of tbe R E V ELAT 1b N. Doom of thefe Men we have in another Prophecy, (as their Defcription alfo) "-A..r> 2 Tim. 3· from the rjl verfe to the 10th, the Prophecy there being of a Genera- Chap. 7.: tion of Men to arife in the !all: Days, (the Papilts rifing is attributed to the ~ Latter Dap, in r Tilil. 4.·chap. but the rife of thefe to the /aft of the 11111: Days) who fhall fct themfi::lves principally againfl: the Power and Spirit ofTrue Worlhip, at1d fet up a form or Image mfl:ead of lt, verf 5· but the1r Doom is, ( verC 9·) Theft Jba/1 prcceed no jitrther, they fhall have a (top ; .and tl)eir Folly, and M•dnejf, and Hypcicrify (to ancrilpt to brin& in 'Popery with &nying it; Jnd when it is going down, then to bUild this Babe! agam) ilia!! appear to all Men ; and being difcovered, will be their ovehhrow : but notwithfl:anding they mull: proceed [11rther than as yet they have don7, even to the /ijlling of the Wit~ t~rjfes in that KingdOii:l, or tenth part of the Ctty, (as chap. I I. w1ll £?ew, when in its due order it (hall be opened). And becaufe thefe lafl: ChampiOns of th~ Beafl:, and Healers of the Wound given him, fhould tome in the lafl: Days of all, they are therefore lafl: named, and are faid to be !all: overcome by the Wit– ndks and pourers forth of rhe Vials, as chap. 1 5· 2. . . . There is but one feeming Objeaidn or Difficulty in this lnterptetation ; and that is, That in the next verfe the number of the Bdfl: is riiadc 666. But the Anfwer and Solution is, That the Number of his Name in this Verre is one thing, and the Number of the Beafl in the lafl: Verfe is another. lt is tlot faid, that the Number of bis Name is 666, but the Number of the Beajl; which betdkeneth another thing, (as we fball prefently fee) on1y the Holy Ghoft, by a wile Tranfition, pa!leth from the mention of one, unto the other, as agreeing iri Phrafe of Speech, yet differing in Senfe; which is frequent in Scripture, and (particularly) in tnis Bo<ik, as Chap. 22. ver{ 17. The Spirii and the Bride fay [Come J as [peaking unto Chrifl: to come to Judgment quick– ly, (as verf 20.) but in the follow ing words [Let hini that is athi>ji [come]; there the word [come J isfpoken ·of the coming of a Soul un'td Chrift, (by believing ) as unto the Waters of Life. Everi fo the Nuni~er •f the Beafl, and the N11mberof his Name, are he.re mentioned, the one updn o'ccafion of the other, becaufe of the affinity of the Phrafe in ,Speech 5 yi:t td a differing ~~ . Now the Number of the Beafl: in ihe !all: Verf'e, is.the T ime or Term of his ending ; which is fpoken in reference to the Time allotted him for his reigning, verf 5· which is to be (as there) 42 Months; which counting thirty Days td a Month, accotding to the Egyptian Account,. (which is the Account of thi~ Spirltual Egypt) is one thoufand two hundred and fixty Years from his firft rifing, (being the fame fpace that the Chur.ch hath to lie hid in the Wildernefs; chap. I 2. 6' which though lbe began tO halien into from Conflantine's Time; yet fhe firfl: began to enter into her defolate Condition, wh.erein fhe flill remains.) But then, when the Pope's Power began to rife, and during the Came fpace of 1260 Years; the Wirne!les are faid to prophefy in Sack-cloth, thap. I 1. 3· that is, in a mourning a'1d meaii condition; for the eminent Profe!lors of the Truth · and oppofers of the Beafl:, who with their Prophecy do feed the Church in th~ Wildernefs ~I! that while, (as (hap. 12. 6.) thefc; ate the ti;VO Witnrjfes, Chap. 1 t. 3· Which dates of T1me, both of the Witneffes cafl:ing off their Sack· cloth, the Woman's coming out of the Wildernetl, and the Be>fl:'s dejel.tion from his Kingdom ~nd Seat ( Rome), will all expire about the fame Time ~ which fome think will be about the Year 1650, or 1656, which if not the Pope's Ruio; yet the Jew's call; as they fay i't td be, or ( a:t the farthe!l') in 1666, to which latter Come incline 5 as thinking it probable, that li may be the meaning of that account mentioned in the lafl: Verfe of this qth Chapter,' wh1ch cloth call: up the Number of the Beafl: ; thgt is, the date and ~riod of . his Time and Power, which was g'tven him to continue fortJ t#o M011ths, as verf 5· which Days fhall then be Numbred, that is, linifhed, (as rhe phrafe is of Old Baby/on's ending, Dan: ~· 26. God bath numbred. thy Kingdom, and Jinifhed it) 'and this his Number the Holy Ghoft bath confj'Uted tobe in the Year: that' according to Man's Computation,. fhall be called, ;(tx h11ndred jxiJ jx. And for the confi:rmatton of this Interpretation, the word [ Nnmber] is ofien put tO' K 2 expre&
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