whether the Antichristian Kingdom shall be destroy'd by sword fire and bloodshed I see nothing in the whole Revelation which obliges us to believe so for though in this and several other passages the ruin of popery is painted out in expressions borrowed from war slaughter and bloodshed yea in the most terrible and high expressions nevertheless this may very well be understood figuratively for the destruction of Paganisme is painted out in almost the same expressions by the Prophets though it was brought to pass without bloodshed As the Kingdom of the Beast was formed without war by the sottish complaisance of the Kings of the Earth who suffered their power to be snatcht from them or rather did voluntarily surrender it so this Antichristian Kingdom may perish without weapon by a word of two Letters The Princes of the Earth need onely say NO and the tyranny of Antichrist will fall to the ground And as for Idolatry which is the other part of Antichristianism the word and grace of God must destroy it Nevertheless I am willing to submit to the general consent of Interpreters of both Communions who unanimously hold that in the ruin of the Antichristian Kingdom there shall be a great effusion of blood and that Babylon the capital City of that Kingdom shall be laid in ashes I am willing therefore to believe that there shall be some bloodshed not for any passages in the Revelation but for these two Reasons Rome must be miserably destroyed 1. The first that 't is not probable that the Pope and his Partisans will yield without resistance they will stand out and in defending themselves will attaque in which attaque they shall perish 2. The second it seems agreeable to the Divine justice that the City of Rome that for two thousand years is the Mistress of the World the tyrant of the universe which hath shed so much blood and has bin delug'd with so many impurities should be overwhelmed and the World be avenged Ierusalem who was not guilty of such excess is ruined by a dreadful destiny 'T is not probable that God makes ready a less destruction for the City of Rome Here the last lacking of Rome is fore-told If this be so this passage without doubt is one of those that foretell this bloody Tragedy The City which is spoken of here without the City must be Rome But we have said before and shall hereafter prove that this word ought to be taken only for Rome in conjunction with her Empire Here 't is Rome alone and not her Empire 'T is true but the reason is that when she shall be laid waste in the manner that is mention'd here she shall have no more any Empire all her Provinces shall be revolted she shall be left alone of her whole party so that in this place she ought to appear all alone And the City cannot signify any more then the City of Rome because she shall have no more any dependent Provinces excepting that which is called the patrimony of St. Peter which Joseph Mede believes is meant by these thousand six hundred furlongs For he saith that the Countrey that reaches from the walls of Rome unto the river Po contains 200 Italian miles which make exactly 1600 furlongs If this conjecture be true as 't is probable this signifies that all the forces which the Pope shall be able to get together shall be wholly destroy'd without the City i. e. without Rome in that part of the Country which lyes betwixt Rome and the River Po. CHAP. XII The explication of that part of the eleventh Chapter where the last persecution made by Antichrist is fore-told which is the present persecution in France The death of the two witnesses who shall not be buried by means of the succour brought by the enemies of France THe first Chapter in the Revelation where the ruin of Antichristianism is fore-fold is the eleventh We passed over it for the reasons above mention'd We come again to it at present and place it the last that we may place it according to the order of events We have observed that there is found in it an Epitome or short draught of the whole History of the Church from the resurrection of Jesus Christ untill his coming into the World to erect his Kingdom there The pure Church of the three first ages is hid under these words measure the Temple and the Altar and those that worship therein And the corrupted Antichristian one under the Gentiles who must tread under foot the holy City forty and two months That is the outward Court but the Court that is without the Temple leave out and measure it not for it is given to the Gentiles This outward Court as Vsher hath divinely explain'd it in his Prophecy signifies Christians in appearance whose Religion consists in the performance of some external duties of Christianiâ—y without having the inward life or the true Faith which should unite them to Jesus Christ But those who worship in the Temple and before the Altar are those who sincerely worship God in spirit and truth whose souls are his Temples in which he is adored and honoured with the most inward thoughts of their hearts and who offer unto him a constant sacrifice not onely of their lusts but of their whole selves Thus this holy man speaks and I confess that I see in his words the Character of the spirit of God. These are the true worshippers whom God does measure and whom he makes account of and these are those who possessed the Church during the three or four first ages But afterward the Church became an outward Court was filled with feigned worshippers who made Christianity to consist in an appearance of piety and in external Ceremonies Then God pronounc'd concerning this Court let it be given to the Gentiles for forty and two moneths Then Paganism Idolatry the worship of subordinate Gods Mediators and a thousand heathenish Ceremonies were introduced into Christianity And this outward Court these formal outside worshippers were given up to a spirit of error and superstition to begin Antichristianism and make it continue twelve hundred and sixty years We have also in this Chapter the Church under the Cross persecuted and hid in Babylon in the two Witnesses who prophesied cloathed in sackcloth a thousand two hundred and sixty days We have in it the sound of the last Trumpet and the thousand years reign of Jesus Christ and the Church For at the sound of the seventh Trumpet the Kingdoms of the Earch become Gods and his Christs Lastly we have in it a remarkable event which must come to pass at the end of the reign of Antichristian popery and 't is expressed in these terms V. 7. And when they shall have finisht their testimony the Beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them and shall overcome them and kill them V. 8. And their dead bodies shall lye in the street of the great City
Among the considerations laid down by me in the Preface which induce me to believe that this persecution is the last I mention'd the singularities of it I named several such Behold one which in my judgement deserves to be added to the rest 'T is the horrible Edict which commands that the new Converts being sick shall communicate after the popish way This is the worst effect that ever was produced by the spirit of rage and reprobation And 't is not conceivable how a Clergy that will be called Christian can do such horrible actions The Edict ordains that they who will not communicate shall be sent to the Galleys if they recover There is none who is so mortally sick that is sure that he shall dye and fearing to recover he will also fear to go to the Gallies and this affrighting object is able to induce a sick man to communicate without faith and to worship that which he judgeth to be a piece of bread that is to say to commit a horrible sacriledge and an act of Idolatry and consequently to damn himself certainly So that properly this Edict is a trick of the Clergy to procure the damnation of all the new Converts This is perfectly to imitate that Italian who that he might take a compleat vengeance having his enemy in his power promis'd him his life on condition that he would deny God which having done he murther'd both his body and soul Will men never open their eyes to behold such objects as these The Reformation is foretold by three figures signifying three Methods And the spirit of life from God entred into them These words teach us how the Reformation shall be re-establisht in France for in these Prophecies I find three ways by which the Truth is establisht or re-establisht The first is by lightnings voyces and thunders thus after the seventh viol was pour'd on the air the Reformation in the last Age was made by lightnings voyces and thunders i. e. by the preaching of the Divine Oracles And the seventh Angel pour'd out his viol into the air and there were voyces and lightnings and thunders In this Prophecy thunders always signify the Divine Oracles The seven thunders that uttered their voyces in the tenth Chapter are the Oracles of God which ought to be uttered in the sequel Thus the Reformation was made in the last Age in a most sensible manner by the preaching of the word The Reformation shall come into France by way of internal grace But behold a second way of reforming A Spirit of life from God enters again into the dead Witnesses i. e. those who are at this day under oppression shall suddenly rise up again by a secret operation of grace and an extraordinary motion not by the means of preaching the word not by the ministry of some new Preachers but by a heavenly operation that shall open the eyes of them who are as yet in darkness and strengthen again the hearts of those who at this day have fallen through weakness At that time in all appearance the yoke of the Persecutor shall be broken a time of ease shall come and all those who at this day groan under the Captivity of Babylon shall lift up their heads and shall improve that season of calm to repair that which they are now forced to do by violence 'T is these words signify a Spirit of life from God not from any man nor by the ministry of any man but from God entred into them and their zeal was enlivened again But things shall not stay there God is preparing other wonders There is a third Reformation which shall be set on foot by way of Authority by the Royal power and this is expressed in the words that follow And the Witnesses heard a great voyce from heaven saying unto them Come up hither and they ascended up to heaven in a cloud and their enemies beheld them What heaven and lifting up to heaven signify in the Prophecies In the style of the Prophets heaven and lifted up to heaven is the Throne and to be exalted to dignity greatness and power even in the language of heathen Prophets for Apomasar in his Apostelismata insomniorum saith If a King dreams that he sits upon the clouds and is carried where ever he pleaseth this signifies that his enemies shall serve him But if he fancieth that he is carried up to heaven where the stars are this presages that he shall be lift up above all Kings The Prophets of God do also make use of these representations to signify the same thing Isa 14.13 Isaiah describes the exaltation of the King of Babylon by an ascending up into heaven I will ascend into heaven I will exalt my Throne above the stars And Jesus Christ saith of Capernaum that she had been lift up unto heaven but should be brought down unto hell 'T is therefore evident that God does here signify that some time after these three years and a half of death the Reformation shall be lifted up to a great glory but not every where 't is only in that place which is called the street of the great City and is after called the tenth part of the City for the total destruction of the Antichristian Kingdom must not happen untill some years afterward There will shortly be a Reformation in France by the Royal Authority And after These words signify that when the Reformation shall be establisht again in France by way of Divine immediate operation by which the zeal of the Apostates and of others who know the truth but with-hold it in unrighteousness shall be quickned again some space of time shall pass probably some years before France shall wholly throw off the yoke of popery That Kingdom shall not be entirely Reformed by way of Authority immedately after out Reformation shall be again set on foot by way of inspiration and recovering of zeal For and after signifies an interval of time but whether it shall be short or long is not expressed notwithstanding I see no likelihood that it shall be very long nor do I believe so They heard a great voyce from heaven Yet once again Heaven is the Throne 't is the Soveraign dignity which in a State is exactly the same that Heaven is to the Earth in light in lustre in good or bad influences in scituation and in elevation From Heaven i.e. from Authority and the Prince who reigns they heard a voyce they received an order not a small clandestinsilent voyce but a great voyce i.e. a publick command a solemn Edict and this voyce said to them Come up hither Then the Truth shall get up into the Throne and as God hath contrary to all probability given a popish Prince to England so God will give a Protestant Prince to France in spight of all oppositions of the Papists And the ascended up to heaven in a cloud i.e. Their elevation and that of the Reformed Religion shall be made publickly as the
miracle But the Dragon doth not yield for all that but goes to make war with the remnant of the seed of the Woman v. 17. i. e. he endeavours to cause to be brought forth an Antichristian Empire for the ruin of the Church the thing which he will further explain in the following Chapter We have therfore in this the History of the Church to the end of the fourth Century or the beginning of the fifth For it is in the space of these 400 Years that the Apostolique Church did bring forth Christianity that Christianity was persecuted by the Emperours that J. Christ did miraculously preserve it that it remained victorious under Constantine that the Church was almost ruin'd by Arrianism that she saw her self happily deliver'd from it St. John spends but one Chapter about the first Period of the Church of 400 Years because the great events were design'd to be in the following Periods The 13th C. 13.1 2 3. c. Chapter according to the most exact rules of method begins where the 12th ended We have in the 13th Chapter the birth of the Babylonish Empire An Epitome of the History foretold in the 13th Ch. which is grafted on the Roman Empire this is the first Beast that ariseth out of the Sea having seven Heads ten Horns the seventh of these Heads is laden with ten Horns each of which is adorned with a Crown to signify that these were so many Kings These ten Kings are the continuation of the Roman Empire under the seventh Head which is that of Antichrist These ten Kings are subject to this seventh Head together with it compose one Empire A second Beast arises out of the Earth it is the same Empire the same Beast or rather 't is the seventh Head of the first Beast This Empire of Antichrist that was represented in the first vision as one of the Heads is represented in the second vision as a new Beast because it is the ancient Empire of Rome yet nevertheless 't is a New one 'T is the continuation of the Roman Empire having the same seat viz. the City of Rome extending it self very near over the very self-same Provinces It is a New Empire because it is in another form under another name is called the Empire of the Church an Ecclesiastical Empire These two Beasts therfore fill up but one the same Period in which the Head of the Emperors that was mortally wounded is healed again by Antichrist in which Period ways of worshipping and doctrines full of impiety blasphemy are advanced in the Church In which Period the Saints are overcome the Truth is buried in which all the inhabitants of the Earth worship the Beast submit themselves to the Babylonish Empire in which Antichrist whose name contains the Number 666. makes an image of the first Roman Empire causeth it to be worshipped lastly in which all liberty to buy sell live is taken away unless men will bear the Image of the Beast All this is the History of the 1260 Years that begin about the time that the 400 Years of the first Period do end This is according to the rules of History A short explication of the 14th Chap. The 14th Ch. begins also where the 13th ends It contains the Prophecy of the fall of that Babylonish Empire represented by the two Beasts of the 13th Chap. 'T is no longer a Beast with seven Heads ten Horns 't is no longer the Beast with two Horns 't is Spiritual Babylon But this Babylon is the very same thing as the first the second Beast She is fallen v. 8. she is fallen Babylon that great City because she hath made the nations drunk with the wine of her fornication The seven foregoing verses are a preparation for this great fall the following ones to the end of the Chapter are a description of the ruin of Babel The Man that sits on the white cloud v. 14. is Jesus Christ The sickle that is put in first among the corn to mow it down and afterwards into the vintage to cut down the grapes are the two degrees of Babylons fall which we shall afterwards explain This is the Analysis of the 14th Chap. The H. Ghost thought it not enough to have foretold the fall of the Babylonish Empire in general Chap. 15. he will also instruct us in the steps by which it must pass in falling And as this is a great affair the vision of the 15th Chapter is employed to prepare mens Spirits for it The seven Vialls of the wrath and vengeance of God that must overwhelm the Babylonish Empire are distributed to seven distinct Angels to pour them out at different times The 16. Chap. contains the pouring forth of these Vialls Chap. 16. which are the several punishments by which the Empire of the Beast is afflicted till it be entirely brought to nothing And these seven Vials contain all the time of the fall of the Babylonish Empire Of this we will treat in a particular Chapter by it self afterwards It is enough to know that this Chapter leads the afflicted Church to the very point of her deliverance And thus you have the whole History of the Church during the 1260 Years But because these things had been expressed in figurative terms Chap. 17. and prophetical symbols of Beasis Horns Harvest Vintage Vialls God will explain these things in terms less figurative more intelligible Therfore the 17th Ch. is spent in explaining the Visions of the two Beasis to give us to understand that the Beasis signify an Empire that the ten Horus are ten Kings that these ten Kings out of weakness and complaisance would give their power to the Beast and that at last they would ruin him take away that power they had formerly given him As in the 17th Ch. the H. Ghost declares the establishment the progress of the Babylonish Empire in a more clear and less figurative manner than he had done in the 13th Chap. in the like manner in the 18th Chap. he gives us the particulars of the ruin of this Babylon Chap. 18. more largely more clearly more largely I say more clearly than he had done in the 14th Chap. This hath no need of proof In the process of this discourse we shall explain the circumstances of this fall The 19th Chap. is as it were a recapitulation of all that respects the ruin of Babylon Chap. 19. Therin J. Christ appears riding on a White horse is called the faithful and true the Word of God. He assembles all his forces the Babylonish Empire assembles all its forces the fight begins the Beast and the false Prophet i.e. the Antichristian Empire and Antichrist that is the head are taken and utterly destroyed 'T is the same thing we met with before in the 14. Chap. at the end of the 16. at the end of the 17. and
The proofs of it may be seen in our just prejudices against Popery for there I have shewed these excesses that smell of the spirit of reprobation and that they have had for their authors a Saint Dominick and his Jacobins a Saint Francis and his Cordeliers and generally all the order of the Monks The Idolatry of the Papism was establisht by the Fables and fictions of the Monks By what means did these persons establish Idolatry by hypocrisy and lying by the hypocrisy of liars seared in their consciences Behold preciesely the very way by which the Roman Clergy and generally the Priests and Monks as well those of the East as of the West have establisht Idolatry by profound hypocrisy by lies and fables How many false visions were there to establish the invocation of Saints How may false miracles You should consult the Legends on this point and if any will not give himself that trouble let him read eleven Chapters of our prejudices in the second part from the 11th to the 23th We have given our selves the trouble to make a considerable collection of the horrid filthy shamefull falsities which the Papism its Priests and Monks have advanced to uphold the idolatrous worship of Saints Reliques and Images And it should be observ'd that this spirit of fables was introduced into the Church exactly at the same time that the Antichristian Idolatry began to enter into it The lives of the ancient Monks Paul Anthony Hilarion c. were written by St. Jerom without honesty and judgment The History of the Church from this very time begins to be a Romance where 't is extreme difficult to distinguish truth from lies Under Julian the Apostate Babylas the Martyr begins to work miracles by his Reliques For near 350. years there was not a miracle wrought by Reliques ever heard of But under the reign of Julian the Apostate who succeeded the children of Constantine Babylas the Martyr sometime Bishop of Antioch made a martyr in Decius's persecution interred in a Suburb of Antioch called Daphne more than a hundred years after his death thought of working the first miracles Julian the Apostate would consult the Oracle of Apollo of Daphne who not being willing to answer and conjured at least to tell the reason of his silence said it came from hence that the bones of the Martyr Babylas were interr'd near his Temple This is the most ancient History of a miracle wrought by Reliques that we have been able to discover So the corruption of Christianity began in the same place where the faithfull began to be called Christians It was not very long before miracles were seen wrought by other Reliques St. Ambrose was inform'd in a vision where the bones of the Martyrs Gervais and Protais were interred they went to seek them they carried them in great pomp to the Church and they did not fail immediately to work great miracles This was found so good and so proper to beat down the remainders of Heathenism that this torrent gained ground every where Miracles wrought by Reliques were look'd upon as new in the 4th Age. Orat. adversus Games But that which is highly observable is that the Authors who report these facts as true confess that this was new and had not been seen since the Apostles time St. Chrysostom speaking of Babylas saith if any one will not believe the things done by the Apostles let him mind those that are done in this age and cease impudently to deny the truth He doth not send them back to the times immediately fore-going he doth not say if any one will not believe the Miracles that are always wrought in the Church let him believe that which he sees at present But he sends them back to the Apostles as if nothing of the like nature had been seen since them St. Ambrose also saith it plainly enough speaking of the Miracles wrought by the Reliques of Gervais and Protais He reckons up the Miracles of these two Saints Epist and Marcell Soror l. 7. and finds nothing like it since the Apostles time Wherefore after he hath made an enumeration of the Miracles of these Saints he makes one of those of Jesus Christ and his Apostles which he sees renewed and saith nothing of any that were wrought in the ages immediately fore-going St. Austin that was very fond of the same superstition makes the same acknowledgement in the 8th Chapter of the 22th Book of the City of God whence the Papists pretend to draw so great advantage to themselves 'T is true he there makes a History of many Miracles wrought by Reliques but he acknowledgeth this is all new We have given order saith he for the making publick memoirs and books for the reading of these Miracles before the people seeing that in our time the signs and miracles of the ancient times were renewed It was therefore new and had not been since the ancient times Now it is certain that these pretend miracles had for their Author the Spirit of lying and for their spring the Hypocrisy of Lyars It was the Devil that abused these good men The fable of Protais and Gervais very plain in St. Ambrose to lead them to superstition and idolatry that which St. Ambrose himself saith of those Saints Gervais and St. Protais is very proper to make one suspect a cheat The inhabitants of Milane desire him to build in their City a Temple like that at Rome I Ubi supra will do it saith he provided I can but find some Reliques He had them not as yet he knew not where to find them but lo he is in quest of them and hereupon subiit veluti cujusdam ardor praesagii behold he was inflamed with a certain fire that savoured of presage and inspiration He makes them search in a certain place he there finds two bodies of Gyants We found two men of extraordinary bigness such as the ancient time did yield In-venimus mirae magnitudinis viros duos ut prisca aetas serebat Ossa integra sanguinis plurimum The bones were yet entire and there was a great deal of blood Would you not say that he speaks of the time wherein Polyphemus and the old Giants lived Men I warrant you were much bigger in the third Age under the Empire of Decius than under that of Gratian and Valentinian I don't know whether it be apparent that God chose martyrs from among the Giants They are a sort of people the enormous mass of whose bodies dies is usually a sign of the vices of their souls at is usually a sign of the vices of their souls at least of that fury and warlike heat which is not the Character of a Saint But it was necessary every thing in the fable should be great even to the bodies of those that were found This spirit of lying and fables increased and grew with the reign of Idolatry In the sixth Age the two Gregories one the Bishop of Rome the other
God whom his Fathers knew not he shall honour them Together with J. Christ the God unknown to the ancient Romans he shall worship second Gods and patrons He shall honour them with gold silver precious stones and desirable things We need only see the places famous for the devotion of the Papism Those places I say where some Saint or some one of our Ladies is famous for her miracles there are seen treasures where silver gold and precious stones are in abundance The Saints and the Reliques are the fortresses of the Papism He shall make strong holds of the Mahuzim Certainly so we may call the Temples the Chapels and the places consecrated to the devotion of Reliques and of the Saints These are fortresses for the people look on them as their preservers When a City would obtain a favour from Heaven she sets up the shrines of her Saints when she hath lost them she believes she hath lost her protectors when in the war they have been taken away peace being restored she brings them again into the Churches in pomp as tutelary Gods and protectors One City hath a bit of the true Cross and other the head or body of a Martyr Lo what is to her instead of a fortress and a citadel under which she believes her self to be in safety This is the idea which superstitious persons have had of this criminal devotion from the very time that it began to appear in the world We must see what Saint Ambrose saith to his sister in the Epistle which we have cited above He speaks of the bodies of Protais and Gervais as of two tutelar Angels under whose care they had been without knowing it Mom. 32. in Epist ad Rom. St. Bazil in the Homily on the 40 Martyrs saith of them These having taken possession of this Country are to it like so many towers joined together against the invasions of our enemies St. Chrysostome speaking of the Reliques of St. Paul and St. Peter that are at Rome saith that those bodies do fortify that City more than the towers and ten thousand ramparts Venantius Fortunatus a Christian Poet who lived about an age after the birth of Idolatry calls the bodies of St. Peter and St. Paul at Rome ramparts and towers A facie hostili duo propugnacula proesunt Quos fidei turres urbs caput orbis habet Those that followed spoke after the same rate He shall multiply the honour and make them rule over many and shall divide the Land for a recompence Is not this exactly what the papism doth to its Saints It makes them rule over States it divides the Earth among them St. Iames rules over Spain St. Denis and the Virgin over France every Country hath its Protectors and its Patrons So you have in a few words the exposition of this famous and important Text. That which follows to the very end of the Chapt. seems to belong more to Antiochus than to Antichrist However it may agree both to the one and the other But I find no great necessity to find Antichrist there because we find him enough elsewhere The Prophecy of the Mahuzim may have a literal sense with respect to Antiochus It may be asked whether the Text touching the Mahuzim and the worship of a strange God can agree to Antiochus in the literal sense To speak the truth this part of the prophecy seems to be one of those that do not agree to the type but only to the person represented by the type For we do not find that Antiochus made himself new Gods nor that he rejected the God of his Fathers nor that he worshipt an unknown God nor that he had Mahuzim that is to say protectors besides his old false Gods. But see what I believe All this with respect to Antiochus is a prophecy that referrs to the Temporal not the Spiritual the Empire not the Religion And on the contrary with respect to Antichrist it principally respects Religion They are his adventures with the Romans that are hare declared So that with respect to Antiochus these are his adventures with respect to the Romans This Tyrant was the most insolent and the proudest of all men he exalted himself above all the Gods i. e. above all the neighbouring Countries and all the Kings his allies The Countries are often meant by the Gods that ruled there Bel boweth down If. 46.1 Nebo stoopeth That is to say the Chaldaeans and the Babylonians are perisht This use of the word is usual enough with the Prophets So Antiochus is said to have exalted himself above all the Gods i. e. above all the Countries the protection of which is committed to divers Gods. He regarded not the desire of women i. e. being a debauched person he despised marriage but he worshipt Mahuzim in his seat If one would translate this word into Greek word for word it must be rendred by Romaious the Romans For the word Romans in Greek signifies strong or puissant being derived from the word Rome that signifies strength and this is also what the Hebrew word Mahuzim signifies So that having respect to the signification of the word Romaioi it cannot otherwise be rendred in Hebrew than by Mahuzim Now this is what did exactly come to pass This so fierce a Prince was obliged to render homage to the Romans to pay them tribute of gold of silver and precious stones The second Book of Macchabees saith that Nicanor appointed a tribute to King Antiochus Epiphanus that was to come to the Romans to wit two thousand Talents He shall build strong holds for Mahuzim that is to say the Romans This also came to pass Antiochus was obliged to leave to the Romans the Provinces of Asia which are on the other side mount Taurus And so he put that great list of mountains in Cilicia as a rampart and a fortress between the Romans and him These Romans were Gods whom his Ancestors knew not For the first founders of the Empire of the Greeks Antiochus rendred homage to the Romans new Gods whom his Ancestors knew not Appian in Syriacis Titus Livius l. 38. Alexander and his Successors had not heard the Romans so much as spoken of It was Antiochus the Grand-father of Antiochus Epiphanes that first of all felt the effort of their might that left Asia to them and obliged himself to pay them 500. Talents for the charges of the war 2500. Talents when the Senate should ratify the Treaty ten thousand five hundred Talents at several payments within twelve years Hereupon this difficulty may arise that it was then the father of Antiochus that rendred homage to the Romans and not he himself It must be answer'd that Antiochus Epiphanes must not here be distinguisht from his father First because it was in his time that this servitude began and he himself was given as an Hostage to the Ramans for a pledge of the fidelity of his father Secondly He continued the same servitude and
contrary he reckons these to be a victory which they gain over the World and the Devil He speaks of Martyrs when he saith He that overcomes I will make him sit down on my Throne So that when 't is here said that the Beast shall overcome the witnesses this signifies that he shall make them faint under the tryall Which thing ought to be well observed that we may discern the singular Character of this present persecution that hath conquer'd and overcome above a million of souls 3. This victory of the Beast must prevail even to a total extinction of profession there shall remain no more signs of outward life in the faithfull who shall stand for the Truth they shall lye on the ground as dead bodies 4. This murther and the effect of this persecution shall be done in the street of the great City 5. The death of these witnesses must last three years and a half denoted by three prophetick days and a half 6. During these three years and a half the Truth shall remain as it were dead but not withstanding not buried men shall not dare to make profession of it notwithstanding it shall be visible the people who are neighbours of them who shall have stain it shall hinder it from perishing and putrefaction to which the bodies that are in the grave are obnoxious 7. At the end of these three years and a half the faithfull who are oppressed and whose profession shall have been violently suppressed shall rise again after that shall ascend to heaven and shall be exalted in the world 8. At the same time and after the exaltation of the faithfull there shall be an Earthquake i. e. a great emotion and trouble in the World and in the Antichristian Kingdom 9. In this emotion a tenth part of the City shall fall i. e. a tenth part of the Antichristian Kingdom shall be take away from it 10. Seven thousand men shall perish in this Earthquake and be buried under the ruin of the City i. e. that this shall be brought about with some blood shed though not considerable in that part of the City which shall be taken away from the Pope and the Popedom 11. And lastly within a little while this tenth part of the City which shall be taken from the Popedom shall give glory to God and be converted Behold what are the Characters of this last Antichristian persecution Now when I search after the time in which this persecution must happen I cannot doubt but that it is that in which we now are After this persecution shall be over God will begin to strike those sore blows to destroy the Antichristian Kingdom which must be destroyed within 25 or 30. years That the present persecution is the last That none may wonder that I speak so positively about a thing which seems to be as yet hid in futurity I entreat all equitable minds to consider that I have as I think with great evidence proved 1. That the reign of the Popedom must last 1260 years 2. That these 1260 years began about the year 450 or 455 and consequently they must end about the year 1710 or 1715. this being so we are but 25 or 30 years from the end of the Popish Kingdom And if this be so the present persecution must needs be the last since there is no probability that this present persecution being ended the calm restored to the Church should leave room for another persecution which must happen before the fall of the Popish Kingdom For we must allow the space of at least 20 or 25 years in which popery shall be persecuted and attacqued and not be the aggressor and the persecutor And certainly a shorter time cannot serve for the utter destruction of this vast Kingdom For it shall not be destroy'd in a way of violence but in a way of perswasion and because the charm that holds men enchanted cannot cease in a moment The harvest is past a long while ago the vintage must come speedily I have further proved that the fall of this Popish and Babylonian Monarchy is divided into two parts the harvest and the vintage that the harvest is the Reformation of the last Age and the vintage is the Reformation that must be made in this that is present Now the space of time that is already run out since the Reformation of the last Age does already equal the proportion of time that is between the natural harvest and vintage and consequently we must be very near the vintage i. e. the time wherein God will begin the first blows in order to the final destruction of the Babylonian Kingdom These things being so this persecution must be the last and immediately after it shall be ended begin the first events which shall bring the Popish Kingdom to its final fall A time of some length must be assigned for the last fall of popery I have lastly observed that the Holy Ghost hath styled these two parts of the fall of the popish Kingdom harvest and vintage to let us understand that as the harvest and the vintage are not reapt in a moment but require many dayes nay weeks so the two overturnings of the Babylonian Kingdom must not be made in the twinckling of an eye but in several years This hath been already verified in the harvest i. e. the fall which happened to popery in the last Age for this took up five and twenty or thirty years and more And no fewer can serve to compleat the ruin of this Kingdom But if this be so this must needs be the last persecution yea it cannot last a great number of years longer For if the Babylonian Kingdom begin to decline 25 or 30 years before its last and final destruction it must begin to decline and fall within four of five years supposing that it be true that it cannot last longer then the year 1710 or 1715. We must therefore see if the Characters of this present persecution that the Church suffers agree with those of the last persecution which the Church must suffer from the Beast according to the Text of the Revelation And we are about to find these Characters so agreeing and like that what at first seem'd only a conjecture will be able to become a kind of certainty The last Antichristian persecution of which this Chapter speaks must happen when the witnesses shall be almost at the end of their testimony and Antichrist near the end of his reign Now we have proved by the Predictions and Types of the foregoing Chapters that Antichrist is finishing his reign therefore this must be the last persecution It hath already lasted 30 years for it began in the year 1655. when the Duke of Savoy undertook to destroy the faithfull of the Vallies of Piedmont he sent thither Souldiers who made a great massacre but because the time of slaying the Witnesses was not as yet come God raised deliverance for them they defended themselves with success and