falutary project, but all in yain. They tried in vain by intreaties and threatenings to make both Popes give up the pontificate, that one acceptable to both parties might be chofen. The Galican church, highly incenfed at this obftinacy, in a council held at Paris, A D. 1397, folemnly renounced all fubjection and obedience to both pontiffs; and upon the publication of this refolution A. D. 1398, Benedict XIII. was by the exprefs orders of Charles VI. detained prifoner in his palace at Avignon.

This fchifm continued for above half a century. During that time, it was decreed in the council of Conftance A. D. 1414 that the Pope is inferior and fubject to a general affembly of the univerfal church; and the authority of councils was vindicated and maintained in the fourth and fifth feffions of this council. For a long time, there were two Popes at the fame time in different and

oppofite lines; the one of whom had his feat at Rome, and the other at Avignon. For fome time there were three oppofite Popes, and as many oppofite councils; viz. Benedict XIII. Gregory XII. and Alexander V. and the councils at Pifa, Perpignan, and Auftria. The council of Conftance depofed both Pope John XXIII. and Pope Benedict XIII. The general council of Florence with Pope Eugenius IV. at their head, and the general council of Bafil with Pope Felix V. at their head, met at the fame time in oppofition to each other, and excommunicated each other.

For thefe important facts the reader is defired to confult Dupin on centures 14th and 15th, and Mofheim on faid 'centuries, particularly in Vol. i. pages 728,730. and 779,-783. For the information of those of my readers who have not an opportunity of confulting thefe hiftorians, 1 fhall here transcribe three fhort paffages from the last of them.

Page 728. "Thus the union of the Latin church, "under one head, was deftroyed at the death of

Gregory XI, and was fucceeded by that deplo "rable diffention, commonly known by the name "of the great Western fchifm. This diffention "was fomented with fuch dreadful fuccefs, and a"rofe to fuch a fhameful height, that for the space "of fifty years, the church had two or three dif"ferent heads at the fame time; each of the contending