Rome. The woman herself is alfo declared to be that great city which reigneth over the kings of the earth; and that can be none other than Rome. Indeed the papists themselves allow (for they cannot but allow) all this to be faid of Rome, but then they argue and maintain it to be faid of Heathen Rome. But that cannot be; because it agrees not with feveral circumfiances of the prophecy, and particularly with the woman's fitting upon the beaft with ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, which muft needs tipify the Roman empire, after it was divided into ten kingdoms, but the Roman empire was not divided into ten kingdoms till fome years after it became Chriftian. St. John with the eyes of prophecy faw this beaft rife up out of the fea, and the angel in his expofition faith that he shall afcend out of the bottomless pit; but Heathen Rome had rifen and flourished many years before this time. This beaft cannot reprefent Heathen Rome because he is fucceffor to Heathen Rome, to the great red dragon in his power, and his feat, and great authority. This beaft was to continue and profper forty two prophetic months, that is 1260 years; but Heathen Rome did not continue 400 years after this time. The woman is reprefented as the mother of idolatry, with her golden cup intoxicating the inhabiters of the earth; but Heathen Rome ruled more with a rod of iron, and was rather an importer of foreign gods and fuperftitions than an exporter to other nations. St. John wondered with great admiration, when he faw the woman drunken with the blood of the faints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus ; but wherefore fhould he, who had seen and fuffered the perfecutions under Nero, wonder fo much that Heathens hould perfecute Chriftians; but that Chriftians fhould delight in fhedding the blood of Chriftians, was indeed of all wonders the greateft. The woman rideth upon the beaft under his feventh head or laft form of government; but the fixth head, which was the imperial form of government, is faid to be fubfifting in St. John's time, and the firth was not destroyed, and the feventh or last form did not take place, till after Rome was become Chriftian. The ten kings with one mind gave their power and ftrength unto the beast, and afterwards hate the whore and make her defolate, and burn her with fire; but never

did any ten kings unanimously and voluntarily fubmit to Heathen Rome, and afterwards burn her with fire. Rome according to the prophecies is to be utterly burnt with fire, and to be made a defolation for ever and ever : but Rome hath never yet undergone this fate, and confequently Heathen Rome cannot be the fubject of these prophecies. In fhort from these and all other characters and circumftances, fome whereof can never agree with Heathen Rome, and all agree perfectly with Chriftian Rome, it may and must be concluded, that not Heathen but Chriftian, not imperial but papal Rome was intended by thefe vifions.

11. Befides the place and the perfons, the time also is fignified of this tyrannical power, when it fhould prevail, and how long it should prevail. Daniel mentions thefe things as being at a very great diftance, and indeed they were at a very great diftance in his time. It is faid (VIII. 26. X. 24.) the vision is yet for many days; that it comprehends (VIII. 29.) what shall be in the last end of the indignation; that it extends (XI. 35, 40. XII. 4, 9.) even, to the time of the end; that when God (XII. 7.) fhall have accomplished to fcatter the power of the holy people, all thefe thing's fhall be finished: all which and other paffages to the fame purpose confidered, it appears as unaccountable as ftrange, that ever any man fhould imagin, as fome both ancients and moderns have imagined, that Daniel's prophecies reached not beyond the time of Antiochus Epiphanes. Daniel hath defcribed four great empires, not contemporary, but fucceffive one to another. The fourth and laft is reprefented as the greatest of all, both in extent and in duration. It devoureth the whole earth, and treadeth it down, and breaketh it in pieces. After which it is divided into ten kingdoms, and the little horn groweth not up till after this divifion. So that this tyrannical power was to arife in the latter days of the Roman empire, after it thould be divided into ten kingdoms. From St. Paul too we may collect, that the great power of the Roman empire hindered the appearing of the man of fin: but when that power fhould be diminithed and taken out of the way, then fhould the man of fin be revealed in his time. St. John alfo refers thefe events to the fame æra.

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Not

only

only the general order and the whole feries of his prophecies point to this time, but there are befides particular intimations of it. He defcribes the beast as fucceffor to the great red dragon, in his power, and his feat, and great authority: but if the great red dragon be, as he is generally understood to be, the perfecuting power of Heathen Rome, then the perfecuting power of Heathen Rome must be removed, before the beaft can take his place. The beaft hath alfo ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns; fo that ten complete kingdoms must arife out of the Roman empire before the appearance of the beast. Of his feven heads it is faid, Five are fallen, that is in St. John's time five forms of government were paft, one is and the other is not yet come, and the fixth which was then prefent being the imperial, it neceffarily follows that the feventh or laft must be fome form of government which must arise after the imperial; and as St. John faw the one, we fee the other.

It appears then that this Antichriftian power was to arife in the latter times of the Roman empire, after an end fhould be put to the imperial power, and after the empire fhould be divided into ten kingdoms: and it is not only foretold when it should prevail, but moreover how long it should prevail. Here we cannot but obferve, that the very fame period of time is prefixed for its continuance both by Daniel and by St. John, Wonderful is the consent and harmony between these inspired writers, as in other circumftances of the prophecy, fo particularly in this. In Daniel (VII. 25.) the little horn was to wear out the faints of the moft High, and think to change times and laws; and it is faid exprefly, that they should be given into his hand, until a time, and times, and the dividing of time; or as the fame thing is expreffed in another place, (XII. 7.) for the time, times, and a half. In the Revelation it is faid of the beast, (XIII. 5.) to whom in like manner it was given to make war with the faints, and to overcome them, that power alfo was given unto him to continue forty and two months: And the holy city (XI. 2.) the Gentiles fhould tread under foot forty and two months: And the two witneffes (ver. 3.) should prophefy a thousand two hundred and threefcore days cloathed in fackcloth: And the woman

the

the true church of Chrift who fled into the wilderness from perfecution, (XII. 6, 14.) fhould be fed and nourifhed there a thousand two hundred and threefcore days, or as it is otherwife expreffed in the fame chapter, for a time, and times, and half a time. Now all thefe numbers you will find upon computation to be the fame, and each of them to fignify 1260 years. For a time is a year, and a time and times and the dividing of the time or half a time are three years and a half, and three years and a half are 42 months, and 42 months are 1260 days, and 1260 days in the prophetie ftile are 1260 years. From all thefe dates and characters it may fairly be concluded, that the time of the churches great affliction and of the reign of Antichrift will be a period of 1260 years.

To fix the time exactly when the 1260 years begin, and confequently when they will end, is a matter of fome nicenefs and difficulty; and perhaps we muft fee their conclufion, before we can precifely afcertain their beginning. However it appears to be a very great mistake of fome very learned men, in dating the commencement of this period too early. This is the capital error of Mr. Mede's fcheme; what hath led him, and others who have followed his example, into fubfequent errors; and what the event hath plainly refuted. For if the reign of Antichrift had begun, as he reckons, about the year 456, its end would have fallen out about the year 1716. The truth is, thefe 1260 years are not to be reckoned from the beginning of thefe corruptions, from the rife of this tyranny, for the mystery of iniquity began to work even in the days of the apoftles; but from their full growth and establishment in the world. Of the little horn, who was to wear out the faints of the moft High, and to change times and laws, it is faid that they should be given into his hand, which can imply no lefs than the moft abfolute power and authority over them, until a time, and times, and the dividing of time. In like manner the holy city, the true church of Chrift, was to be trodden under foot, which is the lowest state of fubjection; the two witneffes were not only to prophecy, but to prophecy in fackcloth, that is in mourning and affliction; the woman, the church, was to abide in the wilderness, that is in a forlorn and defolate condition;

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condition and power was given to the beast wonsai, not merely to continue as it is tranflated, but to practise and profper, and to do according to his will; and all for this fame period of 1260 years. These 1260 years therefore of the reign of Antichrift are not to be computed from his birth, or infancy, or youth; but from his coming to maturity, from his coming to the throne: and in my opinion their beginning cannot be fixed confiftent with the truth of history either fooner or later than in the eighth century. Several memorable events happened in that century. In the (3) year 727 the pope and people

of Rome revolted from the exarch of Ravenna, and fhook off their allegiance to the Greek emperor. In the year 755 the pope obtained the exarchate of Ravenna for himself, and thenceforwards acted as an abfolute temporal prince. In the year 774 the pope by the affistance of Charles the great became poffeffed of the kingdom of the Lombards. In the year 787 the worship of images was fully established, and the fupremacy of the pope acknowledged by the fecond council of Nice. From one or other of these transactions it is probable, that the beginning of the reign of Antichrift is to be dated. What appears to be moft probable is, that it is to be dated from the year 727, when (as (4) Sigonius fays) Rome and the Roman dukedom came from the Greeks to the Roman pontiff. Hereby he became in fome measure a horn or temporal prince, though his power was not fully established till fome years afterwards: and before he was a horn at all, he could not anfwer the character of the little horn. If then the beginning of the 1260 years of the reign of Antichrift is to be dated from the year 727, their end will fall near the year 2000 after Chrift; and at the end of the 6000th year of the world, according to a very early tradition of Jews and Chriftians, and even of Heathens, great changes and revolutions are expected both in the natural and in the moral world; and there remaineth, according to the words of the apoftle, (Heb. IV. 9.) a fabbatifm or holy reft to the people of God.

(3) See Sigonius, Spanheim, Dupin, &c. &c.

(4) Ita Roma, Romanufque Duca

tus a Græcis ad Romanum pontificem -pervenit. Sigon. Hift. de Regno Ad Ann. 727.

Ital. Lib. 3.

IV. What