The De

Ifrael, i. e. the Reproach of the Crofs te Suffering Period, upon which the Paffove Se was obferved in Commemoration of their th compleat, Deliverance out of Egypt; as L may be feen at large, Joshua. 3. 4,5.

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$25. Now when this Man of Sin fhall ba truction of have finished his Time, and the Number S Antichrift of his Days fhall be accomplished, the du by the Ef- fhall God vifit upon him the Afflictions & S fufion of the his People, He shall break the Staff of them SevenVials Wicked, and the Scepter of the Rulers; be the g Smote the People in Wrath with a continual Strok C be that ruled the Nation in anger, fhalla perfecuted, and none shall binder. Ifa. 14.5,6.0 So be that faid in his Heart I will afcend into p Heaven, I will exalt my Throne above the Stas of God, I will fit also upon the Mount of the Con B gregation, in the fides of the North. I will afcend R above the Heigths of the Clouds, I will be like the moft High. He that made the Earth to trem-P ble and destroyed Kingdoms, that made the World a Wilderness, and destroyed the Cities thereof, Shall be brought down to Hell to the fides of the Pit, V. 13, 14, 15, 16, 17. This God will accomplish by various and gradual Steps, F firft, to magnifie the Greatnefs of his Power, and that every Act and Inftance of Vengeance may have time to produce its defigned Effect; i. e. reclaim those who are within the Poffibility of Mercy. The grand Pomp of this Deftruction is largely defcribed to us by the Author of the Apoca lypfe; who having defcribed to us, Chap. 15. the Joy and Triumph of thofe who had gotten the Victory over the Beast, &

tells

tells us, v. 6, of that Chapter, that he faw Seven Angels coming out of the Temple having the Seven Plagues, cloathed in Pure and White Linnen, and their Breafts girded with Golden Girdles. By the Seven Angels may poffibly. be meant, either literally Seven Spirits, or Seven Men of those who had been shut up during the Beaft's Reign, or perhaps the Souls of Righteous Men departed commiffioned by God to execute his Vengeance, of which more hereafter. They came forth cloathed in the Habits of Priests and Kings, to fhew the Royal Priesthood of Chrift's Kingdom and Heavenly Temple or Tabernacle, out of which these Judgments proceed, v. 7. and one of the four Beafts, (or living Creatures) that were the Reprefentatives of the Apoftolical Church, gave unto the Seven Angels' Seven Vials (or Bowls, 2 Chron. 4. 22. Rev. 5. 8.) full of the Wrath of God who liveth for ever and ever. v.8. And the Temple was filled with Smoak from the Glory of God and from his Power, and no Man was able to enter into the Temple till the Seven Plagues of the Seven Angels were fulfilled. The filling of the Temple with God's Glory is a Phrafe expreffing his dwelling in the midft of his People, Ezek. 43. 5, 71⁄2 9. whereby is fignified the Approach of the New Jerufalem Sabbatifm. The Smoak appearing with it does intimate to us the Glory of God, who dwells in thick Darknefs, or Light inaccessible, Ifa. 6. 4. And 2dly, By the Impoffibility of entring into the Temple till the Vials are poured out,

may

may be fignified, that none of the Antichristian Company, though drawn to Repentance by fome of the preceding Judgments, fhall be received into the Favour and Participation of the Kingdom, till they have undergone the full Vengeance of God.

AND now follows the Effusion of these Vials of Wrath upon the Antichriftian World, by the Command of a great Voice out of the Temple, faying to the Seven Angels; Go your way, and pour out the Vials of the Wrath of God upon the Earth, Rev. 16. 1.

I. THE First Angel went and poured out bis Vial upon the Earth, and there fell a noifom grievous Sore upon the Men which had the Mark of the Beast, and upon them that worshipped his Image. This does feem to be much the fame Judgment with that inflicted by Mofes on the Egyptians (from whence the Expreffions concerning this Plague are taken.) Mofes took bot Ashes of the Furnace, Exod. 9. 8, 11. which became fmall Duft in all the Land of Egypt, and was a Boyl on Man and Beast. And accordingly in this Plague it may by the like Congruity be fuppofed, that many hot and fiery Particles and Exhalations will be poured forth from thefe Vials upon the Earth; which fhall produce an extraordinary Heat and Drougth, and be the Cause of the Sores here mentioned, which are wont to break out upon Mens Bodies in hot and dry Seafons; fuch a Sore was that "Ex, or Ulcer, that fell on Job and the Egyptians, fuch as Thucydides obferves, Lib. 2.

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P. 112. appeared upon the Bodies of the Athenians in the heigth of their Diftemper.

II. 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 Sea. i. e. The Waters of the Sea ftagnated and became like the Blood of a dead Carkafs, if not quite in all the Natural Qualities, yet at leaft in Colour.

III. THE Third Angel poured out of his Vi al upon the Rivers and Fountains of Waters, and they also became Blood. The Rivers are reprefented as ftagnating after the Sea, because they depend upon it, as their Caufe and Original, and therefore by a Neceffity of Nature partaking of the fame Fate, this is a very difmal Judgment, depriving them of the Neceffaries of Life, their Fish dying, and their Water which should have quenched their Thirft in the great Heat and Drought, being corrupted and unfit for use; according to what God inflicted on Ægypt, Exod, 7. 14----25. when the River Nile and all their Water tank, fo that they could not drink of them, and their Fifh died. Befides that this Destruction upon the Rivers, joined with the Effects of the First Vial upon the Earth, muft needs have a fatal Influence upon the Fruits of the Earth, and by confequence deprive them of all neceffary Food. Upon the pouring out of this Vial, St. John, v. 5. heard the Angel that was commiffioned to pour out thefe Plagues upon the Waters praifing God for this juft Retaliation upon

the

the Antichriftian Company. For faith v. 6. they have fhed the Blood of Saints and Pn1 phets, and thou hast given them Blood to drin for they are worthy. To which it was Ecch ed back, v. 7. by an Angel out of the Altara (i. e. in the Name of the Saints and Mar tyrs that lay under it, Chap. 6. 9. that, a Place of Safety and Refuge, as the Al was under the Old Law ;) Even fo Lord G Almighty, True and Righteous are thy Judgme (in giving them Blood to drink for d Blood they have shed.)

IV. AND the Fourth (who had Power of the Fire, Chap. 14. 18.) poured out bis upon the Sun, and Power was given unto bint Scorch Men with Fire. As the Light of t Sun may be multiplied by Parhelia, and ot Natural Causes, to which the Prophet ludes, Ifa. 30. 26. fo it is not difficult conceive that its Heat may be natural augmented by the Diffolution or Diff tion of its Macula; upon the encreafe an breaking forth of thofe fluctuating Vorte of Fire, which are in the Body of that Pl net, and are ftronger and clearer at Center, than near its Circumference; an by other Natural Causes, not unknown the Learned; and if the Heat of the S may be encreased by Natural Caufes, ho much more by Supernatural Ones, ordering and conducting them, and adding ne ones? V. 9. And Men were Scorched w great Heat, and blafphemed the Name of G which had Power over thefe Plagues, and the repented not to give him Glory. This feems

be