fure, and to feduce with all efficacy of error and iniquity.

Whereas it is faid,This is the first refurrection;' he meaneth the 'rifing from fin, to the life of righteoufnefs, which was in the thousand years of the gofpel's preaching, and therefore he addeth, that he is bleffed that hath part in the first refurrection,' &c. and faith, that all fuch fhall reign with Chrift a thousand years.' Which is meant of the reign of the faithful even upon earth for the space of the thousand years in which Satan was bound: but yet excludeth not their eternal glory in the heavens.

And when the thousand years war expired, Satan fhall be loofed out of his prifon. And fhall go out to deceive the 'people which are in the four corners of the earth, even Gog and Magog, to ga-. "ther them together to battle, whofe number is as the fand of the fea.. And they went up unto the plain of the earth, and they compaffed the tents of the faints a⚫bout, and the beloved city: but fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them,' Rev. xx. 9.

Now St. John telleth us, that after the termination of a thoufand years, Satan fhall be let loofe upon the world, for their unthankfulness, and contempt of the gof

pel, to feduce and deceive, even as much as ever he did. No wonder therefore, that the two great and monftrous herefies of popery and mahometry, did now begin mightily to grow and encrease in the world. For what other thing can be looked for af ter this letting loofe of Satan?

But we are to observe, that as Satan was bound by degrees, through the ministry of Christ, and his apoftles, and in their immediate fucceffors; fo alfo he was loofed by degrees, by the prevailing of herefies, till the great antichrift was hatched, and brought into the poffeffion of his curfe chair. For Satan was not fully locfed, till the year of our Lord 998. At what time. Silvester the II. came to be Pope, who was in league with the devil. History reports that at his death he called for the cardinals, and confeffed that he had familiarity with the devil, and how he had given himself unto him body and foul, fo that he might come to the papal dignity.

After him fucceeded other Popes, which were notorious monfters, fome of them murderers, fome poifoners, fome forcerers, fome conjurers; by whom the devil was fully loofed, all light of the gofpel and true religion being in a manner clean put out, and most abominable idolatry, and all manner of villany fpreading over the face of

the earth, and hereof St. John faith, that Satan being fully loofed, he went forth "to deceive the people which were in the four corners of the earth, even Gog and Magog,' &c. This feducing by Satan here spoken of, is the fame with that which is fpoken chapter xiii. only this excepted, that this of Gog and Magog is more general. We read there, how all nations kindreds and tongues were made to worship the image of the beast, and to receive his mark; but that is to be extended no further than to thofe kingdoms which were fubject to the papacy.

But here, by thefe armies of Gog and Magog, are understood all the chief enemies of the church in thefe laft days, fince the loofing of Satan, both open and fecret, both Turk and Pope; for the Turk is an open enemy, the Pope a more clofe enemy, Gog fignifieth covered, Magog uncovered, whereby is noted the Turk: for the Pope cometh covered under the name of Chrift, and Chrift's vicar, Peter's fucceffor, &c. But the Turk cometh uncovered, for he openly denieth and impugneth Chrift.

Moreover, the names of Gog and Magog are here fet down, to note of what countries these chief enemies fhould spring; to wit, out of Scythia, Syria, Arabia, Italy, and Spain; for Magog was the fon of

Japheth, Gen. x. 2. of whom came the Scythians. Gog was the name of a great captain in the leffer Afia, which built a city, and named it after his own name, Gogkartah; that is the city of Gog: and it is put in the prophecy of Ezekiel for the whole region of the leffer. Afia, and Syria; whereby the prophet did foretel, that the great enemies of the church fhould arife outof those coafts. And in very truth they did; for out of Egypt, Scythia, Syria, and the leffer Afia did fpring up Ptolomeus, Seleucus, Antigonus, Caffander, and the reft of Alexander's fucceffors, which vexed and oppreffed the Jews by the space of 294 years, even until the coming of the Meffiah at which time the divided Greek empire was overthrown, and tranflated to the Romans.

Furthermore, it is to be noted, that the prophet Ezekiel faith, That Gog is the chief prince of Mefech and Tubal:' by Melech he meaneth Arabia; and by Tubal, Italy and Spain: noting thereby the countries and kingdoms from whence the great perfecutors of the church, from the return out of the captivity of Babylon until the coming of the Meffiah, fhould arife: for affuredly their enemies were collected of divers nations, but ferved chiefly under the princes of Afia the leffer, of Syria, and

of Scythia. Now then to conclude, Gog and Magog in Ezekiel, are put for the prince of those countries which were the chief captains in gathering great and mighty armies unto battle against the chil dren of Ifrael, after they were come out of the captivity of Babylon. And the prophet there, in one fum, under the armies. of Gog and Magog comprehendeth all the enemies that fought against them from time to time, after the captivity, unto the com ing of Chrift. And now for the applica tion of this unto the enemies of the church under the gofpel, we must first note, that through this book the figures and phrases of fpeech are taken out of the law and the prophets. Now therefore, when the Lord would fet forth in one fum all the enemies of the church, which Satan muftereth af ter the time of his loofing out of prifon, before the coming of Chrift to judgment; there is no place more fit to fet forth all these armies, then thofe armies of Gog and Magog: and therefore the names, even Gog and Magog are here brought in, to set forth these huge armies of the Turk, and of Pope, and of all the enemies of the church in thefe laft days, which fhould gather themselves to battle, being in number as the fand of the fea, as St. John faith, yea, did cover the whole face of the earth with their