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219 in the World, then were ever feen. Nay, if we Part 2. fhould interpret thefe changes which ought to happen, onely by thofe which fell out in the laft age; furely we may fay, that never were greater and more furprizing alterations. In lefs then twen- The Earthty or thirty years, a great part of the Chriftian quake figWorld was Reformed. And at the fame time there great were dreadfull wars, troubles, troubles, and sheddings of change of blood, in Germany, in Flanders, in Holland, in Eng- by the Reland, and in France, as every body knows.

nifies the

the world

formation.

&tion ofthe

Church into

V. 19. And the great City was divided into three parts. Behold, fomething which does furnifh us with a plain Character of this laft period, and of this Laft viol. Thefe words have not hitherto been understood, but I perfwade my felf, that it will be judged, that they can be understood. We have already faid, and fhall hereafter prove it, that the great City is not Rome ftrictly taken, but Rome made up and joyn'd with its whole Empire. In a word, this City is the Antichriftian Kingdom,other- A remarkwife called the Latin Church. This City upon the able predipouring out of the feventh viol, was to be divided divifion of into three parts. This is exactly come to pafs at the the Latin preaching of the Reformers,the Antichriftian King- three prin dom was divided into three: one part remain'd cipal parts, Papifts, Luwith Antichrift, one part did feparate from him, therans, and under the name of the Ausburg Confeffion. Athird Reformed. part did feparate under the Confeffion of those who are barely ftyled the Reformed; Sweden, Denmark, and a great part of Germany make the fecond part. England, the United Provinces, the reformed part of France, a part of Germany, make the third part. Thefe are the three grand parts, that divide the Wefern Church, which is the great City. Let this be attentively minded; for I affirm, that this paffage. does as it were speak with a tongue, and is able

Hh 4

alone

Part 2. alone to convince, that our Syftem of the seven plagues is a moft undoubted truth. This divifion of the great City into three parts, fo clearly points out the three Communions of the Latin Church, that to deny it can proceed onely from unreasonable paffion, and opiniatrety. And if we have hit upon the truth in this point, we have done fo in all; for if this Character of the feventh plague is true, and is already accomplisht, all the other plagues are also accomplisht; and if they are accomplisht, I do boldly affirm, they cannot be apply'd to any other then thofe to which we have apply'd

events,

them.

And it must not be hoped, that to obfcure this evidence, a fourth part may be made, viz. the Church of England, because of the controverfies about Church government; for the Church of England never refused to receive other Reformed ones into her Communion, nor have these again ever refused to receive her into theirs. We have alway profeffed the fame Religion with the Church of England, on the account of the perfect agreement of our Doctrine, notwithstanding the difference of difcipline and government. When as

the Lutherans have conftantly refused to receive the Reformed into their Communion. There is among the Lutherans themfelves a difference in point of government. Sweden hath Bishops, Denmark hath none, at least not fuch Bishops as thofe of Sweden and England; and nevertheless, this makes not a different Sect. There is alfo the fame difference among the Reformed on this fide the Sea, for the Superintendants, who are in many Reformed Churches of Germany, are real Bishops; and notwithstanding the Reformed are not divided one from another... Thus in truth, there are but three

grand

grand parts, into which the Latin Church is divi- Part 2. ded, i. e. Papifts, Lutherans and Reformed; as they are called by one another; or Catholiks, Reformed, Evangelici, as they style themselves. And the Ci ties of the Nations fell; i.e. they fell with respect to Papery, they departed out of the Antichriftian Kingdom, in the fame fenfe that in the eleventh Chapter 'tis faid, that the tenth part of the City fell.

And great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath. These words let us fee, that the expreffion, It is done, did not fignify the very point of the final ruin of the Antichriftian Kingdom. For behold, after 'twas faid, It is done, Babylon comes in remembrance before God, to give her the cup. Now thefe expreffions fignify both the future, and the present time. And indeed 'tis within the duration of this period, that God will remember Babylon, to give her the laft cup of his wrath. And obferve it,that the great Babylon comes not in remembrance before God, to give her the cup, i. e. the laft cup of her ruin, till after her dividing into three parts. This divifion is not her total ruin; but after that fhe fhall be thus divided, into Papifts, Lutherans and Calvinists, then God will prepare to give her the laft cup of his wrath. Which fignifies, that the divifion of the Latin Church into three parts must continue, untill the compleat ruin of popery.

V.20. And every Iland fled away, and the mountains were not found. This is nothing but a Paraphrase, and a description of the Earthquake, which he had spoken of a little before; for these are the effects of Earthquakes, where mountains once tood, they are not to be feen: new Iflands are pro

duced

1

Part 2. duced, and the old ones are often fwallowed up.

The feven
Hour-glaf-

But yet if any will interpret lands to fignify

leffer States, and Mountains great ones; I do not contradict it; for 'tis really true, that the Reformation hath already taken away from the Popedom, and fhall yet take away all States both fmall and

great.

V.21. And there fell upon men a great bail out of Heaven, i.e. upon the Subjects of Antichrift: this fignifies the judgements of God, which fall upon this Kingdom; and thefe judgements are well known, for it hath fuffered of all kinds, wars, fa mines,peftilences, mortalities.

And men blafphemed God, because of the plague of the hail. The Subjects of the Popedom havenot hitherto been converted by all these chaftifements, but have always ftuck firm to the Kingdom and Seat of the Beast, whofe head is cover'd with names of blafphemies.

This is the feventh and laft viol, or hour-glass, fes being which, thanks be to God, will in a little time be run out, the run out; now we have that which we seek, nameKingdom of Antichriftly, an evidence that the Antichriftian Kingdom is maft be at near its end. We need not longer wait for the ac

its end.

1

complishment, either of all the feven plagues (as fome of our Interpreters fay,) or of fome of the feven plagues (as others fay,) It is done, all is accomplisht, we are in the last period of the feven; yea, we are at the end of the feventh period. I am informed, that fince the firft Edition of this work, fome perfons, that they might be taken notice of, will yet affirm, that not fo much as one of these feven plagues is hitherto come to pafs; This fingularity is neither too edifying nor too comfortable. I earnestly entreat them to lay afide the defire of contradicting, and to confider without prejudice thefe

these two things. First, that in the whole expli- Part 2. sation of this 16th Chapter, there is not the least forced application; the Emblems which the Prophet makes ufe of, do exactly refemble the events fet down in Hiftory. The fecond, that in the appli cation of these seven plagues unto the events, every thing does hang together, no part of this Syftem contradicts another. This being fuppofed, I entreat them to confider, if chance can do this, and hath ever done it; chance may hit right in fome points, but never does fo in all.

I fay again, that we are at the end of the seventh period: for it ought to be well obferved, that there is not one viol, which diftinct and feperated from others, lafts 200 years, the greatest part does not come near that number. This hath already lafted 170 years, it cannot laft much longer. 'Tis true, the papal authority, whose beams fo fcorched men under the fourth viol, lafted above 200 years; but this was, because it was inlayd or jointed in those that preceded, and thofe that followed. And its particular ftrict period, must be reckon'd to be onely 1c8 years, which begun at the year 1270, when the Croisades ended, and continued untill the grand Schifme, which happen'd in the year 1378. for then began the diminishing of the papal authority, and the darkning of the Kingdom of the Beaft. The feventh viol hath already lafted longer then any of the rest, and 'tis probable, that it must laft about 200 years, which none of the others hath done; but we fhall fee the reason ofthis in the next Chapter, where we fhall fhew that this seventh period is it felf divided into three other periods, the harveft, the vintage, and the time that is betwixt the harvest and the vintage. The harvest is already past; the time betwixt the harveft and the vintage

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