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the next age, this Empire must fee its end. If I Part 2 fhould be mistaken nine or ten years, and that this Empire fhould (inftead of ending in the year 1710, or thereabouts) run on untill the year 1720, I do not think that any could juftly treat me as a falfe Prophet, and accufe me of rafhnefs. Many will not forbear to judge me rash, because I propound my conjectures about these things as certain conclufions. To this I have a fecond thing to fay, That hone hath reason to be offended, that I am poffeffed with, and perfuaded of that, which I think Levidently fee, and that I find the proofs of what I propound convincing to my felf, I fhould do ill to demand of others the fame affurance, and oblige them to entertain the fame perfwafion; I declare the contrary inexprefs terms: I am well content (as I have faid) that my Readers fhould account thefe affertions to be conjectures, provided that I may have the liberty to believe what I fee, or what I believe I fee in the writings of the Prophets. Be- 1 fides, it feems that there is no great neceffity of punifhing me for this pretended rafhness; feeing if fo be that I am miftaken, Time is preparing for mea mortification fore enough. Let us leave Providence to work: it will difcover who is guilty of rashness and fond credulity.

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The last thing which I would fay for my juftifi- Our princation is, that before any condemns me of rafhnefs, be confias to what I hold, that we are at the end of the dered. 1260 years of Antichrifts reign, my principles muft be duely weighed, and that not each apart (as perhaps fome have done) but conjointly. Behold the principles and their connexion. 1. The firft is, that the papacy is the Antichriftian Empire of which thefe Prophecies speak. 2. That Idolatry is the principal Character of this Antichriftian Empire. 3. That

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Part 2. 3. That this Empire of the Beast must begin when the Roman Empire was divided into ten Kingdoms, and when that Head (the Emperors) which was in the Apostle Pauls time, was deftroyed. Here are three principles, which I know not how any Proteftant can doubt of. We shall presently fee whither they will lead us. 4. My fourth principle is, that I have hit the truth in the explication of the feven viols, so that the flinking ulcer in the first is the horrible corruption of the Church of Rome in the tenth Age. The Sea and rivers of blood in the two following plagues, are the Butcheries acted by the Croisades, The encreafe of the Sun's heat in the fourth plague, is the encreafe of the papal authority: the Ecclipfe and darkning of this Sun in the fifth plague, is the grand Schifm between Rome and Avignon: the Kings of the Eaft, who pass ever Euphrates, in the fixth plague, are the Turks, who pass over the Bos phorus to invade the remainder of the Greek Empire, and a part of that of the Latins: and laftly, the dividing of the great City into three parts, in the feventh plague, is the dividing of the Latin Church intè three Communions, Papißs, Lutherans, and Reformed. I lay down as a principle, which I cannot doubt of, that I have hit the mark in the explication of thefe plagues. But this ('tis faid) feems rash, to affert fo confidently that which can only be a ftrong conjecture. Men may object what they please against this expofition, but I cannot recant it. And I defire the World seriously to confider only these two things. 1. That my explications bery well agree with the words and Metaphors of the prophecy. 2. That 'tis impoffible that chance should produce an explication fo universally lucky. It must be remembred what we faid concerning the Epiftles to the feven Churches, on the question,

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281% whether they are Prophetical? We granted, that Part 2 there are some paffages that agree well with the applications which are made: but we obferved, that these applications are far from being univer fally true:tis therefore chance that produced thofe lucky agreements. But if any one comes, who fhall make fuch a measured divifion of times and fuch a juft application of these times, and the events in them unto the Characters with which these seven Churches are marked, fo that nothing is defective; then I fhall remain perfectly fatisfyed, that this laft Interpreter hath exactly hit the truth; it will be no longer a conjecture. Let me therefore be permitted to remain perfwaded, that I have hit the truth as to the feven plagues, feeing they fo perfectly agree with the events which are paft.

My fifth Principle is, that I have not been lefs happy in hitting the true fenfe of the harvest and vintage in the fourteenth chapter. A man muft be blind, if he fees not, that thefe are the two parts of the fall of Babylon. Babylan is fallen, is fallen, that great city; and immediately after, this fall is divided into harvest, and vintage: L cannot hinder my felf from feeing,that this fignifies the first fallof Popery, by a firft Reformation, which certainly is come to pafs and the final fall of Popery, by afecond Reformation, which must come to pass. None can, I think, feriously confider the perfect agreement between the reprefentations and the Original, but he will be perfwaded that'tis fo.

6. My fixth and laft Principle is, that we are in the last Perfecution which the Church must suffer, from the Kingdom of Antichrift. And this laft conclufion, fa naturally and neceffarily flowes

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Part 2. from the foregoing ones, that none can acknowledge the preceding, but he must likewise own the truth of this. Let us now fee whither these Principles do lead us.

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If the Papacy be the Antichriftian Kingdom, Principles then certainly the period of 1260 prophetick dayes, or 1260 years (which are affigned to the duration eighteenth of the Kingdom of the Beast) belong to it. the end of the principal Character of this Kingdom is Idolatry, Antichrifs 'tis clear, we must begin to reckon the duration

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of this Kingdom from that time in which Idolatry was fet up in the Church. Now 'tis certain, that the Idolatrous worship of Reliques and of Saints was fully establifht in the fifth Age: Reckon 1260 years fince the fifth Age, this will bring you to the beginning of the eighteenth Age.

If the Empire of the Papacy be the Empire of the Beast, we must begin it at the time when the Roman Empire was divided into ten Kingdoms. For the Holy Ghoft fpeaks fo in exprefs and clear terms. Reckon 1260 years, fince the divifion of the Roman Empire into ten Kingdoms, which was done in the fifth Age, and this will lead you to the eighteenth Age

If the Roman-papift See is that man of fin, of whom St. Paul speaks in the 2d Chap. of the Epift. to the Theffalonians, we must reckon the 1260 years (affigned to his Empire) from the time that the Imperial dignity which held at Rome ceased to bold, or withhold, which happened in the fifth Age. Reckon again your 1260 years fince that time, and you will fee, that you fall upon the eighteenth Age.

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If we have hit right in explaining the feven viols, and the feven plagues, the last viol hath been peured out fince the time of Luther, andits

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influence is running ftill, according to the pro- Part 2. portion of the preceding viols; it cannot be running out above two hundred years. Reckon again by this rule, and you will fall into the eighteenth Age.

If the harvest and the vintage in the fourteenth chapter, are really the first and fecond part of the fall of the Antichriftian Papacy, which must be produced by as many Reformations, then the Reformation in the last Age must have been the harveft: lengthen as much as you please the space of time between the harvest and vintage, you cannot make it longer than two hundred years. Reckon, and you will fall upon the eighteenth Age, to find there the vintage, and the final ruin of the Papacy.

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Laftly, if all that we have faid is rational, 'tis impoffible that this should not be the laft perfecution: for the Reformation cannot be raised again fo as to fall down a fecond time, feeing we have proved, that the Period of 1260 years is about to expire: therefore reckon this perfecution as the Laft, and make it to be as long as you will, provided you obferve the measure which God hath fet to the longest perfecutions that the Church hath fuffered, and this however will bring you unto the eighteenth, Age.

Obferve, I pray you, how many things do bring you to this eighteenth Age. Admire the meeting of fo many paths, which do all bring you to the fame point. And remember this undoubted Principle, that 'tis impoffible that false conjectures Should hit right in every thing.

I entreat above all, the Roman-Catholicks to confider seriously this Principle. How can they perfwade themselves, that a fyftem of lyes and falfe Mm 4

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