,, ruin Ex posr TION ~Chrift being to put down all adverfe Power, he finds not only this Empire to P A R T I. fiand in his way, but Gentililm, the wor!hip of falle Gods, and of Satan, un– '-~ der tbo(e Idols of ]11piter, Sat11rn, Mars, &c. Firfl therefore he encounters Satan's Worlliip, Heathenilm; which had all·the Power of that Empire to back it: and then in the Trumpets he encounters the Empire it felf: He went forth co11q11C>'i11g, a11d to conq11er, and that but by degrees. The firfl Judgmentson that Empire, left the Empire flanding. Therefore, Seal 5· the Martyrs, after thofe Punilliments foregone, in the fecond, third, and fourth Seal,do yet cry for Ven– geance on the Empire it fdf. Obfen·. They are called Seals; , 1. In a General R.elation to this whole Prophety ; it being, r. ABook of Decrees to be executed by Chrifl, and thefe are the Seals of them. 2. ThisBook being not to be opened till the Time of the End, (as Daniel foretold) is [ealed up rill jufl before the end of all; as there· 'tis prophefied, Da11. 12. 4· But thr11, 0 Daniel, Jbut 11p the Words, and foal the Book, even to the time of the End l . '"""Y Jhall mn to and fro, and K11owledg jha/1 be encreafod. Towards this End of all you have (mark this) the fame Angel in Dan. r 2. coming in the loth Chapter of this Revelation, with a Book in his hand open; which as it was to give a New Prophecy, fo to !hew, that when all the Seals were off; (that is, when thele Judgments were all executed on the World) then the Book fhould be underl'cood; and accordingly, not till all thefe Seals were pa()ed, was the Revelation underflood.- 11. Mote particularly they are called Se./,, becaufe, r. They are Judgment~ dec~eed by God, that lhould certainly come upon tb3t Empire. Now what is decreed inevitably, is faid to be Jealed. So the Salvation of the Elell: is C1id to be, 2 Vm. 2. 19. [the.Foundation of God ftand– eth jitre, having tlis Seal, the Lord /znoweth who are his]. So alfo Judgments de– treed are Caid tO be foaled, Deut. 32. 34· [Is not this laid 11p in ftore wtth me, and foaled "Pamong my Twtfores ! J even to punifh them ; for fo it follows, [tu me belongeth Vengeance, &c.] Thus fob 14. 17. My Tranjgreffion ( lays he) is foaled Hp in • Bag; that is, God had before appointed furely to punifh it. 2. They are laid to be foaled, in that they are Judgments hidden, flealing in Upon the World e're they were aware of them, and which they knew nor the ineaning o£ And accordingly we find, by the Apologies ofTert111lia11, Cyprian, ArnobiM, and others, that the Heathm R.omans obferving fuch firange unheard of Famines, Civil Wars, and Plagues of Pe!lilence (typified out here by the Red, Black, and Pale Horfcs) did exceedingly wonder at the Reafon of them, and laid it on the new SeCt of the Chriftians, as with whom their Gods were an– gry for contemning their Worfhip; for it was never fo with them before, and therefore they attributed it to that Caufe. Thefe Judgments were fealed, and Chrifl here opens the Caufe of them, the contempt of the Gofpel. 3· They are Sealed Judgments, for Pledges and Affurance of all that follow, That is the ufe of Seals to give Affurance. For that end is the Seal of the Spi– rit. And fo here, there being other things in this Prophecy foretold, as the Ru– in of the Empire it felf, the Riling of Antichrifl, and of the Turk, the Ruin of' them both, by the feven Vials, and then Chrifl's Kingdom. That all tbefe things !hould certainly come to pafs in their Time, God firfl fent thefe Judgments as Seals; that as we read in Story the truth of thefe to be evidently fulfilled, fo we may affure our [elves of the accomplifhing all the other. Obferve from this General, A ground of confirming your Faith about all thefe things prophefied of by God; in that the fulfilling of one is aSeal, afiuring that the other fhall be ful• filled. That Heatheni[m is ruined (and no Adorers of thole Pagan Gods left ' (as
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