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German empire renounced the authority, and abandoned the communion of the church of Rome.

Some again may think this prophecy very ap→ plicable to (1) the horrid maffacre of the proteftants at Paris, and in other cities of France, begun on the memorable eve of St. Bartholomew's day 1572. According to the best authors, there were flain thirty or forty thousand hugonots in a few days; and among them without doubt many true witnesses and faithful martyrs of Jesus Chrift. Their dead bodies lay in the fireet of the great city, one of the greatest cities of Europe; for they were not fuffered to be buried being the bodies of heretics; but were dragged thro' the street, or thrown into the river, or hung upon gibbets, and expofed to public infamy, Great rejoicings too were made in the courts of France, Rome, and Spain; they went in proceffion to the churches, they returned public thanks to God, they fung Te Deums, they celebrated jubilees, they ftruck medals; and it was enacted that St. Bartholomew's day fhould ever afterwards be kept with double pomp and folemnity. But neither was this joy of long continuance; for in little more than three years and

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Davila's Hift. B. 5 & 6. Meżeray, Charles IX and Henry III.

(2) Jurieu's

a half, Henry III, who fucceeded his brother Charles IX, entered into a treaty with the hu-" gonots, which was concluded and published on the 14th of May 1576, whereby all the former fentences against them were reverfed, and the free and open exércife of their religion was' granted to them; they were to be admitted to all honors, dignities, and offices, as well as the papifts; and the judges were to be half of the one religion, and half of the other; with other articles greatly to their advantage, which were in a manner the refurrection of the witneffes," and their afcenfion into heaven. The great earthquake, and the falling of the tenth part of the city, and the flaying of thousands of men, according to this hypothefis, must be referred to the great commotions and civil wars, which for feveral years afterwards cruelly disturbed, and almost destroyed the kingdom of France.

Others again have recourse to later events, and the later indeed the better and fitter for the purpose. Peter Jurieu, a famous divine of the French church at Rotterdam, (2) imagined that the perfecution then carried on by Lewis XIV against the proteftants of France, after the revocation of the edict of Nantes in October 1685, would

(2) Jurieu's Accomplishment of the Prophecies. Part 2. Chap, 12 and 13.

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(3) Whifton's

would be the last perfecution of the church; that during this time the witnesses would lie dead, but should recover and revive within a few years, and the Reformation fhould be established in that kingdom by royal authority; the whole country should renounce popery, and embrace the proteftant religion. Bishop Lloyd and after him Mr. Whifton (3) apply this prophecy to the poor proteftants in the valleys of Piedmont, who by a cruel edict of their fovran the Duke of Savoy, inftigated by the French king, were imprisoned and murdered, or banished and totally diffipated at the latter end of the year 1686. They were kindly received and fuccored by the proteftant ftates; and after a while fecretly entring Savoy with their fwords in their hands, they regained their ancient poffeffions with great flaughter of their enemies; and the Duke himself, having then left the French intereft, granted them a full pardon; and reestablished them, by another edict figned June 4, 1690, just three years and a half after their total diffipation. These were indeed moft barbarous perfecutions of the proteftants both in France and Savoy; and at the fame time popery here in England was advanced to the throne,

(3) Whifton's Effay on the Rev. Part 3. Vifion 2.

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and

(4) Theoph.

and threatened an utter fubverfion of our religion and liberties, but in little more than three years and a half a happy deliverance was wrought by the glorious Revolution."

In all these cafes there may be fome resemblance to the prophecy before us, of the death and refurrection of the witnesses ; and it may please an overruling providence fo to difpofe and order events, that the calamities and afflictions of the church may in fome measure run parallel one to another, and all the former efforts of that tyrannical and perfecuting power called the beast, may be the types and figures as it were of this his laft and greateft effort against the witneffes. But tho' thefe inftances fufficiently answer in fome refpects, yet they are deficient in others, and particularly in this, that they are none of them the last perfecution; others have been fince, and in all probability will be again. Befides as the two witnesses are defigned to be the representatives of the proteftants in general, fo the perfecution must be general too, and not confined to this or that particular church or nation. We are now living under the fixth trumpet: and the empire of the Euphratéan horsemen or Othmans is fill fubfifting, and perhaps in as large extent as ever; the beaft is ftill reigning; and the witmeffes are still, in fome times and places more,

in fome lefs, prophefying in fackcloth. It will not be till toward the end of their teftimony, and that end feemeth to be yet at some distance, that the great victory and triumph of the beast, and the fuppreffion, and refurrection, and exaltation of the witnees will take effect. When all these things fhall be accomplished, then the fixth trumpet will end, then the fecond woe fhall be past, (ver. 14.) the Othman empire, shall be broken in the fame manner that Ezekiel (XXXVIII. XXXIX.) and Daniel (XI. 44, 45.) have predicted; the fufferings of the witnesses fhall ceafe, and they fhall be raised and exalted above their enemies and when the fecond wee fhall be thus past, behold the third woe, or the total deftruction of the beaft, cometh quickly. Some time intervened between the first and the fecond woes; but upon the ceafing of the fecond, the third fhall commence immediately.

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It appears then that the greater part of this prophecy relating to the witnefes remains yet to be fulfilled: but poffibly fome may question, whether any part of it hath been fulfilled; whether there have been any fuch perfons as the witnesses, any true and faithful fervants of Jefus Chrift, who have in every age profeffed doctrins contrary to thofe maintained by the pope and church of Rome. The truth of the fact

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