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In a word, the princes of the world, and the minifters of the fanctuary, the people and the paftors of the church, fhall mutually join in an hymn of praise, when the judgment threatened in this vial fhall be executed.

SECTION VI.

The Fourth Vial.

"And the fourth angel poured out his vial on "the fun; and power was given to him to scorch

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men with fire. And men were fcorched with

great heat, and blafphemed the name of "God, which hath given power over these "plagues; and they repented not to give him "glory," Rev. xvi. 8, 9.

The fun, moon, and stars, in prophetic language, represent the government of any state, including the fupreme and fubordinate powers. Darkening the fun, moon, and stars, fignifies the extinguishing of the government, destroying either its religious or political existence. Thus, when the fixth feal was opened, "the fun be"came black as fackcloth of hair, and the moon "became as blood; and the ftars of heaven fell "unto the earth," Chap. vi. 12, 13. Expreffions which intimate the diffolution of the Pa

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gan Roman empire, as to its religious existence, an event fulfilled by Conftantine. So, when the fourth trumpet founded, "the third part of the "fun was fmitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars, fo as. the third part of them was darkened, and the day fhone not for a third part of it, and the night likewife." Expreffions denoting, according to the best interpreters that the government of Imperial Rome, as to its political exiftence, fhould be deftroyed. An event fulfilled by Totila, The fun therefore affected by the plague of this vial, must be the fupreme power in Papal Rome, Now, the fupreme power in Papal Rome, must be the Pope. Some indeed, for obvious reafons, pretend that the fupreme power in the prefent Roman empire belongs, in temporals to the Emperor; in fpirituals, to general councils, But to remove the doubts which may arife from this variety of opinions concerning the fupreme power in Papal Rome, it will be fufficient to obferve that this prophecy inva riably reprefents the ruler of Rome and its territory, as the head of the beaft, typifying the Roman empire, even he who exercises the fe venth or laft form of Roman government within the city. This defcription cannot apply either. to the Emperor of Germany or to councils; but the uniformity of the emblem requires that the head

head of the Roman beaft be reprefented as the fun of the Roman world. The effect of this plague is to fcorch men with great heat. By the fourth trumpet the fun was darkened, and its heat was confequently decreafed. Here it is increafed, yet not for falutary, but pernicious purposes; if, therefore darkening the fun there, fignified extinguishing the fupreme power în the government of Imperial Rome, increafing the heat of the fun here, obviously fuggefts the idea of defpotic authority, violently exercifed by the fupreme power in the government of Papal Rome.

We can fuppofe many cafes in which the exercife of defpotic authority would occafion uneafinefs to the fubjects of the fee of Rome, and we might expect that it would prove hurtful in the iffue to the Pope's power. A violent exercife of defpotic authority met with refiftance even in a dark age; we might expect a refiftance still greater in an enlightened age, like the prefent. But at the period of pouring out this vial, when the Word and Providence of God fhall demonftrate the deformity of Popery, and the truth of this prophecy more clearly than they are apprehended in our day, we may infer, from the principles of human nature, that a signal vengeance shall overtake the exercise of defpotic authority. Let us suppose, for inftance, that a

person of the fame character with Gregory VII. shall again fill the Papal chair, and endeavour, by the fame measures which that Pontiff purfued, to retrieve the declining state of his affairs. I cannot doubt but those measures would occafion a combination of the powers of Europe, to fet the Vatican in flames about his ears. Accordingly that event is represented in the following vial, most probably as the confequence of the fcorching heat laid before us in this vial. The fubjects of his spiritual jurisdiction, though conscious of the illegality of his proceedings, and aware that they muft end in the ruin of the Papal system, shall not renounce their allegiance, but rather blafpheme God, than repent, to give him glory. They rather charge God with unfaithfulness to his promife, than acknowledge themselves in an error; affirm that he has failed to fulfil his word, "On this rock will I build

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my church, and the gates of hell shall not pre"vail against her," rather than acknowledge that they have followed Antichrift, and mistaken the whore of Babylon for the spouse of Christ.

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SECTION VII.

The Fifth Vial.

"And the fifth angel poured out his vial up

on the feat of the beaft; and his kingdom was "full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues "for pain, and blafphemed the God of heaven, "because of their pains and their fores, and "repented not of their deeds," Rev. xvi. 10,

II.

This vial intimates the destruction of the city of Rome, the throne or feat of the beaft. I have already (p. 60,61.) intimated my reafons for this opinion, as well as for fuppofing that the event fhall take place eighteen years after the fall of the temporal fovereignty annexed to the Papacy. The deftruction of Rome" fills the kingdom of "the beaft with darknefs." This expreffion refers to one of the plagues of Egypt; and we are told, that during the time it continued, “they

faw not one another, neither rose any from "his place," Exod. x. 23. I conjecture therefore, that when the event intimated by this vial fhall take place, the members of the church of Rome shall be so ftupified, that they can neither concert together, nor make efforts feparately for the preservation of the Pope's authority. At the

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