working 1. But such humours dissipated themselves, without producing any very extensive or lasting effects and soundness of faith, at least with respect to the Father and the Son, characterised the Church even through the darkest ages of apostatic superstition. Soon, however, after the passing away of the second woe in the year 1697, the noxious humour of Infidelity began to ferment in a manner hitherto unknown. Arianism and Socinianism, Deism and Atheism, were propagated with art and zeal and confidence. The writings of the orthodox clergy of the day furnish abundant proofs, if proofs be wanted, of the existence of such a spirit and the faithful ministers of God, while they were combating the revived errors of Arius and Socinus, were often called away to defend the very foundations of Christianity against the deist; and, ere this matter had been well accomplished, they found with surprize, that the first principle of natural religion itself was controverted by the more daring atheist. As the eighteenth century advanced, a regular system of irreligion was excogitated and diffused, with wonderful art and activity and success, by Voltaire and his numerous associates. The poisonous humour spread itself far and wide throughout the Roman Empire, extending also into those kingdoms which never formed a part of that Empire. By degrees, the members of the antichristian association got possession of nearly all the reviews

and periodical publications, established a general intercourse with distant provinces, instituted an office to supply all schools with teachers, and thus acquired an unprecedented dominion over the public mind without giving alarm to the world by any overt and tangible and visible action. Such was their success, that, in the year 1773, they boasted, that in Russia the new philosophy was protected by the reigning Empress; that the defenders of religion were at their last gasp in Poland, and that they were already overthrown in Prussia through the care of Frederic; that, in the north of Germany the enemies of Christianity were daily gaining ground; that, in Spain, they were undermining the Inquisition and operating a great revolution in ideas; that they were successfully labouring in Italy; that they were penetrating into Bohemia and Austria; that, in Paris, they could reckon numerous philosophers behind the counter; that they had completely made Geneva their own; and that England and Switzerland were overrun with men, who hated and despised Christianity as Julian hated and despised it1.

When the humour had spread thus extensively, we shall not wonder, that it soon broke out into a noisome and grievous sore. Weary of mere theory, the new philosophers longed to see their principles reduced to practice. The French Revolution, which commenced with the earliest blast of the third woe

trumpet in the year 1789, soon led to the consummation so devoutly wished for. On the memorable 26th of August in the year 1792, an open profession of atheism and irreligion and infidelity was made, and forthwith acted upon, by a whole nation once zealously devoted to the papal superstition : Christianity was then formally abolished, as a notorious and malignant imposture, by the governors of Revolutionary France: and so well did the people second them, that, while not a trace of the Gospel could be found throughout the reprobate metropolis, every frantic oration in praise of atheism was loudly and enthusiastically applauded.

Nor was the open avowal of such principles confined to France. All Europe seemed to have drunk deep of the cup of trembling. At this period, in consequence of the success of the infidel Revolution, corresponding societies and atheistical clubs were every where held fearlessly and undisguisedly. The cloak of concealment was thrown off: and thousands within the predicted limits of the Roman earth, not to mention thousands also whose countries were situated without those limits, scrupled not openly to avow themselves either atheists or infidels. At this period, moreover, the project of converting all the kingdoms of Europe into irreligious republics, framed after the model of the misshapen democracy of France, was unreservedly and triumphantly avowed by infidel demagogues and the plan was loudly and incessantly applauded by

the infatuated populace throughout the whole Roman Empire.

When all these extraordinary signs of the times concurred together, when the poisonous humours were now perfectly concocted; then it was, that the noisome and grievous sore broke out, upon the men which had the mark of the beast, even upon them which worshipped his image. The spirit of Antichrist had long been working in the children of disobedience: but, in the face of the whole world, his principles were now publicly developed. Hence, as all the prophetic periods of the Apocalypse are to be reckoned, not from the secret cogitations of the heart which are known only to the Almighty, but from some overt and prominent display of those cogitations reduced to actual practice and manifested to the eyes of all men: I cannot hesitate to ascribe the effusion of the first vial to the 26th of August in the year 1792; on which day, Infidelity was for the first time formally established by law, or (in the figurative language of the prophecy) on which day a noisome and grievous sore broke out upon those who were recently the zealous adherents of the great demonolatrous Apostasy.

II. And the second angel poured out his vial upon the sea: and it became as the blood of a dead man; and every living soul died in the sea1.

Rev. xvi. 3.

All the vials are generally said to be poured upon the earth or the geographical platform of the Roman Empire: but, with the exception of the first, they are severally poured, with certain specific limitations, upon the various component parts of the Roman world. In pursuance of this plan, the second vial is poured upon that portion of the Roman world, which in the prophecy is described as being its figurative sea: and, agreeably to its allotted sphere of operation, it affects no other part of the Roman earth or platform.

In the abstract, the sea denotes a nation or nations in a restless condition of tumult or war or revolution'. Hence, in the concrete, it will denote any nation so circumstanced which may happen to be the subject of any particular prophecy, Now the vision of the seven vials respects the earth or the Roman Empire: consequently, the sea, which is affected by the second vial, must be the sea of that figurative earth. But the sea, as contradistinguished from lakes and rivers and fountains, is the largest body of waters which appertains to the earth and we are assured, that, by waters, we are to understand peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues 2. Therefore the figurative sea, which appertains to the Roman earth, must denote the largest nation or kingdom of the now divided Roman Empire and, since that nation is studiously