.

ftition, idolatry, tyranny and impurity. He hath Part 2. found, that the inward Court was much leß than the outward one; there was the fame proportion between these two Courts, as there is between one, and three and a half. So that the outward Court contained the extent of the inward one three times and a half. And he concludes, that her extended quantity being the image of the extent of time; the duration of the corrupted Church fignified-by the outward Court, was to be three times and a half, and the duration of the pure Church was to be but one time. Now 'tis plain by the Prophecies, that the duration of the corrupted Church must be three Prophetical years and a half, which are 1260 natural years: therefore the duration of the pure Church must be one Prophetical year, that is to fay, 360 years. I confcfs, this appears to me as if it were inspired

The pure

may be

He adds, that one may begin thefe 360 years, Church laeither 1. from the birth of Jefus Chrift, according fting 360 to the Chriftian account; or, 2. from the time of years, there his Paffion, which makes the beginning of the four terr Christian Church. Or, 3. from the time of the de- whence to ftruction of ferufalem, because then the Law was thefe 360 perfectly abrogated, and the new covenant perfect- year. ly establisht. Or, 4. Lastly, from the time in which St. John prophecied.

The firit calculation begins with the first year of Jefus Chrift. An. Chrifti.

The fecond, in the year of our Lord,

The third, in the year of our Lord.

The fourth, about the year.

I

33

94

If we reckon the 360 years, which muft contain in them the purity of the Church, from the first year of Jefus Chrift, the last year falls on the 60 year of the fourth Age. And this agrees admirably

Dd

with

compute

Part 2. with the event. For indeed, 'tis precifely in this time, that we fee the footfteps of the fuper fition of Reliques, and the invocation of Saints, appearing in the Authors of the fourth Age.

Which of

the four points we

chufe.

If we reckon from the 33th year of Jefus Chrift, which is that of his death, the 360th year will fall upon the end of the fourth Age. In which time St. Austin, and St. ferom wrote, by whose writings it appears, that the fuperftition of the worship of the creatures had already made great pro grefs.

of

If we begin the 360 years from the destruction of ferufalem, which happen'd in the 70th year our Saviour, the years of purity will end in the year 430, a time in which it is alfo certain that the corruption was greatly encreased.

Laftly, if we take the laft account, and reckon from the year 94, in which Saint John compofed his Prophecy, the 360 years will end about the year 454; and 'tis about that time that Theodoret wrote, in whose words we have feen, that the falfe worship of the Saints, and the Doctrine of fecondary interceffors were fo well formed.

If we place the birth of Antichriftianifm in the 360 year of our Lord, when men began to render a religious worship to Reliques, this Antichriftian Empire being to laft 1260 years, 'tis clear, that they should have ended in the year 1620, i. e. 65

years ago.

If we began it according to the fecond compu tation, in the year 393, or 394, it should have ended in the year 1653, or 1654

If we began it according to the third calculation, at the year 430, it fhould end in the year 1690, about four or five years hence.

Lafly, if following the last computation, webe

gin it about the 450 or 454th year, it must end in the Part 2, year 1710, or one of the following years to

1714.

'Tis clear by the event, that we must not begin the 1260 years, neither from the year 360, nor that of 393. For the Antichriftian Empire, did not fall in the years 1620, and 1653, as it should have done according to thefe calculations. In thofe times, in the year 360, and the year 393, fuperftition was yet but in its birth; the worthip of the creatures was not yet eftablifht in the publick fervice. Great. cautions alfo were used not to confound the fervice of God with the fervice of the creatures, which was juft ready to receive its birth. Moreover, the pride of the Bishops of Rome was moderate, and their tyranny did not yet extend it felf very far. Men reckon the years of the life of a man from the time of his birth? not from that of his conception. Idolatry and tyranny were as yet but like a fatus's, that were forming and perfecting, but were not yet perfected.

cipal rea

not have

the reign of

But the principal reafon, why God would not The prin have us count the birth of Antichriftianifm from the years 360, and 393, is, because there was a God will fourth Character of the birth of that Antichriftian the 1260 Empire, that had not yet happen'd; that is, the years of ten Kings, that were to take their power together Antichrift with the Beast. These ten Kings are ten Kingdoms, in the 4th into which the Roman Empire was to be fubdi- Age. vided. And the ten horns which thon faweft, are ten Kings, which have received no Kingdom as yet, but receive power as Kings one hour with the Beast. Thefe words are admirable; to me they appear exprefs, and I am aftonifht, that it hath not been oberved, that they precisely mark the time, wherein we mult begin to reckon the reign of the Beast.

Ddz

Efpe

Rev. 17.12.

Part 2.

Especially, if we confider them with the words of St. Paul, he who now letteth, or poffeffeth, will let, or poffefs, untill he be taken out of the way; then shall that wicked one be revealed. That is to fay, till the time that the head of the Roman Emperors be deftroyed. These two paffages fignify exprefly, from what time we must compute the 1260 years. 'Tis from the time, that the Goths, Vandals, &c. after having a long time harrassed, and rent the Roman Empire, at laft divided it into ten pièces.

Moreover, the falfification of the tranflation of the Port-Royal, that render it thus, the ten Kings shall take power for a little time with the Beaft, would not deftroy the evidence of the Oracle, though we should fuffer the ill tranflation of thefe Gentlemen to pafs. For if we must tranflate it for a little time, by that little time we must underftand, the three years and a half of Antichrift's duration. And feeing we have invincibly proved, that these three years and a half consist of 1260 Prophetical days, i. e. 1260. years, 'tis clear, we muft understand that little time in a prophetical and compendious fenfe, for three years and a balf.

That which is effential here, and which the rashness of men hath not been able to take away, is, that the ten Kings were to receive their power together with the Beast, that is to fay, at the fame time. Whether it be for a short, or a long one; 'tis ftill certain, that this Oracle plainly teaches us, that we muft feek for the birth of the Antichriftian Empire in the time when we find ten Kingdoms arife from the difmembred Roman Empire. We must therefore fee, when that was thus dismembred.

The greatest part of men make the Roman Em

pire to fubfift till the year 475, under certain Part 2. petty Kings, that retained the name of Roman Emperors because they did yet poffefs the City. of Rome from Valentinian the third to Auguftulus. But the truth of it is, that the Roman Empire was parcelled out, and rent in pieces, and entirely destroyed immediately after the death of this Valentinian, who was killed by Maximus. Genferic King of the Vandals comes from Africk, being called in by the Empress Eudoxia to revenge the death of her husband. He takes Rome, carries away all the riches, precious things, and rarities of it. They fpent fifteen whole days in fpoiling it of its treasures. Genferic transported them into Africa together with the Empress, her daughters, and the principal men of Rome. Juft in the fame manner as Nebuchadnezzar carried away the veffels of the Temple, and led the flower of the people into captivity. Tis affuredly from this very time, that we must compute the entire ruin of the Empire of the City of Rome, though it had ftill a shadow of a Kingdom, under the images of Emperours, that lafted about twenty years. Jeremy reckons 70 years for the captivity of Baby-` Lon. Yet it is certain, that from the last ruin of Jerufalem till the return, there were not fixty years. But the Prophet counts upon Jerufalem as deftroy ed, and its Kingdom as entirely ruined from Jehojakim's time, under whom in truth was the firft tranfportation of the people: And fince whofe time, the Kingdom of Judah under Zedekiah, was but a fhadow of that of his Predeceffors, because he was the Chaldeans vaffal. On this account, L fay, God reckons it for nothing. By the like. reason, we must reckon for nothing those petty Kings of Rome, who having as it were nothing Dd3

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