ons, or denying him the Perfeftion proper to him, or giving to the Creature what belongs to God only, which Blaſphemy muſt be in all Idolatry; for Adoration is due unto God alone, and when this is given to any Creature, there is both Blaſphemy in the Dofrine which teacheth the Lawfulneſs of it, and' 1dolatry in the Prattice of it. w Theſe 42 Months are (as hath been before ſhewed_) the the ſame term of time with 1260 days, and muſt be the term of Antichriſt, which was given him to tread doryn the outward Court in, ſo as the Beaſt here ſpoken of, muſt be the Antichriſt who began in the civil Power of the R:man Empire, but was quickly metamor- phoſed into the Eccleſiaſtical Power @f the Biſhop of Rome ; 1n com- pariſon of wheſe Power (after he had obtained the Primacy) in- aeed the Emperors Power was very ſmall.
6 And he opened his mouth in blaſphemy againſt God, to blaſpheme his name z, and his tabernacle zo,
and them that dwell in heaven -x.
4 That 1s, Antichriſt opened his Mouth to Blaſpteme God. Mr. Mede noteth well, that Antichriff's time muſt not be counted from his beginning to perſecute, but from his beginning to blaſpheme, either by maintaining pernicious Do&rine, or ſetting up 1dolatrous Worſhip, for till the year 1260, when the Inquiſition was ſet up (the Doftrine of Tranſubſtantiation having been about that time de- creed by Innocent the Third, and confirmed by the Counctl of Lateran) the Perſecution was not great. It is alſo the Obſervation of the ſame Learned Author, that the threefold Idolatry of the Church of Rome is here deſcribed to us ; their blaſpheming the Lord's Name, by giving Divine Adoration to Images; w their blaſpheming the Humun Nature of Chriſt (which he thinks is here to be underſtood by the Lord's Tabernacle) by their Dofrine of Tranſub$antiation, giving every Maſs-Prieſt power to make it of a piece of Bread; x and their putting the glorified Saints in the place of the Pagan Demons, by their Invocation of Saints, The Obſervation's very ingenious, but whether the Senſe of this Text, I doubt; for we are how about the Period when Antichriſt began to'*reign, which we ſuppoſe to be ſoon after the year 600. The Blaſphemies here mentioned, were his firſt Fruits : But the Dofrine of Tranſubſtantiation, though it might be broached 100 years before, yet was made no Doftine of their Church of Six Hundred years after the firſt beginning of the Papacy; and therefore cannot well be reckoned amongſt Antichrift's firſt Blaſphemies. But whoſo is acquainted with 'the Hiſtory of the Church after 606, will find enough to juſtifie this Text, though, we do not reſtrain their Blaſphemy to theſe three things. |
7 And it was given unto him.y * to make war with the ſaints, and to overcome them a: and power was gt-
ven him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations 6.
. y God ſheweth John, that after Antichriſt had gone on Blaſphe- ming the Name, and Tabernacle, and Saints of God, ſome years, the Devil ſhould influence him alſo 2 to make War againſt God's Holy Ones, and he would ſuffer him. to overcome them; b and he ſhould have a Power over all the Nations of that part of the World, where God had his Church. This was eminently tulfilled. after the year 1200, when the DoRrine of TranſubFantiatim was eſtabliſhed ; the Inquiſition was ſet up in Spain 1206; the number of thoſe Mur- dered by it, was exceeding great. But yet this was too ſlow a Work, the Pope quickly raiſed vaſt Armies againſt the Albigenſes, firſt under the Condu& of his Legate, then of Simon de Montford. Permius (one of their own) ſaith, That more than a Milion were ſlain in the Wars of theſe poor People, meerly for not complying with the Church of Rome in their Apoſtacy. But what were theſe to thoſe ſlain in the Valleys of Piedmont, Province, Calabria, Aiſatia, B-hemia, before the year 1517, when the Reformation; began in Ger- many 2 What Slaughters have been tince- made in Germany, Hungary, Flanders, Treland,$c. every one knows, The latter clauſe was eminent- ly verified until the year 1517, there being no Nation in Europe but was ſubje&t to the Pope of Rome, ſo as he had a Power over all Kindreds, and Tongues, and Nations. The poor Albigenſes thought themſelves concerned in this Prophecy ; for when the Popiſh Gene- ral, Simon de Montford had made a vaſt Slaughter of them,-and the Archbiftop of Tholouſe interceded for thoſe that ſurvived, upon-Con- dition that they would 1mbrace the Romiſh Faith ; they boldly. refu- ſed, ſending the Archbiſhop word, That they were the Overcome-Ser- vants of Jeſus Chriſt; and all died comforting themſelves with the Prophecy of this Text, |
'8 And all that dwell upon the earth ſhall wor-
ATION. - Chap. XIIL.
ſhip him, * whole names ate not written in the Book *Exod.32. of life of the Lamb ſlain, t from the foundation of 3*
the world c. + * -
: Cc God here ſhewed his Prophet the general SubjeQion that would & $4 ag
'be of all People to the Papacy, except ſome few, whom he had cho- & 2 6 2%
ſen to eternal Life and Salvation, whom Chriſt had redeemed with +Chap. 17 8
his Blood, and would preſerve frotn this Pollution.
9 * If any man hath an ear to hear, let him *Chap-2.7. hear d.
d Either let him hear what hath been already ſaid, and take heed that he be not one of thoſe that worſhip the Beaſt ; or let him hear what followeth concerning the Ruine of Antichriſt and his &d- herents : But from the uſage of this Phraſe in other Scriptures, ' where it is oft made uſe of to ſtir up Attention to ſome remark- able thing ; it ſeemeth rather to be applied to what went before. : The Phraſe alſo further lets us know, that (comparatively) the num- ber of thoſe who ſhould refuſe to worſhip the Beaſt, would be very ſmall, as indeed it proved. W
10 He that leadeth 7nto captivity, ſhall go into captivity : * He that killeth with the ſword, muſt *Gen. 9.5. be killed with the {word e. + Here is the patience ——=opF4
and. the faith of the ſaints f. 2: e As it was God's manner by the Prophets of old, when he had cup