as is not improbable, we are still more fure of our Epocha; and can hardly mistake it above a fingle week over or under; which Latitude the ftricteft interpretation of the words of this Pro- Hypoth. VI. phecy does undoubtedly admit of. So that according to the prius beft Évidence we can yet find, Ottoman's Reign or the beginning of the Ottoman Empire is to be dated upon, or about May 19. A. D. 1301.

Now therefore fince we have found the date of Ottoman's Reign, or the beginning of this famous Period of the Second Wo, an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, and its duration alfo, let us fee where its conclufion will fall. To this Epocha therefore May 19,1301 let us add the foremention'd number3 96 years and 106 days, and We fhall come to the first day of September, A. D. 1697. O. S. And 'tis well known that the laft famous and concluding Victory, which the Chriftians under Prince Eugene of Savoy gain'd over the Turks, and which put a final Period to the laft War, was that very year, and that very day of the year alfo. And it was of fuch confequence, and fo remarkable, that there immediately followed, the very next year, the famous Treaty of Peace at † Carlowitz; which notwithstanding the most Violent Temptations on the Turks fide to a Rupture, has continued hitherto inviolable, as a remarkable completion of this Prophecy. All which is the more to be takennotice of, because it is fo exact,as in a manner to correfpond to a Single Day; an accuracy not elsewhere to be obferv'd in the prophetick writings; and because the time of the conclufion of this last Turkish War, was from this place of

The Imperial Minifters [ at Refwick ] receiv'd an account of this Stupen dious Victory, the like of which, had not been obtain'd during the whole course of the War. Dr. Crull's Contin. Puffend. Introdu&. to Hift. p. 531.

t-They were the fooner difpos'd to confent to the opening of a Treaty of Peace or Truce at Carlowitz, a place on the Turkish Territories, betwixt Péterwaradin and Salankement; whilft on both fides the Armies, tho very numerous,remain'd all this Campaign [1698] unactive, to expect as it were the happy issue of this Treaty which from its beginning, was looked upon as good as concluded. Ibid. p. 533.

the Apocalypfe very nearly foretold, both by Mr. BrightDemonftrat. man, in the beginning of the laft Century; and by Dr. Cref Pref.p. 17. 18. fener alfo feveral years before it came to pafs, in our own Age.

We have fourthly the main defign of the loofing of these four Angels; viz. to flay the Third Part of Men, i. e. The Enropeans: and this alfo agrees with the Hiftory of the Turks. For as we find by Chalcocondylas's account, that foon after Ottoman was feated on the Turkish Throne, the Turks made an Irruption into Europe, even as far as the Danube, and a fecond in a very little time after in the Reign of Ottoman himself; fo e're one fixth part of their time was over, † A. D. 1357 or 1358, they entred Europe, with a very See Dan. xi. numerous Fleet of Ships; and have been ever fince, till the Peace of Carlowitz, a moft heavy plague to it; as is abundantly known in Hiftory. We have fifthly the specification of the mifery that the Turks were to bring on Europe; that whereas the Saracens before had only power to torment but

41.

*Executio mandati, incidens in annum 1300, uno confenfu omniuim hiftoricorum; quando compofitis domefticis difidiis, & confentientibus omnibus in Ottomannorum Imperium, libere licebat totis viribus ad dilatandos fuos fines incumbere, & tandem aliquando ex illis fuis anguftiis porepere. Quantum temporis duraret poteftas data Turcis declaratur proximis verbis, parati ad horam, & diem, & menjem, & annum: Quæ tam accurata defcriptio ad folandos pios pertinet, quibus cognitum fpiritus effe voluit, graviffimam hanc calamitatem ftatutos fuos terminos habere ufque ad minimum momentum, ultra quod non prorogabitur. Quod quidem fpatium videtur effe trecentorum nonaginta fex annorum, fingulis diebus fumptis pro fingulis annis, ad eam rationem, qua menfes antea interpretati fumus. Annus autem fimpliciter hic pofitus vulgatus & ufitatus Julianus intelligitur, trecentorum fexaginta quinque dierum, & aliquot horarum. Quod omne tempus numeratum ab anno 1300, exibit tandem ad annum 1696. Qui ultimus eft terminus Turcici nominis, ut etiam aliæ fcripturæ miro confenfu probant. Brightmannus in locum.

- Ἐπὶ τότε βασιλέυον ο εκβακιχίλιοι Τέρκων εἰς τὴν Ευρώπην διαβάντες α Ελλήσποντον και εν χερρονήσω καταχόντες Φρέριον ελληνικον, καὶ ἀπὸ τέτκος μόμενοι τήντε Θράκην ἐς Ἴσρον ἐλαυνοντες ἐληΐζοντο, τὴν χώραν ἐπιδραμόντες, τότε πολλὰ διήρπαζον, καὶ ἀνδράποδος ὡς πλεῖστα ελόμενοι ἐς τὴν ̓Ασίαν διεβίβαζον, τόσ "Edanvas & Terbangg. Chalcocond. lib. 1. p. 8. Invafio 2. Anno Dom. 1302. in Marg.as fcribitur.

+ Urchanis juffu anno Hejræ 758 [A. D. 1357] filius ipfius Soliman Basha connexis trabibus copias in Græciam trajecit. Posock. Supplem. p. 43. Quod anno Hejræ 759 [A. D. 1358] factum afferunt Annales Turcici.

not

Ver. 15.

not to kill; thefe Turks had commiffion not only to torment but to flay the Third Part of Men: e. Utterly to destroy and put an end to that part of the Roman Empire, which they affaulted: which they did accordingly, by the taking and facking of Conftantinople, A. D. 1453. and by the entire conqueft and poffeffion of the Eastern Empire ever fince to this day. We have fixthly, the Characters of the Inftruments of this Woe; that they were to be prodigiously numerous, and chiefly made up of Horfemen: exactly accordingly to the Old Characters of Gog of the land of Magog inEzekiel (which are these very Turks, we are now fpeaking of;) I will bring thee forth, Ezek. xxxviij. fays God to Gog, and all thine army, horses and horsemen; all 4. of them clothed with all forts of armour; even a great company: with buckler and shields; all of them handling fwords. And prefently after. And thou shall come from thy place out of the north parts, thou and many people with thee, all of them riding upon horfes; a great company, and a mighty army. And this agrees perfectly with the Hiftory of the Turks: who are known to bring Vaft and Numerous Armies into the field: and that their chief power confifts of Horfe-men or Timariots, is also well known: and Dr. Heylin reckons no fewer than 719000 of them difpers'd over the feveral Provinces of that Empire. We have feventhly a particular defcription of the terror, and ftrange appearance of thefe Turkifb Horse-men; with breastplates of fire, and of jacinct, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses as the heads of lyons: and out of their mouths issue fire, and fmoke, and brimstone: whereby the third part of men are lain. Which is a moft proper prophetical, or allegorical defcription of the way and appearance of Battles, fince the woful Invention of Guns and Gunpowder : which as it bares date under this Trumpet, fo was to too fad effect, made ufe of by the Turks against the Chriftians under it: and in particular at their moft fatal Action the taking of Conftantinople; as you have it at largein Chalcocondylas:and whofo reads his account will not need

*Mechmetes, inquit Chalcondylas, in expeditione contra Byzantium Bombardas fieri curavit maximas, quantas novimus ea tempestate nunquam extitiffe: Eas undique per caftra difperfit ut globulosin Græcos ja&tarent:— quarum unius tanta fuit magnitudo ut a feptuaginta jugis boum, & à viris

a

a more lively commentary, upon the Text before us. We have eighthly an account that the borfes tails were like unto ferpents, and had heads; and with them they do hurt: to intimate that the Turks, towards the latter ages of their appearance in the World,embrac'd the Vile and Serpentine Impofture of Mahomet, as well as the Saracens : and fpread it abroad, together with their Arms into all the parts of their Conquefts: which is alfo too fadly known, to be true both in past History, and in the prefent State of that Empire. We have ninthly and laftly a fad account, of the Incorrigeableness of the corrupt part of the Roman Empire; and the no fuccefs of either the former Wo of the Saracens, or of this prefent Wo of the Turks upon them; but that the Corrupt and Antichriftian part of Christendom, with which the Turks were and ought to be chiefly if not folely concern'd, continued till in their Idolatry, and other wicked practices, not withstanding this feverity of Gods Judgments on them for the fame. Of the completion of which laft part of the Prophecy, we are all at this day too fad Witneffes: and efpecially thofe poor Proteftants, who in Various Countries have lately, and ftill do fuffer moft heavy Perfecutions from the fame Antichriftian Party. How long O Lord! boly and true, dost thou not judge and avenge their blood on them that dwell on the Earth!

Corollary, 1. It appearing by the conclufion of this Trumpet, that fuch Idolatry as confifted in the worship of Dæmons, and Idols of gold, and filver, and brafs, and stone, and of wood, which neither can fee, nor hear, nor walk, was a principal crime for which this and the former Trumpets were fent, they must therefore have for their Object, such Nations or Countries as were guilty of fuch Idolatry. And since all the Regions from Euphrates

bis mille trahenda fuerit. Huic ab utroque latere aliæ duæ quoque maxime adjungebantur, quarum fingule lapidem emittebant cujus pondus erat dimidium talentum: eas fequebatur Bombarda illa admiranda quæ torquebat globum cujus pondus continebat tria circiter talenta,& magnam muri partem fternebat:- -Cujus tonitru tantum fuisse traditum eft, ut finitima regio ufque ad quadraginta ftadia concuteretur:- Hæc Bombarda interdiu feptem ejacula batur globos, noctu unum, qui diei fignum erat; & indicabat ubinam codie-globos torqueri oporteret, Vide plura Ibidem.

to the Western Ocean, the utmost limits of the Roman Empire, there neither are, nor for many ages have been, any Nations guilty of fuch Idolatry, but fome corrupt parts of the Chriftian Church; (for neither Jews nor Mahometans are Idolaters, as is well known;) It must follow, that the Corrupt and Idolatrous Parts of the Chriftian Church, are the Object of the Trumpets, and are the Antichriftian Beaft. And fince withal after the destruction of the Greek Church, fuppos'd in the former part of this Trumpet, the rest of the Idolaters are ftill faid to be impenitent, and to go on in their Idolatries, and other wickednesses; this must confine the Object of this Trumpet towards its conclufion, to the remainder of the corrupt and Idolatrous part of the Chriftian Church, i. e. To the Roman Catholick Countries: for they alone of all the rest of the Western or Latin Chriftians, can be suspected of Idolatry. So that at last we have a plain determination, of the prefent Antichriftian Beast or Empire, on which the Trumpets have already been inflicted, and on which probably the Vials are yet to be poured: viz. The Roman-Catholick Countries: and they are here directly and formally charg'd, with Idolatry by the Holy Ghoft.

Corollary, 2. And fince the Period, of the hour, and day, and month, and year, for the Turkish We is determin'd by the laft Peace of Carlowitz, it is evident that the fecond Wois past: or that the Ottoman Turkish Empire will be no more a plague to Europe: which as it has most remarkably prov'd true now for fome years, under the greatest temptation poffible to the contrary, as we havealready obferv'd, fo if it ftill go on in the fame way under the like temptations,is it to be efteem'd a remarkable fulfilling of this prophecy; and fo a pledge and fecurity, of the fulfilling the remaining ones, in their appointed feafons hereafter.

Corollary, 3. The beginning of the feventh Trumpet, or third Wo is not far off. For after the paffing away of the second Wo,

[ by the Peace of Carlowitz,] it is exprefly faid that the third Apoc. xi. 14. wo cometh quickly.

Scholium. Thus we have given a fhort account of all the fix Trumpets, which are already paft : But fhall not pretend, to guess at the particular meaning either of the feven Vials, which, as we have fhew'd, are the contents of the feventh Trumpet:

as