or prevailing Tyranny of the Beaft; without the least hint of his utter deftruction at the fame time.

2. 'Tis to me evident, that the Fall of Babylon is twofold; because after the firft Fall there comes an Angel, with earnest Exhortations to come out of her; and fevere Denunciations of Judgments on fuch as fhould ftill hold Communion with her, and obey her; as we have distinctly feen under the 12th Propofition foregoing.

3. Nay farther, even after thofe Warnings and Denunciations, we find another large and full Prediction of her final Doom then future; as is alfo particularly visible in the fame 12th Propofition juft now mentioned.

vij. 13.

14, 25, 26, 27.

xij. 7.

4. The Great Mystery of God, and of Providence, which had been reveal'd to his Servants the Prophets, [viz. *That Ifa. ij. 1, &c. Dan. ij. 34, 35. after the time, times and an half of the Antichriftian Powers & were once expir'd, God would deftroy all the Idolatrous and 44 Tyrannical Monarchies of the World; and then begin to take & the Kingdom into his own hand,] is exprefsly fix'd to the beginning of the feventh Trumpet, or the Point of Time before any of its woful Judgments fhould happen; which Judgments yet were to be the very Means that fhould bring the Beast to his final deftruction. This fo neceffary and remarkable an Obfervation has been almoft wholly neglected, or unreasonably fet afide by others hitherto, on account of their feveral prejudices to the contrary; but ought exactly to be obferv'd by Interpreters. The words of the Text run thus in the Original, ̓Αλλὰ ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις τῆς φωνῆς τῆς ἑβδόμυ ̓Αγγίλω, ὅταν μέλλη σαλπίζων, και το Αpoc. x. 7. Hæc eft illa Confummatio myfterii Dei per Prophetas evangelizati, quam fub feptime Tube clangorem Angelus fupra Cap. x. futuram prædixerat ; quando nec Beftiæ Menfes, nec Teftium lugentium Dies, neque omnino aliquid de periodo temporis temporum & dimidii temporis fupererit amplius, ver 6,7. Plane juxta quod Danieli prædictum fuit cap. 7. ver. 25, 26, 27. & ante de Dominatu Chrifti Oecumenico feu Regno fanctorum poft eadem tempora, eundemque prorfus Judicii confeffum futuro. Item quod cap. 12. verf. 7. ubi idem qui hic apud Joannem Angelus, eodem certe geftu, ritu, iifdemque fere (quod fumme notandum eft) jurisjurandi verbis affeveraffe legitur, Finito demum intervallo illo Temporis Temporum & dimidii Temporis, difperfionem populi fancti ; cumque ea fimul noviffimum illud mirabilium confummatum iri. Annon hæc funt Tempora illa Gentium ? Luc. 21.34. Medi Clav. Part 2. Synchron. 5.

λεθῇ τὸ μυςήριον τῇ Θε5, ὡς εὐηγγέλισε τοῖς ἑαυτῇ δόλοις τοῖς προφήταις But in the days of the Voice of the feventh Angel, when he shall begin to found, or fhall be ready to found, The Mystery of God hall be finished, as he hath shewed to his fervants the Prophets. Which words are of themfelves too plain to admit any evafion; and fhew directly, that as foon as the Tyranny of the Beaft is over, or at the end of his 42 months of making war, which is coincident with the beginning of the feventh Trumpet, as we have fhewn already, Chrift's Kingdom is efteem'd to commence, long before the Beasts final deftruction at the end of the fame Trumpet, or conclufion of the Vials afterwards.

5. In the only place of the Apocalypfe, where we seem to have any particular account of this Fall of Babylon under that name, it no way appears that it fhall be total and final. The Apoc. xi. 13. words are thefe; And the fame hour, when the Witnesses afcended up into Heaven, there was a great Earthquake, and the tenth part of the City fell; Τὸ δέκατον τῆς πόλεως ἔπισε, the Tenth or laft of the Kingdoms into which the Roman Empire was originally divided, and which arofe the Tenth in order of time, and was probably to fall the Tenth or laft in order of time alfo, fell: and in the Earthquake were flain names of men 7000; and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of Heaven. I fhall not here venture to interpret the particulars of this Prophecy, nor affign which Kingdom in fpecial arofe in the Tenth place, and fo may be meant by the tenth part of the City; nor Thall I here enquire what is denoted by the 7000 names of men to be flain in this great Earthquake; but only obferve, what is abundantly fufficient to my prefent purpose, that this is a defcription of fuch a Fall of Babylon only as is accompanied

*Porro ne id forte cuiquam fcrupulum injiciat, quod ea quæ in textu referuntur de Beftiæ confternatione, de ruina Urbis, ftrageque hominum à Terræmotu facta minime videntur de omnimoda Bestia abolitione intelligi debere; aio neque hoc ad eum, de quo egimus., Synchronismum poftulari; fed ut accipiantur faltem de tempore Poteftatis & Regni finiendo, quod menfibus XLII. determinatur; quofque, dato Beftiæ & Teftium Synchronifmo, fimul cum Teftium Diebus exire neceffe eft. Quod vero adhuc aliquantifper fupererit Beftix, id adeo (ut hinc colligi datur) diffimili à priori fpecie futurum eft, ut eodem cenfu non fit habendum; fed & haud ita multo poft fub feptima Tuba delendum & abolendum penitus, Factis regnis hujus mundi Domini noftri & Chrifti ejus. Medi Clav. Part 2. Synchron. 1.

with the flaughter of 7000 names of Men, and with the affrightment of the remainder, and their giving Glory to God thereupon; but not of its total and concluding destruction which is defcrib'd in a much more folemn and glorious man- Apoc. xviij. ner, and accompanied with the Confummation of the prefent Period of the World.

13. & xix. 20.

6. Befides all this, we have already feen, under the eighth Propofition foregoing, that the Beaft is fo far from being utterly destroy'd at the beginning of the feventh Trumpet, that there then remain all the feven Vials to be powred out upon him, before fuch his final perdition; and if we look into the Vials themselves, we fhall fee that 'tis the last Vial alone that destroys the Beast and the falfe Prophet with him for ever. In See Apoc. xvj. fhort, As the Plagues of the fix former Trumpets break his abfolute dominion, and put an end to his Perfecution and Tyranny; fo the feventh or laft Trumpet, with its Vials, appears to be defign'd to deftroy all that remains of him, and of his Authority afterwards: and fo muft of neceffity fuppofe fome part of that Power and Authority remaining at the fame time.

Scholium. It must here be confefs'd and obferv'd, that this Interval between the first and fecond Fall of Babylon; or between the end of the Reign, and of the Life of the Beast, was not fo particularly reveal'd to Daniel, but that Men might eafily ftill imagin from the words there, that as foon as ever the Little Horn [whofe Duration and State are in general parallel with thofe of the Beaft, especially at their conclufion, ] had paffed his Time, Times, and a part of Time, the Judgment should fit, and the Books be opened for the General Judgment. But now we have a more diftinct and explicit Revelation of the particulars by St. John in the Apocalypfe, we may eafily obferve its agreement in this point with the Words in Daniel alfo. For as at the End of the Time, Times, and a part, of the Power of the domineering Horn, 'tis faid that the Ancient of Days came, and Dan.vij.21,22. Judgment was given to the Saints of the most High, and the time came that the Saints poffefs'd the Kingdom; agreeably to our prefent ftating of the Commencement of Chrift's Kingdom juft after the end of the 42 Months of the Beasts Tyranny; So is

Verf. 26.

it faid of the fame, and of the fucceeding time, The Judgment fhall fit; and they shall take away the Little Horn's dominion, to confume, and to deftroy it unto the end: Fairly implying a leafurely and gradual confumption of it from that time of the Saints beginning to reign, till its utter deftruction at the last; according as the more clear difcoveries in the Revelation have oblig'd us to state this matter in the prefent Propofition. If it be here alledg'd, as it is by Dr. Creffener, that the Beaft's Apoc.xvj. 13, Power of making war against the Saints, with the Kings his Con14. & xix. 19 federates, continued till juft before his laft Deftruction, and fo could not be at an end fooner; The Anfwer is obvious, that 'tis a very different thing to have a conkant power of making Apoc. xiij. 5,7⋅ war against the Saints, and prevailing against them, which I af firm to be over before; and a fingle Attempt of waging War against Chrift himself, when 'tis a fruitless one, and only to his and his Comrade's utter deftruction for ever; which is the plain cafe in the Texts here referr'd to; as any one may eafily obferve upon the comparison. And agreeably to our deferring the last final Deftuction of the Beaft and falfe Prophet till the firft Refurrection or Judgment from the Apocalypfe, do both Verf. 9, 10, 11. Daniel and St. Paul fpeak of the fame thing: I beheld, fays Daniel, till the Thrones were fet, and the Ancient of Days did fit: the Fudgment was fet, and the Books were opened; I beheld then, becaufe of the voice of the great words which the Horn Spake; I beheld even till the Beaft was flain, and his Body destroy'd, a Theff. ij. 8. and given to the burning flame. And, fays St. Paul, The Lord fall confume him, i. e. The Man of Sin or Second Beaft with the Spirit or breath of his mouth, and shall destroy him with the brightnefs of his coming.

XVII.

Apoc.x. 3,4 The Seven Thunders feem to be so many remarkable Warnings or Acclamations or Revelations, either between the end of the fixth and beginning of the feventh Trumpet, or rather included in the seventh Vial, as that is in the seventh Trumpet. But they being forbidden to be written by

St. John

St. John, ought not to be prefumptuously determin'd by us, till the Event explains them.

That the Seven Thunders belong to the Interval between the end of the fixth and beginning of the feventh Trumpet, is fuppos'd by Mr. Mede from their place in the Series of the Pag. 732. Sealed-Book-Prophecy. For the fixth appears to be certainly over at the end of the ninth Chapter; and the feven Thunders come on in the beginning of the tenth; and yet the Angel, after the Seven Thunders are over, as is commonly fuppos'd, verf. 7affures us that the feventh Trumpet is not then begun.

But the Reasons which induce me to believe that the Seven Thunders do rather belong to the Seventh Vial, are these :

1. The Regular Method and Harmony of the reft of the Parts of this Sealed Book do perfuade us thus to place the Thunders. For fince, as we have seen, the Seventh Seal contain'd the Seven Trumpets; and the Seventh Trumpet contain❜d the Seven Vials; it will be most natural and uniform to fuppofe, that the Seventh Vial does in like manner contain the Seven Thunders alfo.

2. The Introduction of them in the Apocalypfe, by way of Appendage to the Sixth Trumpet, and, as is fomewhat probable, not before, but after the general intimation of the Seventh alfo, agrees well enough to this Hypothefis. When the fixth Trumpet is over, we find a glorious Angel, about to introduce the Bedon crying firft with a loud voice, as when a Lion roareth [which looks juft like that Great Voice from Heaven by which the Se- Apoc. x. 3. venth Vial is begun] i. e. probably, Ufing that folemn Oath Chap. xvj. 17. mention'd just afterwards, relating to the Certainty of the Seventh Trumpet's fucceeding the Sixth in its due Order, and to its general Effect the Settlement of Chrift's Kingdom. And Txe, either while he fo cried; or rather, as we render it, when he had cried, feven Thunders uttered their Voices. If therefore the Seven Thunders were not deliver'd till after this mention of the Seventh Trumpet, it will agree well with our prefent Conjecture, that they belong rather to the Seventh Trumpet than the Sixth; and indeed rather to the Conclufion of it, or to the laft Vial alfo. And this is hence confirm'd, that if it

was