her. Hope deferred maketh the heart fick, faith the Part 2.

Wife man.

plague,

V. 12. And the fixth Angel pour'd out his viol Sixth upon the great river Euphrates, and the water thereof was dryed up, that the way of the Kings of the Eaft might be prepared.

The Kings of the Eaft, and the river Euphrates do give light to this Text. As for the Kings of the Eaft, we cannot doubt but that they are the Turks, for they are the only Kings of our Eaft. They poffefs exactly that part of the Roman Empire, which is called the East, and hath kept the name of Natolia: in the Text they might have been tranflated the Kings of Anatolia, for that is the word which is ufed. Now all know that the Turks are the Kings of Natolia. As for Euphrates, we find it in the fixth Trumpet, as it is here in the fixth plague.

V. 13. And the fixth Angel founded, and I heard Revét. a voyce from the four horns of the golden Altar,which ch. 9. is before God.

V. 14. Saying to the fixth Angel, which had the Trumpet, loose the four Angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates.

V.15. And the four Angels were loofed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a moneth, and a year, for to flay the third part of men.

V. 16. And the number of the army of the horsemen, were two hundred thousand thousand: and İ heard the number of them.

V.17. And thus I faw the horses in the vifion, and them that fate on them, having breft-plates of fire, and of jacinct, and brimstone, and the heads of the horfes were as the heads of Lions; and out of their months iffued fire, and smoke, and brimstone.

The moit skillful Interpreters, have in this Metaphorical defcription difcerned the Turkish CaGg 2

valry,

and their

Part 2. valry, which was formerly fo formidable, and after The Turks the reading of what fofeph Mede hath wrote upon invafions this, I think it cannot be doubted that the thing is are fore fo. This barbarous Nation which came out of 9th chapt. Tartary, had carried on its conquests even to Ɛnof the Re- phrates, nigh to which is formed four Dynasties or

told in the

velation.

Here Eu

phrates is the Thra

cian Bofpho cond bar

rus, the fe

riere of the Turks.

Governments; and there it abode a long time: thefe are the four Angels, who were bound behind Euphrates. This River for fome time served as a boundary, or barriere of the Empire of Conftantinople against the Turks. But they leapt over this barriere, and spread themselves as far as the Euxine Sea, and the Bophorus, and the Egean Sea, or the Archipelago. The Croisades, about the end of the eleventh Age, drove them back, took from them Nice and a part of the leffer Afia. But afterwards they came again, and waiting the Grecian Empire, they took all away from it as far as the Sea called Bofphorus, and as far as the Archipelago.

Behold, these are the Kings of the East, which appear again in our fixth viol: behold the Euphrates, which again comes upon the stage. But what is this Euphrates? In this Prophecy whatever ferves as a barriere to the Turks, is called Euphrates, becaufe this River was the first barriere, which did feperate that people from Christendom. After the Turks had got over that River, they find another Euphrates, viz. the Bosphorus. This in their laft irruptions was the fame, that Euphrates had been in their first, namely, a barriere, that for a little while ftopt their course, though at last they leapt over it. This figure is very ordinary in Orators, (and conquently, there is ground to feek it in Prophets, whofe Style is much more figurative.) Thus one will fay Here are my Herculis's pillars; meaning, here I will bound my conquests: another will fay, Here

are

are my East Indies; meaning, here. I will bound Part 2. my longest voyages: A third fays, This is my Louure; meaning, this is my Palace, or refidence.. So it might be faid of the Turks, ftopt behind the Bofphorus. This was their Euphrates; therefore the. Sea call'd Archipel, and the Bosphorus of Thrace, in the thirteenth age were the barriere, that parted the remainder of the Greek Empire, and the Empire of the Turks: But at the end of the 14th age, the Turks under the conduct of the proud Bajazet, and by means of the treachery of the Genuese (who let their Gallies to them) they paffed the Bofphorus, made themfelves mafters of all Thrace, fixed the Seat of their Empire at Adrianople, and plundred all Greece; infomuch, that the Greek Emperor had fcarce any thing left; befides the City of Conftantinople. Tamerlain tamed the pride of Bajazet, and for a while ftopt the fury of this torrent. But the Children and Succeffors of Bajazet, foon after carried on their conquefts; and 50 years after quite ruin'd the remainder of the Greek Empire. Mahomet II. took Conftantinople, in the year 1452. After which the Turks overflowed as a torrent, conquer'd all Greece, Macedonia, Albania, Slavonia, Croatia, Bulgaria, Hungary, and extended the bounds of their Empire even unto the borders of Germany.

Here therefore the Archipel, and the Bosphorus (which is joyn'd to it) are called Euphrates, becaufe this Sea ferved as a barriere againit the Turks, as Euphrates formerly had done; this was the En phrates of that time, and the Holy Ghoft kept the name of Euphrates in this fecond barriere, that we might in this Text the more certainly difcern the Turks, who had paffed over Euphrates, when they first invaded the Greek Empire and Christendom. Gg 3

This

Part 2.

Church fuf.

This is the fixth plague, which may be well The Latin called the plague upon the Kingdom of the Beaft; fered infi. for that Kingdom did infinitely fuffer by it. 'Tis nitely by true, the firft defolations fell upon the Greek Emthe paffage of the pire but as I have already remarkt, the great Turks into Idolatries which reigned in the Greek Church, had Europe. made it become a Province of the Antichriftian

Empire; it was indeed separated by a schifme from the Latin Church, notwithstanding it was a Province of that Empire, though a rebellious Province. Befides this, the Latin Church, the Kingdom of the beast was infinitely alofer. How many fair Provinces and brave Kingdoms were rent off from the Weft by the Turks? How often have the Turksvexed Italy? nay, even Chriftian Princes have ufed them to mortify the Popes; befides what they have already done, we know not what they must do hereafter. The Holy Ghoft seems to intimate, that God hath placed them there for fome greater work than that, which they have already perform ed: for the Spirit faith, that the way of the Kings of the Eaft might be prepared, without telling us what work they are to do; and the reafon is, because their greatest work must not be done under the fixth plague, but at the end of the feventh. God hath thought it fufficient to tell us, that he hath placed them on this fide the Bofphorus, and brought them even to the borders of Germany, to be the inftruments of his great work: at least this is the opinion of many, who are taken with the Prophecies of Drabicius: They are perfwaded, that the Turk must deftroy Rome. The present state of his affairs does not promife this; for fince the Ottoman Empire was founded, he was never brought fo low. But I confefs, that this is far from weakning my opinion, that the Turk must be

the

the Inftrument of the vengeance of God against Rome; Part 2. for 'tis this, that does confirm me in it: for I look on this year 1685. as a Critical year in this great affair: God hath brought low the Proteftants and the Turks at the fame time, that he may raise them up at the fame time, and make them the Inftruments of his vengeance against the Babylonian Empire. Notwithstanding,as I do not found my predi Etions upon the vifions of Drabicius, but upon thofe of Saint John, and he faith nothing that does determine me; I am in fufpence whether the Turks have been placed fo nigh the Kingdom of the Beast, to bear a part in destroying him, or to be honoured with the bleffing of converfion, upon the fight of that great work of God. I am perfwaded, that a few years will inform us which of these is the truth.

The duration of this period, is about 125 or 130 From 1390 years. In the year 1529, the Turks came and be- until 15:26. fieged Vienna Charles the fifth made them raise their fiege. Since that time,they have not made any great progrefs into the Kingdom of the Beast. And this fixth plague exactly brings that Kingdom unto the time of Luthers preaching, of which the confequences are fore-told in the seventh plague, as I hope to make very evident; but before that, we have a Parenthesis of a great depth and obfcurity.

V. 13. And I faw three unclean spirits like frogs, come out of the mouth of the Dragon, and out of the mouth of the Beast, and out of the mouth of the false Prophet.

V. 14. For they are the spirits of Devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the Kings of the earth, and of the whole world, togather them to the battel of that great day of God Almighty. V.15, Behold, I come as a thief, &c.

Gg 4

V. 16