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The 19th. Chap. is as it were a recapitulation Chap. 19. of all that refpects the ruin of Babylon. Therin 7. Chrift appears riding on a White horse, is called the faithful, and true, & the Word of God. He affembles all his forces, & the Babylonifh Empire affembles all its forces; the fight begins, the Beaft and the falfe Prophet,i.e. the Antichriftian Empire and Antichrift that is the head, are taken and utterly deftroyed. 'Tis the fame thing we met with before in the 14. Chap. at the end of the 16. at the end of the 17. and throughout the whole 18. Chap. The frequent repetition of the fame thing is to note the certainty of it.

The three following Chapters, viz. the 20, 21 and 22. contain the Hiftory of the third & laft general Period of the duration of Christianity. It is the reign of 7. Chrift upon Earth. The matters contained in the 20 Chapter are fo remarkable, that they deferve a particular attention. But feeing that hereafter we fhall have occafion carefully to examin them, it is not neceffary to ftay about them at present.

So much fuffices for a general Idea both of the Chronology & of the Hiftory, of the twelve laft Chapters of the Revelation, which contain the deftinies of the Church.

CHAP. XI.

Several things, that all are agreed on, in reference to Antichrift, which will ferve to clear up thofe wherin we are not agreed.

W Empire's

E feek Firft the Character of the Babylonish
Empire; 2dly, the time of its duration;
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All agree that the

3dly, Its Eftablishment & end; 4thly, What must happen after its ruin. The two firft points respect what is paft or prefent, & fhall be the fubject of the first part of this work. About the first of thefe four things there is no controverfy among the Orthodox. But there is a great difpute about it between the Papists & the true Church. However we have one great advantage for the determining this controverfy, viz. there are fome certain principles in which both fides do agree. In controverfies where men are agreed in nothing but where every thing must be proved, it is very hard to determin any thing. But where men are agreed in many things, ordinarily those things which they are agreed in, ferve for the clearing up of those things wherin they are not agreed. I think it beft therfore before we enter upon the Characters of the Babylonish Empire, to confider those things wherin the Papifts as to this matter do agree with the true Catholicks.

1. We are agreed about almost all the places, little horn whence we are to draw the pourtraiture of Anin the 7th tichrift and his Empire. 'Tis confeffed, that the Antichrift. Little horn in the 7th. Chap. of Daniel is Anti

of Dan. is

chrift; that 'tis of him that the Prophet speaks. Dan. 7.8. 1 confidered the horns, and behold there came up among them another little born, before whom three of the first horns were pluckt up by the roots; and behold in this horn were eyes like the eyes of a man 4.24, 25. and a mouth Speaking great things. The ten Horns out of this Kingdom are ten Kings that shall arife, and another fhall rife after them, and he shall be diverfe from the first, and he shall fubdue three Kings. And he ball fpeak great words against the mof High, and hall wear out the faints of the moft high, and think to change times and laws; &

they

they shall be given into his hand for a time, and times, and half a time.

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are Anti

We are agreed that the First Beast in the 13 The two of the Revel. is the fame with the fourth Beast Beafts of in the 7th. Chapt. of Daniel, and that both the Rev. 13. one and the other fignify the Roman Empire, chrift. 'Tis acknowledged, that the ten Kings that must be born of this Beaft, which are represented by the ten Horns of the fourth Beaft in Daniel, and of the first Beast in the 13th. of the Revelation , are the ten Kings, which in the time of Antichrift are to divide the Roman Empire among them, and give their power to Antichrift.

'Tis conteft, that the little Horn, i.e. Antichrift, must be grafted on the Roman Empire, enter into its place, and the laft that shall poffefs the Roman Empire. Antichrift, faith Bellarmin, Bellarm.. fhall be the last head of the wicked, and the last part. 1. King that shall possess the Roman Empire, but yet 15. Refwithout the name of a Roman Emperour.

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The fame Author in the very fame place con- &c. feffes, that the head of the first Beaft, which received the deadly wound in the 13th. Ch. of the Revelation is Antichrift. This miracle of a feigned Refurrection, faith he, must be attributed to Antichrift, in the opinion of Primafius, Beda, and Haymo, and many others whom he names.

ubi Supra,

We are agreed, that the two Beasts of the 13th. of the Revelation do both of them fignify the Antichriftian Empire. According to the opinion of Bellarm, Rupert. The fecond Beast in the Revelation fignifies the very fame Antichrift. For Antichrift is reprefented by two Beafts; by the one, his royal power and tyranny, by which he will offer violence to men, is reprefented. And by the other his magical power and crafty tricks, by which he will H 4 feduce

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The Papifts

that Baby

Rome.

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feduce them. But according to Richard and Anfelm, and many others, the fecond beaft fignifies the Preachers of Antichrift. Thus it agrees to the Babylonifh Empire to be the feventh head of the Roman Empire, however without bearing the name of a Roman Emperour; to be a head wounded unto death, and raised up again; to have ten Horns on its Head, ten Kings for its fubjects; to have a falfe Prophet with two Horns like those of a Lamb, which caufes the image of the Beast to be worshipped, whofe name contains the Number 666, and who makes all those that he causeth to fubmit to his Empire to bear his mark in their foreheads.

We are agreed that a time, times, and half a time, the 42 Months, the 1260. days do denote the time of the duration of the Antichriftian Empire; and that all that while the Church muft be afflicted, beaten down, obfcured, as it were bidden & fwallowed up by perfecution.

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Tis acknowledged that the great Whore in the 17th of the Revel, and the city with seven Moun tains, is Rome. Some would have it be Rome are forced Pagan, but others fhewing either more knowledg to confefs or more fincerity, do confefs that Rome in the lon in the 14th and the 17th. Ch. of the Revelation is not Revel. is Rome Pagan, but of Chriftian become Antichriftian. Eftins and fome others go a little further, and are forced to acknowledg, that Rome must be the feat of Antichrift. Others, as Ribera, Viega, Cornelius a Lapide, retaining the common hypothefis among the Papifts, viz. that ferufalem must be the feat of Antichrift, are however forced to confefs that Babylon in the Revelation is the city of Rome, wherat the end of the times an Idolatrous Empire, perfecutor of

the

the Church, and Enemy of God muftarife; who (fay they) fhall join himself to the Empire of Antichrift, when he shall be come. Cornelius a Lapide confeffes, that the Waters on which the great Whore fits, fignify all the Nations and people which Rome fhall command over who shall agree together in their fubjection, and in the vanity and idolatry of Rome as their lady and the mistress of the universe, i. e. Rome become Idolatrons after having been Chriftian.

is faid of

to Anti

Dan. II.

We do agree that the Prophecies of the Eighth Tisag reed & the eleventh of Daniel, that literally refpect that what Antiochus Epiphanes, & the cruel perfecution Antiochus that he raised against the Church of the fews, be- agrees allo long alfo to Antichrift; fo that Antichrift is that chrift. King that fall do according to his wall, & shall exalt himself, & magnify himself above every God, 36, 37, & Shall Speak marvellous things against the God of 38. Gods, Shall profper till the indignation be accomplisht. Neither fhall he regard the God of his Fathers, nor the defire of women, nor regard any God, for he shall magnify himself above all. But in his Eftate fhall he honour the God of forces, &. a God whom his Fathers knew not, fhall he honour, with gold & with filver & with precious ftones & pleasant things: He fhall enter also into the glorious Land, and many shall be overthrown, &c.

We are agreed, that it is he of whom St. Paul speaks in the 2d. Chap. of his fecond Epiftle to the Teffalonians, & confequently that he is that man of fin that was to be revealed, when he that then did let, i. e. the Roman Empire, fhould cease to hinder; that 'tis he that is to fit in the Temple of God, as if he were God, whofe Reli gion is to be a Mystery of iniquity & who is to lift up himself above all that is called God.

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V. 41.

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