tii. At the pouring out of the sixth vial, the third of the intermediate vials, the waters of the mystic Euphrates, which symbolize the Turkish monarchy, will begin to be dried up, in order that a way may be prepared for the kings from the East: in other words, the Ottoman empire will begin to be dissolved. As the drying up of water is a gradual operation, we may infer that the dissolution of that empire will also be gradual. It will probably be effected by a successive dismemberment of the provinces. So soon as the first of these shall be rent away, the effusion of the vial may be viewed as commencing. p. 401:

1. The kings from the East are most probably the lost ten tribes of Israel, for the restoration of which the overthrow of the Ottoman empire will prepare the way. It is not impossible, that the ten tribes may, in part at least, be discovered in the Afghans. p. 413.

2. Under this vial, the confederated kings of the Latin

earth will begin to be gathered together, under the beast and the false prophet, to the great battle of Armageddon by the secret agency of three unclean spirits. p. 417.

SECT. III.

Concerning the vial of the vintage.

THE vintage is the catastrophe of the great drama of the 1260 years, and synchronizes with the last vial or the vial of consummation, p. 421.

1. At the pouring out of the last vial four important events take place the earthquake, the storm of hail, the overthrow of Babylon, and the battle of Armageddon. The 17th, 18th, and 19th, chapters of the Revelation

all belong to the last vial, or to the times of the vin tage. A brief analysis of them. p. 422.

1. The earthquake, by which the great city is divided into three parts, denotes some great revolution, by which the Latin empire will either be divided into three sovereignties or three prefectures. p. 425.

2. The hailstorm seems to mean some invasion of the Roman empire from the North, probably one conducted by the king of the North during the absence of Antichrist on his expedition against Palestine. p. 425.

3. The fall of Babylon signifies the subversion of the Papacy. p. 426.

4. Under the same vial with these great events the battle of Armageddon is placed. p. 427.

(1.) The battle of Armageddon is the concluding event of Daniel's time of unexampled trouble. In it the enemies of God will be finally overthrown. p. 428.

(2.) The beast, who is to take so active a part in it, is the Roman beast under his septimo-octave or Carlovin

gian head. What power will then be the last head of the beast, must be determined by the event. The war itself, which will be decided at Armageddon, will be undertaken by a confederacy of the beast, the false prophet, and the kings of the papal earth. The infidel king will likewise be deeply concerned in it. p. 429.

(3.) The efforts of the confederacy will most probably be directed against the protestant powers, and the converted Jews during the period of their restoration to their own country. p. 430.

(4) The infidel king will probably before this period have become the last head of the beast, and thus take the lead in the expedition, as he is represented doing by Daniel. p. 432.

(5.) The consideration of this prophecy strengthens the opinion, that the witnesses will not be subjected to the horrors of another persecution, though they will continue to prophesy in sackcloth to the very time of the end. p. 434.

II. Four

II. Four of the most remarkable prophecies relative to the pe

riod of the vintage, cited. p. 435.

1. That of St. John. p. 436.

2. That of Daniel. p. 437.

3. That of Zechariah. p. 439.

4. That of Joel. p. 441.

III. These four prophecies compared together. p. 445.

1. The battle of Armageddon will literally be fought in Palestine between the two seas. p. 447.

2. The particular scene of the conflict will be Megiddo: for Armageddon signifies the cursing to utter destruction at Megiddo. p. 450.

3. The war, with which this battle will terminate, will, in one sense or another, be a religious war or crusade. p. 453.

IV. Statement of the order, in which the events at the close of the 1260 years seem to succeed each other. p. 455. 1. At the pouring out of the seventh vial, the Latin city will be divided into three parts, and the expedition of the wilful king against Palestine will commence. At this same era the Jews will begin to be restored. p. 455. (1.) One great body of the Jews will be restored through the instrumentality of some powerful maritime nation of faithful worshippers. p. 456.

(2.) Another great body will be restored in an unconverted state by the Antichristian faction. p. 460.

2. The route of Antichrist to Palestine will most probabl be through Turkey. After conquering Palestine, and placing the unconverted Jews in Jerusalem, he will proceed to subdue Egypt. p. 461.

3. In the midst of his African conquests he will be troubled by tidings out of the East and out of the North.

p. 463.

(1.) Those from the East probably relate to the landing of the troops of the maritime power in Palestine with the converted Jews, their recovery of Jerusalem out of the hands of Antichrist, and the conversion of those Jews who had been restored by Antichrist and placed in Jerusalem. p. 463.

3

(2.) Thos

(2.) Those from the North seem to be the invasion of the Latin empire by the king of the North during the absence of Antichrist, foretold in the prophecy of the seventh vial under the imagery of a great hail-storm. p. 466.

4. Troubled by these tidings, Antichrist returns from Egypt and sacks Jerusalem. p. 466.

pro

5. He next prepares to attack the troops of the maritime power, and the converted Jews under its protection, in the neighbourhood of Megiddo. But here his gress is finally stopped, and he is miraculously overthrown by a manifestation of the personal Word of God. p. 467.

6. The Jews, nevertheless, will be in some measure secondarily instrumental in effecting his overthrow. p. 469.

7. They will suffer severely in the course of their restoration, which will probably occupy a period of not less than 30 years. p. 471.

A third part of the Antichristian army will be spared and converted to the knowledge of the truth. p. 473.

9. Thus converted and scattered through the whole world, they will be instrumental in bringing about the restoration of the ten tribes. p 474.

10. Reasons for thinking it probable, that the restoration of Judah will occupy a period of 30 years, and the subsequent restoration of Israel an additional period of 45 years. p 476.

11. At the end of this last period, the houses of Judah and Israel will coalesce into one kingdom; the children of Jacob according to the flesh will be made instrumental in converting the pagan nations to Christianity; and the blessedness of the Millennium will commençe. p. 478.

12. How far prophecy enables us to ascertain the power intended by the great maritime nation of faithful wor shippers. p. 479.

13. A summing up of the particulars which may be collected

from prophecy, relative to the restoration of the house

of Israel, and the other events which take place during the time of the end. p. 480.

CHAR

CHAP. XII.

RECAPITULATION AND CONCLUSION.

THE 1260 years are the appointed hour of the powers of dark

I. Proper date of the 1260 years is the completion of the two revolts of the East and the West. This happened in the year 606. p. 486.

1. Prophecies respecting the Papal little horn. p. 487. 2. Prophecies respecting the Mohammedan little horn. p. 488.

3. Prophecies respecting Antichrist or the Infidel king. p. 490.

II. We are now living under the fourth vial; and all the concurring signs of the times indicate, that we cannot be far removed from the termination of the 1260 years. p. 491.

APPENDIX.

No. 1. An examination of Archdeacon Woodhouse's system of explaining e Apocalype. p. 499.

No. II. Remarks on Mr. Nisbett's opinion respecting the Apostasy and the man of sin. p. 529.