Untitled Treatise on Revelation (section 1.2)

Position 1.
The Seales & w^th in y^e seventh Seale the Trumpets are distributions of time w^ch succeed one another orderly w^thout any interruption or interfering.

This Position follows from y^e     Rule because in y^e Vision as it appeared to S^t Iohn y^e Seales were opened & y^e Trumpets sounded one after another in order & y^e contents of every Seale & Trumpet are in this book \of the Apocalyps/ described in y^e same order w^thout any interfering or real interruption. And further, as an indication of orderly succession of all y^e rest, y^e succession of y^e four last is described in express words. ffor between y^e 4^th & 5^t Trumpet an Angel proclaimed Wo becaus of y^e three angels w^ch were yet to sound. And y^e fift & sixt Trumpet are succesively joyned by this expression between them, One wo is past & behold there come two more woes hereafter And so y^e sixt & seventh are joyned by this, The second Wo is past & behold y^e third wo cometh quickly.

And as for y^e subordination of y^e Trumpets to y^e seventh seale, that I suppose is plain enough, since they are y^e immediate consequences of opening that Seale. ffor as soon as it is opened y^e Trumpets are given to y^e seven Angels in order to their sounding.

I said yⁿ y^e seales & Trumpets are described after one {another} without any reall interruption, but this is to be <2r> understood w^th this limitation y^t y^e seventh chapter be esteemed as a Parenthesis between y^e sixt & seventh Seale; & y^e tenth chapter & 13 first verses of y^e eleventh also a Parenthesis between y^e sixt & seventh Trumpet. ffor these were inserted into y^e continued narration of y^e Seals & Trumpets for a singular reason to be explained hereafter & make no more then a verbal interruption of their continuity. For it is manifest y^t y^e things declared from chap 10.1 to chap 11.13 end together w^th y^e sixt Trumpet becaus at y^e end of them is added: The second wo is past & behold y^e third wo cometh quickly. And so y^e seventh Seal manifestly begins together w^th those things described in y^e seventh chapter becaus y^e hurting of y^e Earth & y^e Sea & y^e Trees w^ch was immediately to follow y^e sealing of y^e saints ch: 7.3, was put in execution at y^e sounding of y^e Trumpets; the earth & y^e trees being hurt in y^e first Trumpet & y^e Sea in y^e second: & therefore y^e sealing of the Saints must immediately precede y^e first Trumpet & so be coincident w^th y^e time of incense. And indeed y^e stilness of y^e winds during y^e sealing, & y^e silence in heaven during y^e incense what else should they signify by their mutual resemblance but y^e coincidenc {sic} of these times? For by the silence is to be understood a suspension of those noises w^ch followed y^e time of incense, y^t is of y^e voices & Thundrings & Trumpets, w^ch is as much as to say a suspension of wars {sic} (see Posit 2.2) & y^e stilness of y^e winds signify y^e same thing {illeg} Fig 52. But these things I shall have occasion to explain more largely in y^e 10^th 11^th & 12^th Positions to w^ch I refer you.

These two Parentheses are therefore collaterally coincident w^th y^e series of y^e seales & Trumpets & so make no real interruption.

I know not whether it be worth y^e while to take no <3r> tice of y^e little intervals insinuated between y^e plagues of y^e 4^th & 5^t Trumpets by y^e flying of an Angel through heaven & crying Wo, & between y^e plagues of y^e sixt & seventh by this expression: The second wo is past & behold y^e third Wo cometh quickly: For these intervalls as they were requisite to distinguish between y^e cardinal revolutions so being inconsiderably short they may be esteemed as it were connexions of y^e Trumpets, & referred each to y^e time of the precedent Trumpet extended so far beyond its plague.

Position 2.
The seven Trumpets Thunders & Vials of wrath are y^e same & signify so many courses of war.

|Artic:| 1. That y^e plagues of y^e Trumpets are y^e same w^th y^e seven Vials of wrath will appear by y^e following comparison of each Vial w^th each Trumpet.

Here the hail & fire mingled w^th blood w^ch were cast upon y^e earth answer to y^e Vial poured out upon y^e Earth. And & y^e trees & gras w^ch were burnt up answer to y^e men w^ch were infected w^th y^e noisome & grievous sore. Fig-Trees & Herbs in visions signify men of high & low degree, Fig 11 |& y^e burning up y^e trees & herbs (that is y^e consumption of men by war Fig 11 & 48) has some affinity w^th the noisome & grievous sore w^ch fell upon men.|

<4r>

The parallelism of y^e second third & fourth Trumpet & Vial is manifest. {illeg} And in this fift there is darknes in both cases; & y^e seat kingdom of y^e Beast corresponds to y^e men w^ch had not y^e mark \seal/ of God in their foreheads; & the pains & sores to y^e stingings of serpents w^th w^ch men were exceedingly tormented but not killed.

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Here y^e four Angels bound at Euphrates w^th their Army manifestly answer to y^e Kings of y^e East at y^e same river.

I have here put a parallelism between y^e falling of the tenth part of y^e City & y^e falling of y^e Cities of y^e nations not as if they were y^e same, but becaus I take <6r> the former w^ch concludes y^e sixt Trumpet to be an immediate fore-runner of y^e latter wherewith y^e seventh Vial begins.

And thus you see y^e agreement between y^e plagues of y^e seven Vials & Trumpets is throughout very punctual so y^t I think there can be no doubting of their coincidence. I may add that their Introductions {sic} also resemble one another. For y^e sealed Saints w^th w^ch y^e Prophesy of y^e Trumpets is introduced (chap 7.3) correspond {sic} to them that get y^e victory over the {sic} Beast & over his Image &c w^th w^ch y^e other Prophesy of y^e Vials is introduced Ch 15.2. For y^e sealed Saints were contemporary w^th y^e Beast as shall be shewed hereafter, & consequently were y^e same w^th those that get y^e victory over him. Also y^e vision of offering incense at y^e Altar before the Angels began to sound corresponds to y^e Vision of y^e vision of y^e Temple appearing opened in heaven & filled w^th smoke from y^e glory of God, out of w^ch y^e seven Angels came to pour out y^e Vials. \And so the subsequent loud voices w^th w^ch y^e Trumpets & Vials are ushered in correspond/. And lastly in that y^e Vials are called y^e seven last Plagues, they suit well w^th y^e Trumpets w^ch are y^e Plagues of the last Seale & inflicted on those wicked ages w^ch y^e Prophets & Apostles considered as y^e last times.

|Artic| 3 {sic}.^[2] ffor manifesting y^t y^e 7 Thunders also seven Thunders are also y^e same w^th y^e seven Trumpets {illeg} it is to be observed |Hence it may be collected that y^e seven Thunders are y^e same w^th y^e Trumpets & Vials seeing they also by Fig    ) denote seven wars or courses of war: but for fuller manifestation of this particular, I shall lay down y^e following observations.| ffirst that y^e Prophesies of y^e Thunders & little Book are two distinct Prophesies whereof y^t of y^e book begins to be considered described in y^e eighth vers of chap 10, & therefore y^e first seven verses \of that Chapter/ belong to that of y^e Thunders.

Secondly that although y^e description of y^e prophesy of y^e litle book be deferred till after that other of y^e Thunders, yet y^e book it self is mentioned in y^e hand of y^e Angel at y^e beginning of y^t other, & this interweaving them denotes that they are contemparary {sic}. ffor when two contemporary things are to be described one after another it is y^e method of y^e holy Ghost to interweave them by mentioning that in y^e first place w^ch is last described, <7r> least otherwise they should be taken for successive things. Thus in chap 7.1, 2 y^e vision of y^e four Angels holding y^e winds \which were in y^e Trumpets to hurt y^e Earth & y^e Sea/ is interwoven w^th that of y^e other other Angel sealing y^e saints, & in chap 11 the Witnesses are interwoven w^th y^e Beast by mentioning in y^e first place y^e Gentiles w^ch are y^e Beast, & so in chap 15 y^e Victors over y^e Beast are interwoven w^th y^e Vision of y^e Vials; & much after y^e same manner in chap 12 y^e birth of y^e manchild is made contemporary to y^e Victory of Michael by subjoyning to both y^e flight of y^e Woman into y^e Wilderness. Seeing therefore y^e seven Thunders & y^e vision of y^e little book are in like manner interwoven it argues that they also are contemporary.

In y^e third place we are to consider y^t although these two contemporary visions are not a part of y^e sixt Trumpet succeeding y^e Euphratean horsmen but a new prophesy deduced from a higher Epocha, y^e Prophet returning back (after y^e manner of an Historian) to describe \other new/ things collateral to what he had described before. And this I gather from these considerations. ffirst becaus y^e Euphratean horsmen are y^e proper plague of y^e Sixt Trumpet & therefore ought to extend till towards y^e end of y^t Trumpet |& this plague is strook through y^e Vision of y^e Thunder & little Book by y^e Angel's saying at y^e end of their description, The second Wo is past & behold the third Wo cometh quickly.|. 2^dly Becaus y^e Prophesy of y^e little Book exprest in y^e 13 first verses of y^e 11^th chapter is of things of a very different kind from y^e plagues of y^e Trumpets, so y^t it cannot be supposed any one or part of one of y^m, but rather something collateral \3^dly Becaus this Prophesy is represented by another Book & so no part of y^e sealed one, for thence also it must be some thing collateral/. 4 {sic}^dly {sic} Becaus y^e whole prophesy of y^e Thunders & little book is omitted in y^e Vials where all y^e plagues of y^e Trumpets are repeated. 5 {sic}^thly Because y^e Angel w^th y^e little book in his hand is described exceeding majestic & glorious. ffor this argues y^e subject he appears about to be very considerable & spacious, such as may require more room then a part of one of y^e Trumpets. 6 {sic}^tly Because y^e prophesy of y^e little Book {sic} is introduced by a voice from heaven speaking to S^t Iohn chap: 10.8. ffor as first y^e prophetiqꝫ epistles to y^e seven churches chap 1.10, & then y^e prophesy of y^e seales chap 4.1 was introduced by such a voice speaking to S^t Iohn, so by y^e analogy the new voice introducing this prophesy of y^e Book {sic} argues it to be, not a continuation of things described before but y^e beginning <8r> of a new prophesy, & consequently collateral both to y^e Thunders & to y^e Trumpets. 6 7^thly Yea this is exprest in vers 11 where so soon as S^t Iohn had eaten y^e book y^e Angel told him he must prophesy again before many peoples & nations & tongues & kings, & then immediately follows y^e 11 {sic}^th chapter w^ch conteins severall things (viz: y^e measuring of y^e Temple & altar, y^e treading under foot y^e holy City by y^e Gentiles 42 months, & y^e prophesying of y^e Witnesses {sic}) of an earlier epocha yⁿ y^e beginning of y^e sixt Seal Trumpet.

ffourthly y^e Epocha of y^e Thunders therefore since it transcends y^e 6^t Trumpet must be y^e same w^th that of y^e Trumpets, & that ffirst becaus y^t is y^e most remarkable Epocha to w^ch it can be referred in regard y^t y^e seventh Seal is as it were cut off from y^e former six by y^e interposition of y^e 7^th chapter & so made of it's self a complete & wholly independent course of time, & accordingly repeated by it's self in y^e Prophesy of y^e Vials. Secondly because y^e Angel when he decended {sic} & began to cry, set one foot on y^e Sea & y^e other on y^e earth. ffor this we are not to think an impertinent circumstance, & if it signify any thing it must be y^t y^e Sea & Earth, that is y^e people signified by them, are y^e subjects of y^e Prophesies of y^e Thunders & Book w^ch he appeares to reveale, & consequently that these prophesies begin w^th those that concern y^e Sea & earth, y^t is w^th y^e Trumpets chap 7.1, 3, & 8.7, 8. or w^th y^e Dragon's coming down to y^e inhabitants of y^e Earth & Sea chap 12.12, w^ch as we shal show in y^e next Position falls in w^th y^e beginning of y^e Trumpets. As for y^e circumstance of his setting his right foot on y^e Sea & left on y^e earth, I suppose y^t only denotes y^e inhabitants of y^e Sea to be y^e more honourable or considerable people. In y^e third place I may argue y^e Epocha of y^e Thunders from y^t of y^e contemporary prophesy of y^e little book, that is from y^e Epoch of y^e Vision of measuring y^e Temple & Altar & them that dwell \worship/ therein chap 11.1. For y^e Epocha of this Vision as I shall prove in Posit 10.7 is y^e beginning of y^e seventh Seal. And therfore y^e first appearance of y^e Angel w^th y^e little book cannot be of a later date, & consequently y^e Thunders not much later, for y^e Angel so soon as he was descended upon y^e sea & earth cried w^th a loud voice & so soon as he had done crying y^e Thunders uttered their voices.

ffiftly, The Vision of y^e Thu (if I may so call it) of y^e Thunders <9r> extends \downward/ to y^e end of y^e Trumpets. ffor it's being inserted into y^e end of y^e sixt seal Trumpet is argument enough y^t it extends so far downward & besides y^e words of y^e Angel w^ch conclude this prophesy of y^e Thunders [viz: That there should be time no longer but in y^e days of y^e voice of y^e seventh Angel when he shall begin to sound y^e mystery of God should be finished,] are a sufficient insinuation that y^e Thunders end {in}y^e sounding of y^t Angel.

These things being premised I argue thus. ffirst y^e Thunders according to what we have now proved are coextended to y^e Trumpets, & being so there is no reason why each Thunder should not fall in w^th its respective Trumpet, \for their very being inserted into y^e Prophesy of the Trumpets argues that they concern y^e same subject./ Secondly, the Thunder {sic} denotes war by Fig    . & therefore y^e seven Thunders must denote seven great successive wars or courses of war & consequently must be allotted to y^e seven main courses of war w^thin y^e times of y^e Trumpets: But y^e seven Trumpets & Vials themselves \are/ (as we shall presently show \have shewed above/) y^e very seven main courses of war to happen in their times; & therefore y^e seven Thunders must be y^e same w^th these. If you suspect y^e Thunders may be subordinate courses of war, that cannot be becaus y^e seven Vials are called y^e seven last Plagues. Thirdly as y^e Trumpets were ushered in by loud noises chap 8.5, & y^e Vials by a loud voice chap 16.1, so y^e Thunders are ushered in by y^e loud voice of y^e Angel roaring like a Lyon chap 10.3: All w^ch previous voices & noises denote a cours of war immediately to precede y^e seven main courses of war \Fig    / but yet of a different kind from the so as not to be recconned one of them, Fig     . You may further compare y^e short appearance of y^e Angel before he began to roar, to y^e half hower's silence wherein y^e 7 Angels first appeared w^th their Trumpets ch 8.1, & Vials ch 15. And so y^e analogy between y^e vision of y^e Trumpets Thunders & Vials will be full. Wherefore since these visions have so perfect a harmony & nothing in them y^t argues their diversity, they ought to be adjusted to one another by Rule       Lastly by thus adjusting them two difficult Questions will be resolved. Quest: 1. Why were y^e voices of y^e Thunders sealed up & not written? Resp: It was not necessary to write them becaus they are sufficiently described in y^e Trumpets & Vials. Quest Had they been no where els described it is not |so| likely they would have been here past over. Quest: 2. Why then was not y^e whole Vision of y^e Thunders omitted? Resp: They were introduced to make up a ternary number w^th y^e Trumpets & Vials, that by y^e first six \intervals/ of each w^ch y^e Beasts reign takes up they might represent y^e same mystery w^th y^e number of y^e Beast 666, & explicate y^e mystery of that number by representing it. And therefore least it should be thought that they were introduced for any other end then to make up that \a/ ternary number of those six spaces for representing & explicating that mystery, their voices were concealed |left unwritten & not only so but forbidden to be written to assure us y^t there was a mystery in the omission.|

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|Artic| 2. The Calamities w^ch follow upon sounding y^e Trumpets & pouring out y^e Vials are all by war. For this y^e very soundings of y^e Trumpets imply as being so many Al-arms to war. But I shall run over y^e particulars.

At y^e first Trumpet y^e Blood mingled w^th y^e hail & fire, at y^e second Vial y^e Sea becoming blood as of a dead {sic} & every thing dying in it, & at y^e third Vial the fountain's becoming blood & god's giving them blood to drink becaus they had shed y^e blood of his saints, are manifest indications of war. For none of this bloodshed can be by persecution of y^e saints because these Plagues are termed y^e Vials of y^e wrath of God & so to be inflicted upon evil men, as is also manifest in y^e pouring out of y^e first & third.

Also at y^e fourth Trumpet & Vial y^e smiting of y^e Sun Moon & stars signifies y^e overthrow of some King or Kingdom by Fig 44 & 45, & so implies war.

And in all these four Trumpets there is also an expression of war by fire & burning. In y^e first there is fire mixed w^th hail & blood, in y^e second a mountain burning w^th fire, in y^e third a star burning as it were a Lamp, & in y^e fourth power is given to y^e Sun to scorch men w^th fire: & this figure of fire & burning signifies war by Fig 48 & 49.

The wars of these four Trumpets are also signified by y^e four winds in Chap 7.1, of w^ch we shal have occasion to speak in Posit 9

Moreover at y^e fift Trumpet there arose Locusts – like horses prepared to battel w^th faces like men (i.e. Horsmen) & Breastplates as of Iron. And y^e sound of their wings was as of Chariots & Horses running to battel

At y^e sixt there were let loos four kings w^th an Army of horsmen w^th breastplates & licence to kill men.

And at y^e seventh y^e Beast w^th y^e kings of y^e earth were gathered together against him that sate {sic} on y^e hors & against his Army. And there followed a great Hail w^th thundrings & lightnings & a great shaking: w^ch are y^e singular expressions of a great battel by Fig 51 & 53.

3. Hence it may be collected y^t y^e seven Thunders are y^e same with the Trumpets & Vials, seing they also (by Fig    ) denote —.

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Position {illeg} 3
The Woman in travail is y^e Church of Christ, & y^e Dragon a great Heathen Kingdome & both together y^e subject of the seven Seales.

1. That y^e woman is y^e Church is plain by her habit: she is crowned w^th 12 stars y^e 12 Apostles & cloathed w^th y^e Sun y^e righteousnes of Christ, & supported by y^e moon her own righteousness, w^ch receives it {sic} splendor from y^e Sun of righteousness as it were by reflexion. Its plain also from her being the mother of believers ch 12.17, & Spouse {sic} of Christ ch 19.8, 9. But this is so trite a figure thall {sic} all acknowledge it.

2 The Dragon has a double signification: he is taken {sic} for y^e Devil y^t w^th his worship Gen 3 & for {sic} a kingdome Fig 32 & in this Vision {sic} for both together w^th mutual respect; that is for Heathenism \as it is/ in y^t kingdome & for y^t kingdome as it is heathen: the first in that he is called that old Serpent y^e Devil & Satan {sic} w^ch deceiveth y^e whole world vers 12; y^e last in y^t he is said to have seven crowns upon his heads & to draw y^e 3^d part of y^e stars of heaven w^th his tail, (that is, y^e 3^d part of y^e Princes of y^e world w^th his armies Fig 2 & 39,) & to give his power & seat & great authority to y^e Beast, ch 13.2.

3. That y^e woman & Dragon are y^e subject of y^e Seales will appear by comparing y^e two prophesies. And first – concerning y^e war w^ch y^e Dragon made w^th Michael & his Angels it is said that they overcame him by the blood of y^e Lamb & by y^e word of their testimony & they loved not their lives unto y^e death ch 12.11. Whereby it appears that y^e Angels or soldiers y^t warred w^th them were y^e saints, & their weapons the blood of y^e Lamb & word of their testimony, & their courage <12r> {that} they loved not their lives unto y^e death or that they exposed their lives freely for y^e sake of y^e Gospel. And so this war was managed on y^e saints part by persecuting & killing them for their testimony testifying the truth & on y^e Dragon's part testifying y^e truth of y^e gospel & on y^e Dragons part by persecuting & killing them for their testimony: whence he is called y^e accused of y^e brethren w^ch accused them before God day & night vers 10. And that this war no slight skirmish but a very earnest conflict is further exprest by y^e emphatical repetition y^t Michael & his Angels fought against y^e Dragon & y^e Dragon fought & his Angels. Now this action preceding y^e rise of y^e Beast, & consequently y^e first Vial to w^ch y^e first Trumpet is coincident, must fall in w^th some of y^e first six Seales: & if we take a view of them to see where it is described we shall not find any such persecution before y^e fift seale; but there it is exprest most lively by y^e soules under y^e Altar of them that were slain for y^e word of God & for y^e testimony w^ch they held, who cried w^th a loud voice saying: How long, O Lord, holy & true dost thou not judge & avenge our blood on them that dwell on y^e earth &c.

The next thing is y^e event of y^e war, w^ch was that y^e Dragon & his Angels were not able to w^thstand, neither was their place found any more in heaven; but the great Dragon was cast out y ^t old Serpent called y^e Devil & Satan w^ch deceived y^e whole world, he was cast out into y^e earth & his Angels {sic} were cast out w^th him. Now by this victory we are not to understand y^e subversion of any temporall dominion but a victory of Christianity over Heathenism {sic}, as is manifest becaus y^e it was obteined by y^e blood of y^e Lamb & by y^e word of his testimony of his martyrs; & also becaus y^e Dragon w^ch was cast out is called that old Serpent y^e Devil & Satan w^ch deceiveth y^e whole world; & immediately after his being cast out a voice was heard in heaven saying: Now <13r> is come salvation & strength & the kingdome of o^r God & y^e power of his Christ for y^e accuser of o^r brethren is cast down w^ch accused them before o^r God day & night.

And this agrees to y^e next Seal where this great overthrow of y^e kingdom of Satan is represented by y^e smiting of y^e Sun Moon & Stars, y^e great shaking & the departure of y^e heavens. For these expressions universally signify y^e overthrow of kingdomes Fig 44, 45, 51, & 3. And least this should seem to respect y^e overthrow of any other kingdome then that of Satan, the whole Seal is spent in describing the ruin of Idolatry. For y^e Stars of heaven falling unto y^e earth as figgs from a ffigtree signify Idols falling down by Fig 65. The heavens departing as a scroll when it is rolled together signify y^e roofs & glory of their Temples \or the whole structure of them/ cast down by Fig 65. The moving of mountains & Islands out of their places signify y^e demolishing of their Temples & Altars \high & low/ by Def 8 & 19. And the kings of y^e earth & great men & rich men & chief captains & mighty men & every bond man & every free {sic} man hiding themselves in Dens & in y^e Rocks of y^e mountains & saying to y^e mountains & to y^e rocks: Fall on us & hide us from y^e face of him that sitteth on the throne & from y^e wrath of y^e Lamb; these signify Idols of every sort degree & sort (whether they be worshipped by Kings or great men or rich men or Captains or mighty men or bond or free) to be first hid or shut up in their Temples & then sentenced to have their temples thrown down upon them. Def \Fig/ 63 & 64. And lastly as a further indication that this seal is to be interpreted of a victory of Christianity over Heathenism the Kingdom of Satan it is added that they said: Hide us from y^e face of *^[3] Him that sitteth on y^e Throne & from y^e wrath of y^e Lamb, for y^e great day of his wrath is come & who [i.e. what Idols] shal be able to stand. Which expressions seem borrowed <14r> from Isa 2.21 where in like manner speaking of Idols; he saith that they shall cast them to y^e Moles & to y^e Bats to go into y^e clefts of y^e rocks & into y^e holes of y^e ragged rocks for fear of y ^e Lord, |&| for y^e glory of his majesty when he ariseth to shake terribly y ^e earth.

But that y^e analogy between y^e contents of this Seal & y^e overthrow of y^e kingdom of y^e Dragon may appear more fully, let y^e Dragon be compared to y^e Sun w^ch became black as sackcloth of hair Fig 2, & his Angels w^ch together w^th him were cast out of heaven into the earth, to y^e stars w^ch fell from heaven to y^e earth as figgs from a figtree Fig 2, & y^e Heathen Church (if I may so call y^e Heathens) to y^e Moon {sic} w^ch became as blood Fig 45. For y^e Dragon & his Church are related to one another as y^e Church of Christ & to Christ {sic}, that is as a woman to her husband, & so may be signified by y^e Sun & Moon like Iacob & Rachel Gen 37.10.

The next action is y^e persecution of y^e woman by y^e Dragon & her flight into y^e Wilderness. And this must begin w^th y^e next seale. For it cannot begin sooner becaus y^e sixt Seal {sic} is wholly taken up in casting down y^e Dragon & it begins not till after y^e Dragon his casting down be fully accomplished. ch 12.13. Nor can it begin later: for y^e Wo w^ch in chap 12.12 was proclaimed against y^e earth & inhabitants of y^e Earth & of y^e Sea becaus y^e Devil was come down unto them to persecute y^e Woman, began to be executed on y^e earth in y^e first Trumpet & on y^e Sea in y^e second: & therefore since God's judgments follow y^e sins of men y^e persecution of y^e woman w^ch caused these judgments must begin some little time at least before y^e Trumpets & so fall in w^th the time of incense. And w^th that it suits most punctually: for y^e prayers of y^e Saints offered up together w^th y^e incense <15r> to God & y^e contemporary sealing of y^e servants of God & y^e commission of y^e four Angels to hurt y^e earth & y^e Sea so soon as they were sealed are all arguments of evil times then beginning wherein y^e saints of God are oppressed & God's judgments shortly to ensue upon their enemies for opressing them.

And hence we may understand why y^e narration of y^e seals is interrupted between y^e sixt & seventh seal by y^e interposition of y^e seventh Chapter. For y^e design of such an interruption must be to signify an end of y^e former state of things & y^e beginning of a new one by some grand revolution, & so it will most fitly agree to that cardinall period of time w^ch concluded y^e reign of y^e Dragon in heaven & began y^e flight of y^e Woman {sic} into y^e Wilderness. But of this more hereafter.

The next action is y^t \as/ y^e Woman fled into y^e Wilderness y^e Dragon cast out of his mouth water as a flood, & y^e Earth {sic} helped her & swallowed up y^e waters. Now for understanding this it must be considered: ffirst that by y^e earth is meant inhabitants of y^e Earth Fig 4; namely of that Earth w^ch was mentioned a little before w^th y^e sea to whome y^e Devil came down vers 12. Secondly that by y^e waters are meant multituds {sic} of people Fig 5. & those inhabitants of y^e Sea afforesaid. ffor since they are cast out of the \Dragon's/ mouth they must be of his Kingdom & consequently of y^e inhabitants of y^e Earth & Sea to whom he came down. But not of y^e Earth since that swallowed up y^e \these/ waters, & besides it is inconsistent w^th y^e analogy of y^e earth & Sea Vision where two sorts of people are considered distinguisht by {sic} y^e names of Earth & Sea, to represent those of y^e Earth by water. These waters are therefore of y^e Sea. They are indeed compared only to a flood but that is in respect of their being cast out of y^e Dragon's mouth & hinder's not that they should be inhabitants of y^e sea since all waters <16r> originally proceed from thence. Thirdly, whereas y^e Woman was persecuted by y^e waters, & y^e Earth helped her & swallowed them up, there is opposition & war signified between the earth & waters w^th victory to y^e Earth.

Now compare all this w^th y^e Trumpets & you will find y^e analogy very full. For by Posit: 4, y^e Trumpets are so many successive wars or degrees of war w^ch break out after y^e short peace during y^e stilness of y^e winds in y^e time of incense, & these wars falling heavy upon the Earth in the first Trumpet & upon y^e waters in y^e second & third, y^e earth & waters will therefore be y^e parties concerned in these wars & so may well be supposed y^e two enemies at war w^th one another whereof y^e Earth is worsted in y^e first attempt but \afterwards/ in y^e second & third Trumpet prevails over y^e waters & as it were swallows them up in victory drying them up so much that although they were compared to a sea in y^e second Trumpet, they remained only comparable to rivers in the third.

The last action of y^e Dragon mentioned in this 12^th chapter is that after this he was wrath w^th y^e woman & went to make war w^th y^e remnant of her seed w^ch keep y^e commandments of God & have y^e testimony of Iesus Christ. And this being when there was left but a remnant of y^e seed of y^e woman it must be understood of y^e times of greatest desolation, that is of y^e 42 months when y^e Woman was fully arived into y^e Wilderness & y^e witnesses prophesied in sackcloth: w^ch in Posit 11 I shall show to be in the fift & sixt Trumpets.

And lastly at the end of this time it is recorded \written/ of y^e Dragon in chap 16, that out of his mouth & out of y^e mouth of y^e Beast & fals Prophet there went three unclean spirits like ffroggs unto y^e kings of y^e Earth & of y^e whole world to gather them to y^e battel of y^e great day of God <17r> Almighty. And this is that great battel at the seventh Vial or Trumpet at w^ch y^e Beast & fals Prophet are taken & cast into y^e Lake of fire \& \the rest, (that is/ y^e people of the Dragon / or kings of the Earth w^ch were gathered together w^th y^e Beast) slain w^th y^e sword of him that sate on y^e horse/ & y^e Dragon \or Devil/ bound & cast into y^e bottomless pit. ch 19.20, |21| & 20.2.

Thus we have deduced the reign of y^e Dragon from y^e fift Seale to y^e through y^e three last Seales: & I suppose it will not now be doubted whether he be also synchronall to y^e four first, since it is not likely that y^e wars & other things there described (especially in y^e 2^d & 4^th Seale) should relate to any other kingdome then that w^ch before y^e battel w^th Michael & consequently before y^e fift Seal, drew the third part of y^e stars of heaven w^th his tail & cast them to y^e earth, that is w^ch (by Def {illeg} Fig 2 & 39) had then subdued y^e third part of y^e Kings & Princes of y^e world w^th his Armies. He is indeed represented as if he had but newly done casting them down when he began that battel but he is not introduced rising out of y^e Earth or Sea like the two Beasts, but as preexistent w^th y^e Woman & Michael: w^ch is intimation enough that he as well as y^e woman & Michael was in being even before y^e writing of this Prophesy.

Position 4. 4
The wounded Beast is a great heathenizing Christian Kingdome derived out of the Dragon, & rose in y^e sixt Seale first out of y^e Sea & then after a deliquium out of y^e bottomles pit, & became the subject of y^e seven Trumpets: being y^e same with y^e Whore's Beast, & w^th the fourth Beast in Daniel, & w^th y^e legs of Nebuchadnezzar's Image, |& w^th y^e apostate Church of y^e latter times prophesied of by S^t Paul {sic}.|

1. That this & y^e Whores Beast are y^e same is evident <18r> by the agreement of their descriptions. For both of them have seven heads & ten horns. On y^e horns of one are ten crowns to denote that they are ten Kings, ch 13.1: & the ten horns of y^e other are also ten Kings, ch 17.12. The one is said to have upon his heads y^e name of Blasphemy {sic}, ch 13.1: & the other to be full of y^e names of Blasphemy {sic}, ch 17.3. The one was ^a[4] slain w^th a sword & ^b[5] revived, y^e wound of his ^c[6] death being healed, ch 13.3, 12, 14: & the other is called y^e Beast w^ch was & is not & shall ascend out of y^e bottomless pit, ch. 17.8. The one succeeds y^e Dragon in his seat w^ch persecuted y^e woman in y^e wilderness ch 13.2, & consequently is also in y^e wilderness: & so is y^e other in the wilderness, ch 17.3. Of one it is said that power was given him over all kindreds & tongues & nations ch 13.7: & of y^e other that y^e ten Kings give their strength & power & strength to y^e Beast, & y^t y^e waters where y^e Whore sitteth are peoples & multitudes & nations & tongues, ch 17.13, 15. Of one that all that {sic} dwell upon y^e earth shall worship him whose names are not written in y^e book of life of y^e Lamb slain from y^e foundation of y^e world, ch 13.8: & of y^e other that they that dwell on y^e earth whose names are not written in the book of life from y^e foundation of y^e world shal wonder when they behold him ch 17.8. Of one that he w^th the kings of y^e earth & their armies shall be gathered together to make war against him y^t sate on y^e hors (i.e. y^e king of righteousnes whose name is y^e word of God, ch 19.11, 12, 13) & against his army; & that he \w^th the fals Prophet/ shal be taken, (together w^th y^e fals Prophet w^ch wrought miracles before him w^th w^ch he deceived them that had received y^e Beast's mark & worshipped his Image <19r> that is he whose mark was received & image worshipped ch 19.19, 20: & of y^e other yⁿ y^e kings of y^e earth w^ch give their strength to y^e Beast shall make war w^th y^e Lamb, & he shal overcome them, ch 17.13. And lastly the destruction of both these Beasts is at y^e same time namely at y^e sounding of y^e seventh Trumpet. For by comparing ch 19.19, 20 w^th ch 16.13, 14, 15, 16, it appears y^t y^e agents of y^e Dragon Beast & fals Prophet gathered y^e nations to y^e battel of y^e great day of God against that time when the seventh Vial (w^ch by Posit 2 is contempory {sic} w^th y^e seventh Trumpet) was ready to be poured out, & that at y^e pouring of it out they were overthrown, as is exprest by y^e falling of y^e cities of y^e nations ch 16.19, & by y^e taking of y^e Beast & fals Prophet & slaying y^e rest of y^e nations, ch 19.20. And so the Beast w^ch ascendeth out of y^e bottomless pit, ch 11.7 that is y^e other Beast on w^ch y^e Whore sitteth, ch 17.8, this Babylonian Beast shall war against y^e two Witnesses at y^e end of their prophesying & kill them, & consequently rejoyce w^th y^e nations till their resurrection, that is till about y^e end of y^e second Wo, ch 11.12, 13, 14; & so continue till abou the sounding of y^e seventh Trumpet when (after y^e ruins of y^e great city ch 11.13) their kingdoms must become y^e kingdomes of God & his Christ ch 11.15, & great Babylon come in remembrance before God to give unto her y^e cup of y^e wine of y^e fierceness of his wrath ch 16.19. Both these beasts therefore perish together at y^e sounding of y^e 7^th Trumpet; & so being contemporary, universal & alike in all their actions & qualities must {sic} needs be the same. Yea Babylon that great city (that is y^e Whore of Babylon ch 17.5, 18, & 18.2) is in chap 14.8, 9 joyned to that Beast whose Image is worshipped & mark received. <20r> And so again in chap 16.13, 19: on w^ch y^e 17^th Chapter is but a Comment.

2 Out of y^e foregoing passages it is manifest not only y^t these beasts are y^e same but also that they signify a Kingdom, I mean an universal one consisting \perhaps/ of many subordinate kingdomes.

3. The Beast is a Kingdome derived out of y^e Dragon For y^e Dragon gave power to y^e Beast ch 13.4. He gave him his power & his seat & great Authority, vers 2. And hence it is that their Heads & Horns are in common as we shal show hereafter. But yet y^e Dragon did not give all away {all} so as to cease himself: for immediately before it is said that he went to make war w^th y^e remnant of y^e seed of y^e woman ch 12.17; y^e unlimitedness of w^ch expression may extend him much farther downward. And accordingly he & y^e Beast are afterwards worshipped together ch 13.4, & coexist at the {sic} latter end ch 16.13. end of y^e Vials \Beast/ ch 16.13.

4. Although y^e Dragon continue to y^e end a kingdome distinct from y^e Beast in respect of civil dominion, yet y^t even his subjects imbrace y^e religion w^ch y^e Beast brought out of y^e bottomless pit & so far may be accounted subjects of y^e Beast also \& worship him & his Image/. For all y^e world wondred after him & worshipped him & y^e Dragon together, ch 13.3, 4. And power was given him over all kindreds & tongues & nations: And all that dwell upon y^e earth were to worship him whose names were not written in y^e book of life, vers: 7, 8; that is all nations w^thin y^e compass of this Prophesy: so y^t y^e beast in respect of his religion is the universal kingdome beyond whose bounds this Prophesy \here/ considers nothing.

5 The Beast in this general sense is the Kingdome \w^th his worshippers are y^e universal subject/ on w^ch y^e plagues of the Trumpets & Vials are inflicted. For thus much is exprest in the first Vial where there fell <21r> a grievous {sic} sore on the men w^ch had the mark of y^e Beast & worshipped his Image; & in the fift Vial w^ch was poured {illeg} upon y^e seat of y^e Beast so that his kingdome became full of darkness; & in y^e sixt & seventh Vial where there came out of y^e mouth of y^e Beast & Dragon & fals Prophet three unclean spirits to gather y^e world to y^e battel of y^e great day wherein y^e Beast perished & great Babylon (y^e Whore w^ch sate upon him) came in remembrance before God to give unto her y^e cup of y^e wine of y^e fierceness of his wrath. Also in y^e preface to y^e Vials y^e {illeg} Prophet introduces y Prophet first introduces y^e seven Angels having these seven plagues ch 15.1, & then y^e Victors over y^e Beast vers 2, 3, 4, & then returns to y^e description of y^e plagues: as if by thus interweaving them he intended to point at y^e Beast as y^e subject thereof. So in y^e Preface to y^e Trumpets y^e Angels are forbid to hurt y^e earth & y^e Sea until y^e servants of God be sealed, as if it were to signify that those hurts were to be inflicted on y^e men w^ch have not y^e seale of God in their foreheads. For so it is exprest in y^e fift Trumpet: And who those are you may learn by comparing y^t Trumpet w^th that Viall y^e fift Vial; namely them that have y^e mark of y^e Beast. In a word y^e wickedness & universality of y^e Beast is such w^th y^e Dragon \w^th his worshippers/ is such so great as leaves no room for these plagues to fall beside them.

6. The Beast rose out of y^e Sea \(that is out of y^e dition of y^e Dragons Kingdom sect 3)/ either at or a little after y^e opening of y^e sixt seal. For according to y^e tenour & order of y^e Visions, that rise must be after y^e war of y^e Dragon w^th Michael, y^e Dragon <22r> himself being introduced but newly before & in that war represented w^th his full power w^ch he gave afterward to y^e Beast (some of it at least) to y^e Beast at his rise. This rise therefore could not be before y^e opening of y^e sixt seale. Nor could it be long after becaus

7. \His wound was healed before the end of this Seale./ The Beast ascended out of y^e bottomles pit at y^e opening of y^e seventh Seale. He had a double rise whereof y^e second (after a deliquium was out of y^e bottomless pit as is manifest from hence y^t he is called y^e beast w^ch was & is not & shall ascend out of y^e bottomles pit. His rise out of y^e Sea, (that is out of y^e dition of y^e Dragons kingdom, Sect. 3) signifies only his beginning to be a temporal Kingdom, but his Fig     but his ascention out of y^e bottomles pit signifies moreover his bringing up w^th him a fals infernal religion, Fig      . The first preceded his mortal wound w^th a sword, y^e second was at his reviving, for then or rather immediately after was set up his new religion as is plain from hence y^t \For/ when y^e two hornd {sic} Beast caused the {sic} \earth/ to set up y^e worship {sic} of him & make an Image to him, he is not called y^e Beast w^ch rose out of y^e Sea, but y^e Beast whose mortal wound was healed vers 12, & y^e wounded Beast w^ch lived or revived vers 14. And therefore y^e healing of his wound Now that this sea precedes y^e setting up of worship \earth's worshipping him/ & making of his |an| Image \to him/, & consequently not only y^e first Vial, ch 16.2, but also y^e opening of y^e sixt \seventh/ Seal at w^ch, as I shall show in y^e two next sections, the {sic} new religion was set up \earth & they that dwell therein began to worship him & his Image./ Moreover the \sixt/ seale, as I shall show in y^e next Position {sic}, is exactly commensurate the head of y^e beast in w^ch he was wounded, & therefore y^e gaping of y^e wound cannot continue longer \further/ then to y^e end of this seale; no nor so fur {sic}, for if it do it will not be a wound made in y^e head, but one side <23r> of the head chopt of.

8 The Beast when he rose from death by y^e healing of his wound, brought up w^th him (as it were out of Ἁδης the infernal regions \of y^e dead or bottomles pit)/, a new fals religion. For y^e worshipping y^e him, & making & worshipping his Image, & receiving his mark & the number of his name, are a figurative description of his new religion set up & propagated by y^e fals miracles of y^e two hornd beast: & all this according to what I newly signified followed not immediately upon his rise out of y^e sea but upon y^e healing of his wound. Hence he is called in ch 17.8, the Beast w^ch was & is not & shall ascend out of y^e bottomles pit \He was & is not; this respects not y^e time present in w^ch y^e Apocalyps was wrote, but y^t from w^ch considered as present in y^e vision y^e Angel showed S^t Iohn a prospect of y^e Whore/. He was from his rise out of y^e sea until he received his mortal wound, & ceased to be so long as \while/ he lay dead, & ascended out of y^e bottomless pit at his resurrection; & for ascention out of y^e bottomles {sic} pit signifies not only y^e rise of a temporal kingdom but moreover y^e bringing up some fals infernal religion w^th that thing w^ch ascends Fig     & therefore must here be applied to y^e setting up y^e Beast's religion & so agree to his resurrection w^ch introduced it.

9. The religion of y^e Beast was \began visibly to be/ set up at y^e opening of y^e seventh Seale: as may appear by these reasons. ffirst it could not begin later becaus y^e plague of y^e first Vial was inflicted on men for it & therefore it must begin before y^t time, & y^e Beast's ascention out of y^e pit requires y^t it presently {sic} follow his resurrection because y^t ascention comprehends both as one continued action. Nor could it begin much sooner becaus it followed y^e interval between y^e Beast's rise out of y^e sea & resurrection, all w^ch fell w^thin y^e sixt seal & could not but take up some considerable time. Secondly although y^e rising of y^e Beast out of y^e sea, becaus it expresses only y^e rise of a temporal kingdom w^thout respect to religion be not inconsistent w^th y^e things described in the {sic} sixt Seale nor w^th those in chap 12.10 coincident to it; yet his ascention

<24r>

\— to one another by Rule    /

I should now proceed to show y^t y^e Religion of y^e Beast is Christianity corrupted, but in order thereto it will be convenient to prove first that

< insertion from f 23v >

10. The setting up y^e Beast's religion took up y^e time from y^e opening of y^e seventh seale to y^e sounding of y^e first Trumpet. For y^e holy rites performed in this interval do plainly refer it to matters of religion, & y^e offering up y^e saints prayers to God argue their affliction by y^e evil times coming on. And y^e sealing of y^e saints, w^ch takes up this interval, is by its opposite relation to y^e mark of y^e beast, a mystical indication of y^e time when y^e rest of y^e world by degrees received y^t mark of y^e beast till they had all received it; & expresses also y^e distinguishing them from y^e wicked by y^e standing of one & falling away of y^e other. Also {sic} y^e hurting of y^e earth & sea seems to have been suspended till y^e end of this time, y^t y^e world might not be punished universally before y^e saints & wicked Apostates were thus \universally/ distinguished lest they should be both suffer alike therein; for this punishment was provided for & inflicted on those y^t fell away to y^e Beasts religion as is exprest in y^e first Vial: whence it is manifest y^t y^e world had then receiv {sic} that religion. And lastly as y^e setting up y^e Beasts religion exprest by his ascention out of y^e bottomles pit was of all others before his ruin the most singular revolution, so y^e interval here assigned to it is the most singular one being bounded by y^e two most cardinal periods between y^e beginning of y^e seales & last Trumpet: & therefore these must be adjusted by Rule    ; so y^t y^e whole seventh seale may be y^e time of y^e Beast from his first apparent beginning to ascend out of y^e pit, & y^e Trumpets y^e time of his reign after he was ascended.

< text from f 24r resumes >

11 There was to be a general Apostacy of \in/ y^e visible Church. This you have plainly described by S^t Paul in his second Epistle to Timothy chap 3 & 4 where first declaring how it should be from grace he saith: This know also y^t in y^e last days perillous times shall come, for men shal be lovers of their own {illeg} selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, w^thout natural affection, despisers of all that are good truce breakers, fals accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those y^t are good, traytors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasure more yⁿ lovers of God, having a form of godlines but denying y^e power thereof. And then by comparing them to y^e corrupt Christians of his own time he shows how this Apostacy should be from y^e faith also: For of this sort, saith he, are they w^ch creep into houses & lead captive silly weomen laden w^th sins, led away w^th divers lusts, ever learning & never able to come to y^e knowledge of y^e truth — men of corrupt minds, ^{a [7]} insincere concerning y^e faith. And then proceeding to exhort Timothy to diligence over his flock; I charge thee therefore before God sath {sic} he, – preach y^e word, be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort w^th all long suffering & doctrine; for y^e time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears: & they shall turn away their ears from y^e truth & shall be turned unto fables.

Now it is manifest y^t y^e men here spoken of are men Professors of Christianity though corrupt ones, because they are said to have a form of godliness, & to be of that sort of men w^ch in S^t Paul's time crept into houses & led captive silly weomen & were men of corrupt minds & \(αδόχιμοι)/ insincere concerning y^e faith that is {illeg} like y^e first hereticks & their followers w^ch having departed from y^e faith yet retained y^e name & outward profession of Christianity, & through a form of godliness led after them many others of y^e weaker Christians; as S^t Iohn saith of them They went out <24v> from us but they were not of us for if they had been of us they would have continued w^th us. Nor were these corrupt Christians to be few in respect of y^e true believers, for so S^t Paul's words would have agreed as well to y^e Apostles times as to to after ages, there being even then a great many lukewarm Christians & a great many more that were turned away after y^e doctrines of hereticks {sic}, as is to be learnt here & every where in S^t Paul's Epistles. They were not a few persons such as dayly revolted, but y^e visible flock of Timothy (that is their posterity) w^ch S^t Paul spake of when he said: The time will come (viz y^e perillous times of y^e last days) when they will not endure sound doctrine but after their own lusts heap to themselves teachers &c. And by y^e Apostacy of his flock you may guess at y^e rest.

To this I may subjoyn y^t other noted place of S^t Paul in 2 Thes 2 where tis said y^{t [8]} y^e day of y^e Lord shal not come except y^e Apostacy come first & y^t man of sin be revealed y^e Son of perdition. &c. But here for y^e better understanding y^e nature of this Apostacy, I shal lay down these observations.

ffirst y^t it was to be a very durable one; for it began to work in S^t Paul's time vers 7 & was to last till o^r Lord should destroy y^e man of Sin by y^e breath of his mouth & y^e brightness of his coming vers 8. This coming & y^e brightnes of it \& consumption of the man of Sin thereby/ respects y^e words before: {illeg} the {L} God shal recompense to you rest w^th us when y^e Lord Iesus shall be revealed from heaven w^th his mighty Angels in flaming fire taking vengeance on them y^t know not God & y^t obey not the Gospel of o^r Lord —— But concerning y^e coming of o^r Lord — we beseech you brethren that ye be not troubled — as y^t y^e day of Christ is at hand: Let no men deceive you by any meanes for y^t day shall not come except the {illeg} Apostacy come first, &c. Whence you may perceive y^t y^e discourse of y^e Man of Sin took occasion from & so is related to a former discours of o^r Lords coming to judgment. so y^t putting all together y^e sense will be: God shal recompense to you rest w^th us when y^e Lord Iesus shal be revealed from heaven w^th his mighty Angels in flaming fire taking vengeance on y^m y^t know not God his enemies; but be ye not troubled concerning y^e coming of o^r Lord as if it were at hand for y^e Apostacy must come first & y^e man of sin be revealed whom y^e Lord is to destroy w^th y^e breath of his mouth & brightness of y^t his coming in flaming fire to take vengeance on these his enemies.      This brightness of his coming is in Matt 24 compared to lightning w^ch cometh out of y^e east & shineth into y^e west: Of w^ch in Acts 9, you have a specimen by y^e glorious appearance of o^r Saviour to S^t Paul. And y^t w^ch is here called y^e breath of his mouth is in y^e Apocalyps compared to a sharp sword w^ch goeth out of his mouth y^t w^th it he should smite y^e nations Apoc 19.15, that is those nations w^ch w^th y^e Beast & fals Prophet are gathered together to y^e final war against y^e saints, vers 18, 19, 21. |This is y^e diluvium ignis whereby y^e earth is to be refined, Mal: 3.2. the day y^t shall burn as an oven & all y^e wicked shall be as stubble & y^e day shall burn them up, Mal 4.1.|

In y^e next place we are to observe y^t y^e \may {illeg} observe y^e consent of this Apostacy w^th the other Prophesies of y^e last days & particularly w^th/ y^e perillous times mentioned above are y^e same w^th this Apostacy \& S^t Iohn's Antichrist 1 Iohn 2.18./ ffor those must needs fall in w^th this \Apostacy/ because this from its first working strikes through all ages; & as here y^e Apostacy was to begin after a season & last till y^e coming of o^r Saviour, so y^e perillous times there spoken of were those to come in y^e last days \& the Antichrist in the last time./. Both also are \They are also/ represented of y^e same nature & original, y^e Man of Sin being y^e accomplishment of y^t mystery of inquity w^ch began to work in S^t Paul's days, & y^e perillous times to consist of such as those were that then crept into houses & led captive silly weomen, men of cor <25r> rupt minds, insincere concerning y^e faith, seducers w^ch were to grow wors & wors deceiving & being deceived till y^e perillous times should be come in. |And y^e like is to be observed of S^t Iohn's Antichrist compared w^th y^e many Antichrists before him.|

Some are apt to think y^t y^e Apostles imagined y^e world would be at an end in their age or soon after, but these must so much y^e rather grant y^t y^e meaning of S^t Paul was y^t this Apostacy & these last times were to continue to y^e end of y^e world & y^t both Prophesies were meant by y^e Apostle of y^e same times there being no room for 'em to disagree. But if any one shall be so bold as to say further that these prophesies concerned therefore only y^e age next after y^e Apostles, they should rather consider that whatsoever were y^e Apostles private opinion y^e revelation was of y^e last days & God might reveal to 'em that y^e perillous times should be in y^e last days w^thout revealing to 'em y^e distance or length of those days. But further, it does not appear by any thing in Scripture y^t y^e Apostles expected a sudden end of y^e world any more then that o^r Saviour did when he said Behold I come quickly & my reward is w^th me, – surely I come quickly. Apoc 22.|7,| 12, 20, & threatned y^e Church of Sardis then in being: If thou shalt not watch I will come on thee as a Thief & thou shalt not know what hower I will come upon thee, Apoc 3.3 \& admonisht his Apostles: When ye see these things come to pass know that it is nigh (my coming) is nigh even at y^e doors Mat 24.33/. Yea y^t y^e Apostles thought y^e contrary is plain: for S^t Peter although in his his {sic} first Epistle ch 4.7 he tell us; The end of all things is at hand \approaches/ yet in his 2^d Epistle ch 3.3 he expresses y^t it would be so long that there should come in y^e last days scoffers walking after their own lusts & saying where is y^e promis of his coming, for since y^e ffathers fell asleep all things continue as they were from y^e beginning of y^e creation. And then adds: But, Beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing that one day is w^th y^e Lord as a thousand years & a thousand years as one day – the Lord is not slack concerning his promis (as some men count slackness) but is long suffering to us-ward – But y^e day of y^e Lord will come as a Thief in y^e night. And so S^t Paul his designe in his discours about y^e man of Sin is to diswade y^e Thessalonians from interpreting his words or Epistles so as to think y^e day of y^e Lord was at hand, & to y^t end uses this argument that there must come first these two great revolutions, y^e taking away that w^ch letted & y^e rise & reign of y^e man of Sin. \He knew also that y^e Iews were to be led away captive into all nations & Ierusalem to be troden down of y^e Gentiles untill y^e times of y^e Gentiles should be fulfilled, Luke 21.24, & y^t afterwards all Israel (to whom blindness should happen in part till y^e fulness of y^e Gentiles were come in) should be received again to mercy, Rom: 11.26./ And though y^e Apostles were shy of speaking expresly in this point least they should diminish y^e expectation of y^e Saints & fear of backsliders, yet they of understanding may easily gather from S^t Paul's discours of y^e Rest of God, Hebr. 4, y^t y^e world has not yet run out y^e years of his computation.

<26r>

✝ < insertion from f 25v > ✝ S^t Iohn indeed calls his own y^e last time 1 Iohn 2.18, but I suppose he speaks there to y^e Iews of y^e end of their state, whereof y^e first Antichrists & Pseudochrists \Simon Menandar, Basilides &c/ were (according to o^r Saviour's prophesy Luke 21.8) forerunners. {illeg} In other places y^e times of Apostacy are called ὕστεροι καιρὸι & ἐσχαται ἡμέραι the last times {sic} or days in y^e plural number to express their greater length, here tis said ἐσχάτη ὥρα y^e last time or as it were y^e last hower to express some sudden end: In those y^e last times are spoken of y^e Apostacy it self, in this of y^e first working of y^e mystery of iniquity: for the does not say y^t y^e Antichrist being then \not/ come, but only {illeg} there were many Antichrists y^t is many of his forerunners: \And therefore/ This ἐσχάτη ὥρα therefore is not y^e last tim same w^th y^e last times spoken of in other places, & |but an admonition to y^e Iews only of y^e end of their state at hand.|

There is a place of S^t Iude also (vers 17, 18) where he may seem to apply y^e last times to his own days, but I suppose it is only comparatively; as if he had said Beloved remember ye how y^e Apostles of o^r Lord told you there should be mockers in y^e last time who should walk after their own ungodly lusts; Of this sort are they that separate themselves &c.

< text from f 26r resumes >

S^t Iohn indeed calls his own y^e last times 1 Iohn 2.18. But he does not mean thereby those last days w^ch S^t Paul calls perillous times but y^e days preceding them in w^ch y^e mystery of iniquity began to work. For he said not y^t y^e Antichrist was then come but only that there were many Antichrists, that is many of his forerunners already in y^e world. Whence we may learn y^t according to y^e Apostles doctrine the last time was to consist of two states, y^e one strictly so called in w^ch y^e Antichrist or Man of Sin should reign, y^e other y^e Harbinger of that in w^ch y^e mystery of iniquity worked in many petty Antichrists untill that w^ch hindred y^e rise of y^e great one were taken out of y^e way: & so y^t y^e intent of y^e Apostle here S^t Iohn here was to inform men that the times w^ch y^e Apostles had so often told them \of/ by y^e name of y^e last times were not to be supposed a great way off, or some short space suppose of 3 or 4 years at y^e very end of y^e world, but that they were already begun in y^e forerunners of y^e Antichrist & consequently in him & his forerunners together to take up all the {sic} interval \time/ from thence to y^e end of y^e world; As if he had said: Little children, Ye have been told formerly of y^e backsliding of y^e last time, but think not that because y^e Apostles then called y^e time of Antichrist y^e last time, that therefore it is a great way off; I say unto you it is now y^e last time. For as ye have heard that in y^e last time |y^e| Antichrist should come, even now there are many Antichrists whereby we know y^t y^e last time foretold by y^e Apostles is already begun.

After y^e same manner y^e words of S^t Iude are to be understood where he mentions how y^e Apostles of o^r Lord foretold that there should be mockers in y^e last time who should walk after their own ungodly lusts, Iude {illeg} 17, 18.

In the third place we are to consider observe that y^e Apostates were to be Christians, & this I gather, ffirst from y^e name Apostacy w^ch is as much as to say a falling away from y^e truth. Secondly from God's sending them a strong delusion that they should believe a lie: for hence it follows that before this delusion they believed y^e truth. Thirdly from S^t Paul's exhorting the Thessalonians to stand fast therefore & hold y^e Traditions w^ch they had been taught whether by word or Epistle, for thence it follows y^t y^e Apostacy was to come by y^e falling away of such as they were, & that not from y^e name of Christianity but from y^e purity of it by corrupting y^e Traditions of y^e Church whether written in y^e Scriptures or delivered down by word of mouth. ffourthly from y^e Mystery of iniquity's working when S^t Paul wrote, {illeg} for thence it follows y^t y^e Apostacy was to be of y^e same nature w^th y^e Heresies of S^t Paul's time, in all w^ch y^e name & form of Christianity was corrupted retained but y^e truth of it corrupted. Compare this w^th 2 Tim 3.6 <26v> & 1 Iohn 2.18. ffiftly from y^e Man of Sin's sitting in y^e Temple of God as a God, that is in y^e Church as a King or Monarch over it. Lastl Sixtly from y^e care w^ch y^e Apostles took to give warning of these times, for it is not likely that they would have concerned themselves so much about a generation extrinsic to y^e Church. Lastly \from/ y^t plain description of these times in 2 Tim 3 & 4 where y^e Apostates are said to be such as have a form of godliness (that is in appearance Christians,) – of y^e same sort w^th y^e first seducers w^ch crept into houses & led captive silly weomen – ever learning & never able to come to y^e knowledge of y^e truth – men of corrupt minds, insincere concerning y^e faith (that is Hereticks) – Seducers waxing wors & wors, deceiving & being deceived – such as will not endure sound doctrine but after their own lusts heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears & turning away their ears from y^e truth unto fables. This (besides a large catalogue of other vices \w^ch y^e Apostle would not have busied himself to reprehend in any but Christians),/ is y^e description of those whereof y^e great Apostacy was to consist. |To y^e same purpose are o^r Saviours words: Then shall many be offended & shal betray one another & shall hate one another, & many fals Prophets shall rise & shall deceive many, & becaus iniquity shall abound y^e love of many shall wax cold. Matt 24.10, 11, 12.|

In y^e last place it is to be observed y^t this Apostacy was to be general & this I gather ffirst from y^e distinction y^t is put between it & y^e working of iniquity in S^t Paul's time set on foot by Simon Magus \Menander Saturninus Basilides, Carpocrates Corinthus/ & other Heretiques like these between y^e perillous times of y^e last days & y^e seducers w^ch in y^e first ages crept into houses 2 Tim 3. between y^e Antichrist & y^e many Antichrists 1 Iohn 2 Those heresies were but y^e seeds of this, this y^e complement of those; those were such as not to be letted by that w^ch letted this; those in & for a good while after S^t Paul's time were many in number, this but one in its degree those are all long since ceased, this was to continue to y^e end of y^e world those were too small to be called ἡ ἀποστασία an Apostacy or the Apostacy in S^t Paul's sense or to be made the sign of y^e Lord's coming, for so long as y^e Church persevered w^thout any further working of iniquity then by those partial Apostacies, they were to take it for a sign y^t y^e day of y^e Lord was \not/ at hand, & therefore this must be such an one as is manifestly distinguishable from them by its greatness. |Ἡ ἀποστασία must here signify such an Apostacy as either does or does not obscure y^e Church, not y^e latter because in S^t Paul's sense it agrees not to y^e working of iniquity then begun.|

A second reason for y^e universality of it may be from y^e its caus of it so far as by y^e powerfulness of y^e cause we may judge of y^e greatness of y^e effect. The caus was y^e coming of y^e man of Sin after y^e working of Satan w^th all power & signes & lying wonders & w^th all deceivableness of unrighteousness, God sending them a strong delusion that they should believe a lye. Tis well known y^t Simon Magus came w^th as much infernal power & lying wonders as any of y^e first Hereticks or as any single Heretic could well do, & thereby seduced many, & yet S^t Paul makes no recconning of him in compa <27r> {rison} of y^e strong delusion by w^ch y^e man of Sin was to rise.

A third reason may be from y^e man of Sin's sitting in y^e Temple of God as a God y^t is from y^e supreme person of y^t body called y^e Man of Sin his presiding in y^e Church as an earthly God, \or/ a Monarch in & over y^e Church. It is not said in this or y^e other part of y^e Temple of God but in y^e Temple of God w^thout restriction.

We might here also repeat what was said above concerning y^e prophesy of y^e perillous times, where S^t Paul exhorting Timothy about his flock said, The time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine &c: And by y^e Apostacy of this Church you may guess at y^e rest.

The Apostacy therefore was to overspread y^e general visible body of y^e Church, & hence is that promis of o^r Saviour to y^e Church of Philadelphia: Becaus thou hast kept y^e word of my patience I will keep thee from y^e hower of temptation w^ch shall come upon all y^e worl world to try them that dwell upon y^e Earth, Apoc 3.10. Yea so generall was it to be y^t o^r Saviour puts y^e Question: When y^e Son of Man cometh shall he find faith on y^e earth, Luke 18.8.

And hence we may learn in what sense to take y^e word τινὲς in 1 Tim 4.1, w^ch we translate: In y^e latter times some shal depart from y^e faith. The greek is of a larger signification then y^e English will beare, for τινὲς is sometimes put for {sic} y^e greater part, or all but a few. Thus of o^r Saviours disciples those incredulous & offended ones who are comparatively called many in Iohn 6.60, 66, o^r Saviour in vers 64 calls τινὲς some of them. So Rom 11.17 S^t Paul saith of y^e rejected Iews, who were by much \many degrees/ y^e greater part of y^e Nation, τινὲς some of y^e branches were broken off. Again 1 Cor. 10.7, \8, 9, 10./ Neither be ye Idolaters as τινὲς some of them were – Neither let us commit fornication as τινες some of them committed – Neither let us tempt Christ as τινες some of them also tempted – Neither murmur ye as τινες some of them murmured –. Here are four great somes; for of y^e first tis said: And {All} all y^e people brake of y^e golden ear-rings w^ch were in their ears & brought them unto Aaron, Exod 32.3. Of y^e second: And Israel joyned himself to Baal-Peor — & y^e Lord said unto Moses take all y^e heads of y^e people & hang them up before y^e Lord – y^t y^e fierce anger of y^e Lord may be turned away from Israel, Num 25.3, 4. Of y^e third: The people spake against God & against Moses Num 21.5. And of y^e fourth: All y^e children of Israel murmured <27v> against Moses & against Aaron, & y^e whole Congregation said unto y^m would God we had died in Egypt – And Moses said unto y^e Lord if thou kill all this people as one man — And y^e Lord said they shall not come into y^e Land save Caleb & Ioshua, Numb. 14 but their carcasses shall fall in y^e Wilderness Num 14. Its plain therefore y^t y^e Apostle uses τινὲς for any some that's less then all: w^ch being so, the analogy of this Prophesy of y^e Apostacy w^th y^e rest y^t concern y^e latter times, requires y^t it be \here/ understood of y^e generality.

I have hitherto considered only y^e Prophesies of y^e new Testament out of y^e Apocalyps; but if you now compare all w^th y^e Apocalyptic Visions, & particularly w^th y^e flight of y^e Woman into y^e Wilderness & y^e reign of y^e Whore of Babylon, they will very much illustrate one another: for these visions are as plain as if it had been expresly said y^t y^e true Church shall be eclipsed disappear & in her stead an Idolatrous Church reign in y^e world. And of y^e same nature are y^e treading under foot the unmeasured holy City by y^e Gentiles, y^e prophesying of y^e witnesses in sackcloth, & y^e ascention of y^e Beast out of y^e bottomles pit whom all y^e world whose names were not written in the book of life (& consequently Heretiques & Hypocrites) were to wonder after & worship.

Lastly if to all this be added y^e most universal & constant tradition of y^e Church from y^e first ages, y^t there was to happen in y^e last times of y^e world such a general Apostacy as we have described; & also y^e instances y^t have been of such Apostacies of y^e Church both under y^e Law (as in Ahabs reign when y^e true worship so far disappeared y^t Elijah thought himself y^e only untainted person) & under y^e Gospel either in y^e Arian age (as they call it) or in y^e ages ever since: this tradition & these instances joyned w^th y^e foregoing evidences out of scripture may suffice to check y^e most prejudic't & obstinate doters on y^e Churches external grandeur & perpetual visibility & make 'em confess that it either hath been or shall be notably obscured.     And this foundation being laid I now proceed.

12. The religion of y^e Beast & consequently of y^e Dragon also after his being cast down is heathenising Christianity: as I gather by these reasons. ffirst because the Beast <28r> {arose} out of y^e bottomles pit implying y^e rise of a new infernal religion must needs, so soon at least as that religion arrives to any considerable pitch, put an end to those things & w^th them to that Seal & so begin the next. Thirdly y^e interweaving y^e vision of y^e Victors over y^e Beast w^th y^e first appearance of y^e seven Angels of y^e Vials ch 15.1, 2, 6, is intimation enough that those victors begin then to get y^e victory & consequently y^t y^e Beast's religion begins then to be set up. ffor it is necessary that that religion be adequately synchronal to those that get y^e victory over him because there is {sic} no cessation of y^e Church militant. Now the first appearance of these Angels, according to y^e analogy of this {sic} Vision of y^e Vials w^th y^t of y^e Trumpets, must be at y^e same time w^th y^e first appearance of y^e seven Angels of y^e Trumpets: that is at y^e opening of y^e seventh Seal. ffourthly by y^e opposite relation of y^e Seale of God to y^e mark of y^e Beast it is most natural to suppose y^t y^e vision of sealing y^e saints is but a mystical indication of y^e time when men began to receive y^e mark of y^e Beast; that is of y^e time when y^e Beast's religion arose w^ch therefore must be immediately after y^e sixt Seal. Lastly y^e rise of y^e Beast's religion by reason of its great wickedness & universality is one of y^e most cardinal revolutions in all the Prophesy, & so \the beginning of it/ can fall in w^th no time so well as w^th that cardinal period between y^e sixt & seventh seale where both {illeg} by y^e beginning of y^e Trumpets & by y^e interposition of y^e 7^th chapter is signified an end of y^e former state of things & y^e beginning of a new one. These two periods must therefore be adjusted to one another by Rule.

11 {illeg} |12|. The religion of y^e Beast & \a/^[9] consequently of y^e Dragon also after his being cast down, is heathenising Christianity: as I gather by these reasons. ffirst because y^e beast <29r> arose not till after y^e Dragon was vanquished by Michael & his kingdom (out of w^ch y^e Beast afterwards arose) sect 3.) possessed by y^e victors, that is by Christians. \Whence it may be presumed that he {sic} vision of y^e world made \derived a form of/ Christianity, & his heathenising is manifest by his blasphemy, Fig.      & by what is said of the subject of y^e 6^t Trumpet, that is of his worshippers: \viz that/ they worshipped Dæmons & Idols of gold & silver & Brass & stone & wood: w^ch neither can see nor hear nor walk, ch: 9.20./ Secondly y^e Beast arose out of y^e Sea & therefore y^e inhabitants of y^e Sea are they w^ch at his rise became his subjects. Now {sic} these inhabitants before \untill/ y^e Dragon \Devil/ came down among them ch 12.12, that is before \untill about/ y^e opening of y^e seventh Seal Posit 5.3, & consequently before \untill/ y^e Beast's religion was setting {sic} up, were no Heathens but Christians because y^e Devil untill {sic} then was not among them; but his coming then among them is a direct expression that they began then to heathenize {sic}. For as his casting out was immediately before made used to signify y^e extirpation of Idolatry so his coming again among men must signify y^e restitution of it, though perhaps in a different form the first being represented above in Heaven, y^e last below on earth. Thirdly {sic} because y^e two hornd Beast is represented y^e Author & promoter of y^e other Beast's religion by his fals miracles, we may conclude that they are both of y^e same religion. Which being so, their outward form of Christianity will is evident by y^e likeness of the {sic} two horns of that Beast to y^e Lamb, ch: 13.11; & their heathenizing by y^e blasphemy of y^e other Beast, Fig \his speaking {like} \as/ y^e Dragon, that is dictating or preaching up such kind of things as y^e Dragon used to speake or/ dictate. Lastly because y^e Whore sits upon this Beast & rules over him ch 17 Def Fig      & commits fornication w^th y^e Kings & makes drunk & deceives & deceives all nations she co of w^ch y^e Beast he consists, we may conclude that they are also of y^e same religion. But y^e Whore by her very name is y^e Church of God lapst {sic} into Idolatry, Fig    

< insertion from f 28v >

To these r < text from f 29r resumes > |To these reasons I might add another taken from y^e vision of y^e Gentiles treading down y^e holy City chap 11. For these Gentiles are y^e Beast vers 7. & their heathenising is implied by their name Gentiles, & their profession of Christianity by calling y^e dition of their habitation y^e outward Court & holy City. The temple w^th its Court & y^e | < insertion from f 29v > holy City is y^e whole Church & it's here distinguished into two parts; the one (y^e Temple) measured & not given to y^e gentiles, & this is therefore y^e elect part of y^e Church; y^e other (y^e outward Court & holy City) left unmeasured that is neglected, left out of y^e measure \or compas/ of God's regard, not measured compassed or bounded by God's laws but left to transgression, & therefore y^e reprobate part of y^e Church. And this is given to y^e Gentiles to possess, that is to those that should gentilize to be y^e inhabitants or Citizens w^ch it should contein or consist of: & they tread it under foot, that is, contaminate corrupt & overwhelm y^e truth of their Christian profession by Gentile practises.

Some I know will be apt to say y^t y^e Beast is represented one of y^e most detestable States {sic} y^t ever was & therefore it is more likely y^t he should be purely heathen then have his wickedness allayed w^th a profession of Christianity: but he y^t considers will rather conclude y^t because he is represented y^e most wicked state therefore he ought to be Christianity corrupted, y^e worst things requiring y^e corruption of y^e best to generate them. Sins are y^e greatest where they are against y^e greatest light, & if Hypocrisy be added or a corruption of y^e meaning of y^e Law be added to y^e sin, it is yet a further aggravation & still a further if any shall \w^thout commission/ pretend a power to make lawfull what he acknowledges to be prohibited by God: {illeg} And hence a Christian is capable of being wors then any other sort of men. Did it diminish y^e Idolatry of y^e Iews that they were God's peculiar people, or y^e wickedness of y^e first Heretiques y^t they profest Christianity? Certainly no: ffor God never so frequently & severely reproved & punished any nation for their transgressions as y^e Iews, nor did y^e Apostles & first Christians aggravate y^e iniquity of any so much as of y^e Heretiques. A \Let no man therefore be deceived w^th y^e specious name of Christians, for a/ secret enemy is y^e worst & most carefully to be shund, & such are they that put y^e best colour of Christianity upon y^e worst corruptions of it. If they be corrupt & live not according to y^e Gospel, it had been better they had never heard of y^e name of Christ: for y^e profession of y^t name shall so lit be so far from profitting y^e ungodly that it shall aggravate their damnation, in as much as y^e disobedience of a Son or Servant is more heinous then that of a stranger, & he y^t knows his masters will & does it not shall be beaten w^th many stripes.

13. The Beast is y^e universal visible Church in y^t state of Apostacy w^ch was to happen in y^e latter times. ffor y^t he is a Church is manifest by his outward form of Christianity newly proved & y^e universality of y^t Church is manifest by these expressions: All y^e world (y^t is y^e Christian world) wondred after y^e Beast — & power was given him over all kindreds & tongues & nations, & all that dwell upon y^e earth shall worship him whose names are not written in y^e book of life, Apoc 13.3, 7, 8. Moreover his religion agrees w^th y^t of y^e Apostacy, for as he was to Heathenize {sic} & worship Dæmons & Idols Apoc 9.27, so in y^e Apostacy they were to give heed to doctrines of Dæmons 1 Tim 4.1, That is to attend to doctrines concerning Dæmons or Ghosts of men such as were y^e doctrines of y^e heathens about their Divi, or of those {sic} ancient Heretics y^t <30v> worshipt y^e Virgin Mary as Queen of heaven to whome Epiphanius thus applies this place of S^t Paul, quoting it thus πληρουται γὰρ καὶ ἐπὶ τούτους τὸ, Ἀποστήσονταί τινες της ὑγιέος διδασκαλίας, προσέχοντες μύθοις καὶ διδασκαλιαις Δαιμονίων ἔσονται γὰρ νεκροις λατρεύοντες, ὡς καὶ ἐν τω Ισραὴλ ἐσεβάσθησαν. That also of y^e Apostle {sic} is fulfilled of these: Some shall apostatise from y^e sound doctrine, giving heed to fables & doctrines of Dæmons; for they shall be worshippers of dead men as they were worshipped in Israel. Epiphan: Hæres:78. The Beast & that Apostacy agree also in y^e likeness of y^e relation w^ch y^e one has to y^e Whore w^ch sits upon him {sic} back & y^e other to y^e Man {sic} of sin w^ch sits in it, y^e apostate Church being y^e polluted temple of God in w^ch y^e man of Sin sits. And further as y^e Apostacy rose by lying wonders & a strong delusion 2 Thes 2.9, 10, 11 so did y^e Beasts religion Apoc 13. And lastly they agree in time, for y^e Apostacy was to be in y^e last times 1 Tim 4 & 2 Tim 3 & y^e Man of Sin to rise w^th or soon after it & continue to y^e end of y^e world: & so y^e Beast ascended out of y^e bottomles pit at y^e opening of y^e seventh seale {sic} (Sect     supra) & consequenly {sic} when y^e woman began to fly into y^e wilderness (Posit     ) & continues to y^e 7^th Trumpet at w^ch y^e time ceases & y^e mystery of God is finished (Apoc 10.6, 7) & y^e Kingdoms of y^e world become y^e kingdoms of Christ for ever (chap 11.15) & y^e Word of God comes to destroy y^e w & y^e dead here judged \& saints rewarded/ (chap 11.15, 18) & y^e Word {sic} of God comes to destroy y^e wicked w^th y^e sword of his mouth & cast y^e Beast & fals Pro & fals Prophet into y^e Lake of fire (chap 19) w^ch time is y^e great day of God Almighty |even| the {sic} day wherein o^r Saviour comes as a Thief {illeg} (chap 16.14, 15.)

14 This Beast is y^e same w^th y^e 4^th Beast in Daniel. For both — < text from f 29r resumes > 14 {sic}. This Beast is y^e same w^th y^e fourth Beast in Daniel, chap 7 For both Kingdoms have one common period, ending \at the day of judgment/ into the Kingdom of y^e saints w^ch shall never be destroyed Dan 7. Rev 11.15, 18, & so at least they are synchronal. Also both are strange nameles monsters & have ten horns & y^e <30r> one has an animated horn answering to y^e Whore on y^e other's back, & y^e destruction of both is alike, w^ch is to be cast into y^e fire Dan 7.11. Rev 19.20 {sic}, & that before y^e rest of y^e nations Dan 7.12. Rev 19.21 & 20.3, 10. Besides all this S^t Iohn hath very elegantly expressed their sameness by describing the Beast {sic} w^ch he saw to be like a Leopard & his feet as y^e feet of a Bear & his mouth as y^e mouth of a Lyon ch 13.2 {sic}. ffor these three being y^e Beasts by w^ch the three first kingdoms were represented in Daniel, the naming of them all in this description of y^e Beast by S^t Iohn, seems to be on purpose to point at y^e vision of Daniel & insinuate y^e correspondence between y^e two Prophesies. And that only thre of those Beasts {sic} y^e Leopard Beare & Lyon are named, it implies that y^e Beast described must supply y^e place of y^e fourth to make up y^e quaternary: w^ch he doth y^e more fitly becaus they are set down in order backward & he is put in y^e first place.

15 {sic}. This beast therefore being y^e same w^th Daniel's must be also y^e same w^th y^e leggs of Nebuchadnezzar's Image since both those do most apparently, & by y^e consent of all men, denote both y^e same fourth Kingdome.

But yet this is not so to be understood as if this Beast was adequately y^e same w^th Daniel's fourth kingdom. ffor y^t kingdom immediately succeeding y^e Greek Empire must have begun before y^e writing of y^e Apocalyps & consequently before y^e rise of y^e Apocalyptic Beast, & so must comprehend the Dragon & Beast together, y^e Dragon being considered as conteining y^e Beast virtually in him untill his rise out of y^e Sea. Whence it is that although S^t Iohn prophesying more articulately of y^e fourth kingdom then Daniel, distinguishes Daniel's Beast into two, yet he describes y^m w^th heads & horns in common to insinuate that they are but one fundamentally. Yea Daniel's Beast (as will hereafter appear) is a combination of both y^e Apocalyptic Beasts & Dragon in one: S^t Iohn distinguishing & describing articulately what Daniel considers in general.

Position 5 5.
The seven Heads of y^e Dragon & Beast are distributions of them into so many succesive parts by y^e opening of y^e seales in order: every part or head being continued from y^e opening of one seale to y^e opening of y^e next & the seventh head from y^e opening of y^e seventh Seale to y^e sounding of y^e seventh Trumpet. |first through y^e time of silence & holy rites & then through all the Trumpets.|

1. The heads are so many sucesive parts of y^e Kingdome. For in ch 17.10 they are called seven Kings & represented successive: where by kings you must not understand so many single persons, for y^e Beast w^ch is said to be but one of y^e Kings or rather but a part of one being called y^e eighth & of y^e seven, is yet said \described/ to have ten horns & ten crowns upon his horns to denote so many kings at once comprehended in that part of one. And besides what single king's reign could be long enough for y^e seventh under w^ch is comprehended all that variety of events during y^e sounding of y^e seven Trumpets w^ch we shall hereafter show to be above a thousand yeares. By a king therefore is to be understood an aggregate of kings whether collaterall or successive unto some determinate period; & not only {of} \of/ Kings but y^e whole kingdomes also during that intervall: for y^e Beast w^ch is said to be y^e eighth King & of y^e seven, signifies y^e whole Kingdome. See Dan. 7.17.

2 The heads of y^e Beast are coextended to those of y^e Dragon & y^e first six of them coincident. ffor S^t Iohn in counting y^m {sic} heads of y^e Beast plainly refers y^e first six of them & part of y^e seventh to y^e Dragon when he calls y^e Beast y^t was & is not, y^e eighth & of y^e seven \ch 17.10./ And therefore we are to reccon these heads \not/ of y^e Beast \not/ as he is considered in y^e Apocalyps distinct from y^e Dragon but as he was virtually in y^e Dragon before he became divided from him so y^t y^e first six heads <32r> may be recconned single ones in common to y^e Beast & Dragon & y^e seventh a {illeg} double one whereof one branch is the seventh head of y^e Dragon & y^e other y^e Beast y^t was & is not.

** < insertion from f 31v > ** And hence it is y^t y^e Dragon hath seven crowns upon his heads to denote his actuall reign in all y^e seven, but y^e heads of y^e Beast are w^thout Crowns becaus his reign takes up no more then y^e last head. But yet to discriminate his last head from y^e rest, y^e ten horns on w^ch are ten crowns must be imagined to stand upon that. For in ch 17.12 in y^e time of y^e sixt head (defined in vers 10) it is said The ten Kings have received no kingdom as yet but receive power as kings y^e same hower w^th y^e beast. And therefore y^e Kings w^th y^e Beast begin not their actual reign untill y^e next or last head, & by consequence y^e 10 horns w^th y^e crowns upon them must all stand upon that: For y^e better conception of w^ch it may be convenient to imagin y^e heads in order one above another & y^e crowned horns upon y^e uppermost head. < text from f 32r resumes > 3. The seventh head is coextended to y^e seventh Seale. For y^e Beast when five heads were faln & y^e sixt was in being was called y^e beast w^ch was & is not ch 17.10, & therefore his non-existence or wound happened in y^e sixt head & consequently y^e seventh head must begin not at his rise out of y^e sea, but at w^ch preceeded that wound but at his ascention out of y^e bottomless pit w^ch followed it, & so fall in w^th y^e opening seventh seale.

By y^e same discours it appears also y^t y^e sixt head (in some part at least) is coincident w^th y^e sixt seale seing y^e wound happened in them both.

4. The heads of y^e Dragon & Beast are \the/ distributions of y^e kingdome according to y^e seven seales. For since S^t Iohn no where distributes it into such parts but by y^e seales & Trumpets, & the Beast or seventh head takes up y^e seventh Seale, it remains that y^e first six heads be coincident w^th y^e first six Seales. And indeed what els should be meant by calling these heads Kings in ch 17.10, but to point at y^e four horsmen in y^e four first Seales as being y^e four first of y^e kings introduced as a specimen of y^e rest.

And hence it is y^t y^e Dragon hath seven crowns upon his heads to denote his actuall reign in all y^e seven but y^e heads of y^e beast are w^thout crowns becaus his reign takes up no more yⁿ y^e last head. But yet to discriminate his last head from y^e rest y^e ten horns on w^ch are ten crowns must be imagined to stand all upon that. For in ch. 17.12 in y^e time of y^e sixt head (defined in vers 10) it is said: The ten kings have received no kingdom as yet but receive power as kings y^e same hower w^th y^e beast. And therefore y^e kings w^th y^e Beast begin not their actual reign untill y^e next or last head, & by consequence y^e ten horns w^th y^e crowns upon them must all stand upon that: for y^e better conception of w^ch it may be convenient to imagin <33r> the heads in order one above another & y^e crouned horns upon y^e uppermost head.

3. The saying of y^e heads, ffive are fallen & one is & y^e other is not yet come ch 17.10, respects not y^e real time it was wrote in by S^t Iohn, but y^e time of y^e non-existence of y^e Beast mentioned a little before & considered as present in y^e vision. It's the tenour of all y^e visions to represent future time as present. You may see it done in all y^e seales Trumpets & Vials, & in y^e description of y^e Dragon & two Beasts, & y^e rest of y^e visions. And least you should say these are visions but ffive are fallen is an interpretation, I answer you may see the like translation of time from future to present \it done also/ in interpretations & explicating discourses. Thus in chap 7.14 To y^e question What are these arrayed in white robes, it is answered These are they w^ch came out of great tribulation, & have washed their robes & made them white in y^e blood of y^e Lamb. So in chap 18 the angel, w^thout setting before S^t Iohns eyes a vision of what he spake, cried out in y^e present tense Babylon is fallen is fallen & is become y^e habitation of Devils &c, & \thereupon/ most of that chapter is spent in describing Babylon & her fall in such a manner as if her fall was present. Now tell me, why should ffive are fallen be \necessarily/ understood of S^t Iohn's time any more then five are fallen Babylon is fallen. Or rather seing it is y^e tenour of y^e Prophesy to accommodate discourses to any future time as present in y^e vision, what privilege should ffive are fallen have to be necssarily {sic} {sic} excepted? why may {th} not this be understood after y^e {illeg} \manner/ of y^e rest?

<33v>

You may observe y^t in \y^e parts/ divers of y^e Visions that so long that so long as y^e same or synchronal things continue to be insisted on, whatever time y^e beginning of y^e discourse is referred to \first sentences or expression agrees to/, y^e rest usually hold on to respect as present. This {sic} you may see done in y^e descriptions of y^e Palmbearing multitude \of y^e battel between Michael & y^e Dragon,/ of y^e 7^th Trumpet, of y^e third Viol, & some others. & so in y^e description of y^e whore, y^e Angel first pitches on y^e time a little before y^e Beasts ascention out of y^e bottomles pit, & accommodates all his \following/ discourse {sic} in chap 17 to that time as present in y^e vision & then in chap 18 another angel pitches on y^e time of Babylon's fall, & to that time is most of y^t {illeg} chapter accommodated, & then follows y^e vision of a great multitude accommodated to y^e time immediately following that. In y^e first of these cases the Angel begins thus: The Beast w^ch thou sawest was & is not & shall ascend out of y^e bottomles pit. To express y^e succesion of these three things he assumes y^e middle for y^e time present in y^e vision & then goes on accommodating all his discours to that time: in respect of w^ch he expresses as future y^e 10 Kings receiving their kingdom & giving their power to y^e beast & making war with y^e Lamb, & burning y^e whore, but of y^e heads he expresses five past to express the sixt present & y^e 7^th to come to, denote {sic} y^e synchronism \coincidence/ of y^e sixt head w^th y^e time y^t \considered as present in w^ch/ y^e Beast was not. And to make y^e stronger impression of this synchronism, he immediately repeats his {sic} first saying, and y^e beast y^t was & is not he is y^e eighth: w^ch is as much as to <34r> say, y^e Beast of w^ch I told you that he was & is not before this time to w^ch as present I accommodate these sayings, & is not at this time, he is y^e eighth he when he ascends out of y^e bottomles pit is y^e eighth. ffirst, he says expresly The Beast was & is not & shall ascend. Then to make y^e stronger impression of this, he draws a character or name \title/ of y^e Beast from hence, calling him y^e Beast y^t was & is not, & in his saying of y^e heads, ffive are fallen &c he mentions y^e Beast by this character to inculcate y^e relation of y^e expressions.

If you should say y^e Beast's being called y^e Beast y^t was & is not, is but a character or title & denotes only y^e succession of his parts w^thout regard to the any particular time: yet you must grant y^t y^e first sentence, viz: The Beast w^ch thou sawest was & is not & shall ascend out of y^e bottomless pit is as \positive &/ expresly related to time as y^e other sentence ffive are fallen &c. And therefore if you will understand y^e latter of S^t Iohn's time you must understand y^e former so too. Thus they must be synchronal {sic}, apply 'em to what time you will. But \yet/ had they been intended of S^t Iohn's time & not rather to \thus exprest to compare &/ adjust later things of some unknown future time to a synchronism, y^e characterizing y^e Beast by y^e words was & is not would have been a superfluous repetition, the name Beast w^thout any further epithite being sufficient to express & denote him w^thout ambiguity. And therefore y^t y^e repetition of those words may be significant I <34v> cannot but suppose it done to inculcate a synchronism of things then future.

This I have premised to make way for y^e next assertion where you will see y^e truth of this more fully made out by y^e coincidence of this Synchronism with y^e sixt Seale.

I said that all y^e Angels discourse ({illeg}) in y^e latter part of ch 17 respected future time considered as present, but I would have this understood of those sentences only w^ch respect time. ffor part of his discours are only definitions w^ch have no respect to time no particular time: as where he says The heads are 7 mountans on w^ch y^e whore sitteth. Also they are 7 Kings. The Horns are 10 Kings. The waters where y^e whore sitteth are peoples & multitudes & nations & tongues. The woman w^ch thou sawest is y^e great city reigning over y^e Kings of y^e earth. All these are definitions w^ch have an indefinite relation to time their sense being as if he had said The heads signify 7 mountains on w^ch y^e whore sitteth when she reigns, &c. The only scruple is in y^e last, some understanding that of Rome as it reigned over y^e kings of y^e earth in S^t Iohn's time. But whence do they gather this. Is it from y^e Citie's being called great? I grant that Epithite was taken from it's greatness while it flourished, as was also y^e name Babylon. But you may see y^e same epithite continued to it till y^e time of it's final destruction. Rev 18.2, 10, 16, 18, 19, 21. & ch 14.18. & ch 16.19. Is it from y^e tense of y^e verb ἐστι Then must Rome have been y^e Whore in S^t Iohn's time. Is it from y^e tense of y^e Phrase ἔχουσα βασιλείαν reigning.? Then by y^e same reason if one should say Hæc effigies est Socrates disputans it might be inferred, Ergo Socrates jam disputat. Or if y^e war of Darius w Alexander w^th Darius was represented in a scene or comedy, & an Interpreter should say ὁ ἔστιν ὁ Ἀλέξανδρος ὁ μέγας ὁ νικων τὸν Δαρειον it might be inferred: Ergo Alexander jam vincit Darium. There is nothing therefore to limit it to any particular time. But something there is to make it indefinite: for y^e Kings of y^e earth w^ch y^e whore or great City reigneth over, cannot without straining be understood of any other Kings then those all along spoken of in y^e Prophesy, viz: y^e ten horns of y^e Beast w^ch y^e Whore sat on, that is, reigned over, <35r> the heads in order one above another & y^e crowned horns upon y^e uppermost head. < insertion from the left margin of f 34v > (ffig.    ) & w^ch in y^e words immediately before those we write of were said to give their Kingdom to her beast that is to submit themselves to her reign; & w^ch are \again & again/ expresly called y^e Kings of y^e earth v. 2, & ch 18. v.3, 9.

4. The seventh head – < text from f 35r resumes > 4 {sic}. The seventh head is coextended to y^e seventh Seale, the first part of it to so much of y^t seale as precedes y^e Trumpets, & y^e last part or 8^th head to y^e Trumpets. For y^e Beast when five heads were faln & y^e sixt was in being was called y^e Beast w^ch was & is not ch 17.10 & therefore his non-existence or wound \to death/ happened in y^e sixt head & consequently since y^e wound beast was wounded but in one head & not on one side \chopt of/ but in it, the head must extend further then y^e gaping of y^e wound, & so that is, beyond y^e healing of it, & so \y^e wound being in the sixt seale (Posit 4.6, 7) the wound/ cannot end sooner then at y^e openning of the seventh Seale \there being no sooner remarkable period for it to end at/. And on y^e other hand y^e eighth head or latter part of y^e 7^th being y^e beast w^ch was & is not cannot begin later then w^th y^e first Trumpet becaus (as I shewed above in Posit 4.10) he was then fully ascended out of y^e bottomless pit. And therefore for y^e 7^th head (or first part of it) there remains only that little intervall between the opening of y^e seventh seale & sounding of y^e first Trumpet.

I have sometimes thought whither y^e two parts of y^e 7^th head might not be {illeg} collaterall: but y^e calling one part y^e eighth argues its succession of y^e seventh as that succeeded y^e sixt. And besides y^e 7^th agrees best w^th y^e \said/ little intervall at y^e beginning of y^e 7^th seale, in that it is said to continue but a short space, that is to continue before y^e eighth begin but a short space comparatively to \y^e continuance of/ y^e other heads.

5 {sic}. The heads of y^e Dragon & Beast are y^e distributions of y^e kingdom according to y^e seven seales. For \the heads are as much as to say, the capital parts or capital distributions of y^e kingdom into successive parts, &/ S^t Iohn no where distributes it into such parts but by y^e seales & Trumpets, & y^e Beast or seventh head to coincidence of y^e 7^th head w^th {sic} |y^e| 7^th seale & of y^e parts of one w^th y^e parts of y^e other, is an instance of y^e coincidence of y^e other six. The best reason why y^e Beast y^t was & is not is called y^e eighth is y^t y^e heads are first reconned in {illeg} according to y^e seales so far as they precede y^e Trumpets w^ch \come in y^e eighth place/ |Trumpets w^th w^ch he is coincident are an eighth portion of time at y^e end of the seven w^ch y^e seales make.| And y^e best reason why he is notwithstanding said to be of y^e seven \& the Beast to have but seven heads/ is that y^e Trumpets are conteined w^thin y^e seventh Seale. <36r> {} besides what els should be meant by calling these heads Kings in ch 17.10, but to point at y^e four horsmen in y^e four first Seals as being y^e four first of y^e Seals Kings introduced \there/ as a specimen of the rest. |Successive kings are as much as to say Courses or changes of the reign of a kingdom, in a litteral sense by y^e deaths of single persons, in a | < insertion from the right margin of f 36r > figurative by any other notable alterations: & therefore \since/ these kings are here figurative & y^e seales & Trumpets such & y^e only such courses in y^e Apocalyps; it is necessary that they be applyed to one another.

5. The monarchical form of y^e Kingdom signified by y^e Dragon & Beast was either not absolutely or not ultimately dissolved before y^e first Trumpet. For since Some thing of dissolution there must have been at y^e Beast's rise before but either not perfect or not final or neither. ffor in y^t y^e 8^th Head only is attributed to y^e Beast's reign it argues y^t he began but w^th that Head to be a completely distinct kingdome & y^e monarchical form of y^e whole in y^e reign of y^e former seven heads is typified by their having each but one crown upon it.

< text from f 36r resumes >

Position 5 6.
The horns of y^e Dragon & Beast are ten contemporary kingdoms springing out of their seventh head \at or soon after y^e beginning of the Trumpets/, & voluntarily uniting & conspiring into one body politiqꝫ called y^e Beast.

1. That y^e 10 horns are so many kingdoms kings is implyed by y^e crowns upon them & also expresly affirmed ch 17.12. And not only kings but successions of y^m w^th their kingdoms; for so a horn is used to signify, Fig    

3 {sic}. The {sic} \horns/ are contemporary & not successive kings: For this also y^e horns of a Beast imply when they appear together, as is evident by Daniel's vision of y^e Ram & Goat. And much more ought it to be so in this Beast becaus y^e 7 other kings w^ch are successive have a different representation, being signified each by one crown upon a head. For as one crown upon a head is made y^e emblem of Monarchical government in y^e Dragon, so y^e 10 crowns upon one head must according to y^e analogy signify so many kings at once in y^e Beast. And if it were not so, y^e little horn in Daniel w^ch rose up after y^e other ten could not well be said to rise up among them בֵיגֵיחֵו Dan 7.8, nor to root up three of them vers 8, 20, & much less after that to have fellows חַבְךָתָחּ vers 20. The 10 toes also of Nebuchadnezzar's image imply so many collaterall kingdoms into w^ch y^e 4^th kingdom was in y^e end to be rent. Yea Daniel expresly affirms that it should be divided & its parts should not stick to one another. And y^e same may be collected from severall expressions {sic} of \in/ y^e Apocalyps: as that those kings are said to receive power as kings about y^e same hower w^th y^e Beast & to agree & give their kingdome to y^e Beast untill y^e words of God shall be fulfilled, w^ch cannot be understood of <37r> successive kings. Again y^e Whore is said to sit upon peoples & multitudes & nations & tongues & to reign over y^e kings of y^e earth ch 17.1, 15, 18; And that all nations have drunk of y^e wine of y^e *^[10] poison of her fornication, & y^e kings of y^e earth have committed fornication w^th her ch 18.3: where by kings of y^e earth must be understood kings of y^e several nations w^ch she sits upon & makes drunk. So ch 18.9, 10 it is said y^t y^e kngs of y^e earth who have committed fornication & lived deliciously w^th her shall bewail her & lament her when they shal see y^e smoak of her burning — saying, Alas, alas, that great City Babylon, — for in one hower is thy judgment come. And in ch 17.16, 17, y^t y^e ten horns (after y^e time is fulfilled y^t God shall put in their hearts to agree & give their kingdom to y^e Beast) shall hate y^e Whore & shall make her desolate & naked, & shal eat her flesh & burn her w^th fire. W^ch places must necessarily be interpreted of several kings at once.

2. These kings sprang out of y^e seventh head: ffor this is plain by y^e saying in y^e time of y^e sixt head (defined ch 17.10 as was proved above Posit 7.2. And to speake more strictly they sprang out of y^e 8^th or latter part of y^e 7^th {illeg} For though all y^e heads, in generall speaking are common to y^e Dragon & Beast, whence y^e Dragon is represented w^th y^e horns as well as y^e Beast: yet strictly y^e eighth head is y^e Beast's y^t was & is not, & y^e other seven y^e Dragon's, ch. 17.10, 11. And accordingly y^e Dragon's crowned heads but not his horns & y^e Beast's horns but not his heads are crowned to signify y^t y^e reign of y^e heads (all but y^e 8^th) belongs to y^e Dragon & of y^e horns to y^e Beast that is y^t y^e Dragon properly \absolutely/ /properly\ so called reigns w^thout actuall horns till y^e beginning of y^e Trumpets & then y^e Beast or eighth head, on w^ch y^e horns must therefore stand, begins his reign absolute \power/ reign {sic}.

Something of difficulty may seem here how y^e Beast could rise out of y^e sea in y^e sixt head, & yet y^e Dragon's proper reign continue till y^e eighth: but y^e difficulty will vanish {illeg} apply this to history {illeg} |we have shown that y^e Beast's reign {illeg} his ascending out of y^e bottomles pit is {illeg} completed, {illeg} began but| {illeg} y^e heads. And as y^e whole kingdom after this period is called y^e <37v> Beast by reason of {illeg} it's subjection to his religion, notw^thstanding y^t y^e Beast strictly so called in a politiqꝫ sense is but a part thereof: so before \untill/ this period y^e whole may be called y^e Dragon by reason of its subjection to y^e Dragon's religion not wholly (whether heathen or Christian) not wholly abolished till then, notwithstanding y^t y^e Beast in a politiqꝫ sense was risen before. But besides this, when we come to apply this Prophesy to history we shall find y^t the Beast, even in a politiqꝫ sense, did fully emerge out of y^e Dragon so as absolutely & perpetually to dissolve his monarchichal form.

4. These Kings rose at or soon after the beginning of y^e Trumpets: not before because y^e horns sprang out of y^e Beast or eighth head, nor long after becaus they received power as kings y^{e a[11]} same hower w^th y^e Beast.

5. These Kings give — <38r> by o^r having shown y^t y^e Beasts ascention out of y^e bottomles pit is not completed till y ^e 8^th head begin

5 {sic}. These Kings give their power & strength & kingdom to y^e Beast voluntarily, & not by compulsion. ffor it is said that they have one mind & y^t God hath put in their hearts to fulfill his will & to agree & give their kingdom unto y^e Beast. And y^e Whore is said to commit fornication w^th them, & make all nations drunk w^th y^e wine of her fornication & to deceive them w^th her sorceries, ch 18.3, 24. And so y^e two hornd Beast is said to deceive them by his miracles & by making fire come down from heaven. They are therefore perswaded into unanimous subjection by Sophistry & subtile delusions, but not conquered by y^e sword.

6 {sic}. These kings thus conspiring into one body politiqꝫ are y^e very Beast. ffor y^e horns of a Beast are used to signify y^e number of particular kingdoms or Dynasties of w^ch y^e universal kingdom represented by y^e whole Beast is composed: as may be seen in Daniel where y^e two horns of the Ram were y^e kings or kingdoms of y^e Medes & Persians w^ch composed y^t general kingdom; & y^e four horns of y^e Goat were y^e four principal kingdoms of w^ch y^e Grecian universal kingdom after y^e death of Alexander consisted. And in like manner y^e ten horns of this Beast must denote so many Kings or kingdoms all w^ch together make up y^e universal kingdom signified by y^e whole Beast. For these kings w^ch in y^e sixt began actually but in y^e eighth head, whence should they receive their kingdoms but by dividing among them y^e nations of w^ch y^e Dragon formerly consisted? (Dan 7.24.) W^ch if it be supposed yet y^e universal kingdom will be still continued in y^e aggregate of those kindoms {sic} as well as y^e Greecian kingdom after y^e death of Alexander was, according to Daniel's representation of it w^th by one beast w^th four horns, continued in y^e aggregate of his successors; & on this account more properly, that they have one mind & y^t God shall put in their <39r> hearts — to agree & give their kingdom unto y^e Beast, that is, to constitute y^e Beast, or so to agree & combine together that their kingdoms shall be as it were but one kingdom, & by consequence y^e very Beast. For in y^e expression of giving their kingdom to y^e Beast it is to be observed y^t all their kingdoms together are called their Kingdome in y^e singular number & so esteemed as if but one kingdome, w^ch may therefore well be represented by one Beast notwithstanding y^e subdivisions.

And unless this be allowed, y^e Beast must have more horns then ten. ffor {sic} there are ten horns in y^e Kingdome w^ch y^e kings give unto him & if he have any other kingdome distinct from y^e Whore or little horn, there must be one more horn at least in that.

But for further confirmation of this particular it is to be observed y^t y^e Whore in one place is said to sit upon y^e Beast, in another place to sit upon many waters w^ch are peoples & multitudes & nations & tongues, & in another place {illeg} to be y^e great City w^ch ruleth over y^e Kings of y^e earth, ch 17.1, 3, 15, 18: & by consequence, y^e Beast, y^e many waters or nations, & y^e kings of y^e earth must signify y^e same thing since they are indifferently used for one another.

And this is further signified by Nebuchadnezzars Image whose feet & toes were described to be part of iron & part of clay to signify y^e aptness of y^e kingdom to be rent into less dynasties towards y^e latter end of it. |7. The kingdom therefore signified by y^e Dragon & Beast continued in a monarchical {sic} form untill y^e beginning of y^e Trumpets & then brake into a multitude: its monarchical form in y^e reign of the first seven heads being typified by their having but one crown upon each head & y^e division of it in y^e 8^th by y^e 10 horns of that head w^th 10 crowns upon them. But yet there must have been in some degree a dissolution of y^e monarchical form at y^e two rises of y^e Beast in y^e sixt Head, but either not absolute or not final or neither. ffor in that y^e 8^th Head is only is attributed to the Beast {sic} reign \that was & is not/ it argues y^t he began but w^th that Head to be a completely distinct Kingdom, being till then in some respect or other a member of y^e Dragon, as y^e standing of y^e crowns upon y^e Dragon's seven heads & not upon his denotes.|

8 {sic}. {illeg} Although y^e 10 horns denote so many kingdoms, yet we are not to suppose they continue y^t number constantly to y^e end no more yⁿ y^e 4 principal kingdoms, w^ch rose in y^e 3^d Empire after y^e death of Alexander & were represented by y^e Goat's 4 horns (Dan 8) continued all together y^e till y^e end of y^t Empire. Yea y^e contrary is here exprest: for y^e little horn \at its rise/ rooted up three of y^e 10 first horns before him Dan 7; & y^e mixture of iron & clay in y^e feet & toes of Nebuchadnezzar's Image denotes (as Daniel himself hath interpreted) y^t y^e kingdome shall in y^e end be broken not only into y^e 10 kingdoms represented by y^e toes, but otherwise very variously. And yet y^e posterity of <41r> two horns of y^e Beast w^ch resemble y^e Lamb's must be two dynasties resembling those churches, that is two ecclesiasticall dynasties subordinate to two supreme Bishops.

The Lamb indeed primarily signifies y^e person of Christ, but yet it's members may \do/ at second hand represent his mystical members. ffor y^e {illeg} its seven eyes are interpreted y^e seven spirits of God mentioned in y^e beginning of y^e Prophesy ch: 1.4, & by consequence y^e analogy his horns must signify y^e seven churches mentioned a little after, there being nothing els in all y^e Prophesy w^ch they can signify.

4. The two hornd Beast rose & grew up w^th y^e nations w^ch afterwards worshipped y^e other Beast: for he is an aggregate of Episcopal Dynasties & y^e the {sic} other Beast of temporall Kingdoms & it is of y^e nature of these to be coincident {illeg} |& diffused through one another. Here at least they must be so| because what ever this Beast did was done to y^e other's worshippers & {illeg} they are y^e universal kingdom beyond w^ch nothing is here considered.

5. The two hornd beast \by deluding the world/ administred to y^e ascention of y^e other Beast out of y^e bottomles pit. For he by his fals miracles & deceiving {sic} men {sic} was y^e Author that they worshipped y^e other Beast & made & worshipped his Image & received his mark & y^e number of his name, that is y^t y^e other Beast ascended out of y^e bottomless pit; for all this being done before y^e first Viall & so falling in w^th y^e time of y^t ascention is a mysticall description thereof. Yea he made or prepared all y^e power of y^e other Beast before him. Τὴν ἐξουσίαν του πρώτου θηρίου πασαν ποιει ἐνώπιον ἀυτου, vers 12. That is, to the temporal power w^ch y^e Dragon gave that Beast, he added all y^t power \his authority/ in spirituall matters whereby y^t Beast in his ascention out of y^e pit brought up w^th him, & propagated, \& conserved/ his infernal religion. Or he by deceiving men made y^e temporal power of y^e Beast efficacious to bring in y^e Apostacy, w^ch could otherwise have influenced men but little in matters of religion, violence being fitter to increase y^e Church by persecuting it then to cause a falling away. This I \take to be/ y^e meaning of y^e expression ἐξουσίαν ποιει, considering y^t it is y^e tenour of this place to y^e end of y^e Chapter to describe what y^e y^e two hornd Beast did for y^e other. He made his or created him his power or authority \authority/, he made y^t y^e earth should worship him, he made or effected great wonders before him, he (or y^e Image) made that all y^e world y^t would not worship his Image should be killed, he made <42r> that his mark should be given to all, & that none should buy or sell w^ch had not his mark or name or y^e number thereof. The same word ποιει runs through all, & y^e latter passages seem to be a comment on y^e first by enumerating y^e particulars wherein this beast made y^e other's power & Authority, or at least supplied him w^th his own \power/ \& in all things ministred to him/: |the other Beast of himself doing none of those things that were done.|

As for y^e words ἐνώπιον ἀυτου he made his power \Authority/ before him & did miracles before him, the meaning seems to \may/ be that he did this as a fore-runner preparing y^e way before him for his ascention out of y^e pit. See Luke 1.17 & Mark 1.2 where y^e word ἐνώπιον ἀυτου & πρὸ προσώπου σου & ἔμπροσθέν σου are in like manner used to express y^e Baptists fore-running & preparing y^e way before o^r Saviour.

6. The two hornd Beast by reason of this his seducing men into errors {by great} wonders is is also called the fals Prophet. For that these are y^e same is evident by y^e agreement of their descriptions. The two hornd Beast in ch 13.14, is said to deceive them y^t dwell one {sic} y^e earth by means of y^e miracles w^ch he had power to do in y^e before y^e Beast saying that they should make an image to him — & causing them to receive his mark. And so in ch 19.20 the fals Prophet is said to have wrought miracles before y^e Beast w^th w^ch he deceived them that had received y^e mark of y^e Beast & worshipped his Image.

But further, as in ch 12 & 13 y^e two hornd Beast is described together w^th y^e Dragon & ten hornd Beast; so in ch 16.13, instead of y^e two Beast y^t hornd Beast y^e fals Prophet is recconned w^th y^e Dragon & ten hornd Beast. Which argues it to be but another name of y^e same thing given upon y^e account of its lying wonders & seductions to distinguish it from y^e ten hornd Beast w^ch in y^e 14^th & following chapters is eminently called y^e Beast. And hence it appears why S^t Iohn never speaks of Beasts in y^e plural number, as in some places he should have done had not one of y^e Beasts been signified by y^e name of y^e fals Prophet.

7. The two hornd Beast at length became \by reason of his heathenising or committing spirituall fornication is also called/ y^e Whore of Babylon. ffor they are y^e same by y^e agreement of their descriptions. The one is a fals Prophet deceiving them that dwell on y^e earth by means of pretended miracles: |&| the other Mystery – making y^e inhabitants of y^e earth \a/^[12] drunk. ch 17.5, 2, & deceiving all nations w^th her sorceries ch 18.23, & corrupting y^e earth w^th <43r> her fornication, ch: 19.2. The one \makes y^e Image/ cause {sic} that as many as would not worship y^e Image should be killed, ch 13.15 \that is in a politicall sense at least & consequently persecuted:/: & y^e other is drunken w^th y^e blood of y^e Saints & w^th y^e blood of y^e martyrs of Iesus ch 17.6, & in her was found y^e blood of Prophets & saints & of all y^t were slain upon y^e earth ch 18.4. They are both of y^e same religion y^e religion of y^e Beast ten hornd Beast w^ch is heathenising Christianity, Posit       Both denote Ecclesiastical states: the two hornd beast by his being two Episcopal Dynasties {sic} & called \also/ a fals Prophet; & y^e Whore by her opposite {sic} \relation/ to y^e Woman in y^e Wilderness, & diversity from her Beast w^ch is a temporal state. Both are alike conjoyned to y^e ten hornd Beast: the two hornd Beast conspiring w^th being conteined in him & conspiring w^th him & doing all things for him & over his subjects; And & y^e Whore sitting \riding/ upon him & \that is ruling him &/ reigning over him ch 17.13 Fig    , & that not by y^e power of y^e sword but the consent consent & agreement, ch 17.13, 17. Both are \finally/ destroyed together: the two hornd Beast or fals Prophet at y^e same time w^th y^e 10 hornd Beast ch 19.20, w^ch was shown to be at y^e sounding of y^e seventh Trumpet; & Babylon at y^e pouring out of y^e seventh Viall. ch: 16.19. By y^e agreement of their qualities these two therefore must be y^e same.

But further, as y^e 13^th chapter is spent in describing y^e rise of y^e two beasts & |y^e| making y^e Image & setting up their worship, so y^e next chapter conteins y^e fall & ceasing of all these things: only there y^e {name} of y^e two hornd Beast is called Babylon y^t great city w^ch made all nations drink of y^e wine of y^e poison of her fornication, that is y^e Whore of Babylon, ch: 18.2, 3. Now y^t y^e two hornd Beast is here meant by Babylon is evident partly because otherwise y^e ruin of y^t Beast will be omitted where it should \it ought to/ have been mentioned w^th y^e rest, but chiefly becaus it would have been preposterous & an the proclamation Babylon is faln implies that something was said of her \she/ was described \in being/ before or at least her existence mentioned & consequently y^t y^e two hornd beast is she, there being nothing els before like her mentioned before.

Again in y^e 16^th chapter y^e agents of y^e Dragon Beast & fals Prophet gather y^e nations to battel against y^e 7^th Trum Vial, & immediatly after in describing their overthrow it is said y^t Babylon came <44r> in remembrance before God to give unto her y^e cup of y^e wine of y^e fierceness of his wrath. Wherefore Babylon must be one of y^e three states that perished in this battel, & consequently none other yⁿ y^e fals Prophet w^ch together w^th y^e Beast was at this time cast into y^e Lake of fire ch 19.20. It's y^e two hornd Beast \therefore/ w^ch is called Babylon in y^e 14 & 16 chapters; y^e 17 on w^ch y^e 17^th Chapter is but a Comment. And indeed what name could be fitter for him. His being a heathenizing christian Ecclesiastical State makes him ipso facto a Whore in y^e strictest sense, & we have no reason to suppose more Apocalyptic Whores then one.

8. The Whore of Babylon is y^e same w^th y^e little horn of Daniel's fourth Beast. ffor they are like members of y^e same fourth Kingdom. The little horn's growing upon y^e Beast's head among y^e other ten argues that it as well as y^e rest was a Dynasty internal to y^e Beast: & so was y^e Whore or two hornd Beast, sect     supra. The little horn was of a different kind from y^e other ten Dan: 7.24: & so was y^e Whore, she being an ecclesiastical, they temporal states. The little horn's had look was stouter yⁿ his fellows Dan 7.20, that is then y^e other horns, & \he/ had eyes & a mouth to represent him as a head set over them: & so y^e Whore sat upon y^e Beast & reigned over y^e kings of y^e earth Rev 17.18, that is over y^e ten horns vers 12. Posit \that is, ruled over him Fig/      . As y^e Whore is distinct Animal presiding over her Beast: so y^e eyes & mouth of y^e horn show that he is indeed w^th life & sense & so equipollent to a distinct Animal presiding over his Beast. The horn thought to change times & laws \Dan 7.25/ & had eyes to show that he should reign by sharp sighted policy: & the Whore is called a fals Prophet, a corrupter of y^e earth, an intoxicator & deceiver of all nations, & had mystery written in her forehead, Rev: 19.2, & 18 17.2 & 18.23. The horn spake great words against y^e most high, Dan 7.25: & y^e two hornd Beast spake as y^e Dragon, Rev 13.11. The horn made war w^th y^e saints & prevailed against them & wore them out, Dan 7.21, 25: & y^e whore was drunken w^th y^e blood of y^e Saints & w^th y^e blood of y^e martyrs of Iesus; & in her was found y^e blood of Prophets & of saints & of all that were <45r> slain upon the earth. The Dominion of both lasted untill y^e time y^t y^e saints possessed y^e kingdom (Dan. 7.21, 22. Rev 16.19 compared w^th ch 11.15) & was of equal continuance, y^e little horn reigning a time times & a half or 3½ yeares Dan 7.25, & y^e Whore's beast pospering {sic} 42 months, Rev 13.5. And y^e end of both was to be cast w^th their Beast into y^e burning flame Dan 7.11 {sic}, 21, 22. Rev 19.20.

These therefore being members of y^e same general kingdom & alike related to y^t kingdome & to their fellow members, & synchronal & agreeing in their \other/ qualities & fate must necessarily be allowed y^e same.

\ And hence, by y^e way, is manifest what we said above of Daniel's 4^th Beast, viz: that it is a combined representation of the Apocalyptic Dragon & two Beasts in one Body, this only excepted, y^t y^e two hord {sic} beast (as we shall presently show) begins not his Whorish reign upon y^e other Beast till some time after his first rise, & consequently begins but at a second rise to be represented \by the horn/ in Daniel./

9. It is y^e Whore of Babylon w^ch is prophesied of in Ezek: 23.15, 16, 17, 18: where it is thus written

"And it shall come to pass in that day y^t Tyre shall be forgotten seventy years according to y^e days of one King: \&/ after y^e end of seventy years shall Tyre sing as an Harlot. Take an Harp, go about y^e City thou Harlot that hast been forgotten, make sweet melody, sing many songs that thou mayst be remembred.     And it shall come to pass after y^e end of seventy years y^t y^e Lord will visit Tyre & she shall turn to her hire, & shall commit fornication w^th all the Kingdoms of y^e world upon y^e face of y^e earth. And her merchandise & her hire shall be holiness {sic} to y^e Lord. It shall not be treasured nor laid up: for her merchandise shall be for them that dwell before y^e Lord, to eat sufficiently & for durable cloathing."

The circumstances of this Prophesy do in all respects suit w^th y^e Whore of Babylon but not w^th y^e City of Tyre, & therefore I shall not doubt here by y^e {name} of Tyre to understand this Whore.

In y^e name there can be no difficulty becaus y^e holy Ghost altogether calls y^e Whore by names borrowed from forreign places, as Babylon, Sodom, Egypt, & (as some think) Idumea Isa <46r> Isa 34, & there is no reason why he may not as well call her Tyre, especially if Tyre in any respects besides wickedness (as in bordering upon y^e Sea & marchandising. See Rev 18.15, 17, 19) do more advantageously then other places typify her. Yea, if I am not mistaken, y^e holy Ghost has confirmed this name to her in Ezek 28. But at least that this place of Isaiah is to be understood of her may appear by y^e following considerations.

ffirst whereas Tyre is here called a Harlot & said to commit fornication w^th all y^e Kingdoms of y^e world upon y^e face of y^e Earth: this is y^e exact description of y^e Whore of Babylon but can in no wise agree to y^e City Tyre. For none but y^e Church of God can be an Harlot & commit fornication. This is a crime peculiar to God's people when they forsake him & go a whoring after other Gods or Idols. And therefore although Heathens were universally Idolaters yet y^e holy Ghost never reproves any Nation under y^e notion of committing fornication besides y^e revolting Iews in y^e old Testament & revolting Christians in y^e new. But were it otherwise so y^t Tyre be called a Harlot for her Idolatry, yet I see not how she should be accused for committing fornication w^th other nations since her dealing w^th other nations was only in matters of trade & merchandise. Nor does y^e Universality of y^e expression, that Tyre should commit fornication w^th all y^e kingdoms of y^e world upon y^e face of y^e earth agree so well to that city as to y^e Whore.

Secondly I see not how y^e seventy years of desolation can be accommodated to y^e City of Tyre. For from Isaiah's days to Nebuchadnezzar's it continued in prosperity <47r> excepting only five or six year's Siege & that in vain by Salmanasser, & by Nebuchadnezzar it was not only ruined for seventy years but for ever as was prophesied by Ezekiel ch 26. Yet not far from this city there was another incompassed by y^e sea & called by y^e same name. But this was not laid desolate w^th y^e other but from y^t very time governed first by \a/^[13] Baal their King for about {sic} 10 years & then by Iudges for about 7 years & 3 months & then again by Kings, the three first of w^ch Balator, Merbal & Hirom extended to y^e reign of Cyrus, & from thence |it| flourished till y^e reign of Alexander y^e great who utterly destroyed it under \b/^[14] Azelmicus its last king.

Thirdly in that these seventy years are said to be according to y^e days of one king, it is plainly signified that this prophesy is not to be interpreted litterally of Tyre but hath some mysticall meaning in it. For what King since Isaiah's days hath reigned 70 years? But if we refer it to y^e Apocalyps, supposing God by his foreknowledg hath accommodated it thereto, we may there perhaps meet w^th kings of sufficient duration \the interpretation will be obvious/ |For| the {sic} successive kings described there are y^e heads of y^e Beast, that is y^e portions or divisions of his reign, not by y^e death of single persons but by y^e periods of y^e seales: & by y^e same reason y^e divisions of his reign by y^e Trumpets may be also called Kings heads or kings, \& these we shall find of sufficient duration/ Wherefore since Isaiah's king must be a mystical one, what if it be one of these?

ffourthly whereas it is said that her merchandise & her hire shall be holiness to y^e Lord — & y^t her merchandise shall be for them that dwell before y^e Lord: it is here in so many words declared that by Tyre is meant a people whose merchandise & hire, that is whose possessions are holiness unto y^e Lord, & that y^e people for whom this merchandise is, that is y^e people of Tyre, are they that dwell <48r> before the Lord. And this is as much as to say that by Tyre is meant a people whose possessions are consecrate & set apart to y^e true God so that they cannot be alienated w^thout sacrilege, & a people also that are themselves set apart & consecrate to y^e service of that God. That is in plain words, a people whose possessions are y^e revenues of y^e Church, & w^ch themselves are ecclesiasticall persons like y^e Tribe of Levi. And this can be in no wise understood of y^e City of Tyre; but of y^e Whore of Babylon it is a most apposite description according to what we have proved of y^e two hornd Beast (sect    ) & y^e character w^ch S^t Paul gives of y^e man of Sin y^t he should sit in y^e Temple of God.

And whereas it is further added that her Merchandise shall not be treasured nor laid up – but shall be for them that dwell before y^e Lord to eat sufficiently, & for durable cloathing, that is they shall spend it upon their backs & bellies in pride & luxury: this also suits justly w^th y^e description of y^e Whore. For of her it is said that y^e merchants of y^e earth \(i.e. figurative ones)/ waxed rich through y^e abundance of her delicies {sic} Rev 18.3. And y^t all were made rich y^t had ships in y^e sea by reason of her costliness vers 18. And that she |she glorified her self & lived deliciously w^th y^e kings of y^e earth vers 7, 9, & lusted after fruits & things y^t were dainty & goodly. vers. 14 &| was clothed in fine linnen & purple & scarlet & decked w^th gold & w^th precious stones & Pearles vers 16 \& inriched y^e merchants by reason of her costliness vers 19/. And y^e merchandise she bought was Gold Silver Pretious Stones, Pearles, fine Linnen, Purple, Silk, Scarlet, sweet wood, all manner of pretious vessels, — Cinnamon, Odours, Ointments, Frankincense, Wine, Oyle, fine Flower, Wheat, Beasts, Sheep &c. vers 12, 13.

10 The two hornd Beast rose a little before y^e opening of y^e seventh Seale. ffor He {sic} rose before, because he mimistred {sic} to y^e ascention of y^e other Beast w^ch began then not to be hatched but to work visibly. And yet he rose not much <49r> before becaus he rose after y^e other Beast as is apparent both by y^e order of y^e narration & by y^e other's being called y^e first Beast, ch 13.12.

11. It was some considerable time before {sic} y^e two hornd Beast became y^e Whore upon y^e other Beast's back. ffor it would require some time for him to arrive to y^t height of \Idolatrous/ wickedness & dominion w^th w^ch y^e Whore is represented His rise out of y^e earth argues his low estate & slow at first & slow growth. And though he did even then great things for y^e other Beast yet he did 'em not by power but by sophistry & deceipt, & before he became y^e great Whore {he} suffered an Eclips of 70 years, as is manifest of out of y^e newly cited Prophesy of Isaiah concerning Tyre. For y^e restitution of Tyre cannot be at y^e first rise of y^e two hornd Beast because Tyre was a Whore in being be Moreover the Beast is represented rising w^th two horns, & yet y^e Whore is but one City & accordingly represented in Daniel by one horn: w^ch implies y^t y^e Whore ascended not upon her Beast till one of those horns (or some new one) had got y^e preeminence. Also y^e ten horns are called y^e first horns Dan 7.8 & y^e litte {sic} horn said to rise up after them vers 24, so as to root up three of them before it vers 8, 20. And therefore since y^e ten horns rose up at or after y^e beginning of y^e Trumpets, much more must y^e little horn rise up after y^t period & consequently after \still/ much more after y^e \two/ Beasts.

As for y^e exact beginning of y^e Whore's reign we shall show hereafter y^t it was w^th y^e Wo Trumpets: in y^e meane time let thus much suffice of this particular.

12. The little horn of Daniel's 4^th Beast was one of y^e horns of y^e two horned Beast growing up after a seventy years depression. to y^e height of ffor by what we have proved it is manifest y^t y^e Whore & consequently the little horn sprang {sic} immediately out of y^e two hornd Beast, & was in Daniel represented on y^e same \Daniels/ beast w^th \among/ y^e 10 horns only becaus there both S^t Iohn's Beasts ({illeg}) {illeg}) are combined in one. Wherefore <50r> it must be either one of y^e two first horns of the Beast pseudoprophetiqꝫ Beast or a new one. But not a new one, for it is manifest also out of y^e afforesaid prophesy of Tyre that this horn before it became y^e little horn in Daniel, suffered a deliquium for 70 years, & therefore was an old one re-resuscitated & exalted to a so much greater degree of dignity & wickedness y^t in comparison thereof it deserved not in its first state to be recconned among y^e ten horns in Daniel's vision.

If it be said that this horn might rise after y^e two notwithstanding y^t it was in being before y^e 70 years: I answer y^t it's much more probable y^t one of y^e two horns should overtop y^e other then y^t a new one should rise & overtop 'em both; & that y^e first rise of this so famous horn should be somwhere taken notice of in y^e Apocalyps then wholly omitted, as it is if different from y^e two. But further, this horn (in being y^e Whore) was that great City w^ch in y^e sixt head or seale (defined ch 17.10) & consequently at y^e rise of y^e two hornd Beast, reigned over y^e kings of y^e earth ch 17.18: & such a City could not but have been even then one of y^e principal Episcopal seats in y^e world, & consequently a horn of y^e two hornd Beast.

13. The Whore exalted her self above all earthly powers. For this is exprest by y^e 10 kings giving their power strength & kingdom to her Beast ch 17.13, 17; & by her sitting upon (that is by Fig     reigning over) him & y^e many waters (vers 1) w^ch are peoples & multitudes & nations & tongues (vers 15.) Agreeable to this is y^e Whore's being \& by the look of Daniel's horn w^ch was stouter then his fellows & by its having eyes & a mouth to represent it as a head set over them. Agreable to this it is y^t y^e Whore is said to glorify her self & sit a Queen \ch 18.7/ & called Babylon y^t is a sovereign Imperial City; & arayed in fine/ arayed in \fine linnen &/ purple & scarlet colour & decked w^th gold & precious stone {sic} & pearls ch 17.4 & 18.16. For this is a badg of her imperial dignity as if it were said |y^t| she {sic} was invested w^th royal ornaments such <51r> |as| kings & Emperors used as an argument of their quality. For it was y^e custom of nations that to express honour & greatness \dominion/ by wearing Gold Iewels & rich apparel. Thus Daniel was adorned \arayed/ at his exaltation over y^e third part of y^e kingdom, Dan 5.29 {sic}; & Mordecai, Esther 8.15; & Simon 1 Mac. 4.43, 44. And Andronicus 2 Mac. 4.38. And of y^e Roman Senators tis said in 1 Mac 8.14 None of them wore a Crown or was cloathed in purple to be magnified thereby. So Iosephus Antiqu. l 10. c 12 Publicavit daturum se Danieli torquem aureum & purpureæ vestis usum quali Chaldæorum Reges utuntur. So y^e Persian kings had a peculiar royal apparell {sic} & crown royall Esther 6.8, \much/ y^e same I guess w^th Mordecai's ch 8.15 viz: An apparel of blew & white w^th a great crown of gold & w^th a garment of fine linnen & purple. And who knows not y^t y^e Roman Emperors also distinguisht themselves by a purple Robe?

Supposing therefore y^e Whore's apparel a badge of her dominion: she must so far transcend her Beast \therein/ as her ornament transcends his simple scarlet colour.

14 The Imperial seat of y^e Whore is y^e same City w^th that w^ch was before y^e Dragon's. ffor y^e Dragon gave y^e Beast his seat & y^e Beast gave it to y^e Whore in yeilding her y^e Monarchy over him. The Angel taking from y^e time of y^e sixt head as from y^e nearest distance, a prospect of y^e wicked times ready to begin, told S^t Iohn y^t y^e Whore is y^t great City w^ch reigneth over the Kings of y^e earth, ch 17.18: w^ch is as much as to say that y^e great city w^ch then ruled reigned over y^e world should become y^e seat of y^e Whore, & consequently y^t y^e Imperial seat of y^e Whore should be that same City w^ch was y^e Imperial seat of y^e world before y^e Whore was in being, that is of so much of y^e world as is considered in this Prophesy & \so/ represented by y^e Dragon & Beast, & at that time by y^e Dragon, y^e sixt Seale belonging properly to y^e Dragon's reign, & y^e Beast not being when this was <52r> spoken ch 17.11. Or if you will say it was then become y^e Imperial City of y^e Beast because y^e Dragon had newly given y^e Beast his seat; yet in saying so it is confest to be y^e Imperial seat of y^e whole kingdom represented by y^e Dragon & Beast in common.

The seat of y^e Empire therefore from y^e Dragon's to y^e end of y^e Whore's reign is one & y^e same City. And this I take to be y^e reason main grownd why y^e whole Empire from y^e beginning of y^e Dragon's to y^e end of y^e Whore's reign is accounted but one & y^e same Empire {sic} & accordingly represented in Daniel by but one Beast, notw^thstanding y^t y^e Whore's reign is otherwise of a very different kind from y^e Dragon's. And yet this will not have be {sic} a sufficient ground for y^t unity unless y^e Whore be supposed an inbred Dominion. ffor if she had risen out of a forreign nation invading this City, her dominion ought to have been accounted as much a different Empire from y^e Dragon's as y^e two first of y^e four Empires though seated both at Babylon were different from one another, & so should have been represented not by a horn upon y^e 4^th Beast but by a different or 5^t Beast.

There is another Prophesy in Daniel very pertinent to o^r purpose, viz: that of y^e Ram & Goat where y^e Goats last horn (notwithstanding what men dream of Antiochus Epiphanes) signifys y^e fourth Empire from y^e beginning to y^e end of it as I shal prove when I come to consider y^t & y^e rest of Daniel's Prophesies. And if y^e whole Empire be but that one horn, it is certain evidence y^t y^e dominion thereof from y^e beginning to y^e end was seated both in y^e same <53r> people & in the same head City.

15. The Whore is S^t Paul's Man {sic} of Sin. For he like y^e fals Prophet came w^th signes & w^th lying wonders & w^th all deceivableness 2 Thes 2.9, 10. He like y^e Whore exalteth himself above all y^t is called God & y^t is worshipped vers 4: Above all y^t is called God, that is \his head person/ above all Kings & earthly potentates, for it is not said above God himself but above all that is called by his name: Above all that is worshipped, that is w^th civile worship, for σέβασμα seems to relate to Σιβαστος y^e common name of y^e Roman Emperors mentioned sometimes in y^e Acts.      He like y^e Whore sits as a God in the Temple of God, shewing himself to be a God: As a God, \{illeg}/ y^t is as a King or Monarch: In y^e temple of God, that is in or over y^e \polluted/ Church |represented by y^e Beast or (as is exprest in Rev 11.2) in the outward court of y^e temple & in y^e holy City w^ch were given to y^e Gentiles.|: Shewing himself to be a God, that is proving or demonstrating \to y^e world/ as it were by apodictical arguments that he is no counterfeit, no Vsurper {sic}, but de jure as well as de facto supreme y^e Ecclesiastical Monarch; for he as well as y^e Whore ἀποδεικνὺν signifies properly such a proof \prooving/ as this.      He like y^e Whore succeeded y^e temporal Empire of y^e world in its seat: for he was not to be revealed till y^t w^ch letted were taken out of y^e way \vers 6, 7/; that is, as all y^e Ancients interpret, till y^e civil Empire then in being were taken out of y^e way to make room for a successor. And lastly he like y^e fals Prophet is to be destroyed by o^r Lord at his coming to judgment; for as y^e Word {sic} of God w^th y^e Armies of heaven came against y^e Beast & fals Prophet & they were taken & cast into y^e Lake of fire, Rev 19; so y^e Lord shall consume y^e Man of sin w^th y^e spirit \breath/ of his mouth & w^th y^e brightness of his coming 2 Thes. 2.8.

Position 8.
The Image of y^e Beast is another internal body \an Ecclesiasticall Assembly/ of men representing y^e ten hornd Beast & deriving its authority from y^e two hornd Beast <54r> and was made between y^e beginnings of the seventh Seale & first Trumpet.

1. The Beast whose Image this is, is y^e ten hornd, \&/ not y^e two hornd Beast. For it is said to be made to y^e Beast w^ch had y^e wound by a sword, y^t is to y^e ten hornd Beast. And y^e same thing is implied in y^e often repeated expression of worshipping y^e Beast & his Image, y^t is y^e ten hornd Beast & his Image to both w^ch y^e two hornd Beast did injoyn that worship, ch 13.12, 15, & both w^ch in ch 19.20 are mentioned together w^th y^e fals Prophet; & therefore since y^e fals Prophet is y^e two hornd Beast, this Beast whose is y^e Image must be that w^th ten horns: especially since y^e name of Beast is only given to y^e two hornd Beast in ch 13, & afterwards appropriate to y^t w^th ten horns, y^e other's name being changed to y^t of Whore & fals Prophet.

2. This Image represents y^e ten hornd Beast. For els it could not be his Image nor would men worship it as they worship y^e Beast. For as y^e reason why Idolaters worship Idols is becaus they look upon them as the representatives of their Gods, so y^e reason why y^e worshippers of y^e Beast do also worship his Image should be that they account it his representative. It cannot be called his Image w^thout respect to likeness, as y^e Statue set up by Nebuchadnezzar was called Nebuchadnezzar's Image: for so it ought rather to have been called y^e Image of y^e two hornd Beast that caused it to be made & receive life & be worshipt; & therefore it must be granted his representative.

3. It is some kind of Authority & not an Image of wood or stone or metal, because it received life from y^e two hornd Beast so y^t it could both speak & caus that as <55r> many as would not worship it should be killed, & becaus it was not only worshipped but made by them that dwel on y^e earth, y^t is not by an Artificer but a multitude. Nor is it so likely y^t a material Image should be made to represent a body politiqꝫ whose form consists not in any external shape but in Authority & Dominion.

4. This Authority is derived from y^e two hornd Beast ffor it was this Beast y^t injoyned men to make y^e Image & had power to give life unto it, |& inable it to speake & to cause y^t as many as would not worship it should be killed.|

5. It is distinct from y^e Authority of either Beast, being neither y^e authority of y^e tenhornd Beast becaus but his Image; nor of y^e two hornd Beast becaus derived from him, & enlivend by his power; nor of both together becaus mentioned together w^th |y^m| both as a third thing distinct from both ch 13 & 19.

6 Its placed rather in a body of men then in a single person: for so it will more truly reprent {sic} y^e Beast who is not a single person but y^e most universa {sic} Body politiqꝫ.

7. It \The Image/ is not a forreign Kingdom or Body {sic} politiqꝫ but a {sic} body of men made or constituted w^thin those nations w^ch worshipped y^e Beast. For y^e it is made by his worshippers as may appear by comparing ch 13. vers 8 {sic} & 12 w^th vers 14: And & these worshippers are y^e universall kingdom beyond whose bounds nothing is considered in this part of y^e prophesy. Were y^e Image a forreign kingdom it would not be so much an Image of y^e Beast as a distinct Beast it self having its proper subjects.

8 Ioyning all these considerations, it must necessarily be some Assembly {sic} of men (as a Senate, Parliament, or Council) selected & convened out of y^e Subjects of y^e Beast to be his representative. ffor such & none but such a Body {sic} politiqꝫ can significantly be called y^e Image or <56r> representative of a Kingdom.

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9 {illeg} It is an Ecclesiastical Assembly. For it was convened by Christians, Christianity being (as I have shewn) the profession of both Beasts from y^e truth of w^ch they were now degenerating: And by these it was convened not for politiqꝫ designes but for setting up a new religion things in religion: And its Authority was spiritual & not temporal; for it must be of y^e same kind w^th y^e two hornd Beast's Authority from whence it sprang. Had it been temporal it must have sprang from y^e ten hornd Beast he being y^e fountain of all temporal power as y^e two hornd Beast was of all spirituall.

10. To worship y^e Beast & his Image is to receive \& trust in/ their Authority, to beleive {sic} & rely on {sic} their decrees & statutes or opinions upon y^e account of their Authority, to have y^t faith in them w^ch is dew \only/ to God alone that is to divine revelation manifested either immediately or by y^e mediation of such men as give unquestionable sufficient evidence that they have y^e spirit of prophesy. To have this faith & trust in y^e Beast & his Image is to worship 'em even in a litteral sense, & that in a very y^t in a very high {manner} faith & trust in God or \Idols or/ any thing els being y^e highest worship we can give them: & this is y^e only worship y^t a Kingdom & a Council are capable of. Of a Council its plain becaus its Authority is spiritual & so y^e proper object of \religious/ worship. Of a Kingdome there might be some difficulty were its Authority only \in/ temporal matters, but y^e Beast signifies a Kingdom not mearely as temporal but also as spiritual Christian. He is y^e Whole visible body of Christians, y^e Catholic visible Church during his reign, & accordingly has a double authority: temporall from y^e Dragon ch 13.2, & spiritual from y^e Beast two hornd Beast vers 12. And that y^e worshipping of him is nothing els then y^e receiving & \receiving this authority/ confiding in it is plain in that

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10. It was made between y^e opening of y^e seventh Seal & beginning of y^e first Trumpet to sound: not sooner \later/ because y^e plague of y^e first Viall fe was inflicted upon men for worshipping it; nor sooner becaus it was made by y^e two hornd Beast to y^e ten hornd Beast after y^e healing of his wound ch: 13.14, & (as is plain) in the time of his ascention out of y^e bottomles pit.

{illeg} It is manifest therefore that this Image was an erroneous Council, & that a general one becaus y^e representative of y^e Beast y^t is of y^e universal \visible/ body of Christians usually called y^e Church; & y^t it was made at {sic} y^e very ascentiontion {sic} of y^e Beast out of y^e bottomles pit for setting up & establishing y^e new religion w^ch he brought up w^th him; & that by y^e influence of y^e two hornd Beast it was made authoritative & \that is/ received in y^e wor believed on & trusted in by y^e world, or (to use y^e Apocalyptic language) worshipped by them, as they also worshipt y^e Beast, y^t is believed & trusted in y^e vogue of y^e Christian world \then/ called y^e Church.

Position 9
The two & forty {sic} months of y^e Beast's {sic} \making war/, the like reign of y^e Whore, the stay of y^e Woman in y^e Wildernes, the treading under foot of the holy City, & y^e prophesying of y^e two Witnesses in sackcloth, are throughout synchronal & extend from y^e beginning of y^e Wo-Trumpets to y^e killing of y^e Witnesses.

1. They are of equal duration. The Beast 42 Months ch 13.5; the Whore or little Horn a time & times & y^e dividing of time Dan 7.25; the Woman in y^e Wilderness a time times & half a time Rev 12.14, or 1260 days ch 12.6; y^e Gentiles 42 months, & y^e Witnesses {sic} 1260 days ch 11.2, 3. All w^ch are equall since y^e holy Ghost in ch 12.6, 14 hath interpreted a time & times & y^e dividing of time to be 1260 days, that is three Chaldaic years & a half or 42 months.

2. They are synchronal & end w^th y^e killing of y^e Witnesses. Of their Synchronism severally there are divers characters: As of y^e Witnesses {sic} in Sackcloth & y^e Woman in y^e Wilderness becaus both express y^e like desolate estate of y^e Church. Of y^e Woman & Whore by way of opposition & becaus y^e Wilderness wherein y^e Woman is is also inhabited by y^e Whore ch 17.13, & made to be a Wilderness by her abominations Fig.      Of y^e Whore & her Beast becaus \Daniel's little horn grows upon his head &/ shee sits upon him during her reign ch. 17.16, 17, 18, & he reigns w^th proportional prosperity so long as she sits upon him, & rises & falls perishes together w^th y^e two hornd Beast or fals Prophet of whose continuance y^e Whore's reign is y^e \principal/ middle portion. Of y^e Woman & Beast becaus y^e saints w^th w^ch he warred all y^e time must be in y^e same Wilderness {sic} w^th him & so no other then that Woman. Of y^e Beast & Gentiles by their identity See <58r> Posit     Of y^e Gentiles & Witnesses because they are introduced together ch 11.2, 3. And of y^e Beast & Witnesses becaus he makes war w^th them & kills them. And indeed such is y^e affinity of all these things y^t their Synchronism was never yet that I know doubted of, the equality of their duration being alone thought a sufficient indication thereof.

But to comprehend them all together: they are all necessarily implyed in y^e times immediately before y^e death of y^e witnesses because till then y^e enemies {sic} of y^e Church prevailed more & more over her; & they are inconsistent w^th y^e times after their resurrection becaus from y^t time she prevails over her enemies untill first y^e great City & soon after y^e whole Kingdom of y^e Beast be overthrown. For at y^e very resurrection of y^e Witnesses she frighted her enemies & was no longer hid in y^e wilderness but became visible to all y^e world who beheld her as an ascendin a cloud for multitude \ch 11.11, 12/ Fig    . The numbers therefore since they all express y^e time of y^e Churches desolation & her enemies prevailing over her, must end between these two periods. And of these two I prefer y^e first: ffor then y^e witnesses have done prophesying & by consequence y^e Woman is ceased out of y^e Wilderness & y^e Temple out of y^e City so y^t it is no longer a holy City w^ch y^e Gentiles tread under foot; & y^e Beast & w^th him y^e Whore for want of enemies have done ^{a [15]} making war, & also their \begin to send/ triumphal sending gifts to one another denotes. The killing of y^e Witnesses therefore puts an end to all things to w^ch y^e 1260 days are applied & so must be y^e common period of those days.

I say an end: for if any one tell me y^t Christ has promised y^t y^e gates of Hell shall not prevail against y^e Church & therefore she cannot be interrupted, I return y^t other saying of his; When y^e Son of man cometh shall he <59r> find faith on y^e earth. As there was \an/ intermission of y^e Iewish Kingdom for seventy years in y^e Babylonian captivity, notwithstanding y^e promis that y^e Scepter should not depart from Iudah till Shiloh came, so in o^r \Saviour's/ Promis a short intermission of y^e Church may not be accounted a prevailing against her – becaus not a final nor durable prevailing, nor yet so absolute but that her roots may continue in y^e earth, some men remaining well disposed to receive y^e truth though for a time carried away w^th y^e streame, others seeking & perhaps discerning & believing it but yet imperfectly like those Pharisees y^t feared to confes it least they should be put out of y^e Synagogue, or at least some believing one truth, others another so as among them to retain y^e Whole, & if you will go further & suppose some few believers of all that's {sic} necessary, I shall not gainsay it so you will but suppose 'em so few as here not to come into compute.

Some I know will say that y^e witnesses are two single persons, & so their killing infers not any such deliquium of y^e Church. \And to these I might answer y^t y^e Witnesses prophesy in sackcloth all y^e 1260 days & therefore this number of days & consequently all things that are concluded in it (among w^ch is y^e Woman's stay in y^e Wilderness) have an end at y^e death of the Witnesses. Wherefore it is necessary y^t y^e Woman at that time begin either to come out of y^e Wildernes or suffer a deliquium there. But she begins not to come out before their resurrection & consequently must suffer a deliquium during their death, & therefore these Witnesses expres y^e fate not of two single persons only but of y^e \whole/ Church. But further he y^t considers may easily ——/ But \further/ he y^t considers may easily discern that they are something diffused through y^e whole Beast's dominion since it was not a few men but y^e Beast y^t made war w^th them & killed y^m, not a single City or nation but peoples kindreds tongues & nations y^t rejoyced over them & saw them rise again & ascend to heaven in a cloud. And y^e City in whose street their dead bodies lay was not a bare City but y^e whole dition thereof extending as far as where o^r Lord was crucified. Also they are \called/ two Candlesticks w^ch is an emblem not of persons but of Churches Rev 1.20. And if there were nothing els but this, y^t it is y^e tenour of y^e Prophesy to represent every thing by figures, it would be ground enough for us to suppose y^e same done in these Prophets.

3. These 1260 days begin w^th y^e Wo-Trumpets.

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3. The 1260 days begin after y^e beginning of y^e Trumpets. For they are y^e duration of the little horn, & {illeg} that begins after y^e ten horns & consequently after y^e beginning of y^e Trumpets See Posit      The Beast indeed (to whom y^e same length of time is assigned ch 13.5) began w^th y^e Trumpets but it is not said that this time was his whole reign but that he should make war so long, that is prosperously as the words before imply {sic} where his worshippers cry: Who is able to make war w^th y^e Beast him? His whole reign it cannot be because he is coextended to all y^e Trumpets, whereas this Synchronism ends w^th y^e death of y^e Witnesses. It must therefore be but a part of his reign, & there is as much reason why it should want at y^e beginning as at y^e end & so be y^e principal middle part; the times before the total obscuring of y^e truth (viz: those in w^ch y^e earth helped y^e woman & swallowed up y^e \advers/ waters) being excluded as well as those after it began to revive. Much after y^e same manner we shall find \also/ y^t y^e \other/ numbers in 5^t & 6^t Trumpets agree to y^e principal middle parts of y^e |two| kingdoms exprest \there/ by y^e Locusts & Euphratean horsmen.

4 The 1260 days begin w^th y^e Wo-Trumpets. For y^e manifestation of this it is to be observed that as y^e four first seales in chap 6 were ushered in by y^e four Beasts, so the first four Trumpets are ushered in apart by their four Angels standing on y^e corners of y^e Earth chap 7.1. For y^t these were y^e Angels, not w^ch sounded but w^ch executed y^e consequent effects is manifest becaus to them it was given to hurt y^e earth & y^e Sea, & another Angel cryed saying Hurt not y^e earth & y^e Sea neither y^e Sea nor y^e Trees till we have sealed y^e servants of o^r God in their foreheads. These are they therefore w^ch after y^e saints are sealed hurt y^e earth & Trees at y^e first Trumpet & y^e Sea at y^e second: & their number will extend them to y^e third & fourth also, but no further; for y^e winds wherewith y^e Angels hurt y^e earth & y^e Sea &c: are so many wars by Fig     & therefore we are to suppose y^t y^e Angels let go these winds successively as being y^e four first of y^e seven <61r> succesive wars of y^e Trumpets. And from this combination of these four Trumpets may be argued that they relate to things of y^e same nature w^th one another & of a different nature from y^e contents of y^e three last w^ch by y^e want of Angels are distinguisht from them: For otherwise the introduction of y^e four Angels & their limitation to that number would be an insignificant circumstance. But to put y^e matter out of doubt, y^e holy Ghost has again signified y^e combination of y^e four first Trumpets by parting them \as it were/ from y^e three last by y^e interposition of an Angel flying through y^e midst of heaven & saying w^th a loud voice; Wo, wo, wo to y^e inhabitants of y^e earth by {sic} reason of y^e other voices of y^e Trumpet of y^e three Angels w^ch are yet to sound. |The care therefore taken by y^e holy Ghost to separate y^e three last Trumpets from y^e four first both by the interposition of an Angel crying Wo, & by adumbrating y^e four Trumpets first apart by their four Angels must needs imply some considerable difference in y^e nature of y^e things w^ch they relate to, & so y^t y^e Wo Trumpets begin w^th a new scene of things. Yea & y^e descriptions of their plagues do evidence as much, those of y^e first four being exprest by smiting y^e severall parts of y^e world, & of y^e two last by y^e rise of numerous monsters.|

In like manner it is to be considered that since y^e reign of y^e Whore or little horn began later then the Trumpets the things w^ch fall in w^th these Trumpets \& precede y^e death of y^e witnesses/ must consist of two successive revolutions of a kind manifestly different from one another: the first before y^e rise of y^e horn, y^e second in its reign: the first untill y^e fall of y^e temporal Empire, y^e second after y^e rise of y^e spiritual; the first while y^e Apostates {sic} heathenised more moderately, the second when their heathenising was grown to maturity so as fully to deserve y^e name of whoredom. And these things premised afford us y^e following arguments for o^r assertion.

Arg 1. The eighth Head or King is coextended to y^e Trumpets, Posit       & therefore their principal divisions must fall in w^th one another by Rule     But the principal division {sic} of y^e eighth head before \so far as it precedes/ y^e death of y^e Witnesses {sic} is into y^e times before & in y^e reign of y^e Whore, & y^e principal division of y^e Trumpets \so far as they precede y^e same death of y^e witnesses/ is into y^e four first & three \two/ last. These are their two principal parts y^e most uniform in themselves & y^e most diversified from one another by y^e greatest {sic} interceding revolutions <62r> & therefore must be adjusted to one another. For y^e care taken Arg by {sic} the Holy Ghost to separate y^e three last Trumpets from y^e four first, both by y^e interposition of an Angel crying Wo, & by adumbrating y^e four Trumpets first apart by their four Angels, must neds imply some considerable difference in y^e nature of y^e things times w^ch they relate to, & so y^t y^e Wo-trumpets begin w^th a new scene of things.

Arg 2. The 1260 days are of all times the most wicked as is notoriously manifest by y^e description of the Whore of Babylon in chap 17 & 18, & of y^e little horn in Daniel so many ages before. In like manner y^e Wo-trumpets are represented as conteining y^e greatest judgments of God for wickedness as is manifest by y^e proclamation of Wo at y^e beginning of them: And therefore since it is usual w^th God to proportion his judgments to wickedness this synchronism will best agree to these Trumpets. The denunciation {sic} of Wo at y^e beginning of them is a declaration of God's anger at y^e aggravation of y^e wickednes commencing at that time, & I see not what wickedness that can be besides y^e begining of this Synchronism.

Something it may conduce to this argument to consider that (as we shewed in Posit 3.3) the Earth in helping the Woman was in y^e second {sic} & third Trumpets opening her mouth & swallowing up y^e waters & therefore wickedness was not then arived to y^e hight.

Arg: 3. I have shown y^t y^e Ecclesiastical Empire was to succeed y^e temporal in y^e same Imperial City, & S^t Paul tells us y^t y^e first should be taken out of & that City to ly desolate seventy yeares between y^e fall of one & y^e rise of y^e other: Search now y^e {illeg} Series of y^e Trumpets from one end to y^e other & you will find nothing that can signify this change & desolation beside y^e fourth Trumpet. ffor in that only is y^e smiling of y^e Luminaries w^ch is y^e proper & <63r> full Emblem of y^e ruin or deliquium of a kingdom, Fig    

The three first three Trumpets express y^e smiting of y^e earth sea & Rivers w^th y^e things therein, & y^e fourth of y^e heavenly bodies \to y^e third part of them/, & so all four together express y^e smiting of y^e whole \third part of the/ Vnivers {sic} that is of y^e Kingdom signified by y^e \the third part of y^e / Vnivers, w^ch is y^e Beast, he being y^e Subject of y^e Trumpets. These Trumpets therefore express y^e gradual smiting y^e Bestial Vnivers or World in all its parts successively untill y^e whole be smitten & so an end put to it for a time, the smiting of y^e luminaries & stars being reserved to y^e last becaus y^e full Emblem of y^e Eclips or deliquium of a Kingdom. But yet least it \the Kingdom/ should be thought for ever abolished it is said only that y^e day shone not for a third part of it & y^e night likewise, w^ch is as much as to say y^t y^e smiting of y^e Bestial {sic} world being accomplished at y^e begining of y^e fourth Trumpet, y^e kingdom continued in darkness for a third part of its day & night & then recovered it's light again. Compare this w^th y^e Prophesy of Isaiah chap 23, & I believe you will easily think this Trumpet to be y^e king according to whose days Tyre was to be forgotten seventy years, & y^e time of darkness to be y^e seventy years, seing it is of that darknes is not momentary but puts a considerable distance between y^e fall of y^e temporal & rise of y^e spiritual Empire.

Something like this deliquium is y^e w{ound} of y^e Beast w^th a sword; but we have shown y^t to be made & healed in y^e sixt seale & consequently long before y^e reign of y^e whore {illeg} besides, At y^e same time y^t it was said; The Beast y^t was & is not, it was also said; y^e Whore is that great City w^ch reigneth over y^e Kings of y^e earth: w^ch is as much as to say y^t in y^e time of y^e wound y^e great City w^ch should become y^e Whore ruled over y^e Kings of y^e earth & consequently was not laid desolate till afterward.

Position 10.
The Temple w^thin y^e holy City troden under foot by y^e Gentiles, denotes the same thing w^th the Woman in the Wilderness persecuted by the Dragon & Beast: the Temple answering to y^e Woman, y^e City to y^e Wilderness, & y^e Gentiles to y^e Beast y^t was & is not.