of the REVELATION. 95 and fo there begins the firft Vial (for the Vials are the means of ruining C~ bap. 3· ofit). ~ A fecond Thing to be premifed is, That thefe Vials are expreffed in an Allufi– on unto the Plagues executed in Egypt by Mofes and .darrm ; of which the firft were not fo great, but they ended in the drowning of thole Egyptians in the Red Sea ; even as thefe do in the utter rutmng of the Seat of Anuchnft. The firft is upon the Earth, and the effeCl: of it, a noifom and grievous fore on the Men who have the Mark of the Beaft ; in Allufion to that Plague of throwin_g DH.ft in the Air by ,/Uofe;, which caufed a Botch on Man and Beaft then in bgypt. The fccond on the Se,,, and the Waters thereof · . . The third on the Rivers and Fo11ntains, t11rning all their Waters into Blood. All this is a manifefr Allufion unto that turning the Egyptian Rivers, 6-c. into Blood, by Mofes. The fourth is upon the Sun, and tormenteth Men with Fire. Which may be an Allufion to the Puni!hment of SodoiJt. For fo in the r rth Chapter, (where thefe four firft Vials are enumerated) ve>f 5, 6. the Antichriftian State is called Egypt or Sodom. Or rather it alludes to MojCs his confuming by Fire that Com– pany that offered up ftrange Fire in the WilderneiS, when they were come out of Egypt. A third Thing to be premifed is; That as in the Trumpets the Holy GhoO: compared the Empire to a World, Cohere in the Vials he ufeth the f:1me compari– fon, comparing the Kingdom of the Beaft, and the feveral parts of it to be plagued, unto feveral parts of the World. And as rhc four firft Trumpets were fo many degrees of ruining the Weftern Empire; fo are thefe Vials of ruinmg the Beaft's World or Empire. The firft Trumpet was on the Eart/,; the fecond on the Sea ; the third on the Rivers; and the fourth on the Sun. And Whereas it was there !hewed, that in Scripture any Kingdom or Body is ulually compa– rtd to a World, (which bath an Earth, and Heavens,&c.) wherein what is loweO: is the Earth, and what is higheO: is the Heavens, the Sun and, Stars, &c. So in that hmpire lhen, and now in this Antichriftian Kingdom here, the parts of it are compared to an Eartb, Su11, Sea, 7:(jver1;'&c. Fourth Premife. And as I obferved in the I 3th Chapter, that the Pope and his Company were refembled by a double Beaft, one reprefenting the 7>olitical State of thefe Ten Kingdoms; which made up one Body under him as an Head; and the other, the Spiritual State of his Church and Clergy, (as they call it) which make up a diftinCl: Body under him as their High Prieft and Spiritual Head: So ( anfwerably) this his Earth, and ?(jvers, and Sun, (which are the Parts of thele his Kingdoms) may (according to the Analogy of this Repre– femation) be interpreted in a double fenCe ; either his Spirit11al Earth, Sea, &c. or his 7>olitical Earth, Sea, &c. Fifth Premife. Seeing that in the r tth Chapter, vetf. 8. his Kingdom is cal– led Spiritual Egypt and Sodo11t; and this, in relation unto thcfc very Plagues of the Vials (which are enumerated there, verf. .s, 6.) [The City ( fays he) which is fPiritually called Egypt and Sodom J; and that is more than meerly, or allego– rically fuch,it importing that this his Kingdom is a Spiritual Egypt,a.nd aSpiritual Sodom. And it is a Stare (we know) that claimeth Spirit1Ml Jurifdietion in Spiritual Things, and over the Souli of Men, (as Chap. 18. ve>f I 3· bath it) and not only or principally in things outward and political,but in ordine ad JPiri– tualia, in order to things Spiritual. Now therefore the Plagues (and fo thefe Vials, they being the Plagues upon this Egypt and Sodom) upon this City, muft needs be undtr!tood of Spiritua.l Plagues, upon the Souls and Spirits of Ami– chrili's Adherents, as well as outward. For they muft be anfwerable to the Eg;pt, upon which they are Plagues ; yea, and feeing that it is both a Spiritual Stare, and yet withal, a Temporal Kingdom alfo for Olllwa,.d Power and Pomp ; having an Earth, Se•, &c. as other worldly Kingdoms have: therefore they !hall
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=