out the first vial upon them that had "received "the mark of the beaft;" Luther who poured out the fecond; Queen Elizabeth, the third; Guftavus Adolphus, the fourth; and our late illuftrious Sovereign, or rather the king of Pruffia, may be conceived the fifth.

For, if we fhall take a view of the continental war, and reflect upon the aftonishing victories gained by the king of Pruffia and his allies, and the noble ftand which he made against a moft powerful and terrible confederacy; can we, after all this, imagine, that the spirit of God, who hath in the Apocalypfe fo diftinctly (to an obferving mind) predicted other things, fome of them perhaps lefs, furely none of them more interefting; can we, I fay, imagine, that he would have wholly overlooked fuch extraordinary and marvellous events, which have been fo vifibly brought about by his over-ruling providence?

Seeing then there is at least a probability, that the end of the witneffes teftimony is at no great diftance, and that the vial hath been poured out upon the feat of the beaft, fhould not these confiderations engage every true proteftant chearfully to exert himself, according to his influence and ability, to promote the caufe of religion and liberty, against the enemies of both? This we ought certainly to do, not only by recommending to the efteem of each other, the public, wife, vigorous, and falutary measures, pursued by our late fovereign, (who was truly the father of his fubjects), by both houses of parliament, and the worthy minifters of ftate *, but alfo by ftirring up all, in their different ftations, to a fincere reformation of heart

* A late nameless author of a pamphlet, intitled, Confidera

tions

heart and life, and to fervent prayer for the friendly aid of that God, who" ruleth in the armies of "heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth,' and whose throne is founded in truth, mercy, and faithfulness.

Mean time, we are not to think, that, by the effufion of this vial, the papal government was to be entirely overthrown, but only that thenceforth it fhould be deprived of its fplendor and glory, infomuch, that (as in the text) "the kingdom of the beaft fhould be full of darkness," and the fubjects thereof should gnaw their tongues with pain," but obftinately perfifting in their impenitence, would proceed to further acts of blafphemy.

The fixth vial, we are told, is to be poured out upon the great river Euphrates, or upon that empire to which the territories lying upon that river do belong. Thus, in Ifaiah 8th chapter, 7th and 8th verfes, it is predicted, that" the Lord would « bring

tions on the present German war, has endeavoured, with all the fophiltry of a Jefuit, to run down these truly excellent meafures; but, as he does not admit into his fyftem the fuperintending providence of that God, who has fhewn in the molt visible manner, through the whole courfe of the last war, that he can "fave by few as well as by many ;" and as he has paid no regard to the laws of juftice, which oblige us to affilt our allies; nor to the common dictates of humanity, which demand from us the protection of the weak and injured : So his performance has been juftly treated with contempt by the councils of this nation. And no wonder, fince it is plainly calculated for promoting the French interest, by allowing them, without controul, to extend their conquests upon the continent of Europe; and is, in all refpects, more fuited to the purposes of mechanical atheists, who deny a providence, and have no regard to the principles of religion and virtue, than for the direction of that state which has been fo long the patron of public liberty, and the ftrongeit bulwark of the reformation.

As

"bring upon Damafcus and Samaria, the waters, of the river ftrong and many;" and these are immediately explained to be" the king of Affy"ria with all his glory," or numerous armies: And Jeremiah 47th chapter, 2d verse, " "Behold, "faith the Lord, waters rife up out of the north," (meaning the Babylonians who inhabited the banks of the Euphrates); " and fhall be an overflow"ing flood, and fhall overflow the land." therefore, in these paffages, the river Euphrates plainly typifies the Affyrian and Babylonian empires, fo this river muft here fignify, that enpire whofe dominions extend over the provinces upon the Euphrates. And what can this be but the Ot toman empire? especially if we confider, that, from its origin, down to the prefent times, the Turks have generally had the poffeffion of these countries.

Now this empire is faid to be dried up by the fixth vial, or its power exhaufted, which is the fame thing with its being overthrown. And, as it has been already obferved, Chap. II. Sect. II. that there is a remarkable coincidence between the finishing of the witneffes teftimony, and the transition of the fecond woe, fo is it not very remarkable, that the vial to be poured out upon the Euphrates fhould immediately fucceed to that which was to be poured out upon the feat of the beat, and that there fhould be almost no interval of time betwixt the conclusion of the second woe, and the beginning of the third woe, or betwixt that vial that was to be poured out upon the Euphrates, and that vial that was to perfect the ruin of pa pal Rome?

By the pouring out of the fixth vial, it is predicted, that the "way of the kings of the Eaft fhall " be prepared." Now, as Judea was eastward both "be of Rome, which is the principal fubject of the pro

phecy,

phecy, and of Patmos, where the apoftle had the vifion; by the "kings of the eaft," we may then understand the leaders or principal men of the Jews, who, by this extraordinary event, fhall have the way paved to their embracing the Chriftian faith, and to their return unto their native country.

In confirmation of this opinion, Mr Mede obferves, that, if the Jews fhall not be converted under this vial, it must follow, that, along with the other enemies of our Saviour, (of whom they make a confiderable part at prefent), they fhall be destroy. ed by the laft vial: But that this is contrary to many fcripture-prophecies, and particularly to that plain prediction of the apoftle in the 11th chapter of the Hebrews. And farther, he obferves, that the prophecy, Ifaiah 11th chapter, 15th and 16th verfes, feems plainly to relate to the event here predicted: "And the Lord (faith the prophet) fhall utterly deftroy the tongue of the Egyptian fea, and with his mighty wind, &c." Or, as Mr Mede renders it, "As the Lord deftroy"ed the tongue of the Egyptian fea, fo, with his 66 mighty wind, fhall he fhake his hand over the "river, (in the Targum, it is the river Euphrates), " and fhall fmite it in the feven ftreams, and "make men go over dry fhod: And there fhall "be an highway for the remnant of his people, which fhall be left from Affyria, (therefore the "river fignifies the Euphrates), like as it was to "Ifrael, in the day that it came out of the land of Egypt."

Since then I have already fhewn it to be highly probable that the fifth vial hath been already poured out upon the feat of the beaft," and that the fixth angel is now pouring out his vial upon the Ottoman empire, and that the return of the Jews to their native country, and their converfion to the Chriftian faith, is to be expected as a confequence of the deftruction of that empire: May we not be allowed to entertain the hope, that, if the present

prefent Emprefs of Ruffia fhall be honoured to complete its overthrow, that she may give an invitation to the Jews to take poffeffion of their ancient country. And if, to this fingular favour, fhe shall add another ftill greatly fuperior, namely, the granting a proper encouragement to men of true piety, learning, and integrity, to lay before them clear and diftinct completions of fcriptural prophecies, and the genuine doctrines and precepts of Christianity, as they are contained in the original facred volumes, (the only infallible rule of faith and practice): May we not have reafon to think, that, an uncommon effufion of divine grace concurring with the above, their long-wifhed-for converfion may thereby be effected; and, as their enmity to Christianity hath hitherto been extreme, that their zeal for its propagation and fuccefs fhall thenceforward be proportionally manifested?

But, as thefe fuppofitions are purely conjectural, and confequently may never be realized, fo to fome they may appear extremely romantic. However, if we fhall feriously attend to the character and actions of the Emprefs of Ruffia, and to the probabilities I have already advanced of the fpeedy approach of these grand events, I am perfuaded the above fuppofitions will no longer appear in a ludicrous view. For, when we confider that amazing extent of understanding, and that unwearied application to business which this great princefs hath discovered thefe years pait; when we reflect, that under her government the arts and iciences have flourished, that merit hath every where been fought for and rewarded, order and difcipline maintained, a body of laws framed for fecuring the lives and properties of her fubjects, true religion and freedom of enquiry patronized and defended, and the honour of her crown nobly afferted and vindicated: 1 fay, when we confider

thele