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
all the Protestant States of Europe did concern themselves to obtain from the Duke a Peace for those poor people A persecution began in Poland a while after and the Reformed were involved in the same ruin with the Hereticks Socinians and Antitrinitarians they were driven out of that Kingdom and were scattered in Transilvania Hungary and Germany At the same time a persecution begun in France immediately after the Pyrenaean peace the project of the ruin of the Protestants was laid at Court and hath been prosecuted till it hath been executed as we see at this day In the year 1671. began the persecution of the Churches of Silesia Moravia Hungary the consequents of which are the almost utter extinction of the true Religion in the Territories of the Emperor The two witnesses will in a little time be dead through the total extinction of the profession of Religion The Beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them This Beast is the papacy where ever it is for 't is not only in Rome that the Beast is found but 't is in the whole extent of the jurisdiction of the ten Kings 'T is not therefore necessary that a persecution should be exactly rais'd by the Bishop of Rome that so it may be ascribed to the Beast 't is enough that it be raised in the extent of the popish Kingdom And their bodies shall lye in the street of the great City 'T is evident from these words that this last persecution must be rais'd only within the circumference of the great City i. e. the Babylonian and popish Kingdom in the Countries where it reigns On this account probably those Kingdoms Countries and States who are out of the jurisdiction of the Popedom and whose Soveraigns are Protestants must have no share in it Further the Prophecy saith that the war must be made against the two witnesses that prophesy cloathed in sackcloth which is the same with what we call preaching under the Cross this therefore only concerns the faithful who preach and are under the Cross so that the persecution must onely be rais'd within the bounds of the City i. e. the Babylonian Kingdom and against those who preach under the Cross Holland Sweden Denmark and all other States which have Reformed Princes and where the Reformation is the ruling Religion shall not feel it And we have ground to hope that the torch of the Reformation shall not be extinguisht And though at present the King of England is of the Romish Religion I dare notwithstanding perswade my self that his Kingdom cannot be reckoned as one of the streets of the great City seeing popery is not the ruling Religion there though it be the Religion of him that rules Therefore I do not believe that we must understand the prophesy of Vsher in the letter or strictest sense who says that the persecution must be general over all the Churches of Europe for we may understand it of all those where popery does rule 'T is true he fore-tells a massacre in England but besides that those who wrote this prophesy from his mouth might be mistaken 't is also possible that this holy man through the violence of his sorrow went further than the Spirit did carry him Notwithstanding the English ought to remember the massacre in Ireland circumstances then were not near so favourable to popery as they are now Men must not trust to this that the King of England will never consent to so barbarous an action I believe he will not but the Papists do not trouble themselves about the pleasure of their Soveraigns when they see any prospect of advancing their cause by any kind of Methods Therefore if the Protestants be wise they will not put weapons into the hands of their enemies The bodies of the two witnesses shall lye in the street of the great City 'T is to be observed that in the Text 't is not in the streets in the plural as the French translation reads 't is in the street in the singular And I cannot hinder my self from believing that this hath a particular regard to France which at this day is certainly the most eminent Countrey which belongs to the popish Kingdom Her King is called the eldest Son of the Church the most Christian King i. e. the most popish according to the dialect of Rome The Kings of France have by their liberalities made the Popes great at this day it is the most flourishing State of Europe It is in the middle of the popish Empire betwixt Italy Spain Germany England exactly as a street or place of concourse is in the middle of a City 'T is also foursquare as such a place i. e. almost as long as broad In a word 't is the place or street of the great City And I believe that 't is particularly in France that the witnesses must remain dead i.e. that the profession of the true Religion must be utterly abolisht This is already done by the revocation of the Edict of Nantes and by the enormous cruclties of the Souldiers who have bin let loose upon the Protestants of whatsoever sex quality and condition If any stand firm they must either leave the Kingdom or be destroyed Thus within a little while the external profession of the Reformed Religion will be wholly abolisht there And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and Nations shall see their dead bodies and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put into graves i.e. The Truth shall be slain but it shall not be buried Burial is a degree beyond death and is always joyn'd with a total corruption and destruction And so 't is not an office of charity which is denyed to these two witnesses but a degree of ruin from which they are exempted The witnesses shall not be buried i.e. the Truth shall not be destroy'd And observe who they are who hinder their burial they are not the same with those who killed them Those who killed them are the Inhabitants of the street of the great City i. e. those who dwell in the most eminent part of the popish Kingdom which at this day is France Those who hinder their burial are the Tribes Languages People and Nations i.e. several neighbour nations yea 't is to be observed that the Propheey saith not simply The Tribes Languages and Nations but they of the Languages Tribes and Nations i. e. some chosen and elected out of the Nations the faithfull scattered in all the Nations of Europe shall hinder the burial and total destruction of the Reformation in France Nevertheless this does not wholly exclude those among the Tribes Languages and Nations who are not Elect. For 't is probable that all Europe shall contribute to hinder France from executing her design of extirpating the Truth But this signifies that the Reformed and the true Christians shall awaken Europe as well that part which is Roman Catholick as that which is Protestant to oblige it to look to
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
and begets and causeth fertility when his heat is moderate as he causes sterility when it is excessive 'T is by heat that he preserves and strengthens health when his beams are gentle and 't is by it that he produceth death when his beams are mingled with poysonous vapors Authority and power in Soveraigns exactly correspond to heat and light in the Sun 't is this Authorrity which warms and burns which saves and destroys which does good and hurt When it is moderate like a Sun it enlightens and preserves that State when 't is excessive 't is like a fire which devours when 't is gentle and the Prince uses it aright there is no advantage that it does not produce fertility abundance peace strength health of the Commonwealth But when 't is maligne and the Prince uses it wrong 't is a burning Sun which consumes which wastes which scorches and kills which brings barrenness and want into the place of abundance trouble and confusion into the room of peace and death into the place of life these things also carry an undenyable evidence The encrease of heat signifies the encrease of the papal Authority Therefore I conclude not by way of naked conjecture but with assurance that the encrease of heat in the Sun of the Antichristian Empire and in his beams is the encrease of his Authority and power and also the pernicious and wicked use of this usurped power And this clearly signifies that prodigious augmentation of the papal authority and power which was made in the eleventh thirteenth and fourteenth Centuries The Pope had been Tyrant over the Church then he became Tyrant over the World. Gregory VII by an incredible attempt rais'd himself above all Soveraigns excommunicated Emperors and Kings deposed them and took away their Crowns made other Emperors and other Kings to whom he gave the Territories of the former His Successors kept the same path yea out-went him They had a mind to make Emperors their Vassals and did so This heat scorched men like fire and men were scorched with great heat for none can describe the dismal desolations which Popes have made by the use of this usurped and excessive authority The encrease of the authority of the Popes had almost consumed all Europe It cost Henry IV. alone sixty and odd battels and combats in which he was engaged to defend himself against the enemies which the Popes stirred up The history of the two Frederiks that of Lewis of Bavaria the general history of Germany for the space of 300 years can witness to what I say without reckoning England France and other States where the papal Authority hath caused bloody and horrible Tragedies and such troubles whose bare reading does move compassion Matthew Paris alone may suffice to let us know how exactly this Prophecy was accomplisht that the beams of the Sun scorched men He tells us how the Authority of the Pope made such exactions in England Chap. 6.7 8. of the first part Chap. 5. of the second and brought it to so great misery that it was almost quite ruin'd This may be found every where and lately in our History of Popery in the first and third recrimination Why the fourth plague begins before the second and third This is the fourth plague and whoever seriously considers this matter will have no scruple about it not more then I have Perhaps some will make one that this fourth Plague did begin before the second for the prodigious tyranny of the Popes began under Hildebrand nam'd Gregory VII about the year 1074 and the Croisades did not begin till 1096. more then 20 years afterward Wherefore then does the Spirit make this to be the fourth Plague and not the second I answer because this came down lower then the continuance of the Croisades The Croisades ended about the year 1270. when as this papal tyranny continued in all its strength and all its dreadfull effects the whole thirteenth and the whole fourteenth Centuries Afterwards though the Popes have ever kept up and do still the same pretentions notwithstanding they did far less mischief in Europe by the use of this proud Authority which they take to themselves It is to be observed that the Prophecies which divide times and events by periods do not divide them in such a manner In prophecies the periods of times are often inlayd in one another that one period should begin exactly where another ends on the contrary they are always joynted or inlayd one within another For example the Roman Monarchy does not begin where the Grecian ends on the contrary the Roman Monarchy in its longest duration does take in the whole Grecian entirely yea it begun before the Grecian When Alexander founded the Grecian Empire the Romans had already begun to make a figure in the World. And Livy in that part of his History proves that if Alexander had marcht into the West as once he designed he had not so easily mastered Rome as he did the East Rome had at that time conquered all her neighbours she had subdued the Aequi the Volsci the Samnites yea she had humbled the Gauls by many defeats given to them At that time lived the Fabij the Papyrij and many other Heroe's whose names are so famous in history The City was at that time 420 years old and the Prophecies do reckon the destinies of Rome from its first beginning for they mention its seven heads i.e. the seven Governments Revel 17. The fourth Monarchy preceded the third more theâ— fâ—ur hundred years under which they do consider it of which the first was that of their Kings So that the fourth Monarchy did precede the third more then 400 years But notwithstanding the Roman Monarchy is reckon'd the fourth because it kept its grandeur intire nay did much encrease it a long time after the fall of the Grecian Thus the plague of the Sun i.e. of the papal Authority is reckon'd as the fourth though it began before the second because it continued during the second and third plague and its reign was lengthned above a hundred years after them both and the last hundred years ought to be reckon'd as the period of the sourth plague There is another objection which will seem stronger but notwithstanding is more easily answer'd According to our exposition the augmentation of the papal Authority is accounted to be a calamity upon the Antichristian State whereas on the contrary it is the highest step of its exaltation and perfection I answer that the one contradicts not the other for first we must remember the remark already made viz. that these plagues do not all fall upon the head of the Antichristian Kingdom they are heavy judgements of God which often touch not the Pope who is the Instrument to execute them The plagues fall on them that worship the Beast and his Image and not on the Beast himself and on the false Prophet yea this false Prophet is an Instrument in
were ever seen Nay if we should interpret these changes which ought to happen onely by those which fell out in the last age surely we may say that never were greater and more surprizing alterations The Earthquake signifies the great change of the world by the Reformation In less then twenty or thirty years a great part of the Christian World was Reformed And at the same time there were dreadfull wars troubles and sheddings of blood in Germany in Flanders in Holland in England and in France as every body knows V. 19. And the great City was divided into three parts Behold something which does furnish us with a plain Character of this last period and of this last viol These words have not hitherto been understood but I perswade my self that it will be judged that they can be understood We have already said and shall hereafter prove it that the great City is not Rome strictly taken but Rome made up and joyn'd with its whole Empire In a word this City is the Antichristian Kingdom otherwise called the Latin Church A remarliable prediction of the division of the Latin Church into three principal parts Papists Lutherans and Reformed This City upon the pouring out of the seventh viol was to be divided into three parts This is exactly come to pass at the preaching of the Reformers the Antichristian Kingdom was divided into three one part remain'd with Antichrist one part did separate from him under the name of the Ausburg Confession A third part did separate under the Confession of those who are barely styled the Reformed Sweden Denmark and a great part of Germany make the second part England the Vnited Provinces the reformed part of France a part of Germany make the third part These are the three grand parts that divide the Western Church which is the great City Let this be attentively minded for I affirm that this passage does as it were speak with a tongue and is able alone to convince that our System of the seven plagues is a most undoubted truth This division of the great City into three parts so clearly points out the three Communions of the Latin Church that to deny it can proceed onely from unreasonable passion and opiniatrety And if we have hit upon the truth in this point we have done so in all for if this Character of the seventh plague is true and is already accomplisht all the other plagues are also accomplisht and if they are accomplisht I do boldly affirm they cannot be apply'd to any other events then those to which we have apply'd them And it must not be hoped that to obscure this evidence a fourth part may be made viz. the Church of England because of the controversies about Church government for the Church of England never refused to receive other Reformed ones into her Communion nor have these again ever refused to receive her into theirs We have alway professed the same Religion with the Church of England on the account of the perfect agreement of our Doctrine notwithstanding the difference of discipline and government When as the Lutherans have constantly refused to receive the Reformed into their Communion There is among the Lutherans themselves a difference in point of government Sweden hath Bishops Denmark hath none at least not such Bishops as those of Sweden and England and nevertheless this makes not a different Sect. There is also the same difference among the Reformed on this side the Sea for the Superintendants who are in many Reformed Churches of Germany are real Bishops and notwithstanding the Reformed are not divided one from another Thus in truth there are but three grand parts into which the Latin Church is divided i. e. Papists Lutherans and Reformed as they are called by one another or Catholiks Reformed Evangelici as they style themselves And the Cities of the Nations fell i. e. they fell with respect to Popery they departed out of the Antichristian Kingdom in the same sense that in the eleventh Chapter 't is said that the tenth part of the City fell And great Babylon came in remembrance before God to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath These words let us see that the expression It is done did not signify the very point of the final ruin of the Antichristian Kingdom For behold after 't was said It is done Babylon comes in remembrance before God to give her the cup. Now these expressions signify both the future and the present time And indeed 't is within the duration of this period that God will remember Babylon to give her the last cup of his wrath And observe it that the great Babylon comes not in remembrance before God to give her the cup i. e. the last cup of her ruin till after her dividing into three parts This division is not her total ruin but after that she shall be thus divided into Papists Lutherans and Calvinists then God will prepare to give her the last cup of his wrath Which signifies that the division of the Latin Church into three parts must continue untill the compleat ruin of popery V. 20. And every Island fled away and the mountains were not found This is nothing but a Paraphrase and a description of the Earthquake which he had spoken of a little before for these are the effects of Earthquakes where mountains once stood they are not to be seen new Islands are produced and the old ones are often swallowed up But yet if any will interpret Islands to signify lesser States and Mountains great ones I do not contradict it for 't is really true that the Reformation hath already taken away from the Popedom and shall yet take away all States both small and great V. 21. And there fell upon men a great hail out of Heaven i. e. upon the Subjects of Antichrist this signifies the judgments of God which fall upon this Kingdom and these judgements are well known for it hath suffered of all kinds wars famines pestilences mortalities And men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail The Subjects of the Popedom have not hitherto been converted by all these chastisements but have always stuck firm to the Kingdom and Seat of the Beast whose head is cover'd with names of blasphemies The seven hour-glasses being run out the Kingdom of Autichrist must be at its end This is the seventh and last viol or hour-glass which thanks be to God will in a little time be run out now we have that which we seek namely an evidence that the Antichristian Kingdom is near its end We need not longer wait for the accomplishment either of all the seven plagues as some of our Interpreters say or of some of the seven plagues as others say It is done all is accomplisht we are in the last period of the seven yea we are at the end of the seventh period I am informed that since the first Edition of this work some
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