To return to the tranfactions of Antichrift: Finding himself fo powerful by Satan's aid, and feconded by fo able a minifter, his falfe prophet; while on the other hand he fees the converted Jews and other Chriftians refufing him divine homage, and fo fortified by the exhortations and miracles of their teachers, that all his pretended wonders and perfuafive arts can make no impreffion upon them; he refolves by the inftigation of Satan, to compel them by force into compliance, to fhew no mercy to the refractory, but to deftroy them, and utterly abolish the Chriftian name. Full of felf-conceit and rage, he is determined to fuffer no rival in heaven or on earth, but that all mankind shall bow in homage to him, as God, and as the fole monarch of the whole world. This he defigns to effect by the invincible force of his immenfe army, with which he purposes to carry ravage, devaftation, and deftruction throughout every nation that refifts him. Such are the hellish determinations he fixes; but before he commences the execution of them, Chrift, the faithful governor of his Church, and fupreme in his power, is pleased to give a fpecial warning to his beloved fervants, and for their fupport proclaims the following fentence:

Chap. xiii. v. 9. "If any man have an ear, let him hear:" let every one give attention.

V. 10. "He, that fhall lead into captivity, shall go into captivity: he, that fhall kill by the fword, must be killed by the fword. Here is the patience and the faith of the faints." That is, in the following perfecution and war of Antichrift, thofe that forces others into captivity, fhall themselves be made captives and those that cruelly put others to death, shall undergo the fame fate. Judgment is therefore already pronounced against Antichrift and his agents, that as they deal with others, they fhall be dealt with themselves. Then it is added, Here is the patience and the faith of the faints. Here is

the motive of the patience and the faith of the faints, or the fervants of God in this world. By faith they rely on the promises of God for the reward of their patience, and leave him to vindicate as he may judge fit, their caufe with respect to their perfecutors. Such is the previous inftruction Chrift fends to his fervants, before the dreadful day of pérfecution. But as the converted Jews are deftined to ftand foremost in the battle, and to be the first victims of Antichrift's fury, and muft therefore fet forth a glorious example of fortitude to the other Chriftians, they are provided with an extraordinary fhare of grace, and a peculiar degree of courage and conftancy for their terrible conflict. For thus we hear this fingular favour announced by St. John:

Chap. VII. v. 1. "After these things, I faw four angels ftanding on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that they should not blow,* upon the earth, nor upon the fea, nor on any tree.

v. 2. "And I faw another angel afcending from the rifing of the fun, having the fign of the living God; and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the fea,

v. 3. "Saying: hurt not the earth, the fea, nor the trees, till we fign the fervants of our God in their foreheads."

Here are four angels, ftanding on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, which they are ready to let go, and which are to caufe defolation over the whole globe. By the four winds of the earth are meant the perfecutions, which are going to rife in every part of the earth, and which will form the general perfecution of Antichrift, as the four winds join to compofe one general wind. But this perfecution is withheld for a while by a divine command, which is carried by Y 2

an

an angel afcending from the eaft, as coming from Him who afcended above the heaven of heavens to the eaft, pfalm lxvii. 34. The wind of The wind of perfecution will hurt the earth and the fea, that is, will fall upon the Chriftian people wherever they are, and the trees, or their paftors and clergy. But this alarming difafter is fufpended, till the angel has marked the fervants of God in their foreheads with the fign. of the living God, that is, with the fign of the cross of Chrift, who having died upon it rofe again to life. But who thofe fervants of God are, we are told in the next verse.

v. 4. "And I heard the number of them that were figned; an hundred forty-four thoufand were figned, of every tribe of the children of Ifrael. No fooner almost have the Jews tafted the comfort of having recovered the favour of their God by embracing Chriftianity, but behold! 144000 of them are marked out and deftined to be immolated to Chrift by martyrdom, and are therefore figned on the forehead by the minifters of the Church with the fign of the crofs, or confirmed in faith and fortitude, as the facrament of confirmation is always conferred with making the fign of the crofs on the forehead. Thus then this great number of converted Jews are prepared to grace Chriftianity by their triumph over torments and death. But as we learn from St. Paul, that "all Ifrael will be faved," (Rom. xi. 26.) it is plain that, confidering the vaft body of the Jewish people, the number of martyrs here mentioned muft fall much fhort of the number of converted Jews. The reft therefore will remain to reflect honour on the Chriftian religion by their zeal in promoting it and their exemplary lives. This felect number of 144,000 champions, or twelve times twelve thousand, is made up by culling twelve thoufand out of each tribe, as follows:

v. 5. Of the tribe of Juda were twelve thoufand figned. Of the tribe of Reuben, twelve thou

fand figned. Of the tribe of Gad, twelve thoufand figned.

1

v. 6. "Of the tribe of Afer, twelve thoufand figned. Of the tribe of Nephthali, twelve thousand figned. Of the tribe of Manaffes, twelve thousand figned.

v. 7. "Of the tribe of Simeon, twelve thoufand figned. Of the tribe of Levi, twelve thoufand figned. Of the tribe of Iffachar, twelve thousand figned.

v. 8. "Of the tribe of Zabulon, twelve thousand figned. Of the tribe of Jofeph, twelve thoufand figned. Of the tribe of Benjamin, twelve thoufand figned."

CHAPTER XI.

The Continuation of the Hiflory of the fixth Age,

THE Almighty having prepared his faithful fer

vants for the terrible conflict he proposes to fubject them to, he announces the great perfecution and terrible war, and exhibits the ftates of the Church at the time they begin, in the following manner:

Chap. xi. v. 1. "And there was given me," fays St. John, "a reed like unto a rod: and it was faid to me:* Arife, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that adore therein.

v. 2. "But the court, which is without the temple, caft out, and measure it not: because it is given unto the Gentiles, † and the holy city they shall tread under foot two and forty months. The churches confecrated to the true fervice of God, at this time, fo far diminished in number or fo little filled,

* In the Greek, "And the angel ftood, faying." In the Greek, the punctuation ftands thus; " and measure it not, because it is given unto the Gentiles, and the holy city,"

an angel afcending from the eaft, as coming from Him who afcended above the heaven of heavens to the eaft, pfalm lxvii. 34. The wind of perfecution will hurt the earth and the fea, that is, will fall upon the Chriftian people wherever they are, and the trees, or their paftors and clergy. But this alarming difafter is fufpended, till the angel has marked the fervants of God in their foreheads with the fign of the living God, that is, with the fign of the crofs of Chrift, who having died upon it rofe again to life. But who thofe fervants of God are, we are told in the next verse.

v. 4.

66.

"And I heard the number of them that were figned; an hundred forty-four thoufand were figned, of every tribe of the children of Ifrael. No fooner almoft have the Jews tafted the comfort of having recovered the favour of their God by embracing Christianity, but behold! 144000 of them are marked out and deftined to be immolated to Chrift by martyrdom, and are therefore figned on the forehead by the minifters of the Church with the fign of the crofs, or confirmed in faith and fortitude, as the facrament of confirmation is always conferred with making the fign of the crofs on the forehead. Thus then this great number of converted Jews are prepared to grace Chriftianity by their triumph over torments and death. But as we learn from St. Paul, that "all Ifrael will be faved," (Rom. xi. 26.) it is plain that, confidering the vast body of the Jewish people, the number of martyrs here mentioned muft fall much short of the number of converted Jews. The reft therefore will remain to reflect honour on the Chriftian religion by their zeal in promoting it and their exemplary lives. This felect number of 144,000 champions, or twelve times twelve thousand, is made up by culling twelve thousand out of each tribe, as follows:

v. 5. Of the tribe of Juda were twelve thoufand figned. Of the tribe of Reuben, twelve thou