Part 2. fuppofitions fhould hang well together? That we fhould find in their Roman See exactly all the Characters, which are given to the man of fin to the Beast in the Revelation, to spiritual Babylon, to the whore clothed in fcarlet; that we should meet with the Characters of the Papacy in its birth, exactly in the time that the Prophets have markt out for the birth of the Antichriftian Kingdom; that we fhould find fo exact these Seven great judgments of God, denoted by feven plagues; that God fhould exactly at this time. permit, that F. Maimbourg fhould publish one, history upon another, of the declining of the Empire, Of the Croisades, Of the Schifm of the Greeks, Of the Of the great Schifm of the Weft, of Lutheranifm, and Of Calvinism, for this pur pofe, to raise our attention unto these great events of the feven plagues, which without this, perhaps none would have thought of. I earn eftly befeech them (I fay) feriously to confider this heap of circumftances, and to tell me in their Confciences, whether Chance can produce an agreement of above a hundred or two hundred points, relating to the fame fubject. None can ever make this reflection feriouйly, but he must be convinced.

1

CHAP,

Part 2.

С НА Р.

XVI.

Of the thousand years reign. That in all the past time, there is not a time to be found, wherin Satan hath been bound. Four heads of arguments to prove this reign. The first is, the fifth Monarchy, fo plainly promised to the faints.

WE have done examining that which relates

to the fall of the Antichriftian Kingdom. That we may keep our word, that we gave in the Title of our fecond part, we must now enquire, what must happen to the Church after that great event. This is laid down in the 20 chapter of the Revelation, in thefe terms.

.

V. I. And I saw an Angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit, and a great chain in his hand.

v. 2. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old Serpent, which is the devil and Satan, and bound him a thousand years.

v. 3. And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and fet a fealupon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled; and after that he must be loofed a little feafon.

v.4. And I law thrones, and they fat upon them, and judgment was given unto them; and I saw the fouls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Iefus; and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Chrift athousand years.

V. 5. But

Part 2.

A diftin

tion be mat and Spiritual

ween car

Millena

xies.

v.5. But the rest of the dead lived not again, until the thousand years were finished. This is the firft refurrection.

Behold the Text, which is the fubject of fo many doubts, and fo many controverfies! Behold that which hath made the pretended Hereticks, who are call'd Chiliafts, and Millenaries. I mean not thofe Chiliafts, who have believed a thoufand years reign of the Church, during which time it muft enjoy (according to their opinion) the carnal and finful pleasures of the world': thefe were filthy fpirits, which came out of the Dragons mouth.

But as for thofe, who believe, that after the ruin of Antichrift, and before the end of the world, God referves to himfelfa period of a thousand years, in which he muft reign by himself and his people, pour out upon them an abundance of his fpirit, bring all Nations to his knowledge; govern them with a golden fcepter, and no longer with an iron one, fecure them from all evil, and from all danger of corruption: as for thefe, I fay, the time is coming, and that very fhortly, that men fhall be afhamed that they have branded them with the names of Chiliafts, of Millenaries,and fifth-Monarchymen. I have formerby obferved, that there is fomething that is furprizing and divine in the due underftanding of Prophecies. We wonder at the ftrange ftu pidity of the Jews, who do not difcern in their own Oracles, our fefus and their Meffias. We are Aftonifht at the dismal blindness of the Papifts, who do not fee the Beast and Antichrift in that which they call their Holy See, and their Holy Church. God hath had reafons, why he hath given thefe men eyes that they should not fee, and heart void of understanding. Certainly here is the

a

fame

the Scrip

287 me thing. There must be a blindness greater then Part 2. an be imagined, in those who see not this Kingdom Tis turpri fing that fIefus Chrift, and the Church, which must make men have he feventh Period of the world. There is fome- not feen in hing fupernaturall in this blindness. I had this fa- ture the our from God, that I faw this Reign in the Scri- Reign of Jefus tures, ever fince I was able to read and understand Chrift on hem, without having read either any Commenaries upon the Revelation, or writings of the Millenaries. I hope to make out the truth of this Reign with fuch clearnefs, that it fhall be difficult to make any doubt ofit.

the earth.

poffible to

paft. room

thousand

which Sa

tán

Firft, it is agreed on all hands, that within the It is im duration of the Church, we muft neceffarily find find in the a Period of a thousand years, in which it may be time byfaid, that Satan hath been bound, i.e. hindred in for the Pehis defigns, which are feduction and perfecution, riod of a This it too plain to be denyed. But where fhall years, in we find this Period? I am forry to fee fo great, muft fo learned, and fo holy a perfon as Usher Arch- be bound. bishop of Armagh, to place this period of athonfand years within the time of Chrifts Incarnation, and the eleventh Age. How can any one fay, that the Devil was bound during that space Is it with respect to feduction? In the three firft Ages did he not feduce men? Were not the Pagans feduced? Their Religion, was it not the Rling Religion? There were Christians, I grant; I am perfwaded, that they were not the fiftieth part of the whole Roman Empire.

but

In the fucceeding Ages, hath he not fet on foot that grand feduction, that is called the Beast, the Falfe Prophet, the Kingdom of Antichrift? Hath he not brought Idolatry into the Church, the abomination into the fanctuary, fuch tyranny, pride, and corruption of manners, that there was never

greater

Chap. 16. Part 2. greater among the Pagans? With refpect to per Jecution, hath he been bound; how much blood hath hé fhéd? how many Butcheries hath he acted? how many Maffacres? what a great number of Martyrs? Can it enter into any mans thoughts, that this fhould be called the Period of Satan's binding? He was never fo broken loofe,

Conftantin,

B

The falfity What do thofe gain, who come three hundred |} of their hy-years lower, and hold, that Satan began to be who begin bound' at the time of Conftantin? They must upon them at that principle, place their ending at the year thirteen hundred, and fo include within their Pe riod of the thousand years the rage of the Beast, who hath fed upon the blood of the faints, the feductions of the falfe Prophet, who makes the Image of the Beast to be worshipped, and the whole world to run after him, who obligeth all men to bear his mark upon their foreheads, who makes war against the Saints, and overcometh them. In one word, they must také in, into their Period of Satans binding, that space of time, in which the Revelation lets forth the Dragon as broken loose, giving his power to the Beaft, and devouring the whole world. Once again, this is a blindness which I cannot conceive.

If there was no other argument against these two Hypothefes, this alone would be enough to convince me of their falfity; namely, the terrible confufion into which thefe Authors do put the Visions of the Revelation. To any one who hath ftudyed them, it is evident, that the Prophet hath obferved the Order of Hiftory, at least in the grofs of events. He had feveral vifions concerning the fame thing; and in the order of thefe vifion, the order of all their circumstances does not alwayes, in every thing, agree with the order of