the Mountains, and God fhall fend a great King from Heaven, who shall destroy those wicked Armies by Fire and Sword.

Note, This is the final Deftruction of the Turkif Empire at Chrift's coming, as Lactantius says, on Christmas-Eve, when he shall come as Ultor and Rex.

The Signs of Chrift coming are, Cadet gladins repente ex cœlo: He fhall defcend with the Angels, and a Fire fhall go before him, to destroy Antichrift; Qui feipfum Chriftum mentietur, bellum fæpe renovabit, & fape vincetur, donec quarto pratio confectis omnibus impiis debellatus, & captus: and all other Tyrants fhall be brought to Christ, and he fhall condemn then to Torments; and all Image-worship shall be abolished.

After these things, the Dead fhall rife who are Christians, but none of the Wicked till after the Millennium; and the Saints fhall reign over them who remain alive a thousand Years, with Christ on the Earth. All the Nations fhall not be destroy'd, but be govern'd by the Saints after the Judgment. The Holy City fhall be built, in which Chrift fhall reign. The state of Paradife will return, and the Sun and Moon fhall fhine more gloriously, and the Earth be very fruitful; the Rocks fhall fweat Honey, the fmall Rivers run with Wine, and the great with Milk; [this is a fymbolical defcription of Plenty] the Beasts fhall not de

vour one another, and the Kings of the Earth shall come to worship Christ.

Note, All this Lactantius collected from the Prophets of the Jews and Chriftians, as well as the Sibyls; but Antichrift not being come, he was confounded in the account of the two Beafts. Till Rome is deftroy'd, the end of the World cannot come, Illa enim eft civitas quæ fuftentat omnia.

After a thousand Years the Devil will be loofed, and tempt the Nations to befiege the holy City; then fhall the last Anger of GOD destroy Men by an Earthquake, which fhall throw down all Mountains, and Gities in Syria; the Sun standing still three Days, fhall burn the Earth, and with Hail and Lightning all the Wicked shall be slain, but the Righteous will only remain in the Earth; and then for feven Years there will be Peace.

When the thousand Years are finished,the World will be renew'd, and Men become Angels; then fhall the Unjuft rise to eternal Punishment, (fuch are they that worship Images, or deny Chrift) and fhall be caft 'with the Devil into Hell-fire. Hac eft doEtrina fanctorum prophetarum, quam Chriftiani fequuntur, hac noftra fapientia. -Abfcondi tegig, myfterium quam fideliffime oportet,maxime à nobis.

Note, Lactantius calls this Doctrin the Doctrin of Chrift, which was conceal'd, for fear of the Emperors, in fymbolical figures. Whence LactanR 2

tius

tius had these Traditions of Antichrift's reign in Syria, his fourth Battel, and many other circumftances, which are neither in the Sibyls or Revelations, I know not, unless from Hyftafpis, whom he mentions to reject the Millennium. Lactantius fays, 'tis to deny the Doctrin of the Prophets, and the Traditions of the Chriftians. In this order he has plac'd all Events.

The World muft laft Six thousand Years, the Destruction of the Roman Empire must precede that of the World; then Antichrift fhall perfecute Elias, and be deftroy'd by the Coming of Chrift: Then Christ shall judge them that are rais'd from the Dead, and after this he fhall reign a thousand Years upon the Earth: When all Mankind fhall be rais'd, the Good fhall be made good Angels, and the Wicked punish'd in eternal Fire, and the Earth fhall be made new after its Conflagration.

Collections from St. Austin about the Millennium, in his Book of the City of God.

Aint Aufin confeffes, that he once believ'd the Millennium, but afterwards chang'd his Opinion, because he could not allow a carnal Paradife, fuch as fome Hereticks afferted. He makes the first Refurrection only a Spiritual Regeneration, and the binding of the Devil, the Encrease of the Church.

Note,

Note, This cannot be fo allegoriz'd, because the Church encreas'd in the beginning of the Kingdom of Heaven, and not only at the end of the World.

He fays, The thousand Years fignifie Eternity; and the loofing the Devil, the Perfecution of the Church, which is the Kingdom in which Chrift will reign: The Seats placed for Judgment, are the Bishopricks; the Beast, is the Society of the Wicked: By Death is meant Iniquity: Gog and Magog is the laft Perfecution by wicked Princes: The Holy City, is Chrift's Church: By Fire confuming the Wicked, we understand the Zeal of Juft Men: The Books open'd, are Mens Confciences: Antichrift, is wicked Men, whofe Perfecution fhall laft three Years and a half: And, that by him who withholdeth the appearance of Antichrift, is meant the Roman State. And he defcribes this Order of Events; First, Elias must come, the Jews will believe, Antichrift will perfecute, Chrift will judge, the Dead shall rife, the Good and Bad fhall be feparated. the World fhall burn and be renew'd.

Note, This Allegorical Interpretation contradicts Daniel's Vifion, That Antichrift fhall rife after the divifion of the Roman Empire, and the Kingdom of the Saints fhall fucceed Antichrift's Deftruction. Befides, hereby the whole Apocalypfe is made useless, and all the Prophefies are made infignificant Allegories, and no Historical Events are fignified by them.

Collections out of Sulpitius Severus's fecond Dialogue.

T

His Account St. Martin gave concerning the End of the World, de fine feculi, That Nero and Antichrift fhould first come; that Nero fhould reign in the West over the ten Kings; and, that he fhould perfecute there, ut Idola gentium coli cogat: That Antichrift fhould poffefs the Eastern Empire; and, that he fhould place the Seat and Head of his Empire at Ferufalem; and, that he fhould repair the City and Temple; and, that his Perfecution fhould be fuch, ut Chriftum dominum cogat negari; fe potius Chriftum effe confirmans, omnefq, fecundum legem circumcidi jubeat, and, that Antichrift fhould destroy Nero, and conquer the World, and all Nations, till at laft he fhall be overthrown by the coming of Christ.

There's no doubt but Antichrift was pof fefs'd with an evil Spirit in his Youth, and when a Man he got the Empire.

Note, St. Martin was a Roman Saint, and by Nero in the Weft he plainly defcribes the Popes, who held the Western Kings in fubjection ; and he fet up the Worthip of Images and Saints; he perfecuted the Eaftern Emperors who oppos'd it, and afterwards the Weftern Reformers for the fame, from the 13th Century to this day. And fince there has been no Perfecution in the Weft, to force Men to Image-worship, but by the Popes, they must be this Nero, who flew his Mother, [i.e. part of the Chriftian Church.] By Nero, a fucceffion of

Popes