rv/n ExPOSITION ~ feffion an~ Religion, wholly under the Punifuments and Plagues of the feven P A R T I!. Vials. And fo, that may be the Reafon, both why the Story oftreading down the Lf"v""-1Outward Court, andoftheKiUing ofthe Witnr.flu, comes in here, in Chap. li. though th~ matter ofthem belongs unto the Book Prophecy :, and why alfo the treading the Wine-prejfe, Chap. I4-laftverfe (which is part of the treading the Outward Court in this 1 11h Ch.p.) is reckoned as no part ofthe Vials; it being to fall upon the Proteflant Party: Yet fo, as with what in the Trumpets, what in the Vials, God will be fure to meet with all forts for their Sins, and fo by a like jufl and impartial Rule proceed both towards Friends and Enemies, without any refpect ofPerfons. But whether ofthefe,or whether any ofthefe will reach the Holy Ghofl's mean– ing, I leave unto the Reader to judg. I !hall by and by add a fourth Interpretation ofthat Claufe, to me as probable as any ofthefe; when I have firfi cafi in a few Conjefrures, about the Timesof the fulfilling ofthefe things-; which I referved to.the lafl, as the Clofure and c,_ ronh ofthis long Difcourfe: Becaufe many things already delivered in this Inter· pretation do fall in, to flrengthen the Conjetlures concerning the precife Time ofthe falling out of thefe fo great Occurrences. sEC 1'. I x. Tl>e Conclu{ion of thu Vifeourfe. 77>e Conje8ures of fome about tbe 1ime when thi& 10,1/ing and rf{jjing of the Witneffes [haD-be. I Find two PeriodsofTime more eminently pitc'd upon by Writers ofthis Age (according to the diverfity ofMens Conjectures), for great changes in the Churches of Chrift. The firfl is fix'd fame time between the Years z6so. and I6s6Tbe other upon I666. Both which Periods are not far off to come. Concerning both of which, (as alfo any other that !hall be made, upon Conjectures out o.fthcfe Prophecies) this General Caution mufi be taken in. That in thefe Computations a miflake of a few Years may fall out, and the Event fall out fooner or later than the Time conjectured, by reafon that the vul– gar Account of Years from the Birth ofChrift is uncertainly k~pt ; (according to the acknowledgment ofChronologers themfelves) fo .Arnobim at the writing ofhis Apology [peaks indefinitely of the reckoning of Year~, how long it was from Chrift unto hisTime, Triwzti font firme anni (fays he) aliq11id plm vel 111ime, a q11o co:pimtH ejfe Chri.fliani. And therefore the befl Chronologers (as HelviCIIs, &c.) reckon the true Account to reach two Years further than the vulgar Ac– countdoth; and fomakes the Year •6sowith us, tobe in Truth I6p, and fo of the reftOthers give a larger allowance, namely of four Years. And this indeed is the true reafon of that difference about the firfl Period mentioned, namely between I65o, and I656; fomefaying it !hall be in SI, fame ins2 and fame in 56 : yet all making the ground oftheir fo fixing it one and the fame: only varying about the precife Time by reafon of feveral Computations and Ac– counts of the Year. fince Chrifl:, (as we fuall fee by and by.) And for that fe– cond Period of I666, which is made to terminate the date of Antichrift's raign, and is to that purpofe underftood to be that NHmber of666, made memion ofin the !aft verfe ofChap. I3· the firfl: that fo interpreted that PlaCl! was an unknown Engli!h Writer, Amzo I 589. who in a little Book dedicated to the Church of Ro111e, lirft gave this obfcure him ofit [Tet (fays he) Two :iltonths, two Weef<!, two Day andan half, •nd thy Nnmber 666 fhaU be [•!filled] (as writing to that Church) : Which cafting up, from I 589 (the Year his Book bare date of;from the Printing of it) Ifound him t? aim at I666 . Now the Reafon which they give for this Interpretation; and why they reckon the beginnin'g of Antichrifu 1260 Years, or 42 Months, from Pope Innocent's Time, Anno 406, I have given upon
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