a short time as hath been proved already ch 6. Disp. 2. q. 5. CHAP. XII The Prophecy of the Woman and the great Red Dragon representing the conversion of the Jews and the opposition and persecution of the Devil 1. AND I saw a great wonder in the Starry Heaven prefiguring what should be done upon the earth and the wonder which I saw was a woman representing the Nation of the Iews cloathed with the Sun in token of her future Glory and the Moon beneath her Feet in token she should change no more and a Crown of twelve Stars upon her head which are the twelve Tribes of Israel 2. And their conversion shall be like the pains of a woman in Travel which hath hard labour and strong pains and throws before she be delivered even so they of this Nation that be converted first shall have hard labour and Travel to convert the rest 3. And I saw another wonder in the Starry Heaven and it was a great Red Dragon representing the Devil and his mighty Agents upon earth which shall oppose the Church of Israel in her Travel and hinder their conversion what they can and they be seven Heathen Kings which shall have Crowns upon their Heads and ten Heathen Kingdoms which shall have no Kings of their own in them at this time 4. And he shall be in a great rage to hear of the conversion of this Church and Nation and in this rage of his shall with his tail in which as some say his main strength doth lye seek to overthrow the frame of nature and had rather Heaven and Earth should have an end than the conversion of that Church be brought to pass Or else his tail may represent the vulgar people that be in his Kingdoms as his seven heads do represent his Kings and by the help of this vulgar people he shall turn aside some part of that Nation from minding their conversion at the present and draw their hearts away from Heavenly things to earthly or else do some other hurt unto them and he himself shall stand before the Church of Israel now ready to be converted to the Faith of Christ threatning to devour them and their Children so soon as they become Christians 5. Yet for all this they shall be converted to the Christian Faith and the Child that shall be born of them is Jesus Christ who is then said to be born spiritually whenas a Church or Nation is brought to believe in him and after their conversion he shall subdue all Nations that War against them with the Sword but he himself shall sit in Heaven at Gods right hand and on his Throne 6. And when they be converted a great part of that Nation shall flee into the Wilderness especially they that be instrumental to convert the rest where they shall have a place prepared for them by the Lord their God as their forefathers had when they came forth of Egypt that they may be nourished and preserved there three years and a half from the fury of the Devil and his Agents 7. But before that this is done there shall be a great battel in the Church Michael and his Angels shall fight against the Devil in behalf of the Church of Israel that they may be converted to the Christian Faith and the Devil shall fight against Michael and his Angels against the others Angels that they may remain in unbelief 8. But Michael and his Angels shall prevail and the Devil and his Angels shall be overthrown and there shall be no place for them any more in the Church of Israel 9. And the great Red Dragon that old malicious Serpent otherwise called the Devil and Satan who deceived our first Parents at the first and the whole race of mankind ever since shall be cast forth of the Jewish Nation and all his evil Angels cast forth with him 10. And there shall be great joy in the Church of Israel and loud acclamation and Thanksgiving saying Now is salvation come to the Church of Israel from the Lord our God he is the Author of it and to him be it ascribed for evermore And the might and Kingdom of our God shall now be seen and made known unto the World and the power of his Christ for the accuser of that Church and Nation is cast forth who before their conversion accused them of their unbelief before our God day and night but from henceforth shall accuse them of that crime no more 11. But they shall overcome him by the merits of his blood who died for them and by their Faith which they have in him and the open profession of the same and they shall not love their lives more than they love their Christ but expose them unto death rather than remain in unbelief and deny their Faith in him and for this it is that Satan shall be cast forth of that Nation 12. Rejoyce ye Church of Israel because Satan is cast forth of your Nation and from ruling any more therein but wo be to the unbelieving Gentiles after this is done for the Devil will be among you altogether and have great wrath as knowing he hath but a short time to stay among you 13. And when Satan shall perceive that he is cast forth of the Jewish Nation he shall set himself to persecute that Church and Nation especially those members of them which were converted first and shall be instrumental to beget the rest to the Faith of Christ. 14. But power and opportunity shall be given to those members of that Church to fly into the Wilderness to the place prepared for them where they shall be nourished and preserved three years and a half from the power of the Devil and his Angels 15. And when the Devil shall perceive that they are fled into the Wilderness he shall send a flood of Water after them to drown them in the Wilderness or drive them out from thence 16. But God shall cause the dry and thirsty earth to open her mouth and swallow up the flood of Water which the Devil shall send after them and the Water thereupon shall do them no hurt 17. At which the Devil shall be very wroth and thereupon shall leave the Wilderness where they be and make War with the remnant of that Church and Nation which shall not flee into the Wilderness as the other shall but keep the commandments of the Lord their God and profess the faith of Jesus Christ in their known and open dwellings 18. And to accomplish this design of his he shall stand upon the sea shore representing the heathen people and Nations of the World out of whom he shall raise a beastly Tyrant to make War against that part of the Church of Israel which shall flee into the Wilderness as hereafter followeth Disputation VIII 1. Quest. Whether this Prophecy doth belong to the seventh Trumpet and be a part thereof Ans. 1. The seventh Trumpet doth not end with the former Chapter
they come to pass as appears not only vers 7. 8. 10. but also Rev. 7. 2 3. 7. Where shall we find in all the Scripture that by Fire is meant sedition I find it sometimes taken for affliction persecution and temptation Psal. 66. 12. Zach. 13. 9. Mal. 3. 2. 1 Pet. 4. 12. but for sedition never 8. If by Fire 〈◊〉 these Trumpets be meant sedition what is meant by Hail in the first Trumpet is that sedition too where have they a president for that How is it that men interpret Scripture and have no Scripture for what they say To which may be added that Fire is hot and dry but Hail is cold and moist and how can these two be symbols of the same thing in one and the same Prophecy surely if the Fire be sedition the Hail must be some other thing 9. If by Fire be meant sedition what is meant by Trees and green Grass which the Fire burnt up v. 7 Here they tell us that by green Grass is meant the righteous but what is meant by Trees they do not tell us perhaps they think that by Trees is meant the righteous too but this is not so for but the third part of the Trees was burnt up but all the green Grass was burnt up and none left and therefore the Grass is one thing and the Trees another thing 10. Where shall we find in all the Scripture that by green grass is meant the righteous True it is that green trees are sometimes taken for the righteous Luk. 23. 31. but green Grass never 11. The green Grass is opposed to those which have the seal of God in their foreheads Rev. 7. 3. Rev. 9. 4. now by the latter is meant the righteous therefore by the former is meant some other thing 12. If by Fire be meant sedition what is meant by Sea in the second Trumpet where 't is said that a great Mountain burning with Fire was cast into the Sea here they tell us that by Sea is meant the Land of Galilee why do they not also say that by the earth in the first Trumpet upon which also Fire was cast is meant the Sea of Galilee If this be not to wrest the Scripture I know not what is for if by Sea be meant the Land why may they not as well say that by Land is meant the Sea 13. If by Sea be meant the Land what is meant by Ships when 't is said the third part of Ships were destroyed be there any Ships upon the Land Here they tell us that by Ships is meant the Cities why do they not also say that by Cities in the Revelation is meant the Ships And when 't is said Rev. 16. 19. the great City was divided into three parts why do they not say the meaning is the great Ship was divided into three parts And when 't is said Rev. 17. 18. the woman which thou sawest is the great City which Reigneth over the Kings of the earth why do they not say the meaning is the woman is the great Ship which Reigneth over the Kings of the Sea But let them tell me indeed be Cities meant by Ships then when 't is said v. 9. the third part of Ships were destroyed the meaning is the third part of Cities were destroyed but History will tell us that not Jerusalem only but all the Cities were destroyed by the Romans except some few only which yielded to them of their own accord and there was not one of three much less two of three left remaining which was not destroyed by them and the time when this was done was after the siege of Jerusalem by Gallus whenas 't is here according to their exposition of the Trumpets set before it for they will have the destruction of the Cities be the meaning of the second Trumpet and the siege of the City by Gallus the meaning of the fourth Trumpet which cannot be because Ierusalem was besieged first by Gallus and the Cities were destroyed afterward of which see Bishop Ussers Annal. p. 691 692. 14. If by Sea be meant the Land and by Ships the Cities what is meant by the Rivers and Fountains of Waters in the third Trumpet Here they tell us that by Rivers and Fountains of Waters is meant the Towns and Villages Alas wit whither wilt thou go From Sea to Land from Ships to Cities from Rivers and Fountains of Waters to Towns and Villages and when all this is done the Text will not bear it for men died in the Towns and villages but not of the Towns and Villages but in the Text it is said men died of the Waters 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the Waters not in the Waters and the death which they died was a sickly death as they that drink poisoned water do but the death which the Jews died was a bloody death 15. What is the meaning of the fourth Trumpet Here they tell us that the fourth Trumpet is a Prophecy of the siege of Jerusalem by Gallus but the time doth not agree with their exposition of the Trumpets for this siege of his was before the War began in Galilee when as by their exposition of the Trumpets it is made to succeed it 16. The smiting of the Sun Moon and Stars are used in Scripture to prefigure an utter desolation of a City or Country and not a bare siege and no more Ezek. 32. 7. Esa. 13. 10. Joel 2. 10. 31. Joel 3. 15. but here they make the smiting of the Sun Moon and Stars to denote a bare siege of Jerusalem by Gallus without the taking and destroying of it 17. If the fourth Trumpet be a Prophecy of the siege of Jerusalem by Gallus what is meant by the Sun Moon and Stars which that Trumpet speaketh of Here they tell us that by the Sun is meant the Temple by the Moon the City and by the Stars the People but by their leave the Sun Moon and Stars are said to be smitten in the Prophecy so was not the Temple City nor People by Gallus but rather as when the Syrians left the siege of Samaria and fled Israel had the Victory against the Syrians so when Gallus raised the siege of Jerusalem the Jews had the Victory against the Romans But why may not these things be understood literally Do not they themselves understand the day and night in the fourth Trumpet literally Why not the Sun and Moon and Stars also But of this more in the next Questions 2 Quest. Whether the Prophecies of the seven Trumpets be literally to be understood Ans. 1. What necessity is there to understand them otherwise We may not forsake the literal sense of Scripture except necessity do enforce us 2. How is this a Revelation if all the Prophecies of the seven Trumpets be mystically to be understood 3. Where have we an interpretation of the mystery as we have in other places where things are mystically delivered as Rev. 1. 20. Rev. 17. 7 8. Is there not as much need
mystically Shew me this he that can 2. The same things for kind were fulfilled in the Land of Egypt and that in a literal sense But if the Question be whether these Trumpets in particular be fulfilled already my answer is they are yet to be expected and I prove it thus The sixth seal is yet to be expected therefore the seventh seal succeeding it in which the Trumpets are must be expected also Again the sealing of the Servants of God in their foreheads is yet to be expected therefore the Trumpets which follow after it are to be expected also And if we can have Faith to expect our Saviours Prophecy Mat. 24. 29. Mark 13. 24 25. Luk. 21. 25 26. which is the same in special if not in particular with the sixth seal and shall be fulfilled in a literal sense why can we not have Faith to wait on God for the fulfilling of the Trumpets also CHAP. IX The Prophecy of the fifth Trumpet 1. AND the fifth Angel sounded and the Prophecy of his Trumpet was that an Angel shall descend from Heaven to the earth and the Key of the bottomless Pit shall be given into his hand 2. And he shall open the bottomless Pit and upon the opening of it shall come a great smoak out of the bottom of the Pit like the smoak of a great Furnace and the air shall be darkned with the smoak and it shall be so thick that the Sun shall not be able to break through to give light upon the Earth 3. And out of the smoke shall come Locusts into the Land of Asia of a most horrid shape and form never the like seen before and they shall have power to sting the Inhabiters of that Land as the Scorpions of the earth have power 4. And it shall be given them in charge that they shall not hurt the Grass of the Field nor any green Herb nor any vegetable Tree but sting the Men only which shall not have the Seal of God in their Forehead 5. And their Commission shall be not to kill the Men out-right but torment them only five Months and no more and the pain of these Men shall be as grievous as the pain that cometh of a Scorpion when he hath stung a Man 6. And all the time of these five Months shall Men wish for Death thinking to end their pains thereby but shall not find it and shall desire to die rather than to live in such woful pain and torment but Death shall flee away from them 7. And the bodies of these Locusts shall be in shape like to Horses prepared unto Battail and they shall have on their Heads the shapes of Crowns like Crowns of Gold and their Faces shall be in shape like the Faces of Men but the matter of them shall be such as insects have 8. And the hair which they shall have shall be in shape like the hair of Women and the teeth which they shall have shall be in shape like the teeth of Lyons but the matter shall be such as insects have 9. And the Brest-plates they shall have shall be in shape like Brest-plates made of Iron and the dreadful noise of their Wings shall be as the noise of Chariots drawn with many Horses running furiously unto Battail 10. And the tayles which they shall have shall be like the tayles of Scorpions and they shall have stings in their tayles like the stings of Scorpions and their Commission shall be to sting the Men of Asia five Months literally to be understood 11. And they shall have a King or Ruler over them to guide them and direct them in this Work so that they shall not sting every one they meet but whom the Angel of or over the bottomeless Pit will have them and this Angel is not an evil Angel but a good Angel of the Lord whose Name in Hebrew is Abaddon in Greek Apollyon and in English a Destroyer not of the Saints and People of God but of the Enemies of God and of his Church 12. The first Woe is past when these things shall be fulfilled and behold there be two Woes yet to come after these things are ended The Prophecy of the sixth Trumpet reaching from the thirteenth Verse of this Chapter to the fourteenth Verse of the eleventh Chapter or the first part thereof 13. And the sixth Angel sounded and the Prophecy of his Trumpet was that a Command should come from God from the four Corners of the Altar upon which the Angel offered Incense before the Throne of God 14. Saying to the sixth Angel which did sound the sixth Trumpet that he should go and loose the four Angels which should be then bound or restrained from doing Hurt at the great River of Asia called Euphrates but now they should be loosed to execute God's Judgments on the people that dwell there 15. Then the sixth Angel shall go and loose the four Angels which before were bound at Euphrates but ready upon Command to slay the third part of Men that shall be dwelling there and that in as little time as an hour or in as little time as a day or in as little time as a month or in as little time as a year waiting for a Command to put their power in Execution 16. And the number of the Army of Horse that under these four Angels shall be imployed in this Work shall be two Hundred thousand thousand for the number of them was related unto me 17. But these Horses shall not be usual Horses nor their Riders Men properly so called but either Angels or strange kind of Creatures newly created for this purpose and never known in the World before and thus I saw the Horses in the Vision and they that sat on them what ever they be shall have Corslets of a fiery colour and of a blew jacinth colour and of a pale Brimstone colour and the heads of their Horses shall be in shape like the Heads of Lyons and out of the mouths of every one of them shall come forth fire smoak and brimstone literally to be understood 18. Of these three shall the third part of Men be killed which shall be dwelling at Euphrates at that time some shall be killed by the fire and some by the smoak and others by the brimstone which shall come out of the Horses mouths 19. For the power of these strange Beasts shall be in their mouths and which is yet the more strange they shall have mouths in their tayles for their tayles shall be like a Serpents body and have Heads at the end of them and in their Heads a mouth with which they slay the third part of Men which be dwelling at Euphrates at the Execution of the Prophecy 20. And the two other parts of Men which shall escape from these Plagues and not be killed by them shall not for all this repent of their former wickedness that they should not worship Devils nor
interval between I mean between the death of the one and the rising of the other and so that which is spoken of the beast ch 11. belongs to the account of the sixth Trumpet and that which is spoken of him in the chapters following to the account of the seventh 2 Quest. Whether this Prophecy were fulfilled in the Reign of Domitian Ans. 1. This Prophecy was not revealed to John till the Reign of Domitian was well nigh over as both Irenaeus and Jerom and others do testifie and therefore it doth not Prophesie of what was to be done in his Reign for if it did it would have been revealed sooner for Domitian did not live two years much less three years and a half after this Prophecy was revealed 2. This Prophecy doth belong unto the seventh Trumpet and therefore shall succeed all the Prophecies of the former Trumpets but Domitian did not live to see any of the former Trumpets finished and they with whom I deal in this question confess themselves that the Prophecy ch 11. was not fulfilled till the time of Adrian who began his Reign after Domitian twenty years 3. By the beast is not meant the Idol Worship as they would have it but a Kingdom with its King for by that word is meant both and sometimes that word denotes the King as Rev. 17. 11 12. Dan. 7. 17. and sometimes besides the King it denotes the Kingdom as Rev. 17. 3. Dan. 7. 23. and so 't is taken in this place and besides this the Idol-worship was set up at Rome before Domitians Reign began and therefore John doth not Prophesie of the rising of it in the time of his Reign to which may be added that the beast was to continue 42 months but the Idol-worship did continue longer 4. The head which John saw as it were wounded to death is not the Capitol as they suppose but one of the Kings of the Empire as appears by the acception of that word Rev. 17. 10. And besides this the head was wounded by a Sword v. 14. but the Capitol was burnt by fire and that fire was caused by Lightning from Heaven To which may be added that the head here wounded was wounded but once but the Capitol was burnt in the time of Vitellius and rebuilt in the time of Vespasian and after that burnt again in the time of Titus and rebuilt by Domitian and this healing of the beasts wound was a matter of admiration but the rebuilding of the Capitol after it was burnt was no matter of admiration but a feasible thing 5. It was given to this beast to make War with the Saints and to overcome them v. 7. which words do imply resistance on the Saints part but in the persecution of Domitian there was no resistance on the Saints part the Christians in his days thought it better to fly than to fight 6. By the second beast v. 11. is meant some famous witch or other such a one as the Devil never had the like since he was a Devil but this witch cannot be Apollonius Tyanaeus as they suppose for neither he nor any other since his time could do such feats as this witch is said to do v. 12 13 14 15 c. 7. Domitianus Apollonio infestus fuit Apollonius Domitiano saith Grotius de Antichristo pag. 77. Domitian was a hateful enemy to Apollonius and Apollonius to Domitian but the false Prophet here spoken of was the chiefest Friend the beast had and used all the art he could to establish him in his throne v. 12. 14 15 16 17. Rev. 16. 13. 8. Neither the beast nor the witch here spoken of do die a bodily death as other men do but are both cast into Hell alive as appears Rev. 19 20. but Domitian and Apollonius died both of them a bodily death and Domitian died first and Apollonius Tyanaeus afterward the one died Anno Christi 98 the other Anno Christi 99. according to Baronius see Prideaux History pag. 198. 3 Quest. Whether the Prophecy of the first Beast be fulfilled in the Papacy and be meant of them Ans. 1. The first beast is a secular power but the Pope is an ecclesiastical person 2. If the Pope be the seventh head of the first beast who then is the seventh head of the Dragon for he had so many heads before the beast began Rev. 12. 3. 3. If the Pope be the seventh head of the first beast who be the other six Kings Consuls Dictators Decemvirs Military Tribunes and Emperors of Rome till Constantines time were all of them Pagans but if the Prophecy were fulfilled in the Papacy all the seven heads should be Papists else the Prophecy cannot be fulfilled in them 2. If the six first heads be Pagans and the seventh head be Popes the beast is more Pagan than Papist and the Prophecy is not fulfilled wholly in the Pagans nor wholly in the Papists but partly in the one and partly in the other but most of all in the Pagans 3. It cannot be that the six first heads of the beast should be Kings Consuls Dictators Decemvirs Military Tribunes and Emperours for five of these were past before the Prophecy was revealed the Emperours then were but the beast which John saw rise out of the Sea had seven heads whereof none of them were past none of them were present but all of them were then to come for after the Visions in the three first chapters John had no more Visions of things present much less of things past but only of things that were to come as the Angel told him Rev. 4. 1. Come up hither and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter therefore not heads which were then past nor heads which were then present but heads which were then to come and if five of these heads were then past one were then present it had been sufficient to have presented unto John the head that was then to come and no more And if it be said that the Angel speaking of these heads ch 17. saith five of them are fallen one is and the seventh is not yet come to this I answer that the rising of that beast is not presented unto John in that Vision but the destruction of the Whore which sits upon him and when 't is said that five of them are fallen this is not to be understood Historically of what was past before the Apostles days nor of what was present in his days but prophetically of what should be past before and what should be present at the execution of that Prophecy 4. The beast hath not only seven heads but also ten horns and ten crowns upon them and that at one time and not successively one after another but where shall we find so many horns in the Papacy and ten crowns upon them at one time and not successively one after another 5. The beast was like a Leopard and his feet as the feet of a Bear and his mouth as the mouth of a Lyon
every high thing that exalteth it self against the knowledge of God and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. And Heb. 4. 12. For the Wâ—rd of God is quick and powerful and sharper then any two edged sword 〈◊〉 even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit and of joynts and marrow and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart Here be the Weapons by which Christians should fight and by which the man of sin shall be consumed and that is by the Word of God and by the spirit of his mouth And as for the time when this shall be accomplished it is at the brightness of his coming and what is meant by the brightness of his coming but the day of judgment And therefore the man of sin shall not have a final end until the day of judgment when Christ shall come in person and destroy him and if any man doth think that he shall live to see it done before he feeds himself with vain hopes and has no ground to think that it shall come to pass See Mâ—â—lius Accomplishment of Prophecies pag. 148 166 167. 8. And when they shall have finished their Testimony the Beast that ascendâ—â— out of the bottomless Pit shall make War against them and shall overcome them and kill them Rev. 11. 7 8 9. Therefore the two witnesses do not begin a War with the Beast but he begins with them and prevails therein this were enough to deter us from seeking or beginning War with Papists lest we meet with the same Catastrophe that the two Witnesses are said to meet with in this Prophecy for if God delivered them into the Beasts hands who were his peculiar Prophets and had such eminent power to work Miracles as they had v. 4. 5. 6. What hope or ground have we to think that he will not deliver us if we begin a War with Papists and will not be quiet when we may To which may be added that when the two Witnesses revived and returned to life again they did not renew the War with the Beast neither was the Beast or any of his men slain by them or by their procurement that we read of but by an Earthquake which it pleased God to send amongst them and when the tenth part of the City fell it fell by reason of the Earthquake and not by their means or procurement and in the Earthquake were slain seven thousand men and no 〈…〉 which makes not a total nor a final destruction of the Beast but a partial and a temporal only 9. And it was given him to make War with the Saints and to overcome them Rev. 13. 7. Here you see the Beast begins a War with the Saints and not the Saints with him and there is a time set by God in which the Beast shall prevail against the Saints and this time is said to be forty two moneths v. 5. but can we tell that this time is over for if it be not over we may not think to prevail and if we think it is over what ground have we for that we had need be sure of it before hand lest instead of overcoming we be overcome Perhaps it may be said that the Vials are begun already â—nd that is some ground to think that the forty two moneths are ended to this I answer no following their own interpretation of the Revelation for they think themselves but falsely 〈◊〉 the Vials were begun in the time of the Witnesses when they wrought their miracles Rev. 11. 5. 6. and yet they were slain after that so put the case that the Vials be begun already yet the forty two months according to their interpretation may not be ended for all that It were more material to the business if they could shew us that the Vials were expiring for then the 〈◊〉 of the Beast were near at hand indeed but where have they any certainty of the near expiring of the Vials how far they have proceeded and how much of them is yet behind and unaccomplished what man among them can determine 10. He that leadeth into Captivity shall go into Captivity he that killeth with the Sword must be killed with the Sword Rev. 13. 10. Therefore we had need take heed how we begin a War with any either with Papists or any other since so little benefit comes thereby and the success is so various and so doubtful he that hath the best of it at one time hath the worst of it at another time which may be the cause that the Saints are exhorted unto patience in the same Verse Here is the patience and faith of the Saints A man may reap some good by patience but by War he shall have none put the case he prevail at one time yet mischief may befall him at another time therefore Christs advice to Peter is very seasonable and suitable in this case Put up again thy Sword into his place for all they that take the Sword shall perish with the Sword Math. 26. 52. see also 1 King 20. 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21. and 2 King 14. 8 9 10 11 12 13 14. 11. What Commission have we to begin a War with Papists in all the Revelation Read the Commission and consider of it Come out of her my People he doth not say begin a War with her my People but come out of her my People that ye be not partakers of her sins and that ye receive not of her plagues Rev. 18. 4. 12. And when the thousand years are expired Satan shall be loosed out of his Prison And shall go out to deceive the Nations which are in the four quarters of the Earth Gog and Magog to gather them together to Battle the number of whom is as the Sand of the Sea Revel 20. 7 8. Therefore Satan is the procuring or fomenting cause of War and not the true Religion and sometimes he stirs up wicked men to begin a War against the Church as is evident in this place and in that other place Revel 16. 13 14. And sometimes he excites the Church to begin a needless War against the enemies thereof as is plain in Ahabs Case 1 King 22. 20 21 22 23. And which of these ways soever he takes his aim is to destroy the Church of God thereby And we may not think that God is the cause of War in any other sense then as he is the cause of death and that is only as the punishment or effect of sin and if there had been no sin there had been no death and because no Death no War for God made not death as the Wiseman saith Wisd. 1. 13. And Canonical Scripture saith so too Rom. 5. 12. And because he made not death he made not War which brings death inevitable both on good and bad but ungodly men with their works and words have called it to them Here is the true cause of Death and of War too but God is the first
that day and hour knoweth no man no not the Angels of Heaven but my Father only Mat. 24. 30. And yet such inconvenienâ—es do follow from this interpretation 7. Will you know the truth of this matter and be no more deceived with mystical expositions then take it briefly thus These 42 months be three years and a half and no more and all this time the Beast is in prosperity and makes War against the Church of Israel with good success but as soon as this is over the Beasts adversity doth begin and in the fourteenth Chapter the Angels make a slaughter of him and in the sixteenth Chapter the Vials of Gods wrath fall upon him in his own Dominions and in the nineteenth Chapter Christ comes himself in person and destroyes him and makes a final end of him v. 20 21. Ob. The sixth Trumpet is before the seventh but the Beast here spoken of doth War against the Witnesses in the sixth Trumpet before the Prophecy of the Woman and the Dragon doth begin therefore he is not raised in the seventh Trumpet after the Prophecy of the Woman and the Dragon have an end Ans. This objection were something if the Beast that Wars against the Witnesses ch 11. and the Beast spoken of in this Chapter were the same but what if they be not the same what 's become of the objection then Now that these Beasts be not the same may be proved by these reasons 1. That Beast ch 11. ascends out of the bottomless Pit Rev. 11. 7. but this in the thirteenth Chapter out of the Sea v. 1. and the bottomless Pit in the Revelation is never taken for the Sea or the element of Water but for a deep hole in the element of the earth Rev. 9. 1 2. 11. Rev. 20. 1. 3. 2. That Beast hath seven heads and five of them fall and never rise again Rev. 17. 10. and this Beast hath seven heads too and but one of them is wounded and that wound is healed again Rev. 13. 3. 3. That Beast hath ten horns but no Crowns upon them Rev. 17. 3. and this Beast hath ten horns too and ten Crowns upon them which the other hath not Rev. 13. 1. 4. That Beast hath a woman riding on him Rev. 17. 3. but this Beast arose out of the Sea but no woman riding on him Rev. 13. 1. 5. This Beast hath another Beast with two horns to assist him Rev. 13. 11 12. but that Beast hath no other Beast that we read of to assist him 6. That Beast is red of a Scarlet colour all the body over Rev. 17. 3. but the body of this Beast is speckled like a Leopard the feet like a Bears feet and the mouth like a Lyons mouth Rev. 13. 2. 7. That Beast is raised twice Rev. 17. 8. but this Beast though wounded yet doth rise but once Rev. 13. 1. 8. The Throne of that Beast is Babylon Rev. 17. 5. but the Throne of this Beast is some other place as may appear if we compare Rev. 16. 10. 19. 9. This Beast hath a puissant Army and that immediately after Babylon is destroyed Rev. 19. 19 20. which cannot well be if the Babylonish Beast and this Beast be all one 10. That Beast hath an eighth head which in some respects is to succeed the seventh Rev. 17. 11. but this Beast hath no such eighth head which in any wise is to succeed the seventh Compare we these things together and it may very well be questioned whether the Beasts be the same or no. 2. Suppose the Beast be the same in both places yet unless the head be the same too the objection fails in that respect also for the Beast hath seven heads in all and one of them may War against the Witnesses in the sixth Trumpet and another head be raised in the seventh Trumpet Yea let us go a little further and suppose the head be the same too in both places yet this will not prevail neither for that head may be deposed in the sixth Trumpet before the Prophecy of the woman and the Dragon doth begin and be raised again in the seventh Trumpet to War against the womans seed after the Prophecy in the former Chapter hath an end Look into ch 17. v. 8. and you shall find the Beast is raised twice The Beast which thou sawest was and is not and shall ascend out of the bottomless Pit and go into perdition Here you see is a time in which the Beast was and this time may be the sixth Trumpet Here is next a time in which the Beast is not and this time may be at the beginning of the seventh or at the exit of the sixth before the Prophecy of the woman and the Dragon doth begin Here is thirdly a time when the Beast shall ascend out of the bottomless Pit and be again and this may be the time spoken of in this chapter after the Prophecy in the former chapter hath an end Now of these two answers the Reader hath his liberty to choose which he liketh best but were I to choose my self I would choose the first before the second and that for that very reason which is urged in the objection for the Beast hath a being and doth War against the Witnesses in the sixth Trumpet therefore he is not raised or begins to be in the seventh So that it doth not follow that the Prophecies shall not come to pass in order as they were revealed or that the Prophecy of this chapter shall not succeed the Prophecy in the former chapter but it rather follows that the Beasts be not the same as was said before Ob. The Kingdom of the Beast hath a final end with the sixth Trumpet Rev. 11. 14. and therefore the Prophecies shall not come to pass in order as they were revealed nor the Prophecy of this Chapter succeed the Prophecy of the former Chapter Ans. 1. It may be questioned whether this Beast and that in ch 11. be the same as was said before 2. Whether they be the same or no I deny the Kingdom of the beast hath a final end with the sixth Trumpet and that for these reasons 1. Because we read of his Acts afterward ch 17. 2. Because Babylon is not destroyed till then 3. Because the City spoken of ch 11. is not Babylon but Jerusalem it is not the seat of the beast but of the two Witnesses 4. The tenth part of the City falls and no more Rev. 11. 13. 5. Seven thousand men are slain and no more and what is that to a final destruction of the beast 6. It is not said that the beast was among them 7. Suppose he were among them and also slain with them yet all this will not put an end to the Kingdom of the beast but to one head only for the beast hath seven heads in all and put the case that one of them doth die in the time of the sixth Trumpet yet another may succeed him in the seventh there being some
original cause of neither but will destroy them both in his appointed time When Sin and Satan are destroyed then Death and War shall be destroyed together These are my Reasons for the Negative now let us see what may be said out of the Revelation for the Affirmative Object And I saw as it were a Sea of Glass mingled with fire and them that had gotten the victory over the Beast and over his Image and over his mark and over the number of his name stand on the Sea of Glass having the Harps of God And they sing the Song of Moses the servant of God and the Song of the Lamb c. Revel 15. 2 3. Answ. Suppose we that the Pope is the Beast which here is spoken of for so we must at this time yet this gratulation and rejoycing Song is not for the final overthrow of the Beast but for some particular victory which they obtained against him And this victory doth not import that they begun the War with him but that he begun with them and lost the day against them And so stands the case with us if the Papists begin a War with us we may defend our selves and if it please God to give us victory we may and must rejoyce and praise the Lord as these men did but to begin a War with them and expect to see an end of them and their Religion before the day of Judgment is more then can be gathered from this place Object And the sixth Angel poured out his Vial upon the great River Euphrates and the Water thereof was dried up that the way of the Kings of the East may be prepared Revel 16. 12. Now what is meant by Euphrates But the Revenues of the Popedom And who be the Kings of the East but such Kings as God will stir up in these parts to be her ruine and overthrow the great defence which is in the River of worldly wealth being taken away as sometimes Euphrates was drained whereby Babylon was taken by Cyrus and Darius Eastern Kings And because the wealth of Spain is so great a means to strengthen this Kingdom yet I think it not amiss to bring that in also within the compass of this great River Dr. Mayer on the Revelation pag. 475. Answ. Theologia symbolica non est argumentatiâ—â— Mystical Theology is no sufficient argument for our faith and practice The literal sense of Scripture is That we must go and walk by that is the only rule both of faith and manners and it is the literal sense by which we must be judged at the last day Now what saith the literal sense of Scripture Thou shalt not covet they Neighbors house thou shalt not covet thy Neighbors wife nor his man-servant nor his maid-servant nor his ox nor his ass nor any thing that is thy Neighbors Exod. 20. 17. And who is our Neighbor Is not every man Though some be nearer Neighbors then other yet every man living is our Neighbor and we may not do wrong to any man whether he be within the Church or without 1 Thes. 4. 12. Yea Luk. 10. 29 30 c. Christ shews by a Parable that a mans enemy is his neighbor 2. I say that by the River Euphrates is not meant the Revenues of the Popedom or the wealth of the King of Spain but by it is meant the River it self and by the Kings of the East is not meant the Kings in these Western parts but the Kings of the Earth spoken of Vers. 14. which are beyond Euphrates And the meaning of the Prophecy is that the Water of Euphrates shall be dâ—ied up by a special providence of God that the Kings which are beyond the River may pass over and help the Beast and False Prophet in their Wars So that here is no Commission for the Kings within the Church to begin a War with Papists and take away the Popes Revenues or the wealth of the King of Spain But here is a Prophecy That the Kings which are without the Church shall joyn with the Beast and False Prophet and war against the Church to their own undoing And this Church is not any Church in the Western parts but the Church of the Jews after their conversion So that this Prophecy shall be fulfilled then and not before Object And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the Beast these shall hate the Whore and shall make her desolate and naked and eat her flesh and burn her with fire Revel 17. 16. Answ. Suppose we the City of Rome to be the Whore that here is spoken of which is very uncertain as was said before yet we are to know that this destruction of the Whore who ever she be shall not come to pass in our days but in the time of the seventh Vial not long before the day of judgment and they which think it shall be accomplished in our days and begin a War on that account may do well with the men of Issachar to understand the times a little better before they put themselves on such a hazard 1 Chron. 3. 32. I knew a Divine an old Man not far from the place where I live who was perswaded in his life time That the Pope should have an end in the year 1654. And he would wager half the estate he had that it should come to pass but he lived to see his Prophecy come to nought So they which thought the Beast should have an end in the year 1666. did the like And they which expect the destruction of the Whore in our days thinking that they shall live to see it done may look till their eyes be out and not see it come to pass 2. Who ever the Whore be yet this destruction shall not put an end to the Whores Religion for after this is done the Kings which committed fornication with her are alive still and bewail her ruine Revel 18. 9. Which they would not do if they were not of her Religion still and because they cannot commit fornication any more in that particular place they shall seek to do it elswhere 3. Though this destruction puts an end unto the Whore yet it shall not put an end unto the Beast for after this is done the Beast shall continue still and find another â—est as the Popes have done already some of whom had their seats at Avignion in France for seventy years together and yet were Popes of Rome while they were in that place yea after this is done the Beast shall have a puissant Army still which shall put the Church in such a hazard that Christ himself shall come in person and destroy him Revel 19. 20. 4. Suppose we all this to be true viz. That Babylon is the City of Rome and the Pope the Beast that here is spoken of Suppose we also that this destruction shall come to pass in our days and put an end unto the Beast in respect of Temporals and Ecclesiasticks too yet when all this is granted a Question