before said to be the seven Heads and which immediately after the mention of them were divided into five one and this other There is certainly no manner of ground to think the one in this division to be one of the Seven more than the other As for the Criticism of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 It is known that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is ordinarily used to signify another thing or person individually distinct from one mentioned before without any other new quality in the One distinct from the Other which had been before spoken of Matt. 4. 21. and 5. 39. and 12. 13. and 13. 8. Where the Seed was the same before it was Sown and yet called other Seed And to the same purpose every where in the New Testament But that which does the most plainly express the same quality in the thing which is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in respect of that which hath been mentioned before it is that known By-word of Aristotle in his Ethicks 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A Friend is another self And howsoever Philosophers may distinguish betwixt 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 yet in common speech they are promiscuously used for one another I have insisted the longer upon the perfect clearing of this because it is the foundation of all the Historical Application that can be made of the 8th King called the Beast which is the great business of all our search and I hope there needs no more now to make it unquestionable that the Seventh King is one of the whole seven mentioned before in general in the first words of the 10th Verse and so that every one of the Eighth Kings is also one of those same Seven since the Eighth is expresly said to be one of the Seven To this the Romish Interpreters do generally agree They CONSENT make the first seven Kings to be the seven Heads and the Eighth to be the Devil common to them all and so no new Head or new King distinct from those seven that are mentioned before him To recompence the length of the former Discourse here are these following fruits of it The Eighth King is one of the seven that had been in Rule before it and Corollar was returned into Power again For the Eighth King is one of the same whole Seven mentioned in general that the rest are comprehended in by Prop. 4. And therefore the whole Eight are really but Seven distinct Kings and the Eighth comes after Seven of them distinctly reckoned up before him The Eighth must therefore be one of those former Seven returned into Power again according as it is intimated of him That he is one of the Seven The Romanists do apply that term And is of the seven to the Devil as being in all the other Seven Kings But then they make the being of the seven the same with the being in the seven whereas the word in the Original 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 does properly signify the being one of that number of Seven just before mentioned especially when he appears here to be an Eighth in a successive order of Kings For that shows him to be a King alone by himself after the time of the former Seven Reigns but yet one of them And so must be one of them returned again It may next be observed That Every one of the Eight Kings Rev. 17. 10 11. is represented by Prop. 5. one of the seven Heads of the Beast For every one of those Eight Kings is one of those called the Seven Kings in General by Prop. 4. And those called the Seven Kings in General v. 10. are said to be the Seven Heads as well as the Seven Hills are The Text in the Original is The seven Heads are seven Mountains and are seven 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Kings v. 9 10. The Hills and Kings have the very same word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or are to affirm them equally to be the seven Heads as it is also almost unanimously agreed upon by all Interpreters And the eighth King is called The Beast and is one of those seven Kings which denotes the relation of the seven Kings to the seven Heads of the Beast Wherefore every one of those eight Kings must be one of the seven Heads that are said to be the seven Kings because every one of the eight Kings by Prop. 4. is one of those same seven Kings who are said to be the seven Heads The fear of this Consequence viz. That then the seventh King must be the seventh Head is the chief ground of that Opinion before mentioned that would have the Seventh King in the Order to be none of those seven Kings which are just before called the seven Kings in General tho immediately after the mention of the whole seven in General follows the account of them in order and in that order the seventh King has its proper place But they will have the eighth King to be the seventh Head of the Beast which will appear from the following Corollary to be inconsistent with the plain expressions of the Text. The Eighth King is one of the Seven Heads of the Beast that was Corollar 1 past and revived again For the Eighth King was one of the Seven Kings that was past and was returned into Power again by Coroll Prop. 4. And all those seven Kings reckoned up as past before him have been found to be so many Heads of the Beast by Prop. 5. Wherefore the eighth King must be one of those past seven Heads that was revived again since the eighth King was one of those seven Heads by Prop. 5. And yet came after the time of them all And therefore must be one of them revived again This is so far agreed to by those who make the eighth King the seventh Head That they apprehend it to be the sixth Head healed of a deadly wound But it is manifest That by this they make but six Heads upon the Beast instead of seven For the Head of the Beast that was seen wounded to death and healed again in the 13th Chap. v. 3. could be but one and the same Head It is absurd to make an Head wounded and healed again to be more than one Head And therefore does the Prophet describe it but as one and the same Head Wherefore since the maintainers of this Opinion do account the sixth King of the seven to be the sixth Head and the seventh King to be no Head the eighth King which is but the healing of the sixth Head cannot encrease the number and so they come at last to make but six Heads in all For their seventh Head is but the sixth healed again whereas there were seven really distinct Heads seen in the Vision By the preceding Corollary it appears That The Eighth King called The Beast Rev. 17. 11. signifies The Beast Corollar 2 with that Head only which was last in Rule For the eighth King is one of the seven Heads of the
then it must make a new Head because it is one of the first and clearest Propositions that has been advanced That every one of those Eight Kings are one of the Seven Heads of the Beast by Prop. the 5th q Idem l. 10. Ep. 15. CHAP. VIII Rev. XIII The Second Query Whether the Reign of the Beast did not begin with Justinian 's Conquests of the Italian Goths This endeavoured to be demonstrated Eighteen Objections answered AFTER what has been said for the making the Gothish Kings one of the Eight Kings it will easily be granted that Justinian's Conquest of the Goths in Italy must make another new Head because it had the same qualifications that the other before it had for being one of the Two Kings after the Imperial that ruled at the time of the Vision that is It was a very remarkable change of the name of the Civil Sovereign Power of Rome which is the only constant difference betwixt all the Changes in the same Empire that are to be found in Daniel or the Revelations And Examples are the Rules that are to be followed in Interpretations by Rule 2 and 3. Now if this be once granted it seems to be scarce worth the making it a question Whether the first Rise of the Beast were not upon the Conquest of the Query 2 Goths in Italy by Justinian For the Beast is in being at this present by Prop. 23. And he could not arise either before or after Justinian's Conquest 1. Not after it For at that time there had been at least two Changes of the Secular Government of Rome since the time of the Vision by Query 1. And the last of these two Changes is the Beast by Prop. 20. 2. The Beast could not arise before that time For then at Justinian's Conquest there would have been another Change of the Civil Government of Rome and so would the Beast have been put an end to but the time of the Beast is not yet past by Prop. 23. and Coroll 4. Prop. 15. Now if the first Rise of the Beast could be neither before nor after Justinian's Conquest it must necessarily be at the same time with it The whole strength of this proof does lie upon the general Notion of Heads and Horns in Daniel and the Revelations and the constant mark of their distinction from one another And the mark of their distinction from one another in all the known Examples of Figures in both these Prophecies is nothing but either a distinct jurisdiction or a different name of the Civil Government and not any differences from one another in point of Religion or any other accidental qualifications The differences of the Heads or Horns that are described to be in Rule in the same Kingdom all at one time are nothing but distinct civil Jurisdictions in that one Monarchy The differences betwixt Successive Heads or Horns in regard of the Successive Change of the state of the Beast are nothing Observ 4. Prop. 16. but new names of the Civil Sovereign Power of that Monarchy If the change be from one to many then it signifies the divided state of that Monarchy and the change of the Monarchical Form of it into many distinct Principalities ruling in it as may be seen in the Example of the Fourth Beast with the Ten Horns in the 7th Chapter of Daniel and in the He-Goat of the 8th Chapter with the first Horn and the other four after him If the Change be represented by single Heads or Horns coming after one another then every Head or Horn signifies a new name of the Ruling Power of that Monarchy without any divisions in it So as has been shown does the Second Horn of the Ram of the 8th Chapter of Daniel signify the Succession of the Sovereign Power over the same Nation of the Medes and Persians by the name of the King of Persia in the place of the King of Media And the six first Heads of the Beast in the Revelations that are described as succeeding in order do all signify the several changes of the name of the chief Ruling Power of the Romans By these Examples it appears That the only Constitutive or Essential difference of an Head of the Beast is a new different name of the Civil Power that rules in chief And therefore there seems to be no ground from the known Examples of the signification of Successive Heads or Horns to make the rise of the Christian Religion in the Imperial Head by Constantine to be a new King of the Seven whenas the same civil Form of Government continued under the same name of the Imperial Government or the Government of Emperors If the many instances of this kind in Daniel and the Revelations which counting the three shows of the Seven Heads and Ten Horns in the Revelations are more than seventy be of any force then the Imperial Government cannot be said to be changed by the Succession of a new King till there be another different Form of Civil Government set up at Rome in its place under another name And then the Imperial Form which is said to be in being at the time of the Vision will continue the same till the Western Empire was cut off by the Heruli and Goths of Italy which will shew it to be necessary for the return of the Imperial Rule again over Rome by Justinian to be the Eighth which was one of the Seven that is the sixth returned into being again The Rise of the Beast with Justinian may be thus further confirmed The Beast is the Eighth King and was of the Seven Rev. 17. 11. and therefore was one of the Seven Kings who had been in Rule before and was returned into it again by Coroll Prop. 4. But he could not have been the Seventh King that was in Rule before because then he would have been the Seventh still continued and not a new King with the name of an Eighth See Coroll Prop. 18. The Beast therefore must have been either the Sixth King that is the Imperial Government returned into Rule again or one of the other five before it But before the time of Justinian there was neither any restauration of the Imperial Government of Rome that was fallen from it before nor any new reviving of any of the other five Governments of Rome which were before the Imperial 1. It will be objected That this would make the Imperial Head Objections to continue unchanged from the time of the Vision to the fall of the Western Empire whereas the Sixth Head seems plainly to be represented to have its deadly wound upon the Dragon at Constantine's Rev. 12. Conversion of the Imperial Head to Christianity For immediately after that in the 13th Chapter is the Beast shown with his Head wounded to death and yet healed again after the Dragon had been said in the 12th Chapter to have been thrown down from Heaven All that can be made appear from the fall of the Dragon supposing Answer
to uphold it that all have thought that the General Peace on that side must have been precipitated And yet we have seen it deserred to this time And the Order of the Prophecy for the end of the Second Woe after the Resurrection Rev. 11. 14. of the Witnesses thereby observed and fulfilled against all human appearance 3. From my proof of the time of the full death of the Witnesses I did determine That there would be no suppression P. 92 106. Letter to H. P. of the Protestant Profession either in England or in the Palatinate which how miraculously it has been verified amongst us we are all the joyful Witnesses of Nor does it appear That the French in all their Devastations of the Palatinate ever carried on the Dragoon work of Abjuration amongst them And yet how contrary to all outward appearance of things here was this Conjecture when it was declared and some-while after it The Project of getting a Complying Parliament to put the strength of the Nation into Popish Hands by nulling the Laws against it was then in a fair likelihood of taking But upon the continual change of Corporations soon after it seemed to be out of all question And the fury with which the Bishops Constancy was entertained and the Severities of the Ecclesiastical Commission were sufficient Testimonies of the Resolution that was then taken to bring the Ruling Religion to that state of Toleration which might qualify them to be the Witnesses in Sackcloth And who could ever have thought that the most Refined Politicians in the Church of Rome should have been so unaccountably infatuated as to chuse such Methods as tended the most apparently to the ruine of all the fair hopes that their Cause was then in Or that the French would be so unready to oppose His Present Majesty's Expedition here when they foresaw it and long before had publickly threatned by their Ambassador to revenge all Attempts of that nature And then for the Palatinate There was no reason to imagine that the French Zeal for their new way of Conversions should not have been as hot as the Flames that they put the whole Country into 4. It was necessary for me in my way of applying the Vials to make the mortifications of the Imperial and truly Papal Party by the Reign of the present French King to P. 207. 241. be the Plague of the Fourth Vial upon the Beast and the time of every Vial being found by those that are past to be about the space of Forty years I have judged from thence that the present King there would not be longer a Plague of any moment to that Party His Reign having continued for P. 244. more than Forty years since the end of the Suedish-War And what considerable Plague has he been of late but to the Protestant Palatinate And he has already begun to be a spectator only of the Imperial and Papal Triumphs over him And yet how contrary to all appearance of things was it That the French King should not think of taking his advantage sooner against the Spanish Imperial and Papal Dominions OR That he should be willing to stand at gaze only for a whole Campagne while his new Conquests were forced from him 5. I have only this further to add That it is a most surprizing instance of Divine Providence to croud so many strange and unusual Revolutions together into one point of the time of a Prophecy of near 2000 years concern and to fulfil the Predictions of them by such new and unexpected means By the number of years assigned to the continuance of Judgments of God chap. 8 9. Rev. 11. 9. Ibid. p. 253 260. the second Woe And by the Three days and an half of the death of the Witnesses and by the time of the beginning of the fifth Vial Here are all these great Changes confined to the compass of less than Ten years viz. The perfect silencing of all the Reformed Churches in All Popish Territories The Revival of them The Advancement of one of them into a Popish Throne The Revolt of the whole Kingdom there from the Roman Church The last end of all Turkish Wars The General Mortification of the Roman Interest in all its own Territories And these we have seen begun to be accomplished by as strange means such as the forcing a whole Nation to that which they really account Idolatry by unheard of Artifices The Change of the Supream Power of a Kingdom the greatest Confederacy of Protestant and Popish Princes that was ever known The Pope's Excommunications of the fiercest Zealot of his Church that ever appeared The breaking of an handful of Men through the opposition of a prepared and powerful Enemy The sudden Conquest of several Eastern Countries and a new Revolution in their Government This wonderful Accomplishment of Predictions that were particularly foretold and confined to so short a time after and that also contrary to the appearing disposition of affairs may be a very reasonable presumption for the truth of the Principles upon which they rely But I have every where taken care upon the mention of these things to forewarn N. B. all That whatever becomes of these conjectures yet it will not affect the proof that I here offer for the Principles of the Protestant Applications For loose things may be built upon a very strong foundation But I hope these will be found not to have been rashly applied And then they will be a confirmation of the Demonstration à priori here attempted As Effects are usually instanced in to demonstrate the true Causes Indeed the chief end of publishing the other part first was to engage the curiosity of the World to enquire after this which was always the chief aim of my Studies about this Subject For as I was extreamly surprized and pleased with Mr. Mede's Method in the Demonstrative way so could I not think his precess altogether close enough for it as it has before been observed by others And tho the Learned Dr. More has very sufficiently shown that notwithstanding the strongest of the Objections against them they may nevertheless be most of them true yet I do not see that he has proved some of them upon which the main stress of the whole Application does lye to be necessary to be so which is the whole design of the Synchronism e. g. The Synchronisms suppose for their foundation that the Beast in the 13th Chap. and that in the Eleventh are the same particular state of the Seven Headed Beast which yet Grotius supposes to be quite different things and by that undermines the force of the Demonstration Dr. More endeavours to strengthen it by finding a likeness betwixt the Beasts in one Character of each which is far from a Cogent necessity Dr. More himself allows not the proof of the Synchronism betwixt the Beast and the Two Witnesses in the Eleventh Chapter from the end of the Kingdom of the Beast and of the Sackcloth
necessary sense of them unless it can be proved to be impossible that the Kingdom of the Son of Man in that place should be any thing but the first coming of the Messias But our Saviour has put us out of all fear of that For he makes use of those very words to set out his second coming after his death as may be seen in all the Gospels that mention that Prophecy Matth. 24. 30. Mark 13. 26. Luke 21. 27. We may also be well assured that Daniel himself could not possibly understand that Eternal Vniversal Kingdom of the Son of Man of his first coming For in his 9th Chapter he sets out the Dan. 9. 26. Messias by name as delivered up at his first coming into his Enemies hands and cut off and his City Jerusalem and the Temple as destroyed by them which is quite contrary to such a glorious Kingdom as he is described in the 7th Chapter to enjoy to all eternity and which was at its first appearance to destroy a Kingdom that ruled over all the Earth and was contrary to it 2. The 2d Reason is of much the same force with the former Dan. VII For though the Terms of the coming of the Son of Man and of his Kingdom should be found to be used by our Saviour and his Apostles in some peculiar circumstances and by way of allusion to signify the destruction of Jerusalem yet that it cannot be so understood in this 7th Chapter of Daniel is certain because it has such peculiar circumstances there joined with it as do always signify the last coming of Christ to judgment as may be seen more at large in the proof of the 14th Proposition But it has also been found that that place in the Gospels which seems to have the greatest strength in it to shew that the coming of the Son of Man is to be understood of his coming only to the destruction of Jerusalem must necessarily signify his last coming to judgment See this Book Chap. 2. the five last Pages There are indeed some Exhortations of our Saviour and his Apostles to Persons then living to watch against the day of the Lord 's coming as if it were to be in that Age. But that can be no assurance of it For there are the same kind of Exhortations in places which are by all acknowledged to belong to Christ's last coming to judgment only As Mat. 25. 13. 1 Cor. 15. 51 52. 1 Thessal 4. 15 17. The reason and application of which last is given in the following Chapter from the 1st to the 7th verse viz. because of the uncertainty of the time of the Lord 's Coming 3. The consequence of the Third Reason may safely be acknowledged viz. That then the Beast with the Little Horn in Daniel must be the same with the Beast in the Revelations For it has already been sufficiently demonstrated so to be in the proof of the 15th Proposition Coroll 2. And as for the inconsistency of those Expressions in the first and last Chapters of the Revelations with the rise and continuance of the Little Horn in Daniel it is answered by the strength of the 15th Proposition and Corol. 1. Prop. 12. And by the familiar use of such kind of Expressions as those of the time being at hand and the doing things shortly and of their coming to pass very shortly to denote only the beginning of a scene of Action within a little while which requires a long time to finish it As may be seen in particular instances in the Answer to the Objection against the 20th Proposition That which does the most manifestly evidence how little those that raise this Objection do believe it themselves is that they all allow the Thousand years in the 20th Chapter of the Revelations to be literally understood which is sufficient to convince them that the short time and the time being at hand and the coming shortly to pass cannot possibly be understood of the last completion of the things in that Prophecy and therefore that it can signify no more than that they should shortly begin to be fulfilled as it is usually said of long continuance of time that it is at hand or that it will shortly come to signify that it will shortly begin 4. All the strength of the last Objection lies in the likeness of the Little Horn in the 7th Chapter to that in the 8th Chapter But who could ever take the Two Little Horns in the 7th and 8th Chapters to be so very like one another that has but the least patience to consider them impartially It is so plain that the Little Horn in the 8th Chapter must be Antiochus Epiphanes that it is generally agreed upon by almost all kind of Interpreters But it is as plain that the other in the 7th Chapter is succeeded by an Eternal Universal Kingdom of the Son of Man which v. 27. is called the Greatness of the Kingdom under the whole Heaven Now was there any thing ever like this in the times immediately after the death of Antiochus Epiphanes who was near 200 years before Christ or any thing like it at the end of the Kingdom of the Greeks many years after it which was above 60 years before the birth of Christ And therefore do we find Grotius at such a pinch to reconcile these Inconsistencies that he is forced to interpret the Son of Man to signify in this place the Roman Nation Whereas the name of the Son of man in the 7th of Daniel was so generally known amongst the Jews to signify the Messias that the High-priest immediately rent his Cloaths when he heard our Saviour making himself known by that name and he and they forthwith concluded him guilty of Blasphemy because they took him but for an ordinary Person as has been before observed in the proof of the 13th Proposition And nothing can more demonstrate the hardiness of Grotius for the defence of a singular Opinion than to see him venture at so likely a danger of Blasphemy to maintain his post CHAP. VIII Dan. VII An Vniversal Tradition for some hundreds of years after the time of the Prophecy of Daniel That the Fourth Kingdom in the 2 d and 7th Chapter is the Kingdom of the Romans This demonstrated from the Text in 15 Particulars LET us now see what mountains of absurd Consequences must be cut through to avoid the formidable dangers that are pretended upon the account of the forementioned Objections to lie in the other way It may well be imagined That this new Invention must put a very unnatural force upon the Text and have very great inconveniences in it because it is against the Judgment of all the Jewish Rabbies both before and after Christ for 900 years after the Prophecy was given and till it came to appear to the Jews to be their great Interest to hinder the triumph of Christianity over the Empire from being thought to be the Kingdom of the Son of Man
to avoid all disturbance in the City and prejudice to the Church none should be chosen without his knowledg See also Petavius Rationar Temp. part 1. lib. 7. cap. 3. The doubled strength of the Two Consuls The Coyns also of the Empire in the time of this division had both the Emperors Heads with this Inscription The mutual love of the two Augusti And whatever was there more like to the Consuls of Rome which are said to be one of the five Heads that were past at the date of the Prophecy than these two Emperors After this came the Western Empire to be cut off by the Barbarous Nations Odoacer who cut off the last Emperor Augustulus Reigned with his Heruli Sixteen years in his stead and how much he deserved to be accounted a new Head of Rome may appear by the power he had there to have a Law made f Petavius Rationar Temp. l. 7. c. 3. To prevent which that is the Commotions in the City about the Election of Laurentius and Symmachus upon the death of Pope Anastasius the whole Controversy was remitted to the determination of King Theodoric according to the Law made in that Case by Odoacer And he pronounced Symmachus Pope And many Synods were about that Affair in the year 501 and some years after That no Election of the Bishop of Rome should be valid except it were confirmed by the King And also That in a Controversial Choice The King should determine which of the Elected should stand This Law continued also under g Hieron Rubens Histor Raven p. 131 132. The year after was there another Council called by the Command of King Theodorick from Ravenna The French Bishops mention their being called to Rome by his Command And Pope Symmachus gives the King thanks that he called the Council to meet at Rome See Tom. 2. Concil de Synodis Romae sub Symmacho Theodoric does there shew the Letters of Symmachus himself to request him to call the Fourth Synod Theodorick who succeeded Odoacer together with his Goths and Theodorick was in the exercise of it till the year 502. h Pompon Laetus of Odoacer The Romans at his first entrance into the City salute him King of Rome and Italy and lead him to the Capitol with all the highest Honours To the same purpose Blondus Decad. l. 3. pag. 31. In decretal distinct 69. Odoacer is called by Pope Symmachus the Most Excellent King of the Romans And by his Authority were there frequent Synods of the Orthodox called at Rome till some years after the year 501 thô he himself was an Arrian which shows how absolute he was amongst them And of the i De Translat Romani Imper. in Germanos Tit. Quâ ratione facta est Imperii translatio The Roman Power was transferred upon Odoacer first by the Army or by the submission of the Roman Legions to him 2. By the Nobility and Senate of Rome 3. By the Right of Conquest 4. By the Renunciation of Augustulus 5. By the Consent of all Rome and Italy declared in the Capitol as they used to acknowledg their Lawful Emperours Blondus Decad. l. 3. p. 37. He there shews How Theodoric was received at Rome by the agreeing Consent and Applauses and Acclamations of the Pope the Senate and People of Rome And that he left Rome to its own Government by the Senate but yet so as that his Praefect did preside over them Bellarm. l. 1. de Translat Imper. Rom. in Germanos cap 9. says that Theodoric enjoyed the Empire of all Italy The style of Theodoric's Letters-Pattents represent him every-where as the Absolute Sovereign of the Romans as much as ever the Emperours had been before him In his Letter to the Senate of Rome upon his Coronation Oath Lib 10. Variar Cassiodori Our Goodness must be a very commanding thing when we are overcome by our own Will who are not bound to answer to any one else because we owe thâ—se things to God only and not to Man Epistola 17. So also in the next Letter to the People of Rome consider How much kindness is intended you when he swears to you who cannot be compelled And speaking of the Office of Praefect of the City of Rome Epist 4. lib. 6. says of himself in comparison with those Praefects Hâc sold ratione c. In this only are we different from them that we cannot be subject to any one else who have none to judge us or to call us to account Sigonias says of him lib. 16. de Occident Imper. That Theodoric set up a Kingdom in the West every way most like the old Empire there splendid receptions of both Odoacer and Theodorick at Rome by the Pope the Senate and the People of Rome and of the applauses and submissions that were shown them in acknowledgment of their Sovereignty There are sufficiene Testimonies from the best approved Historians of those times And the time of the Reign of these Barbarous Kings over Rome was near 70 years The Lieutenants of Justinian Bellisarius and Nurses subdued those Kings of Italy And thereby Justinian who was but the Emperour of Constantinople and which had been divided from the Authority of Rome for so many years comes to be restored to the Royal Seat of the Empire at Rome which was another Change of the chief Government of that place And thus it continued under the Command of the Exarchs of the Greek Emperors for near Two hundred years The Lombards and the Franks and the Pope together seem to make another Change of the Sovereign Power of Rome by the ruine of the Greek Emperors interests in Italy But thô the Lombards seemed to be the next Masters of that Jurisdiction yet they never could succeed in their attempts to make themselves Masters of Rome For they were checked in it by the Power of the Franks under Pepin and Charlemain But then upon a Confederacy betwixt the Pope and those Kings of the Franks Rome was left wholly free to it self and Charlemaine was made Emperor of the Romans and from him the Title continued to this day in the French and German Line with some small intervals of vacancies Who would make any question whether here be not variety of Changes enough to make one conclude That the Imperial Government which was the Ruling Head in St. John's time must have been long since at an end One would indeed be more apt to judge from hence That there hath been not only a Change of the Sixth Head since that time but also four or five Heads besides in succession to one another But since we are already assured That the next Change but one to the Imperial Sixth Head was to be the Beast Prop. 20. And that the Beast was to continue from his first rise under that Head to the last coming of Christ in Glory by Prop. 6. and Corol. 1. Prop. 12. It is manifest that there can be but Two of these several Changes of Government that can
the Application of it to the fall of Paganism by Constanstine's Conversion is That the Reign of Diabolical Rage in the Imperial Head against the Christan Church was then at an end and that Christianity was mounted on the Throne instead of it But there is no manner of hint about the end of the Imperial Head it self or of the change of it for a new Head It is only the change of the Reign of the Devil in that Head and therefore is it said to be Satan only cast down And though one would judge this to be a great change of Affairs yet there was no reason from hence to make the loss of the Dragon's Power the end of an Head because his Power never was the beginning of one The Imperial Head had not its denomination or distinctive Character from the other Heads upon the account of the power of the Dragon in it and therefore it cannot cease to be an Head only for having that power cast out of it That it was not the power of the Dragon that was the distinguishing Character of the Imperial Head from those that were before it is certain For the Red Dragon with the Seven Heads and Ten Horns must necessarily be some Roman Power persecuting the Church of God And then it must 1. Either begin at Pompey's Conquest of Judaea which was in the time of the Consulary Government and continued in the Dictatorship of Julius Caesar and so the Red Dagon would be in one or two Heads more besides the Imperial and therefore could not be the mark of distinction betwixt them and the Imperial If so then the continuance of the Imperial Government without the Dragon in it has all reason to be accounted the same Head still since the Dragon was no part of the essential difference of the Imperial Head from the two others that went before it and therefore does the casting out of the Dragon out of the Imperial Head make no change of that Property which made it an Head Or 2dly The Dragon must be the Roman persecution of the Christians And then the Imperial Head would have been begun a long time before the time of the Dragon in it which would plainly show that as the Imperial Government was an Head of the Beast before it was possessed by the Dragon so must it continue the same Head of the Beast after it was dispossessed of the Dragon 2. And whereas this Opinion seems to be countenanced from the immediate consequence of it in the 13th Chapter which is v. 3. the appearance of an Head wounded to death and healed again It is to be considered that the maintainers of this Opinion themselves do allow at least 140 years space betwixt the Fall of the Dragon and the Rise of that other Beast And then there is no Argument at all from the nearness of the two Visions to one another either to interpret that Fall of the wounding of any of the Seven Heads or to make so little a distance of space betwixt the Fall and the Rise of the Beast There is a plain mention of a flood cast out of the Dragon's Rev. 12. 15. mouth which in Prophetick Language signifying an inundation of vast multitudes of People does give opportunity and time enough for the wounding of the Head and the healing it again and this distance betwixt them is by our Adversaries said to be 140 years Indeed this very 13th Chapter does shew the power of the Dragon to be wholly spiritual considered by himself For he is represented here as active as he was before he was cast down which shews that he was only an Evil Spirit in one of the Heads and not the Head it self For then his casting down would have been the Dragon's deadly wound as the Head of the Beast that was before past is represented to be so wounded whereas the Dragon is as much in action after his fall as he was before He was then the same spiritual Power when he was in the Head and when he was cast out of it and therefore distinct from it 3. It will be further urged that this would make the Imperial Head continue an Head of the Beast after it was turned Christian whereas the Heads of the Beast are said to have the names of blasphemy upon them But it is known that things are called by the name of that which is most predominant amongst them And since the time of the Christian Emperors in that Head was inconsiderable in comparison of the time of Heathenism the Objection has no weight in it 4. But then it seems harder to answer that Character upon the Seventh Head or Gothish Kings It will not be so very difficult if it be considered That the Seventh Head is the mixed form of Imperial and Regal Government For it is not hard to find the beginning of that degeneracy of Christianity which is called Blasphemy in the established Roman Religion a WE find in St. Augustine contra Faustum lib. 20. c. 2. which was near an 100 years before this time that the Manachees would have the Orthodox to be like the Pagans And Faustus thence says Ye have turned the Idols of the Pagans into Martyrs whom you worship with the same kind of Invocations And the Edicts of Valens and Theodosius against the Adorations of the Image of Christ confirms it Hospinian pag. 49. The Worship of the Saints by Invocation c. seems to be very near akin to the Worship of the Lesser Gods amongst the Heathens and then it must needs be Blasphemy H. Salmeron praelud 7. in Apocalyps gives this very reason why by Babylon the Harlot must be understood Rome Heathen viz. because it did worship the Images of all the Gods in the Pantheon as the Saints of the Eastern Empire at that time And however different the Goths might be from the Romans in Opinion yet we have b Petavius Ration Temp. part 1. l. 6. c. 2. de Theodorico And tho according to the Religion of his Country he was of the Arrian Sect yet he defended the Rights and Liberties of the Roman Church with all faithfulness And Sigonius says of Odoacer before him That he gave the Bishops and the Churches their due respects lib. 15. de Imp. Occident And Baron Anno 476. that he gave the Catholick Church no trouble in Church-matters But sufficient Instances of the preservation of the Rights of the Roman Church by the Gothish Kings may be found in Cassiodorus's Book of Variar As Lib. 2. Ep. 28. There is first Theodoric's Profession that he ought not to force Religion upon any not upon Jews Lib. 3. Ep. 45. He mentions the Defenders of the Rights of the Roman Church Commissioners setled by himself and upon their complaint of an Injury enjoins his Deputy by all means to right them according to the former grants to the Roman Church Lib. 4. Ep. 20. orders the Restitution of Gifts taken away from the Church Athalaricus after him makes
sent to the Beasts Which also the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 does make appear which our Apostle always makes use of and is properly applied to those Animals that do mischief by poyson or by biting Upon this account is it that c. 11. number 19. we said out of Arethas c. And St. Jerome interprets Daniel's Four Beasts to be Four Kingdoms And says And this is to he noted that the Fierceness and Cruelty of Kingdoms is signified by the name of Beasts Arethas does also so interpret it and shows the holy Methodius and St. Hippolitus to be of the same mind Ribera quote St. Jerome and Arethas It is also worth the observing that in those very days when these Visions were wrote The Roman People and Empire were called by the name of Great Beast by their own Heathen Authors who meant no more by that Expression than the self-willed commanding nature of the Body of a People or Empire Thus does Suetonius represent Tiberius his Censure of his Friends for persuading him to take the Government upon him as Men that were ignorant what a Great Beast an Empire was Quanta Bellua esset Imperium In Tiberio Art 24. And Horace Ep. 1. Lib. 1. calls the Roman People Bellua multorum Capitum A great many-headed Beast As for the common use of the Heads and Horns of a Beast there are near 60 Instances against nothing that is plain to the contrary That they signify only differences of the Civil Form of the Government without any reference to Idolatrous Worship that is any where expresly mentioned Thus in the first Six Heads of the Dragon and Beast thrice in the Revelations in the Ten Horns of the Fourth Kingdom of the 7th of Daniel in the Four Heads of the Leopard there in the Horns of the two Beasts in the 8th Chapter 5. But it may be urged That there was a change of the Civil Form of the Imperial Government before the times of the Goths in Italy There was a division of the Empire into East and West by Constantine and two distinct Jurisdictions seated at Rome and Constantinople This division came to be perfectly setled at the death of the first Theodosius and continued in that estate for near 80 years And this also not as two divided Kingdoms which must have been represented by two Heads or two Horns according to all the Examples of divisions of Sovereignty in Daniel or the Revelations but as two halves of one and the same Roman Empire by a joint and common concern of both those parts for the Government and Administration of the whole Roman Empire as has been before observed much after the manner of the Two Consuls of the same Roman Commonwealth This then seems to be a new face of the Imperial Power as different from the first as the Consuls seemed to be from the Regal Power But the encrease of the number of the Ruling Persons that have the same name and title is known by several Instances not to be a change of that kind of Government The Consuls were sometimes g Cuspinian in Chronic. Cassiodori pag. 264. The Triumvirate gave the Consulship to as many of the Princes as they pleas'd more than two sometimes h In Cassiodorus Chronicon it may be observed that Pompey in the disturbances of the Commonwealth continued alone the only Consul and there was no other Choice at the usual time And so was Lepidus in the time of the Triumvirat Cuspinian in Chronic. Cassiodor pag. 250. pag. 262. but one The military Tribunes with the power of Consuls were sometimes more sometimes fewer i Fenestilla de Magistrat Romanis c. 16. There were therefore Three Military Tribunes created with the power of Consuls and were continued with great variety for their number sometimes they were Twenty sometimes more sometimes fewer Or as this is corrected by Cuspinian as wrongly printed in the Pandects F. de Orig. juris At first Six afterwards Eight or somewhat more As Livy writes in his Fifth Book Cuspinian in Cassiodori Chronicon p. 95. in a very great variety And the Imperial Power it self before this establishment of the Two Empires was in the hands of sometime two sometimes three and once of four and yet were not these changes in the same form of Government ever accounted any other than the same Consulary Tribunal and Imperial Government Nor were the two Czars of Muscovy of late accounted any thing more than the same Government by Emperors that it was before nor was the encreasing or diminishing the setled number of Senators at several times the making a new Senate and the having two different Seats of Supream Authority is not much more than the two Provinces of the two Consuls of Rome 6. If the distance betwixt the end of the Imperial Head and the rise of the Beast should seem to be too far asunder for the description of the rise of the Man of Sin 2 Thess 2. 7 8. Which seems to intimate that it should be immediatly after the end of the Imperial Power It may be answered That the Particle then in that expression And then shall be revealed is very often in Scripture used where there is a great distance of time betwixt that which went before and that which it introduceth Grotius does upon this verse acquaint us that the Partitle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or then does very ordinarily in Scripture connect very distant times together of which he there gives many Examples Besides by the Seventh King that is described to come betwixt Rev. 17. 10. the Imperial Government and the Beast must be meant another form of Government of some short continuance after the fall of the Imperial Head And the time that is assigned here for it is but seventy years which is but the Age of one single person Isa 23. 15. whereas those that do the most oppose this way do make the Seventh King to continue near twice as long But that which does the most clearly shew the little weight there is in the Particle then in this place to signify the immediate Succession of the Man of Sin upon the fall of the Western Empire is the Opinion of almost all Interpreters concerning the first rise and appearance of the Man of Sin For they generally agree that it was either a good while before the ruine of that Empire or some while after and any one that considers in what a state of humiliation the Bishops of Rome were under the Arrian Kings of the Heruli and Goths in Italy immediately upon the fall of the Western Empire must conclude that that was a very improper posture of the Roman Affairs to fix the revealing of the Man of Sin to But that which does the most fully answer this Objection is that the Man of Sin and the Beast in the Revelations may not be exactly the same thing the Man of Sin may be the False Prophet and then why may he not be thought to make some