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.

A TABLE OF PROPOSITIONS

To be Inspected, when any Proposition or Corollary, or Rule is quoted, to avoid the trouble of turning to it in the body of the Book.

BOOK I.

Propositions, Rules and Corollaries.

• Proposit. 1. BAbylon, Revelat. 17. is the City of Rome in an Antichristian and Idolatrous Domination. From hence are drawn these Rules of Interpretation.
• Rule 1. Words of a plain signification are to be taken in the 17th Chapter of the Revelations, in that sense, in which they are generally taken in the World, unless it be inconsistent with something more clearly known.
• Rule 2. Words of a mystical signification must follow the use of them amongst the Prophets, if not inconsistent with something more clearly known.
• Rule 3. The same Words do signify the same things all over the Prophecy, unless there be clear grounds against it.
• Rule 4. The different Judgments of Learned Men ought not to weaken our Assent to what appears sufficiently clear after an impartial Examination, es∣pecially if it be commonly acknowledged.
• Proposit. 2. Babylon signifies the same thing immediately before, in, and after the 17th Chapter.
• Corollary. Babylon is the same thing in the 14th Chapter, as it is in the rest.
• Proposit. 3. The Judgment of Babylon in all Chapters, is the desolation of Rome by Fire in the time of its Idolatrous Antichristian Domination.
• Corollary. Babylon cannot be Rome-Pagan.
• Proposit. 4. Every one of the Eight Kings, Revelat. 17. reckoned up in order, v. 10, 11. is one of those called the Seven Kings in General, v. 10.
• Corollary. The Eighth King is one of the Seven Kings, who had been in Rule be∣fore, and was returned into Power again.
• Proposit. 5. Every one of the Eight Kings, Rev. 17. 10, 11. is represented by one of the Seven Heads of the Beast.
• Coroll. 1. The Eighth King is one of the seven Heads that had ruled before, and was revived again.
• Coroll. 2. The Eighth King, called the Beast (v. 11.) is the Beast with that Head only, which is last in Rule.
• Proposit. 6. The Beast all over the 17th Chapter, is the Beast in the time of its last Ruling Head.
• Coroll. 1. The Beast in the 17th Chapter, continues no longer than his last Ruling Head. Against Grotius's Notion of the Beast after all his Heads.

• ... Coroll. 2: The Ten Horns belong to the Beast no longer, than the time of his Last Head. Against the same.
• Proposit. 7. The Beast all over the 17th Chapter of the Revelations, is a particular Sovereign of Rome in the time of its Idolatrous Rule.
• Proposit. 8. The Term of The Beast all over the 13th Chapter, does signify the First Beast, shown v. 1.
• Corollar. 1. By the Image, Mark, Name, and number of the Name of the Beast, chap. 13. is to be understood the Image, &c. of the First Beast.
• Corollar. 2. By the Beast with the False Prophet, and with the Image, Mark, &c. in all the other Chapters of the Revelations, is to be understood the First Beast, with all the same Attendants in Chap. 13.
• Proposit. 9. The Beast in the 13th Chapter, is a particular state of the Beast under one of its either Ruling Heads, or Horns, for all the time of the con∣tinuance of the Head, or Horn.
• Corollar. 1. The False Prophet, or Second Beast, Image, Mark, Name, &c. do in all the mentions of them in the 13th Chapter, belong to that particu∣lar state of the Beast under either of one of its Heads, or Horns.
• Corollar. 2. The Beast with the False Prophet, Image, Mark, &c. in all other Chap∣ters, signifies the same particular state of the Beast, that it is signi∣fied to be in the 13th Chapter, with the like Adjuncts.
• Proposit. 10. The Seven Heads, and the Ten Horns in the 13th and 17th Chapters, are the same things.
• Corollar. 1. The Beasts in the 13th and 17th Chapters, are one and the same parti∣cular Beast in every successive state of the same Heads, or Horns.
• Corollar. 2. The Beast in the 13th Chapter, is the same particular state of the Beast with that in the 17th Chapter, for the whole time of its continuance.
• Corollar. 3. The wounded, and healed Head of the Beast, Chap. 13. is the same Last Ruling Head of the Beast with that in the 17th Chapter.
• Proposit. 11. The Judgment of the Dead, Rev. 11. 18. is the General Judgment at Christ's Second Coming.
• Corollary. The Reign of Christ over the Kingdoms of the World, Rev. 11. 15. is Christ's Second Coming in glory.
• Proposit. 12. The Beast that killed the Witnesses, Rev. 11. 7. is the same particular time of Roman Rule with the Beast in the other Chapters.
• Corollar. 1. The Beast in the Revelations is to continue till some Ʋniversal Reign of Christ over the Kingdoms of this World.
• Corollar. 2. The Beast, and the Two Witnesses, Chap. 11. are Contemporaries for the whole time of the continuance of them both.

BOOK II.

PROPOSITIONS.

• Prop. 13. THE Kingdom of the Son of Man, Daniel 7. 13, 14. is some Kingdom of Christ Jesus.
• Prop. 14. The Kingdom of the Son of Man, Dan. 7. is the Second Coming of Christ in glory.
• Corollary. The Kingdom of the Son of Man is Christ's Second Coming to Judg∣ment.
• Prop. 15. The Fourth Kingdom in the 7th Chapter of Daniel, is the same thing with the Beast in the Revelations.
• Coroll. 1. The Last Ruling Head of the Beast in the Revelations, is the same thing with the Little Horn of the Fourth Beast, Dan. 7.
• Coroll. 2. The Beast in the Revelations signifies the same particular time of Reign with the Fourth Beast in the time of the Little Horn, Dan. 7.
• Coroll. 3. The time of the Beast in the Revelations did not begin till after the di∣vision of the Roman Empire into Ten Kingdoms.
• Coroll. 4. The time of the Beast in the Revelations is not yet past.
• Prop. 16. All over the Prophecy of Daniel, By a Beast, as the common Subject of its Heads, and Horns, is meant a Ruling Nation, or People;
• Part. 1.
• Part. 2. By the Heads, and Horns of that Beast, the several kinds of Supream Government in that Nation:
• Part. 3. And if they be said to come after one another, they denote so many Suc∣cessive Governments in the same place.
• Part. 4. But if they are described as ruling all at the same time, then they signify so many divided Sovereignties in that one Ruling People, or Nation;
• Part. 5. And in both the kinds of them, each particular Head, or Horn, does signify the whole time of all the several single Governours, that reign either in the same form of Government, when they signify successive Forms of Government, or in the same particular division, when they signify divided Kingdoms.
• Observ. 1. Every whole Figure signifying Dominion, does all over Daniel signify a Ruling People, or Nation.
• Observ. 2. The parts of whole Figures, signifying Dominion, do all over Daniel fol∣low the Rule of the Heads and Horns of the Beast.

• ... Observ. 3. An Head, and an Horn, are indifferently used to signify the same Ruling Power of a Nation.
• Observ. 4. The distinguishing Character of a new Succession of an Head, or Horn, or of a new Succession of a different Government in the same place, is a new name of the Sovereign Power publickly established.
• Observ. 5. All parts of Figures signifying Dominion, do all over Daniel denote the whole successive Line of all the single Persons, that reign either in the same form of Government, or in the same part of a divided Nation, or People.

BOOK III.

PROPOSITIONS.

• Prop. 17. THE Beast in the Revelations, when taken for the common Sub∣ject of its Heads, or Horns, does signify the Rule of the Romans in general; The Seven Heads of it, the Successive Changes of the Government of that Nation; The Ten Horns, the division of that Em∣pire into so many several Sovereignties.
• Prop. 18. The Three last Kings of the Eight, Rev. 17. 10, 11. are three Changes of Roman Government coming after one another in an immediate order.
• Prop. 19. The Sixth King, Revelat. 17. 10. was the Imperial Government of Rome in the time of St. John.
• Prop. 20. The Beast was that Supream Government of Rome which came next but one after the Imperial Government in St. John's time.
• Prop. 21. An Head of the Beast is that setled Sovereign Power of the Romans, whose Authority is owned for Supream by the City of Rome.
• Coroll. 1. Every Head of the Beast is at an end, when the City of Rome does own another setled Power for Supream in the room of it.
• Coroll. 2. The Sixth Head was at an end, when the City of Rome owned ano∣ther setled Authority in the room of the Imperial Government, that had continued from the time of St. John.
• Prop. 22. At the ruine of the Western Empire by the Heruli, and Gothish Kings of Italy, the Sixth Head was at the latest at an end.
• Prop. 23. The Beast called the Eighth King, Rev. 17. 11. is a Sovereign Power of Rome, that is owned there for Supream at this present.
• Corollar. 1. The 42 Months of the Beast, Rev. 13. 5. are at least 1260 Chaldaick Years.
• Corollar. 2. The 1260 days of the Two Witnesses, Revel. 11. 3. are the same con∣current time with the 42 Months of the Beast.
• Corollar. 3. The Two Witnesses in Sackcloth, Revel. 11. 3. do represent the whole True Church of Christ during all the time of the Reign of the Beast.
• Prop. 24. The Second Beast, Revel. 13. 11. is a Church-head owned for Supream over all the Roman Jurisdiction, and distinct from the First Beast.

• ... Prop. 25. The Beast in the Revelations is a Secular Sovereign Power of the Ro∣mans confederated with an Ecclesiastical Roman Head in an Anti∣christian Idolatrous League, and distinct from him.
• Coroll. 1. The Second Beast, Revel. 13. 11. is a Succession of Ecclesiastical Per∣sons, having Supream Power in Ecclesiastical Affairs.
• Coroll. 2. The Beast, and the False Prophet, are those Two Secular and Ecclesiasti∣cal Governours, which are at this present time acknowledged Supream by the City of Rome, and distinct from one another.
• Coroll. 3. The Present Imperial, and Papal Power of the Romans, are the Beast, and the False Prophet. Concerning the First Appearance of the Beast.
• Query 1. Whether, at the time of Justinian's Conquest of the Italian Goths, there had not been at least two such Changes of the Secular Govern∣ment of Rome since the time of St. John, as might he called two different Heads of the Beast?
• Query 2. Whether the First Rise of the Beast was not upon the Conquest of the Goths by Justinian?