fulfilled, I consider, in the irruption of the barbarous nations of the north into the Roman empire (“a great mountain on fire cast into the sea"), and the unparalleled devastation and carnage which was for centuries produced. There is consequently the strongest reason to expect the fulfilment of this vial in a dreadful slaughter of the nations upon which the whore is sealed (Rev. xvii. 15), by means of either civil or foreign warfare; and the dreadful ravages and slaughter occasioned by the invasions of Attila, king of the Huns, Genseric, king of the Vandals, and Alaric, king of the Goths, during the third, fourth, and fifth centuries, will afford us the best idea of the horrors and extent of this yet future desolation.

The application of this vial, by almost every modern expositor of prophecy, to the effusion of blood during the French Revolution, though founded upon a just understanding of the symbols, still appears to me defective in one particular, that of the extent of the judgment referred to. If the second trumpet, which affects the third part of the sea, had its fulfilment in the universal desolation and repeated slaughters of the Roman empire, during the irruptions of the barbarians of the north, surely something still more extensive is denoted by the vial which affects the whole sea, and causes "every living soul to die therein." It is therefore necessary to wait until some still more dreadful and desolating invasions, civil wars, and bloody massacres occur in doomed Europe.

"And the third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters; and they became blood. And I heard the angel of the waters say, Thou art righteous, O Lord, which art, and wast, and shalt be, because thou hast judged thus. For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy. And I heard

another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments."—(Rev. xvi. 4-7.)

This vial differs in one remarkable particular from all the rest, in the interposition of angelic beings to assert and defend the righteousness and justice of the Almighty in the manifestation of divine wrath :- "And I heard the angel of the waters say, Thou art righteous, O Lord, which art, and wast, and shalt be, because thou hast judged thus. For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy. And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments." This repeated vindication of the justice of God in the third plague seems to denote, that there was something in the nature of the judgment apparently at variance with that attribute of Deity; for otherwise there is no assignable reason why this vial alone should thus be distinguished from the others. It certainly does not exceed the other "last plagues” in intensity nor in the extent of its influence. "Rivers and fountains of waters" cannot denote any objects of equal magnitude with "the sea" itself; and their becoming blood of course denotes the same thing as in the case of the sea. It appears difficult therefore to conceive, as there appears no cause to regard this vial as a greater judgment than the others, why it should be necessary to vindicate the righteousness of God on this display of his wrath, whilst nothing of the kind takes place in connection with the others, except on the supposition that it was calculated to produce the opposite emotions in the minds of spectators; that, in other words, it would appear so unjust, so cruel, so unrighteous an act, that it would be deemed necessary thus to assert and maintain its perfect justice, its harmony with the righteousness of the God of all, by a reference to the fact that the objects of this judgment had inflicted a

"For they have

similar vengeance on the servants of God :— shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy."

To proceed with the interpretation of this vial. As the "rivers and fountains of waters becoming bitter" under the third trumpet, signified that the doctrines of religion had become imbued with destructive corruptions and fatal errors,— so here those same symbols becoming blood appear to signify, that at the period referred to, the doctrines promulgated by the Anti-christian clergy, would become to those who received them the means of destruction. It is thus the angel of the waters afterwards explains it :-"Thou hast given them blood to drink;" that is, the fountains of waters and rivers having become blood, they who hold or receive those doctrines, do hereby drink, as it were, destruction to themselves. Either by some kind of change in the opinions and doctrines of the Papacy, or else by means of some change in the feelings of mankind towards the Anti-christian part of mankind, a dreadful slaughter of the clergy and supporters of Ecclesiastical Despotism and Superstition takes place :"The rivers and fountains of waters become blood."

As this dreadful calamity will occur as a visitation of the Divine Being, it cannot be thought strange that it should be charged upon the Almighty as an act of injustice; it is not the ravages and destruction which follow in the train of war, where all classes are alike exposed to, and alike suffer, misery and death, or like the general desolation of pestilence or famine; but it is the massacre of one particular class, or order of men, and it is thus that carnal men will be led to exclaim against what they consider the divine injustice and cruelty; whilst to the spiritual and faithful, the voice of the angel of the waters will be heard alleging the conduct of their fathers as the cause of this visitation of divine wrath, and that of the angel out of the altar joining

D

in this vindication of the righteousness of God,-" Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments."Rev. xvi. 7.

"And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire. And

and they

men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues repented not to give him glory."-Rev. xvi. 8, 9.

The sun may in this passage mean either simply the chief potentate of Europe, or the kingly powers in general. This vial then signifies, I apprehend, the exact opposite of the fourth trumpet. The increased exercise of tyrannical power in the kingdoms of Europe, that governing power which in moderation and justice is beneficial to man, like the light and heat of the sun, being greatly increased, is changed into a curse, and burns instead of cheering and benefiting the earth. This is the interpretation which has uniformly been given to this vial, the symbol and action being so easy and plain.

The application of this vial to the military despotism of Buonaparte, by Keith and others, appears to me certainly defective. The despotic tyranny of that usurper was principally displayed in the destruction of his subjects by repeated and bloody wars, instead of by scorching heat; and we in vain look for that order in the succession of plagues, which the effusion of the vials plainly exhibits, in the events of the French Revolution usually alleged as their fulfilment. Without attempting to discover the precise nature of this woe, it is enough to say, that it clearly points out some dreadful exercise of tyranny upon the subjects of the Beast's kingdom by the ruling powers. It does not kill, but it scorches, inflicts suffering of some kind, destroys men's substance perhaps, withers their hopes and comforts, produces extreme torment and pain, under the continued effects

of which they "blaspheme the name of God which hath power over these plagues, and they repented not to give him glory."

"And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for pain, and blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds."-Rev. xvi. 10, 11.

The seat, or as the word is more correctly rendered Rev. xiii. 1, throne (povov), denotes probably the head quarters of the government of the ten-horned Beast, the metropolis of the sovereign who will at this period constitute the head of the Secular Wild Beast, or Western Empire. At present there is no potentate who holds that relation, the Emperor of Austria having abdicated the title of Emperor of Rome; but there is evidently nothing to prevent its being again assumed.

The effect of this vial when poured upon the throne of the ten-horned Beast is, "to fill his kingdom with darkness," upon which it is said, "they gnawed their tongues for pain.” Darkness is the evident symbol of perplexity, disappointment, and trouble. Some dreadful blow, therefore, to the Civil Despotism of the west, which shall produce these results in the adherents of the Beast, is plainly denoted by this vial; but it is impossible from the conciseness of the language to discover in what it will consist. With the grossest inconsistency, Keith interprets this vial as having received its accomplishment in the spread of the doctrines of Popery on the Continent after the downfal of Buonaparte, as though the revival of the influence of the Whore which is carried by the Beast, should constitute such a woe that would fill his kingdom with darkness, and occasion its adherents to "gnaw their tongues for pain." But such deplorable mistakes can hardly fail to happen, when a commentator