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See also Mr.

Mede, P. 735

and Dr. More

Synopf. Prophet.c.vij.

cularly. And it will well deferve our pains, because so confiderable a part of the Revelation cannot be rightly understood without it; and because I think most of the grofleft mifapplications of this Book in this Age, have arifen from that great and common mistake here to relating. And I fuppofe the following Arguments will be abundantly fufficient in this matter. 1. The natural Harmony, and visible Method of the Prophetick Series in this Book, does require that we apply the feven Vials to the feventh Trumpet, as its proper and only Contents. This Obfervation is freely allow'd by a very confiderable Adverfary of this Opinion, the Learned Dr. Creffener, Judgments on in thefe remarkable words. "It must, says he, be acknowledgtheR.C.p.279. "ed that it would make a much fairer shew of Concinnity if the "Prophecy of the feven Vials were included in the laft Woe, or the Seventh Trumpet; as the feven Trumpets feem to be inclu "ded in the feventh Seal. For this would make these Visions seem "to have a very orderly dependance upon one another, from the "first Opening of the Scene in the fifth Chapter, to the end of the "Prophecy: whereas otherwife thefe Vials feem to interfere confufedly with the Trumpets; fome of them in the time of the fixth Trumpet; and the rest of them in the time of the fe venth. Thus far He. And fince there is not, I think, any Argument on the other fide but what is either built on mistakes, or particular Interpretations; which ought not in the leaft to be be allow'd in ftating the Order of the Vifions, I fhall venture fo far to depend on the exactness of the Method and Or der of this wonderful Prophecy, as not cafily to embrace an Hypothefis which cannot be deny'd, even by its Patrons, to feem at least to Diflocate and Disorder them; and fo render them confufed and interfering one with another.

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2. If the Vials are not a part of the Prophecy of the Trumpets, and thereby become part of the fealed Book, they must then belong to the open Codicil; and accordingly, 'tis fuppofed by Mr. Mede, and the reft after him. Nay indeed, if the Vials are not included in the feventh Trumpet, not only they See Apoc.xvij. themselves, but all that follows them to the end of the Apocalypfe, belongs to the open Codicil, and not to the fealed Book; as is accordingly not deny'd by the Affertors of that Opinion

Now

Now this is utterly inconfiftent with the Nature and Genius of the open Codicil, that an obfcure Syftem of feven Vials, without Dates or Durations, fhould be inferted into it,and be torn from its proper place in the other Series of fevens, of which the Sealed Book is befides almoft wholly compos'd, (feven Seals, feven Trumpets, and feven Thunders;) and that hereby the Open Codicil, or fmaller Book, the Baldor, becomes much bigger than the larger Book it felf, the Bar, to which it belongs. Now this is fo ftrange an Hypothefis, as is not to be tolerated; and one may justly wonder that fo great a Man as Mr. Mede, fhould make no manner of Reflections upon it.

3. That the Vials do not begin till the feventh Trumpet,or till the Tyranny and Perfecution of the Antichriftian Powers are over, appears by that Noble Company of Victors, who at the very beginning of the Vials, or rather before they begin, are ftanding in a Triumphant manner on the Sea of Glafs mingled with fire, as Mofes and his Ifraelites after the utter Deftruction of Pharaoh and his Hoft in the Red Sea; and all along the Séries of the Vials, fing Hymns of Praise to God with Harps in their hands, and acknowledge all along the Juftnefs of his Judgments on thofe, who formerly had feverely opprefs'd them. Hear the words of the Prophecy, and then judge whether they can belong to any time during the overbearing Tyranny of Antichrift or not. And I saw another Apoc. xv. 1,2, fign in heaven, great and marvellous, feven Angels having the fe- 3,4° ven last plagues, for by them the wrath of God is confummated. And I faw, as it were, a fea of glass mingled with fire, and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, ftand on the fea of glass, having the harps of God. And they fing the Song of Moles the fervant of God, and the fong of the Lamb, Jaying, Great and marvellons are thy works Lord God Almighty, just and true are thy ways, thou king of faints; who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou only art holy; for all nations shall come and worship before thee, for thy judgments are made manifeft. 4. That the Vials are the Contents of the feventh Trumpet, appears alfo by the fame way of reafoning, whereby 'tis proved that the Trumpets are the Contents of the feventh Seal.

-viz. Because nothing else can pretend to be fo. For 'tis undoubted, that the feventh Trumpet is one of thofe three dreadApoc.viij. 13. ful ones which are particularly ftiled woes, from their being vaftly more afflicting, and lafting, and woful, than the four preceeding. And 'tis equally evident that 'tis the last of them, by which God's Judgments on the Beaft are to be compleated; and therefore very probably, the most confiderable of them all. Yet unless the Syftem of the Vials be the Contents of the feventh Trumpet, there is very little that is really Dreadful and Woful appears therein. At its opening, the words are fo far from Woful and Affrighting, that they are moft Joyous and ComApoc. xj. 15. fortable. And the feventh angel founded, and there were great voices in heaven, faying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever. After which follows an Hymn of Praise Ver. 16,17,18. due to the Almighty, for the fetting up of Chrift's Kingdom in the World. All which, is no other than a brief and general account of the firft commencing of our Saviour's glorious Kingdom at the firft blaft of this Trumpet, together with the happy effects which were to follow thereupon, without the leaft part of the Woc, or Trumpet it felf, which was afterwards to be particularly open'd in the Series of the Vials. And what is in a few words added at the conclufion, concerning the lightenings and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail, is fo far from a full account of this Trumpet by it felf, that it indeed relates particularly to the concluding Vial, and fo is a direct Connexion between this Trumpet and those Vials, as we shall obferve presently.

Ver. ult.

For to fay that the laft Woe fufficiently anfwers its Chara&ter, by being the fame with the laft Vial, which is almost all that is, or can be faid on the other fide, feems to me far from fatisfactory. For (1.) why fhould the third Woe, or feventh Trumpet be fuppos'd the fame with the feventh Vial. Is there any parallel Example to be found in this Book, that the very fame Judgment fhall be part of two fuch diftinct kinds of Prophecies, as are the particular Trumpets and the particular Vials? At this rate we may make the fifth Seal the fame with the fifth Trumpet, and fifth Vial, and fifth

Thunder;

Thunder; and fo of the reft, and confufe the order and diftinction of the feveral parts of this Book at our own pleafure. (2.) Does it at all look probable that the last, and concluding Woe, or Trumpet fhould be of no more Duration and Importance than one fingle Vial? Let the Impartial Reader obferve with what Solemnity and Distinction the three laft Apoc.viij. 13. Chap. ix. Trumpets, or Woes are introduc'd in this Book: How pompous, and large, and full the Accounts of the two former of them are therein: what a mighty difference is made between them, and any other, either Seal, or Trumper in this Book : asd then let him read over the fhort, and comparatively, inconfiderable Account of the feveral Vials, and the no diftinction of this laft from the reft of them, and then let him speak freely, whether he can eafily imagin one of the Woes, nay the concluding Woe of all to be no other than the laft Vial. (3.) Let us look upon the Expofition that is given by these very Perfons of the two former Woes, which are our beft Guides as to the Importance, and Duration of the last of them; and fee how this will agree with their imagining it to be no other than the laft Vial. 'Tis generally agreed that the first Woe relates to the rife of the horrible Impofture of Mahomet with his Saracens, and of the terrible Miseries brought on the Eaftern and Western Empires for many hundred years together by them. 'Tis alfo generally agreed that the fecond Woe relates to the rife and fpreading of thofe terrible Scourges of Europe, the Turks, and of the woful Miferies brought on it by them, and continu'd alfo for many hundred years together; infomuch that either of these woful Trumpets taken feparatly, both in their Accounts in the Prophecy, and in their ufual Application, feem more lafting, and confiderable than most of the Seals, or almost all the other Trumpets taken together; And fhall the third and final Woe, or Trumpet at laft, be fuppos'd of no more Duration, or Importance than that the shorter Account of its Judgments fhould be contain'd in a part of one Verfe, and its larger one in only a Paraprafe on the fame in four Apoc. x 1. 19. Verfes afterwards, without any Diftinction, or Solemnity above xvI. 18-21. the rest of the Vials? This feems to me highly improbable.

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Apoc. xv. I.

Apoc. xv. I.

Apoc.xj. 15.

5. The Vials are stil'd the feven laft Plagues mangas intà mis xas, and thereby the Wrath of God is faid to be filled up, or fully confummated nivamuis in Jogos & Os. They feem to be call'd the last Plagues, with relation to the foregoing Plagues of the firft fix Trumpets, which were the first Pla gues upon the Antichriftian Beast: And when the Angel of God had folemnly denounc'd the last of the three Woes to the Inhabitants of the Earth, under the feventh Trumpet; it is wonderfully agreeable thereto that thefe laft Plagues of the Vials, whereby the Wrath of God thus folemnly denounc'd was to be confummated and finish'd, fhould be look'd on as the proper bufinefs of that last woful Trumpet. Nay indeed, if the Vials are to be efteem'd diftinct Judgments from the feventh Trumpet, or laft Woe, I do not well fee how it could be faid that there were only three Woes, or dreadful Judgments to come after the four first Trumpets were over: fince here are a fet of Vials containing woful Judgments in them, particularly fpecify'd, and nothing elfe diftinct from them under the laft Woe fufficient to anfwer fuch a dreadful name, as we have before obferv'd.

6. The bufinefs of the third Woe, or feventh Trumpet, and of the feven Vials, is the very fame: for the Vials are the Seven plagues whereby the wrath of God is to be compleated, and fo all his Enemies deftroy'd. And the bufinefs and effect of the feventh Trumpet is the Destruction of the remains of all the Tyrannical and Idolatrous Empires of the World, and the fetting up the Kingdom of our Saviour. Which Effects. and Confequences both of the feventh Trumpet, and of the feven Vials, being one and the fame, 'tis highly reafonable that the Causes and Inftruments in both Cafes be fuppos'd to be one and the fame alfo: and that therefore the Vials be efteem'd no other than the Contents of the feventh Trumpet.

7. This is moft fully confirm'd by the vifible Connexion there is between the fhort account of the feventh Trumpet in its proper place; and the account of the Introduction of the feven Vials. In the process of the former, after a general Intimation of the Commencement of our Saviour's Kingdoms, and its Glorious Confequences, and the Hymn of Praise following; we

are

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