That yethe Papists for some years past haue had & stil continue in a firm persuasion that they shall ere long suppresse all parties disagreeing from them, is cōommonly obserued by those who converse much wthwith them; why they should doe so at this time more then formerly, since they pretend not to any prohecy for it, must be from yethe knowledg they haue of yethe present posture of affairs in Europe and some accotaccount they haue that yethe present Powers governing therin are more then formerly favourable to their party.

Many who are not of their Religion think them not mistaken in the present presentpresent posture of affaires, wchwhich must be acknowledged to look very favourably on yethe design & hopes of yethe Papist in general, in order to this haue been all yethe troubles wchwhich of late haue afflicted Germany, fflanders, Holland, England & other parts. But that the design, if it prevail for a time, will not long continue, is yethe opinion of many, who yet differ very much in yethe reasons on wchwhich they ground the same.

It may therfore be worth enquiry what advantages Popery may yet obtain, & on what grounds any expectation may be built of its not continuing long in case for a time it should further prevail then now at present it doth.

In order hereunto it ought to be considered that although God hath promised ytthat yethe gates of Hell shall not prevail agtagainst his Church, yet yethe Christians had very early notice that there should happen an Apostacy from the true end & design of Christianity, that should long prevail in yethe world. This appears from yethe 2 Epist. to yethe Thess: cap 2. where the Church is admonished not to look for yethe day of Christ as at hand, for that day shal not come except there come a falling away first & that man of Sin be revealed, yethe Son of perdition, whom yethe Lord shall consume wthwith yethe Spirit of his mouth & shall destroy wthwith yethe brightnesse of his coming. vers 2. 3. 8.

It is further in yethe same place declared that although yethe mistery of iniquity did then already work yet he was then letted & should be so untill yethe lett was taken out of yethe way, And then shall that wicked one be revealed &c. and its further observable that the Apostle tells yethe Thessalonians, yee know what wthwithholdeth, that he might be revealed in his time.

ffrom all this it appears ytthat yethe persecutions of yethe Church whilst in her wildernesse condition was to be under yethe Mystery of iniquity, that man of Sin who opposeth & exalteth himselfe under Heathen Rome or others whilst yethe Roman Empire continued in its glory, because besides this the Roman Empire had no lett, nor could be called Apostate, neither it nor any other Pouuer any erroneous opinion at that time hath continued untill this day, wheras yethe Apostacy under the mystery of iniquity was to continue till very near at least Christs second comcom̄mmingcoming, the Son of Perdition being to be consumed by yethe Spirit of his mouth and destroyed wthwith yethe brightnesse of his comeing.

What this Mystery of iniquity is, what was its working already in yethe Apostles times who that man of Sin & Son of perdition is shall be presently examined, but at present let it be considered that what euer yethe Mystery be or whoeuer yethe Person, it is now in being it is yet to continue & it hath been working euer since StSaint Pauls time – soe saith yethe Scripture. The mystery of iniquity doth already worke, when the lett wchwhich did wthwithhold his being revealed shall be taken out of yethe way then he should be revealed whom yethe Lord shall consume &c.

So long as yethe allotted time for yethe raign of this Man of Sin is unfullfilled no prevalency of his ought to be strange but wee ought rather to admire the great mercy of God who under this great Apostacy hath encouraged his Church by so considerable Reformations as he hath made in many places, howeuer for yethe unworthy carriage of his Church in some places he may suffer him euen there again to prevail, that being no more then what yethe Church hath before hand been appointed to expect.

And therefore why England & other reformed countryes may not again come under yethe government of that man of Sin as well as other countryes haue done, who formerly were reformed, or why yethe protestants here and elswhere, may not be reduced to great Straites 2 as well as those in ffrance & Hungary & elswhere so long as the time allotted for the working of yethe mystery of iniquity is unfulfilled, is altogether unaccountable.

And this is sufficient in general to shew that Popery if it be yethe mystery of iniquity, may yet prevail in the world, yethe time allotted for its destruction not being yet come: for although the Reformation may be termed yethe Spirit of Christs mouth being regulated according to his word & it be evidente that hathhe hath in part consumed the man of Sin, yet he still continues & hath of late considerably prevailed agtagainst the Reformation in many places & may go further on untill yethe brightnesse of the Lords com̄mming by wchwhich he is to be destroyed.

If it be questioned what this com̄mming of yethe Lord is, Its answered that it is yethe second com̄mming of Christ, the same as is mentioned luk. 21. v. 27. they shall see yethe Son of man com̄mming in a cloud wthwith power & great Glory euen then when the times of yethe Gentiles be fulfilled, v. 24. when the Redemption of Israel draweth nigh ver: 28 & when the kingdom of God is nigh at hand v. 31.

The same is Math: 24.30. They shall see yethe Son of man com̄mming in the clouds of heaven wthwith power & great glory the same Math: 24.64. Mark 13.26. & Chap: 14.62. The same was seen by Daniel Cha: 7. v. 13 – one like yethe son of man came wthwith yethe clouds of Heaven to whom was given Dominion & power & a Kingdom wchwhich should not be destroyed. the same foretold Rev: 1.7.

Thus far is then clear that this son of Perdition shall be destroyed by the brightnesse of yethe Lords com̄mming & consequently till then he may prevail.

When this shall be is hinted above in Luke when the times of yethe Gentiles be fulfilled & when the redemption of Israel draweth nigh & yethe Kingdom of God nighis nigh at hand, the same time as was revealed to Daniel. 12.7. whose finishing should be yethe period of those wondrous afflictions of yethe Church & of yethe scattering the power of yethe holy temple people the same time wthwith StSaint Iohns ApolalypticalApocalyptical Times of yethe renewed Beasts blasphemy, reign & prophanation of yethe Temple & city of God 42. months or 1260 dayes forasmuch as the same Kingdom of orour Lord Christ is the im̄mmediate & com̄mmon consequent to them all. Compare then.

When Daniels times are done the son of man comes in the clouds of heaven to receive the Empire of all the Kingdoms of the world Dan: 7.14.

When StSaint Lukes times of yethe Gentiles are finished, then shall be signs in yethe Sun & Moon; the Son of Man comes also in yethe clouds of heaven.

When StSaint Iohns Apocalyptical Beasts 42 Months raign wthwith yethe witnesses 1260 dayes prouuing, determine the Ark of yethe Covenant is seen in heaven & all yethe Kingdoms of the world become yethe Kingdoms of yethe Lord & his Christ Rev: 11.15.

Here then is a further confirmation of what is already said, The man of Sin shall not be destroyed till yethe brightness of Christs coming & ytthat shall not be till yethe 42 months or 161260 dayes or yethe time times & dividing of a time mentioned in StSaint Iohn & Daniel is expired: so ytthat till that can be shewn to be accomplished the Man of Sin may prevail –

It will not be needfull to stay here to prove ytthat yethe 1260 dayes are to be understood of so many years & ytthat they cannot be taken in this place indefinitly that being abundantly cleared by Mr Mede; none can deny but that prophetick dayes are usually so many years, nor can any proue such uneven numbers as 42 or 1260 were euer taken otherwise then definitely, & besides yethe various wayes used for expressing the same space of time in Daniel & yethe Revelations as 42 months, 1260 dayes, a time times & dividing of a time & time times & halfe a time not otherwayes agreeing then in making all to mean a definite number of 1260 years.

One thing more is worth consideration on this point wchwhich is yethe 3 years & halfe allotted for yethe viewing of yethe dead bodies of yethe witnesses slain, seems to be added unto yethe 1260 years & consequently that must run out before Gods judgments are to be expected on this Son of perdition, this Man of Sin.

Many are of opinion that is already passed, but that opinion seems not agreable to yethe prophecy nor well to haue digested the difference between the killing of ymthem in general wchwhich in some sence may be applyed to all yethe time of their wildernesse-condition, the whole space of 1260 years & that slaughter upon wchwhich their dead bodies shall be exposed to view 3 years & halfe, wchwhich by all yethe Circūumstances accompanying the same seems not applicable to any other time then yethe three years & halfe.

1. After yethe accotaccount given of yethe witnesses prophecying 1260 dayes in sackcloth it finished their Testimony the beast shal make war 3 against them & ouercome them & kill them. Their Testimony was finishing in the time of their wildernesse-condition, the whole space of 1260 years, but the slaughter is to be afterwards that is just on yethe Expiration of yethe 1260 years.

2. Its said after 3 dayes & a halfe they shall rise & the same hour there was an earthquake & yethe 10th part of yethe City fell &c. if by yethe 10th part of yethe City is meant Rome, that not being fallen, yethe slaying of yethe witnesses can not be over.

3. This by all yethe circ̄vvmstances shovld be a general slavghter at yethe same time, & it is to be in yethe street (that is yethe jvrisdiction) of yethe great City (ytthat is Rome & yethe peoples, Kingdomes, Tongves, nations are to rejoyce over them by sending guifts one to another for that they are freed from these who tormented them, therefore yethe slaughter in one country, as ffrance, or Spain, or Hungary tho it may be called the killing of yethe witnesses (for there is no time set how long they shall be killing) comes not up to yethe full of yethe this prophecy, wchwhich speakes of an Universall death of all yethe Witnesses at yethe same time euery where in yethe street of yethe great City over wchwhich all yethe nations at yethe same time within that street are to rejoyce for 3 years & halfe & noe longer, because they are free from them who tormented them that is by their Reforms the greatest Torment could befall the man of sin during his raign & the time allotted him for his Government.

To conclude this point if yethe brightnesse of Christs second com̄mming is yet to appear, if either yethe 1260 dayes of yethe Witnesses prophecying in sackcloth or yethe 3 dayes & halfe of their lying dead & exposed to view be not yet expired, then the time of yethe Raigne of yethe Man of Sin doth yet continue & will continue till yethe accomplishment of those things & consequently Popery may yet prevail, nay it seems necessary it should further prevail in order to yethe accomplishment thereof.

But after all it may be asked what is all this discourse to popery that is not yet proved to be yethe Mistery of iniquity, nor yethe Pope yethe man of Sin or son of perdition.

To which its replyed that they who haue a mind to know what yethe Mistery of iniquity is & who yethe Man of sin and need look no further then yethe second of the Thessal: & he will find nothing in yethe world can be yethe Mistery of inquity but Popery, nor none that Man of Sin there spoken of but yethe Pope and therefore let that be again considered to this purpose.

1. as hath been said, its evident the mistery of inquity was somthing wchwhich did already work in StSaint Pauls time.

2. that this working at that time was not so open & discernable by everyone as afterwards it should be, somthing did then wthwithhold its Revelation wchwhich was to be taken out of yethe way & then yethe man of sin yethe son of perdition should be revealed.

That which was then working & wchwhich after yethe present lett removed should be revealed was to continue in being till yethe brightnesse of Christs second coming by wchwhich it wastwas to be destroyed.

So that if it can be shewed that yethe Spirit of Popery began to work in StSaint Pauls time & hath continued untill this day in credit & esteem & autority in yethe world euer since it came to set up & barface to be revealed it will highly concerne the Papists to shew what yethe Mistery of iniquity was & is to wchwhich all those Characters agree & it will be very hard for them to pitch on any thing but Popery it selfe.

All errors & heresies which were in StSaint Pauls time how long since haue they & although some of them may haue revived at sundry times since yet wchwhich pitch on wchwhich hath wrought wtwhat yethe son of perdition the Man of Sin Sinne is foretold to doe.

All civil powers & States & also Ecclesiastical amongst yethe Heathen since StSaint Pauls times how long since haue they left yethe world to others, & wchwhich of them Iew, Saracen, Turk; Mahomet or any of yethe Ballances of Europe or any parts of Reformation can be pretended to be working in StSaint Pauls time. wchwhich yet yethe Mistery of so neither any thing that shall yet arise no man can think any new State, Power & Religion yet to come either was working when the Epistle to yethe Thessalonians was written or hath been hitherto hindered by a lett wchwhich was euen then in being since that lett wtwhateuer it was hath been long agoe removed as all the

To come a little closer: if wee find out what was yethe lett wee may the better know what was the thing letted; it would be strange if wee should not know what the lett was, for StSaint Paul knew it & as is before observed the Thessalonians knew it, & is it probable a thing of such concern & so generally known in StSaint Pauls time should be buried wthwith that age & there should be no retreiving of it, no doubt they did deliver this over to posterity & accordingly, wee find the Primitive Christians made noe question in yethe businesse, but take it as certain that the Roman Empire was the lett & the thing letted was Antichristianisme & accordingly they continually prayed for the posterity prosperity of yethe Roman Empire lest Antichrist should come who they looked for when the Roman Empire should decline: & he that will seriously consider it will not find it possible to assign any other lett.

That this was the lett will more evidently appear, if wee can learn wtwhat was the thing letted & when wee haue turned orour thoughts euery way what can wee pitch upon but aiming at power, greatnesse, superiority & GovernmtGovernment by Church men.

There can be no doubt that the Clergy so early as StSaint Pauls time had an itching this way, wee find euen the Disciples of orour Saviour contesting who should be yethe greatest, & no small stir afterwards who was the cheifest of the Apostles & no marvail this Spirit did soe early appear amongst them who could not but foresee yethe Change the Religion of orour Saviour was to make amongst the in yethe world, nor could be lesse sensible either of the great honour yethe high Priests both of Iew & Gentile had conferred on him, on whose vanishing, by the prevalency of the Christian Religion, they thought somthing like thereunto must fall to their Share.

Neither orour Saviours check of his disciples, nor StSaint Pauls boasting of himselfe, nor the after persecutions of the Church, could stop this humour; but besides the quarrell amongst the Governors of the Church & all other perticular evidences of their Pride, wee find one of yethe first things to be setled in the first councils was who should haue yethe first, who yethe second Seat therin. & so on

It needed not any great spirit of prophecy to foretel what this spirit of Pride so early discovering it selfe euen under the severest persecutions would come to when those persecutions should cease: nothing but prosperity attend them & all Civil power wchwhich might curb this humour be removed.

To what else could yethe Roman Empire be a lett, imagine all the Evills couldthat could possibly be in yethe Church (for yethe mystery of iniquity was to be a falling away from yethe true Church) how did the Roman Empire lett its prevalency. The Errors & heresies were rather promoted then letted by the Roman Empire; they sprang from them who being convinced of the Rule of Christianity would (possibly hoping thereby to avoid persecution) mix the same either wthwith yethe Philosophy or Theology or both then in vogue in yethe world. And yethe more divided the Christians were the lesse cause had the Roman Emperours to fear them, & the lesse concern the high Preists to put yethe Civil power on to persecution.

Besides since it is certain as before is shewn that yethe Roman Empire was the lett, what in yethe Roman Empire could be yethe lett but the intirenesse of its Civil power & consequently yethe thing letted must be yethe ambition of GouernmtGouernment

As the Roman Empire was heathen it was a lett to yethe Mystery of godlinesse but not to yethe mistery of iniquity, for as to all other corruptions but that wee are speaking of there was no lett, but if God had not preuented by his grace notwthwithstanding any external

When the Empire turned Christian, yethe wicked one was revealed, as its said he should be when the lett was removed & consequently must then haue been if heathen Rome was yethe lett, indeed the mystery of iniquity wchwhich before was working & therby make a further progresse by complying wthwith yethe old heathen custome & licking up yethe old Idolatry into new shapes but yet it came not up to that forme, capacity & policy that any one could point out who was the man of sin, who yethe son of perdition.

Moreover yethe custome of the primitive Christians, to pray for yethe preservation of the Roman Empire least Antichrist should come plainly showes that yethe Roman Empire was a lett not as heathen nor as Christian but as an Empire as it had yethe sole civil power in its selfe during yethe continuance wherof it is certain it must be a lett to those things wchwhich yethe man of sin was foretold by StSaint Paul to doe, from whence it followes as evidently that the mystery of iniquity then working must be yethe great pride amongst yethe Churchmen, wchwhich StSaint Paul considering together wthwith yethe fall of yethe Roman Empire wchwhich its evident he foreknew did easily discern the same Spirit would be restlesse untill it exalted it selfe above all that is called God that is aboue all civil power & magistracy: And now let yethe Papists judge whether Popery be not the mystery of iniquity & yethe Pope that man of sin & son of perdition, if they will not grant it, they must shew to what the Roman Empire was a lett besides that Spirit of Government wchwhich was then working & hath since prevailed.

It is now high time to consider the other part of orour enquiry to wit on wtwhat grounds any expectation may be built of Popery's not continuing long in case for a time it should further preuail then now at present it doth –

Here all yethe former perticulars might be repeated, for yethe same reasons which proue Antichrist is yet to continue & prevail do also prove his destruction to be drawing nigh. Is he to continue because the brightnesse of Christs second coming hath not yet appeared. because yethe 1260 years & yethe three years & halfe are not expired he shall not continue long because Christs second coming hastens because 1260 years are near expiring & consequently yethe beginning of yethe 3 years & halfe

But because what may be said concerning yethe approach of Christs second com com̄mming may not be so convincing to euery one, & that the other two points are not only sufficient to prove the approach of Antichrists's destruction but of Christ's coming, let us consider when yethe 1260 years began & that will shew us when wee may expect the end of them & the accomplishment of other things –

If what is already said be true wee can not be at any great losse in this matter for StSaint Paul tels us the man of sin should be revealed when the lett was taken out of yethe way & not before, that is when yethe Civil power then lodged in yethe Roman Empire was soe Changed that way was thereby made for some churchmen, that is, the Bishop of Rome to exalt himselfe aboue all magistracy. Not that he must come to that height before the account of yethe 1260 years did begin, no, that was a work of longer time but when the lett that was in StSaint Pauls time viz: the civil power of yethe Roman Empire was so taken out of yethe way that it was no longer a lett to his attempting the same, then he was revealed, that is, then it began plainly to appear what yethe Pope drove at & consequently then yethe account began.

And when should this be but then when that Civil power wchwhich before was entirely lodged wthwith yethe Roman Emperours was scattered & divided amongst no lesse then ten Kings or Kingdoms, this made way for yethe Pope to advance himselfe according to all yethe pride of his heart.

He was now no longer under a subordinate power, but sets up wthwith others on the Spoil of yethe Roman Empire for an original jurisdiction and the advantages he had ouer them by being first on yethe spot, by their quarrelling amongst them selves, by their custom of dividing what they got amongst their Children, but aoue all by his pretence to Religion, made the way plain for him to come to yethe height of his ambition.