The Pouring out of the fifth Vial of the Wrath of God. Apoc. Chap. XVI. v. 10. "And the fifth angel, (fays St. John,) poured out his vial upon the feat * of the beaft: and his kingdom became dark, and' they gnawed their tongues for pain. V. II. "And they blafphemed the God of heaven, because of their pains and wounds, and did not penance for their works.". Here the angel pours out the fifth vial of the wrath of God on the feat of the beaft, or rather, according to the Greek text, on the throne of the beast. We have observed in the prelude to the vials, fee page 42, that the general term beaft has a double meaning, fignifying idolatry or herefy, accordingly as either, like to a wild beaft, makes its ravages in the Church. In the firft and third ages it denoted idolatry, the fubject of the hiftory of thofe two ages. Here it is the image of herefy, the herely of the reformation, the characteristic of the fifth age. Upon the throne therefore of this beaft the vial is poured out, that is, upon the kings and governors of the proteftant ftates, as they are the perfons that fit, vefted with power, upon the thrones of thofe heretical kingdoms. They, however, are themselves fubordinate to their chief Abaddon, who, as was fpecified in the text of the trumpet, commands over all, and fits upon the throne as king paramount. The proteftant ftates become, of courfe, involved with their princes in the calamities poured out from the vial, as we shall fee presently. But furthermore we may observe that, befides the fingle and general appellation of beaft ufed here to exprefs herefy, the prophet exhibits to us in the trumpet of this age a particular beaft, by which he reprefents and defcribes the herefy of the reforma tion, whom with his Church they had blafphemed after fore calamities, they were doomed to fink into annihilation. The third age exhibited to us a moft confpicuous exertion of the two-edged fword of Chrift, in the deftruction of the cruel idolatrous Romans, for their having spilt the blood of his and his spouse's children. The fourth age was diftinguifhed by the punishment of the Greeks for their rebellion against the fame Church, and the world ftill fees them groaning under flavery for their inflexible obftinacy. Such having been the conduct of the fupreme guardian of his Church through the courfe of all the Chriftian ages, is it not an object of confideration highly interefting to the proteftants, left fome fuch difafter fhould also be their fate? The Saviour of mankind waits with patience for the return of his ftrayed fheep, but their obftinacy at laft forces his hand to ftrike. Unhappy children of the reformation! refufe not to hear the wholesome advice of the prophet Isaiah: "Seek ye the Lord, while he may be found; call upon him, while he is near," lv. 6. Hear the voice of God fpeaking to Ifrael, and make the application: "Return, O virgin of Ifrael, return to these thy cities," Jerem. xxxi. 21. And again: "Be converted, O houfe of Ifrael, and do penance for all your iniquities; and iniquity fhall not be your ruin. Caft away from you all your tranfgreffions, by which you have tranfgreffed, and make to yourfelves a new heart, and a new fpirit: and why will you die, O houfe of Ifrael? For I defire not the death of him that dieth, faith the Lord God; return ye, and live," Ezech. xviii. 30, 31, 32. But if deaf to all admonitions, they continued hardened in their own ways, what remains to be done but to lament their misfortune, and in bitterness of foul turn our eyes from the pouring out of the following vial: The Pouring out of the fifth Vial of the Wrath of God. Apoc. Chap. XVI. v. 10. "And the fifth angel, (fays St. John,) poured out his vial upon the feat * of the beaft and his kingdom became dark, and' they gnawed their tongues for pain. V. II. "And they blafphemed the God of heaven, because of their pains and wounds, and did not penance for their works.". Here the angel pours out the fifth vial of the wrath of God on the feat of the beaft, or rather, according to the Greek text, on the throne of the beast. We have observed in the prelude to the vials, fee page 42, that the general term beaft has a double meaning, fignifying idolatry or herefy, accordingly as either, like to a wild beaft, makes its ravages in the Church. In the firft and third ages it denoted idolatry, the subject of the hiftory of thofe two ages. Here it is the image of herefy, the herely of the reformation, the characteristic of the fifth age. Upon the throne therefore of this beaft the vial is poured out, that is, upon the kings and governors of the proteftant ftates, as they are the perfons that fit, vefted with power, upon the thrones of thofe heretical kingdoms. They, They, however, are themselves fubordinate to their chief Abaddon, who, as was fpecified in the text of the trumpet, commands over all, and fits upon the throne as king paramount. The proteftant ftates become, of courfe, involved with their princes in the calamities poured out from the vial, as we fhall fee presently. But furthermore we may obferve that, befides the fingle and general appellation of beaft ufed here to exprefs herefy, the prophet exhibits to us in the trumpet of this age a particular beaft, by which he represents and defcribes the herefy of the reforma tion, tion, namely, a locuft-monfter, which is partly locuft, partly human, partly leonine, and partly fcorpionic. Befides the obvious propriety of the above explication of the vial, a further argument may be adduced in confirmation of it. Though the different prophecies of the Apocalypfe are involved in obfcurity, yet one may obferve the infpired writer generally throws in fome glimpses of light to guide the folicitous enquirer. Thus may be remarked a fixed connection between the trumpets of the different ages and the refpective vials, of which we have already taken fome notice. This confifts in the use of the fame expreffion in the trumpet and vial of the fame age; which naturally leads us to the dif tinguishing of the object on which the vial is poured. This object, if not precifely the fame as mentioned in the trumpet, it has at least a direct relation to it. In general, the vial has for object the guilty part which is to be punished, and which is always pointed out in the trumpet. Examples will elucidate the prefent obfervation. In the first trumpet it is faid, that hail and fire, mixed with blood, were caft upon the earth. In like manner the firft vial was poured out upon the earth. The fame term, the earth, occurring in both, indicates that, as the trumpet defcribed the perfecutions exercised by the Roman emperors and magiftrates on the Chriftian part of the earth, fo thefe emperors and magiftrates, who are the guilty part of the earth, and plainly alluded to in the trumpet, are the object of punishment on which the vial is poured. After the fame manner, at the founding of the fecond trumpet, a great fiery mountain was caft into the fea and the fecond vial is alfo poured out upon the fea. From whence one may collect that, as Arianifm, fignified by the fiery mountain, infected a third part of the Chriftian fea; fo upon the Arians, who are there exhibited as the guilty part of the fea, the the vial is poured. Again, the third trumpet announced a great ftar, burning like a torch, falling upon the rivers and fountains of waters. In like manner the third vial is poured upon the rivers and fountains of waters. The trumpet here defcribes the defolation carried by the barbarians through the guilty heathen Roman empire; therefore on this fame empire is the vial poured. Laftly, at the founding of the fourth trumpet the fun was fmitten; and the fourth vial was alfo poured out upon fun. The allegory, ufed here in the trumpet,, denotes the fchifm of the Greeks; upon them, therefore, as the guilty, the vial is poured; or rather, it is poured on the inftrument of the scourge, to fit it for execution. This conftant relation obferved between the above-mentioned trumpets and vials, holds equally between the fifth trumpet and vial. In the trumpet we fee the locufts are ruled by a king, the angel of the bottomlefs pit, whofe name is Abaddon. The vial is poured out upon the throne of the beast, and his kingdom becomes dark. On one fide then we have the king of the locufts on the other fide we have the throne and the kingdom. Hence appears the connexion between the fifth trumpet and fifth vial. This vial therefore is poured out upon the princes and ftates of the locuftkingdom. In fine, we saw in the firft trumpet the Roman emperors perfecuting the Chriftian religion; and the firft vial was poured upon them. In the fecond trumpet we saw the Arians rebelling against the Church; and the fecond vial was poured upon them. In the third trumpet we faw the Roman empire declining on account of its idolatry and enmity to Christianity; and the third vial was poured upon it, to extinguish it. In the fourth trumpet we faw the revolt of the Greeks against the Church; and the fourth vial punished them. In the fifth trum |