An APPENDIX.
The First coming of Christ was to be while the Fourth Kingdom was yet in being; his Second, when it should end. The hewing of the Stone out of the mountain, (which is the rearing of the Kingdom of Christ) was before it smote the Image upon the feet, and upon the destruction thereof became so great a Mountain as filled the whole earth. Therefore the hewing out of this Stone was while this Image was yet in being.
Daniel himself interprets the Stone to be the Kingdom of Christ, (not Christ him∣self) and saies that the God of heaven should set it up in the days of those Kings, or Kingdoms, that is, adhuc currente horum Regum periodo, vel diebus Tetrarchiae hujus nondum expletis, whilest the daies of those Kingdoms of the Gentiles yet lasted, or before they expired; namely, whilst the last of those Kingdoms was still current and in being. He that shall here expound [in the daies] to mean [after the days] shall give me leave not to believe him, unless also he can perswade me, that the Stone which smote the Image was hewed out of the mountain after the Image was dashed in pieces and vanished.
The Iews in our Saviour's time expected the Messiah's coming before the times of the Fourth Kingdom expired. For they looked it should be destroyed by him after he was come, and then the Kingdom restored to Israel. According to that of Dan. 7. when the Beast should be slain and his body destroyed, the Kingdom should be given to the people of the Saints of the most High. Only they thought not the distance between the first coming of Christ and his destruction of the Fourth Beast to be so long. Whence was that question of the Apostles to our Saviour at his Ascension, Wilt thou now restore the Kingdom to Israel.* 1.1
But I am gone much further than ever I intended, and therefore will here make an end. I make question whether you can read my scribling: If you can, I hope you will excuse my hast. And so I commend you to the divine protection, and am