\ N D I ſaw an angel coming down from heaven. having the key of the bottomleſs pir, and a row Chain in his hand @. a The Deſcription of this Angel can agree to noo but Cliritt, or one that exerciſeth a power by deligation trom him ; for, c!/. I. 18. it 1s he who hath the Power of Hell and Death; and it is hic who alone is ſtronger than the Devil, which muſt be ſuppolcd t: h1m that binds him, or we muſt think the Devil much tamer thin he 1s. | 2 And he laid hold on the * dragon, that old fer- + £1 5.5. pent, which is, the devil and tartan þ, and bound him © See 2 Per, 4 thouſand years d. TEM b There can be no queſtion who is meant by the Dragon here, and the old Serpent, for the Holy Ghoſt interpreteth it the Dev1), the Enemy of Mankind. c By binding alſo 15 meant the Rettraint of the Devil in the Exerciſe of his natural Power, or the Power God had before allowed him to exerciſe for the Trial of his Saints waith and Patience. The Devil is reſtrained in tie reſtraint of hrs Inſtruments, It 15 expounded, v. 3. That he ſhould deceive the Na- Hons no more. 4 Whether thele thwſand Tears ſignifie that certain ſpace of time, or a long time, I can't ſay ; only it is probable, that if it ſignifies an uncertain indefinite time, it is a much lonzer time, than any other Period of time ſpoken of, which have all hi- therto been expretſed by Days, or Months, or a leſſer number «# Years by far. But what the Complexion of the World ſhall be du- ring this long time, or when the Epocha or Beginning of theſe thou- ſand Years ſhall be, are both of them very hard Queſtions, It was the Opinion of the old Chiliaſts or Millenaries, That 6000 Years of the World ſhould paſs, then Antichriſt with all wicked Men ſhould be deſtroyed : That in the next thouſand Years Chriſt ſhould apyear and be upon the Earth, ruling it with his Saints; after which there would oe another time of ſharp Perſecution, according to winat 1s ſaid, v. 7. to which Chriſt ſhould put a Period by coming to the laſt Judgment. Divers very good and learned Men, (leaving out the Age of the World when theſe thouſand Years ſhould begin) | have judged, that after the great Battel in 4rmageddon, {iwhich, as was faid before, ſhall be after the Ruine both cf Tiwh und Pore 3 the Church of Chriſt ſhall for a thouſand Years enjoy a great Quier N under the Condu@ of Chriſt, (as ſome think) who in thefte 1004 - Years ſhall perſonally be upon the Earth ; or of ſuch a Godlv Magt- ſtracy in all Places of the Church, as ſhall do and execute what
Chriſt would have done and executed. After wiiich, the Encmics F of the Church {mentioned here ver. 8. under the Notions Gr Goz and Magog) ſhall rally again, but be deftroved by Ciriit appearin;,; to the laſt Judgment. This Opinion hath hat, and tatn many, : learned and grave Patrons, I ſhall only fiy this, That I Co not underſtand what theſe Thouſand Years mean, 11 they do not denote ,
a ſerene and calm time for the Church of Gol, of long continu- ance, before the Day of Judgment. Whether Chrift thall be here Perſonally, or Rone but Saints ſhall be in Places of Power, or the Power of Chriſt only ſhall be ſcen in to ruling and governing ail Magiſtrates, that they ſhall not, as before, impoſe Superjtition and Idolatry, and kill or ruine Men for not complying with them ; but the Servants of God that worſhip him in Spirit and Truth, ſhall un- der Magiſtrates live quiet and peaceable Lives in all Godlineſs and Honeſty : I cannot determine, but do in my own Thoughts molt incline to the laſt, that the thouſand Years only denote a Jarze ſpace of time, (as yet a great diſtance) when the Church of God p ſhall freely enjoy their Liberty, without ſuch Temptations to Ido1s-
try, Superſtition, or other Wickedneſs, as they have yet all along 2 had, either from Jews, Pagans, or Antichrift's Party.
6 © 2
3 And caft him into the bottomleſs pir c, and ſhut
. >. X. 1 - *»4 on 6 - 5 him up, and ſer a ſeal upon him f, * that he thould «4,
deceive the nations no more, till th2 thouſand yours verſe 2
7 c > ' Loa ARtifA 5
ſhould be fulfilled g ; and after that he mult be Looied Ix.
4 little ſeaſon Þ.
e That is, into Hell, his proper place : He ſhall no longer, or 3 ls
leaſt not till theſe thouſand Years be expired, cxerciſe his Po CF, 1:
Prince of the Power of the Air, Eph. 2. 2. or compaſſing be 1 art, FP
and walking up and down in it, as 755 1. 7, f But fall be ze: | k
{trained as much as one {hut up in Priſon, whoſe Doors are tated F#
SIS ap
Chap. XX,
up. £ That till this time of -Gog's Counſel for the quiet of his Ciurch be run out, he ſhall not deceive People by his old Arts. {> But after that he ſhall have a Liberty again, (as ver. 7.) for a little time. © Pa0.7.9, 4 And I faw * thrones z, and they fat upon thein #, 22:27 , and judgment was given unto them / - and I ſao the T jouls of them that were beheaded for the witneſs of
[Ch 3-12. worihipped rhe beail, * nor his image, neither had re- L 12. IS, 19.
T Roin. 2, > 17. thouſand years.
þ Thofe mentioned afterwards in this Text ſat upon them. / That is a Power of Judgment, 1 Cr. 6. 2, 3. to be executed afterward. m The Perſons ittinz upon theſe Thrones are deſcribed to be, x. Sucit as had kept themſelves from Idolatry, or any compliance with Antichriſt, either in the Form of the Beaſt, or of the Imaze
- of the Beaſt. 2. And for that Non-compliance had ſuffered Death,