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are exprefly inform'd that under this Trumpet The Temple of God Apoc.xj. 19. was opened in Heaven, and there was feen in his Temple the Ark of his Teftament: Kal vogn i vads To Os into soared, 94 am in 1500τὸς τὸ Διαθήκης αὐτῷ ἐν τῷ ναῷ αὐτἔ. And if we look into the begin. ning of the Vials, we fhall fee a very plain Reafon why the Temple was now opened, namely to give paffage to the feven Angels with the feven Vials. Καὶ εὶ τεῦτα εἶδον τὰ ἰδὲ ἠνοίγη ὁ ναὸς Apoc. xv. 5, 60 σε σκηνῆς δ μαρτυρία ἐν τῷ ἔρανῳ, ἢ ἐξῆλθον οἱ ἑπτὰ Ἄγγελοι ἔχοντες τὰς ἑπτὰ #angasin Fraz. And after that I looked and behold the Temple of the Tabernacle of the Teftimony in Heaven was opened; and the Seven Angels came out of the Temple, having the feven plagues. And this I take to be the proper Connexion of the Vials with the feventh Trumpet; and than which a more natural and direct one could hardly be defir'd. For fince we find by other Collateral Probabilities that the feventh Trumpet ought to contain the seven Vials; and fince we find under this very seventh Trumpet The Temple of God fo plainly opened in Heaven that the Ark it felf might be feen therein; and yet no remarkable defign of fuch Opening there affign'd; and fince withal we find in the Introduction tothe feven Vials, almoft in the very fame words, that the Temple of the Tabernacle of the Teftimony in Heaven was in like manner opened, and that out of the Temple thus opened, do proceed the feven Angels with the feven Vials; there feems to me little room to doubt but that one and the fame opening is refer'd to in both places; and that by confequence the feven Vials proceed from, and are contain'd in the feventh Trumpet.

8. Which is ftill the more fully confirm'd by what farther information we have at the conclufion of the account of the feventh Trumpet, of the nature of its principal and concluding Judgment, where we find it to be exactly the fame that belongs to the concluding Vial. At the conclufion of the feventh Trumpet, 'tis faid, And there were lightenings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail; Kai évorto αεροπαί, φωναίς και βρονταί, και σεισμός, ο χίλαζα μεγάλη. Under the concluding Vial we find the fame account. And the Seventh Apoc.xvij. 17, Angel poured out his vial into the air, and there came a great voice out of the Temple of Heaven (from whence the

H 2

effects

Apoc. x 19.

18, 21.

effects of the feventh Trumpet are alfo deriv'd) from the Throne, faying, It is done. And there were voices, and thunders, and lightenings, and there was a great earthquake, fuch as was not fince Men were upon the earth, fo mighty an earthquake and fo great. And there fell upon Men great hail out of Heaven, every stone about the weight of a Talent; and Men blafphemed God because of the plague of the hail, for the plague thereof was exceeding great. The words in the Original, Kaliyévorτο φωναίο και βρονται, καὶ ασραπαί, καὶ σεισμὸς, καὶ χάλαζα μεγάλη Are the very fame here which we had before under the feventh Trumpet; only with fuch additional Exaggerations as a particular account ought to have above a fhort and general Intimation. So that upon the whole, altho' the feventh Trumpet be not exprefly faid to contain the feven Vials; yet fince under the feventh Trumpet two fuch remarkable Periods are added, as take in both the beginning and ending of the feven Vials; and that in both cafes in almoft the fame words; 'tis to me a clear Indication that they are the very fame thing: and that as the opening of the Temple under the feventh Trumpet was for the exit of the Angels with the feven Vials; fo the dreadful voices, and thunders, and lightenings, and earthquake, and great hail, at its conclufion, were the very fame with which the feventh Vial was charg'd, and which concluded thofe difmal Calamities

To conclude (9.) Laftly, This including of the feven Vials as the Contents of the feventh Trumpet, is exactly agreeable to that History of the Old Teftament, which the feven Trumpets plainly refer to and imitate. That moft of the Vifions" in this Book of the Revelation have reference to, and are as it were, taken from, or accommodated to fome Hiftories, or paffages in the Old Teftament, is too plain every where to need a particular proof; and that this Vifion of the feven Trumpets has relation to that Hiftory in Joshua, where Jericho was taken by going about it feven days together with the found of feven Trumpets, is alfo fo obvious on a Comparison, that no pretence can be made of an Allufion to any other Hiftory. Now fince in that account the first fix days had a fingle task, and Jericho was to be only once encompafs'd each day with the found

of

16, 20.

of the Trumpets; and the feventh Day had a fevenfold Task, and Jericho was to be feven times encompafs'd with the Sound of the Trumpets before it could be taken, or its Walls fall down; In the parallel Prophecy accordingly, the firft fix Trumpets were to be fingle ones, and to contain each of them one diftinct Judgment, as we have alfo fuppos'd in the prefent Expofition; and the feventh Trumpet was to be fevenfold, and to contain a fevenfold Judgment, or the Plagues of the feven Vials, as we have accordingly expounded it above: and this fevenfold Judgment must be compleated ere this great City, Myftical Babylon, will be taken, or fall into Destruction. Hear the words of the Hiftory in Joshua, and then judge of the Reasonableness of this Application. Ye shall compass the City, Joh. vi.3, 4, all ye Men of War, and go round about the City once: thus fhalt 12, 13, 14, 15, thon do fix days. And jeven Priests shall bear before the Ark feven Trumpets of Rams born, or Trumpets of Jubilee: and the feventh day ye fall compass the City feven times, and the Priefts hall blow with the Trumpets. And Joshua rofe early in the morning, and the Priefts took up the Ark of the Lord. And feven Priests, bearing feven Trumpets of Jubilee before the Ark of the Lord, went on continually, and blew with the Trumpets. And the Armed men went before them, but the rere-ward came after the Ark of the Lord; the Priests going on, and blowing with the Trumpets. And the fecond day they compass'd the City once, and returned into the Camp: fo they did fix days. And it came to pass on the feventh day, that they rofe early about the dawning of the day, and compass'd the City after the fame manner feven times. And it came to pass at the feventh time, when the Priests blew with the Trumpets, Joshua faid unto the people, Shout, for the Lord hath given you the City. So the people fhouted when the Priests blew with the Trumpets: and it came to pass when the people heard the found of the Trumpet, and the people fhouted with a great shout, that the Wall fell down flat, fo that the people went up into the City, every man ftrait before him, and they took the City.

Scholium. If we fuppofe the feven Thunders included in the feventh Vial, as that is in the feventh Trumpet, and that in the feventh Seal, as I think we may; This whole Series of the Scaled Book will appear ftill more exact, uniform and regular. But of that more hereafter.

IX.

IX.

The four famous Prophecies (1.) Of the Outer Court of the Temple, troden down by the Gentiles; (2.) Of the two Witneffes prophecying in Sackcloth; (3.) Of the Woman nourish'd in the Wilderness; and (4.) Of the prevailing Tyranny of the Beast with seven Heads and ten Horns, are intirely contemporary; beginning and ending at the same time. The Arguments follow.

1. Each of thefe Periods are determin'd exactly to the fame Duration in the whole; and therefore 'tis exceeding probable that they begin and end together. For tho' this exactness of Coincidence is not a certain demonftration that the Periods begin and end together, yet thefe being fo many, and the Numbers fo large, it cannot but be highly probable: and ftrict Demonftration is not to be expected in fuch matters. And fince this Argument is generally allow'd as valid, and the Contemporation of thefe four Prophecies ufually taken for granted by Interpreters, I fhall not do any more under this firft Argument than fet down the bare words of the Prophecies themselves, which are these. The Court which is without the Temple reject, or caft out; and measure it not for it is given to the Gentiles: and the Holy City hall they tread under foot 42 months. I will give power unto my two Wineffes, and they shall prophecy 1260 days, cloathed in fackcloth. The Woman fled into the Wilderness, Apoc.xij. 6. where he hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there 1260 days. Or, as it is afterward; To the Woman were given two wings of a great Eagle, that he might fly into the Wilderness, into her place, where he is nourish'd for a Time, and Times, and half a Time, from the face of the Serpent. And Apoc. xiij. 5. Power was given to the Beaft to make War 42 months.

Apoc. xi. 2.

Ver. 3.

Ver. 14

2. That the Epocha of the Beaft with feven Heads and ten Horns, and of the abiding of the Woman in the Wilderness, is one and the fame, appears, because they both commence

upon

upon the Woman's Arrival in the Wilderness, after the Dejection of the great Red Dragon, vanquish'd by Michael the Archangel. For when the Dragon faw that he was cast unto the Apoc. xij. 13, Earth, he perfecuted the Woman which brought forth the Man- &c. child; whereupon, as foon as the Woman was efcaped into the Wilderness, the Dragon was wroth with the Woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her feed, which keep the Commandments of God, and have the Teftimony of Jefus Chrift; and immediately, as John, or the Dragon, for the reading is different, Apoc.xiij. 1, 2. was standing on the Sand of the Sea, the Beast with feven Heads and ten Horns arifes thence; and the Dragon gives him his power, and his feat, and great authority. So that fince 'tis certain, as we faw under the former Argument, that the Duration of these two Periods are equal; and fince they begin together, as we we have now fhew'd; it follows that they muft end together alfo, and fo are intirely contemporary.

&c.

3. That the End of the 1260 days of the Witnesses prophecying in Sackcloth, is alfo the conclufion of the prevailing Tyranny of the Beaft with feven Heads and ten Horns, is evident, becaufe at the time of the Witnesses afcent into Heaven, the end of their Sack cloth-condition, it is faid exprefsly, that the Second Woe, or fixth Trumpet, is past; and the third Woe, Apoc. xi. 12, or feventh Trumpet, cometh quickly; which feventh Trumpet, when it begins to found, which is in the very next Verfe, The Mystery of God is finifb'd, which he fhew'd to his fervants the Apoc. x. 7. Prophets: [viz. That after the 42 Months of the Beast, or Dan.vij. 25. the Time, Times, and a part of Time of the Little Horn in & xij. 7. Daniel, the Kingdom of Chrift should commence: ] And the Kingdoms of this World are no longer under the Dominion of the Beast, but are become the Kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Chrift; and he is to reign for ever and ever. So that fince 'tis certain that the Duration of thefe two Periods are equal, as we faw under the firft Argument; and fince they end together, as we have now fhew'd; it follows that they began together alfo, and fo are intirely contemporary.

4. That the 42 Months of the treading down of the Outer Court by the Gentiles; and the 1260 days of the Witneffes prophecying in Sackcloth, are directly and fully contemporary, because

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