poured out on the feat of the Beaft; and upon the effufion of the seventh, it is said, the great city was divided into three parts, and great Babylon came into remembrance before God. And though Antichrift is not mentioned by any of his ordinary titles in the other vials, yet it cannot be doubted that all of them belong to the fame fubject, viz. the fall of Antichrist, either in the east or weft.

I have already fhewn, that the converfion of the Jews will coincide with fome of thefe vials, or fome remarkable step of Antichrift's fall. But the three laft vials are the most remarkable, and bring the forest, heaviest judgments on the enemies of the church. It must therefore be one of these that is meant by the Holy Spirit. It cannot be the seventh or laft, because it has been already proved, that the conversion of the Jews is previous to the pouring out of this vial. It must therefore be either the fifth or fixth. The first of these brings on the deftruction of Rome, or fome great calamity that is to befall the Antichriftian party in the weft, as the other does the humbling of the Turk, who is the great oppreffor of the eaftern church, and one of the chief fupporters of the Mahometan religion. Which of these two events the converfion of the Jews will coincide with, is perhaps a queftion that cannot be folved, till the farther accomplishment of the prophecies throw more light upon them. Daniel indeed tells us, chapter xii. 7. that the refloration of the Jews will take place at the end of the time, times, and a half; which are faid, chapter vii. 25. to be the time that Antichrift or the little horn is to domineer over the weftern

church:

church: but perhaps the fame period is allotted by Providence for the duration both of the eastern and western Antichrift; for it would feem that the time, times, and a half, mentioned in the xiith chapter, are to be understood of the duration of Mahometanifm, and of the fall of the Turkish empire, as thofe in the viith chapter are to be understood of the duration and fall of Popery, because the fix laft verfes of the preceding chapter are wholly taken up in treating of the affairs of the Turk, and the chapter concludes with his fall; and therefore, when in the fixth verfe of this chapter we find one angel afking another, How long it fhould be to the end of thefe wonders? it is natural to think, that the time mentioned in the anfwer ends where the preceding chapter ends, that is, with the fall of the Turk; and if fo, then the reftoration of the Jews will coincide with this event.

It is probable, however, that their converfion will coincide with the fifth vial, and their restoration with the fixth That as the idolatry, and perfecuting fpirit of the church of Rome, has been the great hinderance to the converfion of the Jews, fo this event will coincide with the fall of the Papacy; and as the Turk's being in poffeffion of the Holy land is the hinderance to their reftoration, fo this will coincide with his fall. It is probable alfo, that as the fifth vial does not cause the total overthrow of the Popish party, for the deftruction of the Beast is mentioned afterwards, fo neither does the fixth vial cause that of the Turk, and that the final deftruction of both. thefe powers is referved till the feventh vial. Most interpreters are of opinion, that as Popery and Mahometanism

hometanifm rofe much about the fame time, fo they will fall together; and I do think it probable, that the final overthrow of both will be precifely at the fame time, viz, at the pouring out of the feventh vial; but it appears to me, that before this, each of them will have a feparate fall, the one fignified by the fifth vial, and the other by the fixth. With respect to the Roman Antichrift, this is clear from Scripture, Rev. xvi. 10. And the fifth angel poured out his vial on "the feat of the Beaft," &c. which certainly means fome great calamity that is to befall him. Indeed fo great is the calamity fignified by this vial, that, as we faid before, it is confidered by the Holy Spirit abfolutely as his fall: Although it appears from what follows, that he is never wholly deftroyed, and that there is a remnant of Popery ay until the feventh vial or battle of Armageddon. It is alfo clear from what Mr Mede and others have faid upon it, that the fixth vial is to bring down the Turks; but whether their empire will then be totally overthrown, or only humbled and brought low, is not fo eafy to determine. The laft appears to me the most probable of the two, and that for the following reafons:

Firft, As Mahometanifm refembles Popery in many refpects, in the oppofition of its doctrines to thofe of the Gofpel, in its bloody tyrannical fpirit, oppreffing the church and keeping her in ignorance and flavery, in its rife, which was much about the fame time with that of Popery, and in the widene fs of its dominion and long duration, fo it will probably alfo refemble it in its fall; that is, it will fall by steps, at leaft there will be more than one step in the fall thereof.

adly,

2dly, It has been already fhewn, that the Jews are to be reftored before the final overthrow of the Turks; but how this can be, how the Jews can get poffeffion of the Holy land, until the Turks, who have it at present in their hands, are humbled, I cannot fee. It is probable, therefore, that in order to make way for the restoration of the Jews, fome great revolution will take place in the Turkish empire at the pouring out of the fixth vial, fimilar to that which happens in the kingdom of the Beast at the pouring out of the fifth. Some time after this, as I fuppofe, when the Jews are fettled, and living in peace in their own land, the Turk, having recovered the blow given him by the fixth vial, will invade them with a great and powerful army, as appears from Daniel, xith chap. 44. 45. verfes, and Ezek. xxxviii. xxxix. chapters. At which time, the Pope, or the Antichriftian powers in Europe, with a great many nations more, are to join with him. Then comes on that battle mentioned, Rev. xvi. 14, commonly called the battle of Armageddon, and the battle of that great day of God Almighty, wherein all the enemies of the church are to be deftroyed. For I suppose, that the battle of Gog and of Armageddon, as alfo that defcribed, Rev. xix, from the 11th verfe to the end, are all one. My reafons for thinking fo are, first, That the battle defcribed in each of thefe places is defcribed in fuch terms, reprefented to be fo exceeding great, that as there has never yet been, fo it is not probable there will ever be again any equal or like to it a circumstance that agrees only to one battle. In all the three places, the facred writers fpeak

as

as if the whole world, or all the kings of the earth, were to be engaged in the battle which they describe; which, though it is not perhaps to be understood literally, yet certainly means fuch a number, as makes it very improbable that two or more fuch battles fhould happen within a few years of one another, as must be the cafe if those defcribed in the above paffages are diftin&t battles; for that the diftance of time betwixt them, if there is any, cannot be great, we fhall fhow by and by. But,

Firft, Something farther must be faid, to fhew that the battle defcribed by the facred writers in these three places, is represented by them to be fo exceeding great as we have faid, and that they agree in this circumftance. With refpect to two of the places this is clear, viz. Rev. xvi. from the 13th to the 17th verfe, and Rev. xix. from the 17th verfe to the end. In the first of these places, "I faw," fays the infpired writer," three unclean fpirits like frogs," &c.

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They are the spirits of devils which go forth un"to the kings of the earth, and of the whole world, "to gather them to the battle of that great day of "God Almighty." Here you fee the greatness of this battle is afferted in the ftrongeft poffible terms, and fo it is alfo in that of the xixth of Rev. 17th and 18th verfes, where it is called the fupper of the great God, and all the fowls of the air invited to come and eat thereof. With refpect to that war or battle defcribed in the 38th and 39th of Ezek. although its greatness is not afferted in such strong terms, yet there are other circumstances in that prophecy which fufficiently prove it. For,