to see a person of so considerable Parts and Learning to fall into such a delirancy But what we here adventure on is sober enough viz. the supposing that the Babylonian Empire even from its beginning is here represented by the First Beast there being the like liberty taken in the Apocalypse And this being supposed the Exposition will run smoothly and unexceptionably 1. In the first year of Belshazzar the Son of Evil-Merodac who was the Son of Nebuchadnezzar King of Babylon namely the last King of Babylon who was slain by the Medes and Persians the City Babylon being taken by Cyrus in the Eighteenth year of Belshazzar's Reign according to Thomas Lydiat Daniel had a Dream and Uision of his head upon his bed He had a Divine Vision communicated to him in his sleep For Prophetical Visions are communicated to the Prophets either way either sleeping or waking and they are either way truly Divine Then he wrote the Dream and told the sum of the matters that is to say He declared the sum of the matters in writing 2. Daniel Spake and said viz. he declared thus touching himself I saw says he in my Vision by night and behold the four â—…inds of the heaven strove upon the great Sea By the great-Sea in the Prophetick language is understood vast multitudes of People that overspread the face of the Earth as the Waters of the Sea doe By the Winds is understood that invisible Principle of motion from whence comes that â—…icissitude of mutations amongst the Nations of the Earth who are driven this way and that way according as the active part whatever it is that answers here to the Winds doth move them Whether they be Angelical Powers which superintend the affairs of Nations or what-ever else And it is said in the Psalms Who maketh his Angels Spirits his Ministers a flaming Fire On which Grotius learnedly and ingeniously glosses thus Psal. 104. 4. Sunt Angelorum alii Aerei alii Ignei and a little after Esse Angelis corpora sed subtilissima non Pythagorae tantùm Platonis Schola sensit sed Iudaei veteres veteres Christiani The activity therefore of the Aerial Genii or Angels may be understood by these Winds or the Commotions they bring in by Divine Providence in the Production of new Empires and demolition of the old From the subtility of their bodies but it may be chiefly from their activity in the Innovations and Commutations of the affairs of mankind in pulling down and building up Kingdoms and Empires these Angelical orders are called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 venti And there is a quadripartition of them Zach. 6. a distribution of them into Four Chariots with various coloured Horses Where to the Prophet asking what are these my Lord it is answered 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Isti sunt quatuor venti Coeli where 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is the very same word that is in Psal. 104. 4. These are the Four Winds of Heaven The Quaternio of the Angelical Ministers of Divine Providence Something like that Apoc. 7. where there is mention of the Four Angels at the Four Corners of the Earth holding the Four Winds of the Earth that they should not blow on the Earth nor on the Sea And that the great things in the vicissitude of Kingdoms and Empires are done by the Angels is an Hypothesis that both Daniel and the Apocalypse plainly supposes the latter indeed inculcates to awaken this dull Sadducean Age. This I don't doubt but is one sense of this passage in Daniel but if any one think it too sublime and remote from the vulgar capacity he may substitute for these Angelical Powers here denoted by the Winds the ambitious and unquiet minds of great Princes and Politicians and their Officers and those blusters they make in the World by their impetuous activity to begin or increase their Dominion and to inlarge it into a more absolute Empire But the more sober may take in both Senses according to the Genius of the Prophetick style that by the same Symbol exhibits frequently more things than one at once But that these Winds are said to be Four it may be partly in allusion to the Four Quarters of the World partly to the mystical meaning of the number Four in setting out the Angelical Kingdom or Ministry and partly to the Four Beasts that were to arise in succession one after another out of the Sea by the striving thereon not all together but one after another For expressing the thing so as if they all coâ—â—â—cted one with another at the same time is but for the embellishing the Cortex of the Vision of which no more is to be taken in than is agreeable to History and Reason But this in the mean time is very remarkable that being the very Priâ—…ordia here of them all is premised is necessarily follows that the Visâ—…ion reaches the very beginning of each Empire the Babylonian as well as the rest or because it reaches the very beginning of the first of these Empires that that Empire must be the Babylonian as we shall see in the procedure 3. And four great Beasts came up from the Sea Which as I said shews that the Vision reaches the very rise or first beginning of each of them But here we are again to Note that though all Four are here mentioned together yet the rising out of the Sea was one after another But their coming thus out of the Sea together strikes the phancy more strong which is the peculiar scope of the Cortex of the Prophecies both here and in the Apocalypse Diversone from another viz. in shape and condition But in the mean time they are all Beasts The Septuagint render it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 wild Beasts And Grotius upon the place Ideo Bestiae saith he quia Idololatrica erant Imperia ut not at hic Jacchiades Their Idolatry indeed shews their brutishness being accustomed to no higher a dispensation of Religion than adoration of visible Objects as the Elephant is said to worship the Moon But cruelty is another ingredient to make them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 wild Beasts such salvage Cruelty and gross and stupid Idolatry being exquisitely opposite to the Kingdom of the Son of Man who came to erect the Empire of Love and Charity and of pure Religion the worshipping the Father in Spirit and in truth 4. The First was like a Lion a Beast of a fulvid or Golden colour as the Poets describe him and the head of all Beasts which is the Babylonian Empire signified also by the Golden head of the Image or Statue The Prophet Ieremy likewise describes Nebuchadnezzar King of Babylon by this Animal Ch. 4. 7. The Lion is come up from his thicket and the Destroyer of the Nations is on his way And had 〈…〉 which betoken the quickness of his dispatch in his expeditions and conquests And accordingly the same Prophet speaking of Nebuchadnezzar his coming against the Iews Ch. 4. 13. Behold
in the Metals is made use of to set out the order of time in the succession of the Empires And therefore because Gold is first in esteem amongst Metals therefore the Golden part of the Image the Head both because it is the Head and of Gold denotes the first Empire the Church of God or People of the Jews were concerned in viz. The Babylonian under whom they were then Captive But as for the Ten Tribes they were carried away into perpetual Captivity by Salmanasser King of Assyria long before never to be heard of again at least during the time of these Four Empires here prefigured But the Jews properly so called were concerned first under the Babylonian Empire then under the Medo-Persian decrees being given out first by Cyrus then Artaxerxes in their behalf though Cambyses was unkind to them And under the great Xerxes by reason of his Queen Esther a Jew they had a signal deliverance from their bloudy Enemy Haman And how they were concerned during the Greek Empire especially under Antiochus Epiphanes and much more under the Roman is so notorious that it is enough only to name it Which reasons may suffice why no more Kingdoms or Empires and why these especially Babylonian Medo-Persian Greek and Roman are comprised in this Image The first whereof was signified by the Image's Head of fine Gold as Daniel himself will anon interpret His Breast and his Arms of Silver The Arm is properly that part of the Body which reaches from the Shoulder to the Wrist and so excludes the hand of which there is here no mention though there be mention of feet adjoyned to the Legs Which is not fortuitous but designed For this Breast with its Arms of Silver denotes the Medo-Persian Empire which consisting of Two People the Medes and Persians they are fitly represented by these Two Arms but with no mention of Hands of which the Ten Fingers would be the Natural parts because there was no division of the Medo-Persian Empire into Ten Kingdoms as there was of the Roman His Belly and his Thighs of Brass By this Belly and the Two Thighs of Brass is understood the Greek Empire which was One in Alexander but after his death divided more notably and durably into the Two Kingdoms of the Lagidae and Seleucidae For at first there was a Quadripartition of his Empire but that not lasting so long or all parts of it being not so famous or the Iews not so much concerned in them this general Prefiguration of the succession of the Four Empires takes notice only of what is most remarkable as those Two were 33. His Legs of Iron Here begins the Roman Empire suppose upon Aemylius Paulus the Roman Consul his vanquishing of Perseus the last King of Macedonia From which time the Roman Empire in the Prophetical account may rationally seem to commence the Greek or Macedonick Empire properly so called being then put an end to though other parts still remained And here the Roman Empire may very well be represented by the Two Legs that State for many Hundred years being most-what supported by the Supreme Power of their Two Consuls And so this Character may be alluded to by the Two Legs to understand what People is meant though the succession of the Empire commence no higher than from the vanquishing Perseus King of Macedonia by Aemylius the Consul Which Consular Power continued above an Hundred years after and the Name much longer So fit an Emblem are these Two Legs of Iron of the People of Rome and their Empire His Féet part of Iron and part of Clay Which Feet imply the Ten Toes which are parts of the Feet and therefore represent the Roman Empire divided into Ten Kingdoms Which Ten Kingdoms are also prefigured by the Ten Horns of the Fourth Beast Chap. 7. The division of which Roman Empire into Ten Kingdoms happening since the Empire became Christian we may better thence understand what is meant by the Feet being partly of Iron and partly of Clay namely That in that time of the Roman Empire it was become partly Ecclesiastical and partly Secular by the Iron as before understanding the Secular Power by the Clay the Ecclesiastical Which Clay or Earth here in Daniel seems to be alluded to Apoc. 12. 16. where the Earth is said to help the Woman namely an OEcumenical Council by opening its mouth and swallowing down the floud of Contention which the Arians especially had raised by their condemning that Heresie as if a Clayie ground should cleave with a wide scissure and swallow down a sudden Torrent or Land-floud 34. Thou sawest till a Stone was cut out without hanâ—â— that is Besides this Image and the Four distinct Metalline parts thereof thou sawest moreover a Stone cut out without hands no man with Axe or Gavelock dissevering it Which Stone is Christ and his true Church himself being born in a supernatural way by the over-shadowing of the Holy Ghost and his Church being raised and propagated in a supernatural way by the assistance also of the Holy Spirit by real Miracles by unfeigned Sanctity and by invincible Patience and Suffering for the Truth Wherefore the true Christian Church Head with the Members this is that Stone cut out without hand which smote the Image upon his Féet which were of Iron and Clay and brake them in pieces This true Apostolick Church which appeared with Christ and his Apostles and so on in the pure Primitive times will at last strike the Image upon his Feet namely under the Seventh Vial or at that War of the Rider on the White Horse Wherein the Beast and the False Prophet the remainder of the Iron and degenerate Clay are cast into a Lake of Fire burning with Brimstone Apoc. 19. 21. 35. Then was the Iron the Clay the Brass the Silver and the Gold broken to pieces together and became like the Chaff of the Summer threshing-â—â—oor and the Wind carried them away that no place was found for them This plainly answers to the casting the Beast and the False Prophet into the Lake of Fire burning with Brimstone Both places signifie the utter abolishing all the Idolatrous Tyranny remaining in the Roman Empire at that time whether in the Secular or Ecclesiastical Powers But that then the Clay Brass Silver and Gold are said to be broken to pieces together that is only an embellishing of the external Cortex of the Vision The succession of these Four Empires being exhibited at once they are made also to fall to dust at once together Besides that the succeeding Empire most-what occupying the Possession and Territories of the Antecedent that which vanquisheth the last may in some sense be thought to vanquish them all at a clap or to possess what any of them had Which will be immediately made good in the next words And the Stone that smote the Image 〈◊〉 a great â—…ountain and filled the whole Earth that is The true Apostolick Church purged from all Superstitious Idolatrous
and Tyrannical Principles and Practices will over-spread the whole World in a manner the Kingdoms of this world as it is predicted in the Apoâ—…alypse becoming the Kingdoms of the Lord and of his Christ. This State of the Church may be termed Regnum Montis the Kingdom of the Mountain as Mr. Mede has well noted as the State before this may be called Regnum Lapidis the Kingdom of the Stone 36. This is the Dream Which miraculously and by the mere inspiration of the Spirit of the most High was communicated unto me and which the King cannot deny but to have been the Dream which he was so desirous to recover into his mind And we will tell the Interpretation thereof before the King Which he may be sure is true and Divinely inspired it being impossible any man should know the thoughts of another man especially so strange and operose as these unless he were inspired Whence my declaring the Dream ought to be look'd upon as a certain assurance of the truth of my Interpretation which is this 37. Thou O King art a King of Kings that is The greatest King on Earth For the God of Heaven hath given thée a Kingdom Power and Strength and Glory Thou hast a Strong Potent and Glorious Kingdom and it is the gift of God unto thee and therefore thou shouldst remember to govern as his Vice-gerent 38. And wheresoever the Children of men dwell viz. the cultivated places of his Kingdom The Beasts of the Field The desart places of Arabia and Africk says Grotins And the Fowls of the Heaven Invious and inaccessible Rocks where only the Fowls of Heaven can nest Hath he given into thy hand and hath made thée Ruler over them all All these diversities of the vast places of thy Kingdom art thou Lord over And God having given thee so large an Empire so prosperous and glorious I declare unto thee Thou art this Head of Gold Which is briefly and figuratively spoken by a Synecdoche or Metonymie for Thou art the Head of this Golden Kingdom of Babylon or Thou art the Lord and Owner of it From whence we may be assured that the Head of Gold signifies the Babylonian Kingdom Nebuchadnezzar being then King of Babylon and Cyaxares the Made conjoyn'd in aâ—â—inity and confederacy with Nabopolassar the Father of Nebuchadnezzar having subverted Nineve the Metropolis of the Assyrian Empire together with the Empire it self some Four years before and near an Hundred and twenty years after Salmanasser had taken Samaria and carried the Ten Tribes away captive 39. And after thée shall arise another Kingdom inferiour to thée The first Empire comprised in this Image being thus evidently the Babylonian it does naturally follow that the Second must be the Medo-Persian begun in Cyrus Who first having taken Babylon and Belshazzar the last King being slain by the Medes and Persians he brought along with him though he delivered the Empire to his Uncle Darius the Mede yet he being aged and dying within a year or two he presently succeeded him and became Monarch of the Medes as well as Persians himself also being a Medo-Persian by extraction on the Mother's side a Mede and on the Father's side a Persian Whence he was called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or a Mule as Grotius notes But that the coalescency of these Two Nations into One Kingdom or Empire is signified by the Silver part of the Image which is the Breast from which the Two Arms come has been noted above The hardest scruple is how this Medo Persian Empire should be said to be less than that of Nebuchadnezzar's the Babylonian there being the accession of Persia and all the Acquists of Cyrus added thereto Grotius his answer is Quia Cyrus successores ejus Africam non tenuerunt Gasper Sanctius That there was not that pacateness nor tranquillity in the Medo-Persian Empire that there was in the Babylonian or so continued prosperity and success Calvin makes one Empire inferiour to another as the Metals are from Gold to Iron in Morality Temperance Justice Faithfulness c. according to that vulgar opinion expressed in Horace Carm. lib. 3. od 6. Aetas parentum pejor avis tulit Nos nequiores mox daturos Progeniem vitiosiorem Whence sprung that Poetical description of the World 's degenerating according to the Four Ages thereof from Gold to Silver from Silver to Brass and from Brass to Iron Which in all likelihood was more particularly occasioned from Nebuchadnezzar's Dream of this Image of those Four Metals Antiquity not understanding the true sense thereof But it is possible that forasmuch as it is read And after thee shall arise another Kingdom inferiour to thee that to thee is here on purpose put for to thine that the first Head of this following Kingdom might be understood to be more especially compared with him in which there seems apparent odds For Cyrus the first Head of the Medo-Persian Monarchy or Empire reigned not past Two or Three years in that inlarged Empire and not passing Thirty in his Kingdom of Persia whenas Nebuchadnezzar in his Babylonian Empire reigned Three and forty years most splendidly and prosperously insomuch that the excess of his prosperity cast him into that Septennial delirancy out of which he was recovered and gave praise to the God of Heaven But Cyrus as he reigned but a small time in the Medo-Persian Empire so he was vanquished ingloriously by the hand of a Woman Tomyris a Scythian Queen who cut off his Head and cast it into a Vessel of bloud saying Satia te Cyre sanguine quem â—…itisti But whether this way or that way please best to make the easiest sense of the Text it is unavoidably plain that this second Monarchy is the Medo-Persian nor does any Interpreter doubt of it And another third Kingdom of Brass This shews plainly that the Golden Silver and Brass parts of the Image signifie Three distinct Kingdoms But now it is evident in History that as the Medo-Persian Empire succeeded the Babylonian so the Macedonick or Grecian succeeded the Medo-Persian For Alexander Macedo after he had vanquished Darius Codomannus in his last Battle at Arbela Darius being slain some Six months after by Bessus one of the Peers of his own Empire and Babylon taken translated the Monarchy from the Medes and Persians to the Greeks about the third year of the 112 Olympiad And that the Greek Empire was not unfitly set out by the Two Thighs of Brass by reason of those Two most eminent parts of it into which after Alexander's death it was divided and stood so divided for a long time namely the Two Kingdoms of the Lagidae and Seleucidae I have noted above And it may not be altogether impertinent to Note also what Iustin writes Lib. 12. Eâdie quâ natus est Alexander duae Aquilae totâ die praepetes super culmen domû patris ejus sederunt omen duplicis imperii Europae Asiaeque praeferentes Which shall bear rule over all the
most for the greatness power and riches of the Papal Hierarchy And all the gross and intolerable corruptions of their Church whether touching Faith or Practice are invented or upheld for this very end and upon this very advantage that the little Horn is thought only to have the eyes in matters of Faith and Religion but the other Ten Horns to be stark blind But lastly though this little Horn pretends to the only sight and infallibility in matters of Religion as if it were inspired so from God that it cannot erre yet the very character which the Prophecy gives it doth advertise us that this is but a bold boast among the rest and that these are really but the eyes of a man even of that man of Sin or Antichrist that exalts himself above all that is called God or worshipped For that by this little Horn Antichrist is Characterized is the common and current Opinion of the Ancient Fathers as the Romish Interpreters themselves cannot but confess though they were mistaken in the time of his coming And a Mouth speaking great things that is Uttering great boasts of his own Power and Infallibility For this Papal Hierarchy pretend him as to Superiority to be above all Kings and Emperours as to their miraculous Power that they can by certain words turn a piece of Bread into a man with Flesh and Bloud and all Essentials of humane nature nay into God after a manner and infallibly declare 't is no Idolatry to worship this thus transubstantiated Bread though it seem still Bread to all and is believed still to be so by all but by those that see only by the eyes of this little Horn and so trust his Eyes only and renounce in the mean time the use of their own Eyes and all their Senses nay of Reason and the plain Light of the Scripture Their pretence also of consecrating Images to the effectually keeping off Thunder and Lightning and incursion of the Enemies and the like may be reckoned amongst other their Boasts But this speaking great things may more especially respect the great vaunts of the Papal authoritative Power he being called by the Pontifician Polity Our Lord God Optimum Maximum Supremum Numen in Terris The Supreme Deity on Earth It being declared by them That his Tribunal and God's is all one That his Power is absolute That what he does he does as God and not as Man That he is all and above all That he has the disposing of Kingdoms can pull down one and set up another That he can do all that God can do That he can change the Nature of things make something of nothing make Injustice Justice and Wrong Right That all Laws are in his Breast That he can dispense with the Canons of the Apostles and with the New Testament itself That he is the Cause of Causes That it is Sacriledge to doubt of his Power That he has dominion over Angels Purgatory and Hell That he is the Monarch of the World and exceeds the Imperial Majesty as much as the Sun does the Moon And That he is to be adored by all the Potentates of the Earth This and more than this you may see made good by Bishop Downham in his Treatise De Antichristo for above Fifty Pages together And is not this a mouth speaking great things indeed And is not this part of the Prophecy also eximiously fulfilled understanding by the little Horn that Man of Sin or Antichrist that thus exalts himselâ—… above all that is called God or worshipped whom the Lord shall consume with the Spirit of his mouth and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming Which thing is exhibited in the following part of the Vision 9. I beheld till the Chrones were cast down The word in the original might as well be rendred set down or erected which is the most natural Sense and most conherent with what follows And the Ancient of Days did sit * namely God the Father who though he is not before the other Two Hypostases of the Blessed Trinity in time yet he is in order of nature He sate in his Throne together with the chiefest of the Angelical Orders in their Thrones or Seats to make up the solemnity of the Judgment Whose â—…arment was white as snow and the hair of his Head like the pure wooll Whiteness here by Interpreters is look'd upon that of his Head as an Emblem of mature Counsel and Judgment with a sutableness to his Title of the Ancient of Days that of his Garment as a Symbol of pure unspotted Righteousness and Impartiality in Judgment And this appearance of this first Hypostasis in general in White may denote the proper Character of his Nature Which the Platonists call the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which imply an ineffable Simplicity and Benignity and who would not have the world judged by such a Judge His Chrone was like the fiery Flame and his Whéels like the burning Fire viz. Such was the splendour of his Throne and of the Wheels thereof bright sparkling and shining like Fire and Light This is a Description of the Divine Shechinah not much unlike that in Ezekiel Ch. 1. and 10. This is a Chariot-like Throne as that a Throne-like Chariot and as the Wheels there as well as living Creatures are Angelical so there are Angels here innumerable in this great Session sitting with the Ancient of Days or assisting while he sits in his Imperial Throne drawn with Wheels Angelical Wheels by whose Ministry is the Revolution of all States and Kingdoms Though in the mean time there may be also an allusion in these Wheels to the Sellae Curules Chairs of State that ran upon Wheels in use in the days of old 10. A Fiery stream issued and came forth from before him Flumen igneum manabat ab ore ejus egrediens so Grotius says it is in Chaldaeo A Fiery stream issued out of his mouth The brightness of this appearance and the mention of this Fiery stream coming out of his mouth like that blast of Fire and flaming Breath 2 Esdr. 13. sutes excellently well with that passage 2 Thess. 2. Whom the Lord shall consume with the Spirit of his mouth and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming Which shall be by the clear demonstration of the power of his Spirit so manifestly appearing in his true Church of whom Jesus Christ is and ever has been the living Head the same which is the Son of man which is anon exhibited in this Vision namely Christ together with his true and living Church But in the mean time I leave to the ingenious Readers consideration whether that Fiery stream and Flaming breath coming out of the mouth of the Ancient of Days God the Father may not emblematize the Procession of the Holy Ghost the third Hypostasis of the Holy Trinity as well as the Son of man plainly represents to us the Second For who can doubt but that
presented him as a Candidate for the designed Kingdom 14. And there was given him Dominion and Glory and a Kingdom that all People and Nations and Languages should serve him that is That some of all People should serve him in the pure Apostolick way of Doctrine and Worship and indeed the whole Roman Empire in a manner did so for a while after Constantine's time till the Apostasie came in Which small Interval of time in this Vision is not taken notice of as being inconsiderable But in the mean time it may be here seasonable to note that this Right of the Kingdom being given to the Son of man answers to the first Vision of the Seals the Vision of the Heros on the white Horse with a bow in his hand and who had a Crown given unto him Apoc. 6. 2. the right of the Imperial Crown So that this part of Daniel's Vision here commences with the Epocha of the Apocalypse or the beginning of Christianity For there seems Four Sentences to have been represented in this Iudicial Session of the Ancient of Days besides that touching the Three Beasts Ver. 12. one assigning the Kingdom in general to the Son of man the other the Judgment of the little Horn the third the giving of the more inlarged Kingdom to the Son of man upon the destruction of the little Horn and the fourth the final Doom of all at the day of Judgment properly so called But the first and the last there is only a slight perstriction or brief intimation of them but that of the little Horn is insisted on the abolishing of his power and the giving the great enlargement of the Kingdom the Regnum Montis to the Saints of the most High His Dominion is an everlasting Dominion which shall not pass away and his Kingdom that which shall not be destroyed The true Church which is the genuine Kingdom of Christ and of which he alone is the Head as being Universal never yet from the beginning thereof has failed nor ever will fail to the end of the World 15. I Daniel was grieved in my Spirit in the midst of my body and the Uisions of my head upon my Bed troubled me that is I was very anxious to know what the meaning of this Vision might be And methought 16. I came near to one of them that stood by to one of the Assistant Angels in this great Session not to those that were placed on Thrones And asked him the truth of all this that is The plain meaning of this Prophetick Parable So he told me and made me know the Interpretation of things namely as follows and first in general 17. These great Beasts which are Four are Four Kings with their Kingdoms or Empires viz. the Babylonian Medo-Persian Greek and Roman which shall arise out of the Earth And therefore be but Earthly Kingdoms minding Earthly Things here below 18. But the Saints of the most High of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the most High God or of Christ who is called in the Apocalypse King of Kings and Lord of Lords Shall take the Kingdom of the Stone Regnum Lapidis from the first planting of the Gospel but Regnum Montis the Kingdom of the Mountain upon the destruction of the little Horn. And possess the Kingdom for ever even for ever and ever that is The true Church of Christ shall never fail till the end of the World as was intimated above And thus far in general touching the Vision but he holds on 19. Then I would know the truth the true meaning of the Fourth Beast which was divers from all others And in what regard we have above declared as also why so Excéeding â—â—â—adfull whose 〈◊〉 were of Iron and his Nails of Brass which 〈◊〉 brake in pieces and stamped the residue with his 〈◊〉 that also we have above explained 20. And of the Ten Horns that were in his Head And of the other especially which came up For the Interpretation is spent most in describing it Ver. 24 25. And before whom 〈◊〉 fell those three I above named Even of that Horn that had Eyes and would admit no other Horn to have Eyes besides it self especially in Spirituals And a Mouth that spoke 〈◊〉 great things both against the Law of God which this Horn the Papal Power pretends to have a right to dispense with and act contrary to and against the right of Kings and Emperours whom he pretends a Power of excommunicating and deposing and absolving their Subjects from their Oath of Allegiance if they submit not to the Decrees of his infallible Mouth which will be sure to pronounce nothing that is not agreeable to the worldly Interest of Holy Church For this Horn has the eyes of a man merely and directs all by the measure of humane Policy let him pretend never so much to inspired Infallibility Whose look was more stout than his 〈◊〉 That is that has a bold assured look affecting the greatest Grandeur imaginable as pretending to be Lord of the whole World in whose presence his Fellow Horns did but sneak as whose stirrop they are â—…ain to hold even Emperours themselves as well as Kings and other Princes when this little Horn is to ride on Horseback and to bear on their Shoulders his Chair when he will be carried in State to hold the Bason and Towel when he washes his hands and in publick Assemblies to sit at his Feet and if they will not be dutifull enough to be trod upon by his Feet as Frederick Barbarossa was served by Pope Alexander the Third who treading upon his Neck in conspectu populi with a bigg look and loud voice abused that of the Psalmist to his barbarous insulting over the Emperour Super aspidem leonem ambulabis c. Thou shalt tread upon the Lion and Adder c. These hints are enough to shew how fully this part of the Prophecy is accomplished whose look was more stout than his Fellows 21. I beheld and the same Horn namely the little Horn made war with the Saints and prevailed against them that is The Papal Power by using the forces of the Ten Horns or Secular Power makes war against the Saints the true Apostolick Church that stand out and cannot admit the gross corruptions and Idolatrous usages of the little Horn. This answers to that of the Apocalypse Ch. 13. v. 7. And it was given unto him to make war with the Saints and to overcome them It is spoken there of the Ten-horned Beast as the Executioner of the War but in Daniel of the little Horn as the Instigator or Authorizer of the War But this in the mean time is no small indication that the times of the little Horn belong to the times of the Ten-horned Beast healed which are the times of the Apostasie of the Church 22. Until the Ancient of Days came viz. Till he proceeded to that part of the Doom that pronounced Sentence against the little Horn. And Iudgment was given to the
Saints of the most High that is The Sentence was pronounced on their side God so generally convincing the World of the truth of their cause And the time came that the Saints possessed the Kingdom namely After the evidence of the truth of their Cause was so well known to the World 23. Thus he said The Fourth Beast shall be the Fourth Kingdom upon Earth namely the Roman State or Empire Which shall be divers from all Kingdoms as having a Political constitution different from them as has been noted above The vulgar Latin the Septuagint and Vatablus as also Gasper Sanctius read Which shall be greater than all Kingdoms namely than those Three before named Which therefore cannot be the Kingdom of the Lagidae and Seleucidae as Grotius would have it if that reading obtain And it has the start of the other for Antiquity And shall devour the whole Earth and shall tread it down and break it in pieces Which sutes best of all with the sense of Vatablus the vulgar Latin and the Septuagint For the greatest Kingdom was the most able to do this 24. And the Ten Horns out of this Kingdom are the Ten Kings that shall arise The Roman Empire Ver. 7. is described under one Interval of its period to have Ten Horns so that it is the same Ten-horned Beast that occurs in the Apocalypse And Ver. 8. it is said that there came up among them another little Horn which naturally implies that it came up much about the same time with them though in what here follows it is said And another shall arise after them Which is no contradiction to the former supposing in order he came up last so be it was not any considerable time after or be understood of his more sensible growth or palpable appearance though the Hebrew word implies no necessity of signifying any posteriority of time but that he might spring up with them and amongst them but in such an occult manner and so unawares as if he had stoln his growth behind them For so the Septuagint render it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and the word in the Original will bear that sense very well 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifying order of place as well as of time accordingly as the Septuagint have translated it But the time of the Ten-horned healed Beast being the time of the Apostasie of the Church and he being actually Ten-horned and healed at the same time For the crowned Ten Horns which shew their actual Reign appear only on the healed Beast's head as I have noted in my Exposition of the Apocalypse and the little Horn being said to arise among them or with them though the other Horns were not aware of him as having no Eyes though the little Horn have the Eyes of a man of a cunning perspicacious Politician it is manifest that the growth of the little Horn began with the Apostasie of the Church and so the little Horn may well be suspected of helping it on being most concerned in matters of Religion to manage them well or ill as being that Sacerdotal Polity or Hierarchy as is intimated in what follows And he shall be divers from the First namely from the other Ten Horns they being Laick or Civil this Ecclesiastick or Spiritual for such was the Papal Power And under pretence of this Ecclesiastick Power he shall subdue Thrée Kings The Three Kings which he is said to humble subdue or supplant are as I have hinted above those Three whose Dominions extended into Italy as that of the Greek Emperour Leo Isaurus whom he excommunicated and made his Subjects of Italy revolt from their Allegiance because he was against Image-worâ—…hip The other supplanting or subduing is of the Longobards whose Kingdom he caused by aid of the Franks to be wholly ruined thereby to get the Exarchate of Ravenna which since the revolt from the Greeks the Longobards were seized on for a Patrimony to S. Peter And the last of the Three which he humbled were the Emperours of Germany whom from the days of Henry the Fourth he excommunicated deposed and trampled under his Feet and never suffered to live in rest till he had made them quit their interest in election of Popes and Investitures of Bishops and what-ever remainder of Jurisdiction they had in Italy See Mr. Mede Epist. 24. Thus did this Horn with Eyes whose look was more stout than his Fellows 25. And he namely the little Horn shall speak great 〈◊〉 against the most High It is rightly translated great words because that Phrase touching the little Horn has been used so oft already Ver. 8. 11. 20. Where either great things or great words occur and there cannot be a more fit and authentick commentary on these passages than that in the Apocalypse Ch. 13. v. 5 6. And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies where great things are expounded by blasphemies And in the following Verse he shews how these blasphemies are against God the most High many examples whereof I have given above upon Verse 8. And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God to blaspheme his Name his authority and titles and his tabernacle and them that dwell in Heaven The Ten-horned Beast is said here to reproach them by allowing authorizing and inforcing against the decrees and authority of God which is also a blaspheming of his Name those blasphemous decrees of the Two horned Beast which is the same with the little Horn they being both the Papal Polity or Hierarchy the Ecclesiastick Authority not the Laick or Secular for Image-worship for Saint-worship and worship of Angels and for Transubstantiation which is a reproach to the Tabernacle of God the body of Christ see the place in my Exposition of the Apocalypse It is sufficient here to note how well the deeds of the little Horn sute with those of the Ten-horned Healed Beast who is but the Abettor and Executioner of what the Two-horned Beast would have And therefore when it is said the little Horn here speaks great words against the most High it is all one as if it were said of the Ten-horned Beast in the Apocalypse nor is it any repugnancy to understand it of them both For this which is said of the Ten-horned Beast is to be lookt upon as the meer Echo of the Draconick voice of the Beast with Two Horns So agreeable in every point is Daniel with the Apocalypse And shall 〈◊〉 out the Saints of the most High By Imprisonments Confiscation of Goods by Burnings Croysades and Massacres upon which this little Horn will put the Ten Horns as his occasions require as is also noted Apoc. Ch. 13. v. 7. and in this Chapter of Daniel ver 21. And think to change times and lawâ—… To alter the Primitive simplicity of the Christian Religion into a Constitution that best serves the Interest of his Papal Kingdom and the increasing the Revenues and the Power of Holy Church as they
call it All Superstitions never so Idolatrous All Doctrines never so monstrous shall pass into a Law and Decree if they serve this end For the Papal Omnipotency has a power to make what Laws and Institutes he pleases all Edicts and Decrees lodge in the Cabinet of his own Breast Whence he may produce what he pleases if you will believe his Canonists And they shall be given into his hand for a time and times and the dividing of a time or half a time i.e. And they shall be established authorized and inforced by the Secular Power of the Ten hornâ—…d Beast as was observed above To whom Apoc. 13. 5. power was given to continue Forty and two months which is just the same time with Daniel's Time and Times and half a Time in the literal sense each of the Sums amounting to Three years and a half a piece or 1260 days But in the Prophetical style they signifie so many years And that they are Prophetical â—â—ys not vulgar I have invincibly proved in my 〈◊〉 Prophetica Book 2. Ch. 5. See also my Mystery of Godliness Book 5. Ch. 15. Wherefore it is highly rational to conceive the times of the little Horn to synchronize with all the middle Synchronals of the Apâ—…calypse So that we may know plainly where we are 26. But the â—…udgment shall sit namely To judge the little Horn or Papal Hierarchy which is the Two-horned Beast in the Apocalypse or the Whore of Babylon To this alludes that saying of the Angel Apoc. 17. And there came one of the Seven Angels which had the Seven Vials and talked with me saying unto me I will shew unto thee the Iudgment of the great Whâ—…re that sitteth upon many waters with whom the Kings of the Earth have committed fornication And part of this judgment is menaced against her in the Epistle to the Church in Thyatira Apoc. 2. 20. under the name of Iezebel who calleth her self a Prophetess but seduces Christ's Servants to commit Fornication and to eat things sacrificed unto Idols Which Prophetess so called by her self is the Papal Hierarchy who boast themselves infallible but judgment is menaced against them Ver. 22. Behold I will cast her into a Bed and them that commit Adultery with her into great tribulation if they do not repent of their deeds Which Judgment fell upon her in the happy Reformation when so many Kingdoms and Countries deserted the Pope And likewise in the Song of the risen Witnesses Ch. 15. v. 4. Who shall not fear thee O Lord and glorifie thy Name for thou only art Holy for all Nations shall come and worship before thee For thy Iudgments are made manifest And this is the former part of the execution of the Sentence against the little Horn or great Whore But the Execution goes on in the Seven Vials And they shall take away his Dominion to consume and destroy it unto the end that is By that time all the Vials be poured out upon the Two-horned Beast the little Horn with Eyes or the False Prophet his Dominion shall be quite destroyed and consumed which is the Second part of the Doom of the little Horn and will be compleated under the seventh Vial with which the Vision of that Divine Heros on the white Horse with a Sword coming out of his mouth doth contemporize Which Sword out of his mouth answers to the fiery stream out of the mouth of the Ancient of Days and both to that of S. Paul 2 Thess. 2. where he says that the Lord shall consume the Man of Sin by the Spirit of his mouth and destroy him with the brightness of his coming as I have noted above Now as the little Horn is doomed to destruction from whence the man of Sin is called the Son of perdition 2 Thess. 2. by this Divine Consistory which is one part of their Act in this Session so that ample and everlasting Kingdom that succeeds the destruction of the little Horn is adjudged to the truly Apostolick Catholick Church of whom Christ alone is Head Which is the other part of the Act of this Session and which alone is taken notice of Apoc. 20. 4. the other part having been taken notice of Ch. 17. and 18. 27. And the Kingdom and Dominion and the greatness of the Kingdom under the whole Heaven shall be given to the people of the Saints of the most High This is that other part of the Sentence pronounced by that Divine Sanhedrim in the behalf of the true Church that had been afflicted and oppressed so long under the Tyranny of the little Horn. The true Church then consisting of Iew and Gentile will overspread all This is to be accomplished under the second and third Thunders And I think no body can doubt but that the people of the Saints of the most High are the truly Catholick and Apostolick Church if he consider the description of the New Ierusalem in the Apocalypse And the most High is Christ who there is termed King of Kings and Lord of Lords and the Messias will be acknowledged in those days to be such both by Iew and Gentile This answers to that of Apoc. 20. 4. And I saw Thrones and they sate upon them and Iudgment was given unto them and the result was They that had not worshipped the Beast neither his Image c. they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years acknowledging him the only universal Head of the Church This will be the truly Holy Catholick Church of Christ as they are here called the people of the Saints of the most High Whos 's Kingdom is an everlasting Kingdom not to end upon Earth till the last Thunder or Conflagration according to the tenour of the Apocalypse And all Dominions shall serve and obey him All Nations and Kingdoms shall willingly submit themselves to and injoy themselves in this mightily extended and overspreading Kingdom of the Son of man which the Ancient of Days had assigned to him Which well may be called the Kingdom of the Son of man in counterdistinction to those other Four Kingdoms that are set out by â—…ruel ravening Beasts â—…earing and trampling all under their Feet and forcing men to blind obedience with salvage violence as was usual in the Kingdom of Antichrist or little Horn with Eyes that would let no body see but himself Whenas the true Church of Kingdom of the Son of man as the Four Beasts or rather Wights in the Apocalypse are all full of Eyes within and without And certainly the Kingdom of the Son of man will be a Kingdom of unaffected Prudence defecate Reason and holy Love For this is the true Man the rest in us is but common to us with the brutes And therefore of such shall consist the Kingdom of Christ the Son of man as he perpetually calls himself after the abolition of the Kingdom of Antichrist 28. Hitherto is the end of the matter namely the matter the Angel communicated to him by way of Interpretation
a spurious reading understanding the Prophecy literally And it may be it was a Comment crept into the Text. For as all are agreed that by the red Apple is meant some Imperial City so the Red Hats of the Cardinals and the Scarlet cloathing of the Papal Hierarchy might easily invite the Commentatour to interpret this Red Apple of the City of Rome and if any Iew was the Interpreter as there are many amongst the Turks they understanding by Edom in the Scripture which signifies Red the City of Rome or the Roman Power it was hard for him to miss of that Interpretation And Cornelius à Lapide notes that the Iews by the Idumaeans understand the Romans in his Commentary upon Isai. 21. 11. The Burden of Dumah that is of Idumaea in the Hebrew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Which is very nigh in writing to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Martinius in his Technologia observes out of St. Ierome Sic saith he Hieronymus ait 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 literas parvo apice distingui cùm interpretatur 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 paululùm literae apice commutato pro 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 legi posse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sonare Romam But there was no need of this nicety the Interpretation of this Turkish Prophecy is discovered enough already I will onely referr the Reader to Mr. Mede Book 5. Ch. 8. where by many examples he shows that the Iews by Edom understand Rome and how R. D. Kimchi turns 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 into 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 But I think Interpreters are much mistaken when they interpret the seven and twelve years not Symbolically but Arithmetically For if there be any thing in the Prophecy I suspect this to be the meaning thereof That the Turk may take the City of Rome suppose within the space of the seventh Vial being so hugely guilty of Idolatry and bloud if she prevent it not by timely Repentance And if the Christian sword advance not against him during the Septenary a Symbol of the reign of Idolatry for such was the seventh Head yet upon the commencing of the Duodenary which is the Symbol of the times of the pure Apostolick Restitution and of the new Ierusalem Christianity shall furmount Turcisme Nor shall the Christians any where be any longer slaves â—…nto him But I brought this Prophecy of the Turks taking the City of Rome set down by that zealous Romanist Bartholomaeus Georgivitz onely to shew that the forewarning the Church of Rome of the danger is no argument of the least ill will towards them Shall be slain with the Sword of him that sits on the white Horse And this is the Christian sword that in the beginning of the Duodenary when the truely pure and Apostolick Church shall appear will put the Turk to flight that is quite vanquish the Turkish Religion and Power and turn them all Christians And these are those times which Cardan in an Astrological Fit of Divination more than ordinarily assisted it may be as the Star-gazers of the East were by a Supernatural Star describes in his language briefly thus Martem Lunam debellant Sol Iupiter Authoritate Dignitate Veritate Ob hoc Christiani erigite capita qui potest capere capiat The language is fantastical as being Astrological but the prediction insinuated by some better kind of Genius as the Turkish Prophet haply might be inspired by some secret Emissary from Palmoni who has a right to all Kingdomes though not possession yet of all is sober and true as appears by the Holy Oracles of Scripture VISION VI. Continued From the times of the sixth and seventh Vial to the second Resurrection as also the Duration of the Entireness of the Kingdome of Antichrist defined And the time of his more palpable Discovery indigitated by two Numbers directing thereto Chap. 12. 1. AND at that time shall Michael stand up the great Prince which standeth for the Children of thy people As it is said Ch. 10. 21. And there is none that holdeth with me in these things but Michael your Prince This passage therefore denotes the time when the affairs of the Iews become very hopefull and prosperous which is about the sixth and the seventh Vials to speak in the language of the Apocalypse And there shall be a time of trouble such as never was since there was a Nation even to that same time As it is said Apoc. 16. 18. under the seventh Vial And there was a great Earthquake such as was not since men were upon earth so mighty an earthquake and so great The comparing which two places together plainly shews to what times they belong And at that time thy people shall be delivered The Seventy have it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 thy people shall be saved as also the vulgar Latin has it Salvabitur populus tuus namely from that bondage and abject condition they had lived in among the Nations as also from the rude and beggerly elements of Moses and by their conversion to Christianity they will be made partakers of eternal salvation Chery one that shall be found written in the Book Yea not the Iews onely but every one as well Gentiles as Iews that are found written in the Book of Life mentioned Apoc. 20. 12. shall be saved So that as it is usual with the Prophets there is a running out from the Temporal deliverance of the Iews to the Spiritual deliverance and from their particular deliverance from the lake of fire or second death to the General Salvation of all whose names are writ in the Book of Life As the sense is very coherent with what follows in the next verse which contains though something involutely and contractedly both the first and second Resurrection according as the words are capable of a double Exposition 2. And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake Where Many in counterdistinction to All does plainly intimate the first Resurrection which is not the General Resurrection but the Resurrection of the Martyrs onely such as did actually lose their lives for witnessing to the Truth or did without all reserve expose them for the same as Daniel did who was cast into the Lions den and the three Children into the fiery furnace though they were miraculously delivered Some to everlasting life The Hebrew has it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Those to everlasting life viz. Those that awake out of the dust of the earth at this time Those that are revivificated into their glorious bodies at this first Resurrection these awake to eternal life and enjoy a blessed immortality in their Heavenly bodies This is the first Resurrection of which it is said Apoc. 20. Blessed and holy is he that has part in the first Resurrection on such the second death hath â—…o power And some to shame and everlasting contempt In the Hebrew it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which you may render But those others another sort of people which the Prophecy
haec atque horribilis Bellua Romanum Imperium neque necesse est quenquam nomiâ—…are cùm nemo non dicat 3. Secondly that it cannot be the Kingdome of the Lagidae and Seleucidae as Grotius would bear us in hand in which odd conceit of his he forsakes the judgment of the whole Church of Christ to follow Porphyrius his who was a sworn Enemy to the Christian Religion appears from what is said Daniel 7. 23. The Fourth Beast shall be the Fourth Kingdome upon Earth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Quâ—…d majus erit omnibus regniâ—… Which shall be greater than all Kingdomes so the Vulgar Latine and Vatablus The Seventy also render it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And it agrees best with what follows and shall devour the whole Earth which must be understood in such a sense as Earth was before and shall tread it down and break it in pieces Which it could not be said to do unless it were so great a Kingdome as is here intimated Now it is manifest that the Kingdome of the Seleucidae and Lagidae * was neither greater more excellent nor a more victorious Kingdome than any of the three preceeding namely the Babylonian Persian and that of Alexander the Great from whose Kingdome they would make this of the Lagidae and Seleucidae distinct Wherefore their Kingdome cannot be this Fourth This Inference is so plain to Gasper Sanctius that he does though but justly yet very severely chastise Porphyrius for this Errour which Grotius has so unluckily taken up For he breaks out into these words upon this Text Vide Porphyrii stuporem oscitantiam in cujus mentem venire potuit â—…ut existimaverit regnum eorum qui Alexandro successere omnium esse maximum quodque omnem terram sibi subjecerit conculcaveritque cùm reliquis regnis longè fuerit infirmius ab omnibus concisum out malè vexatum Nay the very Prophecy it self makes the Kingdom of the Successours of Alexander less than his in power and greatness Dan. 8. 22. where it is said that Four Kingdoms shall stand up but not in the power of Alexander Which is they shall be inâ—…eriour to him Which questionless is meant of them joyntly it being a needless intimation of them single 4. Thirdly The Kingdom of the Iron legs and toes and of the Ten horned Beast with Iron teeth are one and the same Kingdom according to Grotius his own acknowledgment which he makes that of the Seleucidoe and Lagidae Now it is said that a Stone cut out of a Mountain without hands should break in pieces these legs and toes nay the whole Image oâ—… Iron Brass Silver and Gold and so succeed this Kingdom of the Seleucidae according to his sense oâ—… the Vision And Ch. 7. One like the Son of man in the Clouds of Heaven comes to receive a Kingdom namely upon the destruction of Antiochus Epiphanâ—…s that little Horn amongst the ten in this fourth Kingdom of Grotius his framing of whom it is said at the 21 verse I beheld and the same Horn made war with the Saints and prevailed against them until the Antient of days came and judgment was given to the Saints of the most High Which is the same with the Son of Man his coming in the Clouds of Heaven to receive the Kingdom of the Antient of days vers 13. And both agree with the Stone cut out without hands to shew it is not the work of man but of the Antieâ—â— of days God himself and that this is indeed the very Kingdom of Christ as Interpreters ever have expounded it Which is a perfect contradiction to Grotius his Dream That the fourth Beast with Iron Teeth and the Iron legs of the Image denote the Kingdom of the Lagidoe and Seleucidae and tâ—…at Antiochus is this little Horn. * For Antiochus Epiphanes was dead almost two hundred years before Christ so much as preached the Doctrine of the Kingdome or had any Disciples to follow him and yet it is said Dan. 2. 44. And in tâ—…e days of these Kingdoms shall the God of Heaven set up a Kingdom which shall never be destroyed From which passage I doubt not but that phrase The Kingdome of God as also from that above The Kingdom of Heaven does so often occur in the Gospel as also that Title which Christ so often gives himself of the Son of man And Grotius himself upon Matthew 8. 20. acknowledgeth that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Son of man mentioned Dan. 7. 13. is to be understood of the Messias Wherefore it is impossible that the Kingdome of the Lagidae and Seleucidae should be the fourth Kingdom 5. But here Grotius contrary to his judgment when he wrote upon Matthew has found a device which is scarce to be uttered without horrour and astonishment So that I am infinitely amazed that a man otherwise so learned and laudable as he speaks of Porphyrius should be mis-led into so bad an adventure The Son of man coming in the Clouds of Heaven according to him is Populus Romanus nullum intra se habens Regem When our Saviour Christ intimated to the High Priest that he was that Son of man that should come in the Clouds of Heaven it seem'd so high an Arrogation that he rent his clothes and said he had spoken Blasphemy And truly I think that neither Jew nor Christian can well acquit Grotius of that crime who attributes that which is the peculiar character of the Messias to a Prophane and Pagan people and that forsooth because they had no King as if they were ever the better for that But they had Kings at first and both in the Infancy of their Empire and afterwards they had a Supreme Power so great and Imperial as may excuse them from the least shew of contempt They had always over them a Sovereignty so that they could not be deemed the Son of man for any such private condition For the Summa Potestas is the Summa Potestas under what name or form soever and of the same real grandeur Besides that they were a most glorious and victorious people before Antiochus his time So that it is a very dilute and sapless conceit of Grotius to apply the Phrase of the Son of man to them for any inconsiderableness in them or obscurity For they were not so in the times of Antiochus 6. Again The Kingdom of the Son of man and the Stone cut out without hands are all one both in truth and according to Grotius his own concession But this Stone is Christ and his Kingdome as being Heavenly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a thing erected not by human power but by the power and Spirit of God That this is the meaning of without hands is the general vote of Interpreters S. Ierom Irenaeus Iustin Epiphanius S. Augustin Theodoret and several others Where think you does Grotius take shelter now Why This Figure which is so appropriate to Christ and mentioned of him so often in the New Testament This Stone
must be cast away as if it were neither precious nor a Corner-stone and be bestowed again on a Pagan people the Romans For so Grotius does not stick to profess Idem Lapis Filius hominis and he made the Son of man before the people of Rome But can a man believe that the Original or success of that people was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a thing brought to pass by the special power and Spirit of God and not more humano according to the usual course of the World and that not of the best kind their beginnings being helped on by a rabble of Ruffians and Robbers 7. No but that is not Grotius his gloss you will â—…ay Let us therefore hear what it is Lapis abscissus de Monte sine maâ—…ibus according to him is Exercitus populi qui suae esset spontis nullique Regi pareret cujâ—…s populi origo à Monte nempe Palatino In which there is nothing sound nor solid For was this Roman Army any thing more suae spontis in that they had not a Kingly Government at Rome That supreme Power of Consuls and Senatours was as directive and coactive as if it had been Regal So that the motion of this Army was never the more spontaneous for this Again The Stone cut from the Mountain without hands implies that it was then spontaneously divided from the Mountain when it is said to be cut thence But when the Romans first issued from Mount Palatine yea so soon as they were Populus Romanus Regal Government was amongst them it being the first Government of this â—…eople and therefore they were not then Populus suae spontis according to Grotius his own conceit so that he cannot bring both ends together And lastly To interpret Mountain here in a litteral sense is unskilfully done and not according to the analogy of the Prophetick Style nor the very intimation of the present Text which says the little Stone became a great Mountain it self and filled the whole Earth Wherefore this Mountain signifying not litterally but politically there is no question but the other does so too and that the Stone is in some sense homogeneal to this rocky Mountain Whence the sense is plainly this That out of the great Mountain that is the Roman Empire there should be a people raised not by human power or policy but by the Spirit of God and the preaching of the Gospel by Iesus Christ and his Apostles which should be a peculiar people to him and becomâ—… the Subjects of his Kingdome that is to say That the Church of Christ should be cut out of the Roman Empire without human help This is a most easy and undistorted sense and against which there cannot be made the least exception 8. Fourthly which I have already intimated above The Ten Horns of the Fourth Beast with Iron Teeth and the Ten Toes of the Iron Legs of the Statue signify the same thing Wherefore it is plain sith the Ten Toes imply a Coexistence of the Ten Horns by reason of the coordination of their Site that there must be Ten Kings together in the Fourth Kingdome But in the Kingdome of the Seleucidae and Lagidae there were not Ten Kings together all at once Therefore that Kingdome is not the Fourth 9. Fifthly Antiochus Epiphanes part of this Kingdome of the Lagidae and Seleucidae is said to riâ—…e up in the latter time of the Kingdome of the successours of Alexander Dan. 8. 22 23. Wherefore this Kingdome of the Lagidae and Seleucidae has expired near two thousand years ago But the Kingdome of the Fourth Beast reaches even to the day of Judgment Dan. 7. 9 10. And I beheld till the Thrones were cast down and the Antient of days did sit His Throne was like the fiery flame and his wheels as burniâ—…g fire A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him thousand thousands ministred unto him and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him * the Iudgment was set and the Books were opened c. That this is the description of the day of Judgment is the general opinion of both Christians and Jews and answers exactly to the lake of Fire and the opening of the Books Apoc. 20. which Grotius himself does interpret of the last day Whence we may safely conclude that the Kingdome of the Lagidae and Seleucidae is not the Fourth Kingdome as having ceased so long before that time though we understood the day of Judgment in the sense of the Rabbins 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 According to which the meaning of I beheld till the Thrones were set and the Books were opened is this that the Prophet Daniel had a prospect even to the utmost end of that great day But he begins more particularly at the beginning of that day in the eleventh verse But this I have onely noted by the by 10. Sixthly and lastly Alexander's Kingdome and that of his Successours is all one Kingdome But that of Alexander's is the third according to Grotius his own concession Now that that of his Successours of which Line are the Lagidae and Seleucidae is one Kingdome with that of Alexander's is evident out of Daniel Ch. 8. 21. The rough Goat is the King of Graecia and the great Horn that is betâ—…ixt his eyes is the first King Now that being broken whereas Four stood up for it Four Kingdomes shall stand up out of the Nation but not in his Power This is one plain proof that the Kingdome of Alexander and his Successours is all one Kingdome For he calls Alexander the first King which necessarily implies that his Successours are the second and that therefore they all belong to one and the same Kingdome Nay he says plainly that these Four Horns stand up for that great one that is in his stead What is this but to succeed in place of him as the Heads of one and the same Empire For no new Beast is said to succeed this Beast but the Horns the Horn. And then the comparing of them and saying But not in his power farther intimates a cognation and succession of one Line and that he does noâ—… speak of the Heads of two different Kingdomes Which appears farther from vers 8. Therefore the Goat waxed very great and when he was strong the great Horn was broken and foâ—… it came up four notable ones toward the four winds of Heaven But where should these come up but on that Head that had lost this great Horn which is compensated with four lesser ones * though in their kind notable For it is very incongruous and extravagant to fansy them to come up in any other And surely if they had belonged to any other Beast that Beast would not fail to have been named Wherefore they must either grow out of this Goat's Head or no where unless out of the ground which is ridiculous And therefore it is plain that Alexanders Kingdome and that of his Successors is but one Kingdome For that Goat is but one
Intervals of the Church of Pergamus and of Thyatira must come after Ephesus and Smyrna because till the expiration of those two Intervals Idolatry had not again reentred the Apostatizing Church And the three following intervals of Sardis Philadelphia and Laodicea are the Intervals of the true Church elapsed out of the hands of domineering Idolatry and therefore we hear no more in them of things sacrificed unto Idols nor of any Iezahel And Philadelphia which is the most holy and the most glorious Interval of the Church that is to appear on the face of the Earth is not to be named accoâ—…ding to her Dignity but according to her Succeâ—â—ion in time toward the latter end of the World as she is here ranged But of this more than enough because we had touched of it in the general before 5. Tenthly Why is Christ in his Description before the Epistle to the Church in Pergamus set out by a two edged Sword coming suppose out of his mouth according to the Ellipticalness of the Apocalyptick style what reason in the Letter can be given of that for especially if this Supplement be made it cannot respect the slaying of Antipas with the sword What peculiar thing then in this Church of Pergamus is there to require this Description Truly nothing at all appears in the Letter but in the Prophetical sense it is very proper The Waldenses and Albigenses in this Interval assaulting the Church of Rome or at least defending themselves and their pure Faith so signally by this Weapon I mean by the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God though themselves died so many thousands of them in the field by the sword for the Faith they thus defended And in the Eleventh place The description of Christ before the Epistle to the Church in Thyatira And his Feet like fine Brass as if they burned in a Furnace for that Supplement is to be understood out of his Description in the first Chapter as before But now what peculiar significancy has this description or what congruity to any thing in the Church of Thyatira Literally understood surely none But in the Prophetical sense it is very expressive of those lower members of Christ's Body his Church here on Earth of their invincible Zeal and Patience and Sincerity of Affection such as did abide the most fiery Tryals that could be put upon them and made them stand at the Stake amongst burning Faggots with the Flames about their ears and never flinch for it As has been noted in the Interpretation of that Epistle This was the state of that Interval of the Church Twelfthly In a Book that is so full of Aenigmatical Involutions and coverings upon coverings where he calls the Churches Golden Candlesticks and the Bishops or Pastours Stars and Angels even then when he interprets and offers to be more plain that the same Authour should so openly and plainly mention any one by name as he does the Martyr Antipas if there were not some farther Mystery in it would be a great Difficulty and hardly to be digested by the more sagacious and curious I must confess I have often wondred at this naming Antipas by name till I understood a further sense thereof such as we have rendred in the Exposition of that Epistle 6. In the thirteenth place One might well demand why Christ expresses a greater disgust against the Church of Laodicea than that of Sardis For though the former is said to be luke-warm yet the other making a great shew of life is notwithstanding declared to be dead That Christ should be more inraged against Luke-warmness than Hypocrisie and threaten it more deeply than the other I will spew thee out of my mouth which is quite to cast a thing away never to be resumed again must seem marvellous to the onsiderate Certainly if there were not some greater matter in it the Spirit of Christ would not speak so severely onely to follow a Metaphor But in the Prophetical sense the solution is easy that passage being predictive of the Extermination of the Church from the face of the earth at the close of the world as I have expounded it In the fourteenth place it may be demanded why so affectedly and repeatedly in every Epistle that Phrase is used I know thy works without any variation or omission Which seems a thing but of-small importance in the Literal sense of these Epistles but in the Prophetical it seems on purpose so repeated to intimate an Allusion in Asia to the Hebrew word * as if 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 was intended on purpose to answer to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 * that Asia may also be significant as well as the names of the Seven Churches which they all being it is a shrewd presumption this repetition was for some such design as has been declared Whereas the Literal sense can give no account thereof Fifteenthly Alcazar himself is much stumbled that the Spirit of God should be thought to take notice of any one particular Woman in the Church of Thyatira and so call her by the name of Iezabel as is ordinarily supposed And indeed these things are too little for the Majesty of this Writing of the Apocalypse But how can we help it in the Literal sense if we will interpret with constancy and coherency But in the Prophetical sense there is no such incongruity The Object is worth the Spirits taking notice of in this kind this Iezabel being that painted Woman of Rome intoxicating the Kings of the Earth with the Cup of her Spiritual Fornications as has been shewn upon the Text. 7. Sixteenthly It seems very strange that that Promise of ruling over the Nations and receiving the Morning Star which doubtless are Political Promises should be made to the Church in Thyatira more than to that in Pergamus or Ephesus and others What Victories or Dominion did the Church in Thyatira in Asia get over the Nations more than other Churches This is an hard knot in the Literal sense But in the Prophetical it is loosened at the first sight For the Closure of the Interval of the Church of Thyatira brings in the time wherein whole Nations revolted from the Pope and his Idolatrous Church and professed the Reformed Religion and so in these parts got the Pontifician party under them Seventeenthly In the Epistle to the Church in Philadelphia there is mention made of a mighty Temptation that is to come upon all the World to try them that dwell upon the Earth touching which he saith Behold I come quickly Why should this be said to the Church of Philadelphia more than to any other of the Churches here specified There are not the least footsteps of reason to be found in the Literal sense But in the Prophetical sense the thing is plain For the Interval of Philadelphia beginning in the last Vial wherein that mighty and terrible Earthquake is to happen the great Temptation what it is is plainly thence understood and how in
respect of this Philadelphian Church it will come quickly she commencing but in the very same Vial that this is to happen under Eighteenthly Why upon this Philadelphia a private Asiatick Church should the name of the City of God the new Ierusalem which cometh down out of Heaven from God the very same that is expressed Apoc. 21. be said to be written This Title were too big and turgent for any private Church were it not a Type or Symbol of some greater matter But by the Prophetical interpretation this difficulty is quite removed For the Interval of the Philadelphian Church is coincident with the times of the new Ierusalem mentioned at the end of the Apocalypse and of the Millennial Empire of Christ upon Earth 8. Nineteenthly The Curious may be prone to enquire why the Church of Laodicea in those times should account her self so hugely and extraordinarily rich encreased in goods and to have no want of any thing And truly why this should be her estate rather than any of the Churches specified from the Literal ground we can fetch no reason But admitting the Prophetical sense and that this is the last Interval of the Church of Christ it will naturally so come to pass For this Laodicea will be left Heir to all the Riches of her Sister Philadelphia to Peace Prosperity Purity in Worship abundance of natural Knowledge universal skill in the Interpretations of the Prophecies and whatever good thing there is belonging to the Church saving the Life and Spirit which Philadelphia carried along with her into the other World How easily then and naturally or rather necessarily does this Description of the Church of Laodicea fall upon the last Interval And Lastly It is a Question extremely obvious to demand Why that phrase * He that hath an ear to hear let him hear which our Saviour so often is found to adde at the end of his Parables to the People should be used here so repeatedly in every Epistle they being no Parables but Epistles sent to each of those Seven Churches in Asia respectively And then why this Epiphonema is sometimes the last close of the Epistle sometimes not To which Problem there is no tolerable Solution in the Literal sense of these Epistles But supposing a Mystical or Prophetical sense there was a necessity of affixing this Epiphonema to shew there was a farther sense intended than that of the Letter and also that sometimes this Epiphonema should come last of all as in the four last Epistles that the Promise to the Conquerour to him that overcomes might be more certainly understood to be of a proper Prophetical or Political sense not merely Theological Moral or Spiritual as has been abundantly declared in the Exposition 9. We might have drawn many more Questions and Solutions from the consideration of the Letter and of this Hypothesis we go upon to shew its solidity and fitness but that we hold it needless having produced so many already which jointly considered with the perpetual easiness and naturalness of the whole Exposition of all the Epistles * and the exact Correspondency of the Names of the Churches to the Events of the successive Intervals of the true Catholick Church which they represent one would think they should not fail fully to satisfy any unprejudiced Peruser of our Exposition of these Epistles touching the truth thereof But I am abundantly taught by Experience that both the finding out and receiving of Divine Truths found out by others is a special gift of God And therefore to him alone be the Glory for ever and ever Amen NOTES Upon the Twenty Arguments Sect. 2. With as great Pomp and as high a Preamble as he does where he begins so famous Prophecies as those of the Seven Seals c. You may adde to this of the Seven Seals and that of the Opened Book the Prophecy of the Scripture of Truth in Daniel To which Prophecy the Vision Chap. 10. vers 5 6 c. is a Preamble as this Vision is to this Prophecy of the Seven Churches and which is yet more remarkable the Person represented in the Vision the same Person in the like attire and other circumstances as here And there set before the most concerning Prophecy in all Daniel which reaches from the Persian Monarchy to the end of the World Whence it is the more â—…rigid and absurd not to make these Epistles of the Seven Churches a Prophecy as well as those three other are that reaches to the end of the World as they do That for the significancy of the word Asia to comport also with the significancy of the Names of the Seven Churches c. And there is one significancy more in this Name Asia than I was aware of when I wrote my Exposition of the Seven Epistles to the Seven Churches For besides that Allusion to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Fundamentum and to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies operari to work from whence I know thy works is so often repeated there may be also a further Allusion to the Cabbalistical 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies as they call it Mundus Asiathicus of which the Earth is the lowest Region So that the Churches in Asia will sâ—…gnify according to this Cabbalistical Notion the Churches dispersed over the whole Earth Because a Letter-carrier going from Patmos his first journey will be to Ephesus c. This is Alcazar his conceit and yet as Literâ—â— as it is it will not hold For he must be an unskilfull and indisâ—…reet Letter-carrier that setting out from Patmos to Ephesus will pass to Smyrna and to Pergamus if he intend what he ought to doe the delivering most of his Letters in the shortest time he may For then if we consult Ptolemies Mapps in Asiae Tabula 1 he being to deliver the most of his Letters in the shortest time is not to go from Ephesus to Smyrna and so to Pergamus but from Ephesus to Laodicea from Laodicea to Philadelphia from Philadelphia to Sardis from Sardis to Thyatira and from Thyatira to Pergamus and then from Pergamus to Smyrna from whence he may take shipping to Patmos again to give Saint Iohn an account of the delivery of his Letters This is very evident out of Ptolemie's Geographical Table especially if we understand by Laodicea that Laodicea which is situated betwixt the Rivers Meander and Lycus which questionless Alcazar understands And that Laodicea is near to Philadelphia and Philadelphia to Sardis and Sardis not far off from Thyatira But there is a Laodicea at a great distance from them all that lies a good deal East of the Mountain or Valley Aulocrene from whence the River Meander runs which Ptolemy calls 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Laodiceam combustam which were it understood would alter the account And yet for ought I know it may be chiefly alluded to in the Prophetical sense of the Epistles to these Churches the Laodicean Interval in a manner conterminating with the Conflagration of the World