or that Interpreters miſtake the meaning of theſe Fountains and Rivers, than agree with them in that interpretation of this Prophe- Cy. I am much diſpoſed to believe that we are not farther than the pouring out of the ſecond Vial. God, indeed, hath made the Romiſh Clergy contemptible enough, and hath vexed and enraged them ſufficiently. He hath alſo made their Scenical Reitzion as con- temptible to, - and juſtly abhorred by a great part of the Chriſtian World ; but how tar he hath proceeded farther to the Ruine of An- tichriſt, I do not underſtand.
5 AndT heard the angels of the waters ſay ;, Thou *Ch.1.4,8. art righteous, O Lord, which * art, waſt,and ſhalt be, becaule thou haſt judged thus # :
{ All theſe three Verſes do but expreſs the Honour and Glory that ſhall be given unto God, when he ſhall have accompliſhed his great Work 1n deſtroying thoſe who feed, and uphold, and main- tain the Beaſt, partly by thoſe Inſtruments he ſhall uſe in that VVork, exprefled here by the Angel of the VVaters, partly by others. £ -+ oe the Lord's Juſtice and Righteouſneſs in ſuch De-
rution.
» Mat,23, 6G For * they have ſhed rhe blood of ſaints and pro-
34- phets, and thou haſt given them blood to drink ; for |
they are worthy /. { Becauſe of their Perſecutions of, and cruelty towards God's
faithful Miniſters and People, which rendred the ſpilling of their Blood but a condign Puniſhment ſuited to their Sin,
7 And I heard another out of the altar, ſay mz, * Ch.15.3- Even * ſo, Lord God almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments 7.
m Others alſo, either Members of the Church Triumphant or Militant, or both, ſhall in that Day give Glory to God, n as a God of Power, able to do ſuch things; of Righteouſneſs, thus giving theſe bloody Men their due ; and of Truth, this fulfilling both his Promiſes to his People, and his Threatnings againſt his Enemies, But is is caſter to determine who ſhall thus rejoyce, than the time when this Joy ſhall be. This certainly is God's Work, but in fieri, now doing, but not yet done.
8 And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the ſuno; and power was given unto him to ſcorch
men with fre p.
0 Here we have no Hiſtory to guide us in the Government of our Fancies and Judgments, but their Opinion ſeems moſt probable to me, who, by the Sun, underſtand ſome great Prince or Potentate, or the whole Civil Power in the Antichriſtian Heaven ; ſuppoſe the Spamard, or the Emperor, It ſeems to figmfie either ſome De-+ ſtruction of fuch Civil Powers, or ſome Defe&tion of them from the Papacy, þ which will vex and inrage Antichriſt and his Party, as if they were ſcorched with Fire. This I look upon as much more probable than theirs, who interpret 1t of the natural Sun, or the Word of God. |
9 And men were.!|| ſcorched with great heat g, and * blaſphemed the name of God, which hath power * V.11,12. oyer theſe plagues 7” : and they repented not to give
him glory /.
q What the damned do in Hell, where the Wrath of God is poured out vpon Men to the utmoſt, that Reprobates do upon Earth, they are ſcorched with great Heat ; the Vengeance of God cometh upon them, they are mad and inraged, r and ſpeak evil of a juſt and righteous God, who bringeth ſuch Plagues on them; { But they have no ſenſe of their Sins, nor any Thoughts of turn- ing to God, confefſing their Sins and giving him Glory. This will be the Upſhot of God's lefler ſudgments upon the Papacy : They will be mad at them, and rage, and reproach God's Juſtice, but prove an hardned Generation, given over to Ruine, , that will never be ſenſible that theſe Judgments come upon them for their Idola- tries and Superſtitions, and for their Perſecutions, and the ſhed- ding the Blood of God's Holy Ones; not that all adhering to that Church will be ſo {many, probably, will convert, and be brought to acknowledge the Truth) but there will be a great Party of them, whom nothing but the Wrath of God come upon them in the bot- tomleſs Pit to the utmoſt, will ever make ſenſible that they have done amiſs being given up to ſtrong Deluſrons, to a blind Mind, and an hard Heart, and a reprobate Fudgment. :
10 And the fifth augel 2 poured out his vial upon
Vol. UL.
| Or, burn- ed.
REVELATION.
þ
+a . - —” the ſeat of the beaſt z; and his kingdom was full of darkneſs w, and they gnawed their tongues for pain ,
# The fifth of the ſeven Angels mentioned, v. x. by which, as was faid, is to be underſtood the Inſtruments which God will uſe gradually to deſtroy the Papacy, the fifth rank of Perſons, whonz God will imploy in the Execution of this his Purpoſe, by his Adts of Providence. u Shall execute God's wrath upon the Ciry of Rome it ſelf, wholly deſtroying the Papacy in their Power. w Upon which his whole Kingdom ſhall be full of the darknefs of miſery, trouble,and afflietion(Darkneſs was one of the Plagues of Egypt.)x Aud they ſhall be full of Calamities, like Men in ſo much Pain, that they bite their own Tongues for Pain. When this ſhall be, God alone knows, I think, and Experience hath proved, that they were much too hatty in their Speculations, that prophefied it ſhould be 1555: or 1660, or 1666. For my own part, [ do not believe it will ze before 1866, or betwixt that and the Year 1509. The determina- tion of it depends upon the right fixing of the Epocha, or begin- ning of the 42 Months, or 1260 Prophetical Days, which I think moſt probably fixed upon the Year 605, or (accordinz to Mr. Sre- þhen's Notion) 666, which, according to the Fulian Account, 'is the ſame (fee the Notes on ch. 13. 18.)
11 And * blaſphemed the Gol of heaven, becauſe * v.s,2: of their pains, and their ſores, and repentecl nor of their deeds p. |
y This 1s the ſame that was ſaid ver. 9. of a former Party be- longing to the Beaſt, and doth but fiznifie, that there will be tound the ſame Vein of blindneſs of Mind, ha; dneſs of Heart, and Repro- bacy of Senſe, running through that whole Party, until they be wholly ruined.
12 And the fixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates z ; and the water thereof was dried up , that the way of the kings of the catt might be prepared 6.