Sun. Those Months being time of the Moon given by Prophecy must be taken and applyed to time of the Sun given by the same prophecy that they may be rated and known what time They contain According to the exactest Computation that can be made Fourty two Months apply'd to Twelve hundred sixty Days for Years must be Twelve hundred twenty two Days for Years that is Twelve hundred twenty two Years The Epoch or Beginning then of these Months fixed at the Cessation of the Christian Emperour the prophetical Seventh King which was in the Year of our Lord 475 must needs reach to the Year 1697. The Twelve hundred sixty Days or Years both of the Witnesses and of the Woman ending necessarily at the same time for the one cannot out-last the other must begin thirty eight Years before the Months viz. 437. But because the Witnesses could not be supposed to put on their Sackcloth without just Occasion given the Gentiles under the other Beast Treading the Holy Court must have begun their Fourty two Months when the Twelve hundred sixty Days of the Witnesses Sackcloth and the Womans Wilderness State began also viz. 437. It is no matter what became of the Gentiles Fourty two Months after the Beast first Risen and grown up to his Image and Power to enforce the Worship of it and the receiving his Mark Name or of the Number of his Name viz. at 725 his Famous 666. For then the Beasts Months support the Seventh Headship and the Roman City or Apostate Church and the Gentiles Months Merge or are drowned in them The Months and Days being given under the Character of Time Times and Half a Time and three Days and a half when they arrived to the Beginning of the half Time and Days such a partial Rising of the Witnesses and Retrenchment of the Bestian Kingdom such a Fall of some of the Ten Kings from the Beast as was seen at the Reformation was allowable by Prophecy after the manner of our Lord 's three Days and Nights in the Heart of the Earth and was a Pledge of the complete Fall of the Beast and of the City's Fall from their whole Ten Mark those Kings who bewayl Babylon c. 18. 9. cannot be those Ten Kings who at last Turn to hate the Whore who they are will not be known till that Burning of Babylon shall be better understood King'd Principality at the end of the half Time or 1697. At the same time when the Days of the Witnesses and the Months of the Beast End The Turkish Second Woe or Tyranny shall pass away and cannot sooner because it is the Second Woe Trumpet upon the Bestian Kingdom lasting till its Fourty two Months End Which being an Observation foreign to this Matter needs not be enlarged yet well observ'd adds strength to the whole The last Argument I shall use to perfect all that hath been said already Last Arg. shall be an Appeal to All that in any degree know the State of the World whether the Condition of Papal Rome since the time especially of the Beasts receiving the Key of the Bottomless Pit as a Fallen Star in the Days of Phocas his coming to his Number and Image in the days of Leo Conon hath not answer'd the Characters of Prophecy Ann. 725. Does the Prophecy signifie a City perpetuating Eternal Rome in a Church as False Impure and Adulterate as the Mother of Harlots Imports Which Title cannot be due in its highest degree but where True Religion is Prostituted as appears in Aholiab and Aholibah And hath not Rome been such a One as Papal in all its Idolatrys Superstitions and Sensualities Does the Prophecy Represent a Caesar in an Image and hath not the Pope's Tripple Crown elevated upon his Spirituality and Vicarship of Christ been such a One Does the Prophecy speak Rome in all the Grandeur of Scarlet Purple and precious Stones And is not the Splendor of Rome its Pope Cardinals and Hierarchy such Does the Prophecy set out an Universal Propagation of the Fornications of such an Imperious Whorish Woman prevailing upon Kings Nations Kindreds and Languages and what hath Papal Rome pretended more forcibly to than such an Vniversality of its Religion which is called Filthiness Spiritual and Bodily and All Abomination Does Prophecy set out the Idolatrys of such a City and its Prince by the Blasphemy of God of his Tabernacle of All that dwell in Heaven and this openly avow'd by a Title writ on her Forehead according to the manner of the most Infamous Prostitutes and of Babylon Mad of Graven Images and yet all under a Mystery So as to be doubted whether Idolatry is justly charged upon it by even Those who deeply suspect it And is not this and hath not this been the State of Rome most Remarkably since the Days of Leo Conon Does the prophecy Represent a Bestian War with the Saints a Causing that all who would not Worship the Image should be Kill'd and proscribing them that they should not Buy nor Sell All Great and Small Rich and poor who will not receive the Mark c a City Drunk with the Blood of Saints and what can we say but that the Excommunication of Princes deposing and Depriving them the Interdicting of Kingdoms Massacres Martyrdoms Inquisitions Ravages upon the World on the account of that Religion Falsly so call'd have answer'd the prophecy Do other prophecys of Scripture say there should be a Grand Apostasie out of which should come a Man of Sin and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 one above all Law and Control as Supreme and Infallible justly styl'd a Beast One sitting in the Temple of God exalting Himself above All that is called God or is Worshipped That though the Mystery of Iniquity was then at Work for Him yet that He could not be Revealed but in his Season Do we not see such a One that hath been long in the World claiming from the Apostles whom yet the elder Ages of Christianity knew not till the Time pointed out by Prophecy was come A Lord God the Pope as hath been Blasphem'd Does that same prophecy say The Lord will Consume that Man of Sin with the Glory of his Coming and with the Brightness of his own Appearance And do we not see at this Day his Times drawn out and lengthen'd beyond parallel for such an Appearance And does not the prophecy of the Revelation say the same Thing For his utter Destruction is not till the Heavens open to Christ Revel 19. Does not another Prophecy say Some a certain Sort and Society or Community of Men shall Depart or Apostatize from the Faith giving heed to wandring Spirits as Divels are called and to their Apparitions and so to Doctrines of them as Daimons and of the Worship of them through Or Saints departed the Hypocrisie of Lyars and Legendary Priests who disguising themselves in the Garb of extraordinary Holy Persons Coyn such Stories of such Spirits appearing to them to draw others
Blood. I am sensible what Spirit Christianity is of to its greatest Enemies Christ came not to destroy mens lives but to save them I expect a Battel of Christ that shall not be as of the Warriors with confused noise and Garments rolled in Blood but with fewel of Fire pure and clean Holiness a pure Ether of Justice and Righteousness for in Righteousness he Judges and makes War and that in the mean time there shall be no more use of Instruments to destroy than the most Righteous and just Constitutions and Governments of Nations allow For the Angels of the Vials upon the Anti-Christian State are cloathed with Linnen pure and white and their Breasts girded with golden Girdles their Vials full with no other wrath than of God Almighty Rev. 15. Yet not offering to be particularly definitive I Avow in the general Yet Eight years and the Kingdoms of this World shall become the Kingdoms of the Lord and of his Christ and Papacy und Mahometanism shall sink down before Him his Monarchy shall then begin its Succession although his glorious Investiture shall not be till seventy five years after In which time The everlasting Gospel shall be preached by a new Mission equal in speed and effect to that of the Apostles and more universal symboll'd therefore by an Angel flying through the midst of Heaven bringing in the fulness of the Gentiles and effectual to the Conversion of the Jews upon which Saviours shall come upon Mount Sion and destroy the whole race of Pagan Mahometan Anti-Christian Edomites and the Kingdom shall be the Lords ADVERTISEMENT IF any please to assist in the Publication of the whole Designation they shall receive Proportionably It consists of the Scripture Line of the Kingdom drawn from the first Sabbath to the thousand Years Sabbatism The Song of the Kingdom or Solomons Prophetick Song adjusted to it The Doctrine of the Kingdom or Demonstrative proof by Scripture the Kingdom of the thousand Years is the Resurrection or Day of Judgment The Prayer of the Kingdom or the Lords Prayer prov'd principally to look at that Kingdom The Sacrament of the Kingdom or the Supream aim of the Lords Supper argued to be at that Kingdom T. Beverley To the Reader THe People of this Nation professing the Protestant Religion are in danger to be surrounded with all Methods of Insinuation and Seduction to entertain the Popish Leaven which how little soever it appears in Bulk and how small a Proportion soever in number of Persons compared with Protestants it is rated at it yet undoubtedly hopes to Leaven the whole Lump of the Nation claiming to it self the Privilege of the truly Catholic Christianity to which it can no more than pretend The Romanists do not only seem to themselves to be but likewise glory as being on the higher ground tho' infinitely as it may be in general Expression said inferiour to the Protestants in Arguments of Scripture Reason and Antiquity Yet while they offer Argument for Argument Objection for Objection Answer for Answer All Men and at all times are not so wise to see know and be firmly perswaded for Truth against Errors especially when Deceptions are flank'd with hopes of advantage on one side and fears of disadvantage on the other which the Supreme Prince hath in His hand to distribute on each side At the best the Controversie seems to depend and to be like to depend while the World stands as thus menag'd but if indeed the Word of God having plainly foreseen the state of things and the Roman Obstinacy and Impenitence to the last hath given the Pourtracture of Romanism in its full Proportion so that it may be known and understood of all who will apply their Minds to the Consideration This cuts off all further Dispute and all its specious Pretences and seeming Arguments and the Vails thrown over its Superstition Idolatry and Blood are thin Lawns under which may be seen plainly the City and the Beast described in the Revelation Now no Arguments against it can be like this nor sooner make an end of the Controversie nor more secure Persons from being tempted to revert to that Vomit the Nation hath cast out nor more effectually perswade out of that Congregation and Assembly those who are now in the midst of it altho' it seems to Fare much with the Generality of them as with those of whom Solomon speaks who falling into a deep Ditch as abhorred of God They seldom return again and take hold of the ways of Life for such Guests are in the Depths of Hell. And because it concerns them who are the Votaries of that Religion to wipe off this great Blot that Prophecy I make no doubt to say I have demonstrated hath laid upon them And because too many Protestants are not willing to think so severely of them as this Prophecy Imports nor to judge the way of Prophecy proper to deal with them and because particularly One of a publick Ecclesiastic Character seems to take upon bimself as an Umpire between Protestancy and Popery and like the Days-man in Job lays his hand on both I therefore desire any of those persons laying aside Passion in which soever of these Classes to make void what I call Demonstration and to render my Speech nothing worth For I would only surprize in the first place this one Objection viz. That the Greek Churches and the whole Train of Churches that follow them are either omitted by Prophecy or must be condemned as under the Apostasie with the Romanists although they have denyed and do deny the Roman Supremacy Infallibility and come not up at least to their Transubstantiation and its Idolatry But it is most Evident Prophecy hath not omitted them nor does yet charge them so deep in the Apostasie as the Roman Church though it does severely Censure them of too sad a Part in it It does not omit them For the Two Wings of the Great Eagle that bear the Church into the Wilderness the very Expression of the Apostasie though Including the mysterious Providence of God in things also do so plainly Import the Eastern and Western Empire that they define For all these things see the Line of Time. the Time of the Apostacy beginning within the space after Theodosius the Great and Augustulus For at no other time had that Empire its Two Wings so distinct as from his Death to the Cessation of the Western Empire It also Represents the Eastern and Western Apostatizing Hierarchies by the Two Horns of the Other Beast that spake like a Dragon though Horn'd as a Lamb that joyn'd in making the Image to the Grand Roman Beast and to Cause it to Speak and to Cause c. Revel 13. All which was notably fulfilled in the Grecian Affectation of Universality by John the Patriarch of Constantinople laying the Foundation of that Tyrannous Title which Phocas the Grecian Emperour soon after decreed to Rome and its Bishop and the Grecian Counsel of Nice together with
and the Witnesses her Seed in Sackcloth which cannot be deny'd upon the proof given and is enough to our present purpose For upon this Ground-work well laid that these Months are as the very Propriety of the Expression requires Months of the Moon and to be apply'd to Twelve hundred sixty Days of the Sun It is very plain the both Days and Months cast a Countenance or Face of Three Years and a half Prophetically to be Expounded Years of Years for Years of Days But as there is an Abbreviation or shortning of the Solar Year or Year of the Sun into Three hundred sixty for Three hundred sixty five Days So let each Year of the Moon be rated in a Proportion and as five Days and upwards of the Sun's Time are taken off so let as many of the Moon 's Years be taken off also and whereas the Year of the Moon is Accounted by the best Accounts of Time at 354 Days let it be accounted at 349 Days and these Fourty Two Months will be as 1222 Years in answer to 1260 Years as near as Time of the Sun and of the Moon can be proportion'd one to another For which I Appeal to the exactest Accountants of Time. Now by all this Discourse I have undeniably as I hope and cannot but be humbly yet fully perswaded for I allow one Year for Rounding the Number gain'd such a space of time as twelve hundred twenty two Years very little under or over for the Woman to Sit the Beast of the Seventh Head who is the Eighth King But that It will exactly Comport with the Argument we are upon viz. That it is a time sufficient to the definings of the Time by this propheey is to be seen under the Third Point for the management of the Argument upon which I am now entring There must be good Evidence of the well-fixing the Beginning Point 3 or Epoch of this Time according to the Prophecy and according to the Event also And the Event that is to be fixed at the End must appear to be sufficient defin'd by Prophecy both as to the City or Woman carryed by the Beast and inclusively as to the Beast also This Point divides it self into these two Branches 1. The well-fixing this Epoch or Beginning of these twelve hundred twenty two Years according to Prophecy and according to the Event 2. And in the same manner to fix the Event to be evpected at the End. For the well-fixing the Epoch or Beginning of the Number of these Years according to Prophecy and according to the Event it Pranch 1. self 1. I must recollect and enforce what I have before largely insisted upon when there is a Succession of Kings According to that Maxim in Successive Governments The King never Dyes whenever therefore the sixth King that was in the Apostles time expir'd the seventh must needs Succeed For the Succession and Entail is made by God himself and therefore must stand firm and sure And when the Seventh expir'd as necessarily on the same account must the Eighth Succeed who was also the Seventh Head And according to this inviolable Succession the Apostle to this very same purpose speaking of the Man of Sin his being Revealed in his Time declares as a stop upon Him however the Mystery of Iniquity was so early at work however earnest He was to Succeed yet the Succession which was the Thing that 2 Thes 2. held close and strong would Hold its Hold So that the Man of Sin could not be Revealed before his Season or proper Time within his Time Times Half Time For he that Holdeth viz. the Dan. 7. 25. 12. 7. sixth King in his Time the seventh in his Time would Hold his Hold till each King and the last especially was Remov'd out of the way by that supreme dispose of Providence or done out of that middle space determin'd by God And then by due Advances was that Wicked One Revealed Now who that considers that Man of Sin of the Apostle Paul and the Beast of the Apostle John can think of them and not think them the same But that is not the present Business to prove them the same but this Prophecy it self is demonstration enough as before explained Thus far the Matter is determined according to the Prophecy whenever the Seventh King asserted to be the Christian Emperour expir'd viz. by a Civil Death or the Cessation of the Imperial Name and Power immediately the Eighth King according to Prophecy must succeed and bear up the Roman City in Grandeur and whoever hath Borne up that City in Supremacy since that Time must be according to Prophecy that Eighth King the Beast Now I Appeal to all the World what the Year was when the Western Imperial Name Fell and it is known in all History to be the Year of Our Lord according to general Account 475 from whence Time since passed Allows these Forty Two Months their full space of 1222 years within Nine or Ten years as shall be further urged presently I appeal in the same manner also what Name or Power hath Borne up Rome since that Time claiming Supremacy Himself and giving it to that City For He must be the Eighth King or the Beast who hath so born the City or the Prophecy must be False and who knows not it is the very Bishop or Pope of Rome that hath so done For in the wonderful Disposes of God No one hath claim'd a Title of Empire from that City since that Year No one hath Advanc'd that City by Imperial Residence since that year but the Pope of Rome Alone and He hath done it to all Intents and Purposes in the Face of all the World. The Last Roman Emperour left that Title Bishop of Rome in Being when He Fell It hath survived ever since * Their so much vaunted Succession witneseth this Point For little Failures or Interruptions make no difference where the same Title and Supremacy still run on It was then proclaim'd by Jerome Antichrist was Born and ever since he hath been growing up till He came to his Manly Age and to his Consistent Age according to Prophecy But since the Times of Reformation indeed He hath been in a Decay and so He ought to be by Prophecy and however He may summon his whole strength now at last yet it shall be only to Dye and thus the Thing is justifi'd in the Event and thus the Time of His the Beasts and the City Romes Supremacy united to Him as the Rider to the Beast under the Name of a Church hath had so long of its Forty Two Months I know there are some Objections but none can avail against Prophecy so clearly so demonstratively Explain'd I will very briefly pass over them The Bishop of Rome cannot be this Beast of the Seventh Head Object 1 and therefore not the Eighth King nor Rome the City borne up by Him because He owns the True God and Jesus Christ how then can He be