authority with the kingdom of France. The tremendous contest about the imperial dignity, at once the glory and pride of nations, commenced A. D. 1804, when that daring usurper, Buonaparte, created himself emperor of the French, and A. D. 1805, also king of Italy and Rome. This bold exaltation was preparing in France for some time. For nearly a century past, that vain and frivolous nation had acquired the ascendancy in Europe, vivre sur le bon ton, and had become the model of fashion and polished refinement, and the standard of composition and belles letters, or polite literature, which was imitated in every country of the civilized world. When therefore, during the late sanguinary conflict, they combined perfect skill in war with consummate wisdom in the cabinet, they could not fail to over-awe all Europe. Besides, their general leader appeared a selected instrument of Providence, whose unbounded ambition only awaited the opportunity to accomplish the prophecy of this vial. Accordingly from the time of his elevation he exerted every engine within the utmost reach of his power, to attain his darling object; and the battle of Austerlitz, fought December 2d, 1805, determined his glorious destiny to the misfortune of the house of Austria. The imperial throne of Germany was now subverted, the emperor stripped of part even of his hereditary dominions, the Germanic constitution annihilated, and all Germany portioned out among his friends and sycophants, passed under the Buonapartian yoke; who now established the Rhinish confederacy, and exercised all the radiant power and glory of his newly acquired imperial throne, to scorch the earth by despotism and military tyranny. All Europe has so lately resounded with the complaints of millions, even to the ancient capital of Russia, that I deem it unnecessary to enter into a more minute detail on this subject. For, though the towering power of France has been precipitated with the idol of that nation, by the late combination

of the powers of Europe; yet the scorching effects of former tyranny still continue, and will be felt for many years. France had formed a satanic plan of police, according to which every man acted the spy upon his neighbour from the cottage to the throne; and it will require a long time, to restore confidence and comfort to society, and harmony to family connexions, so violently torn asunder by that ban to civil life. Exclusive of this, let the reflecting reader consider how all these countries must have been drained of men, money, goods & provision, to support all these continual wars abroad, and all this imperial pomp and grandeur at home, and he will have a faint idea of the great heat in the torrid zone under this scorching

sun.

Verse 9. And blasphemed the name of God, &c. It is worthy of observation, that St. John here for the first time makes the remark, that all these plagues of the four first vials, did not produce the desired reformation in the worshippers of the beast; to which the word plagues in the plural number, seems to refer. In my opinion, it amounts to an argument, that all the preceding vials would · be poured out without any notable pause or intermission between their effusions, and form one continued scene of calamities to the eyes of the beholder.

It is therefore certain, they might yet have repented, by confessing their evil deeds and acknowledging their guilt before God and men, with sorrow and contrition; they might have glorified the Lord, by acknowledging his supreme power, and justifying his holiness and justice in these judgments against their transgressions, apostacy, and corruptions of Christianity; but they repented not to give him glory. All these plagues could not humble them; they still continued to support and exalt the authority and virtue of the beast, and justified their own ways before God, declaring themselves innocent, and charging the Lord with injustice, and unfaithfulness in his promises to

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his Church. This is probably the meaning of the word blasphemy, of which they are here accused. The weak wished that they did not exist, and the wicked foamed out enmity against God. There will be no further reformation from Popery, until the consummation of the wrath of God; but there will be emigrations from Babylon to a considerable amount, immediately before the completion of her final doom, chap. XVIII, 4. As this vial chiefly concerns the imperial throne of Germany, and those princes connected with it, who have supported the beast, assisted in persecuting the saints, and committed fornication with the great whore for many centuries; the impenitence here spoken of, no doubt, also has a peculiar reference to these crimes, for which this vial was poured out upon the mystic sun. The whole empire continues her alliance with Popery, even after the effusion of this vial, and her rulers feel no remorse of conscience for past deeds.

THE FIETH VIAL.

Verse 10, And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they knawed their tongues for pain.

11. And blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds.

The beast here mentioned, is the beast from the sea, chap. XIII, 1-11. and not the two-horned beast from the earth; and the throne of this beast, is the city Rome and the papal dominions in Italy. While Rome was Pagan, it was considered the throne of Satan, chap. II, 13; and when afterward the beast arose out of the sea, the Dragon is said to have given him his throne, and great authority. The kingdom of this beast therefore is the Catholic em

pire of the Roman hierarchy, as extended over all the catholic states in Europe.

This vial is represented like a continuation of the first vial, which was poured out on the earth, and produces the same sores upon the citizens of the Papal monarchy. Various, as the fates and fortunes of the Roman hierarchy have been in past ages, yet it has never experienced a shock, which universally created such poignant sensations, impatience, and open revolt against Providence, as that which it suffered in our days; when Pope Pius VII was divested of all his power, and forced to wander as an exile into total obscurity with all the respect and authority of his Roman See. This unexpected and extraordinary event was prepared by the great propaganda of French liberty and equality, which sent forth numerous emissaries with a multiplicity of pamphlets against royalty, superstition and the usurped power and tyranny of the Pope. These instruments infected millions in Italy, and even in Rome with a revolutionizing spirit, and a furious fanaticism for lawless liberty in Church and state; which, by the assistance of French invasion, at last succeeded to fill the whole kingdom of the beast with darkness, by destroying his power and influence, more or less, in all the catholic states of Europe, and more especially in his secular dominions.

The fifth vial then, was poured out when the Pope was finally hurled from his throne into banishment, which continued, with more or less rigour, to the year 1814. This fatal catastrophe was attended by a rapid decrease of the authority, power and dignity of the Roman hierarchy throughout all Europe, which was now mentioned with scorn, and eclipsed of all its virtue and effulgent glory. Though the Pope is again released, the grand

*See Robisons proofs of a conspiracy, and Abbe Barruel's account of the illuminati.

Congress at Vienna showed little disposition to dispel the dark prospects of his kingdom, which still remains obscured to this day. However, though this catholic kingdom is in a state of darkness, it yet continues a kingdom, as this prophecy affirms; and though this vial was poured out on his residence, it still remaines his throne. All those authors, who have mistaken the Roman empire for the beast, confound the sun in the preceding vial, with the beast, and are here in the dilemma of pronouncing this vial unaccomplished.

During all this period of great distress, we are informed by the prophet, the adherents and adorers of the beast, knawed their tongues for indignation and perplexity. They cursed this spirit of revolutionizing the world, which also invaded even the sanctuary; they burned with rage that their own brethren in the faith should thus treat the Church with contempt, and its venerable head with cruelty, but they repented not of their deeds. Instead of entering their own hearts, and reflecting on their corruptions of Christianity, their cruel persecutions of the Protestants, their heinous tribunal the inquisitions, the blood of souls murdered by indulgences, image-worship and superstition; instead of humbling themselves before the Lord with contrition for all these crimes, they blaspheme God by impious and irreverent language against him, and his ways of Providence.

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All this, pious reader, has been accomplished before our eyes. The beast has entered his state of Non-existence, and was mounted by the great whore in our time she has bridled and governed him as she pleased to this day. The Pope is reduced to a cipher and the mother of harlots is now rising to her last state of glory having made the beast an engine of state, since the corronation of Buonaparte, and a mere instrument of her views of aggrandizement and lucre.