Mind, and being agreed in this Point, shall give their Power and Strength unto the Beast; that is, these ten Kingdoms or Nations having confented and agreed to give up their Power and Strength, for the holding up of this Antichriftian Beast, give way and make room for another Horn to rife out of them; that is, a different and strange Form of Government, erected, held up, and maintained by the Pope and his Antichristian Church, in his Pretence to the Civil as well as the Ecclefiaftical Power. This little Horn that is said to rise up from or amongst the Ten, had Eyes like the Eyes of a Man; and does signifie what Wifdom, Cunning, and fubtil Craftiness, they should make use of in the framing of this Government. And it had a Mouth Speaking great things: That is, he shall be exceeding high and haughty in his Words, pretending to great and extraordinary Matters, even to the blafpheming of God and his Tabernacle, Rev. xiii. 6.

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But to return again to the Confideration of the 7th Verse; This Fourth Beast, or the Roman Empire under its Papal Power, who had the Man of Sin, or the Antichrift spoken of, as its chief Head, is faid to be dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly: Dreadful and terrible he has been to Nations and Kingdoms round about him, by Fire, Sword, and bloody Mafsacres. Dreadful and terrible he has been to the Church and People of God, by afflicting, wounding, and perfecuting of them even unto Death; by devising of a thousand Torments and Cruelties. Dreadful and terrible he has been to Princes, Kings, and Emperors, by his dreadful Bulls and Excommunications, that used to be terrible to Nations and Kingdoms, in curfing them

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them (if they displeased him) to the Devil, by Bell, Book, and Canlle. And strong exceedingly; and well he might, whilst he had the Strength of Ten Horns or Kingdoms, to hold him up: Out of which he formed (as before) a Double Power; which Power he improv'd to the uttermoft, to make all stand in fear of him, and to wonder after the Beast. What dreadful and terrible Exploits has he done by this Power, when he was in his Heighth; that no earthly Monarch in the World could ever pretend unto!

Here is another thing that he had; and that was his great Iron Teeth. This further denotes his Cruelty; for with them he devoured and broke in pieces. Oh how terribly has he bitten the Church, and perfecuted the People of God, without Pity or human Bowels! He knew not how to fpare any that came within his Clutches: These Iron Teeth (like those that eat Man's Flesh) were for devouring all that came to hand, in deftroying, as far as poffibly he could, Soul and Body together. Woe be to them (with respect to their Bodies or Outward Man, at least) that came betwixt the Teeth of this Beast; for they are very sharp. This is the Devil's Work; it is he that whets and sharpens these Teeth, to do his Drudgery: They cut thro' where they come, without making any bones of them. Many Thousands have felt the dreadful Sharpness of these Iron Teeth: It was from the Face of this serpentine Beast, that the Woman, the Church (who did retain the Doctrines of the Gofpel, in their Purity both of Faith and Order ) was forced to flee into the Wilderness, where God had prepared a Place for her Safety; otherwise none could

have escaped his Cruelty. But this is not all What his barbarous Teeth could not come at he endeavours with his foul and hellish Feet to ftamp down, and to destroy; which Feet are of the fame nature with the Iron Teeth. All this Cruelty is acted with one and the fame Power. The Words run thus; And stamped the Residue with the Feet of it. These Feet have done a world of Mischief. How has this monstrous Beast not only trampled upon the Necks of Kings and earthly Princes; but it has trampled upon the Necks of the Saints; it has trampled upon their Perfons, their Good Names, Estates, and whatsoever was near and dear to them: It has trampled upon the Word of God, with the precious Truths of the Gofpel. What Mischief this bloody Beast could not do with the Teeth of Cruelty, it has endeavoured to do with its Feet, by its Emissaries, Cardinals, Doctors, Jesuits, Priefts, Monks, and Friars; with the whole Neft and Locust of Errors and Herefies, coming out of the Smoke of the Bot tomless Pit. Oh how has the Truth of Christ been darken'd, and the clear Waters of the Sanctuary been muddied! Yea, hath not this Beast set its foul Feet into our Waters, so that the Saints cannot drink the clear Stream, as it comes from the Fountain: Though, blessed be God, we are deliver'd in some measure from the Iron Teeth; it cannot bite us now, as it has done; the most that it can do in this respect, is only to grin and set its Teeth at us, Yet we are not altogether free from its Feet; I mean in respect to its mudding the pure Streams of the Grace of the Gospel. Wherever theGospel is not preached in its Pureness, Freeness, Clearness,

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ness, and Unmixedness; there the Beast may be faid to set its foul Feet. This is certain; If it cannot fet its Feet upon the precious Truths of God, so as to destroy them; it will endeavour to be setting of its Feet upon them, so as to cloud them, darken them, mud them, and deface the Excellency of them: And this we have and do dismally experience to thisday. How has the Doctrine of Free Grace, and Juftification, by the imputed Righteousness of Chrift alone, been darken'd; together with the Glory of Christ's blessed Kingdom, and almost every Truth of the Gofpel! Rev. ix. 2. And he opened the bottomless Pit, and there arose a Smoke out of the Pit, as the Smoke of a great Furnace: And the Sun and the Air were darken'd, byreason of the Smoke of the Pit.It is byreason of thisSmoke we cannot fee so clearly into many precious Truths of Chrift: It is by reason of this dark Smoke and foul Feet, that the Glory of Christ's Visible Kingdom in this World, cannot be seen by many of the Saints: It is this Smoke (whatever they may think) that is so offenfive to their Eyes: It is the Devil that endeavours to blow it up (either immediately himself, or by his Instruments) which makes them quarrel and be fo offended at the Truth. It is by reason of this dark Smoke, that there are so many Divisions among the Saints, that the People of God cannot agree, nor walk comfortably together. But I hope (and Grounds there are for to hope) that the Time is at hand when all this Smoke, Mist, and Darkness, shall be disperst and blown off from the Eyes of all the Saints, by the Rising of the bright Sun of Righteousness: And then it is that they shall fee, Eye to Eye, and lift up their Voices together, when the Lord shall bring again Zion, Isa. lii. 8.

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I shall now proceed to the Confideration of the Ninth and Tenth Verses: I beheld till the Thrones were caft down, and the Ancient of Days did fit; whose Garment was white as Snow, and the Hair of bis Head like the pure Wool; his Throne was like the fiery Flame, and his Wheels as burning Fire. A fiery Stream issued and came forth from before him: ThouSand thousands minister'd unto him, and Ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him. The Judgment was fet, and the Books were opened. These Words are full of Mysteries. I shall endeavour to give my present Thoughts upon them, according to the Light that the Lord hath given me; that with as much Brevity as poflible. Daniel beheld till the Thrones were cast down. By the Word Thrones, an Authority, a Power of Rule and Government is signified. Thrones, in the Plural Number, doth shew, that there will be other Thrones, besides that which Christ is to fit upon. The Thrones being cast down, I humbly conceive may be taken two ways: First, If they have any relation to he foregoing Words, then they may be understood of the Thrones of the Beast; and if fo then the Sense will run thus; That the Thrones Powers, Authorities, Rule, and Government of the Beast, shall be totally cast down, confumed, and destroyed, when the Lord Jesus Christ; or as it is in the other Text, the God of Heaven comes to Set up his Kingdom in the World. These Thrones take in not only the Four Monarchies represented by the Image; but the Laft of the Laft, or the Roman Empire, both under its Pagan and Papal Power; yea Turk and Pope, with all the Adherents of Antichrist, shall then be caft down or confumed

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