hefe words fignify, a Spirit of life from God, not Part 2 rom any man, nor by the miniftry of any man, but From God, entred into them, and their zeal was enivened again. But things fhall not stay there, God is preparing other wonders. There is a third Reformation, which fhall be fet on foot by way of Authority, by the Royal power, and this is expreffed in the words that follow. And the Witneffes heard a great voyce from heaven, faying unto them, Come up hither; and they afcended up to heaven in a cloud, and their enemies beheld them. In the ftyle of the Prophets, heaven, What hea and lifted up to heaven, is the Throne, and to be ven, and lifting up exalted to dignity, greatnefs and power, even in to heaven the language of heathen Prophets for Apomafar the Proin his Apoftelifmata infomniorum, faith, if a King phecies. dreams that he fits upon the clouds, and is carried where ever he pleaseth, this fignifies that his enemies shall ferve him. But if he fancieth, that he is carried up to heaven, where the stars are, this prefages that he shall be lift up above all Kings. The Prophets of God do alfo make use of these representations to fignify the fame thing. Ifaiah describes the exaltation of the King of Babylon, by an afcending up into heaven. I will afcend into heaven, I will exalt my Throne above the stars. And Jefus Chrift faith of Capernaum, that she had been lift up unto heaven, but should be brought down unto hell. 'Tis therefore evident, that God does herë fignify, that fome time after these three years and a half of death, the Reformation shall be lifted up to a great glory, but not every where; 'tis only in that place, which is called the street of the great City, and is after called the tenth part of the City: for the total deftruction of the Antichriftian Kingdom must not happen untill fome years afterward. And Ifa. 14.13. Part 2. And after; Thefe words fignify, that when th Shortly be Reformation thall be establisht again in France, a Reforma Way of Divine immediate operation, by which th zeal ofthe Apoftates and of others who know th France, by the Royal truth, but with-hold it in unrighteousness, fha Authority be quickned again; some space of time fhall pa tion in probably fome years, before France fhall wholl throw off the yoke of popery: That Kingdom tha hot be entirely Reformed by way of Authority, immedately after our Reformation fhall be again fet on foot by way of infpiration, and recovering of zeal. For, and after, fignifies an interval of time; but whether it fhall be thort, or long, is not expreffed: notwithstanding, I fee no likelihood, that it fhall be very long, nor do I believe fo. They heard a great voyce from heaven. Yet once again, Heaven is the Throne, 'tis the Soveraign dignity, which in a State is exactly the fame : that Heaven is to the Earth, in light, in luftre, in good or bad influences,in fcituation, and in elevation. From Heaven, i.e. from Authority, and the Prince who reigns; they heard a voyce, they received an order; not a fimall clandeftin filent voyce, but a great vojce, i.e. a publick command, a folemn Edict; and this voyce faid to them, Come up hither. Then the Trath fhall get up into the Throne; and as God hath con trary to all probability, given a popish Prince to England, fo God will give a Protestant Prince to France,in fpight of all oppofitions of the Papifts. And they afcended up to heaven in a cloud, i.e. Their elevation, and that of the Reformed Religion, fhall be made publickly; as the elevation of Elijah, and of Jefus Chrift, who were lift up above the clouds. And their enemies beheld them. Popery fhall not as yet be destroy'd in France, when this fhall happen. The Priests, the Clergy, and Monks shall be fpectators fpectators of this great work: But the end of po Part 2, pery in France shall come quickly after. For, the fame hour there was a great Earthquake; mark, the fame hour; he faith not, and after, as he had faid, to exprefs a space of time between the refurrection of the witneffes, and their afcending up even to the Throne. But he faith, the fame hour, to fignify, that affoon as the Reformation fhall be eftablifht by a folemn Edict of the Prince, asby a great voyce from heaven, the total deftruction of popery fhall happen, as we are about to fhew. 13. and 24, 19, 20. Jer. 4. 24. and 49, 20 And the fame hour there was a great Earthquake. I will not spend time upon the fignification of this reprefentation, an Earthquake: For 'tis known by all who are verfed in the Prophets, that in the Pro See Ifa. 17, phetick style, an Earthquake fignifies a great commotion of Nations, that must change the face of the World: because Earthquakes do overturn Cities, Mountains, and wholly change the face of a Countrey, make Valleys where there were Mountains, and Hills where there were Valleys, and Lakes which were dry Land before, and deferts of Coun tries which were inhabited; fo that 'tis certain, that according to this Prophefy, in a very few years, the face of the Antichriftian Kingdom fhall be chan ged, but not every where. It shall be only in the tenth part of the City, which fhall fall by this Earthquake. The City Antichri And the tenth part of the City fell. This is a paffage fignifies where Interpreters have been short fighted, not ex- the Roman cepting our fofeph Mede, who often hath foquick ftian Ema fight. To understand this, we must first know, pire, and what the City is. Zofeph Mede is mistaken, toge- alone, ther with all the reit, when he understands this to mean precifely the City of Rome. 'Tis a truth, which must be held as certain, (being one of the keys of the LI Reve not Roma Part 2. Revelation) that the City, the great City, fignifies in this book not Rome alone, but Rome in conjun&tion with its Empire. The name of this great City is Babylon. Now 'tis clear, that Babylon is the whole Babylonian Kingdom. Come out of Babylon my people. Tis not from the City of Rome that the Holy Ghoft invites his Elect to come out; 'tis from the Church of Rome, from the Babylonian Empire. This paffage alone, together with that in this eleventh Chapter, v.8. And their dead bodies shall lye in the street of the great City, which fpiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified, are enough to prove, that the Babylonian City, is not Rome alone. Our Lord was not crucified in Rome; and if we fhould here take erucifying in a figurative fenfe, for the crucifying of the Religion of Jefus Chrift, this hath been facrificed at Rome no more than in other places of the Latin Church. In the 14th Chapter, the Holy Ghost describes the fall of this City of Babylon ; Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great City; and in the fame vifion, he fore-tells the ruin of the Antichristian Empire, under the Metaphors of an barveft, and a vintage; which proves that this City is nothing else but the intire Kingdom of Babylon. In the 18th Chapter the Prophet makes a long defcription of the defolations of this City, under the Metaphors, of a City of Merchandife, which had a great traffick, and was fill'd with pleafures and delightfull things. Now 'tis certain, that the shamefull fimony, the wicked pleasures of the Papacy, have not reigned lefs in the Provinces of the Babylonian Kingdom, than in the Capital City, from whence 'tis again evident, that the City fignifies the whole Antichriftian State. Laftly, the conftant oppofition, between the Holy City, and the great City, proves that that the City includes the whole Antichriftian Part 2. Dumque offers victis, proprii confortia juris Church of City. Thus it goes exactly in the Church of Rome, which hath re-establifht the Roman Empire. All those who are members of this Church, are citizens of her capital City. Perfons of all Nations are admitted into The her Senate,or Colledge of Cardinals. The Tribunal, Rome, is which is called the Rota, is conftituted of Coun- but one cellors, taken out of all the Provinces, which pay fubjection to Rome. Every Forreigner may come to be a Cardinal, and every Cardinal may come to be Pope. Therefore, there are properly no Forreigners in that State, no Papift is a Forreigner to the Church of Rome, and that which they call the boly See. That which hath deceived Interpreters, is the 17th Chapter, where the City is called the Woman, which fitteth on feven Mountains; and that great City, which reigneth over the Kings of the Earth. This, fay they, is the City of Rome, and the Papifts themselves do grant it, and without doubt 'tis Rome, and we have above proved it; but'tis Rome L1 2 con |