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fuls, Decemvirs, Tribunes of the people, perpe, Part. 2 tual Dictators, and Emperors hath lafted about 1250 years; it must be as long under the Popes. But at leaft, the head of Antichrift thould last at Rome fome ages, to have its duration propor tionable to that of the other heads. It fignifies nothing to us what period is affigned to it, provided it be not that of three natural years and a balf.

For we have proved that if it can't be taken for three natural years and a half, it must necessarily be taken for prophetical years.

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years and a

prevail

Nations of

violence,

them.

Thirdly, In the fame Chapter, the fame Anti- Third Arg. christian Empire appears again under the form of in three a fecond beast, that hath but one head and two half Antihorns. Yet once more, fee a great mystery, for chrift can't a matter that is to endure but three years and a over the half, in a period of 2000 years. Of the first beaf, the earth, the Prophet faith, that it was given to him to make neither by war with the Saints, and to overcome them; and, nor by fe alfo to him was given power over every Tribe, Tongue ducing and Nation. And of the fecond, that he fhould deceive them that dwell on the Earth, by reafon of thofe miracles, which he had power to do, &c. and that all, both small and great, free and bond should receive his mark in their hand, and in their fore, heads. Afterwards 'tis faid of this Antichriftian Empire, under the emblem of a woman fitting on a beaft with feven heads and ten horns, that all the Kings of the Earth have committed whoredom with her, that she made drunk all the Inhabitants of the Earth with the wine of her whoredoms, and that all the Nations drank of the wine of her whoredom. This fignifies two things; one, that this Antichriftian Empire muft fubdue all Nations; the fecond, that it must feduce them by its figns

and

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Part.2. and falfe miracles. Now can any one imagine, that three years and a half fuffice, firft to conquer an Empire and overcome all Nations; secondly, to feduce and pervert them, and bring them to deny the Chriftian Religion. If Antichrift, were to ufe that method that is ufed in France, and were to ufe no other but that, it may be in three years and half, he could make many Kingdoms abjure Chriftianity, as in fix months he hath made the refor mation be abjured by more than a million of perfons. But 'tis plain, the Antichriftof the Papifts is not to use this way. So that one may fay, the Clergy of France have outftript their Antichrift, and that there never was a more hellifh fort of perfecution. It is clear, I fay, that Antichrift is. to carry away men by feducing them; for otherwife, why fhould he work figns and miracles? and though he were to pervert the Chriftians with Dragoons, at leaft certainly he ought to have conquer'd them by arms before hand, and have overturn'd every other Empire. Can he conquer all the World in three years? where are the examples of fo fwift a conqueft? Alexander the Great is represented in the vifion of the four Beafts, as a Leopard, by reafon of the fpeediness of his conquests. Yet he fpent more than three years and a half, and had conquer'd but one part of Afia when he died. Are three years and a half fufficient to reaffemble the Jews from all the Countries of the World, to make them mafters of the whole Univerfe, to re-establish the mosaical worship, and rebuild the Temple of Solomon? Only the building of the Temple the first time, took up feven years. They labour'd more than 40 years about that of Herod; and this of Antichrift, which will apparently be more magnificent, fhall be finisht in a

few

few months. If there were therefore nothing elfe Part. 2. but what were to be done by the violence of Antichrift, according to the very fuppofition of the popish Doctors, it would be impoffible to be done in 30 years.

How much more impoffible is it, that he should attain his end in fo fhort a time, in what he is to do by the means of feducing? His falfe Prophet muft feduce all the inhabitants of the Earth, i.e. all the Subjects of the Roman Empire, according to the style of the Writers in thofe times, who defined the Roman Empire by the habitable earth. There must be much more time to feduce the Nations than to conquer them. If Antichrift was to eftablish his Religion by violence only, it might be faid that in building up his Empire he would build up his Religion; but it is clearer than the day, that he mult perfwade and feduce. 'Tis for this purpofe that he worketh Signs. There's no need of miracles to establish a Religion by arms. The Prophecy faith exprefly, that he shall make drunk the Nations of the Earth with the wine of bis whoredoms. Which fignifics great obftinacy, drunkeness of mind, perfwafion. Now behold a ftrange thing, in less than three years and a half, a feducer utterly deftroys the whole Chriftian Religion, and by the means of perfuafion feduces all the Chriftians, and perfwades them to become Jews.

Fourth Argument, the meer

must take

Fourthly, Wehave in the 14th Chap. an abridge- all of the ment of the Hiftory of the ruin of fpiritual Ba- Antichriftibylon. She is fallen, she is fallen, Babylon that an Empire great City. We have proved before, that Baby- up more ion and the Antichriftian Empire are the fame thing. cording to Now the Prophet in this Chapt. concerning the the 14th end of the Antichriftian Empire, makes two periods the Revel

of

years, ac

Chap. of

C.14.8.

v. 16.

V. 19.

Part. 2. of his laft ruin; the firft is called the harvest. Then be that fate on the Cloud thrust in his fickle on the Earth, and the Earth was reaped. The fecond is called the vintage. And the other Angel thrust in his fickle into the Earth, and gathered the Vine of the Earth, and caft it into the great wine-prefs of the wrath of God. It is plain, at least, that these two periods must be diftant one from the other, as much as ordinarily the harvest is from the vintage. Now 'tis well known, that the prophecies represent in a little, what the events fhew in the great; and confequently as the harvest is many days diftant from the vintage, it will be neceffary that the two parts of the fall of the Antichrifian Empire, fhould be many years diftant one from the other. Now if meerly the fall of the Babylonish Empire takes up many years, the flourishing and the strength of this Empire must take up much more time. An Empire fo ftrong, can't be ruin'd in the twinckling of an eye, and in one months time. Moreover, there must be an interval of rest between the harvest and the vintage. All this neceffarily fuppofeth more than three years and a half.

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The 15th and 16th Chapt. contain the vifion of the feven vials of the wrath of God, that must be poured out on the Earth. It is evident that all these seven viols refpect the Antichriftian Empire. The first plague is an ulcer, that feizes on the men that had the mark of the beast. The 5th viol is caft on the feat of the beast; at the seventh, the great City, which is the fame beaft, is divided into three parts. And before the viols were given to the feven Angels, they that had obtained victory over the beast, over his image, over his mark, and over his name, are reprefented as rejoycing in

the

the prefence of the feven Angels, that had recei- Fart. 2. ved the feven plagues.

Argument,

15th Chap.

the fall of

chriftian

of thefe

more than

an Age.

Fifthly, All this makes it appear, that these The fifth feven viols are seven periods, included in the du- the feven ration of Antichrifts Empire, under which God viols of the muft pour out his terrible judgements on that are lesen Empire. These seven periods must divide his du- periods of ration into seven parts, very near equal,even though the Antione fhould fuppofe that the feven periods con Empire; & tain this whole duration, every viol and every every one period would have but fix months to laft, accor- periods ding to the fuppofition of the Romish Doctors, contains The truth is, that thefe feven viols are included mo in the half of the duration of Antichrifts Empire, or a little more; For 'tis the History of the fall of that Empire. If it lafts but three years and a half, it is necessary, that at the leaft it should be two years a growing; fo there will remain no more than eighteen months for these feven viols, and to every period we muft affign a little more than two months. This is very plainly abfurd. There is no example of the like matter in all the Prophecies. The feven feals, the seven trumpets of the Revelation contain many ages; 'tis ridicu lous to fuppofe that the feven viols contain but Some months. We fhall fee afterward, that every viol extends it felf to more than a 100 years.

Argument,

the 17th

Sixthly, The 17th Chapt. reprefents to us the The fixth Empire and the Religion of Antichrift, under the what is emblem of a woman fitting on a beast with feven foretold in heads and ten horns. 'Tis faid, this woman muft Chap. canmake her felf drunk with the blood of the Martyrs. That firft of all, the ten Kings must give their power to the beast; that afterwards, they must fight against the Lamb in favour of the beast; and that at last,

thefe

not come

os in three years

and a half

7.6.

v. 13.

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