T. They were cast upon the earth. (Judæa.)

V. “ Upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and which worshipped his image," defined Rev. xiii. 14. as "They that dwell on the earth." (Judæa.)

The trumpet is explained by Dr. Cumming of the invasion of the Roman provinces by Alaric the Goth, A.D. 396; the first vial of the French Revolution, A.D. 1793.

It is impossible for me to quote all that he has transcribed. from Alison and other sources; his description is as beautiful as it needs to be. The only fault I have to find with it is, that, under the trumpet, I can see no mention of Alaric; under the vial, no allusion to republican baptisms and republican marriages. I cannot see how the grievous sore falling upon "the men which had the mark of the beast and who worshipped his image" an evident allusion to those who apostatised from Christianity to heathenism, and worshipped Cæsar's image (the usual test in those days)—can be made to refer to the noyades of Nantes, or to Madame Maillard of the opera. It is all very nice; but it wants two things, proof and probability.

But I hasten to show the identity between the trumpet and the vial the identity between the first trumpet and vial is less striking than any of the others, but even here there is a resemblance.

"The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth.”

"The first went and poured out his vial upon the earth." Hail and fire mingled with blood follows the sounding of the first trumpet: this is an evident allusion to one of the sore plagues of Egypt, when there was "hail and fire mingled with the hail i. e., destructive of life" for the hail smote both man and beast, and the hail smote every herb of the field, and brake every tree of the field." (Compare "the third part of the trees burnt up, and all the green grass burnt up," with the "hail smiting every herb of the field, and breaking every tree of the field.")

A grievous and noisome sore falling upon the enemies of Christ, described as those who had the mark of the beast, and who worshipped his image 1, follows the pouring out of the

1 « Καὶ ἐγένετο ἔλκος κακὸν καὶ πονηρὸν εἰς τοὺς ἀνθρώπους τοὺς ἔχον

first vial-another evident allusion to the Egyptian plague which precedes the hail, viz. "The boils breaking out with blains upon man and upon beast, so that the magicians could not stand before Moses, because of the boils."

So that under the first trumpet and under the first vial the woes are cast upon the earth-the Jewish earth- and the effects of both correspond with the plagues sent upon the land of Egypt.

It would be inconsistent with the allegorical character of these trumpets and vials to attempt to prove them literally by specific facts from the history of those times, or it would not be hard to show that Judæa became a wilderness; that a plague more desolating than the plagues of the hail fell upon the Jewish earth, and that the trees and grass were burnt up. There would be no difficulty in demonstrating that a noisome and grievous sore fell upon the enemies of God, and that more died of famine and pestilence than by the Roman swords.

Such a literal explanation of an allegorical symbol is not required; it will be sufficient for our purpose to show that the basis of each symbol received its accomplishment in those remarkable days, and any particular incident which serves to establish the minutiae conveyed in the allegory is to be looked upon rather as a confirmation of the principal idea, than direct proof of the symbol itself.

τας τὸ χάραγμα τοῦ θηρίου, καὶ τοὺς τῇ εἰκόνι αὐτοῦ προσκυνοῦντας.”—Rev.

xvi. 2.

These are described as dwelling in the land of Judæa.

· κατοικοῦντας ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς . . . . . λέγων τοῖς κατοικοῦσιν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ποιῆσαι εἰκόνα τῷ θηρίῳ.”—Rev. xiii. 14.

This is proof that both trumpets and vials are prophetical of events which were to come upon the same people; for they who "have the mark of the beast and who worshipped his image," are they "who dwell upon the earth" (Judæa).

Here the identity is so remarkable that it must remove all previous doubt.

Trumpet. The second angel sounded.

Vial. The second angel poured out his vial.

T. A burning mountain is cast into the sea.
V. The vial is poured upon the sea.

T. The sea became blood.

V. The sea became as it were the blood of a dead man.

T. The third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died.

V. Every living soul1 died in the sea.

Dr. Cumming explains the second trumpet of Genseric, who destroyed the maritime power of Rome, A. D. 410 to A. D. 440. The second vial, of the victories of the Nile, Cape St. Vincent, and Trafalgar.

As usual, there is the same amount of argument for the one as for the other.

Now was there any wrath poured out upon the sea, by which the sea became as the blood of a dead man, and every living soul died in the sea, and the ships were destroyed, during the period which we have assigned as the time when these trumpets and vials must have received their accomplishment.

Josephus tells us of two engagements at sea between the Jews and the Romans. One was at Joppa. The historian says, "There fell a violent wind upon them, called by those that sail there the black north wind; it dashed their ships one against another and against the rocks, insomuch that the sea

Here equivalent to a third part of the creatures which had life. Compare "every eye shall see him," meaning a great number, equivalent to "all the tribes of the earth,” πᾶσαι αἱ φυλαὶ τῆς γῆς. The constant use of the word ã, every, in the sense of the Hebrew ↳ kol, meaning a great many, especially by St. John, is known to every scholar. My JavμálεTE TOŪTO* ὅτι ἔρχεται ὥρα, ἐν ᾗ πάντες οἱ ἐν τοῖς μνημείοις ἀκούσονται τῆς φωνῆς αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐκορεύσονται.” — John, v. 28.

“ Δεῦτε ἴδετε ἄνθρωπον ὃς εἶπέ μοι πάντα ὅσα ἐποίησα.” — John, iv. 29. « Οὐδὲ πᾶν καῦμα.” Rev. vii. 16.

was bloody a long way, and the maritime parts were full of dead bodies; for the Romans came upon those that were carried to the shore and destroyed them, and the number of the bodies that were thus thrown out of the sea was 4,200.” 1

Another took place on the lake of Gennesareth; that lake on which our Saviour walked, where he stilled the tempest, and around which so many of his wonderful works were done.

We read, "Sometimes the Romans leaped into the ships and slew them; and as for such as were drowning in the sea, they were either killed by darts or caught by the vessels, and one might see the lake all bloody and full of dead bodies, for not one of them escaped; as for the shores, they were full of shipwrecks, and of dead bodies, all swelled." "The number

of the slain was 6,500." 2

We need not go to Genseric for an explanation of the trumpet, we need not mix up our own immortal Nelson with the vial: there is no more reason why it should allude to Trafalgar than to Actium or Lepanto. But in the day and age of the Apocalypse,

"The third part of the sea became blood."

“The third part of the ships were destroyed."

"The sea became as the blood of a dead man, and every living soul died in the sea."

THIRD TRUMPET.

Chap. viii. 10, 11.

"And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters; and the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter."

1 Bell. Jud. lib. iii. cap. 9.

THIRD VIAL.

Chap. xvi. 4, 5, 6, 7.

"And the third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters; and they became blood. And I heard the angel of the waters say, Thou art righteous, O Lord, which art, and wast, and shalt be, because Thou hast judged thus, For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and Thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are

2 "He then got together all the ships that were upon the lake, which were found to be 230." - - Bell. Jud. lib. ii. cap. 21.

worthy. And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments."

Here again the identity is very conspicuous.

Trumpet. The third angel sounded.
Vial. The third angel poured out his vial.

T. Upon the rivers and fountains of waters.
V. Upon the rivers and fountains of waters.

T. The third part of the waters became wormwood, i. e., too bitter to drink.

V. The rivers and fountains of waters became blood, i. e., unfit to drink.

T. And many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter.

V. Thou hast given them blood to drink, for they are worthy.

Is this identity mere accident? Do the trumpet and the vial resemble each other from chance? I answer, do letters thrown heedlessly on the floor form themselves by accident into a beautiful poem? Will the delicate and nicely adjusted machinery of a watch unite and blend in harmonious proportion by mere accident? If such results may be accomplished by accident, we may believe that fortuitous circumstances have produced the coincidence between the trumpets and the vials. They evidently bear the impress of relating to the same events, and this is borne out, not by the identity between a few, but by the identity observable in all.

Dr. Cumming explains the third trumpet of Attila, the scourge of God, marching along the Danube, the Rhine, and the Po, A. D. 450; the vial, of the fearful scenes of bloodshed which took place upon all the great rivers of continental Europe during the late war, A. D. 1800. I never heard that the Austrians, Prussians, or Italians, or any of the continental natious vanquished by Napoleon had "shed the blood of" saints and prophets, i. e. Christian martyrs and Jewish scers,—or, that God had punished them for so doing by means of Napoleon's