duo certissima there are two things most certain of which this is one Have not the Jews already received a very great Number of false Messiah's Did they not follow their famous Barchocheva in the reign of Adrian by whose orders more than a million of Jews that revolted from all parts under the conduct of this false Messiah were Massacred Why must he of whom Iesus Christ speaks be Antichrist Antichrist is not to have his seat at Jerusalem IV. But Antichrist must have his seat at Ierusalem Therfore he must be accounted by the Iews for the Messiah Another Chimaera If the Messiah must have his seat at Ierusalem why do they make him to come forth from among the ten Horns i. e. from among the ten Kings that must divide the Roman Empire at this day viz. Germany For that only at this day doth subsist under the name of the Roman Empire What connection what coherence can a Iew sitting in Ierusalem have with the ten Horns and the ten Kingdoms of Germany Why did they acknowledg a little before that Antichrist must be the last King that shall possess the Roman Empire What is there in common between the Roman Empire and the Empire of a Iew that must reign at Ierusalem Is it perhaps because Antichrist shall reign in Germany By the same reason the Persian Empire must have been the same with the Assyrian because the Persians did extend their dominion in all places where the Assyrians once did reign This dream is founded on what St. Paul saith that Antichrist must sit in the Temple of God and on what the H. Ghost saith that the two Witnesses whom Antichrist should slay should lie dead on the place of the great City where J. Christ was crucified now he was crucified at Ierusalem As to the first we say that the Temple of God can by no means signify the Temple at Ierusalem which was no longer the Temple of God since God caused this voice to be heard there Let us depart hence since God hath entirely abollisht the Mosaical service since the Law was abrogated and the Gospel Establisht The Temple of God is the very Christian Church wherin the throne of Antichristianism is raised up And as for that city in the Revelation where Jesus Christ was crucified 't is the Roman Empire in which the Saviour of the World was crucified 't is also the Empire of Antichrist who hath crucified Jesus Christ in crucifying his subjects Jerusalem is never called the great City without the addition of the Holy City V. Antichrist must hate Idols and not be an Idolater Why then is Babylon called the mother of whoredoms Who doth not know Antichrist is not to be an hater of Idols Dan. 11.38 that in a spiritual sense Whoredom signifies Idolatry Why do they confess that we must understand that place in Daniel concerning him that he shall worship Mahuzims These Mahuzims whatever they be are they not Idols He must not deny the coming of Christ in the flesh VI. He must deny the coming of Christ in the flesh St. John doth not say so He saith indeed that he that denies that Iesus Christ is come into the World and who doth not acknowledg an incarnate God is Antichrist in the sense wherin the same Apostle saith there are many Antichrists and in that sense wherin they that overthrow the foundations of the Christian Religion are Antichrists He is not to abolish the Mass VII He shall abolish the sacrifice of the Mass and shall make men renounce their Baptism This is not said in any place It is true 't is said of Antiochus that he shall cause the daily sacrifice to cease which he also did It is true also that in so doing he was a Type of Antichrist who hath caused the true sacrifices to cease which are prayers to God to substitute in their place the worship of Mahuzims and Demi-Gods How Antichrist is to overthrow three Kings VIII He is to overcome three Kings viz. those of Lybia Ethiopia and Egypt It is true also that this is expresly spoken concerning Antiochus and that it agrees to Antichrist as to the person of whom Antiochus was the Type And it is very certain this hath been accomplisht in the Roman Antichristian Empire in what sense soever we understand it For the Court of Rome hath destroyed three Kingdoms in Italy that of the Lombards that of the Goths and before these that of the Greeks These are the three Kingdoms which the Pope hath ruin'd to usurp his Temporalities He hath overthrown the King of Naples him of Sicily and him of Germany to make them his vassals He hath overcome the third part of those Kingdomes that have submitted to him because he hath usurped more than a third part of their Riches their Lands and their Iurisdiction How Antichrist causeth fire to come down from Heaven XII He is to cause fire to come down from Heaven It is enough to make fire come down from heaven to hurl Anathema's and lightnings on the heads of men to damn them if it were possible for him to do it and effectually to kill them For these are the lightnings tho painted ones that have set the Christian World on fire He is not to conquer by arms XIII He must conquer all the World by arms How can this be true seeing the H. Spirit saith expresly that the ten Kings which you your selves confess are co-temporary with Antichrist his friends and subjects shall freely give their power to him There will be no need therfore to conquer them by arms Moreover the Pope hath not been wanting to make use of carnal weapons to strengthen and encrease his Soveraignty Enoch and Elias must not return nor be killed XIV Enoch and Elias must come again in the time of Antichrist he must kill them and they must rise again These are ridiculous visions Jewish fables or tales made in imitation of them who always expect their Elias as well as their Messiah As for us we keep close to what the Lord J. Christ hath told us that Elias hath already come and that that Elias was Iohn Baptist who had the power and Spirit of Elias As for Enoch and his return it is a vision that hath not the least foundation in History or in Prophecy 'T is true Enoch was translated into Heaven but there is not one word whence we can hope for his return These are fables upon fables That Enoch and that Elias those two witnesses that must appear again in the time of Antichrist are hidden as they say in a retired place in the Earthly Paradise that subsists to this very day and which is invisible to all men Antichrist is not to style himself the only God. XV. Antichrist is to style himself God and the only God. How absurd is this How doth this agree with what you say that Antichrist must be received by the Iews as their Messiah that he is
small number of True Believets remain'd victims exposed to the Rage of an Army of an hundred thousand men which were let loose upon the Kingdom This I say again is without Example in any Histsry S. Cyprian in his Treatise de Lapsis seems to say that some such thing happened in the persecution of Decius but he himself in his Epistles makes it evident that the Apostacy was not so general for he remits those who had fallen to be judged at the return of Peace in the Assemblics of the Faithful who persevered so that the number of those that persevered must have been considerable In our time it would be difficult out of every Flock to make up an Assembly of such as persevere to judge the rest 'T is therefore an Event wherein we must admire the depth of Divine Providence 'T is a speaking Prodigy which tells us we are now in those last days when Christ should come and not find true Piety or true Faith upon Earth This is a Touch-stone for all Protestants their Brethren of France were not more wicked than others Wherefore we may believe that the same thing would happen in any other place on supposition of the same Circumstances and consequently that Christian courage and true Faith are at this day very rare and few Instances to be found Lastly this Affair tells us that God would melt the Heart of that People and suffer them to sink and be swallowed up that he may shortly raise to himself another a new People These are the Characters of this persecution which makes me regard it as very singular and extraordinary in its kind and consequently as a presage that God will shortly finish the establishment of his Kingdom and the Ruin of that of Antichrist If we only consider how this Persecution hath been more effectual than any the Church ever suffer'd it were enough to make us judge that the Devil now imploys his utmost force and power as apprehending 't is the last Time and that the ruin of his Kingdom is at hand When Paganism was ready to fall under Constantine he then excited the sharpest persecution under the Emperor Dioclesian These are the different Reflexions that conspired to possess me that the coming of our Lord was near to destroy the wicked one by the Breath of his Mouth I had a strong inclination to be certain and assured of the truth of these Thoughts which could no otherwise be done but by finding in the Apocalypse the accomplishment of those Circumstances which were to precede and accompany the fall of the Babylonish Empire With this design I betook my self to read over the Apocalipse not the several Commentators on that Book but the Book it self only with the Exposition of Ioseph Mede whom I formerly look't upon as a man inspired for the Interpretation of the Prophecies His Key of the Apocalypse and annexed commentary did heretofore charm me I could find nothing like it in all the other Expositors I added that of his Chronicles and his Book called The Apostacy of the latter Times which is a large Commentary on 1 Tim. Chap. 4. v. 1 2 3 4. And the Spirit saith expresly that in the last times there shall be some who shall depart from the Faith. Besides several excellent and curious things a part whereof you will find in this Treatise I met with in that Author the thing which I so eagerly sought for viz. the true Epocha of the 1260 years during which Time the Antichristian Empire should last he makes them to begin about the year of our Lord 450. or 455. by dateing them from thence they must end about the year 1710 or 1715. which agrees very well with my conjecture But Ioseph Mede who set me right at first in the beginning of the true path forsook me in the middle of the way and when the circumstances and preliminaries of the fall of Babylon were to be adjusted according to this Calculation which are so exactly described in the Apocalypse I found no assistance at all from him on the contrary he led me out of the way wherin he himself had put me and to make me wander and go astray According to the Epocha which he himself had mark't for the beginning of the 1260 years for the reign of Antichrist I should see the end of it in 25 or 30 years but according to Mr. Mede there must be many Ages to accomplish all things which are to be fulfilled before the period of the Kingdom of Antichrist In the 11th 14th 16th Chapters we have an account of the Circumstances and degrees of the Fall of that Empire the Eleventh Chapter speaks of the death of the two Witnesses for three days and half of their Resurrection and of the fall of the tenth part of the City c. In the 14 Chap. where the Fall of Babylon is divided into two Acts one is called the Vintage the other the Harvest In the 16th Chap. where the seven Periods of the declension and Fall of the Antichristian Empire are set forth by seven viols and seven Plagues of all this Ioseph Mede understood nothing yea supposing as he doth that of those seven Plagues not above two or three were come to pass in his Time he remits us far enough off for the accomplishment of the five others The Periods described by every Viol are each of them more than one Age so that we should have four or five hundred years yet to come before the end of the Kingdom of Antichrist If every one of the four viols that remain to be poured out were but of fifty years we should have yet two hundred years longer to wait I confess that after having read those places of the Apocalypse and reviewed them twenty times I understood nothing more therin I was only more and more confirmed that no man had rightly understood them In the midst of these distractions I yet begun my work without knowing well where I went. But I can say that God so opened mine eyes in the way that gave me unexpressible consolation for after having consulted the Eternal Truth above an hundred times with a deep Humility and very great Attention at length I received an answer at least I believe so and think it very plain that all that must precede the last Fall of the Antichristian Empire is fully accomplisht I have no right to require the same assurance from others neither do I require it But that which I demand at least is a little of that attention which I imployed in the meditation of those divine Oracles and then I am perswaded that if you are not as fully convinc'd as I am you will yet see reason enough not to condemn me of rashness In the first part of this work you will find nothing new for the substance of it for 't is a long time that Rome hath been called Babylon and that the Characters of the Antichristian Empire have been confest to be found in the Papacy I
five things are co-temporary in the third Period Five things cotemporary in the Period of the reign of the thousand years I. The reign of the Saints for a 1000 Years Rev. 20.4 II. The Dragon that is bound whose power is broken Rev. 20.2 3. III. The New Jerusalem the description wherof we have Rev. 21. 22. Chapters IV. The company of Saints that are clothed in white garments who carry Palms in their hands singing this song Salvation to our God that sits upon the throne Rev. 7.10 Rev. 7.17 unto the Lamb and of whom it is said they shall hunger no more neither thirst any more neither shall the sun light on them nor any heat the Lamb shall feed them shall lead them unto living fountains of waters For these are not the 144 thousand Sealed persons spoken of in the beginning â—f the 7th Chap. St. John saith expressely After this v. 9. i. e. after these 144 thousand sealed persons I beheld lo a great multitude which no man could number of all nations kindreds people tongues stood before the throne before the Lamb c. This plainly shews that these are not the persons that were Sealed For they might easily be numbred because they were not above 144 thousand wheras these here spoken of are innumerable In truth these are the same that are spoken of in the 20th of the Revel who are there called the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Iesus for the word of God here they are called they which came out of great tribulation C. 7.14 have washed their robes made them white in the blood of the Lamb. They are therfore co-temporary with the reign of Christ for a 1000 Years as the 144 thousand that were sealed are co-temporary with the reign of Babylon for 1260 Days V. The fifth and last thing co-temporary is the duration of the seventh Trumpet And the seventh Angel sounded with a Trumpet there were great voices in heaven Rev. 11.15 saying the Kingdoms of this world are become the Kingdoms of the Lord. For at the sound of the Last Trumpet the last blow must be given to the Babylonish Empire at the same time shall begin the reign of Iesus Christ to which is assign'd a Period of 1000 Years And the influence of this seventh and last Trumpet must reach even to the end of the World. Thus you have the Chronology of the twelve last Chapters of the Revelation We proceed to consider the History CHAP. X. A short System of the Events foretold in the Revelation concerning the Church as to the Historical part A short explanation of the 11th Chap. IN the 11th Ch. where the Destinies of the Church do begin the H. Ghost in the first place gives us an abridgment of these Destinies Events nothing is more methodical than that First to give a general Idea of those things that are afterwards more particularly to be explained So this Chapter from the 2d. v. to the end contains a short History of the 1260 Years of Antichrist's reign of the 1000 Years of Christ's reign as in the first verse he had described the first Period of 360 Years as we just now observed in the foregoing Chapter This reign of Antichrist is here described by this Paganism that was to tread under foot the Holy City for 42 Months v. 2. The afflictions of the Church its perpetuall subsistence in the midst of those afflictions during this reign of Antichrist are signified by the two Witnesses clothed in sack-cloth A great persecution that must befall the Church at the end of these 1260 Years of Antichrist's reign v. 3. is there also predicted The total suppression of the profession of the truth by that persecution is signified by the death of these two Witnesses v. 7. who must remain dead in the territories of Babylon the great for three prophetical days and a half i. e. three Years a half We shall see afterwards what that means where we must place this great event At the end of three years a half these two Witnesses i. e. the publique profession of the truth shall rise again and be gloriously reestablisht For the H. Ghost saith that the two Witnesses shall ascend again up into Heaven i. e. shall be exalted glorified upon the Earth In the same time the tenth part of the City shall fall v. 13. i. e. one of those ten Kings that gave their power to the Beast shall revolt from him And a little after the seventh Trumpet shall sound which will give the last blow to the Babylonish Empire v. 15. After which the Reign of the Saints shall commence which shall continue to the end of the World. This is the Epitome of the whole History of the Church the sense of the 11th Chapter After this general idea of the History of the Church Ch. 12. its explication the Prophet enters upon the particulars In the 12th Ch. God shews him the vision of the Woman that was with child deliver'd of a Son persecuted by the Red Dragon who fain would devour the Child of the Woman Afterwards there is a battle fought by Michael his Angells against the Dragon The Dragon is overcome and cast to the Earth but as much overcome as he was he ceaseth not to persecute the Woman She is forced to escape into the Wilderness where she is nourisht 1260 Days The Dragon not being able to reach her vomited out a flood after her but the Earth open'd swallow'd up the flood saved the Woman This Woman is the Apostolical Church this Child of which she is deliver'd is pure holy Christianity The Dragon is the Devil who by the authority of the Roman Empire would devour extinguish Christianity in its birth Michael his Angells are Jesus Christ his Ministers celestial as well as terrestrial The combat of the Red Dragon Michael is the combat of 300 Years that was between God the Devil during the ten persecutions of the Roman Heathen Emperours The Devil endeavouring on one hand to destroy the Christian Church by the cruelty of the Emperours God on the other hand defending it by his Martyrs Teachers The victory gotten over the Red Dragon is the casting down of Heathenism which falls to the Earth is cast from Heaven i. e. 't is tumbled down from the throne by Constantine his successors to the reign of Theodosius The great flood which the Red Dragon casts after the Woman when he was thrown down on the Earth is those inundations of Heresies that Arrianism that cover'd the Christian World immediatly after the fall of Heathenism under Constantine The Earth swallowed up this flood in favour of the Woman these Heresies were destroyed swallowed up as in a moment the Church remained deliver'd from them by a kind of
throughout the whole 18. Chap. The frequent repetition of the same thing is to note the certainty of it The three following Chapters viz. the 20 21 and 22. contain the History of the third last general Period of the duration of Christianity It is the reign of J. Christ upon Earth The matters contained in the 20 Chapter are so remarkable that they deserve a particular attention But seeing that hereafter we shall have occasion carefully to examin them it is not necessary to stay about them at present So much suffices for a general Idea both of the Chronology of the History of the twelve last Chapters of the Revelation which contain the destinies of the Church CHAP. XI Several things that all are agreed on in reference to Antichrist which will serve to clear up those wherin we are not agreed WE seek First the Character of the Babylonish Empire 2dly the time of its duration 3dly Its Establishment end 4thly What must happen after its ruin The two first points respect what is past or present shall be the subject of the first part of this work About the first of these four things there is no controversy among the Orthodox But there is a great dispute about it between the Papists the true Church However we have one great advantage for the determining this controversy viz. there are some certain principles in which both sides do agree In controversies where men are agreed in nothing but where every thing must be proved it is very hard to determin any thing But where men are agreed in many things ordinarily those things which they are agreed in serve for the clearing up of those things wherin they are not agreed I think it best therfore before we enter upon the Characters of the Babylonish Empire to consider those things wherin the Papists as to this matter do agree with the true Catholicks All agree that the little horn in the 7th of Dan. is Antichrist 1st We are agreed about almost ll the places whence we are to draw the pourtraiture of Antichrist and his Empire 'T is confessed that the Little horn in the 7th Chap. of Daniel is Antichrist that 't is of him that the Prophet speaks I considered the horns Dan. 7.8 and behold there came up among them another little horn before whom three of the first horns were pluckt up by the roots and behold in this horn were eyes like the eyes of a man and a mouth speaking great things v. 24 25. The ten Horns out of this Kingdom are ten Kings that shall arise and another shall rise after them and he shall be diverse from the first and he shall subdue three Kings And he shall speak great words against the most High and shall wear out the saints of the most high and think to change times and laws they shall be given into his hand for a time and times and half a time We are agreed that the First Beast in the 13th of the Revel is the same with the fourth Beast in the 7th Chapt. of Daniel The two Beasts of Rev. 13. are Antichrist and that both the one and the other signify the Roman Empire 'T is acknowledged that the ten Kings that must be born of this Beast which are represented by the ten Horns of the fourth Beast in Daniel and of the first Beast in the 13th of the Revelation are the ten Kings which in the time of Antichrist are to divide the Roman Empire among them and give their power to Antichrist 'T is confest that the little Horn i.e. Antichrist must be grafted on the Roman Empire enter into its place and the last that shall possess the Roman Empire Antichrist saith Bellarmin Bellarm. part 1. c. 3. sect 15. Respondeo priorem c. shall be the last head of the wicked and the last King that shall possess the Roman Empire but yet without the name of a Roman Emperour The same Author in the very same place confesses that the head of the first Beast which received the deadly wound in the 13th Ch. of the Revelation is Antichrist This miracle of a feigned Resurrection saith he must be attributed to Antichrist in the opinion of Primasius Beda and Haymo and many others whom he names We are agreed that the two Beasts of the 13th of the Revelation do both of them signify the Antichristian Empire Bellarm. ubi Supra According to the opinion of Rupert The second Beast in the Revelation signifies the very same Antichrist For Antichrist is represented by two Beasts by the one his royal power and tyranny by which he will offer violence to men is represented And by the other his magical power and crafty tricks by which he will seduce them But according to Richard and Anselm and many others the second beast signifies the Preachers of Antichrist Thus it agrees to the Babylonish Empire to be the seventh head of the Roman Empire however without bearing the name of a Roman Emperour to be a head wounded unto death and raised up again to have ten Horns on its Head ten Kings for its subjects to have a false Prophet with two Horns like those of a Lamb which causes the image of the Beast to be worshipped whose name contains the Number 666 and who makes all those that he causeth to submit to hi Empire to bear his mark in their foreheads We are agreed that a time times and half a time the 42 Months the 1260. days do denote the time of the duration of the Antichristian Empire and that all that while the Church must be afflicted beaten down obscured as it were hidden swallowed up by persecution 'T is acknowledged that the great Whore in the 17th of the Revel and the city with seven Mountains is Rome Some would have it be Rome Pagan The Papists are forced to confess that Babylon in the Revel is Rome but others shewing either more knowledg or more sincerity do confess that Rome in the 14th and the 17th Ch. of the Revelation is not Rome Pagan but of Christian become Antichristian Estius and some others go a little further and are forced to acknowledg that Rome must be the seat of Antichrist Others as Ribera Viega Cornelius a Lapide retaining the common hypothesis among the Papists viz. that Jerusalem must be the seat of Antichrist are however forced to confess that Babylon in the Revelation is the city of Rome wherat the end of the times an Idolatrous Empire persecutor of the Church and Enemy of God must arise who say they shall join himself to the Empire of Antichrist when he shall be come Cornelius a Lapide confesses that the Waters on which the great Whore sits signify all the Nations and people which Rome shall command over who shall agree together in their subjection and in the vanity and idolatry of Rome as their lady and the mistress of the universe i.e. Rome become Idolatrous after having been
Christian We do agree that the Prophecies of the Eighth the eleventh of Daniel T is agreed that what is said of Antiochus agrees also to Antichrist that literally respect Antiochus Epiphanes the cruel persecution that he raised against the Church of the Jews belong also to Antichrist so that Antichrist is that King that shall do according to his will shall exalt himself magnify himself above every God Dan. 11.36 37 38. shall speak marvellous things against the God of Gods shall prosper till the indignation be accomplisht Neither shall he regard the God of his Fathers nor the desire of women nor regard any God for he shall magnify himself above all But in his Estate shaell he honour the God of forces a God whom his Fathers knew not shall he honour with gold with silver with precious stones pleasant things v. 41. He shall enter also into the glorious Land and many shall be overthrown c. We are agreed that it is he of whom St. Paul speaks in the 2d Chap. of his second Epistle to the Tessalonians consequently that he is that man of sin that was to be revealed when he that then did let i.e. the Roman Empire should cease to hinder that 't is he that is to sit in the Temple of God as if he were God whose Religion is to be a Mystery of iniquity who is to lift up himself above all that is called God. 'T is confest that the Antichristian Kingdom is to be a temporal Kingdom at the bottom whatever it may be as to outward appearance 'T is agreed that he shall establish this Empire two ways the first is by sword violence the second by cheating seducing 'T is acknowledg'd that he shall be a great Persecutor of the Church Lastly 't is confest all this must come to pass in that Period which the H. Scripture calls the later times 'T is acknowledged that the 11th Ch. of the Revelation contains an Epitome of the History of Antichrist that is is he that is to tread under foot prophane the Holy City for 42 Months afflict the two Witnesses that shall prophesy clothed in sack-cloth for 1260 Days that he is to kill the two Witnesses which are to remain dead on the places of the Great City three Days a half after which they shall rise again It appears by this account of the points wherin the Papists are agreed to that we are all of the same mind first as to all those places whence the main strokes of Antichrists picture are to be taken and secondly as to almost all the main strokes of which this Picture is to be composed It will appear afterwards that these truths wherin our enemies are agreed with us do quite overthrow those things wherin they differ from us CHAP. XII The Characters of Antichrist which we are not agreed about The false Antichrist of the Papists THe things in which we are not agreed are the false Characters of Antichrist which the Papists endeavour to establish with a design to hinder our sight of the true Characters of him and to obscure them The false Characters are these I. That Antichrist must be only one single Man and not a succession of Kings and Tyrants II. That the duration of his Kingdom is to be only three Natural years and a half and not three Prophetical years and half which make up 1260 years III. That he must style himself the Messiah and that the Jews must look upon him as such IV. That his Seat shall be Jerusalem that he shall rebuild the Temple there and that he shall re-establish the Mosaical Service V. According to Bellarmine Cotton the Jesuite he is not to be an Idolater For he is not to worship any Idol but shall worship the Devil in secret VI. He is to be of the Tribe of Dan of an obscure place and to raise himself by Arms. VII He is to deny the coming of Christ in the flesh VIII He shall do nothing in the name of Christ IX He shall abolish the sacrifice of the Mass X. He shall compel the Christians to renounce their Baptism XI He is to overcome three Kings the King of Lybia of Egypt and Ethiopia XII He shall cause sire to come down from Heaven and feign himself to be dead to counterfeit a resurrection XIII He is to hate Idols XIV He is to conquer the whole Worldy by Arms. XV. Enoch and Elias shall be the two witnesses of the eleventh of the Revelation that shall be sent against him XVI He is to kill the two witnesses Enoch and Elias XVII These two witnesses must rise again after they have lain dead three days and a half XVIII He is to possess all sorts of Treasures XIX He shall not only call himself God but the only God. XX. He is not to come till the Roman German Empire be destroyed XXI His coming is not to be till just at the end of the World he shall be defeated five and fourty days before the end of it XXII Before he comes the Gospel must have been generally preached in all parts of the World. XXIII He is to be a Magician Of these 23. Articles there are not above four or five of any importance It would be very tedious to confute all these false characters and it would be a work more unprofitable than long There is a very small parcell of them that are the principal ones which when they are destroyed all the rest fall to the ground of course naturally and necessarily For instance I. That he is to be only one single person II. That he is to reign only three natural years and a half III. That he is to come precisely at the end of the World. IV. That he is to be an open enemy of God and Christ styling himself Messiah and the King of the Jews V. That he is not to come before all that bears the name of the Roman Empire is destroyed These five points being proved to be false all the rest consequently will be so too These are the only things that are worth our taking notice of For as for the rest that Antichrist must be of the Tribe of Dan born in an obscure place that he shall cause fire to come down from Heaven that he shall feign himself dead that he may counterfeit a Resurrection that Enoch and Elias must come out of that earthly Paradise where they are kept in reserve to fight with him that he is to kill them that they must rise on the fourth day All this I say is so fabulous that it would be an injury to so understanding an Age as ours formally to confute such idle visions and so wholly destitute of any foundation All may be reduced to the single question-about the three years and a half of Antichrists duration This controversy may be reduced to one only point and it is that of the duration
into perdition See here an eighth King that belongs to the Roman Empire And this eighth King is of the seven he is of the number of the seven Governments It must necessarily be that this eighth King must come from hence that one of the seven is divided into two And 't is the Head of the Roman Emperours divided into two For the Roman Emperours are either Pagans or Christians The conversion of the Emperours made so great a change that the Christian Emperours deserved to be reckon'd for an eighth head However because they last but a short space and because in respect of their Temporal they were perfectly like the fore-going Emperours the Holy Spirit ranks them under the seventh head And when he cometh he must continue a short space That is to say when the second part of the Head of the Emperours shall become viz. the Christian Emperours it shall not continue long Indeed the Christian Emperours did not possess the Empire but from the conversion of Constantine to Valentinian the third about 130 or 135. years Besides the transposition of the words which I have supposed doth not make any difficulty here for if I made a commentary I could easily bring examples much more harsh in the writings only of the N. Testament And the ten Horns which thou sawest v. 12. are ten Kings which have received no Kingdom as yet but receive power as Kings one hour with the Beast These are the ten Kings or the ten Kingdoms into which the Roman Empire was rent when the Imperial power was destroyed in the West And the same time that the ten Kings were made the Beast that is to say the second Beast of the 13th Chapter the Beast with two Horns the Roman Church began to form its Empire This is one of the most remarkable places of the Prophecies to find the point of the birth of the Antichristian Empire Therfore it deserves a larger reflection which shall be found afterwards in its proper place v. 13. These have one mind and shall give their power and strength unto the Beast These ten Kings or these ten Kingdoms shall voluntarily submit themselves to the yoke of the Roman Church For she shall not obtain her dominion by the way of Conquest but by the way of illusion of seduction and perswasion She shall perswade the Kings of the Earth to give her their power In truth this did so happen The Princes doating on this Idol of St. Peter's Chair the Apostolical See raised this throne so high that it was like afterwards to have swallowed them up These shall make war with the Lamb and the Lamb shall overcome them v. 14. They shall lend their arms and their power to the Roman Church to smother the truth But the truth of Jesus Christ shall surmount them shall enlighten them and get such a victory over them as shall be happy for those that are overcome England Sweden Denmark and many other States have been already overcome in this manner And he saith unto me v. 15. the waters which thou sawest where the whore sitteth are peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues This Woman this corrupted Church shall have the multitude for her she shall ascribe great honour to her self from thence and make use of that as an argument that she is the true Spouse of Jesus Christ And the ten Horns which thou sawst upon the Beast these shall hate the whore v. 16. and make her desolate and naked and shall eat her flesh and burn her with fire c. We shall have occasion afterwards more than once to reflect on these words Therfore we shall say nothing of them at present The woman which thou sawest is that great City v. 1◠which reigneth over the Kings of the Earth The great City is not precisely the City of Rome 't is the Roman Church that hath its seat at Rome on the seven Mountains This is an important truth that the great City in the Revelation signifies not Rome precisely but Rome conjunctly with its Ecclesiastical Empire It should be proved but we must reserve the proofs for another place where it will be very material for us to fix this what the City signifies CHAP. XVII Babylon in the 17th and 18th Chapters of the Revelation is Rome Antichristian and Papal and not Rome Pagan THe 17th Chapter is one of those wherin the description of the Antichristian Empire is certainly contained We have applied it to the See of Rome with the same success as we have done the foregoing Prophecies But we have some considerations to add to prove that that City spoken of in that Chapter is Rome together with its Empire of Christian become Antichristian That Rome Christian and not Pagan is Spiritual Babylon the seat of Antichrist 'T is a place where the Papists find themselves reduced to mighty straits They have confessed that the 11th and 13th Chap. of the Revelation spoke concerning Antichrist But because in the 11th Chap. the seat of Antichrist is called the City where I. Christ was crucified they will not acknowledg it to be Rome And because in the 13th Chap. Rome is not named they will by no means have it to be found there But in this 17th Chap. they are forced to see Rome in the city on seven Mountains and in that great city that reigned over the kings of the Earth This brings them to the last extremity and we need but see what they say on this point to convince them that their Holy Roman See is the seat of the Antichristian Empire 1st They say that Rome in this 17th Chap. is Rome Pagan and not Rome Christian Bellarm. l. 3. de Pontif Rom. c. 13. The falsness of this supposition is evident First it is clear that the Beast which carries the woman The first Beast of the 13th Ch. and that of the 17th are the same is the same with that Beast that ariseth out of the Sea in the 13th Ch. This had seven heads and ten horns and upon his horns ten Crowns and upon his heads the name of blasphemy The Beast in the 17th Ch. is described after the same manner The Woman sate upon a scarlet-coloured Beast full of names of blasphemy having seven heads and ten Horns Secondly the Beast of the 13th Ch. ariseth out of the Sea. C. 13.1 C. 17.3 And I saw à Beast rise up out of the Sea. That of the 17th Ch. ascends out of the bottomless pit or the deep Chap. 17.8 The Beast that thou sawest was and is not and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit or the deep Now the deep and the sea in the visions are the same thing Thirdly Chap. 13.3 'T is said of the first Beast that all the World wonders after the Beast That all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him v. 8. whose names are not written in the book of Life 'T is said also of that in the
Let them inform us a little where are and who are the ten Kings that shall reign the same time with Rome Pagan who in Saint Iohns time had not begun to reign and who yet were to begin their reign at the same time with the Roman Emperours Is it not plain that these are ten Kings that must receive their birth from the ruin of the Roman Pagan Empire and compose an Antichristian Roman Empire under the rule of the prostitute and adulterous Woman i. e. the revolted Church and Spouse of Jesus Christ Sixthly v. 13. How can these words agree to Rome Pagan these i. e. these ten Kings have one mind and shall give their power and strength to the beast Did those Kings whose Kingdoms were conquer'd by the Roman Pagan Empire voluntarily give their power to the Beast Did not Rome Pagan by meer violence ravish away those great Estates of which she formed her Empire Can it be said that the Kings that were conquer'd and subdued had one mind Did they reign together with Rome Pagan were they not destroyed and their Kingdoms reduced into Roman Provinces This therefore can in no wise agree to the Pagan Period of Rome but doth very well to the Antichristian and Papal one For it is true that the ten Kings compose this Ecclesiastical Empire and submit themselves unto it It is true that they have one mind and that they have given their power unto the Beast For it was not by Force of Arms that Rome hath acquired this second Empire but by perswasion by illusion by the false religion by the communion of idolatry and by the Chimaera of an Empire of Jesus Christ on the Earth This is the only thing to be met with which the popish Interpreters have to oppose to prove that Antichrist must not sit at Rome and that Rome in this Chap. is Rome Pagan say they the ten Kings shall hate the Whore How the ten Kings shall destroy Antichristian Rome after they have built it C. 17. v. 8 16. De Rom. Pontif. l 3. cap. 13. sect 2. and make her desolate and naked and shall eat her flesh and burn her with fire 'T is the Argument of Bellarmin which all the rest have adopted St. Iohn saith he predicts that the ten Kings that shall divide the Roman Empire and under the reign of whom Antichrist shall come shall hate the whore clothed in purple i. e. Rome and shall make her desolate and burn her with fire How then shall she be the Seat of Antichrist if in that very time she must be overthrown and burnt A mighty riddle hard to be solved We need but read on Saint Iohn immediately adds v. 17. For God shall put it into their hearts to fulfill his Will and to agree and give their Kingdom to the beast untill the Word of God shall be fulfilled Who doth not see that these are two distinct times In one of them the ten Kings shall give their power to the Beast by the cheat of a false piety and in the other being better instructed and recover'd foolish fondness they shall spoil that Empire which they shall have formed by their complaisance Men must be hardly prest upon that have recourse to such vain evasions as these The foolish self-contradiction of the Papists But observe their foolish self-contradiction Here Bellarmin and his adherents say that the ten Kings which shall divide the Roman Empire shall come in Antichrists time and that these are the same that shall make the Whore desolate i. e. that shall destroy the City of Rome viz. Rome that is here spoken of and which Bellarmin himself defines by the Whore clothed in purple that is to say Rome Now how will the ten Kings that must not come till the end of the World according to them be able to make desolate and burn Rome Pagan which hath no longer been in being for above 1300. years The ten Kings associated with Antichrist only three years and a half before the end of the World will be able to make desolate no other Rome than what will then be in being Now Pagan Rome will be no more it will be Rome Christian whose Empire he supposes must subsist to the end of the World and to the reign of Antichrist Men must have lost their understanding and be given up to a reprobate sense so to contradict both themselves and the Truth with so much dishonesty Lastly it is clear by the following Chapter which is the 18th that the great City which reigneth over the kings of the earth cannot be Rome Pagan but Rome Antichristian In the 18th Chap. he calls her Babylon whom just before he called the great city and even the popish Interpreters agree also that that Babylon is Rome Now he describes the fall of that Babylon i. e. of Rome in such a manner as cannot agree to any other but Rome Antichristian First He saith v. 3. that all Nations have drank of the wine of the wrath of her fornication We have already seen that this signifies that Idolatry to which Babylon hath drawn the Nations by her Charms and Enchantments which doth not agree to Rome Pagan Secondly v. 4. He saith come out of Babylon my people that ye be not partakers of her sins and that ye receive not of her plagues 'T is plain this cannot be understood of any thing but of an Idolatrous Church whence God would draw forth his Elect. God never commanded his faithful Servants to go out of Rome Pagan they always remained in it Thirdly and lastly the manner in which the ruin of this Babylon is described can by no means agree to Rome Pagan The Holy Spirit represents it as a City burnt and entirely reduced to ashes the Merchants whereof and they that gained by her behold her desolation and her burning afar off And to conclude he signifies that it must be such a fall from which she shall never rise again And a mighty Angel took up a stone like a great Mill-stone and cast it into the sea saying Thus with violence shall that great City Babylon be thrown down c. 18. v. 21. and shall be found no more at all Now this is not yet happened to Rome she hath been taken and retaken and pillaged several times but yet she subsists still so that this can't be understood but of the last ruin that must happen to Rome Antichristian And thus you have the proofs that shew that that Rome which all the popish Interpreters as well as we do find in the 17th and 18th Chap. of the Revelation cannot be Rome Pagan proofs which I call a demonstration for I maintain there is no man that can resist the force of them The confession of the modern Papists that Rome must be the seat of Antichrist Ribera Viega Cornelius à Lapide And the modern popish Interpreters have felt the force of them At this day they do confess that it is not Rome Pagan But
see what they say viz. that that Rome that now is towards the end of the World shall be corrupted become idolatrous debauched that she shall shake off the yoke of Jesus Christ and carry her disorders as far as Rome Pagan But yet however that it must not be the seat of Antichrist who must be accompanied with his ten Kings have his habitation at Jerusalem and come to Rome when it is turn'd Idolatrous and Pagan to destroy and ruin it as he will also do See the words of Viega on the eighteenth of the Revelation One may plainly gather from the infinite number of precious merchandises and of all sorts that are here noted that Rome in the last times after her Apostacy shall attain to soveraign power and great riches and that her Empire shall extend it self throughout the World upon the ten Kings so often named For that these mighty riches do not belong to Rome Pagan it is clear by these words Come forth of Babylon my people For this shews that 't is not ancient Rome that is here spoken of in which there were no faithfull ones but that Rome that shall flourish in the last times Then therefore the City of Rome shall greatly flourish and its Empire shall be very large She shall live in pleasures and have great abundance of all things And at the same time she shall be enslaved to Idolatry be full of Superstitions sacrifice to Doemons and false Deities And by reason of the vast quantity of the blood of the Saints that shall be shed by her under the Emperours of Rome by a terrible but a very righteous judgement of God she shall at last be made desolate and burnt by ten Kings See what the force and evidence of the truth hath drawn from the mouth of the worshippers of Rome What prodigious whimsies are these To what extremity must these men have been reduced The Scripture speaks of but one Antichristian Empire The Church never imagin'd there was more than one and lo here are men that make a couple The first shall be in Rome corrupted for according to them Rome in the last days must have a great Empire must subdue Kingdoms and draw them together with her self into a revolt from Jesus Christ Lo therefore there 's one Antichristian Empire at Rome what need have we of another Antichrist sitting at Jerusalem Moreover this Chimaera is founded on this principle that the Beast in the 13th Chapt. which according to them represents Antichrist is not the same with the Beast in the 17th Chap. with the great City that ruleth over the Kings of the Earth and with Babylon spoken of in the 14th and the 18th Chapt. Now we have confuted this ridiculous imagination and have demonstrated that Babylon the great City the Beast of the 13th and the 18th Chapter are the same thing This Chimaera is so ill to be defended that the more modern Papists have abandon'd it and at last have been forced to acknowledge that Rome must be the seat of Antichrist that the great City spoken of in the 11th Chapter where Jesus Christ was crucified is not Jerusalem but spiritual Babylon spoken of afterwards and Bernard de Montreuil that hath write since the rest though he retains that ancient dream that Antichrist must come out of Jerusalem yet he confesses however that the Babylonish Empire and the Antichristian are not two Empires that must succeed one another and the one destroy the other according to the supposition of those we were just now speaking of He confesseth that Rome shall be the chief City of Antichrist's party that Antichrist must defend it and that the ten Kings of the Beast are the subjects of its grandeure and that of Antichrist the head of the League the Monarch of the time He calls Antichrist the Prince of the Apocalyptical Babylon And he confesseth that this Babylon is Rome therefore he acknowledgeth that Rome must be Antichristian and the capital City of Antichrist Babylon saith he is the Mistress the Queen the Empress of the kingdom of Antichrist Not daring to call Rome Babylon On the 24. Chapt. he defines it however by Western Babylon who being perverted instead of obeying the Laws of the piety of the first age shall in her pride cause her self to be called the great and the independant and shall become much worse under the reign of Antichrist than ever Eastern Babylon was After these confessions there remains no other help for the popish Doctors to hinder their Rome from being acknowledged to be Rome Antichristian but the Chimaera of the three years and a half 's duration of Antichrists kingdom It is true say they that Rome must be possessed by Antichrist that he must establish Idolatry there that Rome must become worse than Rome Pagan was in the time of St. John and than Eastern Babylon in the time of the Prophets but this must last but three years and a half When therefore we have destroyed this ridiculous dream of three natural years and a half we shall have demonstrated that Rome at this day is the true Seat of Antichrist and then I shall make them this Argument Babylon in the Revelation is the seat of the Antichristian Empire the same thing with the prostitute Woman with the Beast with seven heads and ten horns All this is Rome become Antichristian and the seat of Antichrist Which is plain either by what hath been invincibly proved or what the Papists themselves have confessed Now this Antichristian Roman Empire must endure not 1260. natural days but 1260. prophetical days i. e. 1260. years Therefore it is evident that the Antichristian Empire which must be at Rome cannot be that chimerical Empire of Antichrist of three years and a half that must conclude 45. days before the end of the World and that 't is that of Rome which hath endured so long already The consequence is plain because all do acknowledge the World must not and cannot according to the decrees of God endure yet twelve or thirteen hundred years to make room for the reign of Antichrist and a thousand years more at the end of that to make room for the Kingdom of Jesus Christ the truth and certainty of which we shall prove So that if the reign of Antichrist must endure 1260. years it is necessary that it subsist at this present time and that it hath begun a long time since This is I say a demonstration which I have in readiness for these Gentlemen when I shall have proved the only thing in this argument that can be called in question viz. that the 1260. days of Antichrist cannot be understood of so many natural days I would prove this truth presently were it not that it regards the time of the duration of the Antichristian Empire of which we shall have occasion afterwards to speak Wherefore now we shall continue to give you the explication of the Prophecies that contain the Character of this Antichristian Empire CHAP. XVIII
Simon the Grammarian that not long since hath set up for an Interpreter of the Revelations His new lights do well deserve a particular Chapter by themselves But for the present we must follow on our way and shew that if the 1260 days be 1260 years then all that the Papists say of Antichrist is false and all that we say of him is true It being proved that the 1260 days are 1260 years the Papists Antichrist is a Chimaera If it be false that this Empire must last but 1260 natural days it is true that it must last 1260 years for I have proved there is no middle way to be taken And if it be true that Antichrist must reign 1260 years he can no longer be only one single man nor a revolted Jew nor a salse Messiah nor a man of the Tribe of Dan nor a Tyrant that must re-establish the Mosaical worship and rebuild Jerusalem to cause the Iews to reign there For it would be absurd to suppose that one man should live 1260 years that the reign of the Law of Moses should return for 12 Ages and that Iudaism for so long a time should oppress the Christian Religion If the Empire of Antichrist must last 1260 years it must necessarily be already come If his duration be 1260 years Antichrist is come For 't is to go against the general opinion of all men to suppose that before the reign of Jesus Christ comes we must yet expect a tyrannical Monarchy of 1200 years If the Antichristian Empire be come it must be either Mahometanism or the Papism Antichristianism can't be found among the Arri-ans for they have been extinct a long time and their reign did not come to near 1260 years We can't find him among the Athigenses who never reign'd who appear'd but for a little time and who were always oppressed He cant ' be found neither among the Lutherans nor Calvinists for none of the Characters of Antichristianism do agree to them and the Papists would not acknowledge that our reign should be for 1200 years There 's nothing remains but Mahometanism on which one can cast ones yes Mahometanism hath not the Characters of Antichristianism to seek out Antichristianism 't is indeed an Antichristian Sect because 't is an enemy to Jesus Christ and hath already subsisted above a 1000 years But we can't find therein the Characters of Antichristianism so as 't is described in the Prophets First Antichristianism must be an Apostacy and a revolt of men that formerly were obedient to the faith The Saracens Arabians and Turks the founders and preservers of this Sect never were Christians and are not Apostates Mahomet and the Arabians were Heathens Secondly Antichristianism must be an Idolatry for it is called a Whoredom and must teach the Doctrine of Daemons and mediatory spirits Now the Mahometans are not idolaters on the contrary they abhor the adoration of Images and 't is this that greatly scandalizeth them against the Christian Religion Thirdly In the name of Antichrist we must find the number 666. In the name of Mahomet and Mahometan Arabians and Saracens in any language this number is not found Fourthly Anchristianism was to have its seat in the great City which in St. Iohns time ruled over the Kings of the Earth That is Rome as all Interpreters unanimously acknowledge Mahomet and his Partizans never did possess the City of Rome and do not possess it Fifthly The Empire of Antichrist must be the Roman Empire continued the Empire of the Arabians is so far from being the continuation of the Roman Empire that it hath been the destruction of it in the East Sixthly Antichrist must sit in the Temple of God i. e. in the Church Mahomet and his Successors are out of the Church and do not belong to Christendom Seventhly Ten Kings must voluntarily give their power to Antichrist But the Arabians and Saracens have conquer'd all Kingdoms by meer violence none did voluntarily submit to them Eighthly Antichrist must be the seventh head of the Beast in the Revelation i. e. Of the Roman Empire Mahomet hath nothing in common with the Roman Empire Ninethly The Empire of Antichrist must be properly nothing else but the image of an Empire which yet however must be worship and obedience be given to it The Empire of the Mahometans is not an image but rather the most despotical and arbitrary Empire that ever was in the World. Tenthly The Antichristian Empire must have under it ten horns i. e. ten Kings Ten horns every one having his crown and his Royal power So far is the Empire of the Mahometans from suffering any vassal Kings to subsist that it hath destroyed all the great Lords In India in Persia in Turky every one of these Mahometan Empires hath but one only Lord. Eleventhly The Empire of Antichrist must be but one it must not be divided For the Kings that are to submit to him shall acknowledge him for their only head But the Empire of Mahomet is divided into many Empires The Empire of the Tartars the Empire of the Turks the Empire of the Persians the Empire of the Mogulls and these four Empires are not only different but always opposite and almost always enemies Twelfthly Antichrist must have two horns i. e. two powers like to the Lamb. 'T is notorious the Mahometans have nothing in common with Iesus Christ with his Religion and with his power Thirteenth Antichrist must excommunicate persecute take away liberty of commerce from all those that will not take on them his name and his mark in their fore-heads i. e. that will not follow his Religion The Mahometans suffer all sorts of Religions Heathens and Christians Fourteenth The Antichristian Empire must be a head i. e. a Kingdom hurt with a deadly wound and revive again This can by no means agree to Mahometanism which is a Religion wholly new and which hath formed Empires wholly new It was necessary to make these observations against those that greatly desiring to take Antichrist from Rome would fain place him among the Mahometans CHAP. IV. Some Principles to discover when the Antichristian Empire began and when it must end Three Characters of that Empire Idolatry Pride and corruption That these three Characters began to appear in the fourth Age and did infinitely encrease in the fifth HItherto we have discoursed on what is past now we proceed to treat of what is future or at least of those things that are believed so to be For we shall see that many things that are looked upon as future are already past 'T is the ruin of Antichrist and his Empire that we are now about to speak of And the first question that is asked thereupon is this When shall that Empire be destroyed A great question and which hath hitherto been looked upon as a thing that none could penetrate into 'T is certainly very difficult to be penetrated into but yet however I do not think 't is impossible to find
with blood even to the tops of the mountains The mountains shall be melted with their blood saith Isaiah 34.3 there must be rivers of blood to do this v. 5. And I heard the Angel of the waters say Thou art righteous O Lord which art and wast and shall be because thou hast judged thus v. 6. For they have shed the blood of Saints and Prophets and thou hast given them blood to drink for they are worthy There will not want some who from these words will object and say that untill this time there had been no persecution on the account of Religion and that the Popedom had in no wise shed the blood of Saints of Prophets To this I answer First 'T is not true that during the time of the Croisades Why God chargeth Antichristian Rome with the blood which she had not yet shed no blood had been shed on the account of Religion for it was exactly in the middle of the Croisades that that horrible barbarity was used against the Waldenses and Albingenses Innocent III. publisht the fifth Croisade at the end of the twelfth Century and at the same time gave sentence of death against the poor Albigenses But that which is especially to be observed in this matter is this that those who make this objection must make a stronger against those words of Jesus Christ Luc. 11.50 51. That the blood of all the Prophets which was shed from the foundation of the world may be required of this generation From the blood of Abel c. verily I say it shall be required of this generation What reason to require of the Jews who lived in the times of Christ the blood of Abel and other holy men who were slain before the Flood what reason to require of them the righteous blood shed before Abraham Nay what reason to require of them the blood of the Prophets slain by their fathers since they disapproved the deeds of their fathers Why this is the reason God when he executes judgement ought to hear the cries of all the righteous blood that is shed for these cryes make up but one voyce and the race of murtherers makes up but one people on which God will charge that blood It matters not that it was shed by the Parents or the Children before the one were born or after the death of the others this makes no difference God looking upon this murthering race all in one body will charge the whole upon the whole in the lump Which evidently appears from that which God here speaks of this generation of Antichrist they have shed the blood of Prophets he saith not of Apostles he goes back as far as the Prophets and inflicts the punishment of the blood of the Prophets slain so many ages before upon the Antichristian Empire Rome hath always been a murthering City the holy Apostles Martyrs Doctors Confessors of the first ages of Christianity were slain by its orders and in its Dominions Modern Rome within the circuit of its Jurisdiction hath shed an infinite quantity of holy and faithfull blood The old and new Rome in the account of God and in the executing of his judgements make up but one body because God beholds the whole in one instant or point He looks upon her as one murthering tyrant as one race of manslayers It matters not that as to some particular persons and some particular ages she is not guilty of the blood of the Prophets she is guilty as to her whole in her beginning and her end now the beginning and the end do involve the middle But it will be objected Had not Rome Pagan been sufficiently punisht for the blood of Apostles and Maryrs which she had shed So many sackings and desolations as she had felt did not they suffice Must Antichristian Rome pay once more for that blood I will object on the same grounds Had not Jerusalem the mutherer of the Prophets suffer'd enough for her murthers by that dismal desolation made by the Chaldeans by the captivity of all her Inhabitants by the fire which consumed her Palaces Must God chastise her by the Romans for those crimes which had been punisht by the Babylonians Thus was it necessary that God should punish Rome Antichristian for the crimes committed by Rome Pagan or for the sins which were not committed till the following ages of this Antichristian Rome 'T is to this objection that the other Angel answers who speaks at V. 7. And I heard another out of the Altar say even so Lord God Almighty true and righteous are thy judgements That is though it seem unjust to give blood to drink unto new Rome on the account of the blood that was shed by old Rome or of that which shall be afterward shed by the new notwithstanding thy judgements are righteous and true Behold the three plagues which bring us down unto the thirteenth Age. The last Croisade was the second expedition of St. Lewis who carried out and lost 60000 men at Thunis in the year 1269. CHAP. VIII The fourth plague the encrease of the heat of the Sun denoting the encrease of the Papal Authority which had almost utterly ruin'd the World and the Church The fifth plague is the desolation of ROME when the Pope retreated to Avignon and the diminution of the papal Authority by the grand Schisme of the West v. 8. ANd the fourth Angel pour'd out his viol upon the Sun and power was given to him to scorchmen with fire v. 9. And men were scorched with great heat and blasphemed the name of God who hath power over those plagues and they repented not to give him glory This is the fourth plague in which we see the Sun. 'T is known and confess'd by all who know any thing of prophecies dreams and visions that the Heavens What is the Sun of the Antichristian Empire the Sun the constellations and the Stars are emblems of dignities and grandeurs on earth and the image does bear a lively resemblance for the Heavens are the superior region of the World from whence good and bad Influences do come and supream Authority is the heaven of the lower World from whence both good and evil proceed great dignities are like constellations in Societies The Sun always signifies the Soveraign and the Stars inferior Magistrates Before in the sixth Chapter the fall of the Empire of Rome Pagan and of the imperial dignity is represented to us by the same images Chap. 6 12 13. And the Sun became black as sackcloth of hair and the Moon became as blood and the Stars of heaven fell unto the earth This is a thing which admits not any dispute The Sun of the Antichristian Kingdom is the Pope That the Antichristian Kingdom is treated of here is generally agreed to therefore it cannot be doubted that the Sun is the Soveraign of this Kingdom The heat and beams are the instruments by which the Sun operates 'T is by his beams that he quickens warms
persons that they might be taken notice of will yet affirm that not so much as one of these seven plagues is hitherto come to pass This singularity is neither too edifying nor too comfortable I earnestly entreat them to lay aside the desire of contradicting and to consider without prejudice these two things First that in the whole explication of this 16th Chapter there is not the least forced application the Emblems which the Prophet makes use of do exactly resemble the events set down in History The second that in the application of these seven plagues unto the events every thing does hang together no part of this System contradicts another This being supposed I entreat them to consider if chance can do this and hath ever done it chance may hit right in some points but never does so in all I say again that we are at the end of the seventh period for it ought to be well observed that there is not one viol which distinct and seperated from others lasts 200 years the greatest part does not come near that number This hath already lasted 170 years it cannot last much longer 'T is true the papal authority whose beams so scorched men under the fourth viol lasted above 200 years but this was because it was inlayd or jointed in those that preceded and those that followed And its particular strict period must be reckon'd to be onely 108 years which begun at the year 1270 when the Croisades ended and continued untill the grand Schisme which happen'd in the year 1378. for then began the diminishing of the papal authority and the darkning of the Kingdom of the Beast The seventh viol hath already lasted longer then any of the rest and 't is probable that it must last about 200 years which none of the others hath done but we shall see the reason of this in the next Chapter where we shall shew that this seventh period is it self divided into three other periods the harvest the vintage and the time that is betwixt the harvest and the vintage The harvest is already past the time betwixt the harvest and the vintage is almost expired we are approaching to the vintage and at this day ought to say Come Lord Jesus come but within a little while we shall say He is come he is come CHAP. XI The explication of the 14th Chapter The vision of the harvest and the vintage the harvest of the Reformation made in the age last past the vintage is the Reformation which shall be made this present age THe fourteenth Chapter is the second of those wherein we find the circumstances of the fall of the Babylonian Kingdom In the beginning of the Chapter we find the 140 thousand marked ones who are the same with the two witnesses whom we shall discourse of hereafter the small number of faithful ones whom God preserved in spiritual Babylon and who did not partake of her Idolatries We find them I say who sing a song which none was able to learn but they i. e. they tast peculiar joyes and pleasures which the Antichristian Christians were notable to taste In the following verses an Angelappears flying in the midst of heaven Chap. 14.6 having the everlasting Gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth and to every nation and kindred and tongue and people This is the preparative unto that preaching of the Gospel which must be made to all Nations when the Antichristian Kingdom shall be ablosht This preaching is said to be of the everlasting Gospel because it shall last untill the end of the world All Nations shall be converted and their purity shall suffer no alteration as long as the world shall last And to signify that the Kingdom of Antichrist shall fall through the preaching of this everlasting Gospel immediately after another Angel cryes Babylon is fallen is fallen that great City Which proves that in the vision that follows the harvest and the vintage are the two parts of the fall of the Babylonian Kingdom The persecution of the Waldenses Albigenses foretold in the 14th Chap. vers 9.10 11. In the third place we have in this Chapter an Angle who denounces the terrible judgments of God that must fall on those who worship the Beast and his image and receive his mark in their foreheads or in their hands And at the same time by these words here is the patience of the Saints is signified a sore persecution that must go before the fall of Antichrist not that persecution which we suffer at this day and which must be the last but that which the Church endured in the Waldenses the Albigenses the Bohemians c. For this is the persecution which happen'd before the Reformation of the last age because the fall of Babylon which is spoken of in this Chapter begins by the Reformation made in the last age Therefore the persecution here spoken of must be that which went before our Reformation but there is no other besides that against the poor Waldenses which lasted a full 100 years before the preaching of Luther All these things are onely a preparative unto the last vision of this Chapter which contains a new prediction of the fall of Antichrist with new circumstances and 't is this V. 14. And I lookt and behold a white could and upon the cloud one sate like unto the son of man having on his head a golden crown and in his hand a sharp sickle V. 15. And another Angel came out of the Temple crying with a loud voyce to him that sate on the cloud Thrust in thy sickle and reap for the time is come for thee to reap for the harvest of the earth is ripe V. 16. And he that sate on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth and the earth was reaped V. 17. And another Angel came out of the Temple which is in Heaven he also having a sharp sickle V. 18. And another Angel came out from the Altar which had power over fire and cryed with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle saying Thrust in thy sharp sickle and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth for her grapes are fully ripe V. 19. And the Angel thrust in his sickle into the earth and gather'd the vine of the earth and cast it into the great wine-press of the wrath of God. V. 20. And the wine-press was trodden without the city and blood came out of the wine-press even unto the horse bridles by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs A distinction of circumstances and substance in this vision In this vision there are circumstances and substance the circumstances are these the Angel who sits on a white cloud and his cloathing another Angel who bids him thrust in his sickle another Angel who appears likewise having asickle the ripeness of the corn and grapes the wine-press of the wrath of God the blood that flows out by the space of 1600 furlongs These I
appearance will be the last And as Peter de Lune after he had been deposed by the Council of Constance went and held his Seat in the mountains of Arragon where he continued a Schism ten or twelve years so 't is probable that the Popes being driven out of the rest of Europe will shelter themselves among the Spaniards from whose hearts it will be a hard matter to pull popery away Lastly it must be observed that 't is true the harvest does spoil the Earth of a part of her fruits but it doth not of all it remains to be a fair and pleasant season the Autumn which follows hath its beauties its profits and advantages it is a second Spring the medows are crown'd with an after-growth the trees put forth new flowers But the vintage makes all waste A lively Emblem in harvest and vintage of what hath happen'd and shall happen in the ruin of popery it spoils the Earth of the very remainders of its fruits and beauty and immediately Winter comes that puts on the Earth the very complexion of death and destruction This is an Emblem of what fell out in the first destruction of popery and of what shall in the second The Reformation cut down several fair Countries in the last age but notwithstanding many were left to it nay it had great success massacred an infinite number of the faithful procured to it self the confirmation of a famous Council engaged those Kings who were its vassals to double their endeavours for the preservation of its Worship and Doctrines It hath gain'd ground in the East in China in the Indies in the West in America by the conquests of the Spaniard and Portuguese It hath sent Missions even to the end of the World hath made an infinite number of false Christians it hath regain'd on one side as much as it had lost on the other and hath made its worship and Idolatry to reign as much as ever For Spain and Italy were never more deeply plunged in Idolatry then since the Reformation It hath strengthned its tyranny for the Popes since the Council of Trent have domineer'd and acted as Soveraigns over Kings and as Superiors over Councils In the reforming of the Calender Gregory XIII did an act of an Vniversal Monarch which the Popes had never done in the ages of their greatest insolence They have deposed Kings of England and in France Henry III. and Henry IV. They have laid an Interdict upon the Common-wealth of Venice and the Kingdom of Portugal In a word Popery hath had great prosperities that have comforted it under its disgraces But as for the blow or stroke which God is ready presently to give it it will be a dispatching blow it will be a vintage that shall spoil it of all its fruits and utterly take away all its beauty the Winter shall come upon it and its desolation shall be irrecoverable This is the substance of the vision let us view the circumstances And I looked and behold a white cloud and upon the cloud one sate like unto the Son of man having on his head a golden crown and in his hand a sharp sickle J. Christ himself often appears in the visions of the Revelation This personage like unto a man is probably the Son of God found in fashion as a man on the account of his Incarnation the golden crown which he wears on his head does prove that 't is he though he executes his judgements by his Angels notwithstanding he often himself appears on the scene of the World in the book of the Revelation He is probably the Heroe in the sixth Chapter who appeared sitting on a white horse Chap. 6.2 and had a bow and a crown was given him and he went forth conquering and to conquer He is the same who appears again in the 19 Chapter sitting a second time upon a white horse and was called faithful and true and in righteousness doth he judge and make war. He always sits upon something that is white sometimes upon a white horse sometimes upon a white cloud White is the symbol of innocence and mercy A white cloud is a throne of mercy a red cloud is that of justice But mark it must be some grand work for which Jesus Christ himself comes for the Holy Ghost does not bring him upon the stage for some mean matter Now since the Apostles age no work had been done so great as that of the last age He had a sharp sickle in his hand He comes upon a white cloud intending favour to his children but with a sickle for his enemies 'T was a great mercy to his own when he took them out of Bahylon the last age But 't was a terrible stroke of a sickle to Antichrist And another Angel came out of the Temple crying with a loud voyce to him that sate on the cloud Thrust in thy sickle and reap for the time is come for thee to reap for the harvest of the Earth is ripe He who sits upon the cloud gives out orders to the Angels and receives none from them but he recieves from his Father and the Angels may be charged to carry these orders to the Son. Thus the Angel who here gives orders to Jesus Christ speaks not in his own name but in the name of him that sent him The time to reap is come Their iniquity is come to its height Their measure is full Another Angel came out of Heaven he also having a sharp sickle This is the destroying Angel who went through Egypt the executioner of the judgements of God this Angel comes onely as a second for he who sits upon the white cloud disappears not he is the Master and 't is under his direction that this second Angel gives the last blow to popery Another Angel came out from the Altar which had power over fire and cryed with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle c. Here mention is made of an Angel who hath power over fire and in the 16. Chapter we find the Angel of the waters Shall we conclude that every Element hath its Angel who presides over it and the events which fall out by its means so that one Angel presides over the Sea and shipwracks another over fire and burnings This seems very probable to me for the providence of God makes the winds his Angels and a flame of fire his Ministers The Angel of the fire comes out from the altar which popery had prophaned by its prophane sacrifices and false worship And 't is the Angel of the fire who is here employ'd to signify that now the fire shall consume the Antichristian Kingdom without any hopes of recovery 'T is not necessary that the Kingdom of Antichrist should be destroyed with great shedding of blood The wine-press was trodden without the City and blood came out of the wine-press even unto the horses bridles by the space of a thousand six hundred furlongs 'T is a great question
beast From which 't is clear that the tenth part of the City signifies here one of those ten Kingdoms under the authority of the Antichristian Kingdom A tenth part of the City fell i.e. one of these ten Kingdoms which make up the great City the Babyonian Empire shall forsake it This therefore is exactly that which must happen within a little while after the three years and a half of the total suppression of the Truth shall be exspired and a while after that the Witnesses shall be rais'd i.e. after the profession of the Truth shall be rais'd to life again in France and elsewhere And then the same hour immediately after that the Reformation shall be establisht by a Royal Edict without delay There shall be an Earthquake and a tenth part of the City shall be overturn'd Mark that the Earthquake i.e. the great alteration of affairs in the Land of the Papacy must for that time happen only in the tenth part of the City that shall fall for this shall be the effect of this Earthquake Frahte shal shortly fall not by a ruin of the Monarchy but by a ruin of Pepery Now what is this tenth part of this City which shall fall In my opinion we cannot doubt that 't is France This Kingdom is the most considerable part or piece of the ten horns or States which once made up the great Babylonian City it fell this does not signify that the French Monarchy shall be ruin'd it may be humbled but in all appearance Providence does design a great elevation for her afterward 'T is highly probable that God will not let go unpunisht the horrible outrages which it acts at this day Afterward it must build its greatness upon the ruins of the papal Empire and enrich it self with the spoils of those who shall take part with the Papacy They who at this day persecute the Protestants know not wither God is leading them this is not the way by which he will lead France to the height of glory If she comes thither 't is because she shall shortly change her road Her greatning will be no dammage to Protestant States on the contrary the Protestant States shal be enricht with the spoils of others be strengthned by the fall of Antichrists Empire This tenth part of the City shall fall with respect to the Papacy it shall break with Rome and the Roman Religion One thing is certain that the Babylonian Empire shall perish through the refusal of obedience by the ten Kings who had given their power to the Beast The thing is already come to pass in part The Kingdoms of Sweden Denmark England and several Soveraign States in Germany have withdrawn themselves from the Jurisdiction of the Pope They have spoyl'd the harlot of her riches They have eaten her flesh i.e. seiz'd on her Benefices and Revenues which she had in their Countries This must go on and be finisht as it is begun The Kings who yet remain under the Empire of Rome must break with her leave her solitary and desolate But who must begin this last revolt 'T is most probable that France shall Not Spain which as yet is plunged in superstition and is as much under the tyranny of the Clergy as ever Not the Emperor who in Temporals is subject to the Pope and permits that in his States the Archbishop of Strigonium should teach that the Pope can take away the Imperial Crown from him It cannot be any Countrey but France which a long time ago hath begun to shake off the yoke of Rome 'T is well known how solemnly and openly war hath been declared against the Pope by a Declaration of the King ratified in all the Parliaments by the decisions of the Assembly of the French Clergy by a Disputation against the Authority of the Pope managed in the Sorbon solemnly and by order of the Court. And to heighten the affront the Theses were posted up even upon the gates of his Nuntio Nothing of this kind had hitherto happened at least in a time of peace and unless the Pope had given occasion by his insolences Besides this Superstition and Idolatry lose their credit much in France There is a secret party though well enough known which greatly despiseth the popular Devotions Images worship of Saints and is convinced that these are humane institutions God is before-hand preparing for this great work To this it may be objected that for the last hundred and fifty years the Popes Empire hath not been made up of ten Kings because the Kings of England Sweden Denmark c. have thrown off his Government and consequently France is not at this day the tenth part of the Babylonian Empire for 't is more then a tenth part of it But this is no difficulty for we must know that things retain the names which they bore in their original without regarding the alterations which time does bring along Tho at this day there are not ten Kingdoms under the Babylonian Empire 't is notwithstanding certain that each Kingdom was called and ought to be called in this Prophecy the tenth part because the Prophet having described this Empire in its beginning by its ten horns or ten Kings 't is necessary for our clear understanding that every one of these ten Kings and Kingdoms should be called one of the ten Kings or of the ten Kingdoms with respect to the original constitution of the Antichristian Empire Seeing the tenth part of the City which must fall is France this gives me some hopes that the death of the two witnesses hath a particular relation to this Kingdom 'T is the street or place of this City i.e. the most fair and eminent part of it The Witnesses must remain dead upon this Street and upon it they must be raised again And as the death of the Witnesses and their Resurrection have a relation to the Kingdom of France it may well fall out that we may not be far distant from the time of the Resurrection of the witnesses seeing the three years and a lalf of their death are either begun or will begin shortly And in the earthquake were slain seven thousand in the Greek it is seven thousand names of men and not seven thousand men I confess that this seems somewhat mysterious in other places we find not this phrase names of men put simply for men Perhaps there is here a figure of Grammer called Hypallage casus so that names of men are put for men of name i.e. of raised and considerable quality be its on the account of riches or of dignity or of learning But I am more inclined to say that here these words names of men must be taken in their natural signification and doe intimate that the total Reformation of France shall not be made with bloodshed nothing shall be destroyed but names such as are the names of Monks of Carmelites of Augustines of Dominicans of Iacobins Franciscans Capucines Iesuites Minimes and an infinite company of others
posterity disperst throughout the world and made the execration and contempt of mankind Thus the Messiah the glory of their Nation brings them nothing but shame desolation and infinite miseries which have no parallel in any other people All the advantage they have is that at the end of the world some thousand of Iews shall be converted and escape the being damn'd If this be so I confess that I understand nothing in the Providences and Oracles of God. There must therefore come a time that shall be the reign of the Messiah and the Iews in which this Nation shall be exalted as hath been promised them above all the Nations they must reign in their Saints Prophets and Apostles Otherwise I am bold to say that all the Oracles given to this people are cheats and were given only to be a snare to them But some will say all these glorious promises have been accomplisht in the Church These Oracles have not been accomplisht in the Church taken from among the Gentiles which hath been gather'd among the Gentiles 'T is she who hath enlarged the cords of her tents whose children have been called from all the parts of the World. To her must be applyed every thing which is said to make the Church great and glorious But do they no perceive that in the Oracles before us the Gentiles are evidently distinguisht from the people of Israel Israel rules over the Gentiles the Nations must rejoyce in her light All Nations must come day and night unto mount Sion and to the City of Jerusalem The Kings of the Gentiles must be her Protectors her nursing Fathers Sion must suck their milk Sion must be served the Gentiles must serve her In a word let all these Oracles be viewed and it will be seen that the people of Israel must be the ruling the chosen the Holy people and that the Gentiles must be made happy because they shall be incorporated into this Israel Besides this how can this thought be entertain'd that all the terrible threatnings that have been denounc't against the earthly Ierusalem and against the people of the Israel according to the flesh have been accomplisht in the literal and strict sense upon her and her children and that the promises of grace and glory have not must not be accomplisht but only typically in those forreign Nations with whom she hath really no communion I should as soon choose to say that some advantagious promises made to the French were fulfilled because they were made good to the Spaniards Iews and Gentiles have always been in a direct opposition the grace promised to the one is not the grace belonging to the other 'T was fore-told to Israel that God would scatter them in his anger and disperse them throughout the Earth that they should see sad days in which they should be without a King Hos 3.4 and without a Prince and without a Sacrifice and without an Image and without an Ephod and without Teraphim This hath been fulfilled in the letter and strictest sense At the foot of these threatnings which are in almost every page of the Prophets we like wise read of great and emphatical promises of resettling return of a glory a reign and of an Empire The threatnings have had their accomplishment upon the Iews and shall the promises have theirs only upon the Gentiles This is not probable at all And that certain calling of some Iews which they say must be at the end of the World is not sufficient to salve the veracity of God. We need only consult the 63 Chapter of Isaiah where the present State of the Iews in painted in such lively colours that 't is not possible to mistake But they rebelled and vexed his Holy Spirit Cha. 63.10 therefore he was turned to be their enemy and fought against them Behold their sin 't is the sin against the Holy Ghost this is to be well observed To vex the Holy Spirit to quench the spirit to sin against the Holy Ghost to do despite to the spirit of grace are the same thing in the style of the new Testament And here Isaiah fore-tells that this people in their Apostacy from God will vex his holy spirit i.e. will sin against the Holy Ghost This is exactly the sin with which our Saviour reproaches them in the 13th of Matthew 'T is an unpardonable sin that is not forgiven either in this World or in that which is to come That Generation which was contemporary with Iesus Christ hath been punish'd with eternal torments their crime was never pardon'd to them yea their children bear their iniquity in the wilderness for forty years See in what language the Prophet paints out the punishment which the Iews lie under at this day v. 17. Why hast thou made us to err from thy ways and hardned our heart from thy fear The people of thy holiness have possessed it but a little while our adversaries have trodden down thy Sanctuary We are thine thou never barest rule over them they were not called by thy name Here we have 1. The dismal hardning into which God suffer'd them to fall The present state of the Jews foretold in an admirable manner Why hast thou made us to err from thy ways 2. Their long expulsion and exile out of their own Land the people of thy holiness have possessed it but a little while our adversaries have trodden down thy Sanctuary 3ly The total abandoning of this nation by God We are as those among whom thou bearest uo rule so the French version 4ly And lastly the continuing impiety of this Nation Thy name is not called upon by us so the French version Nothing of all this agrees to the Babylonish captivity it was not long it lasted but 59 years it was not attended with Induration on the contrary this people was so touched with this terrible correction that after that time they never returned to that Idolatry which had brought such great punishments upon them And those records which we have concerning their conversation in their captivity as the books of Ezra Nehemiah and Esther inform us that they repented very seriously and in their captivity did not partake of the impurities of the Gentiles It can't therefore be said that God did not bear rule over them and that his name was not call'd upon by them during this captivity 'T is therefore the present captivity of the Iews which the Prophet describes here But what saith the afterward and as a consequence of this captivity I will mention the loving kindnesses of the Lord and the praises of the Lord v. 7 8. After the present state of the Iews God promiseth them all glorious estate according to all that the Lord hath bestowed on us and the great goodness toward the house of Israel which he hath bestowed on them according to his mercies and according to the multitude of his loving kindnesses For he said surely they are my people Children that will not
't is not that which the H. Ghost would immediately describe because he would that we should be kept ignorant of it So that those Descriptions have an immediate relation to the flourishing State of the Church in the last Period and by analogy they may be transfer'd to the blessings of Paradise 2. Type the Rest after the Babylonish captivity The Captivity of Babylon was doubtless another Type of the Captivity of the Church under Antichrist and therefore the Papacy is called the City of Babylon and after that Captivity the People returned to their own Land and lived peaceably there So doubtless the Church being delivered from the bondage of Antichrist shall return to its rest here on Earth 3. Type the Rest after the persecution under Antiochus The Persecution of Antiochus was also a Type of the Persecution which the Church hath suffered under Antichrist Now after the three years and half of that Persecution the People of the Iews returned to the possession of their Temple and rose to a more flourishing condition than they had ever been in since their coming out of Babylon 4 Type the number seven which is so often mentioned I leave these and many other Types which may be found to insist on one which I find to be very evident and convincing 'T is that which may be found in the number of seven 'T will be granted that this is a mysterious and sacred number and that it signifies perfection 'T is on this account it is mentioned so often in the Apocalypse There are seven Churches seven Stars seven Candlesticks seven Spirits seven Lamps seven Eyes seven Horns of the Lamb seven Plagues seven Trumpets seven Thunders seven Viols So in the Books of Moses the seventh day is Holy and the seventh year was the year of Rest and the seven times seventh year was the great Jubilee The living Creatures entred into the Ark by sevens the first-born of every beast remained seven days with its Dam the male Children were to be seven days old before they were circumcised the Candlestick of the Tabernacle had seven Lamps a Woman after her uncleanness a Leper after he was cured of his leprosy were to be purified for seven days It would be too long to recite all the Examples of this nature which might be mentioned for the number seven is almost every where to be found For what reason is it so who sees not that this number signifies Completion and Perfection and of what can it signify the Perfection if not of the greatest work of God that for which all his other works were wrought that is the Church If then the 7th the be every where sacred why is not the seventh Period reckoning from the creation of the World also sacred and a Period of perfection It will be said the number seven is sacred because of the seventh day which was consecrated to the service of God but why hath God chosen the seventh day to be holy and a day of rest for man is it not plainly to signify that the seventh day or the seventh Period of the Church shall be a time of Holiness Tranquility and Peace The 7th day of the Creation a type of the seventh period of the Church The seventh day they farther tell us was consecrated to Rest and Holiness because God created the World in six days and rested on the seventh Behold now we are at the Spring Head and can rise no higher but here also we shall find an excellent Type of our seventh Period 'T is here I would ask with boldness Wherefore God created the World in six days and rested on the seventh Why did he not imploy five days eight ten or twelve in the work of Creation but precisely seven Certainly the infinite wisdom of God will not permit that he should do any thing without reason Here is this reason because he intended to hold the Church in an imperfect state for six Periods of Time labouring in that great work for which he made all others and causing it successively to pass through seven degrees We must not say that the Sabbath the seventh day on which God rested was the image of that great Rest into which the Church is to be brought after he shall have compleated it upon Earth for the seventh Period ought to bear proportion to the other six whereas Eternity hath none with Time much less with one day So that the seventh Period cannot be the Eternal Rest It must be a Time that bears proportion to the six preceding Periods As then after six days of labour God finisht his work by a day to which he affixt Holiness and Rest as its Characters there must likewise be for the Church after six days of sins and sufferings one last day that is to be distinguisht by those two Seals Peace and Holiness upon Earth Not but that the Sabbath is also a figure of the Eternal Rest but 't is because these thousand years of Peace and Holiness on Earth shall be the image of that perfect Peace and Holiness which the Church shall injoy in Heaven and so 't is a mediate Type of the Eternal Rest These thousand years I confess have no proportion with Eternity but it is not to be a Type in the duration of the Time but in respect of the state of Peace and Holiness Images of the Coelestial Peace So these thousand years may be Types of the Heavenly Glory but the seventh day could not be the immediate Type because of what was said before Because the seventh day of the Creation is a Period of the same nature with the six preceding and which by consequent ought to bear proportion to them It will be said that 'T is easy to make these suppositions hut difficult to prove them But I have a sure Method for the proof of this when the several parts of a System support one another even therein they are proved in an Hypothesis that is false there is alway some part inconsistent with it self Now I will make it evident that the seven days of the Creation do perfectly answer to the seven Periods of the Church that in every one of those days such works were wrought which were exact Emblems of the Events which have happened and of the things which were done in every Period of the Church answering to every day If I make it evident that in the six Periods of the duration of the Church which are past we have seen those things which were painted out by the six days of the Creation so that the first Period contains that which was figur'd by the work of the first day the second Period that of the second and so of the rest if I say I can do this methinks it will then be proved that what was done in the seventh day of the Creation is the image of that which shall be done in our seventh Period of the Church The parts of this System do admirably support one
prove our notion of the Reign of Christ for a thousand years and the Triumphant state of the Church upon Earth before its final glorious Triumph in Heaven we might be furnisht from these last Chapters For they are not as is commonly supposed a description of the Church in Heaven The Prophecy of the nine last Chapters of Ezekiel is the same with that of the last Chapt. of the Apocalypse They exactly answer to the nine last Chapters of the Prophecy of Ezekiel That Prophet in those nine last Chapters sets forth in a figurative manner the condition of the Church of Israel after its restoration their glorious Kingdom and the wonderful Peace they should injoy after their return which return or recalling was to be after the fall of Antichrist St. John gives an account what the Church shall be after with relation to that Fall after it shall have bin accomplisht so that both these Prophets describe the Church as to the same Period and the same condition This will easily appear if we briefly run over that which remains of the Apocalypse It cannot be questioned but that our Prophet concludes the 20th Chapter with a description of the last day of Judgement The war of Gog and Magog follows upon the reign of a thousand years to the revolt of Gog and Magog succeeds their defeat after their defeat there is nothing but the last day which shall come and surprize the World in the twinkling of an eye This is signified by those words V. 11. Chap. 20. Then I saw a great white Throne and him that sat on it from whose face the Earth and Heaven fled way and there was found no place for them White as well as Purple is a Royal colour and withal a Priestly for the Priests were clothed in white The Holy Priest's garments on the day of Expiation according to the tradition of the Iews were called Bigdei Lavan white garments In like manner he that sat upon the Throne is our King and Priest The Earth and the Heaven fled from his face for they shall be burnt that they may be renewed V. 12. And I saw the dead small and great stand before God c. 'T is a description of the last Judgement to the end of the Chapter all this is plain The 21. v. 1. Chapter begins with these words And I saw a new Heaven and a new Earth for the first Heaven and the first Earth were passed away The first Vision of 21 Chapt. to the 9th V. respects that which follows the end of the world These words do evidently allude to what he had said just before and the Heaven and the Earth fled away As that was interpreted of what should happen at the last day of Judgement it is clear that these new Heavens and this new Earth must be understood in a literal and not a figurative sense for the new World after it hath been refined by fire And so the description we read of here even to the ninth Verse is that of eternal Rewards and Punishments 'T is true that which is spoken of the H. City v. 3 4. of the new Ierusalem coming down from Heaven prepared as a Bride adorned for her Husband of the Tabernacle of God with men of his dwelling with them and they with him and that God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes and that there shall be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain All this I say might very well be applied to the Church as victorious upon Earth but this description is determin'd by what precedes and by what follows to Eternal Glory by that which precedes which is the description of the last day of Judgement and by that which follows which is the description of everlasting Punishment but the fearful and unbelieving c. v. 8. shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone which is the second death The 9th v. begins a new Vision The ninth Verse begins a new Vision and a more perticular description of the blessed Reign of Christ upon Earth In the same manner as the H. Spirit after he had in the 13th Chapter given an enigmatical and general description of the Antichristian Empire under the image of the two Beasts gives a more ample account of it in the 17th Chapt. So having in the 20th Chapt. described the reign of Christ though in few words he set forth that reign more at length afterwards that state of the delivered Church under the image of a great City called Ierusalem as after having set out the Antichristian Church under the image of a Beast and of an Empire he represents it under the Emblem of a great City called Babylon V. 9. And there came unto me one of the seven Angels which had the seven Viols full of the seven last plagues and talked with me saying come hither I will show thee the Bride the Lambs wife 'T is in all likelyhood the last of those seven Angels who had poured out the Viols and the same who show'd unto the Prophet the great City the mother of Fornications Cha. 17.1 Then came one of the seven Angels unto me which had the seven Viols and talked with me saying Come hither I will show thee the Judgement of the great Whore that sitteth on many Waters As it was this seventh and last Angel who had the Viols by whom the ruin of Antichrist was effected it doth most properly belong to him to show Babylon faln and Ierusalem rebuilt V. 10. And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high Mountain and showed me that great City the Holy Jerusalem descending out of Heaven from God. This is somewhat like what the Devil did unto Jesus Christ when he carried him up into an high Mountain and shows him all the Kingdoms of the world what the Devil makes appear by illusion St. Iohn sees by vision That he was carried or seemed to be carried up into an high Mountain makes it plain that the Ierusalem he was to be made see from thence was here upon Earth and not the Triumphant Church in Heaven though it be called the Holy Jerusalem descending out of Heaven from God. She shall be descended from Heaven because she shall abound in Graces which come from thence she is called the great City and 't is the first time she is so called 'T is a detestable name which in all the preceding Prophecy is given only to Spiritual Babylon But 't is on this account that then the Church shall possess the multitude of the Nations as Antichristianism doth at present V. 11. Having the Glory of God and her Light wus like unto a stone most precious even like a Iasper stone clear as Cristal V. 12. And had a Wall great and high and had twelve Gates and at the Gates twelve Angels and names written thereon which are the names of the twelve Tribes of the children of Israel V. 13.
nations unto the obedience of the Church of Rome But besides that in this there is no shadow of resemblance between the Prophetick Emblem and that which is pretended to be signified by it this contradicts the evident Principle that these plagues never signify good to the Antichristian Empire The reduction of so many Nations under the obedience of the Pope is the greatest advantage that hath happened to the Antichristian Kingdom 3. According to Mede it is the popish sea slain and turn'd into blood by the Reformation which was done in the last Age. 4. According to De Launay it is the government of soveraign Princes allied with the Pope which shall become tyrannical and odious to their subjects 5. Testard thinks that it signifies that many States shall withdraw themselves from the jurisdiction of the Pope so that this domination shall become like a bloody carkass which putrifies the waters 6. According to Durrham the waters are Ecclesiastical constitutions decrees Canons worship Mass c. And that the viol shall make all these become deadly to those who use them 7. Lastly in the judgement of Dr. More the fishes here signify men and the sense is that men shall withdraw themselves from the dominion of the Pope so that no more any men shall be found under that dominion Interpretation of the third plague The third Plague is The Rivers turned into blood 1. According to Forbes these are the Doctors Bishops and Priests of the Church of Rome which must become stinking unto the people even as Rivers of blood 2. According to Cocceius this signifies the wars and divisions which have spilt so much blood among Christian Princes since the time of the Waldenses and Albigenses 3. According to Mede the Rivers are the Emissaries Agents and Protectors of popery whose turn shall come to suffer the deaths and torments which they had caused the faithful to suffer which he says came to pass in England in the reign of Queen Elizabeth 4. According to de Launay this is the Doctrine of popery that shall become odious to all its followers 5. Testard follows the Interpretation of Mede 6. Durrham does the like 7. And so does Dr. More Interpretations of the fourth plague The fourth Plague is The Sun whose heat and scorching beams do burn men 1. According to Forbes this is the Light of the Gospel which is renewed and doubled by the Reformation and which fills the Papists with despair 2. Cocceius saith almost the same thing that the Sun is Jesus Christ the beams are his efficacy and light which destroys the superstitions of popery by discovering them 3. Mede thinks that the Sun in this fourth Plague is the Emperor or some other great Potentate who shall abandon popery and torment it 4. De Launay judges that the Sun is the Pope and this is the only thing in which he hath guessed right and that the burning caused by the Sun signifies that remorse of Conscience which Papists subjects of the Pope will feel 5. Testard who every where follows Mede does leave him here and follows Forbes 6. Durrham follows Mede 7. And Dr. More is of the opinion of Forbes and Cocceius Interpretations of the fifth plague The fifth Plague falls upon the seat of the Beast which is darkned by it 1. According to Forbes this is the diminution of credit and authority which happened to popery by the Reformation 2. According to Cocceius the throne of the Beast signifies a multitude of Nations upon whom the Pope did sit and this throne was overturn'd by the Council of Trent which by its excommunications hath seperated a multitude of Nations from the See of Rome 3. According to Joseph Mede this signifies that the City of Rome shall be utterly destroy'd a considerable time before popery be compleatly ruin'd 4. This is also the opinion of de Launay 5. Testard hath followed them both 6. And Durrham likewise 7. Dr. More saith that the plague which falls upon the seat of the Beast and darkens it is the discovery of the falshood of the pretended infallibility of the Pope Interpretations of the sixth plague The sixth Plague falls upon Euphrates whose waters are dryed up that a way may be open'd to the Kings of the East 1. According to Forbes Euphrates signifies the Papal power and domination the Kings of the East are Turks and Jews this Papal domination is an obstacle to the conversion of these Kings of the East when it shall be abolisht that which is signified by the drying up of the River Euphrates the Turks and Jews shall be converted 2. According to Cocceius Euphrates signifies also the power of the new Babylon This Euphrates saith he this Roman power hath been much weakned in this present age by the wars which have happened between the Spaniards the French the Germans the Hollanders The Kings of the East are the Turks which must come but he knows not how far they must come 3. According to Joseph Mede Euphrates dryed up signifies the ruin of the Mahometans and the Kings of the East who shall come are the Jews who shall be converted 4. De Launay says almost the same thing save that by the Kings of the East who shall come he understands all the Nations which are on the other side of the Bosphorus who shall be converted to the Faith. 5. Testard exactly follows the conjecture of Ioseph Mede 6. Iames Durrham does not much differ 7. And Dr. More conjectures that here is signified the conjunction of the Turks and Iews as well as their conversion They all agree in interpreting the three unclean spirits like unto Frogs to be the Agents and Ambassadors of the Pope or Monks Interpretations of the seventh plague The seventh viol falls upon the air and the plague consists in thunders lightnings earthquakes the division of the City into three parts 1. Forbes explains this to be the total ruin of popery but knows not what to make of the division of the City into three parts 2. Cocceius applies this to the wars which have happen'd in this Age in England Scotland to the massacre in Ireland to the death of King Charles I. to the War between the Hollanders and Spaniards He confesseth also that he knows not what the division of the City into three parts means by the City he understands the true Church 3. Mede also explains all this to be the final destruction of popery but saith nothing of the division of the City into three parts 4. De Launay understands it after the same manner he says that the three parts of the City have relation to the three great judgements by which God will destroy the Antichristian Empire 5. Testard follows Mede and knows no more then he the meaning of the division of the City into three parts 6. According to James Durrham this Plague comprehends all the calamities which must happen from the fall of Antichrist unto the end of the world the
division of the City into three parts in his judgement means nothing else but the total subversion of popery 7. Lastly Dr. More agreeing with the others that this Plague comprizeth the total ruin of popery adds that the division of the City into three parts alludes to the three grand Parties that divide the world viz. the Infidels the Antichristians and the Protestants this division indeed is not an effect of the seventh plague but is saith he ascribed to it for the adorning of the Prophecy but 't is a sign of no deep thinking to make such conjectures General defects of all these Interpretations I will not spend time to lay open the weaknesses of these Interpretations they are so apparent that the dimmest eye may discern them Onely you may please to remarque these general faults or defects in them 1. They confound the viols with the plagues 2. They do not divide the times of these plagues by periods but for the most part heap one upon another 3. They observe not any Chronology or order of History 4. They make not a System of events 5. They observe not to set down the resemblance between the Prophetick representations and Historical events For example what resemblance is there between a Sea and the popish worship between Rivers and Doctors or Bishops If in some places they have laid down a resemblance between the Emblemes which the Prophet uses and the things to which they have applyed them This is by meer chance this appears because this resemblance is onely to be found in some places not in all 6. They have this common fault that they pass over several things without explaining for instance the division of the City into three parts Let this be carefully observed that we shall give such an explication in which not one of these faults can be found but there will be a System of events well set together there will be a distinction between the viol and the plague and the plagues will follow one another as well as the periods there will be a perfect resemblance between the Prophetick Emblems and the Events Lastly there will not be so much as one article in the Prophecy of which we have not found the compleat fulfilling in the Events recorded by history CHAP. VII An explication of the three first VIOLS and the three first PLAGUES AS to the five first plagues I continue to have the same thoughts which I proposed in my prejudies against popery Part 1. Ch. 8. nothing remains but to confirm and illustrate them The Text is thus Chap. 16. v. 1. And I heard a great voyce out of the Temple saying to the seven Angels Go your ways and pour out the viols of the wrath of God upon the earth v. 2. And the first went and pour'd out his viol upon the earth and there fell a noysom and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast and upon them which worshipt his Image The Emblems are here bor-a rowed from the plagues of Egypt It is clear enough that God makes here an allusion to the plagues of Egypt We have a little before seen that the Sea of glass i. e. of ice mingled with fire upon which those stood who were escaped out of the spiritual Egypt had its allusion unto the red sea upon whose shore the Israelites being got out of Egypt were found In like manner here the Prophet alludes to that pouder which Moses cast into the air and which falling down upon the Egyptians became swelling boyls In the Greek there stands not in the first verse the general term plague but an evil and wicked boyl and this I interpret to be that dismal corruption which seized on the Popedom head and members in the tenth Century for there I place the beginning of these plagues and they must not have a shorter space of time Every plague takes up a period of more then a hundred years so that eight hundred years are not too much for seven periods When the Prophets divide times by periods they are not wont to assign to each less then an age or Century The first plague is the dismal corruption of the Popedom in the tenth Century We must know then that untill the 10th Century all things favoured the Antichristian Empire whilst it was brought forth and grew up 'T is true Rome as also other Cities of Italy did suffer in the fifth sixth and seventh Ages by the irruptions of the Goths and Vandals by the Wars of Belisarius and Narses during the reign of Justinian by the Arms of the Lombards who were call'd in by Narses But these temporal Calamities were far from doing prejudice to the Antichristian Empire on the contrary it grew and got strength by the ruins of the Roman Empire and by the total abolition of the authority of the Greek Emperors in Italy The Western Nations insensibly grew passionate for the supremacy of the pretended seat of St. Peter hommage was paid to him without contradiction at least in spirituals and also in temporals the power of Popes was great and the Bishops of Rome had made themselves formidable to the whole World. But the first step to their declining state was that astonishing corruption which the See of Rome fell into and thereupon all the Provinces that had had dependence upon it This corruption was so dismal that the descriptions made of it by popish Authors themselves do even at this day affright us They call the tenth age an iron and leaden age an iron age because of its hardness and barrenness a leaden one Baron ad an 900. on the account of these deforming evils which broke in like a deluge and age of darkness because of its ignorance Two women famous for their debauches did make and depose Popes For the space of 120 years the Bishops of Rome were Murtherers Poysoners Adulterers Sodomites prophane Blasphemers known and open Magicians the corruption of the head diffused it self into all the members The Author of Fasciculus Temporum informs us that in many places men did not know so much as the Sacraments The Priests Religion was Astrology Negromancy and Magick and their life and excess of all sorts of abominations Baronius confesses that things were come to that pass that it was an opinion spread through the whole world that the end of the world was at hand because Antichrist was come An Ulcer very proper to represent such a corruption Now what resemblance can be more proper to represent such a corruption of manners then a noysom sore or ulcer which is here given by Saint John An ulcer does contain the Idea 1. Of a great corruption of the blood for Apostems and Ulcers do always proceed from thence 2. Of a very great stink offensive to the smell 3. Of a frightfull object to the sight Such was this corruption of manners it proceeded from a deep corruption of the inward parts of the heart and mind it cast
elevation of Elijah and of Jesus Christ who were lift up above the clouds And their enemies beheld them Popery shall not as yet be destroy'd in France when this shall happen The Priests the Clergy and Monks shall be spectators of this great work But the end of popery in France shall come quickly after For the same hour-there was a great Earthquake mark the same hour he saith not and after as he had said to express a space of time between the resurrection of the witnesses and their ascending up even to the Throne But he saith the same hour to signisy that assoon as the Reformation shall be establisht by a solemn Edict of the Prince as by a great voyce from heaven the total destruction of popery shall happen as we are about to shew And the same hour there was a great Earthquake I will not spend time upon the signification of this representation an Earthquake For 't is known by all who are versed in the Prophets See Isa 170 13. and 24.19 20. Jer. 4.24 and 49 20. that in the Prophetick style an Earthquake signifies a great commotion of Nations that must change the face of the World because Earthquakes do overturn Cities Mountains and wholly change the face of a Countrey make Valleys where there were Mountains and Hills where there were Valleys and Lakes which were dry Land before and deserts of Countries which were inhabited so that 't is certain that according to this Prophesy in a very few years the face of the Antichristian Kingdom shall be changed but not every where It shall be only in the tenth part of the City which shall fall by this Earthquake The City signifies the Roman Antichristian Empire and not Rome alone And the tenth part of the City fell This is a passage where Interpreters have been short sighted not excepting our Joseph Mede who often hath so quick a sight To understand this we must first know what the City is Joseph Mede is mistaken together with all the rest when he understands this to mean precisely the City of Rome 'T is a truth which must be held as certain being one of the keys of the Revelation that the City the great City signifies in this book not Rome alone but Rome in conjunction with its Empire The name of this great City is Babylon Now 't is clear that Babylon is the whole Babylonian Kingdom Come out of Babylon my people 'T is not from the City of Rome that the Holy Ghost invites his Elect to come out 't is from the Church of Rome from the Babylonian Empire This passage alone together with that in this eleventh Chapter v. 8 And their dead bodies shall lye in the street of the great City which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt where also our Lord was cruicified are enough to prove that the Babylonian City is not Rome alone Our Lord was not crucified in Rome and if we should here take crucifying in a figurative sense for the crucifying of the Religion of Jesus Christ this hath been sacrificed at Rome no more than in other places of the Latin Church In the 14th Chapter the Holy Ghost describes the fall of this City of Babylon Babylon is fallen is fallen that great City and in the same vision he fore-tells the ruin of the Antichristian Empire under the Metaphors of an harvest and a vintage which proves that this City is nothing else but the intire Kingdom of Babylon In the 18th Chapter the Prophet makes a long description of the desolations of this City under the Metaphors of a City of Merchandise which had a great traffick and was fill'd with pleasures and delightfull things Now 't is certain that the shamefull simony the wicked pleasures of the Papacy have not reigned less in the Provinces of the Babylonian Kingdom than in the Capital City from whence 't is again evident that the City signifies the whole Antichristian State. Lastly the constant opposition between the Holy City and the great City proves that the City includes the whole Antichristian Church even as the Holy City signifies the whole Christian Church De Launay hath confessed this in the eleventh Chapter of the Revelation and in the 16th but no exception is to be made every where the City and the great City Babylon signifies the intire Kingdom of the Papacy And the reason of this is evident old Rome made her whole Empire to be one only City by means of that right of citizenship which she bestowed on all who were of some considerable quality though they dwelt in the Provinces The citizens of Rome dwelt in all Countries now where the citizens of a City dwell there is the City this made Rutilius say Dumque offers victis proprij consortia juris Vrbem fecisti quod prius Orbis erat Thus it goes exactly in the Church of Rome which hath re-establisht the Roman Empire All those who are members of this Church are citizens of her capital City The Church of Rome is but one City Persons of all Nations are admitted into her Senate or Colledge of Cardinals The Tribunal which is called the Rota is constituted of Councellors taken out of all the Provinces which pay subjection to Rome Every Forreigner may come to be a Cardinal and every Cardinal may come to be Pope Therefore there are properly no Forreigners in that State no Papist is a Forreigner to the Church of Rome and that which they call the holy See. That which hath deceived Interpreters v. 9 1â— is the 17th Chapter where the City is called the Woman which sitteth on seven Mountains and that great City which reigneth over the Kings of the Earth This say they is the City of Rome and the Papists themselves do grant it and without doubt 't is Rome and we have above proved it but 't is Rome conjointly with her Empire Babylon signifies the whole Antichristian Empire and this Antichristian Empire is said to sit upon seven Mountains and to rule over the Kings of the Earth Rome must always be considered together with her Empire because this is true of its Capital City Nothing is more ordinary not to add that 't is constantly used than to denote a whole Kingdom by the ruling City Thus men always spoke of Rome Rome hath conquered the Nations Rome hath enlarged her Empire to the end of the World this signifies that the Roman Empire hath subdued all Nations and extended its bounds even to the utmost parts of the Earth The tenth part of the City is one of the ten Kingdoms that make up the Empire of the Papacy Chap. 17.12 13. This being supposed and proved that the City is the whole Babylonian and Antichristian Empire it must be remembred that this Empire of Antichrist is made up of ten Kingdoms and ten Kings who must give their power to the beast The ten horns which thou sawest are ten Kings These have one mind and shall give their power unto the