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Annibal's defcent into Italy, ufeth a like expreffion of the bridles flowing with much blood. The stage where this bloody tragedy is acted, is without the city, by the space of a thousand and fix hundred furlongs, which, as Mr. Mede (8) ingenioufly obferves, is the measure of stato della chiefa, or the ftate of the Roman church, or St Peter's patrimony, which reaching from the walls of Rome unto the river Po contains the fpace of 200 Italian miles, which make exactly 1600 furlongs.

I

AND

CHA P. XV.

ND I faw another fign in heaven, great and marvellous, feven angels having the feven laft plagues, for in them is filled up the wrath of God.

2 And I faw as it were a fea of glass, mingled with fire; and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, ftand on the fea of glass, having the harps of God.

3 And they fing the fongs of Mofes the fervant of God, and the fong of the Lamb,

(8)-In vicino item locus eft cui dictus ftadiorum numerus perinde convenit: puta ftato

faying,

della chiefa, feu ecclefiæ Romanæ latifundium, quod ab urbe Roma ufque ad ultimum Padi

faying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of faints.

4 Who fhall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou only art holy: for all nations fhall come and worship before thee; for thy judginents are made manifeft.

5 And after that I looked, and behold, the temple of the tabernacle of the teftimony in heaven was opened:

6 And the seven angels came out of the temple, having the seven plagues, clothed in pure and white linen, and having their breafts girded with golden girdles.

7 And one of the four beafts gave unto the feven angels, feven golden vials full of the wrath of God, who liveth for ever and ever.

8 And the temple was filled with fmoke from the glory of God, and from his power; and no man was able to enter into the temple, till the feven plagues of the feven angels were fulfilled.

God's.

oftium et Paludes Veronenfes ftadiorum 1600. Mede p.

porrigitur fpatio milliarium 522.

Italicorum ducentorum, id eft,

(9) Imo

God's judgments upon the kingdom of the beaft, or Antichriftian empire, are hitherto denounced, and described only in general terms under the figures of harvest and vintage. A more particular account of them follows under the emblem of feven vials which are called (ver. 1.) the feven last plagues, for in them is filled up the wrath of God. plagues must neceffarily fall

These seven last under the seventh

and laft trumpet, or the third and last woetrumpet: fo that as the feventh feal contained the feven trumpets, the feventh trumpet comprehends the seven vials. Not only the concinnity of the prophecy requires this order; for otherwise there would be great confufion, and the vials would interfere with the trumpets, fome falling under one trumpet, and fome under another but moreover, if these seven last plagues and the confequent deftruction of Babylon be not the fubject of the third woe, the third woe is no were defcribed particularly as are the two former woes. When four of the seven trumpets had founded, it was declared (VIII. 13.) Woe, woe, woe to the inhabiters of the earth, by reafon of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels which are yet to found. Accordingly at the founding of the fifth trumpet (IX. 1.) commences the woe of the Saracen

or

or Arabian locufts; and in the conclufion is added (ver. 12.) One woe is past, and behold, there come two woes more hereafter. At the founding of the fixth trumpet (IX. 13.) begins the plague of the Euphratéan horsemen or Turks; and in the conclufion it is added (XI. 14.) The fecond woe is past, and behold, the third woe cometh quickly. At the founding of the feventh trumpet therefore (XI. 15, &c.) one would naturally expect the description of the third woe to fucceed: but as it was before obferved, there follows only a short and fummary account of the feventh trumpet, and of the joyful rather than of the woful part of it. A general intimation indeed is given of God's taking unto him his great power, and deftroying them who deftroy the earth: but the particulars are reserved for this place; and if these laft plagues coincide not with the last woe, there are other plagues and other woes after the last; and how can it be said that the wrath of God is filled up in them, if there are others befides them? If then these seven laft plagues fynchronize with the feventh and last trumpet, they are all yet to come; for the fixth trumpet is not yet paft, nor the woe of the Turkish or Othman empire yet ended: and confequently there is no poffibility of explaining them in fuch a manner as when the prophecies may be parallelled with

histories,

histories, or evinced by ocular demonstrationThe many fruitlefs attempts which have hitherto been made to explain them, are a farther proof that they cannot well be explained, the best interpreters having failed and floundered in this part more than in any other. But before the vials are poured out, the scene opens with a preparatory vifion, which is the subject of this chapter.

As feven angels founded the feven trumpets, fo seven angels are appointed to pour out the feven vials, angels being always the ministers of providence and in order to show that these judgments are to fall upon the kingdom of the beast, the true worshippers of God and faithful fervants of Jefus, who had escaped victors from the beat, νικώντες εκ τε Inge, and had never fubmitted to his tyranny or religion, are described (ver. 2, 3, 4.) like unto the children of Ifrael after their deliverance and escape out of Egypt. For as the children of Ifrael, (Exod. XV.) having paffed thro' the red sea, stood on the shore, and feeing their enemies overwhelmed with the waters, fung the triumphant fong of Mofes: fo these having paffed thro' the fiery trials of this world, fland on the fea of glass mingled with fire, which was mentioned before, (IV. 6.) and seeing the vials ready to be poured out upon their

enemies,

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