A demonstration of the first principles of the Protestant applications of the apocalypse together with the consent of the ancients concerning the fourth beast in the 7th of Daniel and the beast in the Revelations / by Drue Cressener.

CHAP. IX. * 1.1

A short Account of the several Opinions of Interpreters, that differ from the Propositions before demonstrated. Their inconsistency with the Analogy of Prophecy. The Shifts that they are forced to flye to, to maintain them.

BY the same Light which has cleared up mine own Applica∣tions of the Prophecy, it may be seen upon what grounds I depart from the Apprehensions of others about it.

1. It is much to be admired, That there ever should have been any at all, much more any of the Ancients, that had been con∣versant * 1.2 in this Study, that should apprehend it possible for the whole business of Babylon, and the Beast in the Revelations, to be nothing but a Mystical and Spiritual state of the Christian Church, in relation to the whole World of the Wicked in ge∣neral, and not to any particular Empire of the World, more than other.

For the Angel in the 17th Chapter does so expresly signifie * 1.3 his design there to be to unfold the Mystery of Babylon, and the Beast that had been before mentioned; and does thereupon de∣termine the meaning of them to the Roman Empire, by such ge∣nerally known, and peculiar marks, that the Romanists them∣selves, whose only interest, and considerable concern it is, to divert the scene of these Visions from the City of Rome, do yet almost unanimously in this latter age, acknowledg to their Ad∣versaries, That there is nothing more certain and unquestiona∣ble, than, That some particular state of the Domination of * 1.4 Rome, must be meant by them. The ground of this paradoxi∣cal Fancy of the Ancients, will be afterwards enquired into.

2. It is in the next place very near as extravagant to grant, That some particular state of Roman Rule, must be the great object of these Visions; and yet to make the Figure of the Beast in general, to signifie the World, and the Heads of the * 1.5 Beast either so many successive Ages, or so many distinct succes∣sive Empires in it.

For by all the Examples of Beasts and their Ruling parts all * 1.6 over the Prophecy of Daniel, (which is generally agreed to be

the original pattern of the Prophecy of the Revelations) it is acknowledged by these very persons themselves, That a Beast does constantly signifie the Rule or Empire of one particular Na∣tion only; and therefore must the Heads also signifie so many Supreme Powers in that Nation only. But the most inexcusa∣ble thing in this opinion is, That the Fourth Beast in the 7th of Daniel, is granted by these same persons to be nothing but the particular Nation of the Romans, which yet is the exact picture * 1.7 of this Beast in the Revelations.

But then to grant, 3dly, That the Beast and his Heads do signifie nothing but Roman Power; and after that, to make the Seven Heads not to be so many distinct Powers, but to be taken * 1.8 collectively for All the Rulers of one kind, or for All the Empe∣rors, is to out-face the plain expressions of the Text, which di∣vide the number Seven into Five, One, Another, and an Eighth that is one of the Seven; and it is well known, that when the number Seven is so expresly divided into parts, it is never used collectively, or for an indefinite multitude.

4. As contrary to the known use of those Mystical Expressi∣ons, is it to make the Seven Heads of the Beast to be so many single persons only of Rulers. * 1.9

For it is evident all over the Book of Daniel, That Heads and Horns of Beasts do signify all the single Persons that Rule in that Division, or Form of Government, that is signified by * 1.10 each Head and each Horn.

5. And still more inconsistent is it, to make the Beast and his Seven Heads to be Roman Powers, and yet Antichrist, signi∣fied by the Eighth King, which was one of the Seven, not to * 1.11 come till after the end of all Roman Rule; or that the Fourth Beast in the Tenth of Daniel, should be the Roman Empire; and yet the little Horn of that Beast not to appear till after the destruction of the Roman Empire.

For this would make the little Horn of the Beast, to be no Horn of it, but to appear after the ruin of the Beast, whose Horn it is; which is a contradiction.

6. Of much the same nature, is that Absurdity, That the Beast, called the 8th King, is Antichrist, a little before the end of the World; and yet that Babylon, that is described to go all * 1.12 along with it, and to be destroyed before it, is Rome Heathen.

7. Nor does it much help the matter, to affirm, That Baby∣lon does signifie both Rome Heathen, and Rome in the time of Antichrist, about the end of the World.

For by by Prop. 2. and 3. it is evident, That Babylon is in all * 1.13 the mentions of it in the Revelations, one and the same state of Rome, in the Reign of the Beast, and in which it is destroyed.

8. That Opinion which makes the Heads of the Beast to be single Persons, and yet the Reign of the Beast to continue at * 1.14 least to the time of Justinian, is inconsistent with the determina∣tion of the term of the Beast in the Prophecy, to the last Head of the Beast.

For if the Beast be nothing but the Beast under its last Head, and all the Seven Heads be but so many Successions of single Rulers only, it is impossible that the time of the Beast should continue many years after the time of St. John, for the Sixth Head was then in Rule, Rev. 17. 10.

9. And upon the same grounds it is impossible, That the Ten Horns of the Beast should be after the time of the last * 1.15 Head of the Beast; or that the time of the last Head of the Beast, should be yet past, because the Beast continues to the Second Coming of Christ, and is the same with the Reign of its last Head, Prop. 6. and its Corollaries.

10. Amongst those Opinions which make the Heads of the Beast to be so many Successions of Roman Power, I could not entertain any of them about the constitutive difference of one Head from another, but that which made it to consist only in the set∣led change of the name of the Civil Power; because that was the only known difference of Successive Horns in Daniel, ch. 8. and of the five first Successive Heads in the Revelations; and be∣sides, the only difference betwixt all kinds of Heads or Horns, upon the same Beast, whose signification is agreed on, is nothing but the different name of the Civil Power, either from its peculiar Terrritory in those that are represented to rule all at a time, in a divided Monarchy, or from the different appellation in those that succeed one another in an intire Empire. So is it above sixty times in the agreed examples of Daniel and the Revelations. See discourse on Query the 2d.

And therefore I could not but look upon Alcasar's determina∣tion of the Seven Heads to Seven Roman Persecutions of the Church, as arbitrary; and much more the opinion of those

Protestants, who agree that the only Constitutive Difference of the Six first Heads of the Beast, is nothing but a different name of the Civil Power; for they were all Six of the same * 1.16 Religion); and yet will make the Two last Successions of the Eight, which compleat the Seven Heads, to be nothing but Two Changes of Religion under the same Civil Head with the Sixth. For this is to make a new Rule for the difference of the Two last Successions, without any ground for it from the Pro∣phecy, and contrary to all the known and acknowledged Ex∣amples, either in the rest of the Heads of the same Beast, or in the Heads and Horns of other Beasts; and gives great advan∣tage to the Papists to despise the Protestants Application. The Pleas for it may be seen answered, in Answer to Objection 1, 2, 3, against the 2d Query.

11. There is so plain a distinction in the Second Beast of the 13th Chapter, from the first Beast there, and the one so mani∣festly * 1.17 set forth as an Ecclesiastical Power under the Character of the False Prophet, in distinction to the other, whose Image and Honour he is altogether employed to advance, that I could never yield to make them but one and the same thing, viz. The Papal Power only: But yet because they make but one joint Confederacy for the interest of a false Religion against the true Church, they are therefore sometimes promiscuously used to signifie the actions of one another in that common concern; and the Image, and Babylon, are in the same manner used. Thus is Babylon said to be fallen, chap. 14. 8. to signifie the decay of the Power of the Image; and the Beast in the 17th chapter is said to have the Power and Strength of the Ten Kings given him, which belongs properly to the Image of the Beast.

12. It seems to be a very unnatural force upon the Text, to make the Seventh King none of the Seven Heads, in chap. * 1.18 17. 10.

For it is manifestly reckon'd up in order, as one of those Seven Kings, which in the beginning of that verse, are said to be the Seven Heads; and without making it one of the Seven Heads, there will be but Six Heads upon the Beast in the 13th chapter. * 1.19 For it is agreed that it was the Sixth King, and Sixth Head that was there wounded; and it must be the same Head that was seen healed; which also is agreed to be the Eighth King, and last Ruling Head: If therefore the Seventh King were no Head,

there would be no new Head after the Sixth, but only the Sixth healed of a wound, whereas there were Seven really distinct Heads seen upon the Beast.

That which is pleaded for the ground of this Opinion, is answered in the Answer to the 1st, 2d, and 3d Objections against the Second Query.

It will much confirm the strength of the whole Process of the Propositions before laid down, to observe to what strange shifts those Interpreters have been put, that own any part of the Demonstration, and yet will stand out against the Conclusion.

Those that own Babylon to be Rome, but not the present Rome Christian, are forced to make it to be, Either Rome Pagan * 1.20 Two hundred Years after the Empire was turned Christian, and was then burnt in the possession of a Christian King, by a Chri∣stian Emperor: Or, To make it to be Rome a little before the end of the World, grown prodigiously rich by Foreign Traf∣fick, Rev. 18, 19. and having brought the Kings of the earth, under her Subjection, v. 3. in the space of Three Years and an * 1.21 half: Or, To make it to be both Rome Heathen, and Rome at the end of the world, which should cry, I sit as a Queen, and shall see no sorrow, v. 7. and which should not have the Pagan Power of it abated, or ended, for above a Thousand Years after it began to be Rome Christian; all which are such monstrous In∣consistencies, as to make any conclude them to be impossible.

Those that own Babylon to be Rome, and the last Ruling Head of the Beast to be Antichrist about the end of the World; and that the whole Seven Heads are so many immediate Successions of Ruling Powers; to make the Sixth Head continue from * 1.22 the time of St. John (when it is by the Text signified to be in Rule) to the time of the Seventh King, that is, (in their opinion) to a short space before the end of the World, they are forced to make the Sixth King to be of a much longer Conti∣nuance than the Imperial Government at Rome, that was the King in being at the time of the Vision: For they own, that the Imperial Government was long since at an end at Rome, and therefore are they forced to make their Sixth King to be all those persecuting Powers of the World, that reach from the time of the Vision, to about the end of the World; in consequence of which it is necessary for them to make the Beast in general, to

be the whole World, and the rest of the Heads so many Successi∣ons of either persecuting Ages, or Monarchies of it; and this is so contrary to the known acceptation of a Beast, and its Heads or Horns, for one Ruling Nation only, all over the Prophecy of Daniel, (as it is by these very persons acknowledged), that no∣thing could make it appear to what a forced shift they were fain to flye to avoid the bringing in of Antichrist into the Roman Church many Ages ago, if they should have granted the Sixth Head at the time of the Vision to have been the then Ruling Imperial Power of Rome only.

But a much more apparent shift is it in those, who think themselves forced to own the Beast to be but one single Nation only, or the Roman Empire; and the last ruling Head to be An∣tichrist * 1.23 about the end of the World; and the Head in Rule at the time of the Vision, to be the Imperial Government; but after all this for fear of bringing in Antichrist into the Roman Church too soon, to make the Seven Heads to signifie collectively, all the Roman Emperors either at Rome or Constantinople, or at Vienna; whereas the number Seven is apparently here divided into broken numbers, which does as certainly determine the Heads to that definite number in an immediate Succession to one another. And nothing could have made it appear how so well a versed understanding in the Critical use of words as Bellarmine's was, resolved to outface his own Knowledg, to avoid a dange∣rous Consequence; for if he had allowed the Seven Heads to have been just so many Successive Changes of the Rule of the Romans, he must certainly have made the Sixth Head end at the Succession of the Kingly Government of Rome upon the fall of the Western Empire, tho the Imperial Government at Constanti∣nople; had been part of the Sixth Head: For the change of the other part of it at Rome, did make a new Change of the whole Government, that is, from Imperial, to the mixt Form of King∣ly and Imperial together; as the Tribunes with the Consulary Power, were a Change of the Consulary Head of the Go∣vernment.

But of all the forced shifts that we meet with, the most Para∣doxical and absurd are those of the Grotian way; they grant * 1.24 the Beast to be the Idolatrous Roman Empire; and the Heads to be Successive Changes of Roman Rulers; and the time of the Beast to continue at least to the Reign of Justinian: and yet

make the last Ruling Head of the Beast to be at an end with the Reign of Domitian, which is Contrary to all the Representations of the Beast in the 17th chapter, as ending with his last Head: * 1.25 they do also by this make the Ten Horns to be a long time after the last Head, which are said expresly to give their Kingdom to the Eighth King, or the Beast under the last Ruling Head. They do also make the Seven Heads of the Beast to be but so many sin∣gle Persons, contrary to the known signification of the Heads and Horns of Beasts all over Daniel. They do also make the different Shows of the same Beast in the 11th, 13th, and 17th Chapters, to be really distinct Beasts from one another; with∣out any ground for it, but the different Shows of them, con∣trary to what the exact resemblance of their Characters to one another, would make any judg them to be; and contrary to the * 1.26 plain demonstration of their being but one and the same thing from the Characters of them; and contrary to the sense of al∣most all kind of Interpreters, especially those of the Roman Party, who cry out against the main foundations of this Opini∣on, as nothing but the extravagancies of men without any * 1.27 sense in them, tho the whole business of all the pains that is taken by these Contrivances, is to remove the charge of Idolatry from the Church of Rome.

Those that own the Fourth Beast in the Seventh of Daniel, and the Beast in the Revelations. to be the particular Nation of the Romans, and yet will make the little Horn of the one, and the last Head, or Eighth King in the other, to come after the destruction of the Beasts to which they belong, * 1.28 show, that they value not Contradictions, to keep off Antichrist from appearing in the Roman Church. And those that own the last time of the Beast to be about the end of the world, and yet will make Babylon that accompanies the Beast to the last, to be Rome Pagan, must have much the same contempt * 1.29 of the plain intimations of the Prophecy; and those also that can think, That Babylon is not the same thing, but several vastly distant States of Roman Rule in the several mentions of it, or both Rome Pagan, and Rome near the end of the World. * 1.30

Those of the Protestants that make the Change of Religion in the Imperial Head, to be a new Head, seem to be so wholly intent upon the Charge of Antichristianism upon the Church * 1.31 of Rome, that they neglect all known and acknowledged Ex∣amples

of the difference of the Heads of Beasts, to fix their Charge; And to hold to it, they are forced to wrest the na∣tural and plain sense of the 10th verse of the 17th Chapter of the Revelations, and to find out some far fetched Criticisms to make it good; As the making of the 7th of those Seven Kings, that are said to be the seven Heads, to be none of those Heads: And * 1.32 as the making 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 to denote the Seventh King to be quite different from the rest, does appear to be. See Prop. 4.

They are also forced to make the wounded, and the healed * 1.33 Head, to be two distinct Heads of the seven, which is contrary to the plain Expressions of the Prophecy, which mention it to be seen but as one and the same Head wounded and healed; and is also contrary to the common acceptation of a Head wounded and healed, which can be but one Head.

Others of them are forced to make the Seventh King, and the Eighth, to be the same thing, and for that end to transpose the latter end of the 10th verse, and to make it come after the * 1.34 beginning of the 11th, contrary to the natural order of the Text.

Those that would fix all the Charge of the Beast, and the False Prophet, upon the Papal Power only, are forced to make nothing of the plain Characters by which they are distinguished from one another, when named together, nor of the Change of the name of the Civil Government of the Romans at the fall of the Western Empire, though that was the only difference betwixt the first six Heads of the Beast, according to their own Opinion. For the first six Heads were all of the same Religion, that is, Pagans: And upon this account is it, that most of them are forced to make the first appearance of the Beast to be of a very uncertain date; that is, according to their fancy about the first great ap∣pearance of the Papal Power, which cannot well be fixed: Whereas the first Rise of the Beast must have been a very visible and remarkable Change of the Supream Power of Rome, from that which was the 7th Ruling Power of it to the 8th, called the Beast.

It is upon this account, that some of those who incline to the former Opinion, and yet do plainly see, that the Beast must be a Change of the form of the Civil Power of the Empire, do therefore make the Ten Kings with the Papal Power, to be the Beast, that is, the Eighth King, or last Ruling Head. But what * 1.35

an absurdity do they fly to in this, when it is manifest, that the Ten Kings were the Ten Horns, and none of the Seven Heads.

Others of them indeed defer the Rise of this Papal Beast, to that manifest Change of the Imperial Power at the fall of the Western Empire in Augustulus, as the end of the true Christian Em∣perors, who are their Seventh King; but then they are forced to make nothing of the succeeding Sovereign Power of the Ita∣lian Kings of Rome, who were as Absolute Sovereigns of it, not∣withstanding their Royal Seat at Ravenna, as any of the Western Emperors had been from the time of Honorius, who first made Ravenna the Imperial Seat. They are also forced to pass over the Change of the Regal and Imperial Power of Rome, to the pure Imperial Government at the recovery of Rome by Justinian, as of no account for a new Head, though they must own the Ea∣stern Emperors to have been as much Sovereigns of Rome at this Re-conquest of it, as the Western were before the loss of it, and when they were the acknowledged Sixth Head. This appears from the Power of the Eastern Emperors Exarchs after the reco∣very of the West.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Rev. XIII.
• * 1.2

  Andreas Cae∣sar, Aretas, Primatius, Be∣da, &c.
• * 1.3

  Prop. 1.
• * 1.4

  See Consent of Antiquity, &c.
• * 1.5

  Ribera, &c.
• * 1.6

  Prop. 16.
• * 1.7

  Prop. 15.
• * 1.8

  Bellarm. &c.
• * 1.9

  Grotius, &c.
• * 1.10

  Prop. 16.
• * 1.11

  Most of the Romish Inter∣preters.
• * 1.12

  The same.
• * 1.13

  Ribera, &c.
• * 1.14

  Grot. Dr. Ham∣mond. Prop. 6. and Coroll.
• * 1.15

  Grot. Dr. Ham∣mond. Corol. 1. Prop. 12.
• * 1.16

  Mr. Mede. Dr. More.
• * 1.17

  Most Prote∣stants. Prop. 24, &c.
• * 1.18

  Dr. More, &c.
• * 1.19

  Prop. 4, & 5.
• * 1.20

  Alcasar, Groti∣us, Dr. Ham∣mond.
• * 1.21

  Ribera, &c.
• * 1.22

  Ribera, &c. Most Papists. Rev. 17 10.
• * 1.23

  Bellarm. &c.
• * 1.24

  Grot. Dr. Ham∣mond.
• * 1.25

  Prop. 6. Corol. ibid.
• * 1.26

  First Book.
• * 1.27

  Preface to my former Trea∣tise. The Judg∣ments of God, &c.
• * 1.28

  Most of the Romanists.
• * 1.29

  The same.
• * 1.30

  Prop. 2, & 3.
• * 1.31

  Most Prote∣stants.
• * 1.32

  Dr. More, 648.
• * 1.33

  Mr. Mede.
• * 1.34

  Monsieur Ju∣rieu Accomp. des Prophe∣cies, pag. 190. 2d Edit. Most Prote∣stants.
• * 1.35

  Prop. 6.