brought down, and canst never rise again, saith the Lord God."

These prophecies, out of the prophet Ezekiel, God commanded me to set down here; for he spake mouth to mouth unto my soul, and commanded me very earnestly to write, as he should tell it me. And now here it stands, as God did command me: whoever now shall despise it, and shall speak and judge evil of it, will bring a heavy judgment upon his own neck. This has God written by me his pen, John Maximilian, as a warning to every one; therefore let no man deceive himself, for God will not be mocked, and whatsoever he does is just and right.

It is seldom in predictions of this kind that they are fulfilled literally; but, if the effect is produced as foretold, we may almost consider the prediction as verified. In this instance, that which was to have been effected by plague, pestilence, and famine, has been brought about in a manner almost miraculous by the sword. Rome, which amongst the various convulsions of the christian world had been held in a sacred neutrality, was overturned, not it is true by Turks and Swedes, but by a nation considered catholic, and at the period of this vision so cruelly bigoted in the cause of that religion, as to butcher thousands of its own subjects under that vain pretext; but who, as if for the purpose of verifying this and other

similar predictions, lost all sense of religion, and became more heathenish than the most barbarous nations. By it, the triple crown of the Pope was hurled from his brow, his power both spiritual and temporal was overthrown, even his person made captive, and Rome, the mistress of the arts, as well as the head seat of religion, stripped of those choice collections of ages which had long been the admiration of the world; and so fallen from her power, as to become the seat only of a small military command. Looking to the relative situation of France and Rome, at the period of the vision, and the wonderful changes that had taken place to accomplish the fulfilment of it, joined to the subjugation of Vienna, and the dismemberment of the Germanic body at the same period, and by the same wonderful means we must look upon it as an astonishing prediction preternaturally verified.

Extracted from Dr. John Gill's Sermon, preached December 27, 1752.

Ps. lxxxvi. ver. 3.

THE destruction of Antichrist will be by the spirit of Christ's mouth, and the brightness of his coming; that is, by his coming in a spiritual

way; or through the word of his mouth, his gospel attended by his spirit and power; which will shine out with so much lustre, splendor, light, and glory, as will chase away the darkness of popery, and enlighten the minds of people, to see into all the fopperies, absurdities, and wickedness of that religion.

This work will be greatly effected by the pouring out the seven vials of God's wrath, or the inflicting the seven last plagues upon the antichristian states, upon the western and eastern antichrist, the Pope and Turk; who must be both removed to make way for the spiritual reign of Christ.

The first five of these vials concern the western antichrist and his dominions; between which and the trumpets there is a great correspondence, though they respect different times and persons, - The first vial will be poured out upon the earth, and designs those popish countries which are upon the continent, as France, &c.; and as the first trumpet brought the Goths into Germany, so the first vial will bring great distress upon the popish party, and issue in a reformation from popery. The second vial will be poured out upon the sea, and may intend the maritime powers belonging to the see of Rome, particularly Spain and Portugal; and as the second trumpet brought the Vandals into these places, so this vial will effect the same, and bring wars and desolations

into them, and make a change in their religion, The third vial will be poured out upon the rivers and fountains of waters, which may point to those places adjacent to Rome, as Italy and Savoy ; and as the third trumpet brought the Huns into those parts, so this vial will bring in large armies hither, which will cause much bloodshed, and a great revolution in church and state. The fourth vial will be poured out upon the sun, which must denote some person or persons of great dignity and influence; and, as the fourth trumpet brought destruction upon the emperor of Rome, the sun of the empire, and upon governors under him, signified by the moon and stars; this vial will bring on the ruin of the pope of Rome, the sun of the antichristian empire, with all his cardinals, bishops, priests, &c.

Now these several vials, as they will be so many plagues on the western Antichrist, and make so many breaches and ruins upon his states and dominions, so they will be so many gradual steps to the advancement of the glory and kingdom of Christ, and issue in the reformation of these places from popery. The sixth vial will be poured out on the river Euphrates, which designs the Turkish empire, in the midst of which that river is: and as the sixth trumpet let loose the four angels, or heads of the Ottoman family into Europe, so this vial affects the same empire, and brings destruction on it, signified by the drying up the waters

of that river, as Babylon's destruction is expressed by the drying up of her sea, Jer. li. 36. which will make way for the kings, or kingdoms of the east, the kingdoms of Persia, and Tartary, and others, to receive and embrace the christian religion: this is the second, or Turkish woe, which shall pass away, when the kingdoms of this world will become Christ's, and his dominion will be from sea to sea, from the Mediterranean sea to the Persian sea, and from the river Euphrates to the ends of the earth. The seventh vial will be poured out upon the air, the whole kingdom of Satan, in all the branches of it, who is the prince of the power of the air; and this vial will clear the whole world of all the remains of Christ's enemies, pagan, papal, and mahometan, which the other vials left, or did not reach; and now. will Christ's kingdom be in its full glory. Now the heathens, papists, pagans, and mahometans, will perish out of his land, and these sorts of sinners will be consumed out of the earth, and such wicked ones will be no more.

But I must not forget the conversion of that considerable body of people the Jews, who have been preserved a distinct people for several hundreds of years, for this purpose; the conversion of these people will be sudden, and of them altogether; a nation shall be born at once. It looks as if their conversion would be like that of the apostle Paul, and he seems to hint that it