A Posnífript. dulous) more than was true, it would be a far worfe errour to believe none of them, than it was in them, upon others reports, to believe too much. And indeed it hath always been the Devil's way to make Truth difcredited, by furring up rafhZealots, to mix fome Falfhood, and fo Vndo by Overdoing, (as they did here in manyBooks of Prodigies 166a.) And the Papifls Legends have almofl drown'd the belief of thefe real. Miracles, which ChriIt's famous Witneffes, both in the eaftern and weitern Churches, wrought; whichwas not done to atteft Popery, (for it was not then in being) but Chrifiianity. And hereby the Church grew to that greatnefs and glory, which Etsfebiiv defcribeth in the reign of Diocletian, who kill'd them for fear of their encreafing flrength; and yet in Conflan- tine's days, and after, God rais'd Mira(le`working a while, till Heathenifm was brought lower, and the Church had power over them, and then Hea- ven reftrain'd that power, and gave it to men on Earth but rarely, or no more. Marvel not if it puzzle fuch as me (who confefs my fell but a Novice in thisRudy) to find Expofrtors; fometime take the Papal Civil Emperor for the Beaft, and that many hundred years before there was any fuch, and fometime fay Idolatry is the Beaft, and fometime that Pagan Rome is the Beati, and fometime that it is the Roman Emperor, as comprehend- ing both the Pagan and Papal Emperor: fometimemaking the Pagan So- veraign Power to be Heads ofthe Papal Beati, (when indeed the molt of themwere no Soveraigns at all); fometime making the Papacy both the Beaft and the Head of the Beatl; yea, the fame Papacy to be two Buffs (firft and fecond ) and two Heads (the feventh and eighth) of himfelf and putting the Ecclefiafticai Power for Civil and Imperial, or long be- fore his Imperial. Making the Pope Emperor of the Roman Empire : Ma- king the Pagan Empire the wounded and healed Head of the Papacy, ex- [bpounding Cap. 13. s2. The fecondBeau@'s exercifing the Power of the firft efore him] that is, [before hirnfelf] canting Men to worfhip the firtt Beaft, that is, hirnfelf; or the PaganEmpire, or both. And, C. t7. 8. The Beaft that was and in not] is meant, that [is not none, nor cvcr wan, butfhall be] and then when the Pope falleth, (hall not be.] And, v. t 5.'[ Where the Whorefitteth] is [Where fhe fhall.ft hereafter.] And 18. [The great City which reigneth] is [which (ball reign by Papacy.] And, c. 13. [On his heads the name ofBlafhenry] is meant but on [one of his feven heads, or two in one.] And that the Image of the Beafl is the Kraft hirnfelf, as he is the Image of the Pagan Empire, which yet is not the Beatl. That then the Text plainly maketh the ten Horns, or Kings, c. 13. t; to belong to the feven Heads, (which are Kings allo, c. 17. io.) they are yet faid to belong only to the Pope, and not at all to the other fix. That when it is faid, c. 17. to. that when the feventh King ( or Head ) is faid to continue a fhort ,pace, the Pope is fard to be that King, who bath continued fo long, and is by the fame men laid to be he that flail continue forty and two months of years, on c. 53. 5. To avoid which, fume make the firfì Chriflian Emperors the feventh King or Head, ( taking. Kings not for Individual, but Species of Government) when yet the Species was the fame with that of Pagan Emperors, and fate at Con(fantinople, and not at Rome, and continued longer than the Pa- gan
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