flame mankind to fpiritual fornication. St. John in these figures copies the ancient prophets. In the fame manner, and in the fame words, did Ifaiah foretel the fate of ancient Babylon, (XXI. 9.) Babylon is fallen, is fallen: And Jeremiah hath affigned much the fame reafon for her deftruction, (LI. 7.) Babylon hath been a golden cup in the Lord's hand, that made all the earth drunken: the nations have drunken of her wine: therefore the nations are mad. As by the first angel calling upon men to worship God, we understand the oppofers of the worthip of images in the eighth and ninth centuries, fo by this fecond angel proclaiming the fall of myftic Babylon or Rome, we understand particularly (4) Peter Valdo and thofe who concurred with him the Waldenfes and Albigenfes; who were the first heralds, as I may fay, of this proclamation, as they first of all in the twelfth century pronounced the church of Rome to be the apocalyptic Babylon, the mother of harlots and abominations of the earth; and for this caufe not only departed from her communion themselves, but engaged great numbers alfo to follow their example, and laid the firft foundation of the Reformation. Rome then began to fall; and as the ruin of Babylon was completed by degrees, fo likewife will that of Rome; and thefe holy confeffors and martyrs first paved the way

to it.

9 And the third angel followed them, faying with a loud voice, If any man worthip the beaft and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,

10 The fame fhall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he fhall be tormented with fire and brimftone, in the prefence of the holy angels, and in the prefence of the Lamb:

(4) Mede p. 517, 722, &c. Fred. Spanhem. Hift. Chriftian. Sec. 12. Cap. 6.-receffiffe a doctrina et praxi recepta Romanæ ecclefiæ, noncupaffe eam Babylonem, ac confufionis omnis matrem; &c. Se&t. 4. Thuani Hift.

Lib. 6. Cap. 16. Eorum hæc dogmata ferebantur; Ecclefiam Romanam, quoniam veræ Chrifti fidei renunciaverit, Babylonicam meretricem effe, &c. p. 221. Edit. Buckley.

11 And the smoke of their torment afcendeth up for ever and ever, and they have no reft day nor night, who worship the beaft and his image, and whofoever receiveth the mark of his name.

12 Here is the patience of the faints: here are they that keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jefus.

13 And I heard a voice from heaven, faying unto me, Write, Bleffed are the dead which die in the Lord, from henceforth, Yea, faith the Spirit, that they may reft from their labors, and their works do follow them.

But not only the capital city, not only the principal agents and promoters of idolatry fhall be deftroyed; the commiffion of the third angel reached farther, and extends to all the fubjects of the beaft, whom he configns over to everlasting punishment. (ver. 9, 10, 11.) And the third angel followed them, faying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead or in his hand, if any man embracè and profefs the religion of the beaft, or what is the fame, the religion of the pope; the fame fhall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, or rather of the poisonous wine of God. His punishment fhall correfpond with his crime. As he drank of the poisonous wine of Babylon, fo he shall be made to drink of the poisonous wine of God, ta xené paoμeve anpals, which is poured out without mixture, or rather which is mixt unmixt, the poisonous ingredients being stronger when mixt with mere or unmixt wine, in the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. By this third angel following the others with a loud voice we understand principally Martin Luther and his fellow-reformers, who with a loud voice protefted against all the corruptions of the church of Rome, and declared them to be deftructive of falvation to all who still obftinately continue in the prac tice and profeffion of them. This would be a time of great trial, (ver. 12.) Here is the patience of the faints; here are they who keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jefus. And it is very well known, that this

X 2

was

was a time of great trial and perfecution; the Reformation was not introduced and established without much bloodshed; there were many martyrs in every country. But they are comforted with a folemn declaration from heaven. (ver. 13.) And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, IVrite, Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord, from henceforth, if they die in the faith and obedience of Chrift, and more efpecially if they die martyrs for his fake: Yea, faith the Spirit, that they may reft from their labors, for immediately upon their deaths they enter into reft; and their works do follow them, they enjoy now fome recompence, and in due time, at the day of judgment, they shall receive the full reward of their good works. It is moft probable that St. John alluded to a paffage in Ifaiah, where the Spirit hath made the like declaration; (LVII. 1, 2.) The righteous perifheth, and no man layeth it to heart; and merciful men are taken away, none confidering that the righteous is taken away from the evil to come: He fhall enter into peace: they shall reft in their beds, each one walking in his uprightness. But the greatest difficulty of all is to account for the words from henceforth; for why fhould the blessedness of the dead who die in the Lord be restrained to this time, and commence from this period rather than from any other, when they are at all times and in all periods equally bleffed, and not more fince this time than before? Commentators here are very much at a lofs, and offer little or nothing that is fatisfactory: but the difficulty in great measure ceases, if we apply this prophecy, as I think it should be applied, to the Reformation. For from that time, tho' the blessedness of the dead who die in the Lord hath not been inlarged, yet it hath been much better understood, more clearly written and promulgated than it was before, and the contrary doctrin of purgatory hath been exploded and banifhed from the belief of all reafonable men. This truth was moreover one of the leading principles of the Reformation. What firft provoked Luther's fpirit was the fcandalous fale of indulgences; and the doctrin of indulgences having a close connection with the doctrin of purgatory, the refutation of the one naturally led him to the refutation of the other; and

5) firft work of reformation was his 95 thefes or ions againft indulgences, purgatory, and the delent doctrins. So that he may be faid literally to - fulfilled the command from heaven, of writing, ed are the dead which die in the Lord, from hence: and from that time to this this truth hath been fo ly afferted, and fo folidly established, that it is likely evail for ever.

learned and ingenious friend refers these three proations of the three angels to later times, and fups that they are an immediate prelude to the fall of chrift and the millennium. But the clue that has cipally conducted me thro' both parts of the Reven is following the feries of hiftory and the fucceffive r of events. After the description of the two beasts, lar and ecclefiaftical, whofe power was establifhed rding to my hypothefis in the eighth century, but rding to moft commentators much fooner, there d be a very large chafm without the prediction of memorable events, if thefe prophecies relate to the immediately preceding the fall of Antichrift and nillennium. What a long interval would that be out any prophecy? and how thick would the events w afterward? for all the particulars not only of this , but likewife of the 16th, 18th, and 19th chapters, be fulfilled before the commencement of the milium. I can hardly frame, even in imagination, any ts which can anfwer more exactly to thefe proclamas of the three angels than the three principal efforts rds a reformation. Charlemain, Valdo, Luther, their followers, certainly deferve as cxalted chaers as are here given them: and it would be very ge that there fhould be fo many prophecies relating he downfall of popery, and none concerning the ormation. He conceives that the church cannot be efented in fuch an attitude of triumph and jubilation, is in the former part of this chapter, while it is afed and perfecuted during the reign of the beaft.

But the church of this period is not drawn in fuch an attitude of triumph and jubilation as he imagins; there are fome intimations of its fuffering perfecution in this very chapter: and if it was as he imagins, yet why may not the true church be represented like the Apostles and primitive Chriftians as forrowful yet always rejoicing, as rejoicing in tribulation, as exceedingly joyful in tribulation, &c? He farther conceives, that the dead are blessed from henceforth, because they will remain a fhorter time in the separate state, and be fooner raised again. But why then is not that reafon affigned but quite different ones, that they may reft from their labors, and their works do follow them? These are reafons which hold equally good at all times, and cannot be restrained and limited to any particular time: and therefore I conceive that the words from henceforth relate not fo much to the bleffedness of the dead, which is always the fame, as to the writing and promulgating of this doctrin by Luther and the proteftant reformers.

14 And I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and upon the cloud one fat, like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp fickle.

15 And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that fat on the cloud, Thruft in thy fickle, and reap for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe.

16 And he that fat on the cloud, thrust in his fickle on the earth; and the earth was reaped.

17 And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a fharp fickle.

18 And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp fickle, faying, Thrust in thy fharp fickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe.

19 And the angel thruft in his fickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and caft it into the great wine-prefs of the wrath of God.