In April 1694, Vefuvius was on fire great part of the month, and threw out burning matter to the distance of thirty miles. And a vast quantity of melted minerals, mixed with other materials, ran down like a river for three miles, carrying every thing before it. How like this to what was just now obferved from the Chaldee paraphraft on Ifa. xxxiv. 9, 10. The rivers of Rome fhall be turned into pitch, and the duft thereof into brimstone, &c.—Anno 1707, when they were rejoicing for the fuccefs of the Imperialifts, they were interrupted by a dreadful eruption from Vefuvius, fuch quantities of cinders and ashes being thrown out, that it was dark in Naples at noon-day, tho' fix miles diftant from the mount. In the year 1693, the city Catania was overturned by a dreadful eruption from Ætna, and eighteen thousand people perished in the ruins, -What prefages these of divine judgments, which fhall destroy Antichrist at last!

melted matter, gufhed forth at the breaches. This stream, wherein great ftones were feen to swim of the bigness of an ordinary table, ran down like a mighty torrent; and meeting with a hill, divided itself into two currents, one of which was in fome places fix miles in breadth, and was judged to be fifteen yards deep. On the 25th of the month, the mountain bellowed with a greater noise than ever. And then iffued forth fiery ftreams, which joining with the former, made great havock, destroying the habitations of no less than seven and twenty thoufand perfons.

This burning of Etna, adds the fame Author, may be a prognoftic and forerunner of the burning of Rome. For, it is a common obfervation among them, that the extraordinary cruptions of this mount are ominous, especially unto Rome. See Vincent's three difcourfes, &c. p. 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, and 66.

3. As the fulphureous foil indicates that Rome fhall be the theatre of the moft awful judgments, as fhe has long been that of the most heaven-daring wickedness; fo there is fomething ftill more ftriking and decifive, a certain space being mentioned, to which the moft dreadful deluge of blood should extend. Of this we read, Rev. xiv. 20. And the wine-prefs was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the wine-prefs, even unto the horse-bridles, by the space of a thousand and fix hundred furlongs. That this refers to the judgments of God upon his enemies, cannot be denied. The wine-press denotes, the wine of his wrath which the wicked shall drink, ver. to. It is to be trodden without the city, viz. the mystical Babylon, ver. 8. The wine fig. nifies blood; for, as fhe has fhed the blood of the faints, fo God fhall give her blood to drink, for fhe is worthy, Rev. xvi. 6. and xviii. 24. The depth of the deluge of blood is expreffed by a strong hyperbole, that it reached unto the horfe-bridles: a phrase known both to the Jews and Romans. The Jerufalem Talmud, fpeaking of a great flaughter of the Jews, fays, That the horses waded in blood up to the noftrils. And Silius Italicus, fpeaking of Hannibal's defcent into Italy, fays, The bridles were flowing with much blood*. But though the depth of the blood be expreffed in figurative ftile, the space to which it was to extend is defcribed, I apprehend, in a proper, viz. a thousand and fix hundred furlongs. This, as the learned Mede ingenioufly obferves, is the measure of the ftate of the Romish church, or St. Peter's patrimony, which reaching from the

* Dr. Newton.

walls of Rome, unto the river Po,

fpace of two hundred Italian miles; exactly fixteen hundred furlongs t

contains the

which make

It is natural to think, that as the feven mountains point out the city Rome, fo the fixteen hundred furlongs may denote the Pope's territories, lying contiguous to it. And every thing anfwering as to an iota, why fhould we fhut our eyes? This territory was given, as was observed above, by Pepin to the Pope, Anno 756.; and here the Spirit of God feems to point it out as being one day to be an aceldaina, an extenfive field of blood. Rome is the Pontiff's feat; and fixteen hundred furlongs northward does his territory extend. But city and country are devoted to deftruction: The Lord haften it in his time.

From these arguments it appears, that the church of Rome is the enemy or Antichrift. But to fet the matter in the moft convincing light, let us fum up the evidence.—That church, whose pretended head, like a Lucifer, oppofeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God; who as God fitteth in the temple of God, fhewing himself that he is God; whofe coming is after the working of Satan, with all power, and figns, and lying wonders:-that church, which teacheth the doctrine of dæmonworship, which forbiddeth to marry, and commandeth to abftain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving:-that church, the number of whofe name is 666; whose haughty head afcended a temporal throne, about

Dr. Newton on the Prophecies, Vol. I. p. 269. Guyfe in Loc.

M

666 years after the Revelations vouchfafed to John the divine:-that church, which appeared in all her pomp, after feven forms of Roman government had taken place; and whofe city is fevenhilled Rome:-that church whose name is mystery, the mother of harlots, and the abominations of the earth: that church, which has made herself drunken with the blood of the faints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jefus :-finally, that church, whofe city fhall burn as a Sodom, and without which, the wine-prefs of the Almighty's wrath shall be trodden, the blood coming even to the horfe-bridles, by the space of a thousand and fix hundred furlongs:-That church is certainly the enemy, or Antichrift. But fuch is the church of Rome.

Therefore, fhe is the enemy, or Antichrift. The major propofition is undeniable. The minor has been proven: and therefore, the conclufion muft be true. The whole is fo plain, that he who runs may read *.

* I cannot but obferve here, what a faithful teftimony was given against the church of Rome, by the national fynod of the refornied churches of France, affembled at Gap, Anno 1603. It runs thus: Whereas the bishop of Rome hath erected for himself, a temporal monarchy in the Chriftian world, and ufurping a fovereign authority, and lordship over all churches and paftors, doth exalt himself to that degree of infolency,, ..as to be called God, and will be adored; arrogating unto himfelf all power in heaven and in earth, and to difpofe of all ecclefiaftical matters, to define articles of faith, to authorise and expound at his pleafure, the facred fcriptures, and to buy and fell the fouls of men; to difpenfe with vows, oaths, and covenants, and to inftitute new ordinances of religious worfhip; and in the civil ftate, he tramples under foot all lawful

REFLECTION S.

BEFORE I difmifs this part of the fubject,

me to make a few remarks, as necef

farily connected with it.

1. You will please to obferve, that we have confidered the enemy in a three-fold point of view, viz. as including Satan, finners, and the Romish

authority of magiftrates, fetting up and pulling down kings, difpofing of kings and of their kingdoms at his pleasure we therefore believe and maintain, that he is truly and properly the Antichrift, the son of perdition, predicted by the holy prophets, that great whore clothed in fcarlet, fitting upon • feven mountains in that great city, which had dominion over ⚫ the kings of the earth; and we hope and wait that the Lord, according to his promife, and as he hath already begun, will confound him with the Spirit of his mouth, and deftroy him finally by the brightness of his coming'. Quick's Synodicon. Vol I. p. 227.

What a noble teftimony this! How expreffive of the magnanimity of that Proteftant Synod, when we reflect that they lived in a Popish country, where torrents of Protestant blood had often been shed. The fame is the doctrine of the Westminster Confeffion; and therefore the belief of all who subscribe it, not in a Jefuitical way. The Pope of Rome is that Antichrift, that man of fin, and fon of perdition, that exalteth himself in the church against Christ, and all that is called God,' chap. 25. fect. 6. How thofe who have fubfcribed the above Confeffion, can reconcile their smiling upon Popery with this their subscription, is hard to fay. Uniformity is their uniform boast. But what uniformity, what confiftency here? Except they plead, as well they may, that they have uniformly fup. ported patronage, which is a branch of Popery and, if they have reared the child to manhood, why frown on the mother, when coming to dwell with us? Is it not much more confiftent to meet her as with congratulations?