THE THIRD

VIAL

REVEL. 16. V e r. 4,5,6,7.

And the third Angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters, and they became bloud." And I heard the Angel of the waters fay, Thou art righteous, O Lord, which art, and waft, and shalt be, because thou hast indged thus: For they have shed the bloud of Saints and Prophets, and thou haft given them blond to drinke, for they are worthy. And I heard another out of the Altar fay, Even fo, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy indgements.

Hefe feven Angels (as you heard) that had the vials of the laft wrath of God to poure out, they poure it all out upon the Antichriftian world, upon the Beast, or fomething or other pertaining to the Beast; for the first that poured his vial on the earth, vexed them that had the mark of the beaft; he begins therefore with the beaft, And the fift Angel poured forth his vial upon the throne of the beast, in the 10. ver. and when the feventh Angel poured forth his vial, Great Babylon came up in remembrance before God, &c. in the 19.ver. So that (in a word) all these vials being poured out fom first to last upon the earth, and the earth being the Antichristian state, oppofite to heavenly and pure Churches, all the

A

vials

vials are poured upon the Antichriftian world or ftate. And (as you fee) they begin with the loweft elements firft; The first upon the earth, the next upon the fea, the third upon the rivers and fountaines, the fourth upon the fun in that world, the fift upon the throne of the Beaft, the fixt upon Euphrates, the feventh upon the ayre. Now the fecond Angel (of which you heard the last day) having poured out his vial upon the fea, it became as the bloud of a dead man, and all that lived in that fea, dyed.

The fea (you heard) is the confluence of waters and rivers, and doth hold forth the confluence or concurrence of all the oracles, and ordinances, and meanes of grace and falvation, or thofe that are pretended fo to be. The concurrence, or confluence of them all to one body, which in one word was their Religion in the old Temple, it was refembled to a brazen fea, wherein the Priefts washed themfelves; In the Apoftolique Church of the New Teftament, it is refembled unto a fea of glaffe, like unto cryftall, wherein you might fee the face of Chrift, as in a mirrour; In Reformed Churches, it is a fea of glaffe, mingled with fire; In Popish Churches, it is as the bloud of a dead man; no living bloud is there to be found to wash the people in, but as the bloud of a dead man, without life, to them that are washed in it, and rather fit to choake,and poifon, and kill, then to give life. Now that being the fea; Then here the next vial is poured out upon the rivers and fourtains of waters that run into this fea, and derive this fea up and downe the earth, The third Angel poured out his vial проп the rivers and fountains of waters: And the pouring out of his vial, is defcribed, Fift, by the fubject on which it is poured, Von the rivers and fountains of waters: Secondly, by the effect, and they became bloud: Thirdly, the pouring out of this vial is am-· plified by the teftimony given to it, and the effect of it; What is the testimony? It is double, 1. Given by the Angel of the waters in the 5 ver. I heard the Angel of the maters fay, what doth he fay? he gives to God the glory of his righteoulhefle, and of his unchangeable righteoufneffe, which art, and wast, and shalt be, because thou haft indged thus: And the reafon of it (he gives) is taken from the equity of the law of retaliation, in the 6.ver. For they have fed the blond of Saints and Prophets, and thon haft given them blood to drinke, for they are worthy. The fecond Te

ftimony

ftimony by which this powring out of the Vjall is amplified, (and the effect of it is justified) is by another Angell out of the Altar in the 7. ver. who faith Amen to this: Even fo Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy iudgments. For the meaning of the words.

The fea being Religion, the confluence of ordinances, fuch ordinances as are difpenfed in any religion: The rivers and founrains of water that fpring from the fea, and returne to the fea, and derive all their fprings and waters from thence, they are (and it is generally fo received, and therefore with more freedome of spirit a man may declare it) these rivers, and fountains of waters are generally conceived to be the Priefts, and Minifters of the Popish Church, who carry Popish Religion,as Fountains and Rivers do the Sca, up and down the earth; fo do they Popish Religion, up and down the Nations, carryit to and fro, only there is this difference between them, and ordinary rivers and fountains, ordinarily rivers and fountains are fresh, though the fea be falt, but here the fountains & rivers are falt and brackish allo; as those salt springs be, that run through falt mineralls, which are of like nature with the fea, and these keep their brackishneffe ftill: And fo it is with these rivers and fountains, they run through the earth, on which the firft Angel poured out his vial; they run through the curfed earth, as it is plagued of God, and therefore ftill retaines the like unwholfome Breams which are found in the bloudy fea: And therefore it is faid, that as the fea became bloud, fo thefe rivers alfo became bloud, and carryed but the like kind of water which they received from the fea, corrupt. As the Religion it felfe is corrupt, fo are these fountaines and rivers, the Priefts and Jefuites, whether fecular or regular, that is, the Parish Priests of their Churches, or Regular Monkes that are in Religious Orders, or who ever are fent forth by thefe, they are thefe rivers and fountaines of waters that run to and fro to fill all the world with their fea,with their Religion. It is the fame word which the Apostle Peter hath in exprefling the nature of falfe teachers, though there it is wells, yet the words are both one, They are wells without water, meaning, without water of life,carrying their owne drugs and dregs, 2 Pet. 2. 17. A fit expreffion (therefore) of fuch kind of Prielts or Prophets, as doe convey unwholfome liquor or water up and downe a countrey. Now of thefe it is laid, that on the pou

ring out of this vial, they became bloud, not onely in regard that their waters themfelves are bloud, the doctrine and worship which they doe hold forth to the people are corrupt, as their fea is, (like the plague in Egypt, when their waters and rivers were turned to bloud) but that chiefly in regard of the punithment which they inflict on them for fo doing, which is a bloudy death, as bloud is expounded in the 5. and 6. verfes, where the Angel of the waters faith, Thou art righteous, O Lord, &c. because thon haft indged thus: Why? For they have shed the bloud of Saints and Prophets, and thou hast given them bloud to drinke, for they are worthy: So this is bloud which God hath given them to drinke. And that is an ufuall phrafe, to give a man bloud to drinke, is to kill him: As Tomyris of old faid to King Cyrus, Thou haft been a bloud-thirsty man, drink thou bloud which thou haft thirsted. When you give a man bloud to drink, you put him to death. So this Angel, who ever it was, that poured out this vial, he puts thefe Priests to death, he gave them bloud to drink, both made themselves to undergoe a bloudy death, to drinke bloud, and alfo made all that received and entertained them, to drinke bloud too; and this was effeAually accomplished by Queene Elizabeth, when in the 27. yeare of her raigne, in the yeare 1581. by the confent of the Parliament, the made it a Law, that if any Pricft or Jefuite, that had received Orders from the Sea of Rome, or any authority from that Sea, fhould come into the Realme,and goe about or practice to feduce any of the Queenes loyall Subjects from their allegeance, to the obedience of the Sea of Rome, or pratice to draw them to that religion, he should be judged guilty of high treason, and fuffer in the cafe of a Traitor; And this was another branch of that Statute, That if any gave entertainment to fuch Priests and Jefuites (after certain dayes,) and knew them to be fuch, fhould fuffer as in cafe of Felonie, without the benefit of his Booke; so that both of thern muft drinke bloud both the Jefuites and Priests themselves, and their abettors and entertainers; and the ground was, because they had bloudy intendments in their comming, intending to kill the Queene, or corrupt the State with unwholfome and pernicious Doctrine,to draw the people from their allegeance, to the obedience of the Sea of Rome, that fo as it was faid, a generation of Catholiques was the

cor

corruption of her fubjects: To prevent which mifchiefe, this Law was enacted, and fo upon this occafion, many fuffered that yeare, and others in after yeares, most part of her Raigne.

Now what is then the meaning of the next words, ! heard the Angel of the waters fay, Thou art righteous, O Lord, which art, and wast, and shalt be, because thou hast indged thus: fo it was bloud recompenced with bloud. This Angel of the waters, it was he or she that poured out this vial on these waters: She with the confent of her Councel, and Parliament, they were this Angel of the waters that had this power over thefe rivers and fountaines, and this was accomplished two or three yeares after, when he fet Secretary Cicill on worke to write a Booke with this Title, JUSTITIA BRITANNI x,The luftice of Britaine, wherein Secretary Cicill, by her appointment, doth make it cleare to all neighbour Nations, (and for that end published his Book in fundry Languages, French, Dutch, and Spanish) that what was decreed in that Parliament was juft, according to the Law of God, and the true principles of Chriftian State Policie, that there was no hope of fafety to the Queenes Perfon, or of peace to the Common wealth, or of liberty to true Reformed Religion, if fuck. perfons were fuffered to goe up and downe in that peftilentious manner, to pervert and corrupt the people, and withdraw them from their Allegeance, and fubject them to the Bishop of Rome; that they did not fuffer meerely on point of Religion, though on those points of their Religion which gave them occalion fo to work, he doth not deny that neither, but in refpect that the frame of their Religion was not compatible to any Proteftant State: And the very Booke it felfe holds forth this in effect, that the Lord was just herein; and as the Text here tels us, Thou art righteous, O Lord, because thou haft indged thus: And he attributes not onely righteoufineffe to God in this, but immuta bility, and conftancie, which art, and wast, and shalt be alway. The fame from the ancient Law of retaliation, in the 24. of Leviticus, 19, 20, 21. it is there ordained, that look what a man doth to others, it fhall be fo done to him, Breach for breach, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, &c. They gave thy Prophets.

A 3.

: and