Apor. xvij. 9. &c.

Ver. 7.11.

Ver. 1 2.

Ver. 16.

diately precede its final Deftruction. And this, as well as the foregoing Propofition was fo known, and agreed upon in the firft Ages of Chriftianity; I might add, is ftill fo known, and agreed upon by the Jews; that it is a little ftrange that any of the Moderns, who yet own a great Veneration for Antiquity, fhould ever be tempted to recede from fuch evident Conclulions, fo generally confented to, as thefe have been both by Jews and Chriftians. Efpecially fince withal, (2.) This Obfervation is evident in that Interpretation of the Angel to St. John, which we are now upon. For as the feven Heads of the Beaft are exprefly faid to fignify feven mountains, upon which the woman fits, or the feven Hills of Rome: So are the fame feven Heads refer'd by the Angel to fo many Kings, or Forms of Government in that Empire; they are alfo feven Kings; Five whereof were then fallen, when the Angel fpake these words: One was then in being; and Another, which was the seventh, was not then come, and when he should come, should continue but afbort Space: And the beaft with seven heads and ten horns, which was once before, but was not then, was to be the eighth King; and yet one of the feven; and was at laft to be utterly destroyed alfo, at the conclufion of the whole Monarchy. And ftill more exprefly in the next Verfe, The ten horns which thou faweft, are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet: but receive power as Kings one hour with the beast. And afterward, The ten horns which thou faweft upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and make her defolate, and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire. So that 'tis hence unquestionable that the Beast with feven heads and ten horns, denotes the State and Period of the Roman Empire after its first seven Forms of Government were over; and fuch a State as was then fome confi derable time future, in the days of St. John, and his feeing thefe Visions; and fuch a State as was to laft till the Deftru&tion of Rome it felf, at the conclufion of its Empire. And these two Arguments, or rather Collections of Arguments, feem to me fo certain and demonstrative, that I shall not think it worth while to allege any more upon this occafion.

III. "This Beast with feven heads and ten horns, is the Roman "Empire after it was become Chriftian, in an Idolatrous and Perfecuting

"fecuting Domination. Or in other words Babylon the great "Harlot that rides upon the Beast, is not Rome Pagan but Rome "Chriftian, fallen into an Antichriftian Tyranny and Idolatry. For, (1) After the days of St. John there were to be at least two changes of the Form of the Roman Government, before the State under the ten Kings, which we are enquiring for. But there were not two changes of the Form of Government while the Empire continued Heathen; and therefore this Idolatrous and Perfecuting State, could not belong to Rome Heathen. The former part of this affertion appears, by the words juft now quoted from St. John; that there were to be feven Kings, or Forms of Government in the Empire before that of the ten Kings; and that that Form of Government should be the eighth, and yet that five were fallen in his time, and the Sixth then prefent. So that 'tis clear there must be at least two changes of the Form of Government, before the State of the ten Kings could be expected. One change from the fixth to the feventh, and another change from the feventh to the eighth. And the latter part of this affertion, is evident from the Hiftories of those times. For whether For whether we determin the true difference of the Forms of the Roman Government, by the diverfity and change of the Names of its Supreme Governors; as has been commonly done hitherto: or, as I rather fuppose, from the different Number of thofe Supreme Governors; it is unquestionable, that there did not happen two changes of the Form of Government after St. John's time, before the days of Conftantine, when the Empire became Chriftian: and therefore the State of the Empire under the ten Kings, or its Antichriftian State could not belong to Rome Pagan. (2) After the days of St. John, and before the Empire became Chriftian, the Roman Empire was never divided into ten Kingdoms; which divifion yet is the principal characteristick both in Daniel and St. John of this State we are enquiring for. So that 'tis impoffible and abfurd to apply the Antichriftian Period to that time. (3) In all that time, between the days of St. John, and the days of Conftantine, we cannot find that any one of the Prophecies relating to the Antichriftian State, whether in Daniel or the Revelations, or indeed in the whole

See Dr. Creffe

Bible receiv'd any tolerable completion; much lefs receiv'd it fo exactly, that the particular numbers there fpecify'd appear to have been obferv'd; which yet is abfolutely neceffa ry in the prefent cafe. (4) This State is the very last of all the States of the Roman Monarchy, both in Daniel and St. John; as we have already feen: nay it is to continue till the glorious Kingdom of our Saviour is fet up, as we have alfo prov'd: which to pretend of the PaganState of Rome is ridiculous and impoffible. (5) This State is to continue till the utter deftruction of Rome, the mystical Babylon here referr'd to; and that in the propheApoc.xviij.8.9. tick expreffions by fire alfo. For fo fays the Prophecy, Therefore fhall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine, and he shall be utterly burnt with fire, for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her. And the Kings of the Earth, who have committed fornication, and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her when they fball fee the smoke of her burning. Apoc. xvj. & And the like Prophecies we meet with in other places. For xvij. & xviij. that no fuch thing happened to Rome Pagan after St. John's days, & xix. is well known in Hiftory. Therefore that was not the Antichristian State we are enquiring for. (6.) And as thefe certain Arguments foregoing do undoubtedly prove that the State we are now enquiring for, could not be Rome Pagan, fo neither do the circumstances and phrafes fuit any other than Rome Chriftian. As that of an Apoftacy or Defection from Chriftianity, after it was once embrac'd; for fo St. Paul defcribes it; affu2 Theff. ij. 3. ring us, that the day of Chrift should not come, unless there were an Apoftacy or falling away firft: And then that Man of Sin fhould be reveal'd, the Son of Perdition. This alfo may fairly be concluded from the name of Whore, fo often given to Rome or BaDemonftr.P.8. bylon. For, in Dr. Creffener's words, "when a Nation or a City is faid in Scripture to commit Fornication, or to be an "Harlot, it fignifies that Nation or City to have apoftatiz'd from the True Religion to Idolatry; (as particularly in the "Three firft Chapters of Hofea ;) which could not be till the "Times of Rome Chriftian. This alfo agrees mightily to the Name written upon her Forehead, and to St. John's great adApoc.xvij.5,6. miration at her, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT; THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS, AND OF THE ABO

ner's Demonftr. L. 1. C. 3.

MINATIONS

MINATIONS OF THE EARTH. And I saw the Woman drunken with the blood of the Saints, and with the blood of the Martyrs of Jefus; and when 1 faw her, I wondred with a a great aftonishment. Twas no fuch Mystery, fure, or furprizing thing, that a Heathen Empire fhould perfecute Chriftians, and tempt them to Idolatry: St. John at this very time experienc'd that treatment from that Empire: But that a Chriftian Empire fhould perfecute Chriftians, and cause them to commit Idolatry, this was mysterious and wonderful indeed. Tho' that it was not impoffible to be, the fad and woful experience of the paft and prefent Ages does but too certainly affure us. And if to these Characters we add that expreffion of St. Paul concerning the Man of Sin,that he is to fit in the Temple of God; and 2 Theff. ¡j. 4that certainly at a time when there was no material Temple ftanding; I do not know what other poffible fence to put on thofe words, but that he was to have his Seat in the Christian Church, or among Chriftians: according to that Apoftles own Expofi- 1 Cor. ij. 16. tion elsewhere, when he fays that Chriftians are the Temple of Heb.iij. 6. 2 Cor. vj. 16. the Living God. (7.) Lastly, As the particular Characters of this State do not belong to Rome Pagan, fo do they every one belong to Rome Chriftian; as has been very largely and particularly hewn by the Learned and moft Pious Dr. More, in his excellent Piece call'd the Mystery of Iniquity; and fince that time has been also largely and fully prov'd by a Learned Foreigner See alfa Abbot's Heideggerus, in his Myfterium Babylonis magna; by Monfieur Demonftrat. Juricu, in his Prejudices against the Church of Rome; and be- Antichrift: and Downham of fore all thefe, by one G. S. in a Book call'd Sacra Heptades, Antichrift. or Seven Problems concerning Antichrift, printed in the Year 1625, by Peter Du Moulin in his Vates Book, 5. Chap. 1, &c. and many others. Which Treatifes, if they were but with any degree of Impartiality confider'd by the Romanists, could hardly fail of making them fenfible that the Pope and his fubordinate Hierarchy are that great Antichrift fo much prophecy'd of in Scripture: and that thofe ten Kingdoms of the Roman Empire, which arofe in the Fifth Century, are that great Beast with feven Heads and ten Horns, which were to fupport and join with Antichrift till just before the Commencement of Chrift's glorious Kingdom. Inftead therefore of giving

any imperfect Account of thofe numerous Characters of the Antichriftian State hinted at in this Argument, I fhall refer the Reader to thofe Treatifes above-mention'd; where he will abundantly meet with fatisfaction: and be tempted to wonder how the Papists have fo long avoided conviction; and more to wonder that any Proteftants fhould once doubt, that the Roman is the Antichriftian Church, fo feverely threatned and dreadfully characteriz'd in the Revelation.

"IV. The Seven Kings, or Dynafties of the Roman Empire "in the Angels expofition, are its feven different Forms of Go"vernment,before the Rife of the ten Kingdoms; and the eighth, "which is also faid to be one of the feven, is the last Form of "its Government under those ten Kings, in an Antichriftian "State till its Destruction.

The Text wherein this Propofition is contain'd, has always appear'd to me, one of the moft difficult in this whole Book: and I believe has appear'd fo alfo to all Expofitors; and will therefore deserve an exact confideration. The words are these. Apoc. xvii. 7. And the Angel faid unto me, wherefore did'st thou marvel? I &c. will tell thee the Mystery of the Woman, and of the Beast that carryed her, which hath the feven heads, and ten horns. The Beaft that thou faweft was, and is not, and fball afcend out of the Bottomless Pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the Earth fall wonder (whofe Names were not written in the Book of Life from the Foundation of the World) when they behold the Beast that was, and is not, and yet is. And here is the mind which bath Wifdom. The feven Heads are feven Mountains, on which the Woman fitteth: and they are feven Kings: five are fallen; and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh he must continue afhort space. And the Beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the feven, and goeth into Perdition. The account of these words, on which the understanding of this Book mightily depends, which is given us either by Mr. Mede, Dr. More, Monfieur Jurien or others of that kind feems to me much too confus'd, uncertain, and inadequate to afford any degree of fatisfaction. But that Noble Hint of Dr. Creffener's, that, Demonftrat.p. this eighth King, who was also one of the seven, must therefore be 35. &c. one of the feuen Kings, or Forms of Government, which had been in

rule