The Kingdom of Jesus Christ Entering at 1697, Discourse · Part 4
Having therefore clear'd, and made Good the Epoch of the Time, Times, Half Time, I will now before I proceed to conſider their extent, ſhew how great the Agreement of what we have ſeen in the ſtate of the Roman Empire, ſince the Chriſtian Empire in it was done out of the midſt, how great, I ſay, the Agreement of it with Prophecy is, which will make good that Solid, Subſtantial part of the Calendar, and ſhew us, How plainly Time hath run on according to the Aqueducts, and Chanels foretold to it ſo long before in theſe following Obſervations.
Obſervat. 1 Let us then obſerve the Papacy, the Cardinaliſm, the Epiſcopacy, the whole Roman Hierarchy, and their dependencies in ſo great numbers on the one ſide; and on the other the ſeveral Kingdoms, into which the Roman Empire hath been ſo long and is ſtill parted, with the warlike Kings, and People thereof; And I may appeal to all the World, whether there could be a fitter Emblem, or Repreſentation on both parts, then Feet, part of Iron, part of Clay; What weaker then the one? What more Potent, and puiſſant then the other? And yet notwithſtanding the weakneſs of the one, and the puiſſance of the other; The Ten Kings, Agreeing to give their ſtrength, Power, and Might, and their Kingdom to the Beaſt, They make the Pope a Seventh Head of Roman Supremacy, and Ʋniverſality, and the Hierarchy Feet, Foundations of Government, and of the ſtate of the World, by being mingled with the Iron, however They do not cleave: Surely this matter being ſo well known, as to run into ſenſe; we ſee it with our eyes, as to the Event; and the Emblem, as eaſie to be underſtood, as Familiar, as the Notices of Iron, Clay, Feet, of which the Emblem is compos'd are; The attent conſideration then would convince even an Atheiſt of the Truth of Scripture Prophecy; even a Papiſt, that the Roman Hierarchy is intended; how much more then may it convince Proteſtants?
The Kings have alſo made the Pope a little Horn, They have given him Territories, Guards, Forces, Revenues, as a King, pulling up the Gothick, the Graecian, the Lombardic power, as Three Horns before Him, wherein Martell, Pipin, Charlemaign and Ludovi…us pius were his great Benefactors; But all this was but very inconſiderable in compare with the reſt, as to an Iron Potentacy, were it not for the Spiritual Supremacy, the Riches of which is Incomputable.
Therefore he Looks with the Eyes of a man, as the only Infallible Seer of the Chriſtian World; He hath a Countenance, more ſtately then his Fellows, the other Ten Kings; over whom he hath a Mouth ſpeaking great Things in the challenges of Supreme Dominion, as the Vicar of Jeſus Chriſt, and as in his place, King of Kings, and Lord of Lords; He hath Times, and Laws given into his Hand, and a Calendar of Time peculiar to Him; He hath been for ſeveral Hundreds of years the great Leviathan in the Chriſtian World, the Chief of the Sons of Pride, and of the ways of Providence, and God's Government of the World; That a Horn ſo weak in its true Anatomy, and Intrinſick value ſhould have borne ſuch a ſway in the Empire, and Governments of the Earth, piercing even to the Indies and formerly unknown parts of it: who that reads Daniel in compare, with what he hath ſeen, known, read, or even heard of the Papacy will not rather think, Daniel of late years took the Portraicture and writ the Character of the Papacy, then ſpoke of it at the diſtance of ſo many Ages before it! But he was guided by Him, to whom all Things, paſt, preſent and to come are an even Now.
In the ſame manner let us reflect upon the Cardinaliſm, Arch-Biſhops, and Inferior Clergy with their Innumerable Train of officers, as on the Feet of Miry Clay, the Beaſt riſing out of the Earth; more often in their originals, not of the Blood of Kings, and Nobles, weak in their warlike Proweſſe, Prophets teaching lyes, who are the Tail of Mankind; Yet with theſe as with the Seed of Men, poor, weak, Inconſiderable men, ſprung from the Earth, The feet of Iron mingle themſelves, and make together the Feet of the Image, as equally eſſential parts of Government; and the Clay is, as we ſay, Cheek by Jole with them; Theſe Merchants of Rome become the Grands of the Earth; I deſire no other, but a Free, Impartial, Frank Judgment upon the Evidence now given, that the Papacy, and Roman Hierarchy are moſt lively Repreſented by the long, and ſo known Conjunction of the Powers of Clay in Conjunction with thoſe of Iron, the Kings, and Princes lying within the Roman Dition.
Obſervat. 2 Equal to the firſt is the ſecond Obſervation, wherein we ſhall find the preſent ſtate of the Roman Empire, tyed and linck'd to Prophecy, both in Daniel, and the Revelation in that great and Remarkable point of Agreement; An Image made to the Beaſt, and the Beaſt joyn'd ſo often after with his Image, and the Beaſt and his Image.
Let us then reflect on the Famous Memoir of Prophetick Hiſtory in the firſt univerſal Monarch; the Golden Head of the primitive, Litteral Babylon; Nebuchadnezzar in conceipt of that mighty Image, He had ſeen in a Dream ſo divinely expounded, and of which Himſelf was the Head of Gold, would be worſhipped, and obeyed in the Counter-point of that Image ſet up, and whoever would not worſhip that Image, was to be caſt into a fiery Furnace.
In like manner the other Beaſt, or the Antichriſtian Hierarchy to raiſe up the Papacy, as another Golden Head of myſtical Babylon, ſaid (by way of Oracle, and with lying Wonders, and bringing down the Fire of divine Vengeance by Anathemaes, and Excommunications, as from Heaven,) to the Beſtian people, that they ſhould make an Image to the Honour and Glory of that Roman Pagan Idolatrous Empire, that had ſuch a wound by the ſword of Conſtantine, and Theodoſius, deſtroying Pagan Idolatry, and yet did Live, and did ſo plainly appear to Live in the New Antichriſtian Idolatry; Eſpecially in that Image now to be Dedicated to it; viz. a new kind of Supremacy, a Spiritual, Eccleſiaſtick Supremacy, that ſhould have Power to ſpeak, and to Cauſe, That All who would not worſhip that Image, ſhould be kill'd.
This I confeſs, is in Daniel no more, then Prophetical Analogy, and Alluſion; but in the Prophecy of the Revelation, It riſes to the very Height of Argument.
That we may then underſtand this great point, let us very ſtrictly attend the Prophecy; and we ſhall find, that the Image is made to the firſt Beast, that is, to the Roman Idolatrous Supremacy, conſider'd as one, and the ſame Beast, though of different Heads; yet neceſſarily One, and the ſame Beaſt in both the Pagan and Antichriſtian Heads, as if we ſuppoſe a Beaſt of Two Heads, each and both would be the ſame Beast.
But the Roman Empire, conſidered as Beaſtian, having loſt Supremacy in its Pagan, and Imperial Head, ſo wounded as hath been ſaid; The Hierarchick Beast or Roman, Antichriſtian Hierarchy with its Two Horns like a Lamb; of which the Biſhop of Rome was, even before the Chriſtian Empire ceas'd, a Principal, and almoſt ſupreme part, Exerciſes the power of the first Beast before it, and in its ſight, that is, before an Empire, that was to become of a Pagan, an Antichriſtian Beaſtian Empire and therefore ſurviv'd; and it ſpake as a Dragon for the Reſtoring, and Reerecting a Beaſtian Supremacy,: And becauſe by the decree of God, and the ſtate of affairs; This could onelyonly be an Eccleſiaſtick Supremacy, which is a Supremacy, but in an Image, and in an Antichriſtian Supremacy which is not Pagan, but in an Image; There is a Revival of worſhipping the Babylonian Prince in an Image, but ſuch an Image, that could Speak, and cauſe to be kill▪d, All, who would not worſhip according to its Antichriſtian Idolatry, the Image of the Pagan; and who would not profeſs ſlavery, and vaſſalage under the Eccleſiaſtick, or Pſeudo-Spiritual Supremacy, the Image of the Imperial. So it would be effective of all Beſtianiſm, yet it would be to the former Beſtian, Pagan Head, but as in an Image, This is a moſt diſtinguiſhing, aſſuring note of Prophecy, whom it means, wherever we can find this Beſtianiſm as in an Image; Let us then behold it in the Roman Papacy.
1. To this Beſtianiſm, there is eſſentially required Monarchic Roman power, and Supremacy; And was there ever more plainly Monarchic Roman power then in ſeveral (and for the ſake of the number of Toes, Ten) Kings, expreſly noted to Receive power as Kings, of great power and ſtrength, and Independency, and then giving their Kingdoms, Power, and Strength to the Pope, on a Spiritual account, or as an Eccleſiaſtick ſupreme; Juſt as All their Territories were held in Chief heretofore, by their dependence upon, and ſubmiſſion to a Roman Martial Emperour, fear'd, and obeyed of all; in whoſe Court, they had their Embaſſadors, Reſidentiaries, Leigiers, Envoys; In the ſame manner on a Spiritual account, they ſubmit to the Pope, as the Holy Father, as his Holyneſs, as the Vicar of Christ, and the onelyonly Supreme on Earth over Conſciences; They unite in him, have their ſeveral Miniſters of Embaſſie with him, and he hath put on, and kick'd off Crowns; Behold, and ſay, whether this is not the former Ceſarean Supremacy and yet in an Image! How fitly therefore does the Prophecy ſay! They Receive power▪ as Kings, and yet with the Beast, through the Deſtination upon them under a divine decree, to give their Power thus, as if they could not have it without him. Thus his Great power lies in his Image, and for all his vaunts of Ecce duo Gladii, His Hornſhip were moſt Puny without this Image, a very little Horn without it.
2. Idolatry is a ſecond eſſential Conſtituent of Beſtianiſm, in ſo much, that as we have found; The Christian Emperour, tho' he had the Roman Supremacy, and was in his latter Time much Antichristianiz'd, yet was as the Kings of Judah of a Meſſiah-order; The Pagan Emperors, All Idolaters were alſo All Beſtian, however ſome, as the Antonines, Alexander Severus as alſo others of them were more more Humane; Juſt ſo, the whole order of Popes, however ſome better, ſome worſe, yet are all Beſtiam becauſe all Idolatrous.
But this Idolatry is in an Image; It is therefore by the Spirit of Prophecy peculiarly ſtyl'd in Daniel, ſpeaking great words againſt the moſt High, which is expounded by John, Blaſphemies; Now Blaſphemy is a Form deriv'd from the Idolatry of the Ancient Iſrael, under the Appearance of a Church of God; They held the name of the true Jehovah, and yet joyn▪d the Idols of the Heathen, Your Fathers Blaſphem'd me on the Hills; This Idolatry Iſa. 65. 7.cover'd with the name of the True God is peculiarly call'd Blaſphemy, for it is the making the name of God a pander to Idolatry, which is Blaſphemy. And this is moſt particular to the Antichriſtian Idolatry, committed upon the name of God, of Christ, of Angels, of Saints, of Martyrs, as in Honour of God, and of Chriſt, and ſo deriv'd on Images; And whoever does not worſhip thus, is Anathematiz'd, as Prophane, Sacrilegious, Blaſphemous, Branded by the lying Spirit of Antichriſt with ſome note of vengeance from Heaven, even as Chriſtians of old were vilified as Injurious to the Gods, and perſecuted as publick Peſts, and Cauſes of misfortune.
This Idolatry therefore ſtrictly ſpeaking, is an Image made to the ancient Roman Idolatry, not to the Pagan Names of Idols but under the Imagery of names, truly great and ſacred in themſelves; and who, ſo far, as they know it, Abominate the Idolatry commited upon them; as a prophetick Type of which, John was Twice ſo ſeverely reſtrain'd in his Veneration of the Angel; This kind of Idolatry is therefore ſo notably according to the event defin'd a Blaſpheming of God, and of his Tabernacle, viz. the Humanity of Christ; and of Them, who dwell in Heaven, viz. Angels and Saints; For theſe pretended Honors are in Heaven Interpreted, as the greateſt diſhonors, and Reproaches, and ſo Blaſphemies, both upon the Excellency of the Divine Being, and the Glory of his Saints ſo courſly Repreſented; as alſo as if the Saints were pleas'd with ſuch Entrenchments on the One God and One Mediator which is indeed to Blaſpheme Them.
3. Beſtianiſd is, Bloodineſs, Cruelty, and Perſecution, Ravaging upon the Saints of God, and of Chriſt; Wearing out the Saints of the moſt High, making war with, trevailing over, overcoming and killing the Witneſſes of Jeſus; And this is alſo cover'd under the Imagery of Extirpating Hereſie, Blaſphemy, and Irreligion; which are the odious Sambenitoes, Diſguiſes clap'd on Saints, and the Imagery put upon them by that Beſtianiſm in an Image, even as Pagan Perſecutors cover'd Chriſtians with the Skins of Beasts, and the more cruel Imputations of Beaſtlike Enormities to them; And to ſum up all, how exact is Prophecy in the manner of the Execution of this Feral Rage! The Image ſpeaks, and cauſes to be kill'd, All, who do not worſhip; which is, as it were, Word for Word; The Spiritual power Delivering up to the Secular; This Spiritual Beſtianiſm, as it is part of Clay, can put no man to death; It muſt be done for it by the Iron of the Feet, and yet this Little Horn hath often appear'd in Armour as in Iron, and found means to puſh and gore to death by himſelf, and to make Good the Prophecy, He is a Horn, yet but a Little one; and therefore it is generally done by the other Horns for Him, when Iron is required.
Now in all this Imagery, There appears a Recapitulation of the whole Image, commanded by the King of Babylon to be worſhipped; In the wiſe Providence of God, the laſt ſtate of the Image is enſhrin'd, as it were in an Image, ſets up the great Idolatry of Image-worſhip, cas'd up, and veil'd under reverence to God, and to Chriſt, and to the Holy ones; And for the ſake of this Imagery, the Servants of God are made Sacrifices to Flames, and all kinds of death really and effectively, though under an Image, and by an Image; In the ſame manner there is a Recapitulation of the Beaſts in the Little Horn; For He is Leopard, as it were all over; Antiochus, that infamous Little Horn of the Graecian Leopard in its four Heads was his exact Type, betwixt whom, and this Roman Beast, Daniel twice notes the ſucceſſion; paſſing over the Pagan Empire: c. 8. 23. c. 11. 36. This Beast had alſo the broad Feet of a Bear, reſembling Hamans Letters ſign'd by the Perſian Ahaſuerus, throughout his 150 Provinces to put to death the Jews; So the Beast by his Ten Kings throughout his Kindred, Tongues and Nations cauſes the Witneſſes to dye, by the decrees like the Mouth of the Babylonian Lyon Nebuchadnezzar commanding Idolatrous Image worſhip.
And thus we ſee every way what a definitive Character of the laſt Roman ſtate, the Image made to the Beast is.
Obſervat. 3 Let us obſerve, how Prophecy is Fulfill▪d in the laſt ſtate of the Image, in that Character or Note of the Feet, as part of Iron, part of Clay; that tho' the Iron, and the Clay ſhall mingle, They ſhall not Cleave.
This is admirably anſwer'd in Two Things.
1. In the notorious diſtinction of Eccleſiaſtick, and Secular or Laic, the latter of which cannot without great Profanation, and even ſacriledg be confounded with the Former; A thing very ſtrange to Apoſtolick writings, wherein the whole Flock are call'd foreign, a Holy Prieſthood, the Church; And the Miniſters of the Goſpel, Elders and Preſidents, noting onelyonly order, and not diſtinction of any other kind; Although therefore the Spirituality, as They are call'd, often invade the Secular Authority, and Power; Yet it is in the Guarb and Canonical habit of Spiritual and Eccleſiaſtic, to keep that Character High and Indelible, herein the Little Horn was in Daniel's Prophecy Remark'd ſo diverſe from the other Horns. Dan. 7. 24.
2. It imports the always ſeparableneſs, and the certain Separation, that ſhall be betwixt the two Powers, when theſe Ten Kings ſhall hate the Whore, and burn her Fleſh with Fire; So that though the Kings, or Feet of Iron, as well as of Clap, ſhall be broken, as is foretold of Them; Yet it is to be underſtood onelyonly, as they are parts of the Image, and as together with the Clay they make the Feet of the Image, and are as Horns on the Head of a Beast; whenever they ſeparate themſelves from the Papacy, They become Princes of the Reformation, and if zealous, and ſincere therein, They are with the Lamb, as his Faithful, Called, and Choſen.
And of this, for near theſe Hundred, and Eighty years laſt paſt, God hath been pleas'd to give an Exemplar though but very Imperfect in Compariſon, of what ſhall be, in that Separation, Princes, and States, ſtyled Proteſtants have made from the Church and Pope of Rome. But how dark and obſcure is it, and how much brighter ſhall it be, when it ſhall be done univerſally, by all theſe Ten Kings, and their Kingdoms, when the Apoſtaſie ſhall be drawn of, and the Kingdom of Chriſt ſhall be in its ſucceſſion.
The very ſame ought to be acknowledg'd of the Reformed Epiſcopacy; It is by no means to be confounded with the Feet of Clay, whoſe Idolatrous Apoſtaſie, degrades them to ſo low a Station; Yet it were to deal deceitfully in the divine Prophecy, not to ſay; That a much higher ſtate of the Churches of Chriſt ſhall ſuperſede preſent Conſtitutions by the very dawns of the glory of the Kingdom of Christ.
Obſervat. 4 It is no Indiſcernable Character of this Roman ſtate in its Feet of Iron and Clay, that it remains to this day, waiting, as it were, for that ſtroke, from the Stone cut out of the Mountains without Hands: For it hath already, as hath been noted, conſum'd more Time, then had paſs'd before it from that ſo fam'd Ere of Ʋrbs condita, or the building of Rome; But becauſe this is matter yet to come, and when it is come will put all out of doubt, I ſhall onelyonly obſerve, that as in theſe two Viſions of Daniel, ſo in the Apoſtle Paul, and in the Revelation, Notes of Ruin, Comſumption, Abolition Son of Perdition, going into Perdition, Being deliver'd to the conſuming Flames, the Beast taken with his falſe Prophet, and caſt into the Lake, are Brands deeply ſet upon Him; and together with his Conſumption the Glory of the Kingdom of Christ is declared, which is ſo certain an Aſſurance, that neither the Kingdom of Christ is yet come, nor this laſt ſtate of the Roman Monarchy yet paſt, that a greater cannot be given. And when theſe things are, Then ſhall the whole Image in its Idolatrous Frame and Compoſure, Fall, and be Broken, and Riſe no more:
For the Roman Monarchy in the Feet is the very Foundation of the whole Image; As the Feet are to all parts of the Body, So alſo are theſe Feet, and Toes to the Image; And becauſe, They are part of Clay, thither is the ſtroke eſpecially directed, and there is the Image to be broken.
Now as the Gold of the Head Communicated its luſtre; the Silver, Braſs, and Iron Communicated their value, and ſtrength to all the parts; and as the Greatneſs of the whole Image gave it Dread and Majeſty, and an Ʋniverſality of power; So the Clay, on which the Image ſtands, as part of the Feet and Toes Communicated its Weakneſs, Brittleneſs, and under thoſe, as Types, its Antichriſtianiſm to the whole; So that the Clay, Symbolizing that Antichriſtianiſm, is inſerted in the middleDan. 2. 45. betwixt the Iron, the Braſs, the Silver, and the Gold; To ſhew, it communicated it ſelf to the whole; and by it the force of the blow was diſtributed through the whole, ſo that All was Broken, that made up that Compoſition of the Image with the Clay; and ſo far, as it was tainted with that Antichriſtianiſm, it is utterly Broken, and made as the chaff of the Summer Floor.
Now as if Samſons ſtrength had paſs'd from his Head, and Locks, where it firſt dwelt, while the dimenſions, and particular Characters of his perſon remain'd; and ſo come down from higher to lower to his very Feet, and there Broken; So have we ſeen the Monarchic Spirit, aod Life, here deſcrib'd, paſſing from Mettal to Mettal, from part to part, comming down to the Feet, the Seat of that Antichriſtianiſm, that is to be Broken, and the whole Image with it to Powder; And ſeeing theſe Feet and Toes have continued ſo many Ages beyond all the former parts, how can we but earneſtly pray for that happy Revolution; and if we are not ſo in Love with that ſtate, as to pray ſo for it, yet however we ſhould fear, and prepare for it.