Part 2, it, others upon the people to punish them, because they worship the Beast: the plague of blood and flaughter is for the people. This plague of the Croisades is divided into tw plagues, because of its long duration, for it lafted 200 years, from the end of the eleventh Age, untill the end of the thirteenth. The third viel which makes the third plague, fell only upon rivers, i.. upon leffer waters; because after a hundred years the fury abated there was no more marching of the whole Weft unto the East, only that of fome particular nations, as of the French among others under the conduct of St. Lewis; and confequently the effufion of blood was much less, there were only rivers ofblood, whereas the former Croifades had made a fea. I fhall add this explication which I have given, does exactly agree with the Genius and Emblems of the Prophets. The Prophet Ezec. 32.6. fays to Egypt, I will water with thy blood the land wherein thou fwimmeft, even to the mountains. There must be no less then a fea ofblood, to overflow a Countrey with blood, even to the tops of the mountains. The mountains shall be melted with their blood, faith Ifaiah 34.3. there must be rivers of blood to do this. v.5. And I heard the Angel of the waters fay, Thou art righteous, O Lord, which art, and wast, and shall be, because thou hast judged thus: V. 6. For they have shed the blood of Saints and Prophets,and thou hast given them blood to drink, for they are worthy. There will not want fome, who from these words will object and fay, that untill this time there had been no perfecution on the account of Religion, and that the Popedom had in no wife fhed the blood of Saints and Prophets. To this I anfwer. First, which she "Tis not true, that during the time of the Croifa. Part 2. des, no blood had been fhed on the account ofRe. Why God chargeth ligion; for it was exactly in the middle of the Croi- Antichri fades, that that horrible barbarity was used against fian Rome, the Waldenfes and Albingenfes. Innocent III. pu- blood blifht the fifth Croifade at the end of the twelfth Cen- had not yet tury, and at the fame time gave fentence of death shed. against the poor Albigenfes. But that which is efpecially to be obferved in this matter, is this, that those who make this objection, must make a ftronger against those words of Jefus Chrift, That the Luc. 11.50% blood of all the Prophets, which was shed from the "". foundation of the world, maybe required of this generation. From the blood of Abel, &c. verily I say, it shall be required of this generation. What reafon to require of the Jews, who lived in the times of Chrift, the blood of Abel and other holy men, who were flain before the Flood? what reafon to require of them the righteous blood, fhed before Abraham? Nay,what reafon to require of them the blood of the Prophets flain by their fathers, fince they difapproved the deeds of their fathers? Why, this is the reason, God when he executes judgement, ought to hear the cries of all the righteous blood that is fhed; for these cryes make up but one voyce; and the race of murtherers makes up but one people, on which God will charge that blood. It matters not, that it was fhed by the Parents or the Children, before the one were born, or after the death of the others, this makes no difference; God looking upon this murthering race all in one body, will charge the whole upon the whole in the lump. Which evidently appears from that which God here fpeaks of this generation of Antichrift; they have shed the blood of Prophets, he faith not of Apoftles, he goes back as far as the Ff3 Prophets Part2. Prophets, and inflicts the punishment of the blood of the Prophets, flain fo many ages before upon the Antichriftian Empire. Rome hath always been a murthering City; the holy Apoftles, Martyrs, Dodors, Confeffors of the firft ages of Christianity, were flain by its orders and in its Dominions. Modern Rome, within the circuit of its Jurifdiction, hath thed an infinite quantity of holy and faithfull blood. The old and new Rome, in the account of God, and in the executing of his judgements, make up but one body, becaufe God beholds the whole in one inftant or point. He looks upon her as one murthering tyrant, as one race of manflayers. It matters not, that as to fome particular perfons, and fome particular ages, fhe is not guilty of the blood of the Prophets; the is guilty as to her whole, in her beginning and her end: now the beginning and the end do involve the middle. But it will be objected, Had not Rome Pagan been fufficiently punifht for the blood of Apofiles and Maryrs, which the had fhed? So many fackings and defolations as fhe had felt, did not they fuffice? Muit Antichriftian Rome pay once more for that blood? I will object on the fame grounds; Had not ferufalem, the mutherer of the Prophets, fuffer'd enough for her murthers, by that dismal defolation made by the Chaldeans, by the captivity of all her Inhabitants, by the fire which confumed her Palaces? Muft God chaftife her by the Romans for thofe crimes, which had been punisht by the Babylonians? Thus was it neceffary that God should punish Rome Antichriftian, for the crimes committed by Rome Pagan, or for the fins which were not committed till the following ages of this Antichriftian Rome? 'Tis to this objection, that the other Angel answers, who speaks at 5. V.7. And I heard another out of the Altar Jay, Part 2, even fo Lord God Almighty true and righteous! are thy judgements. That is, though it feem unjust to give blood to drink unto new Rome, on the account of the blood that was fhed by old Rome, or of that which fhall be afterward fhed by the new notwithstanding thy judgements are righteous and true. Behold, the three plagues which bring us down unto the thirteenth Age. Thelaft Croifade, was the second expedition of St. Lewis, who car ried out and loft 60000 men at Thunis, in the year 1269. CHA P. VIII. ง The fourth plague ; the encreafe of the heat of the Sun, denoting the encrease of the. Papal Authority, which had almost utterly ruin'd the World and the Church. The fifth plague is the defolation of ROME, when the Pope retreated to Avignon, and the diminution of the papal Authority by the grand Schifme of thes Weft. v. 8. A1 v.9. And men were fcorched with great heat, and " This is the fourth plague, in which we fee the Sun. Tis known and confefs'd by all, who FIA know Part 2. What is the Sun of chriftian Empire. know any thing of prophecies, dreams and visions; that the Heavens, the Sun, the constellations, and the Anti- the Stars, are emblems of dignities and grandeurs on earth; and the image does bear a lively refemblance; for the Heavens are the fuperior region of the World, from whence good and bad Influences do come; and fupream Authority is the heaven of the lower World, from whence both good and evil proceed; great dignities are like conftellations in Societies: The Sun always fignifies the Soveraign, and the Stars inferior Magiftrates. Before, in the fixth Chapter, the fall of the Empire of Rome Pagan and of the imperial dignity, isrepres Chap. 6, fented to us by the fame images. And the Sun became black as fackcloth of hair, and the Moon beCame as blood, and the Stars of heaven fell unto the tarth. This is a thing which admits not any difpute. 12, 13. The Anti The Sun of That the Antichriftian Kingdom is treated of chriftian here, is generally agreed to: therefore it cannot Kingdom be doubted, that the Sun is the Soveraign of this is the Tape Kingdom. The heat and beams are the inftruments by which the Sun operates. 'Tis by his beams that he quickens, warms, and begets, and caufeth fertility, when his heat is moderate, as he caufes fterility when it is exceffive. "Tis by heat that he preserves and strengthens health, when his beams are gentle; and 'tis by it that he produceth death, when his beams are mingled with poyfonous va pors. Authority and power in Soveraigns exactly correfpond to heat and light in the Sun: 'tis this Autho rity which warms and burns, which faves and deftroys, which does good and hurt. When it is moderate like a Sun, it enlightens and preferves the State: when 'tis exceffive, 'tis like a fire which devours |