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tic, fhould be deducted'. These amount nearly to eighteen years, which being deducted from 2016, makes 1998, as the year in which the temporal fovereignty shall be taken away.

SECTION III.

Time in which the Ottoman Empire falls.

AT the fame period, about the year 1998, falls the Ottoman empire. It is represented by the fecond wo, or fixth trumpet, Rev. ix. 13.19. Now the forty-two months of the beaft are contemporary with the 1260 days of the witneffes mourning prophecy; for their mourning is owing to his perfecution. These days end with their refurrection; and immediately upon their refurrection, it is faid, "The fecond wo "is paft," Rev. xi. 14.

SECTION IV.

Time of the Vials in general.

WHEN the Pope's temporal fovereignty shall be taken away, and the Ottoman empire fhall

(1) See Fleming's Difcourfes, Difcourfe I.

cease

ceafe to exift, the feventh trumpet fhall found: For immediately after the words juft quoted, "the fecond wo is paft," it follows, "behold "the third wo cometh quickly, and the fe"venth angel founded." Then begin the vials of God's wrath to be poured but, for the reduction of the fpiritual jurisdiction of Antichrist.

Mede' fuppofes that the first fix vials are poured out before the seventh trumpet, and that the feventh vial is contemporary with the seventh trumpet. But that all the vials, the first as well as the laft, follow after the feventh trumpet, will appear from the following reasons :

First, The regular order of the prophecy requires it. For as the feven trumpets are included in the feventh feal, or to fpeak more properly, are the unfolding of it; fo, in like manner, the feven vials are the unfolding of the feventh trumpet. The order of events is carried on by means of the feals, trumpets, and vials. But this order is repeatedly interrupted by the fynchronal vifions inferted for explication, and could not be with certainty refumed, but for this device. Whereas by the help of this device, the feries of the prophecy is carried on distinctly, and the vifions inferted for explication refer by internal marks, either to that feries

(1) Mede's Clavis Apocalyp. p. 2. Synchronism iii.

feries immediately, or to fome other contemporary vifion which has a reference to it. Now this admirable contexture is in a good measure deftroyed, by fuppofing that any of the vials are poured out under the fixth trumpet.

Secondly, We are advertised, chap. viii. 13. of three wo trumpets. The fifth and fixth trumpets make the first and second woes, and they are minutely described; but unless these vials are the wo of the feventh trumpet, it exifts no where in this book.

Thirdly, The wo of the feventh trumpet is, by confeffion of all, the third and last; and these vials are exprefly called " the last plagues," because in them is filled up the wrath of God," Rev. xv. 1. So that they must be the fame; or, in other words, the vials are the unfolding of the feventh trumpet. But if they are poured out under the fixth trumpet, then other plagues announced by the wo of the feventh trumpet follow after the laft plagues, which is in direct contradiction to the text. Nor can this argument be evaded, by fuppofing with Mede, that the feventh vial is included in the seventh trumpet, though the others are not. Because all the vials are termed the laft plagues, the firft as well as the seventh they are all of one kind, different

degrees

degrees of the fame punishment inflicted on the fame fubject, and cannot be feparated: they are perfectly diftinct as to their nature and object from the fecond wo, and therefore ought not to begin till the fecond wo ended; for it is faid, "The second wo is past, the third wo "cometh quickly."

Fourthly, By Mede's rule, the marks inferted in the prophecy, it is evident, that all the vials follow the feventh trumpet, and that none precede it. These internal marks may be fitly compared to the correfponding loops in the curtains of the tabernacle; by obferving them, the Levites difcovered the place of each feparate curtain and joined them together, fo as to form one whole tent. So by these marks, the attentive reader is able to difcover the place of each feparate vifion, whether it carries on the feries of the prophecy, or gives a collateral reprefentation of times already mentioned, and to connect them fo as to form one continued prophecy. Now I find, that after the feventh trumpet founds, Rev. xi. 15. and a brief summary is given of the events contained in it, in the three following verfes, it is faid, verf. 19. "I "faw the tabernacle of the temple of God in "heaven opened." This expreffion I confider as a mark inserted, like the loop in the edge of

the

the curtain, where the feries of the narration is broken off. Accordingly, the fame words are repeated, Rev. xv. 5. like the corresponding loop in the edge of the other curtain, then it is faid, "And the feven angels came out of the "temple, having the feven plagues,” vers. 6.; which fhews, that the firft of thefe vials follows after the founding of the feventh trumpet. That thefe two verfes compared together imply fo much, I argue thus: None of thefe vials could be poured on the earth till the angels to whom they were entrusted came out of the temple; nor could the angels come out of the temple until it was opened, as appears from chap. xv. 1.; but the temple was fhut during the forty-two months of Antichrift's reign, and was opened only at the founding of the seventh trumpet, chap. xi. 19.; therefore all the vials follow after the founding of the seventh trumpet 1.

It may not be improper to examine the reafons which induced Mede to conclude, that the firft fix vials are contemporary with the fixth trumpet, and the seventh vial with the founding of the feventh trumpet. He had very properly observed, that the forty-two months of the beaft's

(1) See further on this fubject, in Newton's Differtation on Prophecies, vol. ii. p. 302. 9th edit. Likewife Durham on the Revelation, p. 227. 4to edit. I

1

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