much in a regular and gradual courfe, that none of the imperfections which cleave to the church, and none of the troubles to which it fhall be expofed, fhall bring about another revolution in it until the end of that period.

It is highly probable that the limits of the Chriftian church fhall be enlarged, and that the clouds of imperfections and troubles which hang over it fhall become thinner with a motion accelerated in proportion as the end of this period approaches. At the end of it, there fhall be a great and glorious revolution to the church of Christ, and a total overthrow of the Papal hierarchy.

We are now

and that the

In chap. viii. 13. three woes were denounced upon the votaries and citizens of Rome, (the inhabiters of the earth.) In chap. ix. the fifth and fixth angel predicted two of them. affured that the second wo is past, third wo cometh quickly. Tax, the word in the original which is tranflated quickly, does not fignify foon or immediately after the fecond wo, but it fignifies fuddenly or unexpectedly and rapidly. It fignifies that that wo fhall come at an unexpected hour; that the complete deliverance of the church, and overthrow of Antichrift fhall come at an unexpected hour; like a thief in the night. The prediction of this revolution is contained in this chapter from verfe 15th to the end of it.

Verses 15th, 16th, 17th, 18th, 19th.—And the feventh angel founded, and there were great voices in heaven, faying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Chrift, and he fhall reign for ever and ever. And the four and twenty elders, which fat before God on their feats, fell upon their faces and worshipped God, faying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and haft reigned. And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy fervants the prophets, and to the faints, and them that fear thy name, finall and great, and fhouldest destroy them which destroy the earth. And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was feen in his temple, the ark of his teftament: And there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail.

This feventh angel fhall found in the year 1999. In chap. x. 7. John is commanded to feal up

the

the seven, that is, the complete and final thunders or wars, "for the time for them is not yet: But "in the days of the voice of the feventh angel, "when he fhall begin to found, the mystery of "God fhall be finished." The finishing of that mystery, which confifts in the downfal of Antichrift, and in the bringing in the fulness of the Gentiles, with God's antient people the Jews, to the purity of the Chriftian faith, cannot take place fo long as the church of Chrift is like two witneffes prophefying in fackcloth, as the beast makes war with them, as the church is like the temple and the altar only, whilft the outer court is left out, and the holy city is given to the Gentiles; but all thefe are to continue for 1243 years, after the year 756, which runs down to the year 1999: hence the feventh angel, who introduces all these events, which finish the mystery of God, cannot found until that year.

This feventh angel who founds the seventh trumpet, is cotemporary with the feventh angel, who pours out the feventh vial, as in chap. xvi. 17.-21. That they are cotemporary, and that they both predict events, which fhall happen in the year 1999, and which fhall be completed in the end of that year, fhall be fully fhewn in the commentary on chapters xiii. and xvi. Let it only be obferved here, that they both predict events, which, in their own nature, must be cotemporary.

temporary. The feventh trumpet foretels the complete triumph of Chrift's church; and the feventh vial foretels the final downfal of Antichrift. The one of these cannot happen before, nor be delayed after the other. The complete defeat of an enemy, and the triumph of the conqueror must always be cotemporary.

In chap. xi. 3. the two witneffes fhall prophefy 1260 days in fackcloth; verfe 2d, the Gentiles fhall tread the holy city under foot for 42 months; and ́ in chapter, xiii. 5. power is given to the beast to continue 42 months: but, as was formerly fhewn, all these numbers fignify the fame space of time, even 1243 folar years, which all commence at the year 756, and therefore must all terminate in the year 1999.

The feventh trumpet foretels the complete tri"umph of Chrift's church, but as that is cotemporary with the final overthrow of Antichrift, it gives alfo ftriking intimations of that overthrow. And the feventh vial which foretels the final overthrow of Antichrift, gives for the fame reafon ftriking intimations of the triumph of Chrift's church.

In the feventh vial, the principal things predicted are voices, thunderings, lightnings, a great earthquake; Babylon the great coming in remembrance before God, and receiving from him the cup of the wine of the fiercenefs of his wrath; a great hail falling upon men, and men blafphem

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ing God. In the feventh trumpet all these things are particularly, mentioned, though they are not the principal things predicted by it. Thus it is faid under that trumpet, "the nations were angry, the wrath of God is come, and the time "that he fhould deftroy them who deftroy the "earth; and that there were lightenings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail." And the chief things predicted in the feventh trumpet are, that the mystery of God is finished; (for it was to be finished in the days of the feventh angel, and the seventh angel was to introduce the third wo, and the introduction to this trumpet is, "the fecond wo is paft, and the "third wo cometh quickly;") that there were great voices in heaven, that the kingdoms of this world are become the kingdom of our God and of.. his Chrift, and that the temple of God was opened in heaven. In the feventh vial all these are particularly mentioned. The Judge fays, "Behold, I come as a thief." There was a great voice out of the temple in heaven faying, It is done, the cities of the nations as well as great Babylon fell, and the mountains were not found. Mountains, as was formerly fhewn, fignify kings.

Having thus fixed the time to which this feventh trumpet relates, and also fuggefted fo many confiderations, as in the mean time may fatisfy the candid reader that this trumpet is cotem

porary