66 ~n ExPOSITION ~ that is commonly had of Men ; as in Latin we ~fay, He is one m1Ui111 Numeri, ~ of no Numi)er, or Account; and fo among the Grecians, tv 7rol\{f.<"' h«e)8f"@--, is ufed by Homer, lor one in great Account in War, being numbred or efkem– ed a Souldicr: So then, Number of a Name, is a common Efl:eem or Account to be fuch or fuch an One; and fo the Number of the Beaft's Name here, is the common re– pute or efl:eem to be a 'Papijl, procured through under-hand ~dvancing of the PopiOt Caule. It being therefore fpoken in a difl:inll: and lower degree from receiving his Name or his :vlark, (which note OUt an open Profellion) cloth yet neceffi1rily import fa much, inclining and cleaving to him (though fecretly) as /hall deferve that account and repute to be fa numbred, as being indeed tacitely and in Heart, as truly of his Company, as thole that receive his Name. Now if in opening the meaning of the Holy GhoO in the Phrafe here,this Defcription l11all leem to the Life to piCture out a Generation of fuch kind of Popifh Per– fans as theR: in any (even the mofl: Famous) of the Reformed Churches, cer– tainly there will not want good ground for it: for though they, with an impu– dent fore-head, renounce the 'Pope's CharaCter, and the Name of 'Papijls, and will by no means be called Triejls 1{ Baal, ( though Priefts they affeCt to be cal– led) but boafl: themfelves to be of the Reformation, and oppofites to the Papal FaCtion ; yet with as much impudence do they bring in an Image of Popifb Wor01ip and Ceremonies, adding to lome old Limbs, never call out, other fub– fl:antial parts, of Altars, Crucifixes, Second Service, and the like, (o to make up a full likends in the Publick Service, to that of the Popifh Church: they bring in the Carbfs firll, which may afterwards be inlpired with the fame Opi– nions. And all this, not"' Popery, or with the annexion of Popifh Idolatrous Opinions, but upon fuch grounds only, as upon which 'Protejlants tbemfelvts have continued fame other Ceremonies. And as in Wo~fhip, fo in Doctrine, they leek io bring in a 'Pre(ence in the Sacrament of the Lo!ifl's Supper, beyond that which is Spiritual, to Faith, which yet is not Popifh Tranlubftantiation; a Powrr in Priefts to forgive Sins, beyond that which is declarative, yet not that which Mafs-Priefts arrogate: Juftification by Works, yet not fa grolly as in the way of Popifh·Merit, but as a Condition of the Gofpel as well as Faith; and many the like to thefe ; thus truly fetting up an Image of Old Popery in a Pro– ref1ant Reformed Way, even as Popery is an Image of Heathenilh Worlhip in a Chriftian Way.Say thele Men what they will,that they hold not of the Pope,nor any way intend him, or the introducing of his Religion into thefe Churches, yet their All:ions do (and cannot but) make all Men number them as fuch; and therefore we f.1y, They have gained that efteem at Home and Abroad in all the Churches: anJ it is no more than what the Holy Gholl prophefied of, who hath fitted them with a Defcription fa CbaraCteriflical,as nothin~ is more like them than this of t.hefe here, who are faid tO receive tbe Number of bi.r Name. And they doing this in a way of Apofl:acy from their former Profellion and Religion in which they were trained up, and in a Church fo full of Spiritual Light, where God hath more Witneffes than in all the refl: of the Churches, and with an in– tention and confpiracy in the end to make way for the Beat!, (this going before, as the Twi-light doth ferve to u!her in Darknefs) therefore the Holy Ghofl: thought them worthy of thisCharaCl:er, ( in this Prophecy) and of a difcovery of them unto whom they do bdong; efpecially teeing they would (o profeffed– ly deny it. And though haply but in one of the ten Kingdoms, (although the L11heram elle-where look very hke thtS Defcnptton alfo ); yet feeing they were to grow fo potent a FaCtton, as to have· power to hmder the (buying and filling) quiot livin~ of. others amongfl: them, who will not receive this Worfhip and Dol1nne, ( wh1ch ts a new refined Popery) and wtth 1t the Number of his Name; that is, tho(e Opinions and Prall:ices which do deferve that efl:eem. And further, becaule they were to be the Pope's !aft Champions before hisFall,whom thole that are the true Saints, (of whom the greatefl: Number in the !all Age before the Pope's Ruin, is in, or belonging to that one Kingdom) are to en– counter and overcome, before the ruin of Rome; therefore the Holy Ohofr thought not fit to leave luch a Company out of the Beafl:'s Number and Follow– ers; and tbat al(o, although they were to continue but a fhort time; for the Doom
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