and by Paganish Power or not Christian It cannot be the Devil himself for the description here of his seven Heads and ten Horns Rev. 12. 3. We have otherwise expounded of Instruments of Satan Rev. 17. 9 10. as Ezek. 29 3. Jer. 51. v. 34. and it aptly agreeth to Heathen Rome when there were seven Crowns Emblems of Majesty Supream Power and Soveraignty and these upon the heads Satan acted like a Dragon by fierce and cruel Persecutions against the Church under Ethnick Emperors before Ann. 300. and not long after the Man-child Christ not personally considered but mystically in his Church and Gospel-administrations was brought forth by his Captain General Constatine the Great notwithstanding all Pagan attempts to destroy him or hinder turning from Paganism to Christianity And several acts or works of the Dragon or Paganish Powers are mentioned As 1. A Dragon War with Michael i. e. with Jesus Christ whilst the Empire was Pagan Rev. 12. v. 7. And there was War in Heaven Michael and his Angels and the Dragon and his Angels This War is before the rising of the Beast and before the 1260 days begin as appeareth in that he had but seven Crowns and these upon the Heads v. 3. whereas upon the Beast are ten Crowns and these upon the Horns Rev. 13. 1. and in that in this War the Dragon is overcome and cast out or down so as his place is no more found in Heaven Rev. 12. 7 8. whereas had he been then turned Beast he would have been a Conqueror Rev. 13. 7 It was given to him to make War with the Saints and to overcome them and should after have had the same place in Heaven as before It is therefore a War that casteth the Dragon down from his Imperial Throne and Headship not from his acting in Horns of the Beast that is intended It ushereth in a great Triumph for the erecting or seting up at present another Kingdom Rev. 12. 10. Now is come Salvation and Strength and the Kingdom of our God and the Power of his Christ for the accuser of our Brethren is cast down Whereas such a Triumph is inconsistent with the Sackcloth Wilderness-state of the 1260 days and cannot be during the Reign of the Beast or till those days are ended and the sounding of the seventh Trumpet Rev. 11. 15. This War and Triumph is before the Woe to the Inhabiters of the Earth and Sea Rev. 12. v. 12. i. e. probably before the first second Trumpets which fall upon the Earth and Sea Rev. 8. v. 7 8. and so before the 7th Seal v. 1 2. and before the safe sealing Rev. 7. v. 2 3. Therefore this Dragon-War was that between Constantine the Great and the Pagans wherein he had a glorious Victory over Maxentius Maximinianus and Lictâ—ius and this admirably agreeth with or answereth to the sixth Seal Rev. 6 12. to the end And the rather because the Dragon was enraged at his being cast down Rev. 12. 12. knowing that he had but a short time for but one Pagan more viz. Julian was ever advanced to the enjoyment of the Imperial Throne and he ruled but two or three years some say less a very short time Neither doth the mentioning a flying into the Wilderness 1260 days before this War v. 6 7. argue that the War is after For often things are inserted by way of anticipation and that mentioned in a former place which was done after as divers matters Rev. 11. are not in time before those Rev. 12. and here is a special reason for it in the Case in hand For having asserted that the Dragon watched to destroy the Man-child and yet he was brought forth and was caught up to God and to his Throne i. e. had safety power eminent exaltation and yet the Woman flieth into the Wilderness for so long a time v. 4 5 6. A Question ariseth How all this cometh to pass and how after such advancemeâ—â— she cometh into the Wilderness He answereth by declaring that there is a War wherein Michael overcometh the Dragon and so the Woman the Church hath advancement but the Dragon being enraged raiseth a Persecution and driveth the Woman into the Wilderness v. 13 14. and so she was not there before and it is into her place i. e. into the place which God had prepared for her no necessity of its implying that she had been in that place before And let it be observed what the provocation was to that Persecution 〈◊〉 13. And when the Dragon saw that he was cast unto the Earth he persecuted the Woman that brought sorth the Man-child Which argueth that this casting down the Dragon from his Imperial Seat and the bringing forth the Man-child by Constantine were fresh in memory and not many hundred years before as they must be if this War were towards the end of the 1260 days as some would have it And seeing this War was before the rising of the Beast and seeing the going into the Wilderness which next ensued Michael's Victory over the Dragon is that going into the Wilderness for a time times and half v. 7 1â— 14. Hence that going into the Wilderness for 1260 days is the going into the Wilderness for a time times and half a time or these are the same measure of time 2. A Dragon or Pagan Persecution after the Empire became a Beast driving the Church into the Wilderness Rev. 12. v. 13. When the Dragon saw that he was cast to the Earth he persecured the Woman The Dragon now persecuted the Church not by a Headship which he was already cast down from but in the form of Crowned Horns of the Beast divers of which at first were Paganish as the Goths Vandals c. And let it be observed that they then did not give their Power to the second Beast the Pope who was not then up by way of professed subjection either to him or to the Christian Religion 3. A Dragon flood cast out after the Woman the Church Rev. 12. 15. A multitude of Pagans as well as Errors which were dried up that She was not drowned thereby 4. A New Dragon War raised upon this against a Remnant of the purest Worshippers Rev. 12. 17. I shall it to Consideration whether this was at the next Persecution by the Horns after the Woman was in the Wilderness and the Flood was over or by the Sarracens and Turks who over-run the Eastern Churches and raised Persecutions there and although they own God yet it is in so carnal a way as they deny him by their Religion and not so much as professing Christianity may be deemed Paganish though not professedly Pagans Thus we see the work of the Dragon against the Church both before the 1260 days and in that time 5. A Dragon Combination as one Partner at the Battle of Armageddon Rev. 16. 13. Where Dragon I think is especially Turkish Power and Infidels and so is distinguished from the Beast and false Prophet and the
He is Successor to the Dragon with the same number of Seven Heads and Ten Horns all the Constitutive parts And seeing undenyably the Dragon had the Eastern Empire as well as the West so must the Beast have the whole territory also 2. There were Crowned Horns in the Eastern parts as is undeniable and this differenceth the Beast from the Dragon compare Rev. 12. 3. and 13. 1. and 17. v. 3 12. That Crowned Horns over-ran the Eastern Empire and endangered Constantinople is before proved and these acted in persecution the work of the Beast 3. The East and West made but one undivided Empire till after Horns of the Beast were up in Valens time though Valentinian was associated with him yet the Empire was one till divided between Arcadius and Honorius and diverse Horns up Yea when the Woman fleeth into the Wilderness Rev. 12. it is upon the two Wings of the Eagle the East and West Roman Empire It will be hard to assert that there might have been a Roman Empire distinct from the Beast at the same time 4. The irruption of the Turks into the Eastern parts or sixth Trumpet Rev. 9. 14 15. should not have had the Beast as the proper subject thereof if the Eastern parts had not belonged to the Beast where this Tragedy was principally acted Whereas the Lord expected the Beasts Repentance of his Idolatry and Persecution as the issue thereof v. 20 21. 5. How could the act of an Eastern Emperour Phocas make Boniface 3 Vniversal Bishop if the Eastern Empire did not belong to the first or second Beast or both for both have the same Power Rev. 13. 12. as to extent 6. The seventh head of Popes did extend their Power into the Eastern parts witness not only Victor the Bishop of Rome his Excommunicating all Asia about the observation of Easter Socrat lib. 5. c. 21. Greek 27. but also from that which is called the Holy War chiefly raised by the Pope and from his Excommunicating the Grecians upon the account of the differences between them and the Latin Church about Anselms time and the Greek Church and the Latin Church were in some mean agreement under subjection to the See of Rome until the time of Pope Gregory IX Ann. 1230. saith Fox Acts and Monuments Vol. 1. p. 244 365. and then were dissevered from them But it is objected against the Grecian Empire belonging to the Beast as followeth Obj. 1. The Greek Empire was up long before the deadly wound out of which the seventh head with ten horns arose and so that cannot be of the Ten. Answ This laboureth with or is built upon a double mistake viz. that this Beast cannot be up before the deadly wound whereas it was the Beast that was wounded Rev. 13. 3. and so must be up before to receive the Wound Another mistake is that the seventh Head did arise at the same time with the ten Horns which I deny see Rule 3. Obj. 2. The Ten Kings receive power the same hour with the Beast but the Greek Empire arose near 100 years before and so is none of the Ten. Ans When the Roman Empire in its other parts changed its antient form and was divided into Crowned Horns then the same hour the Grecian Empire was changed from what it was before now it had a new distinct Soveraignty of its own without dependence on the rest of the Empire as formerly and so thence might be deemed one of the ten Horns especially seeing some of those Horns made such Incursions into the Eastern parts as is before discovered If the Alemanes arose Ann. 356. why might not another be up a little sooner Some of them received power as Kings the same hour with the Beast and that is enough Rev. 17. 16. Obj. 3. The Greek Empire often withstood the Pope of Rome and so did not give his power to the Beast Rev. 17. 12. Answ This first Beast I proved is not the Pope but a Civil persecuting Beast and the Eastern Empire had its share in the Work of Persecution as Anastasius and others Yea the Greek Churches we heard did for some time give their power to the Pope of Rome And further in the time of the Lutheran Reformation many Churches were planted in Germany England Scotland France Flanders Denmark Switzerland Poland Hungary so that diverse of the Western Princes and Kingdoms withstood the Pope of Rome yet that will not prove that they never were of the ten Horns the like may be said of the Grecian Empire And further as the ten Horns are said to hate the Whore and Burn her with Fire Rev. 17. 12. when onely some of them do it not all for there are others who committed Fornication with her that lament her burning Rev. 18 9. which seemeth to intimate that those who destroy her had not lately committed Fornication with her However it argueth there is no necessity that every Horn should give power always to the Beast and the Greek Empire may be of that number which also answereth the next objection Obj. 4. If the Greek Empire were among the Ten Horns then it must last 1260 years Whereas it came into the hands of the Turks before it had been up such a time Answ No necessity that there should be precisely Ten Horns neither more nor fewer and that every one of these should last 1260 years either in the same place Rule or Religion as at first It is sufficient that the Body of them or some continue so long in the work of the Beast persecution The Goths ruled a long time in Italy and then were expelled thence yet that is one of the Ten Horns still at first some of the Horns were Pagans others Arians others since Popish others became Protestants fell off from Rome did not continue 1260. Some of the Horns at last must be of another Spirit so opposite as to hate and destroy the Whore Rev. 17. 12. In short the whole Roman Dominion as of old in East and West make the boundary of the Ten Horns and so the Grecians make one Horn though the Greek Empire be at an end yet those that are or rule there make the Horn. The conclusion then is that the quondam Eastern Empire or Eastern parts belong to the Ten Horns some of them may be found there and so those three Horns Dan. 7. 8. might be there and persecutions there may make the Epocha of the 1260 days and some Eastern Powers though not under the notion of a Grecian Empire as before may hate the Whore and Burn her with fire Rev. 17. 16. or have a hand in her destruction CHAP. VI. Of the Epocha of the Mystical Numbers Rule 7. THat the 42 months the time times and half and 1260 days did in all probability begin before Ann. 400. Here I must premise or take three things for granted 1. That those various numbers are the same measure of time diversely computed they begin and end together for as the Witnesses Prophecying
in sackcloth is 1260 days Rev. 11. 3. So the cause or means of it was the Gentiles treading the Holy City under foot 42 months v. 2 which being resolved into days 30 days to every month is the same time And as the Womans being in the Wilderness is said to be 1260 days Rev. 12. 6. So the same Wilderness state is expressed v. 14. by the time times and half and one being resolved into the other explaineth Dan. 7. v. 25. and 12. 7. which otherwise would have remained very dark now plainly time is a Prophetical year times two years and half half a year as Dan. 4. 16 23 25 32. which is the same with 1260 years And the Beast also having 42 months assigned to him for like work Rev. 13. 5. it strongly proveth that all these are equal numbers and of the same date 2. That they are not taken indefinitely for an uncertain or long time but definitely for a certain determined time For though round numbers as 10 100. c. may be indeterminately used yet such broken numbers cannot be so taken for an uncertain time without special reason enforcing it And seeing three several expressions are used five times Rev. 11. 2 3. and 12. 6 14. and 13. 5. to set forth the same space of time and all of them broken numbers it must be a certain definite time else why is it 1260 and not 2000 days or 42 months rather than 40 or 60. or time times and half rather than four times and what difference were there between the 1290 and the 1335 days Dan. 12. 11 12. or how could a head of account be laid down v. 11. and that purposely in answer to that question v. 6. how long shall it be to the end of these Wonders if they were an uncertain number which no account could be made up from 3. That they are not Natural or Common Days or Months but Prophetical every day noting a Year as Numb 14. 33 34. Ezek. 4. 5 6. Dan. 4. 16 23 25 32. and Dan. 9. 24 25 26 27. which last are 70 Weeks of Years reaching to the Messias when natural days are intended there is a note of distinction as of Evenings and Mornings Dan. 8. 4 14 26. which concern the Hee-Goat v. 8. the King of Graecia v. 21. but those in the Revelation cannot be natural days or only three years and half for the Beast is of long continuance and hath been hundreds of years in the work of the 42 Months treading down the Church Rev. 11. 2. and his Wounding and Healing Rev. 13. and the Earths wondring after the Beast and his being ridden by Mystical Babylon so as to have all Nations Drunk with the Wine of her Fornication Rev. 17. 2 3 4 5. hath been hundreds of years and the Churches Sack-cloth State very long these things cannot be confined to 1260 natural days but must be so many years Many have been mistaken in their Computations and therefore I would not be too positive therein but in probability those Days and Months began before Ann. 400. this appeareth diverse ways 1. The 42 Months and 1260 days must begin after the utter dethroning of the Dragon or casting down Pagans from their Imperial Seat and Worship for upon that provocation and the triumph the Beast as his Successor driveth the Church into the Wilderness for such a time Rev. 12. 6 13 14. They cannot begin upon his firsT overthrow by Constantine the Great but so as his â—lâ—ce was no more found in Heaven v. 8. and therefore not till after Julian who was the last professedly Pagan Emperor and reigned Ann. 360 or not long after and these Days must begin after this and not before for the Horns were not Crowned and in the Work of the Beast till then yet before Ann. 400. 2. The 1260 Days had their beginning soon after the first rising of the Ten-Horned Crowned Beast For the 42 Months are assigned or allotted to him Rev. 13. 1 5. power was given him to do 42 Months he being of such a Savage Nature v. 2. like a Leopard a Bear a Lion would take the first opportunity offered for being in his Work there is no evidence that he delayed till the deadly Wound was made much less to the time of Healing which was hundreds of years after His receiving his Power and Throne and great Authority v. 2. whence ensued the Worshiping him v. 4. is mentioned before the deadly Wound but that Wound being given soon after his first rising that is the reason why so little of his Work is mentioned till after that yet doubtless he was found in it soon after his first rising or before Ann 400. 3. Some say that the 1260 Days probably must so begin as Daniels 1290 days may expire or end with them and so begin in likeliness before Ann. 400. Daniel hearing of a time of unparallelled trouble and that then his People the Jews should be delivered Dan. 12. 1. enquireth v. 6. How long shall it be to the end of these Wonders the answer was in two branches the one by a Gentile number of time times and half v. 7. which is the same with 1260 days Daniel not understanding enquireth again after the end v. 8. and hath an answer again v. 11 12. in two branches the former is by 1290 days which discovereth when the time times and half were to end else it were no explication thereof seeing they are different times cannot begin and end together And whether they end with the 1260 days or not yet he giveth a direction when those 1290 days are to begin v. 11. from the time that the daily Sacrifice shall be taken away and the abomination that maketh desolate set up shall be 1290 days Now this must be either the Epiphanean or a Roman abomination there is no third imaginable to make the Epocha I cannot think that the Epiphanean i. e. When Antiochus Epiphanes prophaned the Jewish Temple 167. years before Christ is intended For the abomination of desolation in Daniel is mentioned as to come Mat. 24. 15. in words agreeing not only to Dan. 9. 27. but as aptly to Dan. 12. 11. where the time times and half to be explained clearly refer to the fourth Monarchy And it is as rational that he should look back to another Vision given to himself as to another third Monarchy from the fourth And if we begin the 1290 days at Antiochus Epiphanes they must end about Ann. 1123. where was no suitable event for their expiration some would have it to be the first Revelation of Antichrist But it is an answer to Daniels question which twice was not concerning the beginning or revelation of him but the end of those Wonders v. 6 7. And besides the Revelation of Antichrist was long before Ann. 1123. if not Ann. 606. yet to be sure when Eerengarius and others openly witnessed against him An. 1049. Neither should the 1335 Days then usher in Blessedness as v. 12. but great
Persecution It must then refer to a Roman Abomination not at Titus and Vespasian about An. 70. Mat. 24. 15 16. compared with Luk 21. 20 21. for then not only the 1290. but also the 1335 were expired long ago and yet the Blessedness entailed is not come It remaineth then that it must either be from the Antichristian Abomination viz. from the taking away of the true Gospel-Sacrifice and setting up the Abomination of Mystical Babylon making desolate Rev. 17. 19. and 19. v. 19. and this seemeth not to be intended for Daniel using that Phrase two or three times never applieth it that way nor doth he or John assign any such Number as 1290 days to her or to the Beast that carrieth her yet if other accounts fail this must stand because God is true Or it must be the Julian Abomination those days cannot begin since upon any Jewish account for there hath never been any Jewish Temple since to sacrifice in or at and to be taken away Also that Stupendious Dispensation in the time of Julian seemeth to many sutable for the 1290 days a Jewish not a Gentile Number to begin with For he armed the Jews against the Christians demanded why they did not use Sacrificing seeing the Law commanded it When they answered it was permitted to them only to Sacrifice in one place the Temple Then suddenly he commanded the Temple to be Rebuilt and by terrible Earthquake Thunder Lightning and Fire the Foundation Stones of the Temple till that day unstirred were thrown out of their places and their Tools and Instruments burnt up so as Cyril Bishop of Jerusalem then remembred the Prophesie that there should not be one Stone of the Temple leâ—t upon another Matth. 24. See Socrat. lib. 3. c. 17. or 20. Ammianus Marcellinus who lived in the very time of Julian lib 23 c. 1. saith That certain flaming Balls of Fire issuing near unto the Foundations and making many terrible Assaults consumed sundry times the Workmen and made the place unaccessible Now to attempt to re-edify a Jewish Temple purposely for Jewish Worship and Sacrificing in Gospel Times and that in direct Opposition to Christ and Christianity thereby to take away the true Gospel-Sacrifice and Worship was a heighth of Abomination and such as in a miraculous way brought Desolation and although there be no account of any Sacrifice then offered yet it was designed and the Temple then being made utterly desolate hence the daily Sacrifice which depended upon the Temple Dan. 12. 5 6 7. must needs be taken away also And though Julian was not personally or with an Army in the holy Place or City yet then he perfected the Desolation begun in the time of Titus and Vespasian by his Edict about the Third Year of his Reign Am. Marcell lib. 23. c. 1. 6. And this is still the more considerable in that the Abomination of Pagan Worship being set up about the Second Year of his Reign the Lord made it desolate also by a miraculous Earthquake or Fire the Ethnick Temple in Delphos was overwhelmed and burnt down when Julian had sent a Legate to offer Sacrifice therein and to consult with the Oracle of Apollo there of the Event of the Persian War Chron Carion l. 3. Am. Marcell lib. 22 c 4. 12. On the 11th day before the Kalends of November i. e. 21. of October the most stately Temple of Apollo Daphnaeus which Antiochus Epiphanes that ireful and cruel King built together with the Image therein of Jupiter Clympicus equal in bigness to the Patron it resembled by sudden Violence of Fire was burnt And the Abomination of Heathen and Jewish Worship being attempted to be set up by Julian as another Antiochus Epiphanes were made a Desolation near the same time viz. between An. 360. and 366. And indeed there was a sutable Event about the time of their Expiration For Ann. 1650. there was a Preludium of Israel's Salvation whose Deliverance was the thing enquired after v. 1. if Julian's act was a little after An. 360. often God doth cut short his work and omit small Numbers as Gen. 15. 13. in a great Number And according to Mr. Brett's Narrative by the leave of the Turk and the King of Hungaria there was Octob. 12. 1650. a Council of the Jews consisting of about 300 and Spectators near 3000 to enquire after the Messiah whether he were come or not whether Christ were he or not After Seven or Eight days Conference some of the Roman Clergy mentioning the use of Images and Praying to the Virgin Mary they brake up in disorder yet it 's said the Jews agreed upon another Meeting which was to be Three Years after and in Syria But if the 1290 days ended there then whether 45 more will make up the 1335 days and usher in the Blessedness of their Deliverance let the Event determine 4. The 1260 days must begin about the time when there were two Wings of the Roman Eagle for the Woman the Church to flee by into the Wilderness Rev. 12. v. 14. i. e. when the Empire the Ensign whereof was the Eagle was divided into East West So it was between Arcadius and Honorius about An. 395. Helvic 5. The 1260 days must begin before the Dragon poured out his Flood to drown the Woman Rev. 12. v. 14. for this Flood was cast out v. 15. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 after her or upon her Back and therefore the was upon her Journey going into the Wilderness or gone gotten thither when this Flood was poured out but the Earth swallowed up the Flood v. 16. and the Dragon was disappointed Now many think it was a Flood of corrupt Doctrines called Heresies and about An. 395. and after these did swarm the Eastern Churches were even over-run with Arianism yea in the West the Barbarian persecuting Vandals turned Arians so there were Nestorians Pelagians Eutychians c. which Earthly Men i. e. Civil Emperours by calling Councils did in some measure dry up I cannot say that this was the Flood considering that the chiefest of these corrupt Doctrines viz. Arianism did prevail in the time of Constantine and Constantius before the Beast was up before the Womans going into the Wilderness and Emperours themselves did Countenance Arianism as Constantius and after him Valens who were Arians and Persecutors I think it was a Dragonish Paganish Flood for it is out of the Mouth of the Serpent v. 15. and Waters in this Book are expounded to be Rev. 17. 15. People and Multitudes and Nations and Tongues Let it then be a Flood or Multitudes of barbarous People and that not every Inundation of them wherein they prevailed against the Empire but some particular overflow of them after the Beast was up wherein their design was chiefly against the Woman or Christian Church and wherein they were unsuccessful the Earth helping the Woman they are swallowed up as v. 16. And where we find this we may conclude that the Woman was now going or gone into the
Wilderness and so the 1260 days did begin a little before Now this Flood of Barbarians was either at the Attempt of Eugenius and Arbogastes or else at Rhadagaisus or both which Actions I shall here add and judge whether they do not aptly answer to all that is said of this Flood It must be remembred that about this time the Contest was afresh about Pagan Worship which Constantine had thrown down and saith Calvis An. 384. Gentiles petunt restitui Romae cultum Ethnicum Ambrosius resistit obtinet And An. 394. he saith Eugenius cum suis claustra Alpinm contra Theodosium munit minitaturque Christianae religioni exitium si victor rediret the like say others It is apparent then that the very design of Eugenius was against Christianity and to restore Paganism in the Roman Empire and having Usurped the Supremacy in the West Parts of the World Theodosius the Civil Emperour after spending the Night in Prayer to God waged War with him and though the Enemy were so many that it seemed impossible to encounter them yet there arose so violent a Wind and Tempest as the like never had been seen by any Man then living which without annoyance to the Emperour's People did turn the Darts of Eugenius Souldiers to light in their own side that Theodosius obtained a compleat Victory See Socrat. Oros Funccius And thus this Dragon Flood cast out purposely to drown the Woman the Church was swallowed up not by Ecclesiastical Councils but through Divine Concurrence by the Earthly Civil or Military Power of Theodosius Also Rhadagaisus with Two hundred Thousand â—oths for the Restoration of Ethnick worship came into Italy over-ran Thracia Illyricum Noricum c. with Fire and Sword made great Devastations the Romans affrighted hereat called in the help of Vldinus and Sarus Earthly Pagan Men with an Army of Hunns and Goths and partly by Hunger partly otherwise that so great a Multitude was destroyed few escaped Cent. 5. c. 3 16. Diacon Funcc Calvis An. 406. And if this be the Dragons Floud then the Woman must be in the Wilderness An. 406. and so the 1260 days began before 6. The 1260 days must begin upon a Persecution raised by the revengeful overthrown Dragon in the form of a Beast by which the Woman the Church was driven into a VVilderness Condition This Persecution thus limited I take to be the clearest firmest and most Signal Character of all for the discovering when the 1260 days and 42 Months must begin and yet not insisted on by Writers I suppose from their Mistake thinking the first Beast to be the Pope and so making an Apostacy of his to be the Epocha whereas he is the second Beast and there is another first Beast which those 42 Months and Prophetical Days are to begin with and that at a Persecution as all the Three Chapters where those Days and Months are mentioned do clearly evidence as Rev. 11. v. 2 3. the holy City shall they i. e the Gentiles tread under foot 42 Months That treading down importeth Subjection great Sufferings by Enemies insulting over them with contempt and also the Witnesses being in Sack-cloth speaketh the like So Rev. 12. 6. The Woman fleeth into the Wilderness 1260 days It is an allusion to the flight of the Israelites from an enraged Enemy persecuting Pharaoh with such a flight which importeth Tribulation Mat. 24. 20 21. do the 1260 days begin and therefore with Persecution and expresly v. 13 14. he persecuted the Woman and this is mentioned as the very Cause of her fleeing into the Wilderness v. 14. for a time times and half a time i. e. for 1260 days What can be more plain than that these days do begin with or by a Persecution The third place is Rev. 13. 5. Power was given him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to do another Version hath it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to make War 42 Months and the warring with the Saints is expresly mentioned with the same word v. 7. And note it is not every Persecution that doth make the Epocha it is not any till Dragon i. e. Pagan headship was cast down and so not any of the Ten Persecutions not any till after Julian but after the first Beast with crowned Horns was up v. 1 2. which was many Years before the sixth Head of Emperours went down Yea it is a Persecution raised in way of revenge for the Dragon i. e. Pagan overthrow Rev. 12. 13. he i. e. the Dragon when he saw he was cast unto the earth he persecuted the Woman It was then a fresh Persecution upon that Provocation his casting down And note it is not every Warlike Irruption as that of Alaricus which maketh the Epocha but a Persecution and such as driveth the Woman into a Wilderness-condition v. 6 13 14. which noteth not a change of Place so much as of State answerable to that of the Israelites in the Wilderness It mporteth a solitary afflicted yet safe condition full of Wants Dangers Trials Temptations and yet having Divine Protections Provisions and Preservations And hence none need be stumbled at the seeming or real Godliness either of some Emperours or Popes after the Beast was up For if the Head of Emperours did not persecute yet if some of the Crowned Horns did though others did not yet it may be deemed a Persecution of the Beast Often an action of a part is reckoned to the whole as Achan's to Israel Josh 7. 1 11. So 1 King 14. 22. Am. 2. 5. Rev. 17. 16. compared with Rev. 18. 9. So whether Head or Horns some of them persecute the Church into the Wilderness and this giveth the first Date to the 1260 days The great Question then here is When did that Persecution begin by the Dragon in form of a Beast with Crowned Horns out of revenge for his Overthrow whereby the Church was driven into a Wilderness-Condition For at such a Persecution or at the Churches being fully in the Wilderness thereby we must begin the 42 Months and 1260 Days And upon a diligent Search into History it is to admiration that the Event should so aptly agree to fix the Epocha before Ann. 400. For such Persecutions there were about that time by the Head of Emperours and by Crowned Horns as Goths Vandals Hunns they destroyed the Churches and were feared every where It must be remembred that Theodosius the First caused the Pagan Temples to be destroyed which Constantine shut up Tripart Hist. lib. 9. c. 33. Calvis An. 395. and Dragon-worship being decreed to be plucked up by the Roots this occasioned the fleeing of many into the Wilderness by their Persecutions both in East and West See Magdeburg Cent. 5. c. 3. take their and others words 1. The Church in the West was grievously smitten because of Publick Tumults as saith Sozomen for very many barbarous Nations rushing chiefly into the Roman Regions have vehemently afflicted the Churches as Jerom maketh a great Complaint of the thing How many
away the daily Sacrifice and tread down the Sanctuary v. 13 14. about Ann. 167. before the Nativity of Christ and the residue must come after and thus would not expire till about Ann. 2133. But I conclude that those 2300 Days did begin and end with Antiochus I would not absolutely determine that the Conversion of the Jews will be before the Fall of Rome but offer some Reasons for it This seemeth plain that the Jews will not return to their own Land or be called till the Resurrection of the Witnesses For as the time times and half and 1260 Days so the three Days and half of the Witnesses lying dead are all of them times of the Gentiles Rev. 11. 2 3 9. and it is expresly said Luk. 21. 24. They shall fall by the edge of the Sword and shall be led away Captive into all Nations and Jerusalem shall be trodden down How long until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled And they are not fulfilled till the Death of the Witnesses is over seeing the Gentiles hold them under their death If the Tenth part that falleth at the Witnesses rising or ascending should not be Rome but another of the Ten Horns as some would have it then seeing there is but one blow more after that Triumph Rev. 19. 1 2 c. Why may not Rome be the Babylon that cometh into Remembrance at the Seventh Vial let the Event determine I do not pretend to immediate Revelation or such a Spirit of Prediction for the foretelling things to come but only compare Scripture with Scripture I did compose this Ann. 1665. and see no Cause yet for Variation in the Substance only now I have much abbreviated it with a few Alterations and a little Addition especially as to the Number of the Beast and this Review â—ath added much to my Confirmation and Satisfaction in these things The Day of the Lord is near let us exercise Faith in Prayer that if Jesus Christ should come at Midnight yet we may be always found watching THE CONTENTS Chap. I. OF the general Scope of the Revelation and Enemies of the Church Pag. 1 Chap. II. Of the Ten-horned Crowned Beast Rev. 13. 1. Not the Pope p. 8 Chap. III. Of the Two-horned Beast the Pope Rev. 13. 11 p. 21 Chap. IV. Of the Little Horn p. 37 Chap. V. Of the first rising of the Ten-horned Beast p. 39 Chap. VI. Of the Epocha of the Mystical Numbers 42 Months and 1260 Days p. 50 Chap. VII Of what ensueth the End of the 1260 Days Of the Witnesses Death and Resurrection p. 68 Chap. VIII Of the Seven Vials that they are not all under the Seventh Trumpet p. 91 Chap. IX Of the Vials and how many are already poured out p. 98 A Conclusion of what was unaccomplished Anno 1680. p. 127 An Appendix Shewing I. That Pagan Rome was not the First Beast nor Mystical Babylon Rev. 17. p. 145 II. That the 1000 Years did not begin at Constantine the Great p. 155 III. That the Restoration and Conversion of the Jews and Ten Tribes is still to be Expected p. 156 THE Revelation unvailed c. CHAP. I. Of the general scope of the Revelation and the Enemies of the Church especially the Dragon IT is a singular demonstration of the Love of Christ to his Church that he hath vouchsafed the Book of the Revelation which affordeth not only useful Moral Observations but â—ropheticâ—â— Conclusions of the great Events from 〈◊〉 days of John until the end of all things Rev. 1. v 1 3. It is called a Prophecy of what was shortly to come to pass and that until the general Resurrection Rev. 20. v. 10 11 12. when â—esus shall sit on his great white Throne and the dead small and great shall be judged according to their works Here is a Prediction of the state and condition of actions and passions doings and sufferings both of the Church and People of God and also of their Enemies during that whole time And note there are 1. Seven Seals Rev. 6. six of which lasted during the time of Pagan Emperours till after Anno 300. See Mr. Mede And the seventh delivered it self into 2. Seven Trumpets Rev. 8. and 9. Some of which began to sound Judgment against the Roman Empire before Ann. 400. 3. Seven Vials or lâ—â—t Plagues Rev. 15. and 16. and all other dispensations are for time reducible to some of these That the Roman State or Empire is the chief boundary of all these matters is evident seeing the description undeniably agreeth to that and â—o no â—o other Place or State in the World for Rome was that great City Rev. 17. v. 18 which was built upon seven Hills or Mountains v. 9. and had seven heads seven several supream Governments v. 10 five of which were fallen in the days of John viz. 1. Kings 2. Consulâ— 3. Tribunes 4. Decem-viâ—i 5. Dictators and it 's said one is viz. 6. Caesars or Emperours And another was yet to come viz. 7. Popes And in that Territory were the ten Horns or Kings viz. that after received power as Kings which in the days of John they had not The principal Enemies here described are four 1. A Dragon Rev. 12. 3. 2. A ten-horned Beast Rev. 13. 1. 3. A two-horned Beast Rev. 13. 11. â— A Whore Rev. 17. Seven Heads and ten Horns the Dragon had and so the Beast crowned and upon the Beast the Whoâ—e rideth Rev. 17. 7. and therefore all of them belong to the Roman Empire The Church till after Ann. 300. is deciphered by a Woman clothed with the Sun Rev. 12. 1. and then the red Dragon was her grand Enemy v. 3. Afterward she is described under the notion of two Witnesses Rev. 11. and of 144000 sealed ones Rev. 7. and 14. 1. and then her great Enemies were the first and second Beast and the Whore Rev. 13 and 17. The grand Opposite to the true Church is the Whore of Mystical Babylon which therefore must be the corrupt Church of Rome Rev. c. 17. v. 1 to 6. For who else can these Characters agree to Who else did sit upon many Waters with whom the Kings of the Earth committed Spiritual Fornication Is the Mother of Harlots and Abominations of the Earth and drunk with the Blood of the Saints Who else hath sate upon the Scarlet-coloured Beast with seven Heads and ten Horns Yea it is expresly said v. 18. The Woman 〈◊〉 the great City which reigneth over the Kings of the Earth which could not in the days of John be asserted of any other in the World but only the City of Rome and so the Romish Church is here intended For the right understanding or clearing of these Prophetical Mysteries I shall lay down divers Rules with the proof of the 〈◊〉 Rule 1. That the Dragon notifieth Pagan Rome persecuting or such as are not professedly Christian As a Key to a considerable part of thâ— Prophecy I take Dragon throughout the Revelation for Satan 〈◊〉 iâ—