V. 17. now are there many Antichrifts, whereby we know that it is the last time. Which Epiftle, with the mall ones following, being probably written long after the destruction of Jerufalem, cannot therefore refer to the laft times of the Jewish œconomy; but of the world it felf: as the natural fence of the words most plainly requires us to understand them. Hence also it seems to be that St. Paul Speaks fo often in the first Perfon plural of the Saints that are to be alive at the Day of Judgment. Then We which Theff.iv. 15. are alive, and remain unto the coming of the Lord, shall not prevent them which are afleep. Then We which are alive and remain, fhall be caught up together with them in the Clouds. 1 Cor. xv. 51, We fhall not all fleep, but We fhall all be chang'd: and the like. Nay the fame Apostle in another place, feems directly to make it a question, whether he and thofe, to whom he wrote should not at the Day of Judgment be found clothed with thofe Earthly Bodies they then had, or be found naked, and those their Earthly Tabernacles diffolv'd. For in this, fays He, We groan earnestly, 2 Cor. v. 2, 3, defiring to be clothed upon with Our houfe which is from Heaven:Iffo be we fhall be found clothed, and not naked. For We that are in his Tabernacle do groan, being burdned: not for that We would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that morJude v. 17, 18. tality might be fwallowed up of life. In like manner St. Jude applies to fome Ill Men, who had then crept into the Church: 2 Pet.iij. 3.4 St Peter's prediction, that there should come in the last days 4. Y. TO Scoffers walking after their own lufts, and faying where is the promise of his coming. And therefore by applying this prophecy, to his own times, which belong'd to the last days in St. Peter, i. e. as is plain by what follows concerning the conflagration, to the times a little before the Day of Judgment, St. Jude feems to have fuppos'd that the Day of Judgment, was then rather near at band, than fo many ages remote as we now find that it certainly was. Now the occafion of all the fe expreffions is obvious; namely that God had reveal'd by his Prophets, that the Days of the Meffias were to be the latter, or laft days of the World; and the Time of the end, and of the consummation of all things: He also had reveal'd the fum of what was to intervene viz. The deftruction of the Jews; the Time of Antichrift, and the Restauration and Conversion of the Jews again: He had also by the Prophet Daniel, fixed the Epochas Epocha of the Antichriftian times, to the divifion of the Roman Empire, into ten Kingdoms,and their Duration to a Time Times and an Half, or to 3 years, And more plainly the Epocha of Antichrift himself, to fome time after the divifion into ten Kingdoms, and kis Duration to a Time Times, and a part, or 3 Years and a Month. All which things, our Saviour and his Apoftles appear to have known. Thus fays our Lord: There fhall be great diftress in Luk. xxi. 23. the land, and wrath upon this People. And they fhall fall by &c. the edge of the Sword, and fhall be led away Captive into all Nations and Jerufalem fhall be troden down of the Gen- See Differt, on tiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled. And then it Matt. xxiv.infollows. And there fhall be figns in the Sun, &c. And then Thail they fee the Son of Man coming in a cloud, with power frà. and great glory. Thus St. Paul. That day fhall not come un- 2 Theff. ij. 3. lefs there be an Apoftacy first, and that wicked One be revealed, the Son of Perdition. Thus St. John alfo, who affures Chriftians that that was the lat Time, yet takes it for granted, that they had heard that the great Astichrift was to come before the 1 Joh. ij. 18. Day of Judgment. And St. Paul also, who so often speaks, as if the Day of Chrift were near, yet affures us that, altho a small remnant of the Jews only had then believed in Chrift, yet affoon as the fulness of the Gentiles was come in, all Ifrael fhould Rom. xj. 25, be faved, alfo before the last day. But then as God had re- 26. veal'd, and Chrift and his Apostles well understood those things, Jo He had not reveal'd the Time of the Diffolution of the Roman Empire; nor that thofe 3 years of the Reign of the Antichristian Powers were to be more than just so many bare years only; as the Primitive Church did believe them to be. On which accounts there was at that time nothing certainly known, which could oblige Men to believe, that the Day of Judgment might not come in that very age: and the expreffions of the Old Teftament, that the Days of the Meffias were to be the laft days, inclin'd them to be believe, that that great day would be fuddenly upon them: and oblig'd our Saviour and his Apostles in all their exhortations, to press them to all due care and watchfulness, left it should indeed come upon them fo foon, as His Apostles at least, if not himself, Seem to have really imagin'd it would. I diftinguish this fo nicely, because I obferve in one parable, that our Saviour himself Speaks Speaks of the Lords coming, not till after a long time, x@g Matt. xxv. 19. us to reckon with his Servants, whereas no fuch expreffion, appears of any of the Apostles, till a great while afterwards. I only fay they Jeem to have imagin'd, that the great Day of Judgment, would not be very long deferr'd, beyond the deftruction of Jerufalem; which was to be in that age, and accordingly to have fuited their Phrafes and Exhortations. But then I abfolutely deny that either our Saviour or his Apostles, were herein properly deceiv'd; or that they ever Preach'd or Declar'd, as from God, that the Day of Judgment was to be in that age: and indeed that they ever pretended to know pofitively, and from God when that day should come: but wholly looked upon it as a fecret, lying still hid in the Divine Omniscience of the Father, and not yet made known to any Creature whatsoever. Of this we have direct evidence in feveral places of the New Testament. Thus our Saviour, as we have feen already, exprefly declares that, of that day and hour knoweth no Man, neither the Angels that are in Heaven, neither the Son, but the Father. That the Father hath put the times and the feafons, for the advancement of the Kingdom of Ifrael, in his own power. That it was not then at all knowable, whether the great Master of the House would come at evening, or at midnight, or at cockrowing, or in the morning. ThusSt. Paul, whofe expreffions had been mistaken by the Theffalonians, as im2 Theff. ij. 1. plying that God had revealed to him, that the day of Chrift was at hand, folemnly declares the contrary. Now we beseech you Brethren by the coming of the Lord Jefus Chrift, and by our gathering together unto him, that ye be not foon fhaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by fpirit, nor by word, nor by letter, as from us as that the day of Chrift is at hand. And St. Peter 2 Pet. iij. 8. particularly cautions against fuch an interpretation of the Phrafes of Christ, or of his Apoftles, as if God must fail of, or be flack concerning his promife, if he did not very fuddenly come to Fudgment: and plainly implys that tho' the Days of the Messias, were fortold to be the last days of the World; yet they might by the long-fuffering of God, be prolong'd for a thousand years, with out any impeachment of his veracity. So that tho' it was commonly believ'd or imagined, in the first ages of the Gospel, and Suspected by the Apostles themselves, that the Day of Judgment, 2. 9. was wasmuch nearer then we now find; yet were they not deceiv'd in any part of their doctrine, nor preached any falfhood to the People. But always afferted,that, as far as they knew, God had it still wholly in his own power, to bring on that great Day fooner or later as he pleafed; as being a thing they did not look upon as at all revealed to Mankind. Only that in fuch a cafe, it behoved all Chriftians to be as careful and watchful, as if Christ were to come within that age; becaufe they did not at all know but He might come fo foon, and they inclin'd to think that he would not defer it much longer. This Corollary I must confess is too long and unfuitable to the brevity of my prefent defign: but fince 'tis on a most important point; and gene rally and fatally mistaken hitherto, I hope the Reader will forgive me. A' SEAL I. оне ND 1 faw when the Lamb opened the firft of the Seals, and Apoc. vi, 1.2 Animals, faying come and fee. 2. And I faw, and behold a white Horfe; and he that fat on him had a Bow, and a Crown was given unto him; and he went forth conquering, and to conquer. The firit great and lignal event, and the moft fit to begin this Series of Vifions contain'd in the Sealed Book, relating principally the Church of Chrift, and the Roman Empire wherein it was contain'd, is Primordium Victoria Chrifti in Mr. Medes phrafe: or the first thew and appearing of our Saviour setting up, and beginning with good fuccefs to propagate his Religion, and advance his Kingdom in the Roman Empire: or as it is here in prophetick ftile, Riding upon a white horse, with a Row and a Crown conquering and to conquer. And this Vifion is most suitable introduc'd by the firft Animal, a Lyon, as the Enfign of the Tribe and Army of Judah; whofe ftation was on the eastfide of the Camp of Ifrael, and of the Prophetick Scene. For not to obferve that in this very Book, and in the very Chapter before this, our Saviour is exprefly ftil'd the Lyon of the tribe of Apoc. v. §. Judah, as it were on purpose to hint a correspondance of this Seal, with his authority and power; Vefpafian the Roman Em peror, peror, the first of the then reigning Family, was advanc'd to that dignity in the Eastern parts of the World and Roman Empire, * in Egypt Judea and Syria, and from thence conquer'd the other Provinces: and His coming out of the East, in fuch a Conquering and Triumphant manner, occafion'd fome of the + Romans to look upon Him as that great Prince, which ancient perdictions and ‡ Jofephus from them had foretold was to come from the East,and obtain the Dominion over the World, as Suetonius and Tacitus affure us. Which remarkable circumftance, may feem to be the reafon why the place of Vefpafians advancement to the Throne, and not of his Birth,as in the three others, is here regarded in this Vifion. Nay our Lord himself, was alfo was born in the Eaftern part of the World,and of the Roman Empire, and from thence fpread his Kingdom into the reft of it. And fo this Seal extends to the very time of the feeing of these Visions by St. John; when our Lords, Kingdom, new * Vitellii. Tempore Vefpafianus in Oriente principatum arripuit. Aurel. Victor. Vefpafianus Vitellio fucceffit, factus apud Paleftinam Imperator. Eutrop. Initium ferendi ad Vefpafianum Imperii Alexandriæ cœptum, feftinante Tiberio Alexandro, qui Kal. Jul. Sacramento ejus legiones adegit. lique primus principatus dies in pofterum celebratus, quamvis Judaicus Exercitus quinto Non. Jul. apud ipfum juraflet.. -Ante Idus Jul. Syria Omnis in codem Sacramento fuit. Tacit. Hift. Lib. 2. Tiberius Alexander Præfectus Ægypti primus in verba Vefpafiani legiones adegit Kalend. Julii; qui principatus dics in pofterum obfervatus eft. Judaicus deinde exercitus quinto Idus Julii apud ipfum juravit. Sueton in Veipaf + Pluribus perfuafio inerat antiquis facerdotum literis contineri co tempore fore, ut valefceret Oriens, profectique Judæa rerum potirentur. Que ipfo Ambages Vefpafianum ac Titum Prædixerant. Tacit. Hift. Lib. 5. Percrebuerat Oriente toto vetus & conftans Opinio effe in fatis, ut eo tempore Judæa profecti rerum potirentur. Id de Imperatore Romano, quantum eventu poftea patuit, prædictum. Sueton. in Vefpafian. + Νέρωνι με πέμπεις; τί δὲ οἱ μετὰ Νέρωνα μέχρι σε διάδοχοι μένεσι; Σὺ Και σαρ Ουεσπασιανέ, και Αυτοκράτωρ. Σὺ καὶ πᾶις ὁ σὺς ἕξις. - Δεσπότης δὲ κ μόνον ἐμὲ σὺ Κασας, ἀλλὰ καὶ γῆς, ο θαλάσσης, καὶ παντὸς ἀνθρώπων γένους 0feph. De Bello. L. 3. C. x. Vid. & Xiphil in Epit. Dio. in Vef, aha. no. ως φων Τό δ' ἐπέραν αὐτὲς μάλισα προς τε πόλεμον ἦν χρησμὸς ἀμφίβολα ὁμοίως ἐν τοῖς ἱεροῖς ευρημένα γράμμασιν, ὡς κατὰ τὰ καιρὸν ἐκείνον ὑπό τῆς χω ως τις αυτῶν ἄρξει της οικεμένης. Τι οι μθὺ ὡς οικεῖον, ἐξέλαβον, ὶ πολλοὶ τῶν επλανήθησαν περὶ τὴν κρίσιν. ἐδήλως δ' άμα τὴν πει Ουεσπασιανὸ τὸ λόγιοι ήγε perian, dmodex fino wei 'Ixdaías 'Avbxegbę. Jol. De Bello L. 7. C. x ly |