the end. The papal power began to be destroyed; and the time was come for the last vials of the wrath of God to be poured out. From the last of the seven thunders to the first of the seven vials, a very brief space intervened; and there was then no longer delay. Another link may, perhaps, thus be seen to connect the various prophecies, and to show the coherence of the system. A tabular view of parallel predictions may present to the reader at a glance,-1st, The prophetic description of the Roman empire as the papacy emerged from it. 2d, The rise of the papal power. 3d, Its exaltation. 4th, Its blasphemous assumptions. 5th, The persecution it inflicted on the saints. 6th, The change of times and laws which it introduced or enjoined. 7th, The honouring of guardian saints, or idolatry, which formed so large a portion of its worship. 8th, The gorgeous ornaments of its churches, and rich offerings to the saints. 9th, Its miraculous pretensions. 10th, The period of the duration of its power. And, 11th, The consequent sitting of the judgment, to take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end. CHAPTER XXIV. ary. THE SEVEN VIALS. FROM the previous visions, both of Daniel and John, it may be inferred, in a manner neither doubtful nor indistinct, that a season of war and not of peace, succeeds to the termination of the twelve hundred and sixty years. After that period, as remains to be seen, there is a time for the sitting of the judgment, and also for the cleansing of the sanctuAnd that the appointed time of papal persecution was to be succeeded in like manner as Daniel foretold, by a period during which they shall take away his dominion, to consume and destroy it unto the end, is plainly intimated in the vision introductory to the seven last plagues, in which they that had gotten the victory over the beast and over his image are seen standing with the harps of God, and it is said, as if noting the sequence and the time, AFTER THAT the seven last plagues, or the vials of the wrath of God, are poured upon the earth. And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvellous, seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God. And I saw as it were a sea 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, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God. And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints. Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou only art holy for the nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy judgments are made manifest. And after that I looked, and, behold, the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened: And the seven angels came out of the temple, having the seven plagues, clothed in pure and white linen, and having their breasts girded with golden girdles; and one of the four living creatures gave unto the seven angels seven golden vials full of the wrath of God, who liveth for ever and ever. And the temple was filled with smoke 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. Chap. xv. The last sight of the expiring martyrs, in human view, was on the gibbet or in the flames. And all that man could farther do was to disperse their mutilated limbs, or scatter their ashes in the air. But in the heavenly vision, they are seen standing on a sea of glass, and singing praises unto God, the song of Moses and the song of the Lamb. And at the very time when men were lifting up their voice against heaven, renouncing all faith in Him that sitteth upon the throne, and in the Lamb that once was slain, and deeming it wisdom to deny the gospel, and to deride all the evidences of its truth, the saints in heaven were proclaiming that in the acts that were passing, and about to pass on the earth, even the judgments of God were made manifest. interpretation of these judgments, therefore, should not be less clear and precise, than that of any, or of all, that have preceded them. The Many vague and discordant interpretations have given a seeming sanction to the prevalent suspicion and distrust respecting the application of prophecies |