Part 2. We muft difmem pire into the death more than the City of that name, retained however the name of Roman Emperors to Auguftu-. lus's time. Then therefore from the wrecks of the Roman reckon the Empire were formed. 1. The Kingdom of the bring ofthe Britains in Britanny. 2. Of the Saxons. 3. Af Roman Em- the Franks. 4. Of the Burgundians in the Gauls. ten King 5. Of the Vifigoths in the South of Gaul and in doms from Spain. 6. Of the Sueves in Gallicia and Portuof Valenti gal. 7. Of the Vandals, firft in Spain, and then in Africa. 8. Of the Allemans in Germany. 9. Of the Oftrogoths in Pannonia, 10. Of the Greeks in the Eait. They took their power with the Beast, that is to fay, with Antichriftianifm; therefore Antichriftianifm received its birth and power with the ten Kings. That is its Epocha, or Date. nian the third. The concourfe of four Cha racters make the Epocha of the birth of the An. According to which, we fhall place the future fall of the Antichriftian Empire in the beginning of the 18th Age. I believe it would be very difficult, to fet down precifely the very year. For God. doth not fo exactly, obferve Chronology in his Prophecies. A few years more or lets; fignify nothing. However one may fay, that according to all appearance, it must happen between 1710, and 1715. "Tis, I fay, the concourfe of thefe four Characters, that must conduct us to find out the beginning of the 1260 years of Antichriftianifm. 1. The birth of Idolatry. 2. The birth of Pride and Tyranny. 3. The progrefs of corruption of manners. 4. The. zichriftian divifion of the Roman Empire into ten parts. Till thefe four Characters meet together, we cannot begin the computation of the 1260 years. Therefore I do not reckon them from the year 430, though that be an Epocha that is notable enough, having Empire. its original in the deftruction of the Temple of Part 2. Jerufalem. According to which, the accomplishment of the 1260 years would fall on the year 1690, four years hence. I reckon them not from thence, I fay, because in the year 430, the Roman Empire was not yet entirely difmembred. Withal it appears not, that then things were ripe for fo great an event. We must not imagine, that the Empire of Antichrift and of Idolatry, will fall and be destroy'd in four or five years. He will have fome partifans remaining a long time before he fhall be entirely brought to nought. born by See one thing, that must be well obferved. 'Tis Antichri this, that though we do not begin the 360 years of fianifm was the Churches purity, at the first year of I. Chrift as degrees; it we might have done, to end them in the 60th year alfo falls of the fourth age, according to which the Em- by degrees. pire of Pride and Idolatry should have ended in the year 1620, 65 years ago; nevertheless, as fuperftition and tyranny began to be eftablisht in the middle of the fourth Age, a hundred years or thereabouts, before the point which God marks out for the birth of Antichriftianifm; in like manner a hundred years before the entire deftruction of this Antichriftianifm, the tyranny and fuperftition of the Papifm fenfibly grow lefs and lefs, and are vifibly falling, ftianifm is Its laft ruin Counting the first original of fuperftition from the Antichriyear of our Lord 360, and reckoning after this the tending to 1260 years of its reign, it falls as we have feen, on ince the the year 1620. At which time Idolatry and tyran- year 1620. ny must begin to fall, as they did begin to appear in the 360th year of our Lord. And indeed it is certain, that fince that time, Images and Saints have extremely loft their credit. 1620, we shall find more And fince the year Part 2. Papifts themselves, that have difcredited these false worthips, than we shall find in all the fore-going Ages. very time From that The Tyranny of the Pope alfo fince that time hath the power, fuffer'd a vifible decay. In the paft age, the Popes is vifibly vie had pretty well recover'd that blow, which the diminisht Council of Conftance, and the reformation of Luin Frame, ther and Zwinglius had given them. Iulius the se cond, and Leo the tenth, affembled the last Lateran Council, which abrogated all that had been done against their Authority. The Council of Trent indeed did not pronounce the fuperiority of Popes above Councils, and the Temporality of Kings; but it left them in a full and entire poffeffion of their pretended Rites, without fo much as touching of them. Yea, it did confirm them, if not by its decrees, at least by its practice, in fubmitting all its Canons to the Pope, in declaring they had no defign to diminish the authority of the Holy See, and demanding from thence the confirmation of their decrees. In truth, the Popes remained in poffeffion of that fuperiority, and of that power, as well over Councils as Kings. They depofed fince the Council of Trent, the Kings Henry the third, and Henry the fourth of France. They caufed these two Henries to be affaffinated; and alfo during the minority of Lewis the XIII. the Pulpits and affemblies rung with nothing but the Soveraign power of the Pope over Soveraigns, and the power they have to depose them. In the States in the year 1616. The Clergy of France had the infolence to maintain this Doctrine fo prejudicial to the authority of Kings, by the mouth of Cardinal Perron. Edm. Richer, a Doctor of the Sorbon, in the year 1611 made a Book with this title, De Ecclefiafticâ & Politicâ Poteftare, which was the Epitomy of that which we have at this day under the title of Apologiapro 70-Part 2. banne Gerfono. Therein he proved the fuperiority of the Council above the Pope, and the independance of Kings. The Author was deprived of the dignity of Syndic of the Sorbon, and of his benefices. His Book was cenfured by two Provincial Councils held in the year 1612, one at Paris, the other at Aix, and was confuted by D. du Val. But fince the year 1620, Richer is advanced again to the throne, the power of the Pope hath been always diminifht. And at this day, 'tis in fo great a declenfion, that it will never more rife up. So that Antichriftianifm falls precifely by the fame degrees, by which it rofe. It was a hundred years a budding before it was blown; it fhall be a hundred years det elining, before it fhall be entirely overthrown. It had its first beginnings in the year 360. Its great declen fion began precifely 1260 years after. It was born about the year 450. It shall dye about the year 1710, juft 1260 years after its birth. This may happen fooner; for the Roman Empire even under Valentinian, whom I reckon for the last of the Roman Emperors, was very much difmembred. But I do not fee that it can go much further, unless it may be to 1714, reckoning the 1260 years after the death of Valentinian. This, I profefs, doth not seem to me to be altogether a fimple conjecture, by reafon of two passages to express He that doth let, or poffefs, will let, or poffefs, till he be taken out of the way, and then shatt that wicked one be revealed. The ten horns are ten Kings, which have received no Kingdom as yet; but receive power as Kings one hour with the Beast. But that which I fhall now add, is a conjecture to which men may give fuch entertainment as they please. Part 2. The order the entire of the 'Tis a confequent from what we have faid of Antiochus Epiphanes, and the duration of the perfecution, to which the Prophet affigns four times. 2300 mornings and evenings, that is to fay, 1150 days. Three years and a half, that is to fay 1260 days. 1290 days, and 1335 days. We have faid, that the number of 1260 days, is that of the time of the duration of the prophanation of the Sanctuary, till the time that fudas Macchabaus having taken out of the Temple the Idol of Jupiter Olympius, began the cleanfing of the Sanctuary; that he was a month in taking away all the impurities; wherefore Daniel after the number of 1260 days, adds 30 thereunto, and faith, that it shall be for 1290days. Lastly, we have fuppofed, that Judas Macchabaus spent 45 other days in preparing all things for the dedication of the Temple. That the type may anfwer the truth,ifthe Empire in which of the Papifm muft fall, and be abolisht about the reftoration year 1710, we may believe the Church fhall not be Church perfectly reformed and cleanfed for all that. It may muft be ef- be, thatall Chriftians, although they agree to chafe away Idolatry, and beat down Tyranny, yet they will not agree in every thing. So that I fuppofe 30 years fhall pafs, for the reuniting all Chriftians in the fame communion, and that this union fhall be effected about the year 1740. fected. This reunion fhall be a path-way for the calling the rest of the Pagan and infidel Nations, who are yet almoft innumerable. For we must not hope, that Pagans and Infidels fhall enter into the Church, while they fee it divided. Into what part of it fhould they put themselves? It fhall be the unanimous confent of all Chriftians in one only Religion, that fhall overcome the obftinacy of the enemies of Jefus Chrift. To effect this reunion of all Chri ftians, |