eeding vials united.

About as much is said, to prepare the way for it, and to describe it, as with respect to all the other vials. No such preparations appeared for any, or all the other vials, as for this. And no such warnings were given. This is called, the battle of that great day of God Almighty; as being an event well known through the prophets. In the original the THAT is singularly emphatical. The article is twice used; and the pronoun ekeinees, that, inserted beside: Indicating, that it is a day well known. The events of this vial are future. The particulars are unknown to man. But from the numerous predictions of it, many probable things may be gathered. A great voice from the temple of heaven proclaims, It is done. The mystery of iniquity is finished. The enemies have had their day; and now God will vindicate his cause. The subsequent voices and thunders and lightnings are striking expressions of the terrors of that scene. A great earthquake follows, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great: An emblem of a fatal shock of judgments, such as man has never witnessed! As our Lord predicted of the same event; For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time; no, nor ever shall be. (Matt. xxiv, 21.) And as Daniel predicts of the same event; And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation, even to that same time. (Dan. xii, 1.) The great city is divided into three parts. By the great city here is meant probably the Empire of Antichrist. His subjects revolt, and become each other's executioners. The cities of the nations fall. The Divine vengeance, which breaks at Palestine, and destroys Gog and all his bands, rolls and thunders through the nations; demolishes their capitals; and lays their cities in ruins. The Antichristian Babylon, including what remains of the Papacy, comes into remembrance with God. The cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath is given. Every island flees away. The mountains of great kingdoms are no more found. They are plunged in the sea of revolution and ruin. Psalm

xlvi, 2, 3. And even all these figures are inadequate to the events. Another is therefore added; that of terrible hail falling on man, every stone being of about an hundred and fourteen pounds weight; indicative of judgments as much more fatal, than those usually known, as hailstones of this enormous size would be more terrible, than common hail. The other vials were local: This is general; poured out into the air; or upon the kingdom of the devil on earth, who is the prince of the power of the air. The vast armies of Atheists, Pagans, and the remains of the Papal and Mohammedan powers, collected in the Holy land, receive the first discharge of the artillery of Heaven, which sinks them in perdition. And the judgments will thence proceed, and will sweep off the violent enemies of the Church in every land. Probably violent, exterminating wars, civil dissentions, pestilences, and the raging elements let loose upon man, with other fatal judgments, will constitute the terrors of that day. The hand of God will be seen by all, in scenes of vengeance. Men will know, that those who fall, are the slain of the Lord; whose carcasses, we are assured, shall be, at that day, from one end of the earth, even unto the other end of the earth. (Jer. xxv, 33.) This is the day that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea and all that do wickedly, shall be as stubble; and that day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch. (Mal. iv, 1.) This is the day, when God will gather the nations, and assemble the kingdoms, and pour upon them his indignation, even all his fierce anger; and all the earth shall be devoured with the fire of his jealousy. (Zeph. iii, 8.) And he shall sweep the sinners thereof out of it. (Isa. xiii, 9.) They shall be consumed as the fat of lambs; into smoke shall they consume arvay. And the meek shall inherit the earth, and delight themselves in abundance of peace. The Scriptures, which predict this destruction of the enemies of the Church, are numerous, both in the Old and New Testaments; and they are terrible!

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As to the period of this vial; it will not be poured out, till after the subversion of the Turkish empire, and the consequent return of Israel and the Jews; and the collection of the armies of Gog and Magog against them. (Ezek. xxxvii, xxxviii, xxxix.) These things must occupy some time. As to the precise time of the seventh vial, I do not feel great confidence. The old expositors, who have placed the introduction of the Millennium about A. D. 2,000, may prove correct. See section I, chapter II. But I believe it is hastening on apace.

According to the preceding scheme of the vials, and in confirmation of it, it is observable, as before noted, that the three last vials fall successively upon the three great wicked powers, the Papal, the Mohamme dan, and the Antichristian; giving to each a deadly blow; and the last vial deciding the controversy; sweeping from the earth all, who are found in array against the Church. The first four of the vials were poured upon the Papal see, and its supporters; and were minor, and preparatory events. The three last are capital events. The fifth gives a death blow to the Papal Beast, by the rise of Antichrist. The sixth subverts the Ottoman Empire. And the seventh plunges Antichrist, with the scattered remains of the two preceding powers, into perdition; and decides the controversy between the Church and all her inveterate enemies through evangelized nations. The analogy between the vials and the trumpets, has been no'ed under the fifth vial. The first four of the trumpets related to minor events, which fell upon the Christian Roman empire. The three last related to capital events, and hence were called wo-trumpets. And each of these three related to a different power. The first to the ravages of the Saracens; the second to that of the Turks; the third to the destruction of Antichrist. The same

thing is true of the vials, as they have been explained. The first four were minor judgments upon the Papal , see, preparing the way for its destruction. And the three last are capital events, each relating to a different

power.

I am constrained to think the venerable Mede, and those authors, to be correct, who have supposed the seventh trumpet, or third woe, does not comprise all the vials. It appears as though this trumpet and the sev enth vial must meet, and receive their accomplishment in the same event.

Surely those writers, who carry the origin of the period of the vials back to the early days of the Papal see, are far from viewing all the vials included in the seventh trumpet. For they place a number of them even before the sixth trumpet. Pool's continuators, upon the seventh trumpet, (Rev. xi, 15,) observe; "Here ariseth a great question, whether the seven vials, of which we shall find the sixteenth chapter treating, do belong all to the seventh trumpet? or whether some of them belong to the sixth trumpet? Great divines are on both sides of this question. Mr. Pool, in his Latin synopsis, has collected together their reasons." The reasons offered in favor of all the vials being included in the last wo-trumpet, are, in my opinion, inconclusive. While the objections against this scheme are irresistible. And if the seventh trumpet does not contain all the vials, it can contain none but the seventh and last. For no objection can be offered against its containing only the last vial, which does not equally militate against its containing any number more than the last, but short of the whole. The third woe then, must probably comprise either the whole of the vials; or only the last vial. And the latter I apprehend will prove to be the fact.

It is striking to observe the sameness of the descriptions of the two events, the last wo-trumpet, and the seventh vial: And that this trumpet and vial appear to stand precisely in the same relation to the introduction of the Millennium. Let us compare together the two prophetic descriptions.

Seventh Trumpet. Rev. x, 7; and xi, 15— 19. "But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin

Seventh Vial.
Rev. xvi, 17-21,