Scripture Proof the Kingdom of Christ in its Succession, Part 3
We Know therefore the Time from the Deſtruction of Jeruſalem, by Titus, until Conſtantine, were Gentiles Times, becauſe ſo long Jeruſalem was trodden under Foot by Abſolute Gentiles. But there might then be a Doubt, when Paganiſm was by Him Deſolated throughout the Empire, and ſuch a Change particularly made at Jeruſalem, as Hiſtory Records, by Constantine, there might be a Doubt, whether Gentiles Times any longer continued, than till the Christian Empire. We receive therefore Times riſing up a New, Revel. 11. 1, &c. under the Character of Gentiles Times; to ſhew, that though they had ſo run under Ground, as to ſeem diſcontinued, yet in truth they were not diſcontinued, Gentiles Times continuing; but forc'd to run ſecretly, for fear of the Chriſtian Empire, until they appear'd under another Character, not of Pagan, but of Antichriſtian▪ Gentiliſm. And within Eight Years after, Antichriſtianiſm Appear'd in a Supremacy at A. D. 606. viz. A. D. 614. Jeruſalem was trodden▪ firſt by Perſians, then by Saracens, and then by Turks; All acknowledg'd Gentiles ever ſince (for almoſt the whole Time) to this Day; that All might be convinc'd, who own Chriſt, of ſo long Gentiles Times. Now from that Antichriſtian Appearance, they are limited to 42 Months. Seeing then Antichriſtian Gentiliſm was ſprung up to ſuch a Height, as to tread the Outer Court, and Holy City; ſo many Years ago (as All Proteſtants Acknowledge, viz. ſoon after 400) to have Amounted to 42 Months, or 1260 Days of Years, we might expect this preſent, or every next Year, to ſee Jeruſalem no longer trodden under Foot by Gentile Powers: For it is made a ſure Gauge of Time; Gentile Times cannot be Ended till then; and whenever they end, they muſt have began 1260 Years before. But I ſhall therefore in the next place offer Great Reaſon, That Gentile Times muſt not have began till A. D. 437. and ſo end 1697.
Argum. 11 The Holy Spirit hath been pleas'd, with Admirable and Curious Art, to In-lay a peculiar Note, when the Pagan Antichriſtianiſm, that had been much before in Gathering, was come to ſuch a Height, that the Judgments upon it (that had been preparing alſo ſome Time before), did fall upon the Sin, as an Apoſtacy come to the Birth, or a Myſtery of Iniquity come into the Light, or Born.
This I Acknowledge, as newly made known to me. For Manifeſtations from God, on ſuch Dark Scriptures, come as by Stealth, ſecretly; and one's Ear Receives but a Little at a Time, as Eliphaz ſpeaks, Job 4. 12. But that Little is very Admirable. I Humbly therefore ſay, He that hath an Ear, let him Hear, and Weigh.
When Paganiſm made that Great Rally of it Self by Eugenius, and Argobaſtes, under that Fore-nam'd Excellent Prince Theodoſius, Styl'd the Great; It was brought to a Deciſive Battle; In the midſt of which, That Pious Emperor, Humanely Judging the Succeſs Doubtful, Knelt down, even in the midſt of the Fight (as Hiſtory Relates) in moſt Solemn manner, and with moſt forcible Expreſſions, according to Scripture Precedents, Begged, and obtain'd the Victory; But Dying of a Drop…y before the end of the Year; The Empire from his Death manifeſtly Declined, Till it ceaſed in the Weſt in Auguſtulus. The Battle fore-nam'd, and the Death of Theodoſius fell out, A. D. 395: Near the middle Point of this Time lyes A. 437. Upon this very Epoch of the 1260 years I pitch'd 7 years ago, Led with other great Conſiderations; As, 1. By the juſt Scripture Diſtributions of the 2300 Evs, Morns (of which the 1260 are a part) I Find, and am able to make out; Their Lot falls to begin 437. 2. Again, That particular Voice in the midſt of theRev. 6. 6. Four living Creatures, in the Third Seal, Commands our great Attention; For it divides under the Emblem of Juſt Weights and Meaſures, that the Roman Emperor, ſo Renowned for Juſtice, Alexander Severus was ſo Auſtere concerning) the Time of the Churches Juſt Weights and Meaſures of pure Worſhip, according to Ezek. 45. 10. &c. into two equal Halves; The firſt Half ended at the end of the Third Seal with Alexander's Death at 235, 202 years from the Reſurrection, which we account A. D 33. And the other Half, or 202, at the beginning of the Apoſtaſy, 437. 3. Add to theſe two the Reformation, which I ſtrongly urged, could not be, before Half Time began after Time, and Times. Now this beginning in Luther, at that famous A D. 1517. the 180 of which Half Time conſiſts, muſt end 1697, and lead back the Half Times with the Times and Time to begin 437. Theſe fully aſſured me by themſelves.
But yet being often demanded, What remarkable Character of Providence diſtinguiſhed to my Thoughts 437 as the Epoch of the 1260 years? I ſet my ſelf to ſeek by Books of Scripture, and Hiſtory, and by Humbleſt Prayer; And finding the Mahometan Times ſo certainly gave 1069 of thoſe 1260; and that the leſſer Judgments on the Roman Empire began ſo early, that we might well Date the beginning of the 1260 ſo early, as to begin 431, and ſo to end this 1691, Did not the Events, that are ſo certainly to come to paſs when ever they End, and which are not come to paſs, forbid us; For thereby the 1260 years are certainly known not to be Ended.
I therefore Examin'd again, and again, If there was any thing that did Illuſtrate 437. I firſt found (help'd therein as I Truſt by God) it ſtands about the middle Point, between the year of the Death of that Emperor, of ſo great Memory (from which the Empire began ſo manifeſtly to Decline) and the very Ceſſation of the Weſtern Empire: As it is very eaſy to be found; That 437 ſtands very near the middle Point between 395, and 476, when Auguſtulus Fell; and ſo a New Courſe of Time, viz. Of the Biſhop of Rome, being the only Supreme Name in Rome after the Emperor Fallen; and the Ten Kings having No ſo much as Pretended Name of Emperor above them, till they gave their Power as Horns to the Beaſt; to which Ten, and One, to which it gives an Eminency, Prophecy hath greateſt Reſpect; And that One, Daniel Styles The little Horn; but it hath a Look more Bold than his Fellows; And John in the Revelation calls the 7th Head, or the Beast, and the Ten Kings are Horns to it; and It ſelf is the 8th King, as it were Abſolute, in regard of Spiritual Supremacy over All, Dan. 7. 24. and Rev. 17. 10, 11. compared.
Now this Change was ſo great, as very Reaſonably to give a Reputation to the Middle Point, between ſo Great and Victorious an Emperor as Theodoſius, and the utter Fall of Auguſtulus, the laſt Weſtern Emperor; And then ſuch a Ten Fold Principality with a Spiritual Supreme riſing out of the Empire, made ſo Great a Change.
Moved yet further, as I have Reaſon to Hope, and Believe by the Grace of God in Chriſt, I further Enquir'd, Wheth…r there was any Images of ſuch a Remark on the middle Point of this Time by Prophecy?
And behold to my Wonder and Aſtoniſhment, and to my greateſt Satisfaction God was pleaſed to Reveal even this to me.