perfecution is in all its Circumstances, let us confider it in its success, and with respect to those on whom it hath succeeded. I look upon that general Defertion, an whole Kingdom in a manner changing its Religion in four moneths time, as a thing that cannot be parallel'd. 'Tis true, the Roman Empire hath been feen to become Arrian in a very little while, by the perfecution of the Emperors. But Arrianism was a speculative Herely, and the Arrians cheated the People by equivocal Confessions of Faith, which taken in good sense, might now be subscribed unto. And for other things, their Worship, Prayers, Ceremonies, Altars, Bishops, Government, twas all alike; and so the passage from one to another was very easy. But here is the greatest difference imaginable, in worship, the object of adoration, the manner of it, in Ceremonies, Government, and Difcipline. The Reformed Religion and the Roman differ as Day and Night; so that there must have been a prodigious Current, for the passage from one to another in so little time. 'Tis a frightfull and furprizing thing to see People make less difficulty to change their God, than good Subjects would do to change their Prince; in cafe an Enemy break into any Country, he would not find People so ready to abjure their former Oath of Fidelity. Tis true, this kind of persecution, which is made use of against the reformed, seems to me more cruel and more likely to overcome their constancy, then Massacres, and Fires, Wheels, and Gibbets. When a man can see to the end of his sufferings, though that end be death, he may be able to stand his ground: but when he is given over to an hundred Executioners, who are commiffioned to torment him by turns, without giving him the leaft repose, I confefs, this is the ready way to despair. If they did nothing more than hinder aman from fleep,

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it were sufficient to make him distracted, and to make him do whatever they would have him. 'Tiş certain then, that several of those who have yielded, would more willingly have fuffer'd death for their Religion, and have earnestly and ferioufly defired it. But what is very strange, is that the greatest part have not tarried for these Perfecutors. At the very approach of the Dragoons they cowardly complied, and a small number of True Believets remain'd victims, exposed to the Rage of an Army of an hundred thousand men, which were let loose upon the Kingdom.

This, I say again, is without Example in any Hiftsry.S. Cyprian inhis Treatise de Lapfis, seems to say that fome such thing happened in the perfecution of Decius; but he himself in his Epistles makes it evident, that the Apostacy was not so general: forhe remitsthose who had fallen tobe judged at the return of Peace, in the Assemblies of the Faithful who perfevered; so that the number of those that persevered must have been confiderable. In our time it would be difficult out of every Flock to make up an Affembly of such as persevere to judge the rest. "Tis therefore an Event, wherein we must admire the depth of Divine Providence. 'Tis a speaking Prodigy, which tells us, we are now in those last days, when Chrift should come, and not find true Piety, or true Faith upon Earth. This is a Touch-ftone for all Protestants; their Brethren of France were not more wicked than others: Wherefore we may believe, that the fame thing would happen in any other place, on supposition of the fame Circumstances; and confequently, that Chriftian courage and true Faith are at this day very rare, and few Instances to be found. Lastly, this Affair tells us, that God would melt the Heart of that People, and fuffer them them to fink and be swallowed up, that he may shortly raise to himself another, a new People. These are the Characters of this persecution, which makes me regard it as very fingular and extraordinary in its kind, and consequently as a presage, that God will shortly finish the establishment of his Kingdom, and the Ruin of that of Antichrist. If we only confider, how this Perfecution hath been more effectual than any the Church ever fuffer'd, it were enough to make us judge, that the Devil now imploys his utmost force and power, as apprehending 'tis the laft Time, and that the ruin of his Kingdom is at hand. When Paganism was ready to fall under Constantine, he then excited the sharpeft perfecution under the Emperor Dioclefian.

These are the different Reflexions that conspired to possess me, that the coming of our Lord was near, to destroy the wicked one by the Breath of his Mouth. I had a strong inclination to be certain and affured of the truth of these Thoughts, which could no otherwise be done but by finding in the Apocalypse, the accomplishment of those Circumstances, which were to precede and accompany the fall of the Babylonish Empire. With this design I betook my felf to read over the Apocalipse, not the several Commentators on that Book, but the Book it felf, only with the Exposition of lofeph Mede, whom I formerly look't upon as a man inspired for the Interpretation of the Prophecies. His Key of the Apocalypse, and annexed commentary, did heretofore charm me. I could find nothing like it in all the other Expositors. I added that of his Chronicles, and his Book called The Apostacy of the latter Times, which is a large Commentary on 1 Tim. Chap. 4. 2. 1, 2, 3, 4. And the Spirit faith exprefy, that in the last times there shall be some who

shall

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shall depart from the Faith. Befides several excellent and curious things, (a part whereof you will find in this Treatise) I met with in that Author the thing which I so eagerly fought for, viz. the true Epocha of the 1260 years, during which Time the Antichristian Empire should last, he makes them to begin about the year of our Lord 450. or 455. by dateing them from thence, they must end about the -year 1710, or 1715. which agrees very well with my conjecture. But Iofeph Mede, who fet me right at first in the beginning of the true path, forsook me in the middle of the way; and when the circumstances and preliminaries of the fall of Babylon were to be adjusted according to this Calculation, which are so exactly described in the Apocalypse, I found no assistance at all from him; on the contrary, he led me out of the way, wherin he himself had put me, and to make me wander and go astray. According to the Epocha which he himself had mark't, for the beginning of the 1260 years for thereign of Antichrist, I should see the end of it in 25 or 30 years, but according to Mr. Mede there must be many Ages to accomplish all things which are to be fulfilled before the period of the Kingdom of Antichrist.

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In the 11th, 14th, & 16th, Chapters, we have an account of the Circumftances and degrees of the Fall of that Empire; the Eleventh Chapter speaks of the death of the two Witnesses for three days and half, of their Resurrection, and of the fall of the tenth part of the City, &c. In the 14, Chap. where the Fall of Babylon is divided into two Acts, one is called the Vintage, the other the Harvest. In the 16th. Chap. where the feven Periods of the declension and Fall of the Antichriftian Empire, are fet forth by seven viols and seven Plagues; of all this Joseph

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Iofeph Mede understood nothing; yea, supposing, as he doth, that of those seven Plagues not above two or three were come to pass in his Time, he remits usfar enough off for the accomplishment of the five others. The Periods described by every Viol are each of them more than one Age: so that we should have four or five hundred years yet to come, before the end of the Kingdom of Antichrist. If every one of the four viols, that remain to be poured out, were but of fifty years, we should have yet two hundred years longer to wait.

I confefs, that after having read those places of the Apocalypse, and reviewed them twenty times, I understood nothing more therin; I was only more and more confirmed, that no man had rightly understood them. In the midst of these distractions I yet begun my work, without knowing well where I went. But I can say, that God so opened mine eyesin the way, that gave me unexpressible confolation; for after having confulted the Eternal Truth above an hundred times, with a deep Humility, and very great Attention, at length I received an answer at least I believe so, and think it very plain, that all that must precede the last Fall of the Antichriftian Empire, is fully accomplisht. I have no right to require the fame affurance from others, neither do I require it. But that which I demand at least, is a little of that attention which I imployed in the meditation of those divine Oracles, and then I am perswaded, that if you are not as fully convinc'das I am, you will yet see reason enough not to condemn me of rashness.

In the first part of this work, you will find nothing new for the substance of it; for tisalong time that Rome hath been called Babylon, and that the Characters of the Antichristian Empire