SELF, with ridicule and contempt, yea, with defiance. All laws, both human and divine, were confidered, by them, as non-entities. In this ftate of more than Egyptian darkness, nothing was criminal, and every thing lawful, which an unlimited gratification of their ambition, and their lufts, could fuggeft. With minds thus loofened from all reftraints of religion and morality, the moft refolute, wicked, and ambitious split into different factions, each hav ing their plan of arbitrary rule. Thefe ftruggled for mastery in the great national council, which they divided and diftracted, by oppofing one another in every measure, except fuch as happened to be propofed, and tended to restore the ftate to its former health and vigour in rejecting thefe they always united. At length, finding that their diffenfions obftructed their meafures, and that the monarchy muft first fall before they could hope for fuccefs, they united in the Jacobin club, for the purpose of removing that bar to their ambition. All hiftorians of the French revolution speak with horror of the injuftice and fanguinary measures of this monftrous confpiracy. A brief defcription of it by one of them is fo appofite to my purpose, that I cannot forbear repeating it in his own words *. "This monster," fays he, "took upon itself alone, "to carry on our revolution; it directed, it ex"ecuted all the operations of it, all the explosions "and outrages. It every where appointed the most "active leaders, and, as inftruments, employed the "profligates of every country. Its power far fur"paffed that which has been attributed to the Inquifition, and other fiery tribunals, by those who "have fpoken of them with the greatest exaggera"tion. Its centre was at Paris, whilft clubs in every * F. Page's Hift. F. Revolution. 66 town, "town, in every little borough, overspread the furface of the whole kingdom. The conftant correfpondence kept up between those clubs, and "that of the capital, was as fecret and as fpeedy as that of free-mafonry. In a word, the Jacobin club "had prevailed in caufing themselves to be looked up to, as the real national reprefentation. Under "that pretence they cenfured all the authorities "in the most imperious manner. And whenever "their denunciations, petitions, or addreffes failed "to produce immediate effect, they gained their point by INSURRECTIONS, ASSASSINATIONS, AND 66 FIRE." To pass from this general view, to a detail of all the villainous enormities of this COLOSSAL HYDRA, in fuch a brief differtation as this, is as impoffible as it is unneceffary. Let it then fuffice to fay, that if, by the collifion of their different plans, and the dreadful action and re-action of the several factions, the ignorant and already corrupted people were impelled, before the coalition, as ulcers through the fkin, to break through the laws, into tumults, infurrections, affaffinations, and maffacres; these political ulcers were now augmented a hundred fold, and covered the whole political body. Become allpowerful and frightful, religion, law, morality, humanity, and political order fled at the terrific nod of the Jacobin club, as from a hideous Spectre. At its nod the "great city," Paris, as an hiftorian expreffes it*, became, of a fudden, without government, "without a head, without guards, police, patroles, 'justice, or public worship, or even public amufe"ment." At its nod, a horde of banditti ftarted up in the feveral provinces, plundering, proftrating, and burning the castles and archives of the feignoral no * F. Page's F. Rev. vol. i. p. 104. bility, bility, and the manfions of men of all ranks *. At its nod the great councils of the nation bent the knee, bowed obedience to its defpotifm, and gave their fanction to every measure, however unjust and tyrannical, which it waspleased to dictate, by paffing them into decrees. At its nod, the moft bloody civil wars were kindled, in which no quarter was given on either fide, in all parts of the country, until France became a " noifome and griev ous fore," all over ulcerated, a mafs of putrid corruption, bleeding at every pore; a "field of blood;" or, as another hiftorian, when labouring for language to defcribe the dreadful fcene, expreffes it, until France was made " ONE GREAT TOMB." دو All oppofition appalled and filenced by thefe bloodthirsty means, the tyrants haftened to put an end to their royal victim. They now threw off the mask, broke out into open rebellion, feized upon, imprisoned, and dethroned their fovereign; deftroyed a monarchy the most ancient and fplendid in Europe, and established a revolutionary republic upon its ruins a republic, which, in the courfe of divine Providence, is to be the inftrument of pouring out upon this apoftate and blafphemous nation a yet greater portion of his wrath, as will hereafter appear, from the events foretold under the fourth vial. Vial 2.-Ver. 3" And the fecond angel "poured out his vial upon the fea, and it be came as the blood of a dead man: living foul died in the fea?”? and every From the deftruction of the French monarchy, and the rife of the republic, the prophet, I humbly *F. Page's F. Rev. vol. i. p. 151. M apprehend, apprehend, paffes to the next great and important events which were to follow, in which the church of Chrift in the Weft was to be materially concerned. I mean to thofe judgments and fcourges of divine wrath, which have been lately poured out upon the apoftate ftates of Italy, but principally upon the church of Rome, which has long held them eftranged from the pure word of God, in an idolatrous captivity. To understand this verfe aright, it will be neceffary to confider each fentence of it apart; because each of them foretels a feparate fact, and thofe facts are veiled in myfterious allegory; and thofe allegories must be literally explained, before they can be properly applied to their appropriate events. Here then we are firft told, that "the fecond angel poured "out his vial upon the fea." He could not intend that we should understand the word in a literal sense, becaufe, to pour out a vial of his wrath merely on the "fea," could answer no purpose of God's juftice and providence. We must then fearch for it in allegory. And in doing this we fhall confider the nature and qualities of the fea; and then find out a Power whose nature and offices bear a fimilitude to them: for it is upon fuch fimilitude between the moral, religious, and political worlds, that the language of allegory has been formed; and therefore it is thence alone that we can obtain the literal fenfe of any figurative expreffion or type. Let us examine this beautiful figure in all its branches. The fea is a great body in the natural world, which fupplies the lakes, rivers, and fountains, with water, and they rcturn their ftreams to it; fo the church of Rome, a great ecclefiaftical body, fupplies the kings, princes, and ftates, with her idolatrous doctrines, her waters; and they in return pay her their obedience and homage. The fea, by its vapours, fupplies the lakes, rivers, 5 rivers, and fountains, in a filent and invifible manner; fo the church of Rome has, by her arts, frauds, and myfteries, in a fecret manner feduced and converted many nations to her faith. The fea, when moved by gentle breezes, fends forth its vapours in genial fhowers of rain; and when moved by violent gufts of wind, in hurricanes and forms, to the lakes, rivers, and fountains, disturbing their waters, and overwhelming their banks; and they, in return, pour out their floods, their fifh, and their treasures, into the bofom of the fea, to fupport and maintain it. Exactly in like manner the church of Rome, while nations remained obedient to her will, fent forth her genial Showers of indulgences, licenfes, pardons, and benedictions; but when disturbed and irritated by their refractory difobedience, her hurricanes and Storms of interdictions, penances, bulls, and anathemas, to the nations of the earth; inciting their fubjects to fedition and infurrections, and to overturn their governments, until they fubmit to pour into her lap their aids, fees, and bribes, to fupport her power and grandeur. Here then we find, that in this beautiful hieroglyphic, the fimilitudes of the prototype exactly correfpond with the type itself, and therefore that this prototype is the church of Rome. But it is not in the figurative fenfe only that this vial alludes to the church of Rome; the allufion is as ftrong in the literal fense of the word "fea." For the fituation of Rome is upon a long, narrow ftrip of land, running into the fea; and furrounded on every fide, except one, by the fea; and upon the river Tiber, near the fea; and therefore, when compared with inland powers, is, as it were, upon, or in the fea. Hence we find the prophet elfewhere, when foretelling the decline of the power of Rome in the Weft, |