,bX

 
 y
 
 ON THE 
 
 FRENCH REVOLUTION. 
 
 [ PRICE ONE SHItLING. J
 
 PROPHETIC CONJECTURES 
 
 QN THE 
 
 FRENCH REVOLUTION, 
 
 AND OTHER RECENT 
 
 AND SHORTLY EXPECTED EVENTS: 
 
 EXTRACTED FROM 
 
 ARCHBP. BROWN . 1551 
 
 REV. J.KNOX 1572 
 
 DR.T. GOODWIN. 1639 
 REV. CHR. LOVE .1651 
 
 DR. H. MORE 1663 
 
 REV. P. JURIEU...i687 
 REV. R.FLEMING. 1 70 1 
 REV. J.WILLISON . 1742 
 DR. GILL 1748 
 
 ARCHBP. USHER . 1655 
 
 AND 
 
 A REMARKABLE ANONYMOUS PAMPHLET, 1747. 
 
 WITH AN 
 
 INTRODUCTION AND REMARKS. 
 
 SURELY THE LORD GOD WILL DO NOTHING, BUT HE 
 REVEALtTH HIS SECRET UNTO HIS SERVANTS THE 
 PROPHETS. AMOS. ^ 
 
 HotVDon: 
 
 PRINTED BY W. TAYLOR, SHOE MAKER ROW, 
 BLACK FRIARS, 
 
 TOR WILLIAM BUTTON, No 24, PATERNOSTER ROW. 
 MDCCXCIJI. 
 
 "I tfj
 
 PROPHETIC CONJECTURES 
 
 WITH 
 
 INTRODUCTION AND REMARKS; 
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 is one of the beft evidences of a divines 
 revelation. And it is a peculiar glory of our 
 Bible that it contains a regular feries of prophecies 
 from the earlieft times to the confummation of all 
 things. Even Enoch the feventh from Adam, 
 prophefied: and though we have little preferved 
 of that very early date, from the age of the flood 
 We have a chain of Scripture predictions,' which 
 running through all the fubfequent ages connects 
 even with eternity. Noah foretold the manner in 
 which the new world fhould be divided among his 
 forts; and their different deftinies. Abraham, Jacob 
 and Mdfes, marked the out-lines of Jewifh hiftory 
 down to the times of Median and later, with not a 
 few circumftances relative to other nations. David 
 greatly enlarged the treafures of infpiration; and 
 the fucceeding Prophets, each in clearer and fuller 
 language, defcribed the events of future and diftan^ 
 
 B ages
 
 ages the variou revolutions of empires a\v~l 
 ftates--and fome of them even rixed the tin e in 
 which their words iliould be accomplifhed. The 
 New Teftament completes and illuftrates the Old. 
 Our Lord and his apoftle Paul added many valu- 
 able particulars ; the former as to the clofe of the 
 Jewiih ceconomy, and the latter with refpect to 
 the corruptions fince brought into the Chrifdan 
 church. But the REVELATION of St. John, or 
 rather of Jefus Cbrift to him, contains the rnoft full 
 and important feries of prophefies ever beftowed 
 on mankind ; extending from the clofe of the firft 
 century of Chriftianity, about, which period it was 
 written, to the end of time , and may be confidered 
 as an infpired comment on the predictions of 
 Daniel, referring in great meafure to the fame 
 events. 
 
 But prophecy was intended not merely as a con- 
 firmation of the divine records in which it was 
 contained ; but alfo as a fource of comfort and en- 
 couragement to the Lord's people in times of 
 public diftrefs and danger; whence we find the 
 prophets particularly ftudied by good men in fuch 
 periods. It was during the feventy years captivity 
 that Daniel fearched the iacred books > and found 
 that they were near expiring. It is highly proba- 
 ble that the ftudy of Daniel's prophecies prepared 
 the pious Jews for the coming of their Lord, after 
 having waited for his Jahation, during a period of 
 great darknefs and depravity. And doubtlefs 
 many times when the Lord's people have been 
 looking out for deliverance to the church, as thofe 
 that watch for the morning, they have found much 
 encouragement for their hopes, and often wonder- 
 ful and feafonable fulfilments of the divine pro- 
 mifcs. It will be found, on enquiry, that moil of 
 
 the
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 the authors from whom the following extracts are 
 fele<5bd, wrote either during times of perfecution, 
 or in the immediate profpedt of them. 
 
 It is true, our Lord reproves thofe that were in- 
 quifitive as to the times which the Father haih re- 
 ferved in his own power ; but it is no lefs obferv- 
 able, that he fharpiy accufed the Pharifees^for that 
 they did not dijcern the jigns , of the times.. Secret 
 things, indeed, belong to the Lord cur God; but thofe 
 that are renewed, unto us and to cur children. To 
 thefe REVEALED things (and fuch are the pro- 
 phetic as well as other parts of fcripture) rr.ar-y 
 great and good men have thought themfelves juf- 
 tified in dirc-fting their humble and modeft enqui- 
 ries ; not without hopes that fome of thofe oracles, 
 which the infpired inftruments who uttered them 
 were not permitted to underftand, might yet be 
 unveiled to others, in or near whofe times they were 
 about to be accomplifhed ; feeing the apoftie Peter 
 teacheth us that not- unto themjehes, but unto us .did 
 they minifter the things which are reported in the 
 fcriptures. [See i Pet. i. 1012.] . It fliould not 
 be thought ft range and unaccountable, then,, if fome 
 fuggeftions of eminent and pious men fli6uid, re- 
 markably correfpond with fubfequent ..events, and 
 that even their ccnjeffures fliould fometimes appear 
 prophetic ; efpecially as ihtfecret cf the Lord is with 
 them that fear him, and he teacheth them wonderful 
 things out cf his word. Surely it is not incredible, 
 nor is it, I hope, enthufiaflic to fuppofe, that among 
 the multitude of rays emitted from the Sun of 
 Right eoujnefs to a believer who walks in the light of 
 his countenance, fome may convey a peculiar infight 
 to the.fublime parts of fcripture ; and after reading 
 the enfuing paffages, I am perfuaded few will ab- 
 folutely deny the fad;. 
 
 B a As
 
 4 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 As this tract may fall into the hands of foma 
 perfons but very little acquainted with the pro- 
 phecies, and in particular with the Book of the 
 Revelation, on which mofb of the following conjec- 
 ifures are founded, it is judged neceffary, in order 
 to render them intelligible, to prefix an idea of the 
 nature of the vifions it contains, and a very brief 
 analyfis of thefe prophefies, efpecially fuch parts of 
 them as are generally agreed to be already accom- 
 plifhed ; and this fhall be taken, for the moft part, 
 from the 3d Vol. of the admirable and luminous 
 Differtations of Bifhop Newton on the Prophecies. 
 
 Let the reader, in the firfl place, obferve, that the 
 vifions which the beloved apoftle relates in the 
 order in which he faw them, were emblematic re- 
 prefentations of the future (late of the church of 
 Chrift, and of her enemies, in the various fucceffive 
 ages of the world. It is not altogether agreed 
 whether the epiftles to the feven churches in chap, 
 ii. and iii. were properly prophetic or not; but if 
 they were, it is fuppofed, i. That the church of 
 Ephefus, reprefents t:he church in the apoftolic age 
 2.. That of Smyrna, the time of the ten early per- 
 fecutions, and to the days of Conilantine 3. 
 That of Per games, the church from that period 
 during the rife of popery 4. That of 1"hyatira^ 
 the dark ages of the church preceding the reform- 
 ation 5. Tha$ of Sardis, the reformed church- - 
 6. That of Philadelphia, Chrift 's fpiritual reign and 
 the yth and laft, That of Laodicea^ a rtate of re- 
 markable declenfion expefted to follow the latter 
 period, and immediately to precede the end of the 
 world. Thefe are the ideas of the learned Dr. 
 Gill and others. What 'follows is chiefly (as we 
 propofed) from Bifhop Newton,
 
 INTRODUCTION. 5 
 
 Chap. IV. and V. contain the preparatory vifion, 
 in which is introduced a volume fealed with fcven 
 feals, which the Son of God alone is found able to 
 unloofe. 
 
 Chap. VI. VII. and VIII. relate the opening of 
 the SEALS, and the unfolding of the book, wherein 
 
 f< Each op'ning leaf, and ev'ry flroke 
 " Fulfils fume deep defign." 
 
 The firft Jed opens a fcene of triumph, and is 
 referred to a feries of remarkable victories obtained 
 by the Romans, from the accefiion of Vefpafian to 
 the reign of Nerva, inclufive ; a period of not 
 quite thirty years ; which includes, however, the 
 conqutft and deftrucliion of Jerufalem. This pe- 
 riod was equally remarkable for the fuccefles of 
 the gofpel, and to thofe fome chufe rather to refer 
 this fcene. 
 
 The Jecond fed introduces the bloody wars and 
 (laughters which followed for near an hundred years, 
 during the reigns of Trajan and his fucceflbrs down 
 to Septimus Severus ; including the rebellion and 
 deftruction of the impoilor Barchochab, and his 
 deluded followers, 
 
 The third Jeal defcribes the fevere juflice and 
 ceconomy which marked the reign of the laft men- 
 tioned emperor and his family, which continued 
 for about forty years. 
 
 The fourth fed introduces a period of war, fa- 
 mine, peftilence, and the ravages of wild beafts j 
 which lafted from the reign of Maximin to that of 
 Dioclefian, about fifty years. 
 
 The fifth fed refers to what has been called the 
 age of martyrs, the tenth and laft heathen perfecu- 
 tion under Dioclefian; which exceeded all the 
 former, raging inceflantly for ten years. 
 
 The
 
 6 INTRODUCTION-. 
 
 The J!:<tb fed ufh-ers . in 'the- grand revolution, 
 brought about by Coriftantine,jn which heatheniirn 
 was finally overthrown, and ' Chriftianity made the- 
 eftablifhed religion of the empire. : This period is 
 extended to the death of Theodofius, about feveniy 
 years, and brings us to near the clofe of the fourth 
 century. 
 
 The feventb and lafl fed introduces /even angels 
 with trur.ipets, the founding of which fucceffively 
 marks out feven other remarkable periods, which 
 we have in Chap. VIII. and IX. 
 
 The firfi trumpet defcribes the invafion of Alaric 
 and the Goths, under the image of a tremendous 
 florin. 
 
 The JccGvd trumpet reprefents the ravages of At- 
 'tiia and his Huns, by the figure of a burning 
 mountain carl into the fea. 
 
 The third trumpet introduces the heretical Gen- 
 feric and his Vandals from Italy, as a flar falling 
 from heaven, and embittering the waters. 
 
 The fourth trumpet . refers to Odoacer and the 
 Hernli, who totally deftroyed the poor remains of 
 the Weftern Roman empire, even to the very 
 name, and founded the kingdom qf the Oflrogoths. 
 This is reprefented "in , prophetic language as ex- 
 tinguifhing one third :of the celeflial luminaries. 
 Thefe events bring us to about the, middle of "the 
 iixth century; and a proclamation is now made 
 from heaven to prepare us for the three following, 
 which are diflinguifhed by the name of Wee 
 Trumpets, and introduce events ftill more terribly 
 fublime. 
 
 The fifth trumpet introduces Mohammed, an- 
 other fallen flar, and his. Arabian army, under the 
 ftriking fimiiitude of locufts. 
 
 The Jixtb trumDet lets loofe the four fultanies of 
 
 Turks
 
 IXTRODCTCTION'. ^ 
 
 Turks and Othmans, whofe wars are defcrihed in 
 tremendous language. Thefe trumpets effected 
 the ruin of the Eaftern empire. 
 
 The Je-jenth trumpet brings in the Millenium. 
 But previous to this is introduced a fcene of a 
 little book, which is confidered as a kind of appen- 
 dix and illuilration of the preceding prophecies, 
 and fome additions. This begins whet is com- 
 monly called the Jecond part of the Book of Re- 
 velation, which properly commences with the Lift 
 verfe of Chap. X. 
 
 Chap. XL defcribes the character, death, and 
 refurrection of God's faithful v/lmeiTes. Upon 
 this chapter (particularly ver. 13.) great part of the 
 following conjectures are founded; we fh all -only 
 apprize the reader that he will find authors not 
 agreed whether the death and refurrection of thefe 
 witnefles is yet paft or future. Thofe who main- 
 tain the former, explain it of fome of the following 
 events, which remarkably coincide with the three 
 prophetic days (or years) and an half; -viz. ' 
 
 1. The feilion of the council of Conftance from 
 November, 1414, to April, 1418, in which period 
 Hufs and Jerom of Prague were burnt ; after this 
 the pope loft the kingdom of Bohemia. 
 
 2. The perfecution of the Proteftants of the 
 league of Smalcald, from April, 1 547, to Decem- 
 ber, 1550. 
 
 7. The perfecution of the cruel Q^Mary in 
 England from Feb. 1555, to Nov. 1558. 
 
 4. From the maffacre of Paris, Sept. 1572,. to 
 the treaty of Henry III. of France in favor of the 
 Hugonots, May, 1576, was nearly the fame period. 
 
 5. The popifh reign of our K. James II. from 
 Feb. 1685, to Nov. 1688. 
 
 6. From the revocation of the edict of Nantz * 
 
 in
 
 8 
 
 in Oft. 1685, to the coronation of K. William lit; 
 in England, April, 1689, by which an afylum was 
 in forne meafure provided for them, and their 
 drooping hopes much encouraged. 
 
 7. From the cruel edict of the duke of Savoy 
 awainft the Proteilants in Piedmont, near the end 
 or 1686, to another edict in their favor June, 1690; 
 
 8. Tyrconnel's viceroyfhip in Ireland under K. 
 James II. from Feb. 1686-7, to K. William's 
 victories in 1690. 
 
 All the above events and feveral others have 
 been obferved to agree with the prediction in fome 
 refpects ; but none completely fo, its full accom- 
 plifhment waiting,perhaps,for fome event ftill future. 
 
 Chap. XII. defcribes a great red dragon, which 
 is commonly underftood of Pagan Rome, and this 
 vifion illuftrates the events of the iirft fix feals. 
 
 Chap. XIII. i 10. reprefents Papal Rome as 2 
 ten horned beaft, fucceffor to the preceding. 
 Verfes i i--i8. defcribes a two horned beaft, which 
 Bifhop Newton and others explain of the Pope 
 (called alfo the falfe -prophet) and his clergy. The 
 number of the beaft is explained with fome variety, 
 but moft adopt the ancient notion of Ireneus who 
 finds it in LATEINOS, the Latin or Roman, an epi- 
 thet conftantly applied to the Weftern church ; and 
 it is remarkable that about this time (666) the 
 ufe of Latin in the church offices became general. It 
 is alfo obfervable that the Hebrew word ROMIITH, 
 of the fame meaning as the Greek LATEINOS, con- 
 tains alfo the fame number. Some writers fuppofe 
 this beaft to mean the tyranny of the Leivifes in 
 France, and therefore find the number in the nu- 
 merals of Lu DO vie us, which anfwers to it in Latin. 
 The truth of thefc matters may be feen as fol- 
 lows :
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 A 
 
 A 
 
 T 
 
 
 
 I 
 
 N 
 
 O 
 
 s 
 
 3 
 
 A late writer has alfo re- 
 
 - i 
 
 marked, as a very fmgular 
 
 300 
 
 circumftance, that the title 
 
 - 5 
 
 VICARITJS FILII DEI, which 
 
 10 
 
 the popes of Rome have af- 
 
 5 
 
 fumed to themfelves, and 
 
 70 
 
 have caufed, as is faid, to be 
 
 200 
 
 infcribed over the door of the 
 
 
 
 Vatican, exaftly makes the 
 
 666 
 
 number 666, when decypher- 
 
 
 ed. 
 
 200 
 
 V - - s 
 
 6 
 
 I - - i 
 
 40 
 
 C - - loo 
 
 10 
 
 A - - o 
 
 IO 
 
 R - - o 
 
 400 
 
 I - - i 
 
 II 
 
 V - - 5 
 
 666 
 
 S - - o 
 
 5 
 
 F - - o 
 
 S 
 
 I - - i 
 
 500 
 
 L - - 50 
 
 
 
 I - - i 
 
 5 
 
 I - - i 
 
 i 
 
 
 IOO 
 
 D - - 500 
 
 5 
 
 E - - o 
 
 o 
 
 I - - i 
 
 666 
 
 666 
 
 L 
 
 V 
 
 D 
 
 O 
 
 V 
 
 I 
 
 C 
 
 V 
 
 S 
 
 Chap. XIV. defcribes the true church and the 
 progrefs of the reformation by the publifhing or 
 the everlafting gofpel, which is fucceeded by an aw- 
 ful picture of the definition of antichrift. 
 
 Chap. XV. contains a vifion preparatory to fe- 
 ven angels pouring out the feven laft vials (cups or 
 cenfers) of the wrath of God. 
 
 Chap. XVI. The vials are poured out, and ef- 
 fect the- final deftruftion of antichrift, 
 
 C Chap,
 
 IO INTRODUCTION. 
 
 Chap. XVII. reprefents the church of Rome 
 under the emblem of a gaudy harlot, riding on the 
 feven headed beafL That this means Rome, be- 
 fide the authorities cited by commentators, take 
 the following from Ganganelli, afterwards Pope 
 Clement XIV. 
 
 Inviting the Abbe Fcrghen to vifit Rome, he 
 tells him that it c< may be feen a thoufand times 
 and always with new pieafure. This city, fituated 
 upon SEVEN HILLS, which the ancients call the 
 feven miftrefTes of the world, feems to command 
 the univerfe, and boldly to fay to mankind, that 
 fhe is the QUEEN and the CHIEF." Letter II. Eng- 
 lilh edition. 
 
 Chap. XVIII. defcribes the utter definition of 
 fjpiritual Babylon. 
 
 Chap. XIX. the triumph of the church thereon. 
 
 Chap. XX. reprefents the millenial ftate, or a 
 thoufand years of the churches glory -, and a fhort 
 period of dreadful calamity between that and the 
 day of judgment. 
 
 Chap. XXI, XXII. The new heaven, the new 
 earth, and the new Jerufalem ; differently underflood 
 either of the milknium or of heaven itfelf. This 
 leads to the conclufion. 
 
 Having thus given the reader a very brief fketch 
 of the pkn and contents of the Apocalypfe, we fhall 
 introduce him to the following authors in the order 
 in which they wrote ; forbearing our further ob- 
 Icrvations till the reader has gone through them. 
 
 No. I.
 
 II 
 
 No. I. ARCHBISHOP BROWN, A. D. 1551. 
 
 DR. GEORGE BROWN, Abp. of f)ublin, (confe- 
 crated by Abp. Cranmer) was a man of confides 
 able piety and learning, the firft proteftant biihop 
 in Ireland, and very instrumental in the reformation 
 of that kingdom. 
 
 Within a dozen years of the foundation of the 
 order of JESUITS, he preached a fermon at Chrift 
 Church, Dublin, (the year abovementioned) in 
 which he gave the following character of that 
 order. 
 
 " There is a new fraternity of late fprtmg up, 
 who call themfelvcs Jej'uifs, which will deceive many, 
 who are much after the fcribes and pharifees man- 
 ner: amongfb the Jews they fhall ftrive to aboliili 
 the truth, and fhall come very near to do it ; for 
 thefe forts will turn themfelves into feveral forms, 
 with the heathen an heathenift, with atheifts an 
 atheift, with Jews a Jew, and with the reformers a 
 reformade, purpoiely to know your intentions, your 
 minds, your hearts, and your inclinations, and 
 thereby bring you at laft to be like the fool that 
 Jaid in his hearty there is no God. Thefe lhall fpread 
 over the whole world, fhall be admitted into the 
 councils of princes and they never the wifer ; cjiarni- 
 ing of them ; yea, making your princes reveal thtir 
 hearts, and trie fecrets therein unto them, and yet 
 they not perceive it ; which will happen from fail-r 
 ing from the law of God.. ..and by winking at their 
 fins ; yet in the end, God, tojuftify his law, fhal 
 fuddenly cut off this fociety, even by the hands of 
 thefe who have mofl fuccoured them y and made uie of 
 gfrem ; fo that at the end they lhall become odious 
 
 C 2 t 9
 
 12 - PROPHETIC CONJECTURES: 
 
 to all nations : they {hall be worfe than Jews having 
 no refling place upon earth, and then fhall a Jew 
 have more favour than a Jefuit," [HARLEIAN 
 MISCELLANY, vol. V. p. 566.] 
 
 It need not be added, that this character proved 
 prophetic. It fhall only be noted that this order, 
 which was founded by Ignatius Loyola in 1 540, was 
 expelled England in 1604. Venice, 1606 Por- 
 tugal, 1759 France, 1764 Spain and Sicily, 
 1767- and totally fupprefled by Pope Clement 
 XIV. 1773- 
 
 No. II. REV. JOHN KNOX, 1572. 
 
 THIS intrepid Scots reformer, <f who never feared 
 the face of man," is faid, in leveral inftances, to 
 have been indowed with a prophetic fpirit. The 
 like has been aflerted of Luther, Hufs, IVijhdrt, 
 Ufoer, and other eminent characters, of which the 
 reader will form his own judgment. The follow- 
 ing, at this period, muft ftrike many, as corre- 
 fponding at once with recent events, and with that 
 awful declaration of heaven, that God " vifiteth 
 the fins of the fathers upon the children, unto the 
 third and fourth generation." 
 
 The news of the horrid MafTacre of Paris was 
 brought to Edinburgh about the twelfth of Sep- 
 tember, by Mr. Killegrew, ambaiTador from Queen 
 Elizabeth, Mr. Knox, introduced it into his 
 next fermon, with his ufual denunciation of God's 
 vengeance thereon, which he defired the French 
 ambaflador, Monf. Le Croque 3 might be acquainted 
 
 with.
 
 DR. THOMAS GOODWIN. IJ 
 
 with. The denunciation was to this purport, ff Sen- 
 tence is pronounced in Scotland againft that mur- 
 derer, the King of France^ and God's vengeance 
 fhall never depart from him, nor his houfe, but 
 his name fhall remain an execration to pofterity ; and 
 rone that fa all come cf his kins lhall, enjoy that king- 
 dom in peace and quietnefs, unlefs repentance pre- 
 vent God's judgement." The Ambaffador, being 
 told it, applied to the Regent and Council, and 
 complained that his mailer was called a traitor and 
 murderer of his fubjects under a promife and truft ; 
 and defired that an edicl" might be publilhed, pro- 
 hibiting the fubjecTis of Scotland to fpeak any thing 
 to the difhoriour of his mafter ; efpecially the Mi- 
 nifters in their fermons. This was waved by the 
 Council ; and the Ambafiador was told, that they 
 could not hinder the Minifters from fpeaking even 
 Againft themfelyes. [LIFE of KNOX.] 
 
 No. III. DR. THOMAS GOODWIN, 1639. 
 
 THIS excellent and venerable divine, who was 
 fometime prefident of Magdalen college, Oxford, 
 and one of the ejected minifters, wrote his Expo- 
 fition of the Revelation in 1639, an d it was pub- 
 lifhed in the year 1683, foon after his death. 
 
 On Rev. xi. 13. this writer obferves, " By 
 the tenth part of the city I underfb.nd fome one 
 tenth part of Europe j" which he afterwards ex- 
 plains of the kingdom of France, as we fhall. fee 
 prefently. He goes on to obfervc 
 
 "Bjr
 
 14 PROPHETIC CONJECTURES: 
 
 ff By the earthquake here is meant a great 
 concuffion or IhakLng of ftates, politic, or eccie- 
 fiafticaL.By this earthquake's falling thus out in 
 a tenth part of the city, this tenth part bf it is 
 fo fhaken that it falls ; that is, ceafeth to be a 
 tenth part of the city, or belong to its jurifdiclion 
 any longer... The effect of this earthquake, and 
 fall of this tenth part of the city, is killing Jeven 
 thoufand of the names of men... .Now, by men of 
 name, in fcripture is meant men of ride, office and 
 dignity.. .[As in the cafe of Corah's confpiracy,} 
 fo here a civil punifhment falls upon thefe: for 
 having killed thefe witnefies, themfelves are to be 
 killed (haply) by being BEREFT OF THEIR NAMES 
 AND TITLES, which are to be rooted out for ever, 
 and condemned to perpetual forge tfulnefs." 
 
 " Now which of thefe ten kingdoms [may be 
 in tended].... it is not hard to conjecture ; though it 
 be rafhnefs peremtorily to determine.".., 
 
 " The faints and churches of France, God has 
 made a wonder unto me in all his proceedings to- 
 wards them, rirft and laft ; and there would feem 
 fome great and foecial honour referved for them, 
 yet at the laft j for it is certain, that the rirft light 
 of the gofpel, by that firft and fecond angel's preach- 
 ing in chapter xiv. (which laid the foundation of 
 vntichrift's ruin) was out from among them, namely 
 thofe of Lyons, and other places in France. And 
 they bore and underwent the . great heat of that 
 morning of perfecution, which was as great, if not 
 greater than any fmce...And fo, as that kingdom 
 had the firft great ftroke, fo now it fhould have the 
 honour of having the lajl great ftroke in the ruin of 
 Rome." 
 
 It fhouid be added, however, that Dr. Goodwin 
 was fo far from being pofitive in this idea, that he 
 
 rather
 
 REV. CHRISTOPHER LOVE. 1$ 
 
 rather inclined to think Great Britain the tenth 
 part of the city intended by the Holy Spirit ; and 
 that thefe great events fhould happen about the 
 middle of the feventeenth century -, in this laft idea, 
 however he lived to find himfelf miftaken, not dy- 
 ing till the year 1679. 
 
 No. IV. REV. CHPJSTOPHER LOVE, 165*. 
 
 MR. LOVE, a pious Prefbyterian minifter, who 
 was beheaded during the troublefome times of the 
 civil wars in this country, on a charge of confpir- 
 ing with fome others to reftore K. Charles I. on 
 the hope of his having been reformed and con- 
 verted, after he had taken the Scotch covenant. 
 This gentleman, who muft be confefied a lit- 
 tle tinctured with enthufiafm, had fludied the Re- 
 velation, and was very confident in his calcula- 
 tion, in which he thought himfelf guided <f by 
 the Holy Spirit of the Lord." 
 
 The following prophecy, as it is called, is partly 
 the refult of his prophetic fpeculations, and partly 
 his interpretation of a fuppofed pillar of Seth in 
 Damafcus, which it is now generally agreed by 
 the learned was a grofs impofition on the credulity 
 of former ages. The near approach to late events 
 in fome of the following articles, is however fuf- 
 ficiently remarkable to intereft attention in the 
 prefent fituation of affairs. The work from which 
 the enfuing extract is taken is called 1 , A Jhort 
 Work of the Lord in the latter Age of the World. 
 
 " Great earthquakes and commotion* by fea 
 
 and
 
 16 PROPHETIC CONJECTURES: 
 
 and land fhall come in the year of God 1779. 
 GREAT WARS in Germany and in AMERICA in 
 1780. The deftruction of popery, or BABYLON'S 
 FALL, in the year 1790 God will be known by 
 many in the year 1795. This will produce a great 
 man The liars will wander, and the moon turn 
 as blood, in 1800 Africa, Afia, and America will 
 tremble in 1803 A great earthquake overall the 
 world, in 1805 God will be univerfally known by 
 all : then a general reformation, and peace for ever, 
 when the people mall learn war no more Happy 
 is the man that liveth to fee this day !" 
 
 A copy of this prophecy (with fome obvious 
 but material errors in the latter dates) may be 
 found in Mr. TOPLADY'S Pofthumous Works, 
 there faid to be communicated to him by die late 
 Dr. GIFFORD, one of the librarians of the Britifh 
 Mufeum. 
 
 No. V. ARCHBISHOP USHER. 1655. 
 
 THIS truly great man, equally eminent for his fin- 
 gular learning and uncommon piety, is faid to have 
 been in feveral inftances endowed with a prophetic 
 fpirit, by which he foretold the Irilh maffacre forty 
 years before it came to pafs, in a fermon preached 
 in Dublin in 1601, where, from Ezek. iv. 6. dif- 
 courfmg concerning the prophet's bearing the ini- 
 quity of Judah forty days, the Lord therein ap- 
 pointed a day for a year ; he made this direct ap- 
 plication in relation to the government's conni- 
 vance ajt popery at that time. cf From this year 
 
 (fays
 
 ARCHBISHOP USHER. 17 
 
 (fays he) will I reckon the fin of Ireland, that thofe 
 whom you now embrace, fhali be your ruin, and you 
 {hall bear this iniquity." Which prediction proved 
 exactly true ; for from that time 1601, to the year 
 1*641, was juft forty years, in which it is notorious 
 that the rebellion and mailacre in L eland happened, 
 which was accomplifhed by thofe popifn priefls 
 and other papiils, who were then connived at and 
 encouraged. 
 
 Of this iermon the bifhop referved the notes, 
 and put a note thereof in the margin of his Bible ; 
 and the nearer the time was, the more confident he 
 grew, that it was near accomplishment, though there 
 was no vilible appearance of any fuch thing ; and 
 (fays Dr. Bernard, his chaplain) " The year be- 
 fore die rebellion broke forth, the bifhop talcing 
 his leave of me, being then going fiom Ireland to 
 England, he advifed me to a ferious preparation, 
 for I fliould fee heavy forrows and miferi.es before I 
 faw him again;" which he delivered with as great 
 confidence, as if he had feen it with his eyes ; 
 which feems to verify that of the .prophet,. Amos 
 iii. 7. " Surely the Lord will do nothing; but he 
 will reveal it to his fervants the prophets.'' 
 
 By the fame fpirit of prophecy, and f;pm the 
 encouragement given by government ta papifb, he 
 forefaw the changes and miferies coming on Eng- 
 land, both in church and flate ; and in particular 
 the death of K. Charles I. of whom he would be 
 often fpcaking with fear and trembling, even when 
 he had the greateft fuccefs, and would therefore 
 conftantly pray, and gave all advice poflible to pre- 
 vent any fuch thing. 
 
 Laftly, he predicted that " the greateft fir eke upon 
 the reformed churches 'was yet to come; and that the 
 time of the utter ruin of the fee of Rome, Jhould 
 
 D fe 

 
 <8 PROPHETIC CONJECTURES 1 
 
 be when /be thought herfelf moft Jecure:" and as to 
 this laft, we fhall add a brief account from the per- 
 fon's own hand, to whom he related it the year be- 
 fore he died. 
 
 " I prefumed to inquire of him, what his pre- 
 fent apprehenfions were concerning a very great 
 perfecuticn which fhould fall upon the church of 
 God in thefe nations of England, Scotland, and 
 Ireland, of which this reverend primate had fpoken 
 with great confidence many years before, when we 
 were in the higheft and fulleft ftate of outward 
 peace and fettlement. I alfo afked him, " Whe- 
 'ther he did believe thofe fad times to be paft, or 
 that they were yet to come." To which he an- 
 fwered, " That they were yet to come, and that 
 he did as confidently expect it as ever he had done :" 
 Adding, ' c That this fad perlecution would fall 
 upon all the Proteftant churches in Europe" I re- 
 plied, " That I did hope it might have been paft 
 as to thefe nations of ours, fince I thought, that 
 though we, who are the people thereof, have been 
 punifhed much lefs than our fins have deferred, 
 and that our late wars had made far lefs devaluations 
 than war commonly does upon thofe countries 
 where it pleafeth God in judgment to fuffer them ; 
 yet we muft needs acknowledge, that many great 
 houfes have been burnt, ruined, and left without 
 inhabitants, many great families impoverifhed and 
 undone, and many lives alfo had been loft in that 
 bloody war, and that Ireland and Scotland, as well 
 as England, had drank very deep of the cup of Cod's 
 anger, 'even to the overthrow of the government, 
 and the utter defolation, almoft of a very great part' 
 of thofe countries." 
 
 But this holy man turning to me, and fixing 
 his eyes upon me, with a ferious and ireful look, 
 
 which
 
 ARCHBISHOP USHER. '19 
 
 which he ufually had when he fpake God's word, 
 and not his own, and when the power of Gocl 
 feenied to be upon, him, and to conft; i to 
 
 fpeak, which I could eaiuy difcern much to differ 
 from the countenance wherewith he ufuaHy fpake to 
 me , he faid thus : 
 
 " Fool not yourfcif.wirh ftich hopes, for I tell 
 you, all you have yet feen hat'li been but the be- 
 ginning of farrows, to what is yet to come upcn the 
 Proteftant cburcbes of Chrift, who will ere l:ng fdl 
 under a foarper perfecution than ever yet 'was upon 
 them: an:! therefore (faid he to me) look you be not 
 found in the cut-ward court, but a worjbipp&r in the 
 temple before tht altar; for Chrijl will meafure all 
 thofe that prcfefs bis name, and call tbenj'efaes bis 
 .people; and the outward worfhippers he will leave 
 eut to be trcdden d-^wn by the Gentiles. The out-, 
 ward court (fays he) is the formal Chriftian, whofe 
 religion lies in performing the outward duties of 
 chriftianity, without having an ini&wd life and 
 power of faith uniting tbcm to Cbrift> and thefe God 
 will leave to be trodden down, and fwept away by 
 the Gentiles; but the worfhippers within the tem- 
 ple, and before the altar, are thole who do indeed 
 worihip God in ftirlt and in truth, whofe jouls are 
 made his temple, and he is honoured and adored, in 
 the mcft inward thoughts of their hearts, and they 
 facrirtce their lu-fts and vile affections,, yea, and 
 their own wills to him ; and thefe God wik nide in 
 the hollow of his hand, a ad undzr the j^^dow of his 
 wings. And this fhall be one great duivreiice be- 
 tween this lajl, and all the other preceding pcrfcciir 
 tions : fjr in the farmer the rnoft eminent andjpiri- 
 tual xiirtijters and Cbrijiwn* did generally fufTer 
 moil, an;] were moft violently fallen upon ; but in 
 this laji perfecution thefe iriali be preferred by God, 
 D 2 as
 
 20 PROPHETIC CONJECTURES: 
 
 as a feed to' partake of that glory which fhall im- 
 mediately fellow, and come upon the church, as foon 
 as ever this {torm fhall be over ; for as it fhall be 
 the Jbarpefty fo it fhall be the Jhcrtefi ferfecution of 
 then} all; and fhall only take away the grofs hypo- 
 crites and formal prof effort, but the true fpi ritual 
 believers fhall be preferved till the calamity be 
 over." 
 
 He added, " That the Papifts were, in his 
 opinion, the Gentiles fpoken of in the nth of the 
 Revelations, to whom the outward court foould be 
 left, that they might tread it under foot : they hav- 
 ing received the Gentiles' worlhip, in their adoring 
 images, and faints departed, and in taking to them- 
 felves many mediators : and this (faid he) the Pa- 
 pifts are now defigning among themfelves, and 
 therefore be fure you may be ready." 
 
 This was the iubftance, and I think (for the 
 greateft part) the very fame words which this holy 
 man fpake to me at the time before mentioned, 
 not long before his death, and which he writ down, 
 that fo great and notable a orediction might not be 
 
 s_> i CJ 
 
 loft and forgotten by myfelf and others. 
 
 cc This gracious man repeated the fame things 
 in fubftance to his only daughter the lady Tyrril, 
 and that with many tears, and much about the 
 fame time.... The fame things he alfo repeated to 
 the lady Byffe, wife to the prefent lord chief baron 
 of Ireland, but with adding this circumftance, That 
 if tb:j brought back lie king it might be delayed a 
 little longer: but (faith he) it will furely come, 
 therefore be fure to look that you be not found 
 unprepared for it. 
 
 To conclude in the words of Dr. Bernard : 
 fpeaking -of this excellent perfon, he fays, <f How- 
 foever I am as far from heeding of prophecies this 
 
 way
 
 DR. H. MORE. 11 
 
 way as any ; yet with me it is not improbable, 
 that fo great a divine, fo fanctified fro'm his youth, 
 fo knowing and eminent throughout the tiniverfal 
 chnr:n; might have, at fome ipecial times, more 
 than ordinary motions and impulfes, in doing the 
 watchman's part, of giving warning of judgments 
 fhortiy to happen." 
 
 No. VI. DR. H. MORE, 1663. 
 
 THIS learned writer has taken confiderable pains 
 to develope the depths of the " MYSTERY cf INI- 
 QUITY contained in the kingdom of Aatichrift " 
 On that remarkable prediction, Revelation xi. 13. 
 he obferves, [Book II. ch. it.] 
 
 <c That an earthquake fignifies political com- 
 motions and change of affairs, is obvious to any 
 one to note ; but that the City here mentioned fhould 
 be underftood not of a city of brick or Hone, but 
 a Polity y has not been fo eafy for every one to hit 
 on ; but I conceive it is plain enough that this city 
 is the very city mentioned in the eighth verfe, which 
 is called the great city, and this great city is the 
 whore of Babylon ; and the whore of Babylon is 
 nothing but the body of the idolatrous clergy in 
 the empire, who appertain to the fevcnth or laft 
 head of the beaft, which is an head of;V>lafphemy, 
 as well as the fix firfl, that is to fay, $8 idolatrous 
 head. Whence we may underfland what is meant 
 by thefe feven thoufand names of men ; for neither 
 feven nor thoufand fignify any determinate number, 
 but only the nature or property of thefe names of 
 
 wen
 
 22 PROPHETIC CONJECTURES: 
 
 men that are faid to be fiain, namely, that they 
 are TITLES, DIGNITIES, OFFICES or ORDERS of 
 men belonging to the irate of Christendom. As 
 under th? feventli he?..!, that is become idolatrous 
 and antichrifdan, and in that this number jr:en 
 is ititikjplied irfo a; , it-ilgnifi^s a perfect 
 
 and. durable milling all i'Hi ^Ytv iuic ^. ;;..,;-. of 
 men ; which, if Mr. Mede had taken notice of, it 
 would have faved him the labour of leaking out the 
 fenfe of naffnes cfmen, and alfo the folicitude touch- 
 ing the proportionablenefs" of the number of the 
 flain ; for no men at all here r.re nueffarily implied 
 to be flain, but only all antichriftran OFFICES and 
 
 FRATERNITIES tO be DISSOLVED and ABROGATED, 
 
 and things to be reduced to the purity of the firft 
 four hundred years. For to flay, by a diorifmus, 
 (ignifies nothing elfe but a caufing a thing to ceafe 
 to be. This, but little quefcion, is the true meaning 
 of this place. And the tenth part of the city will 
 have a fenfe marvellous coincident therewith. 
 
 'No. VII. REV. PETER JURIEU, 1687. 
 
 MR. JURIEU was one of the Minifters of the 
 French church at Rotterdam, and is famous for a 
 work, entitled, " The ACCOMPLISHMENT of the 
 SCRIPTURE PROPHECIES; or the approaching ddi- 
 -verance of ^ the church''- Originally written in 
 French ; but a tranilation was printed in this coun- 
 try, of the above date, from which are taken the 
 following extracts. 
 
 This work, the author (in his prefatory addrefs) 
 
 profefles
 
 REV. PETER JURIEU. 2,| 
 
 profeffes to have been the fruit of much prayer, 
 and ftudy of the fcriptures, in the fearch of which 
 he is confident of having received an anfwer to his 
 prayers in the way of divine illumination, infomuch 
 that he fays, (part II. p. 68) <c We mall fee fuch 
 an admirable agreement between the events arid the 
 prophecies explained, that fhall abundantly con- 
 vince, that what lam about to fay, is net SIMPLE 
 conjefiture." 
 
 On Revel, xi. 13. the author defcants thus : 
 (p. 242 and lequel.) <f There fhall be an c.irth- 
 quake, i. e. a great emotion and trouble in the 
 world, and in the antichrifthn kingdom. In this 
 emotion a tenth -part cf the city fiiall fall ; i. e. a 
 tenth part of the antichriftian kingdom fhall be taken 
 away from it. Seven thoufand men mall perifh in 
 this earthquake, and be buried under the ruins of 
 the city, /'. e. that this mail be brought about 
 with fome bloodlhed (though not corfiderable) in 
 that part of the city which mail be taken away from 
 the Pope and the Popedom. And laflly, within a 
 little while this tenth part of the city which mail be 
 taken from the Popedcm, mail give glory to God, 
 and be converted." 
 
 After a few pages it is added " Mark that the 
 great earthquake, /. e. the great alteration of af- 
 fairs in the land of the papacy, muft for that time 
 happen only in the tenth fart of the city that fhall 
 fall : for this fhall be the effect of this earth- 
 quake." 
 
 <c Now what is this tenth part of the city, which 
 /hall _/}?//.? In my opinion, we cannot doubt that 
 'tis FRANCE. This kingdom is the moft confider- 
 able part or piece of the ten horns, or ftates, 
 which once made up the great Babylonian city : it 
 fell; this does not lignify, that the French Monarchy 
 
 mall
 
 24 PROPHETIC CONJECTURES: 
 
 fhall be ruined; it may be HUMBLED; but in all 
 appearance, Providence does defign a great ele- 
 vation for her afterward. 'Tis highly probable 
 that God will not let go unpunifhed the horrible 
 outrages which it acls at this day [of perfecution] 
 Afterward, it muft build its greatnefs upon the 
 ruins of the papal empire, and enrich itfelf with the 
 fpoils of thofe who fliall take part with the papacy. 
 They who. . .perfecute the profeftanfs,know not whither 
 God is leading them : this is not the way by which 
 he will lead France to the height of glory. If fhe 
 comes thither, 'tis becaufe fhe fhall fliortly change 
 her road. Her greatening will be no damage to 
 proteftant Jlates j on the contrary, the prcteftant 
 Jiatss fhall be enriched with the fpoils of others ; 
 and be ftrengthened by the fall cf shtichnft's em- 
 pire. This tenth part of the city ihall fall, with ref- 
 pe<5t to the papacy > it fhall break with Rome, and 
 the Roman religion. One thing is certain, that the 
 Babylonian empire fliall perifh through the refufal of 
 obedience by the ten kings, who had given their 
 power to the leafl. The thing is already come to 
 pafs in part. The kingdoms of Sweden, Den- 
 mark, England, and feveral fovereign flares in Ger- 
 many, have withdrawn themfelves from the jurif- 
 di<5Hon of the pope. They have f foiled the harlot of 
 her riches. They have eaten her flejh, i. e. feized 
 on her benefices, and revenues, which Ihe had in their 
 countries. This muft go on, and be fmilhcd as it 
 is begun. The kings who yet remain under the 
 empire of Rome, muft break with her, leave her 
 folitary and dcfolate. 
 
 " But who muft begin this lafi revolt ? It is moft 
 probable that FRANCE fhall. Not Spain, which as 
 yet is plunged in fuperjlition, and is as much under 
 the tyranny of the clergy as ever. Not the em- 
 peror,
 
 REV. PETER JURIEU. - 2$ 
 
 peror, who in temporals is fubject to the pope, and 
 permits that in his ftates the archbifhop of Stn- 
 gonium fhould teach, that the pope can take away 
 the Imperial crown from him. It cannot be any 
 country but France^ which a long time ago hath 
 begun to Jhake off ffw joke of Rome. It is well 
 known, how folemnly and openly war hath been 
 declared againft the pope, by a declaration of the 
 king (ratified in all the parliaments) by the d&iftpns 
 of the affembly of the French clergy, by a Mfjatta* 
 ticn againrT: the authority of the pope, managed in 
 the Sorbon, folemnly and by order of the court. 
 And to heighten the affront, the tbefes were pofted 
 up, even upon the gates of his Nuncio. Nothing 
 of this kind had hitherto happened, at leaft in a 
 time of peace, and unlefs the pope had given oc- 
 cafion by his infolence. 
 
 " Befides this, fuperftiticn and idolatry lofe their 
 credit much in France. There is a fecret party, 
 though well enough known, which greatly defpifeth 
 the popular devotions, images, worfhip of faints, 
 arid is convinced that thefe are human inventions. 
 God is before-hand preparing for this great work. 
 
 (< To this it may be objected, that for the laft 
 hundred and fifty years, the pope's empire hath not 
 been made up of ten kings, becaufe the kings of 
 England, Sweden, Denmark, &c. have thrown off 
 his government ; and confequently, France is not 
 at this day the tenth part of the Babylonian empire ; 
 for it is mere than a tenth part of it. But this is no 
 difficulty : for we mult know, that things retain the 
 r ames which they bore in their original (without re- 
 garding the alterations which time does bring along. ^ 
 Though at this day, there are not ten kingdoms 
 under the Babylonian empire, it is notwithstanding 
 certain, that each kine-dom was called, and ought 
 
 E "to
 
 2,6 PROPHETIC CONJECTURES : 
 
 to be called in this prophecy, the tenth part, be- 
 caufe the prophet having defcribed this empire in. 
 its beginning, by its ten boms, or ten kings, it is 
 neceflary for our clear underHanding, that every 
 one of tliefe ten kings and kingdoms fhould' be 
 called one of the ten kings-, or of the ten kingdoms, 
 with rd peel to the original conflitution of the anti- 
 chriflian empire. 
 
 <c Seeing the tenth fart of the city that muft fall, is 
 France, this gives me fome hopes that the death of 
 the two witnejjes hath a particular relation to this 
 kingdom. It is die ftreet or place of this city, i. e. 
 the moft fair and eminent part of it. The witnejjes 
 muft remain dead upon this ftrect, and upon it they 
 muft be raifed again. And as the death of the wit-* 
 Tieffes and their refurrection have a relation to the 
 kingdom of France, it may well fall out, that we may 
 not be far diftant from the time of the rejurreciion of 
 the witnejjes, feeing the three years and a half of 
 their death are either begun, or will begin fhortly. 
 
 " And in the earthquake were/lain feven thoujand; 
 in the Greek it is, feven thousand names of men, and 
 not feven thoufand men. I confefs, that this feems 
 fomewhat myfterjous : in other places we find not 
 this phrafe, names of men, put fimply for men. Per- 
 haps there is here a figure of grammar called, hy- 
 fallage cajus, fo that names of men are put for men of 
 name, \. t. of raifed and confiderable quality, be it 
 on the account of riches, or of dignity, or of learn- 
 ing. But I am more inclined to fay, that here 
 thefe words, names of men, muft be taken in their 
 natural fignification, and do intimate, that the total 
 deformation of France lhall not be made with blood- 
 fhed, nothing fhall be deftroyed but NAMES; fuch 
 as are the names of Monks, of Carmelites, of Au- 
 guftines, of Dominicans, of Jacobins, of Francif- 
 
 cans.
 
 REV. PETER JURIEV. 2? 
 
 cans, Capuchins, Jefuits, Minimes, and an infinite 
 company of others, whofe number it is not eafy to 
 define, and which the Holy Ghoil denotes by the 
 number [even, which is the number of perfection, 
 to fignify, that the orders of monks and nuns fhall 
 perlfh for ever. This is an inflitution fo degene-. 
 rated from its firil original, that it is become the 
 arm of antichrift. Tiicfe orders cannot pcrifh one 
 without another. 
 
 " Thefe great 'events deferve to be diftinguifhed 
 from all others ; for they have changed, or fhall 
 change, THE WHOLE FACE OF THE WORLD." 
 
 In page 270 we find thefe words : " 'Tis clear, 
 that thefe kings who through ignorance, or weak-' 
 nefs, fuffered their power to be ufurped by the em~ 
 fire of the papacy, fhall take it again ; jhall eat her 
 flejh i. e. Ihall enrich themfelves with her benefices 
 and revenues, and burn her with fire, i. *.- fhall 
 abolifh the memory of this Romijh empire, fo that no^ 
 thing but aihes fhall remain of it." 
 
 And again he fays, in page 276, " The firft 
 thing, which fhall be done in the third period of 
 the Seventh vial, is the fall of the tenth part of the 
 city, /. e. of the kingdom of France, which fhall break 
 with the court of Rome, and wholly change the face 
 of religicn in that kingdom, this is the firft action of 
 the vintage. 
 
 " The beaft and the falfe prophet, the Pope and 
 his agents fhall rally all their forces : but God fhall 
 mufier all his together, and give the laft blow to 
 popery : then the beaft and the falfe prophet fhall 
 be thrown into the lake, and plunged into the bot- 
 tomlefspit: Babylon Ihall wholly fall; and it fhall 
 be -faid, flic is fallen y flie is fallen." 
 
 After fome further obfervattons, he goes on, 
 
 in page 260 ; " And after j thefe words fignify, 
 
 E 2 that
 
 2.3 PROPHETIC CONJECTURES: 
 
 that when the reformation ihail be eflaftblifhedagairt 
 in France, by way of divine immediate operation, 
 bv which the zeal of the apofbates, and of others 
 who know the truth, but with-hold it in unrigh- 
 teoufnefs, fhali be quickened again ; fome fpace of 
 time Ihall pafs, probably fome years before France 
 fhall wholly throw off the yoke of Pcpery. That 
 kingdom lhall not be intirely reformed^ way of au- 
 thority, immediately after our reformation fhall be 
 again fet on foot by way of infpiration, and reco- 
 vering of zeal. For, and after > fignifies an interval 
 of time ; but whether it fhall be fhort, or long, 
 is not expreiTed : notwithftanding, I fee no likeli- 
 hood, that it {hall be very long, nor do I believe 
 fo." 
 
 Mentioning the time in which he expected thefe 
 events, this author fays, [Part II. page 50.] " That 
 it will fall on the year 1785, in which fhall come 
 the glorious reign of Jefus Chrift on the earth of 
 which we ihall fpeak afterwards." 
 
 Again in page 279, he goes on thus : cc If I 
 fhould be miftaken nine or ten years y I do not 
 think that any could juftly treat me as a falfe pro- 
 phet, and accufe me of rafhnefs. Many will not 
 forbear to judge me rajb, becaufe I propound my 
 conjectures about thefe things as certain conclu- 
 fions. To this I have a Jecond thing to fay, that 
 none hatli reafon to be offended, that I am poj/ef- 
 Jed with, and perfuaded of that, which I think 
 I evidently fee, and that I find the proofs of what 
 I propound convincing to myfelf, I fhould do ill 
 to demand of others the fame affurance, and oblige 
 them to entertain the fame perfwafion ; I declare 
 the contrary in exprefs terms : I am well content 
 (as I have faid) that my readers fhould account 
 thefe aiTertions to be conjectures, -provided that I
 
 REV. PETER JURIEU. 4 
 
 may have the liberty to believe what I fee, or what 
 I believe I fee in the writings of the Prophets." 
 
 The author afterwards treating more fully of 
 the introduction of Chrift's kingdpms, p. 376. 
 places the order of events as follows. " i. 
 The papal empire fhall fall. 2. After that fome 
 years will be necefTary to abolifh Jeffs and 'parties^ 
 and compofe the differences among Chriftians. 3. 
 That after this, many Heathen nations, and the 
 Jews fhall be converted: for it cannot be thought, 
 that they fhould be converted, v/hile Chriftians 
 are fo much at variance among themfelves, and 
 feeking the deftruction of one another. 4. After 
 the convention of the Jews, the remainder of the 
 moft remote nations fhall alfd be converted , ROW 
 for all this there muft be time j for fhould we think 
 that God will act in a more miraculous manner in 
 this, than in the eflablilhment of the firft Chriftiaii 
 church ? Wherefore, as the Chrift ian church was 
 near an hundred years in its firft fettling, no lefs 
 will be neceflary perfectly to refettle it ; and then 
 fhall that bleffed kingdom come, which we expect ; 
 not but there is fome probability, that God may 
 begin to compute the thoufand years from the fall 
 of Anticbrifky even before the converfion of the 
 Jews and Gentiles, and fo the fall of the AntichriJ- 
 tian kingdom, and the converfion of the nations , 
 may in fome fort be comprehended within the 
 reign of Chrift for a thoufand years. But when we 
 fpeak here of the kingdom of Chrift, we fpeak of it 
 as in its perfection, which will not be till after 
 thefe things are come to pafs." 
 
 Among the characters of Chrift's reign the 
 following are the moft ftriking, page 378 : " The 
 fourth character of this reign of Chrift, is a Jove- 
 reign $eace. This is plainly revealed by many ex- 
 
 pnels
 
 30 PROPHETIC CONJECTURES: 
 
 prefs prophecies. That the wolf fi all feed fvith tht 
 lamb, and fivcrds be turned into pkugh-Jhares, and 
 men fuall not hurt or dejiroy one another. The art of 
 war which fprung from bell, mall return thither. 
 Nothing but the corruption and wickednefs of the 
 world doth make it necefiary. The Devil of 
 Covetoufnefs, and of Ambition, the fpirit of Re- 
 venge, and the like, mail return to the bottomlefs 
 pit, whence they came. And it fhall no more be 
 a point of honour to know how to mafTacre man- 
 kind, to florin towns and gain battles, and de-- 
 ftroy countries, and cover the fields with dead 
 bodies/' 
 
 Then follows his fifth character, in thefc 
 words, fo ve.ry remarkable, when we confider what 
 has lately taken place in France, with refpe<5b to 
 titles, armorial bearings, and liveries, &c. 
 u This fhall be a kingdom of humility. All thole 
 VAIN TITLED, which now ferve for ornament and 
 pride, fliall then be vanquifhed. Brotherly love fhall 
 make all men equal; not that all diftin<5Hon, and 
 all dignities among men fhall ceafe. This king-, 
 dmn is no anarchy ; there fhall be fome to govern, 
 and to obey. But government fhall then be with- 
 out pride and infolence, without tyranny, and 
 without violence. Subjects fhall obey their ru- 
 lers, with an humble fpirit ; and. governors fhall 
 rule their fubjedSi with a fpirit of meeknefs and 
 gendenefs." 
 
 No.
 
 Ho. VIII. REV. ROBERT FLEMING. 
 
 MR. FLEMING, Minifter of the Scots church in 
 London, published fome extraordinary DISCOURSES, 
 and one in particular of the above date, on the 
 RISE and FALL of the PAPACY, from which the fol- 
 lowing extracts are taken. 
 
 <f The fourth vial comes now to be confidered. 
 And as this is poured out upon the fun of the papal 
 kingdom, ver. 8 ; fo the effect of it is men's being 
 fcorched or burned with fire, which yet does not 
 make them turn to God, but bhfpheme his name 
 the more, as we may fee, ver. 9. Now as this vial 
 muft begin where the other ends, viz. at, or a little 
 after the year 1648; fo I cannot iee but it mult 
 denote the wars that followed the peace of Munfter, 
 
 with other incidental occurences Now feeing the 
 
 bombarding of towns and cities was chiefly made 
 ufe of in thefe latter wars, we may fee how pro- 
 perly the fcorching or burning men from above (as if 
 the fun had fent down fire and heat from his own 
 body) is made ufe of to characterize the time of 
 this vial. But the chief thing to be taken notice 
 of here, is, that the fun and other luminaries of 
 heaven, are the emblem of princes and kingdoms, 
 as we took notice before. Therefore the pouring 
 out this vial on the fun, muft denote the hiiimliatian 
 of fome eminent potentates of the Romifh intereft, 
 whofe influences and countenance cherilri and fup-- 
 port the papal caufe. And thefe therefore mull be 
 principally underftood of the houfes of Auftria and 
 Bourbon, though not exclufively of other popifh 
 princes. . . . 
 
 " And now, feeing I have marked out the time 
 
 w 
 
 we
 
 22 PROPHETIC CONJECTURES 1 
 
 we are in at prefent, it is time alfo to put a flop to 
 our Apocalyptical thoughts ; feeing no man can 
 pretend, upon any juft grounds, to calculate future 
 times. However, feeing I have come fo far, I 
 ihall adventure to prefent you further with ibme 
 conjectural thoughts on this head ; for I am far 
 from the prefumption of fome men, to give them 
 any higher character. 
 
 <c Now my conjectures fhall relate to two things, 
 viz. to the remaining part of this vial, and to the 
 other vials that follow this. 
 
 <f And, i . as to the remaining part of this vial, 
 I do humbly fuppofe that it will come to its higheft 
 pitch about An. 1717, and that it will run out about 
 the year 1794.. .So that there is ground to hope, that 
 about the beginning of another fuch century, things 
 may again alter for the better : for I cannot but hope 
 that fome new mortification of the chief fupporters 
 of antichrift will then happen; and perhaps the 
 French monarchy may begin to be confiderably 
 bumbled about that time : that whereas the prefent 
 French king takes the fun for his emblem, and this 
 for his motto, Nee -pluribus impar, he may at length, 
 or rather his fuccefTors, and the Monarchy itfelf (at 
 lead before the year 1794) be forced to acknow- 
 ledge, that in refpect to neighbouring potentates, 
 he is even fingulis impar. 
 
 " But as to the expiration of this vial, I do fear it 
 will not be until the year 1794.; The reafon of 
 which conjecture is this ; that I find the pope got 
 a new foundation of exaltation, when Juitinian, upon 
 his conqueft of Italy, left it in a great meafure to 
 the pope's management, being willing to eclipfe 
 his own authority, to advance that of this haughty 
 prelate. Now this being in the year 552 ; this, by 
 the addition of th,e 1260 years> reaches down to 
 
 tb*
 
 REV. ROBERT FLEM/NO. 33 
 
 the year 1 8 1 1 ; which, according to prophetical 
 account is the year 1794. 
 
 " And now, my friends, I may be well excufed, 
 if I venture no further, in giving you any more 
 conjectural thoughts upon this prefent period of 
 time. But feeing I pretend to give my fpecula- 
 tions of what is future, no higher character than 
 guefles, I fhall flill venture to add fomething to 
 what I have already faid. Therefore be pleafed, 
 i . To call to mind, what I premifed to the con- 
 fideration of the feven vials, as the fecond pre- 
 liminary, viz. (< that feeing the vials do (all of 
 them) fuppofe a ftruggle or war between thepopi/t 
 and reformed parties ; every vial is to be looked 
 upon, as the event and conclufion of fome new pe- 
 riodical attack of that firft party upon this other j 
 the iffue of which proves at length favourable to 
 the latter againft the former." For if this be duly 
 confidered, it will let us fee, that great declining of 
 the Proteftant intereft for fome time, and great and 
 formidable advances, and new degrees cf increafe in the 
 Romijh party r , are very confident with the ftate of 
 both thefe oppofite interefts under the vials. For, as 
 Rome Pagan was gradually ruined under the feals,un- 
 der many of which it feemed to increafe to outward 
 obfcrvation, and to become more rampant than be- 
 fore, when yet it was indeed declining -, fo muft we 
 fuppofe it will be with Rome Papal./ For mo- 
 narchies as they rife gradually and infenfibly, fo do 
 they wear out fo likewife. And therefore we muft 
 not entertain fuch chimerical notions of the fall of 
 the papacy, as if it were to be accomplifhed fpeedily 
 or miraculoufly, as many have done. For as it rofe 
 infenfibly, and ftep by Hep, fo muft it fall in like 
 manner. . . . 
 
 " And as a confirmation of this conjecture, let 
 F it
 
 34 PROPHETIC CONJECTURE'S: 
 
 it be confidered in the fecond place (befides what I 
 hinted before on this head) that it is fomething 
 very extraordinary, and peculiar in fome feme tor 
 this vial, that the Jun> upon which it is poured out, 
 Jhould yet be- made the executor of the judgment of it 
 u-pon others ,. at the fame time that he is tormented with 
 it bimfelf. So that whofoever is denoted by t\\tj'un 
 .here (as I fuppofe the Hcufe cf Bourbon principally 
 is) is made ufe of, as the Devil is, both to torment 
 others, and tt> be tormented himfelf in fo doing. 
 And if the King cf France therefore be denoted 'by 
 this principally, I fear he is yet to- be made life of> 
 in the hand of God, as Nebuchadnezzar was of old 
 againft the Jews, viz. as a further fevere fcourge to 
 the proteftant churches every where. And, be- 
 fides this characteriftical mark, which, feems to 
 forebode his further exaltation and our humiliation ; 
 there is yet a third thing, that I cannot but think 
 upon with dread and trembling of heart, viz. that it 
 is further faid, " that while this fun of the popi/h 
 world is running his fatal and dreadful career, and 
 fcorching men with fire, they are fo far from being 
 bettered by theie judgments, that they go on more 
 and more to blafpheme the name of God, who has 
 power over theie plagues. And while this con- 
 tinues to be the ftate of the proteftant world, and 
 while atheifm, deifm, focinianifm, irreligion, pro- 
 fanenefs, fcepticifm, formality, hatred of godlinefs>. 
 and a bitter perfecuting fpirit, continue and increafe 
 among us, what can we expect but new and defo- 
 lating judgments ? . . . 
 
 " If any fay, that thefe are melancholy conjectures, 
 I muft tell them that I cannot help the matter j for 
 I muft follow the thread of the text and the afpecl: 
 of the times. If they afk, but when will the tide 
 sum for the proteftant church ? I anfwer, when 
 
 they
 
 REV. ROBERT FLEMING. 35 
 
 they turn more univerfaily to God, and no fooner. 
 But if they inquire further, whether the Jim of the 
 fopij'h kingdom is not to be eclipjed hirnfelf at length ? 
 I muft pofitively afiert he will ; elfe this vial were 
 not a judgment upon him and the Romifh party. 
 But if yet again the queftion be, when this is to fall 
 out and how ? I mult tell you, that I have nothing 
 further to add to what I have laid, as to the time. 
 But as to the manner, how this is to be done, our 
 text does lay a foundation of fome more diilin<5b 
 thoughts. Therefore, in the fourth and lafl place, 
 we may juftly fuppofe, that the French monarchy, 
 after it has Jcorched others, will itfelf confume by 
 doing fo ; it's fire, and that which is the fuel that 
 maintains it, wailing infenfibly -, till it be exhaufted 
 at laft towards the end or this century. . .. . 
 
 fc One thing only I ihaJl further take notice of 
 here, upon the occafioa of the king of Spain's 
 death ; that God feems to mark out great tnings 
 ibmetimes .by very minute ones, fuch as names, 
 <?. g. as the Spanifh monarchy began with Charles 
 the Fifth, (as to the Auftrian family) fo it has now 
 expired in one of the fame name : which I the ra- 
 ther obferve, becaufe of many initances .of the fame 
 kind. Of which number take thefe following : 
 Darius the Mede, as Daniel calls him .(though 
 Xenophon calls him Cyaxares) the uncle of Cyrus, 
 was the mil Medo-Pernan monarch, after the de- 
 ftruction of the Babylonian ; and Darius Codoman- 
 aus was the laft. Ptolemeus Lagi began the Egyp- 
 tian kingdom after Alexander's death, and Ptole- 
 meus Dionyfms was the laft of that race. Auguftus 
 fixed the Roman empire, and it ended in Auguflu- 
 lus. The Eaftern Roman empire was erected by 
 Conftantine the Great, and expired with Conftan- 
 iine Paleologus. The Scots race came into Eng- 
 F 2 land
 
 36 PROPHETIC CONJECTURES: 
 
 land in a James, and has gone out again in another 
 of that name. And whether William, the third 
 king of England of that name, as well as the thircj 
 William Prince of Orange, be likely to be the laft 
 both thefe ways, is left to future time to unriddle. 
 
 " But '2.. to proceed with my other conjectures 
 relating to the remaining vials : I do further fup- 
 pofe that 
 
 " The fifth vial, ver. 10, 1 1 . which is to be poured 
 out on the feat cf the beaft, or the dominions that 
 more immediately belong to, and depend upon the 
 Roman fee ; that, I fay, this judgment will proba- 
 bly begin about the year 1794, and expire about 
 A. C. 1848 ; fo that the duration of it upon this 
 fuppofition, will be for the fpace of 54 years. For 
 I do fuppofe, that feeing the Pope received the 
 title of Supreme Bifhop no fooner than An. 606, 
 he cannot be fuppofed to have any vial poured 
 upon his feat immediately (fo as to ruin his au- 
 thority fo fignally as this judgment mull be fup- 
 pofed to do) until the year 1848, which is the date 
 of the 1260 years in prophetical account, when 
 they are reckoned from An. 606. But yet we are 
 not to imagine that this vial will totally deftroy the 
 papacy (though it will exceedingly weaken it) for 
 we find this ft ill in being and alive, when the next 
 vial is poured out. 
 
 " The fix th vial, ver. 12, &c. will be poured 
 out upon the Mahometan Antichrift, as the former 
 on the Papacy. And feeing the fixth trumpet 
 brought the Turks from beyond Euphrates, from 
 eroding which river they date their rife : this fixth 
 vial dries up their waves, and exhaufts their power, 
 as the means and way to prepare and difpofe the 
 eaftern kings and kingdoms to renounce their hea- 
 thenifli and Mahometan errors, in order to their 
 receiving and embracing Chriftianity.
 
 REV. ROBERT FLEMING. 37 
 
 !< For I think this is the native import of the 
 text, and not that the Jews are to be underftood 
 under this denomination of the kings of the Eafl ; 
 -which is fuch an odd ftraining of it to ferve a turn, 
 as I cannot admit of. Now feeing this vial is to 
 .deftroy the Turks, we hear of three unclean Joints 
 like frogs or toads, that were fent out by Satan and 
 the remains of the polity and church of Rome, 
 called the Beaft and the Falfe Prophet, in order to 
 infmuate upon the eaftern nations, upon their de- 
 ferring Mahometifm, to fall in with their idolatrous 
 and fpurious Chriftianity, rather than with the true 
 reformed doctrine. And thefe meffengers fhall be 
 fo fuccefsful as to draw thefe eaftern kings and their 
 fubjects, and with them the greateft part of man- 
 kind, to take part with them. So that, by the af- 
 fiftance of thefe their agents and miffionaries, they 
 fhall engage the whole world in fome manner, to 
 join with them in rooting out the faints. (And 
 here in a parenthefis Ghrift gives a watchword to 
 his fervants to be upon their guard in this hour of 
 trial, ver. 15.) But when the Pope has got him- 
 felf at the head of this vaft army, and has brought 
 them to the place of battle, called Armageddon 
 (i. e. the place where there will be a moft diaboli- 
 cal, cunning and powerful confpiracyagainftChrift's 
 followers ; then immediately doth the feventh an- 
 gel pour out his vial~to their ruin and deftruction. 
 
 " The feventh vial therefore being poured out 
 en the air,, ver. 17. brings down thunder, lightning, 
 hail, and florins ; which, together with a terrible 
 earthquake, deftroys all the antichrijlian nations, and 
 particularly Rome, or myftical Babylon. And as 
 Chrift concluded his fufferings on the crofs with 
 this voice, // is finifhed ; fo the church's fufferings 
 are concluded with a voice out of the tew fie cf
 
 3$ PROPHETIC CONJECTURES I 
 
 heaven, and from the throne of God and Chrift there, 
 faying, // is done. And therefore with this doth the 
 hie/Ted Millenium of Chrift's fpiritual reign on 
 earth begin ; of which, and what may be fuppofed 
 to follow, we took fome notice above. 
 
 " Now feeing thefe two vials are, as it were, 
 one continued, the firft running into the fecond, and 
 the fecond completing the firft , the one giving us 
 an account of the beafl's preparations for warring 
 againft the faints, and the other fhewing the event 
 of the whole : there is no need to give you any 
 conjectures about the conclufion of the fixth vial, 
 or the beginning of the laft ; only you may ob- 
 ferve, that the firft of thefe will probably take up 
 moft of the time between 1848, and the year 2000 ; 
 becaufe fuch long meffages and intrigues (befides the 
 time fpent before in deftroying the Turkifh em- 
 pire) and preparations for fo univerfal a war, mufl 
 needs take up a great many years; whereas our 
 blefled Lord feems to tell us, that the deftruction 
 6f all thofe his enemies will be accomplilhed 
 fpeedily, and in a little time, in comparifon of the 
 other vial. ; Suppofmg then that the Turkifh mo- 
 narchy mould be totally deftroyed between 1848, 
 and 1900, we may juftly afiign feventy or eighty 
 years longer to the end of the fixth feal, and but 
 twenty or thirty at moft to the laft. Now how great 
 and remarkable this laft deftrudion of the papal 
 antichrift will be, we may guefs by that reprefent~ 
 ation of it, chap. xiv. 1 9, 20, where it is fet forth 
 under the emblem and character of the great wine- 
 prefs of the wrath of God (which can refer to nothing 
 properly but the event of the feventh vial, as I 
 might fhew at large had I time-) Now this wine- 
 prefs is faid to be trodden without the city, (viz. of 
 Jerufalem, or die church, feeing this is called the
 
 REV. ROBERT FLEMING. 39 
 
 City y in fcripture ftyle, as Rome is called the Great 
 City) in Armageddon, Rev. xvi. 16. which may bear 
 allufion to the Valley of Decifion, Joel iii. 2, 12, 14. 
 However the greatnefs of this (laughter appears in 
 this, that the blood is reprefented to flow in fuch a 
 current as to reach even to the horfe bridles, viz. of 
 the fervants of God, employed in this execution :-for 
 without -doubt: this relates to what we have, ch. xix. 
 14. which I befeech you to compare with this. . . . 
 And now to return to the representation of this 
 (laughter by the wwe-prefs of bloody chap. xiv. 20. 
 it is further faid of it, that it flowed to the height of 
 the horfe bridles, for the fpace or extent of 1600 fur- 
 longs. So that Armageddon feems to be denoted 
 here, in the extent of it, as the field of battle, which 
 is now turned into a field of blood. Now what place 
 can we imagine to be fo properly meant by this as 
 the territory of the fee of Rome in Italy, which (as 
 Mr. Jofeph Mede, who ftrft made this obfervation, 
 fays) from the city of Rome to the furthermolt 
 mouth of the river Po and the marfhes of Verona, 
 is extended the fpace of 200 Italian miles, that is 
 exactly 1600 furlongs; the Italian mile confifting 
 
 of eight furlongs 
 
 " And now, my friends, I have fulfilled my 
 promife to yon, in giving you not only a refoluticn 
 of the grand Apocalyptical queftion, When the fa- 
 facy began, and when we may fuppofe it will end: but 
 fome confiderable improvement of it, with refpect 
 to the knowledge not only of times paft, but that 
 particular period we are now under, together with 
 conjectures (and fome of them I am fure new and 
 uncommon) about future time. By all which .1 hope 
 I have given the world fuch a key to unlock all the 
 chambers of the book of the Revelation, as I hope 
 I may venture to fay (if confidered and ufed impar- 
 tially
 
 4O PROPHETIC CONJECTURES: 
 
 tially, judicioufly, and diligently) will be found to 
 give fome new light to us, in our mental journey 
 through the mazes and turnings and dark paffages 
 thereof." 
 
 No. IX. REV. MR. JOHN WILLISON. 1742. 
 
 THIS good man was minifter of the gofpel at 
 Dundee, and among feveral fermons he publiflied 
 under the title of " The BALM of GILEAD with 
 the Glory of the Miniftration of the Spirit," &c. 
 are two (the nth and I2th) on John iii. 30. He 
 miifl increafe in which is the following paffage, 
 which has been lately noticed as remarkable, 
 though the fentiment may be probably borrowed 
 from fome of the preceding authors. 
 
 " Before antichrift's fall, one of the ten king- 
 doms- which Supported the beafl fliall undergo a 
 marvellous Revolution, Rev. xi. 13. I'be fame hour 
 there 'was a great earthquake, and the tenth part of 
 the city fell. By which tenth fart, is to be under- 
 ftood one of the ten kingdoms into which the great 
 city Romiih Babylon was divided : (this many take 
 to be the kingdom of France, it being the tenth and 
 lail of the kingdoms as to the time of its rife, and 
 that which gave Rome denomination of the bead 
 with ten horns^j and alfo it being the only one of 
 the ten that was never conquered fince its rife. 
 However unlikely this and other prophefied events 
 may appear at the time, yet the Almighty hand of 
 the only wife God can foon bring them about when 
 leaft expected." 
 
 No.
 
 No. X. ANONYMOUS. 1747. 
 
 THE writer here referred to is the unknown author 
 of a remarkable " DISSERTATION on the ijth and 
 1 4th verfes of the Xlth chapter of the Re- 
 velation or an Enquiry into the true Objeff of the 
 Jecond Woe. With probable Reafons for fhewing 
 that the Tenth Part of the City is defcriptive of 
 FRANCE; and that the Earthquake with which it is 
 threatened intends a REVOLUTION in that King- 
 dom." This pamphlet was printed for John Bird, 
 Black Fryars, without a date, but from a paffage 
 in the clofe of it was evidently written in 1747, 
 which the author calls " the current year." 
 
 The object of this tract was avowedly to en- 
 courage the Englifh nation in a war with France, 
 in hopes that it might be a means to effect the grand 
 event which he defcribes in the following fink- 
 ing paffages, which form the principal part of the 
 pamphlet. 
 
 " I. Concerning the true object of the SECOND 
 
 WOE. 
 
 " The fecond woe appears to have a double ob-< 
 ject; namely, 
 
 " i. The Roman papal empire at large. By 
 this means it involves all the wars affecting that 
 empire, both in the eaftern and weflern parts of it, 
 from the time that the Turks were let loofe upon 
 it, about A. D. 1321, to the laft overthrow given 
 them by Prince Eugene, when he took Belgrade, 
 A. D. 1717; completing their period of ^96 
 years ; the precife time for which they are faid to be 
 loofed 
 
 " 2. The other remarkable object of the fecond 
 G woe,
 
 42 PROPHETIC CONJECTURES: 
 
 woe, is exhibited to us under the character of the 
 tenth fart cf the city; including the calamities 
 which that branch of the papal hierarchy is to fuf- 
 fer, as an introduction to a general reformation in 
 
 the church 
 
 " Here then the only inquiry is : What is the 
 particular ftate or kingdom pointed out to us by 
 tfa tenth -part of the city ? Authors are much di- 
 vided in their fentiments on this head 
 
 " I apprehend thofe only give a true account of 
 the matter, who interpret the tenth part cf the city y 
 of the kingdom of France. Not that the latter ca- 
 lamities of the fecond woe will only affect that par- 
 ticular kingdom ; but alfo all thole other kingdoms 
 that have been for fome time pail, and that now 
 are, and fhall be, at war with them, in order to 
 bring about the grand iffue of this woe. And 
 therefore it involves all the calamities that the houfe 
 of Auilria and her allies have, or may fuffer, in the 
 co urfe of the prtfent war, till France is abfolutdy 
 
 fulled dw/i 
 
 " The reafbns why expositors have been thus 
 ;zled and divided on the prefent argument, I 
 apprehend} have been principally theie two. 
 
 " Firft, The place in which this account ftands : 
 namely, between the fixth and the fevcnth trum- 
 pet : for being afTured it cannot belong to the fe- 
 venth trumpet, which comprehends the third "joce ; 
 they have naturally referred it to the events be- 
 longing to the fixth trumpet, as fummarily in- 
 cluded in the tranfa&ions of the fecond woe. In 
 this general reference they have undoubtedly been 
 right ; but their miftake, I imagine has been here : 
 -t they have not diitinguifhed between the doublt 
 ohjecl of the fecond woe, or fixth trumpet j namely, 
 its larger reference to vhc empire in general, and its 
 
 more
 
 ANONYMOUS. 43 
 
 more retrained application to Tome particular king- 
 dom in the empire. . . . 
 
 " Secondly, That the difficulties in this point have 
 been farther occafioned (and I take this to have 
 been the grand overfight), that none fo far as I 
 have feen hnve attended to the connection . . . be- 
 tween the 1 2th and i3th verfes of this eleventh 
 chapter,- or between the cifcerjicn of the v)itnejfis y 
 and the down hi of the tenth -part of the city., appears 
 to me fr.oin that remarkable preface, by which the 
 accounts of rhe ijth verfe are introduced, in thefe 
 words, And the fame hour.. &c. The queftion upon 
 this is, The Jams hour with what ? Take the an- 
 rwer from the preceding verfe : namely, the Ja;ne 
 hour with the afcenjion of the ivitneffes.-A.nd. that 
 there is a mutual connection between thofe events, 
 or that they reciprocally depend the one on the 
 other, is evident; becaufe the witneffes cannot 
 afcend till the tenth fart of the city is overthrown ; 
 and the tenth part cf the city is .-no fooner over- 
 thrown, bur the witneffes do afcend. TKe one is 
 introductory to the other. And though the .afcen- 
 fion of the witneffes is here placed antecedent to 
 the downfal of the tenth 'part of the city, the obvious 
 reafon is, becaufe it is proper in point of method, 
 and, I believe, is generally obferved through this 
 whole prophecy, to riniih all that concerns any one 
 branch of hiftory (or to give the feveral parts 
 making up any one whole fcene) before you pro- 
 ceed to another ; notwithftanding the accounts in 
 the fucceeding paragraph or verfe, may be neceffary 
 to make way for the accomplimment of what goes 
 before. Thus here St. John, having a vifion of 
 the witneffes, rinifhes what relates to them, even to 
 their ajcenfion^ before he enters upon the fubverfion 
 of the tenth part of the city ; though that event was 
 G 2 neceffary
 
 44 PROPHETIC CONJECTURES i 
 
 neceflary to introduce the other. But their mutual 
 connection and dependence, as was obferved above, 
 is fuflicient to account for any difficulty on this 
 head. When the one falls, the other afcends. Evi- 
 dent from hence that the downfal of the tenth 
 fart of the city is followed by a revolution in eccle- 
 jiaftical affairs, as well as civil. 
 
 " Now taking this connection along with us, I 
 think I may venture to fay, we have the true key 
 to the interpretation of this part of the fecond woe. 
 For, as it has afi immediate reference to the wit- 
 nefies, and is to iffue in that event, which confum- 
 mates their hiftory ; fo it points us to the feat of 
 their fufferings , and therein to the feat of their glory : 
 Providence ordering it fo, that where they were 
 flain, there alfo they fhall afcend. And that it is 
 moft probable FRANCE is the part particularly de- 
 figned for this tranfadion, will I hope, appear with 
 fome evidence, when I have given you 
 
 " II. Probable reafons, that the t$nth fart of the 
 city is defcriptive of the kingdom of FRANCE. 
 
 " i. When the old Roman empire was broken 
 into ten kingdoms, by the inundations of the Goths 
 and Vandals, and' other northern nations ; France 
 was the loft of thofe kingdoms in fucceffion and 
 eftablifhment. It rofe after the nine, and fo made 
 up the complement often. It was properly /fo 
 tenth in order of rifing, and as fuch was the very 
 kingdom which completed the papal, anti- 
 chriftian beaft ; I mean the fecular beaft, to which 
 the papacy, or fecond beaft with two horns, owes its 
 exiftence and fupport. Hence it is very obferv- 
 able, that the gold crown which Clovis, the firft 
 Chriftian king of France, fent to Rome, is ftill 
 called Le Regne [the kingdom] as much as to fay, 
 that they looked upon their kingdom, [that of the 
 
 fecular
 
 ANONYMOUS. 45 
 
 fecular antichriftian beaft] as now completed, by 
 this avowed acceffion of France. 
 
 " 2. As the kingdom itfelf was the tenth, in order 
 of time or appearance ; fo the name of the firft 
 king of France that was Chriftian, and therefore,, 
 that fubmitted to the papal jurifdidion, includes in 
 its numerical letters, die number of the beaft, 666 ; 
 being, as the fcripture exprefsly fays, the number of 
 a man ; which is fo much the more remarkable, as 
 that we herein obferve, that the number of the 
 beafl has a double reference -, not only fuggefting 
 its fericd or duration, but alfo its rife or completion. 
 The name of this firft Chriftian king was CLO- 
 DOV^EUS, which is only a corruption of, or another 
 word for LUDOVICUS *. And therefore this is a 
 grand clue for the leading us both to the com- 
 mencement of the fecular antichriftian beaft, which 
 muft be fome time in the reign of Clodov<eus -, and 
 alfo to the conclufion of the papal power in this 
 [the fecular] branch of it : its period of 1 260 years, 
 properly fpeaking, expiring with a revolution in 
 this kingdom. But of this hereafter. 
 
 " 3. Another reaibn for the prefent application 
 is, that France, more lately, in its extent of do- 
 minion, not only anfwers to the tenth fart of the 
 , European mare of the old Roman empire, but it is 
 alfo for influence and power, the moft confiderable 
 of all the other kingdoms, who originally confented 
 to give their intereft to the beaft. The Frtnch 
 nation has been very formidable in itfelf, and al- 
 ways forward to enter into the fervice of Rome : 
 fierce and bloody perfecutor-s of the fnroteftants j to in- 
 
 * Clovis, Clodovic, Lewis, ou Luduin, car c'eft le MESMB 
 NOM, &c. Mezeray, Tom. I. Continuation de 1'Hiftoire de 
 France, &c. Liv. vi. p. 3. a Paris, 1652. 
 
 ftance
 
 46 PROPHETIC CONJECTURES: 
 
 ftance only in the fmgle reign of their late king 
 Lewis XIV. in whom that black character of anti- 
 chrift was but too eminently verified, namely, that 
 he Jhould wear cut jhe faints of tbc Mqft High. . . . 
 As France therefore, in the times of the old Roman 
 empire was called 'The Province ', by way of emi- 
 nence ; fo is fhe ftill the tenth, on the fame princi- 
 ple, the grand prop of the antichriftian hierarchy. 
 Again, ^ 
 
 " 4. The probability of the prefent interpretation 
 appears, in that the war has for fome time paft 
 been on foot. .... Once more, 
 
 <f It deferves our notice, that as France was the 
 loft of the ten kingdoms, in which the fecular anti- 
 chriftian beaft was completed -, fo it is certain, it is 
 now the only one that has not yet fuffered a revela- 
 tion : what I mean is, has never been conquered in 
 fuch manner, as that an abfolute change cf government 
 has fucceeded. It is, however, undeniable, that it 
 muft become fuch a conqueft, before the papal an- 
 tichrift can be removed : becaufe the fecular power 
 muft be fet afide, before the ecclefiaftical can pof- 
 fibly fink. And it is very probable, that Provi- 
 dence has fixed the period of the frft, (that is, the 
 fecular beaft) iri this kingdom, by telling us, that 
 the number of the beaft is the number of a man ; 
 meaning, I fuppofe, a number contained in the name 
 
 cf a man To intimate, I conceive, (befldes 
 
 what regards its original ; ) that the fecular beaft is 
 to meet its period in the downfal of this kingdom ; and 
 that at a time when one of the Lewis's fhall fit on 
 the throne. 
 
 " The effefts attending the accomplishment of 
 this prophecy, is a farther indication, that the king- 
 dom of France is immediately defigned by the tenth 
 fart of the city. Now the principal effects, or fuch 
 
 as
 
 ANONYMOUS. 47 
 
 as we are' directly furnilhed with from the text, are 
 three ; of which, 
 
 ct The firft, as was intimated above, is already 
 begun, being a means leading to the completion of 
 this prophecy, the /laughter of men of note; yet more 
 fully to be accomplifhed in giving the finishing bhw 
 
 to this great work 
 
 " The next remarkable effect is a revolution in re- 
 l'g:o:ts p'in:iples y as well as fecular intereft. The 
 text exprefsly tells us (as has likewife been ob- 
 ferved) that the remnant were affrighted^ and gave 
 glory to the God of heaven. By the remnant we are 
 undoubtedly to underftand thole who (hall not be 
 cut off in the downfal of the tenth -part of the city, 
 by the preceding war. And by their being af- 
 frighted, &c. we are evidently to conclude, that 
 they become converts to pure and primitive 
 chriftianity. But it will be faid, where is there 
 proof, that this is an event applicable to a remnant 
 in the French nation ? I anfwer, the evidence for it 
 is this, . . . . becaufe all the other antichriftian ftates 
 but France, have their particular judgments af- 
 figned them in a fucceeding chapter, viz. the xvth 
 to take place under the effects of the third wee. 
 Thofe therefore, notwithstanding the effects brought 
 about by the fecond -woe dill continue papal in re- 
 ligion and government ; while the remnant here be- 
 come truly Chriftian, coalefce with the two wit- 
 neffesy in their remains, and join with them in their 
 triumphs, now immediately opening : which leads 
 me to, 
 
 " The la/I effect, namely, thzafcenficn of the ivit- 
 mffes ; that is, the deliverance of the Waldenfes 
 and Albigenfes, in their remains [to be confidered, 
 nevertheless, not merely as the reprefentatives of 
 the two antient, original witneffes ; but alfo by vir- 
 tue
 
 48 PROPHETIC CONJECTURES: 
 
 tue of their defcent and profefiion, as afhially the 
 prefent two witneffes againft the papal corruption, 
 yet in a wiklernefs ftate : the deliverance of thefe, 
 the remains and fucceffors of the ancient Waldenfes 
 and Albigenfes] from the obfcurity and diftrefs 
 they are now in, with refpect to religious matters ; 
 and giving them an opportunity of making a public 
 profeffion of the pure Chriftian faith, for which 
 they have now fo long fufFered from the French 
 and their adherents ; an opportunity to make this 
 profeffion openly and boldly in the kingdom of 
 France itfelf, the very feat of their moft cruel fuf- 
 ferings and [political] death. With this additional 
 circumflance to their glory, and the mortification 
 of their former enemies, that they fhall do it, in 
 the fight of fuch other Roman catholic ftates, as 
 yet remain unconverted And their enemies beheld 
 them. 
 
 " There are expofitors who are right as to the 
 true interpretation of the witneffes themfelves, 
 namely, that they intend the Waldenfes and Albi- 
 genfes, whofe original rife and feat, we are very 
 certain was France ; but then in the application of 
 the events concerning thefe witnefles, fuch parti- 
 cularly as their afcenftcn, they very unhappily go off 
 from the point, .... and refer that to Chriftianity 
 in general, which the text abfolutely reftrains to 
 theje particular witneffes. But while we keep here, 
 the effefts themfelves fix the feat of the calamities 
 intended by the fecond woe, immediately to France. 
 Others at war with fhem, to bring about this happy 
 revolution, as has been faid above, muft, for the 
 time, likewife fuffer with them ; but thofe only oc- 
 cafionally and collaterally j the immediate feat of 
 action appears to be France : and that for the rea- 
 fon now before us, namely, becaufe as the original 
 
 of
 
 ANONYMOUS. 49 
 
 bf thofe Witriefles was FRANCE, as it was beret 
 that they bore their firft teftimony againft the papal 
 Corruption : and again> as it was here, in the remains 
 of both churches* that they principally fuffered ; 
 here, that they have prophefied in Jackckth, and laid 
 conceakd in a wildernefs condition ; and finally, 
 as it was here, and in the Fatties [of PIEDMONT] 
 that they were kitted, and here that they rofe again. 
 As FRANCE, either at firft or lafl, . either imme* 
 diately, or by her tools, has been ever remarkably 
 Concerned in all the afflictions and perfecutions, re- 
 lative to thefe two Witnejfes : fo it feems highly 
 probable to conclude, that it lhall be likewife here, 
 that thefe fame Witnejfes jhall ajcend\ and that they 
 are to afcend by, or, upon the overthrow of thofe 
 very enemies from whom they have principally 
 fuffered : Providence, by this method, coming 
 home to the perfecutors, and revenging the quarrel 
 of his faithful WitnefTes on the fyot* But I have 
 yet to fubjoin, 
 
 " 7. (Tho' it was covertly hinted at above,) that 
 a farther reafon for the prefent application of the 
 tenth part of the city to the kingdom of FRANCE, 
 is, That unlefs fuch application be admitted, we fhali 
 in vain feek for the execution of any particular 
 judgment on that part of the fecular antichriftian 
 beaft through the whole Revelation ; which is an, 
 omiffion not only not to be accounted for, but, in* 
 deed, not to be fuppofed* FRANCE has been al- 
 ways a remarkable limb, and notorious fupport of 
 the papal idolatry, and therefore muft needs claim 
 her lhare in the plagues referved for that hierarchy 5 
 nothing however of this kind will be found to occur, 
 unlefs -the deftruftion here threatened on the tenth 
 $(trt of the eity, be the thing fought for. 
 
 " Laftly, the prefent interpretation farther bid* 
 H fair
 
 5$~ PROPHETIC CONJECTURES. 
 
 fair for the truth, forafmuch as the fall of Antichnffe 
 himfelf (the Weftern or papal however) and there- 
 fore mojl of, if not all, the grand events belong- 
 ing to tiit feventh trumpet, feem to depend on the. 
 
 fiibverfion of the tenth fart of the city* FRANCE, 
 
 as has been obferved, is now the mod powerful of 
 all the catholic ftates, and therefore it is not at all 
 probable that the papacy Jhould fall, till that be 
 taken out of 'the way. The very introduction of the 
 vials feems to depend on this event. . . . This, as I 
 take it, is the reafon, why the account of her ruin is 
 inferted in this particular place ; that is to fay, be- 
 tween the fixth and feventh trumpets ; feeming one 
 while to belong to the fixth, by being mentioned 
 under the fixth trumpet, and at another to belong 
 to the feventh, by being mentioned after the 
 afcenfeon of the witneffes : to intimate, in Jhort, as 
 appears to me, that it is the grand event between 
 both y clofing what concerns the feccnd woe under 
 thejixtb trumpet , and bringing on what belongs to 
 the tbird> under the feventh. . . 
 
 " III. Of the EARTHQUAKE, how to be under- 
 ftood, and what its tlfects. 
 
 cc Having thus ftx'd the object of the fecond woe, 
 in its latter branch, and made it probable, at leafty 
 that FRANCE is more immediately the kingdom, 
 which is to fuffer by the earthquake here fpoken of. 
 This leads directly to inquire into the meaning of 
 that expreflion; or what we are to underfland by 
 the term earthquake^ in the prophetic ftyle. 
 
 " i. Now we l.carn by former accounts in this 
 book where the fame exprefnon is ufed, that it 
 intends remarkable commotions in a ftate or king- 
 dom j and fuch as are attended with a revolution 
 ii die body politic , or form of government. Thus 
 particularly, with refpect to the fixth Jeal which 
 
 brought
 
 ANONYMOUS. 51 
 
 brought on the revolution in the Roman empire, 
 under Conftantine the Great ; the defcription opens 
 with this character : end lo, there was a great 'earth- 
 quake. So by the like term in this place, as 
 it affefts the tenth fart cf the city, we are doubtlefs 
 to underftand fuch wars and commotions in the 
 kingdom of FRANCE (allowing the preinifes juft) 
 as will, at laft, iffue in the diffzluiion of the prefent 
 form of government and the introduffitn of a. NEW 
 SYSTEM, both in civil and ecclefiajlical matters, with- 
 in that dominion. 
 
 " 2. Not that I apprehend this is the whole in-i 
 tended by the prejent term. For as reference is here 
 had to the witneffes, and it is by this event, that 
 way is to be made for their ajetnfien , as there is in 
 the text, a fingular agreement between the POWER, 
 exercifed by the moil eminent of the prophets un- 
 der the Old Teftament difpenfation and thefe two 
 witnejjh under the New : and laftly, as the fame 
 extraordinary efte&s are attributed to this power, 
 lodged with the prefent witnefles, with what were 
 produced by thofe prophets, and turned upon their 
 enemies : \effeRs big with dejlruttwn to every fe- 
 cular power, that attempts the extirpation of the 
 ivitKeffes.~\ So it is not improbable, but that this 
 earthquake may likcwife include lucji remarkable 
 occurrences in nature, preparatory to their laft ge- 
 neral deliverance, as that tne^zrj 'in their courfes may 
 again be made tofght againji their enemies. . . . 
 
 " This conftruclion of the word earthquake, as I 
 faid above, is founded chiefly on the extraordinary 
 influence or power affigned the witnej/es in the 
 eleventh chapter j nothing of which has yet been pb-: 
 fetved to turn up in their hiftory, that I know of; 
 and therefore is mod probably referred for the 
 jiirc of thig GRAND REVOLUTION. 
 
 H 2 No. XI,
 
 NO. XL DR. GILL. 17^8. 
 
 A VERY eminent and learned diflenting Minifter 
 among the baptift denomination, particularly dif* 
 tinguifhed by his rabinical learning, 
 
 The following extra6fc is taken from his elaborate 
 e pofition, in 
 
 " Rev. XI, 13. 4nd the fame hour- was there a 
 great earthquake [or the fame day, as the Compju- 
 tenfian edition, and fome copies, read] that is, at the 
 time of the refurrection and afcenfion of the witnef- 
 fes, as there was at the refurredion of Chrift ; and 
 is to be underftood of a very great commotion in 
 the civil affairs of kingdoms and nations within the 
 Roman jurifdiction, as there was when Rome Pagan 
 was near its ruin, chapter yi, 12. Jlnd the tenth 
 fart of the city fell .... By the city is meant the 
 city of Rome the great city mentioned in verfe 8. 
 And by the tenth fart of it may he defigned, either 
 Rome itielf, which as it now is, according to the 
 obfcrvation of fome, is but a tenth part of what it 
 was once $ fo that the fame thing is meant as when, 
 it is faid, " Babylon is fallen, is fallen:" or, it may 
 defign the tithes and profits which arife from the 
 feveral kingdoms belonging to the jurifdi6tion and 
 fee of Rome, which now will fall off from thofe 
 who ufc-d to fhare them, upon this new and fpiritual 
 ftate of things, the gofpel daily gaining ground, and 
 enlightening the minds of men, and freeing them 
 from the ilavery they were held in : or ... rather, 
 one of the ten kingdoms into which the Roman 
 weftern empire was divided. Dr. Goodwin feems 
 inclined to think, that Great Britain is intended, 
 which having been gained over to the popifh party 
 
 will
 
 DR. GILL; 55 
 
 <will now fall off again : but I rather think the king- 
 dom of FRANCE is meant, the laft of the ten king- 
 doms, which rofe up out of the ruins of the Ro- 
 man empire, which will be conquered, and which 
 will be the means of its reformation from popery. 
 
 " And in the earthquake were jlain of men Jl-j-en 
 tbcuf&nd. 
 
 " The meaning is that in the commotions, mafla- 
 cres, tumults and wars which will be throughout 
 the empire fuch a number of men will be flam ; 
 which is either put for a greater number, a certain 
 for an uncertain (as ia Rom. xi. 4. and perhaps in 
 reference to the account there) otherwife fevea 
 thoufand is but a fmall number to be (lain in bat- 
 tle; or as it is in the original text, " the NAMES of 
 MSN 7000" now it is obferved by fome, that the 
 fmalleft name of number belonging to men is a 
 centurion, or captain of an hundred men ; and fup- 
 pofing that to be meant, then feven thoufand names 
 of men will imply that in an hour, or a fortnight's 
 time, may be (lain throughout all Europe in bat- 
 tles and rnaflacres about 700,000 men which is a 
 very large number: or NAMES of men may fignify 
 men cf name, of great renown (as in Numbers 
 xvi. 2.) and then if feven thoufand men of name, 
 officers in armies fhould be (lain, how great muft 
 t>e the number of the common foldiers? Some have 
 thought that ECCLESIASTICAL DIGNITIES, or men 
 diftinguifhed by NAMES and TITLES, fuch as car- 
 dinals, archbiihops, bilhops, priefts, and the whole 
 rabble of the antichriftian hierarchy, which wiU 
 now fall and be utterly demolifhed, are intended." 
 
 The following paflages are taken from a remark- 
 able .SERMON by Dr. Gill, on the watchman's anfwer 
 to the queftion, what of the night? 
 
 '* Jf it fhould be afked, What time it is with
 
 54 PROPHETIC CONJECTURES. 
 
 us now ? where-about we are ? and what is yet to 
 come of this night ? As a faithful watchman, I'll 
 give you the beft account I can : I take it, -we 
 are in the Sardian church-ftate, in the latter part 
 of it, which brought on the reformation, and 
 represents that ; we are in the decline of that 
 ftate: and there are many things faid of that 
 church which agree with us ; as that we have a 
 
 name, that we live> and are dead; &c 
 
 it is a fort of a twilight with us, between clear and 
 dark, between day and night. As to what of the 
 night is yet to come, or what will befal the churches, 
 and will bring on the difmal night before us; 
 they are the flaying of the witnefles, and the uni- 
 verfal fpread of popery all over Chriftendom ; and 
 the latter is the Unavoidable eonfequencc of the 
 former. 
 
 " The flaying of the witmjjes, which I underftnnd 
 not fo much in a literal fenfe, or of a corporal death ; 
 though there may be many (lain in this fenfe when 
 it will be ; but in a civil fenfe, with refpe<5t to their 
 jrrinifhy, being filenced by their enemies, and neg- 
 lected by their friends ; this is an affair that is not 
 yet over : . . .the witnefles have not yttfotfjbeti their 
 teftimony ; they are ftill propbejying, though in Jack- 
 cloth^ or under fome difcouragements ; whereas it 
 will be when they have finifhed their teftimony, and 
 at theclofe of the 1260 days, or years of antichrift's 
 reign, that they will be killed., the ruin of antichrift 
 will immediately follow the rifing and afcenfion of 
 thefe witnefles ; for at the fame hour that they lhall 
 afcend, will be a great earthquake, or a REVOLUTION 
 in the papal ftate ; and the tenth part of the city, or of 
 the Romifh jurifdiftion, fhall fall ; that is, one of its 
 ten horns, kings or kingdoms belonging to it, and 
 perhaps the kingdom of France is meant, zn&Jeven 
 
 thoufand
 
 DR. GILL. 55 
 
 tboufand men of name will be (lain, and the reft be 
 affrighted, and give glory to God ; nothing of 
 which has yet been done. . . .From all of which it 
 may be concluded, that the flaying of the witneffes 
 is yet to come, and will make the difmal part 
 of that night we are entering into, and which will 
 be accompanied with a univerfal fpread of Popery : 
 . . . .but her plagues /hall come in one day, death, and 
 mourning^ and famine, and Jhe Jhall be utterly burnt 
 tvifbjire....Rc{ort the utter deftru&ion of antichrift, 
 be jball go. forth again ^ith great fury to dejlrcy* 
 and utterly to make away many ; yea, he Jhall flant 
 the tabernacles of his palace between the Jeas, in the 
 glorious holy mountain, or the mountain of delight, of 
 bolinejs > and what place is there in all the globe, to 
 which this defcription fo well anfwers as Great 
 Britain? this will be done before, and but a little 
 before his ruin ; for it follows, yet he Jhall come to 
 bis end, and none Jhall help him. '* 
 
 " Now, in all that I have faid upon the whole, 
 I do not pretend to any extraordinary impulfe 
 from God, or to any prophetic fpirit, but I ground 
 all upon the word of God ; and if what I have faid 
 does not appear from thence, and upon the face of 
 things in providence, I have no pretenfions to any 
 thing elfe to fupport my opinion with, and as fuch 
 only I deliver it." 
 
 REMARKS
 
 REMARKS ON THE PRECEDING EXTRACTS. 
 
 OUR obfervations are defigned by way of RECOL- 
 LECTION, REFLECTION, and IMPROVEMENT of the 
 
 fubject. 
 
 I. By way of affifling the reader's RECOLLEC^ 
 TION, we obferve, 
 
 i . That thefe writers, on the authority of cer- 
 tain paffages of fcripture, predict a grand and im- 
 portant REVOLUTION in FRANCE a change both 
 of the ecekfiajlical arid civil polity ; the introduction 
 of a NEW SYSTEM, fatal to popery and tyranny, but 
 friendly to the liberty, peace and happinefs of 
 mankind. 
 
 2. They foretel that this revolution mall be ef- 
 fected not in the ordinary courfc of things, nor by 
 the miniftry of the gofpel - bi-it by a peculiar difpenfa- 
 tion of heaven by afatlden convuHion, compared to 
 an EARTHQUAKE Ovet not (in the firft inftance at 
 lead) attended with any great efrufion of blood ; 
 but the chief deftruction mall be of NAMES, titles, 
 ecclefiaftical dignities, privileged orders , &c. and at- 
 tended with a great humiliation (at leaft) even of 
 Monarchy itfelf and that this event mould be in- 
 troductory to a period in which religion and go- 
 vernment fhould be reduced to a degree of primi- 
 tive fimplicity in which the pride of courts, the 
 ambition of conquerors, and the deceits and ufurp- 
 ation of ecclefiaftical tyrants fhall have no place. 
 
 3. They add, That the ecdefiajlical treasures mail 
 be diverted into a new channel That the French 
 nation mall break with Rome i not at once, but by 
 degrees and thus a door be gradually opened for 
 
 the
 
 REMARKS. 57 
 
 the propagation of the gofpel in France and other 
 parts of Europe. 
 
 4. (Thefe writers circumfcribe a period for thefe 
 great events betv/een 1785 and 1795, fays Jurieu 
 between 1790 and 1794, fays Fleming Our 
 Anonymous writer, and feveral of the others fay, in 
 the reign of a Lewis and Love fays, Babylon (or 
 popery) fhall fall (or begin to fall) in 1790. > 
 
 5. Befide the events which immediately relate to 
 France, fome of the above mention a particular 
 mortification of the houfe .< Auftria Others (as 
 UJber and Gill) fpeak of the (laying and refurrec- 
 tion of the witneffes in a manner not yet accom- 
 plifhed. Our firft extract taken from Archbifhop 
 Erevan, refpecting the Jefuits, has been literally ful- 
 filled. The curfe of John Knox on the French king 
 has been moil awfully accomplilhed in the fate of 
 the unhappy Lewis XVI. in the third generation 
 from the tyrant, falfely furnamed, the Great. 
 
 II. We now proceed to offer a few REFLEC- 
 TIONS on thefe extraordinary paflages. 
 
 And, i . It mult be confefled that many 'of thefe 
 conjectures, particularly refpecting France, have 
 been remarkably verified in the late revolutions of 
 that kingdom ; both as to fails and dates. The 
 circumftances are too notorious to need particu- 
 larizing : I will only obferve that whatever may be 
 thought of the recent conduct of the French (and I 
 am not their apologift) it will generally be ad- 
 mitted that many of the principles on which the 
 new conftitutions have been erected, are not only 
 novel and unprecedented, but in other refpects 
 ftrongly correspond with the characters above 
 given. 
 
 2. It muft be admitted that all thefe good men 
 
 have been more or lefs miftaken in feveral events 
 
 I and
 
 58 REMARKS. 
 
 and circumftances of an inferior importance ; 
 and fome of them in the periods they fixed for 
 their fulfilment. Moft of them have fpoken only 
 by way of conje&ure, and made no pretenfions to a 
 fpir't of prophecy. Jurieu, indeed, in the main of 
 his predictions, believed himfelf under a fuperior 
 guidance; and thofe very predictions have been 
 wonderfully accomplifhed. It may be objected, 
 that he, with fome of the others, was unhappily 
 miftaken as to the French revolution producing 
 littlp or no bloodfhed : but it fhould be obferved 
 that in the firft inftance this was wonderfully true. 
 It was the interference of foreign powers afterward, 
 and the violence of domeftic parties, which pro- 
 duced the horrid (laughter which fucceeded j and 
 which offers another awful fulfilment of the pro- 
 phecy, by deftroying a prodigious number of men of 
 name, title, fame and quality. ) 
 
 3. It is not impoffible, however, that fome of 
 the above conjectures, not hitherto fulfilled, may yet 
 be fo, in a manner as remarkable as any of the 
 others. I will venture in one inftance to point out 
 the poffibility of this. 
 
 Great and wonderful are the events now tranfaft- 
 ing on the theatre of Europe ; and what will be 
 the ilTue, it may be both vain and prefumptuous to 
 conjecture. But fhould the combined powers fuc- 
 ceed in the rejl oration of Monarchy on a conftitution 
 fimilar to that of 1789 and 1790, we may fee, as 
 Jurieu conjectured, the French Monarchy raifed 
 again from its late humiliation, to new and unpre- 
 cedented glory. Or, fhould the republic acquire a 
 peaceable eftablifhment, if not the monarchy, yet 
 the nation may obtain that dignity, which, perhaps, 
 equally comport with facred prophecy. 
 
 Some have indeed expreffed a fear left the ancient 
 
 tyranny
 
 REMARKS. 59 
 
 tyranny (ecclefiaftical as well as civil) fhould gain a 
 re-eftablifhment in France the dormant fpirit of 
 perfection be revived, and that general and dreadful 
 flaughter of the witneffes follow, which was long 
 lince expected by UJher, and more recently by Dr. 
 Gill. The Lord avert from us fuch a judgment ! 
 But, even in this cafe, we have the confolation to 
 be fatisfted, both from prophecy and from circum- 
 ftances, that fuch a triumph muft be very tran- 
 fient, and immediately introduce a better ftate of 
 things than the world has yet experienced. A per- 
 manent tyranny in France can hardly be expected 
 by thofe who wifh to exercife it -, and by others I 
 hope not defired. 
 
 ^4. It may be enquired in what light are we to 
 confider thefe extracts ? Certainly not as a new 
 revelation, and not merely, I conceive, as happy 
 gueffes. But as rational conjectures on the fir'tpture 
 prophecies, which form a powerful argument in favor 
 of divine revelation. F'or unlefs the reader con- 
 fider all thefe as random guefTes, or admit them as 
 new revelations, either of which I fuppofe few will 
 do, it muft follow, that they are juft explications of 
 exiftmg prophecies ; and confequently, that thofe 
 prophecies have been accompli/lied. ) Now the ac-- 
 complifhment of prophecy is the proper evidence 
 of its infpiration : and in this view we have ac- 
 quired from the events of our own times, an ad- 
 ditional and ftriking evidence of the truth of holy 
 fcripture. 
 
 5. I fhall only add a remark that may be of 
 fome ufe in appreciating the value of thefe au- 
 thors They are not all equally originals-. Dr. Good- 
 win, and Monf. Jurieu, feem 10 have been moft 
 eminently fo : But it is highly probable that Mr^ 
 Fleming had feen both theie authors j and Dr, 
 
 I 2 Gill,
 
 6O REMARKS. 
 
 G/7/, and perhaps the Anonymous writer, all the 
 three. This is not meant to depreciate the latter 
 writers;' but to affift the reader in forming a 
 comparative e/limate of the extracts. 
 
 III. We fhall now beg leave to attempt fome 
 practical IMPROVEMENT of the fubject, by re- 
 marking the condu<5tof Divine Providence, in the 
 events above alluded to. 
 
 When the Prophet Ezekiel [chap i.] entered on 
 his mifTion he was, for his inftruction and encour- 
 agement favoured with one of the fublimeft vifions 
 that can be conceived-, in which are many parti- 
 culars which perplex the ableft commentators; 
 but the general dt-fign appears to be, that the 
 \vholewas intended to- exhibit, in the wheels^ an 
 idea of the machinery of Divine Providence; and 
 by the cherubim, the agency by which it is conducted, 
 In this view, the following hints 1 hope will not 
 be thought impertinent, though noc offered as a 
 complete explanation of the vifion. 
 
 1. In this fcenery we may obferve the magnifi- 
 cence of Providence. Not to advert to the flam- 
 ing cherubim or fapphire-coloured throne, how 
 magnificent the machine itfelf ! The rins were fa 
 high) faith the prophet, that they were dreaaful to 
 behold, their colour was like the btryh (i- C 3 
 beautiful lea green, and they were/a// of eyes round 
 about. The prodigious circumference of the 
 wheels, reprefents the comprehenfiveneis of Pro- 
 vidence, the magnitude of its objects, and the 
 grandeur of irs movements ; but the eyes fugged 
 another idea, namely, 
 
 2. The izifdom or Providence. Chance is pro- 
 perly represented blind, but Providence is full of 
 eyes, it is alfo faid, that the /pint of the living 
 creatures^ or the fame fpirit that actuates them, 
 
 refideth
 
 REMARKS. 6* 
 
 refideth in the wheels, and directeth all their mo- 
 tions ; and while worldly men rely on the fagacity 
 of their flatefmen, or the prudence of their ge- 
 neral?, he fruftrates the counfels of an Abitcpkel^ 
 and taketh the wife in their own craftinefi. But this 
 circumftance may intimate alfo, 
 
 3. The harmony of Providence the fame Jpirit 
 refideth both in the living creatures and in the 
 wheels, and thus directs the whole machinery, and 
 fee u res the mod perfect harmony in all its move- 
 ments " when the living creatures went, the 
 wheels went by themj and when the living crea- 
 tures were lifted up from the earth, the wheels 
 were lifted up \Vhitherfoever the fpirit was to 
 go, they went." 
 
 4. The irrefiftibility of Providence is ftrongly 
 implied both in the magnitude of the wheels, which 
 were terrible to behold, and in the power by which 
 they were directed, the fpirit that was in them. 
 Hence they went ftraight forward* no obftacle could 
 change their courfc ; they turned not as they went^ 
 no power could impede their motion for they, as 
 well as the living creatures, " ran and returned, 
 as the appearance of a flam of lightning." 
 
 5. This machinery reprefents the myfterioufnefs 
 of divine Providence it was as if it were a wheel 
 within a wheel* i. e. feveral rings involved one in 
 another, like the circles of an armillary fphcre : 
 fo complicated are the movements of Providence, 
 We behold indeed the revolutions of the machine, 
 but know nothing of the mcchanifm (lo to ipeak) 
 within. Hence are we often deceived in calcu- 
 lating events and confluences, by our own fa- 
 gacity. But prophecy is like the index of the 
 clock ; by its neccflary connection with the in- 
 ternal movements by its being dictated by the 
 
 fimt
 
 62 REMARKS. 
 
 ffirit that refideth in the wheels it becomes, as far 
 as we are enabled to underftand it, a certain guide 
 to our conjectures. But without this how vain and 
 uncertain are all political fpeculations! When the 
 Duke of Brunfwick marched with the flower of his 
 army into the heart of France When the armies 
 of the republic fpread thir victories thro' all the 
 furrounding countries or, when on a fudden turn 
 of affairs, Dumourier declared for monarchy, 
 and marched back to France with a view to effect 
 a counter-revolution what power feemed able to 
 withftand them ? None ; but that of the 
 
 unfeen 
 " Which guides and turns the great machine." 
 
 an idea in perfect coincidence with the vifion of 
 the prophet, who obferved that every living crea- 
 ture had the hand as of a man concealed beneath 
 his wings. 
 
 Once more, 6. When Ezekiel had a repetition 
 of the vifion (ch. x. 13.) a voice, I fuppofe 
 from the celeftial throne, proclaimed to the ma- 
 Chine not " O wheel," as in our translation, 
 being quite a different word from that rendered 
 wheel in the context but rather " REVOLU- 
 TION*.'* As if to inform us that the proper de- 
 fign and tendency of the wheels, is to effect RE- 
 VOLUTIONS as well in nations and communities, as 
 in the affairs of families and individuals, The 
 world fubfifts by revolutions. Good men, in- 
 deed, mould be cautious of promoting fuch 
 as are needlefs -, and may tremble at the moft 
 neceflary : but if the voice from heaven cry, 
 
 * See Parkhurft's Heb. Lex. in ba.
 
 REMARKS. 63 
 
 REVOLUTION!" in vain would all the 
 powers upon earth attempt to arreft the motions 
 of thefe wheels. They fhall go round till every 
 facred prediction is accomplifhed ; till the laft 
 event in the plan of Providence is brought to 
 pafs. 
 
 It is certain that the authors of the French re- 
 volution had nothing lefs in view than the ac- 
 cqmplifhment of prophecy; yet had this been 
 their only defign they could not have done it 
 more effectually. ; It is the Lord's ufual method 
 to effect his purpofes by undefigning, and even 
 refraSory agents. He doth whatjoever pleafeth him, 
 not only in the armies of heaven ; but alfo among tbe 
 inhabitants of the earth. 
 
 It is indeed mocking to think of the prefent 
 flaughter amongft conflicting powers and parties ; 
 but prophecy holds out this confolation, that 
 when the judgment written fhall be accomplished, 
 and the prefent convulfions fubfide the remnant 
 Jhall give glory to the God of heaven (hall acknow- 
 ledge his hand in all their fufferings ; and, I hope, 
 receive his gofpel in all its purity and power. 
 
 THE END.
 
 Jufl Publijhed bj W. BUTTON, No. 24, Paternofter Row. 
 
 INFANT SALVATION: 
 
 An Eflay to prove the Salvation of all who 
 die in infancy : with Anfwers to Objections. 
 Written with a particular View to the Confolation 
 of bereaved Parents. Trice Six Pence. 
 
 THE ASSEMBLY'S CATECHISM ABRIDGED, 
 
 For the Ufe of Children, particularly in the 
 Sunday Schools ; with felecl: Proofs, and fhort ex- 
 planatory Notes from Dr. Watts. Recommended 
 by the Rev. Nfeffrs. Burder, Clayton, Crole, Jay, 
 Ralph, Towers, Upton, and Dr. E. Williams. 
 Price Two Pence, with Allowance to give away. 
 
 Subfcribers Names continue to be received by 
 W. Button, on behalf of the fame Author, for 
 the following Work, which is preparing for the 
 Prcfs (in two Pocket Volumes, Price 55.) 
 
 AN HISTORIC DEFENCE 
 
 O F 
 
 EXPERIMENTAL RELIGION. 
 
 In which'the Dodlrine of Divine Influences is par- 
 ticularly confidered, and fupported by the Au- 
 thority of Scripture, and the Experience of the 
 wiieft and beft Men in all Ages and Countries.
 
 * /$. V<p
 
 p 
 
 Hi 
 
 University of California 
 
 SOUTHERN REGIONAL LIBRARY FACILITY 
 
 405 Hilgard Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90024-1388 
 
 Return this material to the library 
 
 from which it was borrowed. 
 
 315
 
 "-'*"'.., 
 
 UC SOUTHERN REGIONAL LIBRARY F, 
 
 A 000 061 446 1 

 
 Sou 
 Lib