vations of Armageddon, come to one thing in effect; which is, that the great armies which affemble themselves in battle against the Lord fhall be deftroyed: and therefore it is not much material to dispute which is the more likely fignification of the word. But this let us obferve for our comfort, that whenfoever we fhall fee the kings and captains, nobles and potentates of the earth, being folicited by the Jefuites, priests, and the false prophet, to levy great armies, and make great powers to fight against the gofpel, and the true profeffors thereof, for the maintenance of great Babylon, they fhall not prevail but be utterly overthrown and deftroyed; as in part we fee fulfilled in the year of our Lord 1588, when the great and invincible Armado of the Spaniards, as they thought, which was long in preparing against us, and at last, by the inftigation of the Jefuites, brought upon us, came to Armageddon, as we know, God be praised. And· in all time to come, in the like cafe, let them look for the like fuccefs. Well, now to come to fome conclufions of this point; we do plainly fee that Rome falleth, their kingdom waxeth dark, their Euphrates drieth up, and they efpy it. The dragon, the beat, and the falfe prophet fend out their fregs into all countries and kingdoms,

hoping to prevent it by the help of the kings of the earth, and especially the king of Spain: but alas! all in vain, for they must come to Armageddon when they have done all that they can. For God fighteth from heaven against them, God- bringeth them down, and no power of man is able to uphold them.

But now let us proceed to prove the third main point; which is, that Rome. fhall fall finally, and come to utter defola, tion. For all found divines are perfuaded of the fall of Babylon, and do grant that it falleth, and is in falling: but all are not fo thoroughly perfuaded of the final fall thereof in this life. Therefore now I will prove by manifeft fcripture that Rome fhall fall finally.

First, If the things be deeply confidered, and narrowly looked into, which St. John faith fhall fall out upon the pouring forth of the feventh vial of God's wrath by the feventh angel, they do fully portend a deadly downfall and utter overthrow of Rome: For the feventh vial is not poured upon the earth, or fea, or fountains of waters, or on the fun, Rev. xvi. 17. as the first four vials were, which fignified fome particular judgment; but it was poured forth into the very air, which fignifieth the univerfality of it, and containeth the

moft general and moft grievous judgment and vengeance of Almighty God upon the whole body of the kingdom of antichrift, a little before the last day.

The text faith, that upon the pouring forth of this vial, there was a loud voice 'heard out of the temple of heaven from

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the throne:' Rev. xvi. 17. that is, from the very prefence of God, faying, 'It is done,' it is difpatched, the utter overthrow of Rome is fully concluded of, and all things finished which belong to the pouring forth of the feven vials, which contain the feven laft plagues, wherein the whole wrath of God is fulfilled, as appeareth Rev. xv, 1. As before it is faid, Babylon is fallen,' because it should certainly fall: fo here God himself faith, It is done,' because it shall certainly be done. For whatfoever God hath determined to be done, is as it were already done, because it shall most certainly be effected. Since then the Lord hath pronounced this of Rome, there remainedh nothing but a daily accomplishment of it: and let all the papifts know for a certainty, that they must go to their geer, they muit come to their payment, there is no way of evafion.

For, hath the Lord fpoken it, and fhall it not come to pafs? Now upon this that God faith, It is done,' followeth prefentNumb. II. D d

lv, that there were voices and thunderings, and lightnings, and there was a great earthquake, fuch as was not fince men were upon the earth, even fo mighty "an earthquake, Rev. xvi. 18. What is meant by thunderings, lightnings, and earthquakes in this book, I have before fhewed: to wit, commotions, feditions, tumults, uproars, and alterations of states, kingdoms, and commonwealths: and then the meaning of this place is, that there shall be horrible fhakings, concuffions, tumults, and great alteration of state in all the kingdoms which are fubject to antichrift, none of them fhall escape. For this feventh vial of God's wrath upon the kingdom of the beaft, is compared to a moit horrible and bluftring tempeft, raised up in the whole air, that is, in all places of antichrift's dominions. And. it is fpecially to be noted, as a thing of great mo ment, that the Holy Ghoft faith, there was never fuch an earthquake as this fince the world began, and fince men 'were upon the earth." the earth. For affuredly, fo foon as the feventh angel poureth forth his vial, the kingdom of popery popery fhall go amain, which fhall not be long before the end of the world, as all circumftances here do fhew. After all this, St. John telleth us the effect of this thundering, lightning,

down

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and extraordinary earthquake; which is, that the great city was divided into three parts,' Rev. xvi. 19. that is, there fhall be a moft horrible rent and divifion in the city of Rome, and throughout all the Pope's dominions.

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What this rent and divifion is, and how it fhall be, I cannot determine, being a thing to come, as all the reft comprehended under the pouring forth of the feventh vial: But this I am fure of, that Rome fhall go down; and there fhall be fuch tumults, uproars, rents, divifions, difputations, and concuffions in Rome, and throughout all the Romih jurifdiction, as never were heard of, nor read of fince the world began: For St. John addeth, that Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fiercenefs of his wrath,' Rev. xvi. 19. that is, God doth now at length call to mind all the wrongs done to his people, and all the righteous blood fhed for the fpace of feven or eight hundred years by the whore of Babylon, that he may be fully revenged, and executeth the fierceness of his wrath both upon her and her whole kingdom: yea, and that in fuch terrible and wrathful manner, that there fhall be no place of refuge, no place to fly into for fuccour: for St. John faith Every ifle fled