devours; when 'tis gentle, and the Prince ufes it a- Part 2. right, there is no advantage that it does not produce,fertility, abundance, peace,ftrength,& health of the Commonwealth. But when 'tis maligne, and the Prince ufes it wrong, 'tis a burning Sun, which confumes, which waftes, which fcorches and kills, which brings barrennefs and want into the place of st abundance, trouble and confufion into the room of peace, and death into the place of life; these things alfo carry an undenyable evidence.

heat, fignia

crease of

Therefore I conclude, not by way of naked con- The enjecture, but with affurance,that the encrease of heat creafe of in the Sun of the Antichriftian Empire, and in his fies the enbeams, is the encrease of his Authority and power, the papal and alfo the pernicious and wicked ufe of this ufur- Authority, ped power. And this clearly fignifies that prodi gious augmentation of the papal authority and power, which was made in the eleventh, thirteenth, and fourteenth Centuries. The Pope had been Tyrant over the Church, thenue became Tyrant over the World. Gregory VII. by an incre-3 dible attempt, rais'd himfelt above all Soveraigns, excommunicated Emperors and Kings, depofed them, and took away their Crowns, made other Emperors and other Kings, to whom he gave the Territories of the former. His Succeffors kept the fame path, yea out-went him. They had a mind to make Emperors their affals, and did fo. This heat fcorched men like fire, and men were fcorched with great heat; for none can defcribe the dismal defolations, which Popes have made by the use of this ufurped and exceffive authority. It coft Henry The enIV. alone, fixty and odd battels and combats in the autho which he was engaged, to defend himself against py of had the enemies which the Popes ftirred up. The hifto- almoft conof the two Frederiks that of Lewis of Bavaria,& Europe.

the

creafe of

Popes,

Part 2. the general hiftory of Germany for the fpace of 300 years, can witness to what I fay, without reckoning England, France, and other States, where the papal Authority hath caufed bloody and horrible Tragedies, and fuch troubles, whofe bare reading does move compaffion; Matthew Paris alone may fuffice to let us know, how exactly this Prophecy was accomplisht, [that the beams of the Sun Scorched Chap.6.7, man. He tells us, how the Authority of the Pope 8. of the made fuch exactions in England, and brought it to Chap. 5. of fo great mifery, that it was almoft quite ruin'd. the fecond, This may be found every where, and lately in our Hiftory of Popery, in the first and third recrimina,

first part,

the fecond

tion.

Why the This is the fourth plague, and whoever seriously fourth confiders this matter, will have no fcruple about it, plague begins before no more then I have, Perhaps fome will make and third one, that this fourth Plague did begin before the fecond, for therrodigious tyranny of the Popes began under Hit brand, nam'd Gregory VII. about the year 1074,1 and the Croisades did not begin till 1096. more then 20 years afterward. Wherefore then does the Spirit make this to be the fourth Plague, and not the fecond? I answer, because this came down lower then the continuance of the Croisades. The Groifades ended about the year 1270. when as this papal tyranny continued in all its ftrength, and all its dreadfull effects, the whole thirteenth and the whole fourteenth Centuries. Afterwards, though the Popes have ever kept up (and do ftill) the fame pretentions, notwithstanding they did far less mischief in Europe, by the use of this proud Authority, which they take to themfelves.

It is to be obferved, that the Prophecies which divide times and events by periods, do not divide

them

cies the pe

often in

them in fuch a manner, that one period fhould be- Part 2... gin exactly where another ends; on the contrary, In prophe.. they are always joynted or inlayd, one within ano- riods of ther. For example, the Roman Monarchy does not rimes are begin where the Grecian ends; on the contrary, layd in one the Roman Monarchy in its longeft duration does another. take in the whole Grecian entirely, yea, it begun before the Grecian. When Alexander founded the Grecian Empire, the Romans had already begun to make a figure in the World. And Livy in that part of his Hiftory proves, that if Alexander had marcht into the Weft, as once he defigned, he had not fo eafily mastered Rome, as he did the Eaft. Rome had at that time conquered all her neighbours, the had fubdued the Aqui, the Volfci, the Samnites; yea, fhe had humbled the Gaulsby many defeats given to them. At that time lived the Fabij, the Papyrij, and many other Heroe's, whofe names are fo famous in hiftory. The Gity was at that time 420 years old, and the Prophesi cies do reckon the deftinies of Rome from its first beginning, for they mention its feven heads, ie the feven Governments,under which they do con- Revel. 17. fider it of which the firft was that of their Kings. The fourth So that the fourth Monarchy did precede the third, preceded more then 400 years But notwithstanding the more then Roman Monarchy is reckon'd the fourth, because four hunit kept its grandeur intire; nay, did much encrease dred years. it, a long time after the fall of the Grecian. Thus the plague of the Sun, i.e. of the papal Authority, is reckon'd as the fourth, though it began before the fecond, because it continued during the fecond and third plague, and its reign was lengthned boye a hundred years after them both, and the last hundred years ought to be reckon'd, as the period of the fourth plague

a

There

Monarchy

the third

Part 2.

聊

There is another objection which will feem ftronger, but notwithstanding is more eafily anfwer'd. According to our expofition, the augmen tation of the papal Authority, is accounted (to be) a calamity upon the Antichriftian State; whereas on the contrary, it is the highest step of its exaltation and perfection. I anfwer, that the one contradicts not the other: for firft, we must remember the remark already made,viz. that these plagues do not all fall upon the bead of the Antichriftian Kingdom: they are heavy judgements of God, which often touch not the Pope, who is the Inftrument to execute them. The plagues fall on them. that worship the Beast and his Image, and not on the Beast himself, and on the falfe Prophet; yea,!! this falfe Prophet is an Inftrument in the hand of God to inflict the plagues. Thus in the second and third plagues, which are the Croisades, the Pope is not the fufferer; 'tis he who makes others fuffer, tis he who fends many millions of his fubjects tobe murther'd and flain; yea, this very thing proved a great augmentation of his power. In the famemanner, this fourth plague falls upon the Antichriftian people, and therefore in the following plague the Spirit faith, that the viol was pour'd on the feat. of the Beast, to fignify that the people or fubjects of the Beaft, fhould not be the chief fufferersby it. I anfwer in the fecond place, that the prodigious of the pa- advancement of the papal Authority, which in truth Fity, did brought Antichriftianifm unto its perfection, yet tend to its notwithstanding was one step to its ruin. If the

The abufe

pal Autho

ruin.

2

Popes had kept within the bounds, which they did in the preceding ages; if they had not medled with fecular affairs, to difpofe abfolutely concerning them; perhaps the See of Rome had not been thought to be Antichrift; but then it was

that

that this truth became fo fenfible, that every one Part 2. perceiv'd it. The abuse of the Ecclefiaftical power in the ninth age, made fome perceive that Rome was the myftical Babylon. Thus Gontier Bishop of Colen, and Thetgant Arch-bifhop of Triers, nam'd it in the ninth Age. But after the eleventh Age, this truth was so demonstrated, that we of this Age do not fpeak it more plainly and confi dently. We may judge by that excellent paffage of Eberard Bishop of Saltsburg, which we see Avencited out of Aventin, in the tenth Chapter of the Boior lib.4 firft Part of our Prejudg. After that time, there pag. 33%. never wanted those who afferted the fame thing. Thus the difmal abufe of the papal Authority was, and is ftill a fore plague to that See: for 'tis one of the ftrong Arguments, by which we prove that it is Antichrift.

Men were fcorcht, but they repented not to give glory to God. The Germans cryed out very much against Babylon and Antichrift, but they did not forfake them, or renounce their Idolatry; on the contrary, they blafphemed the name of God, who had power over thefe plagues, for thefe Ages were exceeding wicked and corrupt.

v. 10. And the fifth Angel pour'd out his viol upon the feat of the Beaft, and his Kingdom was full of darkness, and they gnawed their tongues for pain.

V.11. And blafphemed the God of Heaven, becaufe of their pains and their fores, and repented not of their deeds.

This is the fifth plague. I ask not any favour for my conceptions about it; let them be exami ned with the utmost rigour; if they are not liked, let them be difregarded, but for my part, Icannot abandon them, untill the times and events do

unde

tin. Annal.