94 ~ PART !I. ~ ruin ExPOSITION . S E C 'I'. I. Selm117,in,gs premijed for tiJe underftandii!J: the jiw firft Vials, 1vhic/, are upo11 the 'Beaft a11d hio Company. NOw for thele five firft Vials upon the Beart, Antichrift, and his Adherents ; I fhall premilo thefc things for the true underftanding of them. . Firfl, That for the Times of them, they (as was faid) began with the Times ofthe firft Separation from '!&me, recorded Chap. 14. 6. and fo do indeed con– tain all thofe Steps and Degrees of ruining Antichrifl, firft and !aft, from the firll Time of the Church's attempting to come forth out, and feparating from this Eg)'pt. And therefore the three firrt Vials are an Allufion (as you fhaJJ fee in the next Premife) unto thofe Plagueswhjch Mofcs and Aaro11, in bringing If rael out of Eg)'pt, executed upon the Eg;ptiam; and fo do refer to the Times of the Church's Separation and firrt Reformation. It appenrs alfo from the thing it felf; for how can we think that all thole Difcoveries of the Whore's Nakednefs, and the falling off of thefe Kingdoms from her, (although they for a time fhould begin to court her again) fhould not be reckoned among the Vials, they having been well-nigh as great Plagues as are like yet to befal her, (except that her lafl R.uin) ! And it appears likewife from this, that in the Vintage of the 14th Chapter, we find (as was obferved) mention made of the Angel of the fourth , ' Vial : Therefore the Times after that Vintage, mufl belong unto thofe three Vi– als which preceded this fourth. And for the Time of the beginning of them, whether at the Harveft, or the Voices of thofe Angels that macfe the Separation, the Holy Ghoft bath not left us without Come CharaCter whereby we may dif– cern it, in the Story of that 14th Chapter, where the Song which the Church fings, when the Vials do begin, is, (as you may fee it there) Who jhaU not fear thee, 0 Lord, a11d glorify th)' :J<jme l for all Nations jha/1 come and worjhip before thee; forth)' 1udgmwts are made manifejl, &c. Of which this is one meaning, (though there is another) that the Plagues of thefe Vials now beginning, the Judgments of God are made manifefl. Now fee what the Voice of the firfl Angel is, (he who began the firft Separation from Antichrirt, and firfl preach'd the Gofpel to every Nation) Chap. 14- verf. 6, 7· His Meff•ge unto all Nations is, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the ho1Jr of his Judgments iJ come; and lVOPjbip him who hath made Heaven and Earth. That Angel did but begin to give warning to Antichrifl and his Company, of the Vials that approached: But then obfervc the Voice of the Second Angel, and you will find that the firrt Vial did begin as the effeCt of thefe two Angels preaching: For this fecond not only calls Rome, Bab;-fon, and difcovers the Pope to be Antichrifl, but fays, 'Bab;lofl is fallen, i1 fdlen ; that is, the Foundation of her R.uin is laid. Now here began the firrt Vial, even in this difcovery of him to be Antichrirt, w)lom before that, the fl1perftitious World did never fo much as fufpeCl. And whereas it is faid, Bab;-fo11 is follen, the ScripJure (peaks of a Thing as done, when the Foundation of it is laid: So the Weftern Empire is reckoned as taken away, then when the Wars of the Goths began, and when the firrt of the Ten King– doms was broken off from the Empire, Amto 410. (as was before faid, in the Expofition of the 1 31h Chapter). And the Pope is from that Time reckoned to rife with his ten Horns, thongh it was forty Years after e're all the ten King– doms were fully erel.\ed ; yea, and feventy Years after e're the Power of the Weflern Empire was wholly extinCt. Thus in the like manner !fa. 21. the Pro– phet fays of Old Bab)'lon, She is fallen, he prophefying at the very Time when the Medes firft revolted from that Monarchy, and began 10 let up a Kingdom of their own, which afterward was to dcflroy Bab)'lon, being alfo enabled thereto by that R.evolt. Now fo is it here, when the firft open and profeffed R.evolt fi·om Rome (as fi·om a fecond Baby/on) was made by our Predeceffors, then was the Foundation of her Fall bid, then ( f.1ys the Angel) Babylo!l is fallen; ard
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