V. 16. Part. 2. thefe very fame Kings muft change their fide and their opinion, Strip the whore, make her defolate, eat her flesh, burn her with fire: can fo many changes in mens fpirits, and in the world, can fo many revolution's happen in three years and a half? V. IO. A .II. The 7th Argument, In the fame Chapt. we find a head that lafts a little. The feven heads are seven Kings, five arè fallen, the other is not yet come, and when he cometh, he must continue a short space. I once believed, that he that was to come, and was to continue a little time was Antichrift. But looking more carefully into the Text, with reference to the events, 'tis plain that that can't be, We must therefore, by him that was to continue a little time, understand the eighth King. And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth King, And this King is the fecond part of the head of the Emperors, which being divided into two, Chriftian Emperors, and Pagan ones makes eight beads, or eight Kings, together with the other fix. This eighth head, which is that of the Chriftian Emperors, in truth lafted but a very little while, viz. from Conftantine to Valentinian, who was affaffinated by Maximus, about 130 or 140 years. See what the Holy Spirit calls a little time. Judge if the Empire of Antichrift, that muft last longer than the eighth head, must laft but three years and a half. Seventhly, The 18th Chap. Contains a larger the dura- defcription of the laft ruin of this Antichriftian tion of the Empire. "Tis there reprefented, as a great City Empire of ald Babel is called Babylon, rich, merchandizing, pufft up with the gure the concourfe of people, and of their riches cartion of the ried thither for many ages. ofthe dura Antichrifti an Empire. Its inhabitants are defcribed, as Merchants grown ་་ grown rich by its commerce. She is defcribed as Part. 2a City abounding in pleasure, as well as in riches. For all that contributes to pleasure and luxury, enters into this defcription. Gold, filver, precious Chap. 18. Stones, pearls, purple, filk, sweet smelling veffels, and V.12, 13most precious wood; brass, iron, marble, cinnamon, «. 22. perfumes, ointments, incense, wine, oil, musicians, players on the harp, pipers, trumpetters; In confcience, is this the defcription of an Empire and of a City, that must laft but three years and a half; that in that little space of time must be built, raised, enriched, and ruined? First of all, the Antichriftian Empire is called Babylon, becaufe ancient Babylon was its type and figure. That Empire of old Babel lafted many ages; and fhould these many ages be the type and figure of thefe three years and a half? Can this be faid or thought? It happens well, that the Prophets reprefent future things that are great, by types that are much lefs. This is the very na ture of types. They are little draughts of that, which the event must produce at large. So days in the types, muft naturally represent years. But 'tis abfurd to fay, that years in the types reprefent but day's in the things fignified by the types. Eighthly, Moreover, doth a City become rich in The 8th three years and a half? What kind of commerce Argument, fpiritual then must that of this Antichriftian Empire be, Babel is rethat shall make the fortunes of her merchants in prefented as a City fo little a time? The H. Spirit borrows these fi-enriched gures from what is done and feen in humane life, by a long "Tis feen therein, that Cities become rich and powerful by long commerce. But never were any of them seen to attain to a furprizing greatness, by two or three years commerce. Taftly, commerce, Part. 2. fpiritual ed as having en joyed a long peace. Laftly. A City and an Empire, that are raised and The 9th deftroyed in three years and a half, have not time to Argument, gather together voluptuous things, and to enjoy Babylon is them. It must always fight to conquer, to grow reprefentgreater, or to defend it felf. If the Antichriftian Empire lafts but three years and a half, this is not too much to establish its greatnefs by fword and by fire, and to repell that force that must destroy it. Of neceffity Antichrift and his adherents must always be in violent motion, in trouble and in war. Whereas the description of fpiritual Babylon imports the poffeffion of a long peace, during which the muft heap together both all the riches, and all the pleafures of the World. The Icth Argument, the Baby The 19th Chapt. is the laft, wherein the ruin of this Empire is described to us. We there fee him the ruin of who is called, the faithful and the true, and the Word lonish Em- of God, i.e. J. Chrift, that prepares himself for the pire accor- combat, that caufes the armies of Heaven to follow ding to its defcription him, that calls all the birds of Heaven and all the in the 19th beafts of the Earth to the flaughter, that gives batbe wrought tels, that obtains the victory, that cafts the beast and in three the falfe Prophet into the lake of fire and brimftone. half. For this alone, more is neceflary than three years and Ch.cannot years and a a half. For an Empire fo vaft, fo large, and fo frong as that of Antichrift must be, is not destroyed in a few days. CHAP. CHAP. II. The last Argument against the Chimera of three years and half, taken from the time, during which the Temple was prophan'd by Antiochus. Four quite different times fet down for that in Daniels Prophecies. An explication, and a reconciling of thofe four times. An application of thefe four times to the Kingdom of Antichrift, and the ruin of that Kingdom. Draw my laft Argument against this chimeri I cal duration of three years and a half, from the Part 2. moft famous of all the types of Antichrist, viz, Antiochus Epiphanes. 'Tis he that perfecuted the Church, that oppreffed it, that defiled the Temple, that caufed the daily facrifice to cease for the fpace of three natural years and a half. Wherein it is evident, that God hath fet him as a type of Antichrift, who during the space of three prophetical years and a half, was in like manner to feize on the Church, to fill the Temple of God with Idols, and make the pure fervice of God, the continual facrifices of praifes and prayers, which God hath referved for himself alone, to cease. Now we must remember this maxime, which we have already advanced in the fore-going Chapter, viz. that types are ænigmatical, and short pictures of great events, great in their extent as well as in their Types are qualities. This maxime is evident, it hath no short pi need of proofs. And according to this principle, aures in a feeing the times must be fhort, as well as the other Bb ftrokes, Part 2. ftrokes, it is clear, that contracted year's cannot be better represented than by days, not by months, for a month is the revolution of the Moon, and confequently it can't be proper to represent the revolution of the Sun, which is a quite different Star. But the day and the year are the revolutions of the San; the year is the great revolution, the day the little one. If one would represent in fhort the great revolution of the Sun, one can't do it better than by the fmall revolution of the fame Star. And thence I conclude, that the oppreffion of the Church by Antiochus, who was the type, having lafted 1260 little revolutions of the Sun, they must reprefent fo many of the great revolutions of the fame Star. I fpend a Chapter on this laft proof, because in the duration of the oppreffion of the Jewish Church by Antiochus Epiphanes, there are confiderable difficulties, which fpring from the differences of the Prophecies of Daniel and the events, fuch as the first book of the Macchabees reprefents them to us. I hope that the clearing thefe difficulties about the duration of the perfecution of Antiochus, will give us fuch light into the duration of the Kingdom of Antichrift, as will please the curious. Four times noted by Daniel for the durati on of Antiochus's perfecu. tion. We must therefore obferve, that the Prophet Daniel, defcribes the time of the duration of the perfecution that was to befall his nation, in four different manners. Firft of all, he faith in the eighth Chap. after having fpoken of Antiochus Epiphanes, under the C.8. v.13. embleme of the little horn; Then I heard one Saint Speaking, and another Saint faid unto that certain Saint that pake, How long shall be the vifion concerning the daily facrifice and the tranfgreffion of defolation, to give both the fanctuary and the boft to be trodden |