4 The tail of the red Dragon fignifies his Followers, his civil and military Officers, whoſoever were by him imployed to execute his Commands. m By the Stars here, are either meant the Miniſters of the Chriſtian Church, or the Profeſſors of it. n Turning them ont of their places and fiations, making them as uſeleſs as he could. 0 That is, before the Church that was ready to propagate it ſelf, watching upon her Increaſe to devour them. 1 take this to be a much more probable Senſe than theirs, who underſtand it of Con- ſtantine; for I know not, with reference to him, who ſhould be un- derſtood by the red Dragon. Mr. Mede hath inzeniouſly obſerved, that Pharaoh was a Typ* of this read Dragon. He is rcſembled by -a Dragon, Pſal. 74. 13, 14. Tja. 51.9. Exeh.'29. 3. and watched up- on God's ancient Chftrch to deſtroy it, as tie Pugan Emperors did upon the Chriſtian Church.
child was canght up unto God, and zo his throne 7.
Þ By this Man-child, ſome underſtand Conftantine the great ; others underſtand Chriſt myſtical, or many Children. brought forth unto God. As the Jews multiplied, do Pharavh what he could to de- ſtroy them, ſo the Church increaſed notwithſtanding all the Ma- lice and Rage of her Enemies. q Interpreters accordingly are di-
rule all Nations with a Rod of Tron. It was prophefied of Chrift, Pſal. 2. 9. That he ſhould break the Nations with a Rod of Tron. It 1s applied to the Servants of Chriſt, who overcome, and keep Chriſt's Words to the end, ch. 2. 27. So as it is here applicable to Believers, whom the Church ſhould bring forth, who ſhall judge the World, (as the Apoſtle tells us) and I had rather thus interpret it, than concerning Conſtantine the Great. r Theſe Words are ſomething hard to be interpreted. To interpret it of Chriſt's being taken up into Heaven, 1s to turn a myſterious Prophecy into a plain Relati- on, or Hiſtory of things paſt. To interpret it concerning ConFan- tine the Great, ſeemeth very hard ; for how was he more than any other Chriſtians, caught up to God, and to his Throne? if we av. when he died, ſo are they; if we ſay the Imperial Thone is herc underſtood by God's Throne, it ſeemeth to me very hard ; for al- though of Magiſtrates God ſaith, 7 have ſaid ye are Gods, yet their Thrones are never called God's Throne; I had. rather give this Phraſe a more general Interpretation, viz. God took this Off ſpring of the Woman into his Royal Prote&ion, fo as the Drazon could not devour it, 1t was out of his reach.
where ſhe had a place prepared of God 7, that they
threeſcore days.
{ As the Iſraelites, when they fled from Pharaoh, went into the Wilderneſs; and Foſeph watched upon by Zerod, fled into Egypt ; ſo the Church did hide her ſelf during the Antichriſtian Perſecutions, every one ſhifting for themſelyes as well as they could; # God pro- viding for them in ſome more obſcure places.
7 And there was war in Heaven w ; Michael and his angels fought againſt the dragon, and the dragon fought and his angels x;
x By Heaven in this Place, doubtleſs is meant the Church of God ; and ſuppoſing that the Pagan Emperors are to be underſtood by the Drago, (which is pretty generally agreed} there can be no great doubt, but by this War in Heaven, 15 to be underſtood thoſe
| Perſecutions which the primitive Church indured betwixt the Years
'64 and 310. x The two parties were the Pagan Emperors, and their Officers, and Party, and Michael and his Angels : But who is here meant by Michael and his Angels ? Some, by this Michael, un- derſtand a principal Angel cailed the Archangel, Jude 9. one of the chief Princes, Dan. 10. 13. Others, by 2ichael here underſtand Chrift himſelf, who, they think, is underſtood by Michael, Dan. 12. 1. The matter is not much ; it is moſt certain that the Battel is not ours, but Chriff's. It is as certain that Chriſt exerciſeth his Power by his Angels, and that they have a Mimiſtration about his Church. The meaning is no more than this, That Chriſt and his Party, op- poſed the Pagan Perſecutors and their Party. :
$ And prevailed not y, neither was their place found any more in heaven 2. -
y The Pagans were at length routed in this Bzttel; the Chriſtians overcame them by. the preaching of the Goſpel, and by their Faith and Patience. 2 And Paganiſm found no place within the fame Territories where the Church was. This was fulfilled in the time of Conſtantine the Great, who altered the Face of the Ryman Empire; and more eminently in the time of Theodoſ745, about the Year 380. .
,6N2} 4 The
Chap. X1t:
5 And ſhe brought forth a man-child p, * who was + cy, ; * to rule all nations with a rod of iron q - and her 1s.
vided concerning the Perſon or Perſons here ſpoken of, that ſkould '
6s And * the woman fled into the wilderneſs J;, « yer. 74
ſhould feed her there * a thouſand two hundred ard +ch. 11.3
9 And * the great dragon was caſt out a, Þ that »*1yxe x0; old ſerpent, called the devil and Satan 6, which de- 18. ceiveth the whole world c : he was caſt out into the T Gen. 3-
. . . ; 4 6 I 8 earth d, and his angels wete caſt out with him e. —” -
'_nap. AI.
*Ch.11.15 F Job 1. 9: & 2. 5.
Zech. 3. 1.
* Rom. 8.
33,34,37» & 16. 20.