out the firft vial upon them that had "received "the mark of the beaft;" Luther who poured out the second; 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 most 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 per haps 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 distance, 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 cause 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, purfued by our late fovereign, (who was truly the father of his fubjects), by both houfes 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 whofe 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 king

dom of the beaft fhould be full of darknefs," and the fubjects thereof fhould " 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 prefent German war, has endeavoured, with all the fophiltry of a Jefuit, to run down these truly excellent meatures; but, as he does not admit into his fyftem the fuperintending providence of that God, who has fhewn in the molt vifible manner, through the whole courfe of the laft war, that he can "fave by tew as well as by many;" and as he has paid no regard to the laws of justice, which oblige us to aflift 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 justly treated with contempt by the councils of this nation. And no wonder, fince it is plainly calculated for promoting the French intereft, by allowing them, without controul, to extend their tonquefts upon the continent of Europe; and is, in all respects, more fuited to the purposes of mechanical atheifts, who deny a providence, and have no egard 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 ftrongest 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 verfe," Behold, "faith the Lord, waters rife up out of the north," (meaning the Babylonians who inhabited the banks of the Euphrates), " and shall be an overflowing flood, and fhall overflow the land" therefore, in thefe paffages, the river Euphrates plainly typifies the Affyrian and Babylonian empires, fo this river muft here fignify, that empire whofe dominions extend over the provinces upon the Euphrates. And what can this be but the Ottoman 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 tranfition 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 beaft, and that there fhould be almoft no interval of time betwixt the conclufion of the fecond 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 East shall "be prepared." Now, as Judea was eattward both 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 Christian 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 present), they shall 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 destroy"ed the tongue of the Egyptian fea, fo, with his "mighty wind, fhall he fhake his hand over the "river, (in the Targum, it is the river Euphrates), "and fhall fmite it in the seven streams, and "make men go over dry fhod: And there shall "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 conversion to the Chriftian faith, is to be expected as a confe. quence of the deftruction of that empire: May we not be allowed to entertain the hope, that, if the prefent

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 fhall 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 reason 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 Chriftianity 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, it we shall teriously 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 bufinefs which this great princefs hath difcovered these years paft; 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 tramed for fecuring the lives and properties of her fubjects, true religion and freedom of enquiry patronized and detended, and the honour of her crown nobly afferted and vindicated: I fay, when we confider

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