is bent upon making events square with a preconceived hypothesis. Had he and other writers never adopted the theory, that the sixth vial was already poured out, or on the eve of being, and that therefore all that precede it necessarily must have been accomplished, this, and similar errors would never have occurred.

There is a passage in Daniel's last prophecy, "of the things noted in the scriptures of truth," which, from its chronology as well as from the nature of events which it predicts, appears unquestionably identical with the fifth vial. The passage occurs in chapter xi. 40, 41 verses :— "And at the time of the end shall the king of the south push at him : and the king of the north shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over. He shall enter also into the glorious land, and many countries shall be overthrown: but these shall escape out of his hand, even Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon."

"The time of the end" (py), throughout the Hebrew Scriptures, is employed as synonymous with the latter days (DP), (Ges. in voc. ). The signification of that phrase, therefore, clearly is the end of the twelve hundred and sixty days, or reign of the Papal See, which we have already found is the period of effusion of the vials. Accordingly a few verses onwards after relating the wars of the kings of the south and north, which would probably occupy some years, the prophet mentions the great tribulation (Dan. xii. 1), which I shall presently shew occurs under the seventh vial.

The period, then, of the attack of the kings of the south and north upon the "king who did according to his will," is clearly the same as that of the vials; and, if so, the violence with which the northern potentate invades the kingdom of

the Roman Pontiff, renders it in the highest degree probable, that some one or other of those vials which are the adherents of the Papacy, must be considered as identical with this attack :-" The king of the north shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over." The invader evidently sweeps through the territory of the "king who did according to his will," bearing down all opposition, and occasioning all the horrors and desolation which follow in the footsteps of war. If, therefore, the seat of the Beast, mentioned in the fifth vial, denote, as there is strong reason to think, the city of Rome, then the effusion of that vial which fills his kingdom with darkness, is identical with this invasion of the Papal See by the northern sovereign.

"And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared. And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame. And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon." -Rev. xvi. 12-16.

The great river Euphrates, is the well-known symbol of the kingdom through which its waters roll. The Turkish power had been previously brought before us, under this designation, in the sixth trumpet, and the same analogy is observable here, as in the previous vials. The sixth trumpet "loosed the four angels bound in the Euphrates," and

myriads of Turkish horsemen overwhelmed and destroyed the Eastern empire. The corresponding vial affects the same object; but its consequences are the exact reverse. The waters are dried up,-the kingdom is desolated.

In interpreting the consequences which are said to follow the effusion of this vial on the Turkish empire, the commentators are almost universally agreed. Waters are the acknowledged symbol of multitudes of people, according to the interpretation of the angel,-"The waters which thou sawest, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.”—Rev. xvii. 15. The evaporation of the waters of the great river Euphrates, therefore, symbolizes the depopulation of the Turkish territory.

Whilst thus agreeing in the interpretation given of this vial by the generality of commentators, as to its leading features, I am compelled to differ from them, in regarding the drying up of the waters as a rapid act, rather than a work of time. The latter opinion owes its origin, doubtless, to the fact, that Turkey has for years past experienced a considerable diminution of its inhabitants, by means of plagues of divers sorts, in connection with the theory, that the previous five vials had been poured out already. The arguments already adduced in support of the opinion, that none of the vials have been poured out, if conclusive, are of course fatal to such a notion; but independently of this, the great length of time which has elapsed, according to the statements of this class of writers, appears to me an unanswerable proof of its unsoundness. Faber, who wrote in 1806, described the vial as having been then some years in operation. Hence fifty years have nearly elapsed, without any evidence arising, that the actual drying up, the complete evaporation of the waters, is nearer at hand than at first. This is certainly in opposition to the obvious meaning of the prophecy, which represents the effect as immediately following the vial's effusion :—

"The

sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates, and the water thereof was dried up." Here is no pause, no long process, the effect is produced at once, "the water was dried up." The conclusion to which we are led, therefore, is that the prophecy is yet unfulfilled, and that when the vial is poured out, it will consist not in the death of ten, or twenty, or even fifty thousand men, at various intervals of time, but in a general and rapid depopulation of the whole Ottoman Empire. Some heavy judgment of the Almighty, what it is impossible to foresee, will dry up the channels of the figurative Euphrates, and Turkey as a nation will then cease to exist.

:

The prophecy of Daniel already quoted, contains what I cannot help regarding a most important illustration of this sixth vial. The verses immediately following those which refer to the judgment contained in the fifth vial, appear to me, descriptive of a dreadful destruction of the Turkish nation. The passage is the following :-"But he shall have power over the treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt: and the Libyans and the Ethiopians shall be at his steps. But tidings out of the east and out of the north shall trouble him therefore he shall go forth with great fury to destroy, and utterly to make away many.”— Dan. xi. 43, 44. The import of this prophetical relation, seems to be, that during the successful invasion of Egypt, the northern potentate hears tidings out of the east and out of the north which trouble him; he goes forth, influenced by violent anger at the intelligence, "to destroy, and utterly make away many," Whither does he go? It would appear the east ; for thence comes one portion of the intelligence, and he is described almost immediately after, as pitching his palace-like tents in Judea; if so, he goes there "to destroy, and utterly make away many;" that is to say, he goes forth to the east, from whence intelligence which troubles him has

to

arrived; and as Turkey is one of the most contiguous countries in the east, it must be regarded, at least as highly probable, especially as a tremendous desolation of this kingdom does occur about this time, that "he goes forth with great fury" to Turkey, "to destroy, and utterly make away many."

Although, then, it is far from certain, yet there does seem strong ground to conclude, that the destruction here predicted, is the same as that symbolized by the drying up of the waters of the Euphrates. The interpretation proceeds upon the supposition, that the exterminating invasion of Turkey by the northern king, occurs between the mention of his going forth with great fury and his planting his tents in Palestine, which latter event, unquestionably refers to the battle of Armageddon, as appears from the commencement of the twelfth chapter.

The object contemplated by the Omnipotent in this tremendous desolation is stated in the ensuing words :"That the way of the kings of the east might be prepared.” This passage has proved a "locus vexatissimus " to every succeeding commentator, nor has any satisfactory explanation as yet been suggested. The prevalent opinion on the subject appears to be, that the "kings of the east" signify the Jews, and the way prepared for them, is their return to the land of their fathers. This theory, however, is utterly untenable. The term "kings" is employed just after, to denote actual, literal sovereigns ("the kings of the earth," &c.); we cannot, therefore, understand it figuratively here; by the laws of interpretation it is necessary to consider the same word as denoting the same thing where it occurs in such close connexion. Another objection equally fatal to such a notion is, that the restoration of the Jews must have already taken place, and therefore "the way of the kings of the east” cannot refer to that event. This is evident from the fact, that