though he was killed about two years after, yet his army continued victorious, until at length all things were accommodated at the peace of Munster, A. C. 1648, with which therefore the period of the third vial must be fuppofed to end, which confifts of 31 years. Now as this began with perfecutions against, and cruelties upon the proteftants; fo at length the angel of the waters is heard to give thanks for making the papifts drink of their own blood at last. Which fong of praise another angel falls in with, and fays amen to. All which feems to denote the joy both of the proteftant ftate and church upon the fuccefs of the Swedish arms against the emperor.

The fourth vial comes now to be confidered. And as this is poured out upon the fun of the papal kingdom, v. 8, fo the effect of it is mens being fcorched or burned with fire, which yet does not make them turn to God, but blafpheme his name the more, as we may see, v. 9. Now as this vial muft begin where the other ends, viz. at, or a little after the year 1648, fo I cannot fee but it must denote the wars that followed the peace of Munfter, with other incidental occurrences. Now we find that the French hoftilities and wars in Flanders began

about

ΙΟ

about this time. And though this fire feemed to be quenched by the Pyrenean peace, about 10 years after that of Munfter, yet this proved rather fuel to the flame, which broke out with more violence than before, by the feizure of Lorain, the new conquests of the French in Burgundy and Flanders, and the wars upon Germany, and invafion on the Low Countries; to which we may add the French king's quarrels with several popes about the restitution of Caftro, the rights of the duke of Modena, the affairs of Corfi, and about the regale and the franchifes. Now feeing the bombarding of towns and cities was chiefly made use of in these later wars, we may fee how properly the fcorching or burning men from above (as if the fun had fent down fire and heat from his own body) is made ufe of to characterize the time of this vial. But the chief thing to be taken notice of here, is, that the fun and other luminaries of heaven are the emblem of princes and kingdoms, as we took notice before. Therefore the pouring out of this vial on the fun muft denote the humiliation of fome eminent potentates of the Romish intereft, whofe influences and countenance cherish and fupport the papal caufe. And these therefore

must be principally understood of the Houses of Auftria and Bourbon, though not exclusively of other popish princes. Now it is not unufual with God to make his enemies crush and weaken one another. And thus I suppose this vial is to be understood, when it is faid, that upon the pouring of it out on the fun, power was given to him, i. e. the fun (as most underftand the words from the connexion), to fcorch men with fire. And this is plain in what of the vial is fulfilled, and will be perhaps more fo afterwards. As therefore France was made ufe of, in the inftances given, to vex and Scorch the Auftrian family, in both branches. of it, so afterwards was he himself tormented when he faw himself forced to leave Holland, which he was fo near furprifing, An. 1672, and efpecially when he was forced to refign all his conquests in Flanders by the late peace of Reyfwick. It is true, he feems now to have got more glory than ever by the acceffion of his grandfon to the Spanish monarchy; but then this is by an eclipfe upon the Austrian family, which is expired in the first branch of it. And who knows but this advancement may lay the foundation of the ruin or decay. of the French power, by exhaufting that king

dom,

dom, both as to men and money, in defence of a weak monarchy? In the mean time, we fee this vial has already taken place in darkening the glory of king James (whom the papifts expected new conquefts from) by the hand of king William; by whom alfo God put a stop to the career of the French monarch in his conquefts in Flanders, and on the Rhine. And we fee it further poured out in the eclipse of the Auftrian family, by the lofs of Spain and its dependent principalities, as alfo in defeating the wicked defigns of the three confederate monarchs of Poland, Denmark, and Ruffia.

And now, feeing I have marked out the time we are in at prefent, it is time alfo to put a stop to our apocalyptical thoughts; feeing no man can pretend, upon any just grounds, to calculate future times. However, seeing I have come fo far, I shall adventure to present further with fome conjectural thoughts on you this head; for I am far from the prefumption of fome men, to give them any higher character.

Now my conjectures fhall relate to two things, viz. to the remaining part of this vial, and to the other vials that follow this.

The

And, firit, as to the remaining part of this vial, I do humbly fuppofe that it will come to its highest pitch about An. 1717, and that it will run out about the year 1794. The reafons for the first conjecture are two. first is, because I find that the papal kingdom got a confiderable acceffion to its power upon the Roman western empire's being destroyed An. 475, to which the Heruli fucceeded the year following, and the Oftro-Goths afterwards. Now if from this remarkable year we begin the calculation of the 1260 years, they lead us down to A. C. 1735, which in prophetical account is this very year 1717. The fecond is, because (as I have many years ago obferved) this year leads us down to a new centenary revolution. For is it not obfervable that John Hufs and ferom of Prague (to run this up no further) were burned An. 1417? After which the true religion in Bohemia, and other places, was more and more obfcured and fuppreffed, until that famous year 1517, when Luther arofe, and gave the reformation a new refurrection; according to that remarkable prediction of ferom of Prague, Centum annis revolutis Deo refpondebitis et mihi; which the Bohemians afterwards ftamped upon their coin as