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a deprivation of the exiftence which they formerly had as members of fociety, that is, without entering into the minutia of the prophecy, the loss of their privileges, which the accomplishment only can explain. It may fignify in general, that towards the clofe of the dif treffes which Proteftants have experienced from the tyranny of papal Rome, when they begin to fancy themselves fecure from further injuries, a perfecution fhall be fet on foot by the diabolical malevolence and crafty defigns of the Popish powers, which fhall be carried on with violence, and in the iffue fhall deprive Proteftantism of a legal establishment all over Europe, and eject the Proteftant pastors from the exercise of their function.

The members of the church of Rome fhall celebrate this event with every demonftration of joy; for they fhall reckon themselves happily delivered from troublesome monitors, who galled their confcience, by offering convincing evidence of the corruptions of their church, while their fecular interefts would not permit them to renounce her fuperftitions; and they "that dwell on the earth fhall rejoice over "them, and make merry, and shall send gifts

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one to another, because these two prophets "tormented them that dwell on the earth," Rev. xi. But this triumph of Popery shall be

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fhort-lived, as the perfecution of Dioclefian, though the moft violent, and apparently the moft fuccefsful, carried on against the primitive church, by her enemies, was the laft effort of expiring Paganism, fo the death of the witneffes fhall be the laft fuccefsful effort of Popery in Europe.

SECTION III.

The Refurrection of the Witneffes.

AT the end of three years and a half, that is, in the year 1698, the event defcribed in the preceding fection is followed by the refurrection of the witneffes, Rev. xi. 11, 12. "And after three days and an half, the Spirit "of life from God entered into them, and they "ftood upon their feet, and great fear fell upon "them which faw them, and they heard a great "voice from heaven, faying unto them, Come "up hither, and they afcended up to heaven in "a cloud, and their enemies beheld them." In all this there is an obvious reference to the refurrection and afcenfion of our bleffed Lord. The great head of the church, after submitting to the variety of sufferings reprefented in the gospels, was in the end put to death by his enemies; but his death was followed by a glorious refur

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rection to the life that shall never have an end, and his refurrection led to his afcenfion to the right hand of God, when he took possession of the kingdom promifed him; fo his myftical body the church, after experiencing various diftreffes for a courfe of time, by the perfecutions and delufions of Antichrift, fhall in the end be deprived of all political existence. But this political death fhall be followed by a revival of her privileges, of which she shall never afterwards be deprived. God, who is the author of life, spiritual and natural, fhall bestow the fpiritual life extenfively and powerfully, fo that great multitudes of all the nations fhall with fincerity embrace, and with boldness avow their adherence to the true religion; " The fpirit of "life from God entered into them, and they "ftood upon their feet." The fame God who turneth the hearts of kings as the rivers of water, fhall incline the rulers of Europe at that time, to fupport the true religion, by the voice of public authority; they fhall command the paftors of the church to exercise their function, and the people to profefs their belief of the truth. "They heard a great voice from hea

ven, faying unto them, Come up hither." As perfons afcending in a cloud to heaven spurn the earth beneath, fo they, protected by the legal authority of the fupreme powers, fhall con

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temn the machinations and the efforts employed against them, while their enemies fhall fee, with anguish of mind, a revolution which they cannot prevent; "and they afcended up to heaven in "a cloud, and their enemies beheld them."

Two important events for the advantage of the church, shall take place at the fame time with the refurrection of the witneffes. The temporal fovereignty annexed to the Papacy fhall be taken away, and the Ottoman empire shall cease to exist.

SECTION IV.

The Fall of the Pope's Temporal Sovereignty.

Ir is represented in these words, Rev. xi. 13. "And the fame hour was there a great earth"quake, and the tenth part of the city fell." An earthquake in the language of prophecy, fignifies a revolution: The city, and the great city, in the Apocalypfe, fignifies Rome. It is fo called with respect to its dominion, rather than the territory within its walls. Thus, we are told verse 8. of this chapter, that our Lord was crucified in the great city. He certainly was crucified by the authority of Rome, in a province of her empire, though not within the walls. As the Roman empire represented by

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the beaft has ten horns, fignifying fo many kingdoms, the fame empire represented by a city, muft confift of ten parts ;-and as in Daniel's vifion, the Pope's temporal fovereignty is typified by one of these horns, fo the fame fovereignty here is typified by one of these ten parts. But here it may be faid, Why fhould it fignify the Pope's temporal fovereignty, rather than any other of the ten kingdoms? Becaufe, ift, The fall of that fovereignty is of much greater importance to the completion of the prophecy than any, or even feverals of the other kingdoms: accordingly, though feverals fell away at the Reformation, I find no particular mention made of them. 2d, It is the only one of the ten whofe duration is measured in the prophecy; it is the only one, therefore, whofe fall we might expect to be particularly marked. 3d, The time at which this tenth part falls, exactly correfponds with the period in which the Pope's temporal fovereignty ought to fall; for the 42 months allotted to the reign of the feventh head, meafure (as we have already feen, p. 60.) the temporal fovereignty annexed to the Papacy; thefe 42 months make exactly 1260 prophetic days or years, and they coincide throughout with the 1260 years of the witneffes mourning prophecy; but their mourning prophecy ends by their refurrection; at the fame time, therefore, the tem

poral

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