Part 2. the Inftrument of fo many victories, and which muft A compen- comes out of the mouth of him who fitteth upon the white horse. And the remnant was flain with the fword of him that fat upon the horse---and all the fowls were filled with their flesh. Now all know, that this fharp fword, that comes out of the mouth of Jefus Chrift, is the Word of God; a fpiritual fword, which must act only spiritual flaughters, and which does not destroy the lives of men, but their manners and Idolatries. So that I fear, left those are mistaken, who hope to render to Babylon that which we have received from her; and in the сир which she bath filled, to fill to her double, i. e. to give her blood for blood, torment for torment. This is not the fpirit of the true Church. I have now done with this fubject, and I think there remains but one thing to do, that I may give a clear Idea of our prophecies, and that is, to Epitomize and rank, according to the order of time, the yarious events which relate to the ruin of Antichrifts Kingdom, which the Holy Ghost displaced and confounded to the end that the prophecies might not be clearer than God did intend they fhould be... As for the feven plagues of the feven viols, they are perfectly ranked according to their order, and according to their times. 1. The first plague of the first viol,begins about thodizing the year i of our Lord goo. it lafts almoft 1 5o. years, of the e. and ends under the Popedom of Leo IX. about the muft bring year 1050. Antichrift's vents which Kingdom 2. The fecond and third plagues, which are the to its ruin. Croisades, begin at the end of the eleventh age, and end at the going out of the thirteenth, in the year 1270. or 1292. For till then fome of the Latins kept poffeffion in Palestine, fo that they take up up the fpace of about two hundred years. Part 2. 3. The fourth plague begins before the Croi fades; but if we pleafe, we may place its beginning where the foregoing ends. This fourth plague is the encrease of the Papal yoke, and this Period beginning at the year 1270, fhall continue untill the year 1378, when the confequent of the fifth plague begins, namely, the weakning of the Papal reign by the fchifm. Therefore this Period will contain 108 years. 4. The fifth plague is the removing of the Popes to dwell at Avignon, and the grand Schifm of the Weft. It begins in the year 1305 and lafts untill the year 1440. This Period being a little jointed within the former, fhall last 130, or 135. years. 5. The fixth plague, which is the paffage of the Turks into Europe, and the defolations which they made in the Popes Dominion, and in the Latin Church beginning towards the end of the fourteenth Age,about the year 1370. and lafting untill the fiege of Vienna under Charles the fifth in 1529,this Period will be i50 years. 6. The feventh plague beginning about the year 1520, and lafting untill the end of our Age, and the beginning of the next, muft laft about 190 years. This lait Period is longer then the reft, because God intended to fubdivide it into three other Periods., 7. Thefirft Period of this laft viol, is the barveft, which lafted 30, or 40years, from the year 1520, untill 1560, when all the Countreys, which were tobe Reformed, had embraced the Reformation. 8. The fecond period of this feventh viol, is that feafon and state of reft and victory, which the Papacy regain'd, and this period lafts from 1560. or 1570; for fance that time Popery hath received no Part 2. no confiderable check, but rather hath much prevailed; it hath made war against the faints, and hath overcome them. 9. Towards the conclufion of this fecond period of the feventh viol, afore perfecution must happen. The Witnesses clothed in Sackcloth,i.e. the faithful, who are under the Crofs, fhall be oppreffed, and remain dead in the street of the great City for three years and a half. That is, the profeffion of the Truth fhall be wholly fuppreffed: but the Truth it self shall not be buryed, nor layd in the grave, nor forgotten. 10. At the end of the three years and a half, fhall begin the third period of the feventh viol, which the Holy Ghoft calls the vintage. This is the total ruin of Antichrifts Kingdom, and this period fhall laft 20, or 25 years; 'tis probable that it will begin about the year 1690, or a little while after. 11. The first thing, which fhall be done in the third period of the feventh vial, is the Fall of the tenth part of the City, i.e. of the Kingdom of France, which fhall break with the Kourt of Rome, and wholly change the face of Religion in that Kingdom. This is the first action of the vintage. 12. The Beast and the falfe Prophet, the Pope and his Agents, fhall rally all their forces: but God fhall mufter all his together, and give the lait blow to Popery: then the Beast and the false Prophet fhall be thrown into the lake, and plunged into the bot tomlefs pit: Babylon fhall wholly fall; and it shall be faid, the is fallen,, fhe is fallen. CHAP CHAP. XV. The Reason why in this work we speak of some things fo pofitively. The linking together of our Principles, fuffers us not to doubt, that we now are at the end of the reign of the papacy. N the firft Edition of this work, I did here finish what I had to fay about thofe events paft and future, which concern the ruin of Antichrifts Kingdom. Second Editions have this advantage, that they may be futed to the pallates of the Readers, of whom a tryal hath been made. And (were it poffible for me to do it) I would gladly use this piece of prudence, with refpect to a Remarque, which 1 very many have made; namely, that in this difcourfe we speak over pofitively, and with too much confidence, concerning things which at the most ought to be propounded only as conjectures. Perhaps fome time or other men fhall know the principal reafon, which made me fpeak in fo confident a manner, and with fuch tokens of affurance. In the mean while I defire their attention to feveral things which I have to fay. Part 24 The firt is, That I do not speak fo confidently, as There are tis believed, concerning the most part of those things fome which are yet to come: for example, I lay not down that are the exact time of the refurrection of the witnesses. I propound do not fay, that it fhall be exactly in fuch a year; for @rong con I have declared, and do ftill declare, that I know jectures. not from what time God fhall pleafe to begin, M m the ed only as Partz. the reckoning of the three years and a half; Not but that I ftrongly hope, that God intendsto begin it at the time of the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes: but this doth not rife to a fullafsurance. That which concerns the rifing again ofour Reformation by way of infpirations, the approaching Reformation of France by way of Authority, the fall of the tenth part of the City, i. e. of France, which fhall forfake the papal Kingdom; this I fay seems to me to be more than a conjecture, I confefs it; and if things fhould fall out otherwife, I fhould be very much mistaken. But however; if the fall of popery fhould begin in fome other place, I would ingenuoufly confess that I was deceived, which is not impoffible. That which I faid, That the Countries, Kingdoms, and States, which are not under the papacy, ought not to be accounted the streets of the great City, and that they must not feel any perfecution, seems to me more than probable, and I believe it. But notwithstanding, I declare, that I do not make it an Article of faith; and if it should fall out, that God fhould fend his defolating fcourge upon all the Reformed Churches in Europe, without excepting the places where our Religion at this day bears fway; I grant that men will have right to accufe me, that I have guefs'd wrong, but not that I made rafh conclufions. And truly, when I confider the horrible loofenefs, whichevery where prevails, I confefs, that I cannot but fear left God fhould throw all into the fame furnace. What is ed as cer Behold therefore, what I affert, namely, that this propound is the last perfecution, which Antichrift must raife against the Church, and that we are near the end of the twelve hundred and fixty years (which is the Period of his Empire,) and that in the beginning of tain. the |