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Hieron.

I Tom.

pag 109.

ftrongest Evidence for fixing the Time of the Beginning of all the Three, I must not omit the Opinion St. Jerome had of That Beginning, when he faw in the fifth Century, the Barbarous Nations invading the Roman Empire, whom he reckons up to the Number of Ten, and when he faw Gaul and Spain already Conquered, and "Rome it felf the Scene of War, Strugling, not " for Glory, but for Safety, and not even Strug- Oper. ling, but forced to Buy her Life with her "Gold and other Treasures. " Upon this Paris Occasion he thus breaks out, "We fee him 1609. that letteth, ready to be taken out of the Way, 2 Thef "and don't we plainly fee, that Anti-Chrift is "Coming?" St. Jerom understood the VVeftern Empire to be him that Letteth, and as he Writes about Thirty Years before its Ruin in Valentinian the III. he fees it already so far gone, as to have no hope of its Efcaping. And for this Reafon he immediately adds, VVo to them that Mark are with Child, and to them that give Suck in XIII. 17 thofe Days.

By which it is plain, that St. Jerom applies

thefe

II. 6.

Dan. XII

II.

thefe Threatnings to the Destruction of the Roman Empire, as I have done in the foregoing Parts of this Difcourfe. And all these Arguments he ufes in an Epistle to Ageruchia, to diffuade her from a second Marriage in such miserabse Times. And thus have I endeavoured to explain the Second Period, contained in thefe Words of Daniel,

"And from the time that the Daily shall be "taken away, and the Abomination that maketh "Defolate, fet up, there fhall be a Thousand "Two Hundred and Ninety Days.

وو

I

SECT. X I.

Of the Third Period.

Will now proceed to explain the Third and laft Period of One Thousand Three Hundred and Thirty Five Days, and then fhew that these three diftinct Periods are not only distinguished in this XII. Chapter of Daniel, but likewife in the VII. and very particularly in the History, as

it

it is contained in the Revelations of St. John. Daniel ends his Prophecy with this comfortable Warning from the Lord,

12.

"Bleffed is he that waiteth and cometh to Dan, xii. "The Thousand Three Hundred and Thirty Five « Days;

"But go thou thy Way till the end be, for “thou shalt rest, and stand in thy Lot at the "End of the Days.

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Here is a Bleffed Time Prophefied of at the very End. We have already obferved, that Time of the End to be the One Thoufand Two Hundred and Sixty Years, but then when that Time is out, the End takes firft Thirty Years to fet up the Daily again, and take away the Abomination that maketh Defolate, and now Forty Five Years more, before all is quite finished. It is natural that the End should thus consist of several Years, fince most of the great Tranfactions of the World have done the fame.

13.

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The Jewish Captivity ended in the firft of Ezra, I. Cyrus, but they Laboured under fuch Dfficulties that they could not Rebuild the Temple till the

VI

133

Exra

VI year of Darius, nor was the Wall of their VI. 15. City finifhed, (which alone fecured them from the Infults of their Neighbours) till the XX of

Nehem.

II. 1.

V. 14.

VI. 15.

Artaxerxes, at the fooneft, or as feems most probable, till the XXXII Year of that Kings XIII. 6. Reign.

XII. 27.

The Overturning the Heathen Roman Empire by Conftantine, is the Period whence we reckon its End, and yet it had a Revival, in Julian, feveral years after, which lafted till, on Julian's Death it finally Perished.

The Power of the Popes in England was taken away by Henry the VIII. and thence we reckon its Fall, tho' it had a dangerous Revival in Queen Mary's Reign, but was quite Extirpated upon her Death.

And in Germany, when the Reformation first began, and the Smalkaldick League was at its height, we reckon the Papal Power received its Decisive Stroke among thofe Princes and Cities who imbraced the Reformation; tho' afterwards Charles the V. had Imprifoned fome, Deprived others, and wellnigh Extinguished the Party, till

Affairs

Affairs took a new Turn, by the Policy of Maurice Elector of Saxony; and then the Reformation was firmly Established by the Treaty of Passau.

Juft fo We are to confider the Fate of the Church of Rome, that it has received its Stunning Blow, when it loft that Moft Chriftian King, as they might well call Lewis the XIV. whofe chief Ambition was to Extirpate Herefie, in which Attempt he ventured his Kingdom, at the Perfwafion of the Jesuits, who flattered him with a better Crown in Heaven, for his Service done to the Church on Earth.

We are yet to expect the Fall of the Court of Rome, by its being totally Deserted and Neglected by the Princes who ftill depend on it. And when that is over, the Orders of Monks and Fryers, and particularly the Jefuits, are very likely to take feveral years more before they are wholly ftript and rooted out of the Kingdoms and Countries, where they now enjoy fo large Poffeffions, and have fo much Sway with the Ignorant People, and then every thing that is to be done, during the End, will be prepared

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