after the seventh trumpet founded, as we learn from verse 15. and represents the clearer manifestation of himself, which God will bestow on his faithful worshippers at the time specified. Under the law, the high priest only once a year was permitted to fee the ark. The vail which separated the moft holy from the holy place, prevented the priest, who officiated daily in the fanctuary, from seeing it; and if the high priest entered within the fecond vail, except on the day of expiation, he died for his temerity, Lev. xvi. 2. But under the New Teftament difpenfation, there is access for every real Chris tian" to the holieft of all, by the blood of "Jefus," Heb. x. 19. This access was typified by the rending of the vail at Chrift's death, Mat. xxvii. 51. Accordingly it has been the privilege of fome individuals, in all periods of the Christian church, to be admitted to the holieft of all, and to fee the ark; but the extending of this privilege to the whole body of the church is referved for that period in which the seventh trumpet fhall found. The primitive church is reprefented by worshippers in the inner court of the temple, meaning the court of the priests in which the altar of burnt-offering food, Rev. xi. I. However that does not imply access to the holieft of all, to see the ark. In the time following the reign of Antichrift,

and

and during his reign, the temple and the inner court are fhut, the outer court is trodden under foot by the Gentiles, (verse 2.), and the few witneffes faithful to God on earth, are mingled with those Gentiles, prophesying in fackcloth. But when the feventh trumpet founds, all the Gentiles are expelled from the outer court, and there is not only accefs to the inner court, as formerly, but the door of the fanctuary is thrown open, even the inner vail is removed, and all the worshippers are permitted to fee the ark of the covenant; that is, God fhall at that period give clearer views of his truth, and more comfortable manifeftations of his prefence, than at any former period, by bestowing more generally and more liberally the influences of his holy Spirit.

The fame truth is laid before us by another type borrowed from the Mofaic economy, applicable to the fame period, Rev. xv. 8. " And "the temple was filled with fmoke from the

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glory of God, and from his power; that no "man was able to enter into the temple till the "feven plagues of the seven angels were fulfil

led." The opening of the temple is mentioned verse 5. in almost the same words used Rev. xi. 19. There is a reference to that paffage, in order to fhew the time of opening the temple; namely, when the feventh trumpet founds. Out of the temple came the seven an

gels,

gels having the feven laft plagues. Immediately the temple is filled with fmoke, or a cloud, which continues during the time that the angels are pouring out the vials. This unquestionably refers to the confecration of the tabernacle by Mofes, and the dedication of the temple by Solomon. On these two memorable occafions, the houfe of God was filled with a cloud, fo that even the minifters of the fanctuary could not enter it; the cloud was a fymbol of the divine prefence; it then filled the houfe; whereas it commonly appeared only on the mercy-feat within the vail, to intimate that his presence on that occafion was beftowed more abundantly than on ordinary occafions. That minifters of the fanctuary could not enter in, proceeded from their deep reverence for that visible display of the divine prefence; juft fo when the seventh trumpet founds, the church of Chrift, purified from the defilements of Antichirst, and confecrated to Chrift, fhall be acknowledged by peculiar manifestations of God's prefence, and the liberal influences of his Spirit.

These three representations afford a view tolerably clear, of the ftate of the church immediately after the founding of the feventh trumpet. The first fhews the gospel propagated to kindreds, tongues, nations, and languages, and an innumerable multitude of converts introdu

ced into the church. The fecond fhews the means by which they are introduced, the miniftry of the word, fupported by the civil authority, spread by the zeal of the preachers, and urged upon the rational mind by the completion of prophecy. The third fhews the happiness of the church then conftituted, arifing from the clear manifeftations of the divine prefence given by the liberal influences of the Holy Spirit.

SECTION II.

Obfervations on the Vials.

LET us now take a view of the progreffive fteps by which Antichriftianism is brought to its final ruin. These are reprefented by the vials, and the vials are included in the feventh trumpet, so that they begin to be poured out when the angel preaching the gospel flies through the midst of heaven. Before I offer a particular illuftration of each, I fhall make some general observations on the whole, to fhew the grounds on which I attempt to illuftrate them.

1. It is obvious, that the application of any or of all these vials to events already past, must be erroneous; for all are included in the fe

venth trumpet, and the seventh trumpet has not yet founded; it is then only when the fecond wo is past, that the third wo cometh, Rev.xj. 14.

2. That the vials begin immediately as the seventh trumpet founds, and follow one another rapidly, or at fhorter intervals of time than those that intervened betwixt the plagues of the trumpets, we may infer from that expreffion, the third wo cometh quickly. That they follow one another after long periods of time, or at equal intervals, which Jurien infers from the term vial, fuppofing it an allufion to an hourglafs, is a mere play of imagination, without the smallest support from Scripture.

3. All the vials have the fame object, namely, to destroy the remaining power of the Antichriftian fyftem, called the Beast. The first brings a grievous sore upon them that had the mark of the beaft, and worshipped his image, Rev. xvi. 2.; and when the laft is poured out, the beaft and false prophet are taken and caft into the lake of fire, Rev. xix. 20.

4. Most of the vials have an obvious reference to the plagues of Egypt; now the empire of the beaft is "fpiritually called Egypt," Rev. xi. 8. We may therefore infer that the plagues which were inflicted corporally, or, in a literal fenfe, on the Egyptians, fhall be in inflicted fpiritually on the followers of Antichrift.

5. There