the t great red Dragon, who is ftil'd the old ferpent, and the devil, and fatan, which deceive th the whole world; and who was the main Supporter and Upholder of that Pagan Empire in its ancient Idolatry and Perfecution: and under the. Conduct of Michael the Archangel, who zealously affifted the Endeavors of the Church with his Heavenly Troops, and at laft prevail'd fo far, that the Woman was not only fafely Deliver'd of a Chriftian Emperor, but He was also caught up to God, and to bis throne, and fo fully fettl'd, eftablish'd, and fecur'd therein. After this Delivery of the Woman, and the immediate Exaltation of her Son to the Throne of the Empire, fhe is to be fuppofed in quiet and privacy for fome time: after which the is forc'd to fly into the Wilderness. But to prevent her arrival there, the Dragon cafts a flood out of his mouth to carry her away. But he is affifted in her flight by two wings of a great Eagle; and fo arrives fafely in the Wilderness: where the is fecur'd and nourish'd, tho' in a State of Secrecy and Affliction, for a time, times, and an half, or 1260 days, from the face of the ferpent: who ftill is watching to deftroy her. And when he finds that to be impracticable, he goes and Perfecutes the remnant of her Seed, born in the Wilderness; who teftify against the Idolatry and Wickeness of the Times in which they live. Now all this Allegory is an admirable Description of the threefold State of the Chriftian Church till the end of the Reign of Antichrift. First, from the Commencing of Chrift's Kingdom, on his Refurrection and Afcenfion, during the 10 primitive Perfecutions, till the Emperor Conftantine became a Chriftian; which was

It is certain, that at this appearance of Chriftianity upon the Imperial Throne, this Prophecy was apprehended to be fo plainly fulfilled, that Conftantine's Effigies was fet up in the publick, over his Palace Gate, trampling upon a wounded Dragon: Which, fays Eufebius, was done to fignify his Conquefts of thofe Tyrants that Oppreffed and Perfecuted the Church, at the Inftigation of the Devil; in Allufion to the Books of the Prophets, where the Devil thus raging against the Church, is call'd a Dragon, And Conftantine himfelf, in his Epifle to Eufebius for the Repairing of the Churches, calls his Conqueft of Licinius, who was the last of the Perfecuting Heathen Emperors, The foiling of the Dragon, and the restoring Chriftian Liberty to all Men. Dr. Greffener's Demonftras. p. 295.

ju

juft the fame number of years, as there are days from the Conception to the Birth in Women with Child, viz. 280. from A.D. 33. till A. D. 313. Secondly, From the firft Chriftian Emperor, till the beginning of the Reign of Antichrift, du ring the continuance of the two Chriftian Branches of the Empire, the Eastern and Western, the two wings of a great Eagle who fupported and preferv'd the Church, and prevented its be ing overrun and deftroy'd by Idolatry or Perfecution; or its being swallow'd up, as by a flood, with the terrible Inundations of the Barbarous Heathen Nations: which Interval, as a Learned Friend hinted to me, and which I fince find particularly in .fifted on by Mr. Garret, in his Difcourfe concerning Antichrisk, Part2. Chap.2. feems alfo to be here determin'd; viz. during the continuance of both the wings of the great Eagle, or of both the Eastern and Western Empires, i. e. For 142, or 163 years. Por, as Mr. Garret, and my foremention'd Friend well argue, fince the Woman was to be affifted in her flight into the Wilderness with two wings of the great Eagle, or with both the Eastern and Western Empires conjointly, that flight muft correfpond to all that time, and to that time only while there were two Wings, or while both the Branches of the Empire continu'd in being together; i... till the Diffolution of the Western Empire, either A. D. 455. at the Death of Valentinian the III. when it ceafed as to its real Greatness and Dominion: or however A. D. 476. when the very name alfo ceafed in Auguftulus; of which hereafter. Thirdly, From the beginning of the Reign of Antichrift till its conclufion for 1260 years, when the Church fhould be in a State of Obfcurity and Afliction, and her Genuin Offspring who keep the Commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jefus Chrift, are to be continually Perfecuted by the Dragon, for their refufal to comply with the Idolatry and· Wickedness of thofe Times. Now all this for naturally agrees with the Hiftories of the pait Times of the Church, that nothing can do more fo; infomuch, that we have feen the dura tion of each State or Period, is herein Exhibited to us, either by a plain Type, as in the firft Interval: or by a plain Allufion to Hiftory, as in the fecond Interval: or by exprefs Numbers, as in the third. For as the time of Geftation from the Con

ception

Vid. Hippocr. ception to the Birth in Women with Child, is known to be Περί Σαρκών. 40 weeks, or 280 days; fo it is as well known, that from the first Rife of our Saviour's Kingdom at his Refurrection, and Afcenfion A. D. 33. till the famous Proclamation and Edict, for the Univerfal Liberty and Advancement of Chriftianity by + Conftantinus and Licinius, A. D. 313. which put an end to the pangs of Birth in the heaviest Perfecution that ever was then known, was exactly 280 years alfo. But notwithstanding this Glorious Succefs, which is here celebrated with a Hymn of Praife for its Greatnefs, and the Glorious Delivery thereby afforded to the poor Perfecuted Chriftians, who loved mot their lives to the death; Yet is the Dragon, (who was fo lately caft down out of Heaven, when Paganiim loft the Throne of the Empire,) fo Active and Successful, as to play a fad Aftergame; and to diftrefs the Church fufficiently ill; and to make her think of retiring into a Wilderness: in which flight the Dragon cafts a Flood out of his mouth to carry her away; tho' thro' the affiftance of the Earth, which swallowed up the flood, and of therwo wings of the great Eagle, the efcapes fafely into the Wilderness. All which things almost explain themfelves: fignifying the great Hardships the Chriftians endur'd, even after Conftantine came to the Throne, by the Oppofitions and Perfecutions of Licinius, Julian the Apoftate, and others: and by the great Inundations of the Barbarous and Heathen Nations, which in alittle time overran, and fhar'd the Empire among them. Which muft inevitably have swallow'd up the Church, had not the Eastern and Western Eagles, or Emperors at first protected her; and afterwards the Barbarous Nations join'd with the old Inhabitants of the Roman Empire, and at

† Licinius vero, accepta exercitus parte ac diftributa, trajecit exercitum in Bithyniam, paucis poft pugnam diebus; & Nicomediam ingreffus, gratiam Deo, cujus auxilio vicerat, retulit; ac die Iduum Juniarum Conftantino atque ipfo ter Confulatibus (A. D. 313.) de reftituenda ecclefia hujufmodi literas ad Præfidem datas proponi juffit, &c. His Literis Propolitis, etiam verbo hortatus eft ut Conventicula in ftatum priftinum redderentur. Sic ab everfa ecclefia ufque ad reftitutam fucrunt Anni Decem, Menfes plus minus quatuor. Lactantius De mortibus Perfecus. p. 86.

96.

laft

laft embrac'd Chriftianity alfo. However, the Dragon fo far prevails that the Woman is fore'd into a folitary and afflicted Condition; and is nourish'd in the Wilderness for all the term of the Tyranny and Perfecution of the Antichristian Powers: i. e. So imperfectly did thefe Barbarous Nations receive and underftand the Chriftian Religion,and fo foon did they fubmit to a new kind of Antichriftian Idolatry and Perfecution, that the pureft part of the Chriftian Church began to be Defolate and Diftreffed; and was forc'd into a Perfecuted, and Sackcloth, and Wilderness Condition during all the long time of thofe Antichriftian Corruptions, for 1360 years together.

Corollary 1. The Times of the Antichristian Pawers which are contemporary with the stay of the Woman in the Wilderness, ought not to be dated till some confiderable time after the Empire's becoming Chriftian. For as in theType, a Woman is nor to be suppos'd car pable of flying into a Wilderness rill long after her Delivery; and after that the flight it felf, by the Defcription of it here, appears to take up a confiderable Time alfo: So in the things thereby reprefented, ir must be allowed that there was to be a confiderable Inter, val between the Conversion of Constantine, and the Rife of the Antichriftian Powers; the' its duration is not exactly to be gathered from that Type.

Corollary 2. But if we take the Period of the Western Empire, or the plucking of one of the wings of this great Eagle, to be the date of the Womans arrival in theWilderness,which is the fame Epocha with the Rife of the Antichriftian Powers, we have henee another way of fixing it distinct from that under the first Vision of the two Courts, but very well agreeing thereto. For as that method stated it at A. D. 456. So will this alfo state it but the year before, if we take the Death of Valentinian III. for the Period of the Western Empire,as many do; and if we state it the lowest we can poffibly, at the Extinction of the very name it self of that Empire in Auguftulus, that will only carry us 2 5 years farther, to A.D. 476. So that, as far appears hitherto, the Epocha of the Antichriftian State is most probably to be fixed A. D. 455. or 456. and Jo its conclufion at A.D. 1715. or 1716. or, at the utmost that can any way be fuppos'd from the prefent Expofition of thefe Fifions, its Epocha must be fixed A. D. 476. and so its conclufion at A. D.

Apoc. xiij. 1.

1736. which indeed seems to me the very latest time poffible, when we can fuppofe the end of the prevailingTyranny of Antichrift, and the date of our Saviour's Glorious Kingdom is to be expected.

VISION IV.

The Beast with feven Heads and ten Horns.

A

ND I ftood upon the fand of the fea, and saw a beast rife up out of the fea, having feven heads and ten horns; and upon his horns ten crowns; and upon his heads the name of blafphemy. 2. And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard; and his feet were as the feet of a bear; and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his throne, and great authority.

3. And I faw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondred after the beast.

4. And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beaft: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beaft? who is able to make war with him?

5. And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things, and blafphemies and power was given unto him to make war forty

and two months.

6. And he opened his mouth in blafphemy against God; to blafpheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.

7. Andit was given unto him to make war with the faints, and overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and

8. And all that dwell upon the earth fball worship him; whose names are not written in the flain lambs book of life from the foundation of the world.

9. If any man have an ear, let him hear.

10. He that leadeth into captivity, shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword, must be killed with the fword. Here is the patience and faith of the faints.