POSTSCRIPT.

THAT I may shew my reader what I now see, and what is going on in the world, as far as relates to the church of God, I will offer him my thoughts in a small compass, that he may take them in one view, and be upon his guard.

We have an account in Daniel of a fourth beast, a most terrible creature, with ten horns on its head, Dan. vii. 7. This is the last kingdom that is to be on the earth, or the last great empire, Dan. vii. 23. This is the Roman empire, divided into ten kingdoms; and the little horn among them is the pope, who rose up among the ten kings, and at the same time, Dan. vii. 20. Before this little horn three fell, Dan. vii. 8; which three little powers were subdued by Pepin and Charlemagne, kings of France, and given to the pope; which gift furnished his head with the triple crown. This little horn is to be known,

1. By his exalting himself above all emperors, kings, or rulers, which the scriptures style gods. "He shall exalt himself and magnify himself above every god," Dan. xi. 36. "He shall not

2. By forbidding to marry.

3. He is to be singled out by fighting against the people of God. "I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them, Dan. vii. 21.

From the time of this horn's speaking great things, and warring with the saints, to his final destruction, is what Daniel wanted to know: "How long shall it be to the end of these wonders?" The answer given follows: "And the man clothed in linen lift up his right hand and left hand to heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever, that it shall be for a time, times, and a half," Dan. xii. 7.

Before the expiration of this mysterious term there is to be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation to that same time, Dan. xii. 1. In the beginning of this time of trouble he shall scatter the power of the holy people, Dan. xii. 7. When this power is scattered, no arm shall withstand; neither shall the chosen people withstand; neither shall there be any strength to withstand, Dan. xi. 15. But what appears the most astonishing is, that some simple souls, real partakers of grace, shall be so far influenced and blinded, by the universal apostasy of professing hypocrites, that even they shall contribute not a little towards this time of Jacob's trouble. This is confirmed both by the Old Testament and the New: He shall have upright ones with him; a

little daughter of Zion shall be corrupted, of which an ancient princess was a type; but she shall not stand long on his side, neither be for him, Dan. xi. 17; for her everlasting Father shall give her a timely call from thence: "And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues," Rev. xviii. 4. But the hypocrites in our Zion shall be the greatest promoters of this last calamity. These, being proud and haughty, and wise in their own conceit, shall seduce the above simple ones, and influence them with a spirit of rebellion and disaffection, and plunder them of their tenderness and reverence of Christ and his word: "Also the robbers of thy people shall exalt themselves to establish the vision, but they shall fall," Dan. xi. 14. The New Testament describes these robbers thus: "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables," 2 Tim. iv. 3, 4. This time is come, and all these things have taken place: "Nevertheless, the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits."

In this approaching time of unparallelled trouble shall Michael, the great prince, stand up, which stands for his people, Dan. xii. 1. He shall rise from his throne, and stand up, as he did at the

time of Stephen's trial; and the heavens shall open, as they did then, and the skies shall begin to pour down righteousness, Isai. xlv. 8. He shall stand up, during the time of this next conflict, and exert himself in behalf of his saints: as soon as the power of his people is all gone, and they are worn out, overcome, and prevailed against; then shall Christ stand up, and execute judgment on the murderers of his people, and vindicate and justify the righteous; and shall destroy all his enemies, and establish the kingdoms of this world in the hands of his saints; and so it is written, “I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them, until the Ancient of Days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the Most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom," Dan. vii. 21, 22.

This prevailing against the saints is not to be understood of their being subjected to popery, but of their being deprived of all civil power, and of their being slain or silenced, and so deprived of all public worship, which shall continue three years and an half. They shall lie slain as many days as popery hath reigned years. But from the damnable deception of popery, and from the damnation that it exposes sinners to, and out of this last perilous time of trouble, shall all the elect of God be most surely delivered: so it follows, "And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was; and at that time [take notice of that] thy people

shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. In allusion to this, Christ promises, in his epistle written to us, first, that he will keep us in the hour of temptation; and, secondly, that he will not blot our names out of the book of life; but, in spite of the universal corruption of thousands, some shall walk with him in white.

We must now go to the New Testament to see when Daniel's time, times, and a half, in which this horn is to reign, began. Paul gives us two outward signs of it: first, a general apostasy; and, secondly, an open exhibition of the man of sin, insomuch, that the children of light might see him, and apply the portrait drawn of him in the scriptures to him: "That day shall not come except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition," 2 Thess. ii. 3. Apostasy from the truth in the Roman empire paved the way, and then this son of perdition appeared, with the evident tokens of perdition upon him; and then that day came in which Daniel's time, times, and a half, began. For the triple crown, and the word, mystery, at the front of it, and the title of universal bishop added to these, made him manifest; so that he was then clearly revealed and made known to the spouse of Christ; and she discovered him, exclaimed against him, and fled from him, as from the face of the old serpent which deceived Eve; and so it follows, "And there appeared another