'Sect. VI. Of the last horn of the He-Goat' (section 7.3k)
Sect. VI.
Of the last horn of the He-Goat, and of the King who doth according to his will , and honours Mahuzzims, and regards not the and magnidesifies himsef|l|f above every God, and honours Mahuzzims and regards not the {Go} God of his fathers, nor the desire of weomen
Some Egyptians flying from Sab. carry to Babylon the the Astronomy Astrology & year of Egypt & found the Æra of Nabonassar in Egy{p}tian years. 747 Nabonassar reigns at Babylon.
\except that/ Acusilaus out of \{his}/ \in his/ brazen tables recconed \put/ 1020 years from the flood of Deucalion \Ogyges/ to the beginng|i|ng of the Olympiads, & for [ wch is above 700 years too much. And for making out this interval, the Greeks have stretched their Antiquities ] So then the Christian \so far as in/ religion of believing the|at| the world was formed & is governed by one supreme God, & of loving & honouring \worshipping/ this God & loving our neighbour as our selves & being mercifull even to bruit Beasts, is the oldest religion in the world. [ And nothing \more/ has been added to it with relation to Jesus Christ then to beleive in the predictions of the holy Ghost |by \in/ the Prophets| concerning him, vizt that he is the Messiah & the son of man predicted by Daniel at & ye son of God predicted by David in the 2d Psalm, & the Lamb of God predicted by Moses in ye Paschal Lamb by Moses, &|c| the seed of the woman wch sh{ou}
Dacia revolted in the re{i}gn of Philip the Emperor, {illeg} & under the reign of Ostrogoth, Cniva, the Emperors Philip & Decius. And first the Goths ( not yet divided into Ostrogoths & Visigoths ) under the|ir| condu king Ostrogotha ( being assisted by \the T{h}aphili &/ the Ast{|i|in|r|}ingi ( a Vandalic nation ) & the Carpi ) mad revolted & made war upon the Romans. In the mean time the Gepides \another Gothic nation/ under their king Fastida {co} routed the Burgundians with a great slaughter & conquered some {n}|o|ther nations & then invaded the Goths under Ostrogot{i|h|}a & was routed, & retired to home. Ostro{c}|t|ha {sic} was succeeded by Cniva who presently invaded {Mœsia} the Empire & routed the army of Decius & slew him . | , | but soon after made peace with the Emperors Gallus & Volusian. And Aftewards in the reign of Gallienus they infested Asia minor & Trace, but in the reign of Dioclesian |&| Maximianus & Constantine the great they ast|s|isted those Emperors against their enemies
Iornandes tells us that the Vandals were of the stock of the Asdengi or Astingi & Dio \tells us/ that the Astingi entred \Iornandes tells us that the Kings of ye Vandals were of the stock of the Asdingi or Astingi a people eminent among them & that the Astingi were in the army of the Goth who in the {sic} revolted from the Romans & made war upon them, & Dio that the Astingi / under the conduct of Rhaus & Rhaptus entred Dacia in the reign of the Emperor Marcus & had seats granted them there by that Emperor. | [ | & Iornandes \c. 16/ that they were in the army of the Goths who in the rein of Philip revo invade revolted from the Romans & invaded Mœsia & Thrace, & ( c. 22 ) that the Vandals Kings of the Vandals were of the stock of the Asdingi a people eminent among them. | ] | The Gepides were seated upon the Vistula. A{illeg}|nd| the Burgiones & Phrugundiones whom Ptolomy places between the Vistula & the Bonsthenes I take to be the Burgundians \another Gothic nation/ who were conquered by the Gepides in the reign of the Emperor Philip & at length invaded Gallia. |The Quadi ( according to Zosimus { ) } were a branch of the Saxons|
For in the reign of {Con}{Cn}
<2v>Dacia began was conquered by Trajan
In the {year} 376 the Hunns a fierce & bruitish nation came from beyond the Lake Mœotis & the river Tanais & under the conduct of their king Balamber or Balamir invaded the nations which lay between them & Dacia & chiefly the Alans a Gothic nation. Hermaneric heard of their coming before his death & then died, & soon after his death they entred Dacia – – – – – – – – against the Alemans & Sueves. This rout was in the year 377.
The Goths being seated – – – – – Gruthungi by Rhadagaisus.
In the time of these commotions the Lombards seem to have come over the Danube under the conduct of Ibor & Ayon. For Paulus Warnefridus tell{a}|s| that they overcame the under these captains they overcame the Vandals in battel. And Prosper places this victory in the consulship of Ausonius & Olybrius A. C. 379. And the Vandals were at this time in Pannonia having lived there quietly 40 years from the time that Constantine the great granted them seats in that Province.
The Emperor Dioclesian \{in} 285/ divided the Roman Empire be{tween him}self & Maxi{mian} |his colleague| keeping the western nations under his own government & committing the government of the eastern to Maximian. And this was the {illeg} thus the Roman Empire began to be divided into the three parts ( touched upon in the Apocalys, ) that by \of the/ old Greeks Empire, |anciently subject to the Greeks, | that of the Latines & that of the Dacians wch in a short time {became} great & potent.
Constantine the great built – – – Empire beame {sic} divided.
Dacia was a large country bounded – – – – Christian religion among them was much promoted. [ The \chief/ inhabitants were the Goths called Ostrogoths & Visigoths & other Gothic nations called Gepides, Val|n|dals, & Gepides; & Lomp|b|ards &c | ] | . And \They were composed of several Gothic nations/ which came originally from \the southern parts of/ Scanozia or Scandinavia a great Peninsula in the Baltick sea conteining Norway & \most of/ Sweden, & reputed an Island by the ancients {illeg} & wandered into Dacia before {their} towns were built & the grounds were appropriated Whence it came to pass that they all spake the same language & agreed in their manners Paulus Diaconus in his Historia Miscella lib. XIV, speaking of the reign of Theodosius magnus & his sons, tells us: Eodem tempore – – – – writes to the Gepidæ qui dicuntur Langobardi. Iornandes tells us that – – – – – invaded Gallia.
The Goths for want of their pay revolted from the Romans under their King Ostrogotha in the second year of the Emperor Philip, & being assisted by their Thaphili, Astringi \ ( or Vandals ) / & Carpi ( other Gothick nations, ) made war upon the Romans| . | , & And the Gepides ( ano | ( who were seated upon the Vistula ) | under their king Fastida, re|o|uted the Burgundians with a great slaughter & conquered some other nations & then invaded the \said/ Goths & were routed by them. Cniva succeeded Ostrogotha in the reign of Decius & routed the Roman army & slew Decius, & thereby encouraged this revolt so that {sic} th{e}{o}se Gothic nations Dacia could never after be reduced to their obedience to the Romans. \the next year \✝/[1] invade Greec{o}{e} Macedon Pontus Asia & Illyricum & keep Illyricum & Macedonia almost 15 years & then {ar}|be|ing beaten by Claudius return over the Danube to their own seats. ⊕/ ⊕ And Aure the \⊕ And then, invading the Empire \ ( as Trebellius Pollio tells us ) / with an army of 320000 men & \Scythians/ composed of the Peuceni, Grutungi, Austrogoths, Vitringi, Gepides, Heruli &c and w|b|ere|ing| beaten in Mœsia by the Emperor Cl{u}{a}dius , returned to their seats. And the/ Emperor Aurelian about the year {3}|2|7{1}|2| \ ( as Vop{u}|i|scus tells us ) / : cum vastatum Illyricum & Mœsiam deperditam videret, provinciam trans Danubium Daciam a Trajano constitutam sublato exercitutam & provincialibus reliquit, desperans eam posse retineri: abductos ex ea populos in Mœsiam collocavit appellavit suam Daciam. And Dioclesian in the year 285 divided the government of the Empire between himself & Maximianus, retaining the government of ye eastern nations to himself & leaving that of the wester{n} to Maximianus. And by this|e||se| act \events/ the west Empire began to be divided into the three parts touched upon in the Apocalyps, the eastern Empire, the western, & that of the Goths.
For the Goths soon b grew into a great Empire, & at its fall became divided into the several nations which under their kings their kings invaded the E|W|estern Empire & brake it into the ten kingdoms represented by the horns of the Beast. In the reign of Constantine the great. Vopiscus tells us that in the reign of the Emperor Probus, some Gepides, Grutunni & Vandals were received into the Empire but soon brake their faith & inva{ded} the Provinces Roman Provinces{ , } but were beaten in various battels by Probus & opprest, very few returning home. In the reign of Constantine the great Geberic king of the Goths, conquered the Vandals who were then seated in Dacia upon the river Teys where the rivers Maresh & Kerish run westward into it, & made them fly over the Danube into Pannonia where Constantine the great granted them seats. And Hermaneric the successor of Geberic in the kingdom of Dacia
In the reign of Constantine the Great their King Geberic conquered the Vandals, a nation then seated on the Eastern side of the river Teys upon where the rivers Maresh & Keresh run westward into it, & made them fly over the Danube into Pannonia where Constantine granted them seats. And Hermaneric the successor of Ge{ri|b|}eric, conquered the Heruli, a people placed by Iornandes upon the Palus Mœotis. He conquered also the Veneti, Antes, & Sclavi & many other warlike nations of Scythia & Germany, as Iornandes informs us & particularly the nations wch Iornandes calls the Thuidi, Visina{m}brocæ, Mœreus, Mordensimnis, Caris, Rocæ, Tadzans, Athual, Navigo, Bubegentæ & Coldæ, & the Æstri or Estÿ a people seated upon a long tract of the German ocean or Baltic sea in Livonia \& the Ronolani on the western side of the Palus Mœotis. / . Thus the kingdom of ye Goths by successive conquests grew into a large & potent Empire composed of many northern nations & in the reign of Hermaneric to have comprehended |Mallachia, Moldavia, Transilvania| Volhima, Red Russia, Poland, Lithuania, Lifland, Coerland, Prussia \the upper Hungary, the Vkrain Russian Vkrain/ & other western nations Scythian nations between \& beyond/ the Vistula or Weysel & the Boristhenes or Neiper & as far Northwards as Revel & Narva & the sinus Finicus, besides some Russian & German nations suppose in Novogorod & the Russian {u} Vkrain & in the upper Hungary \& eastward to the side of the Lake Euxine Sea & Lake Mœotis/ . And from these conquests, saith Iornandes, some have compared this king to Alexander the great |He reigned till the A. C. 376, being then very aged. | . In his days the Lombards came out of Scandinavia under the conduct of Ibor & Ayon. Paulus Warnefridus tells us that they were first called Winuli & then ( from their long beards ) Longobardi.
Among the conquered nations I reccon the Burgiones – – – a Gothic nation.
Hermaneric reigned long & died about the 13th year of Valentinan & Valens A. C. 376, being as some say above an hundred years old. He left his kingdom divided amongst many successors Hunnimund, – – – – – – – kept their governments after his death.
The Goths & other Scythian nations beyond the Danube – – – them to death
forms & modes of Expression |& wth some variety of circumstances to make the whole prophesy of that page more complete. For they are delive{red}| by allusions to several parts of one & the ser|a|me service &{so}{c. } that is {to}the trumpeting singing & drink offerings wch accompanied one another at the sacrifices of the seven da{ys} of the Feast of Tabernacles. ] For upon pouring out the drink offerings of the sacrifices the Priests sounded their Trumpets & the Levites {illeg}|s|ang & plaid upon musical instruments till the service was ended Ecclesiasti{c. c} 50.
And that the \prophesies of the/ Trumpets & Vials of Wrath are one & ye same prophesy variously exprest & {illeg} wth some variety of circumstances to make ye whole more complete may further appear by the following comparison.
And I saw the seven Angels wch stood before ye throne of God & to them were given seven trumpetsAnd I saw the seven Angels having the seven last plagues { / }{t} And there were voices & thundrings. And the Victors sing ye song of Moses & ye Lamb And ye seven Angels wch had ye seven Trumpets prepared themselves to sound. And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven Angels, Go & pour out the Vials of ye wrath of God upon the earth And the first Angel sounded & there followed hail & fire mingled wth blood & they were cast upon ye earth & ye third part of ye earth was burnt up. And the first went & poured out his Vial on \upon/ the earth & there fell a grievous & noisome sore on the men wch had ye mark of ye Beast. And the second Angel sounded – & the third part of the sea became blood & third part of ye creatures wch were in ye sea & had life died. And ye 2d Angel poured out his Vial upon the sea & it became as ye blood of a dead man, & every living soul died in ye sea. And the third Angel sounded & a great star fell upon the rivers third part of the rivers & upon the fountains of waters – & many men died of ye waters because they were made bitter. And the 3d Angel poured out his vial upon the rivers & fountains of waters & they became blood And the fourth Angel sounded & ye 3d|t|hird part of ye Sun was smittenAnd the fourth Angel poured out his Vial upon ye Sun And the fift Angel sounded – & the sun & the air were darkened \wth smoke/ – & there came out of the smoke locusts which were to hurt the only those men which have not ye seal of God in their foreheadsAnd the fift Angel poured out his Vial upon ye seat of the b|B|east & his kingdom was full of darkness & they gnawed their tongues for pain. And the sixt Angel sounded – & the four Angels were loosed wch were bound in ye great river EuphratesAnd ye sixt Angel poured out his Vial on \upon/ the great river Euphrates & the water thereof was dried up that that {sic} the way of ye Kings of ye East might be prepared. In ye voice of ye 7th Angel ye mystery of God shal be finished. And the seventh Angel sounded – & there were great voices in heaven saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of or Lord & of his Christ & he shall reign for ever & ever. – And the nations were angry & thy wrath is come & the time of the dead yt they should be judgedThe kingd|s|oms of ye earth & of ye whole world were gathered to ye battel of ye great day of God Almighty Behold I come as a thief – And the 7th Angel poured out his Vial into ye air, & there came a great voice out of ye temple saying It is done – And great Babylon came in remembrance before God to give unto her the cup of ye wine of the fir|e|rceness of his wrath – & men bp|b|lasphemed God , because of the plage of hail.
In the fourth Trumpet ye third
In \one of/ these prophesies the same things are called the whole & ye third part in different respects. In the As wine thrown upon fire increases the flame for a while so the fourth Vial poured upon ye sun increases his he makes him scorch men with fire great heat & yet at ye sounding of the 4th Trumpet ye third part of the sun is darkened. These things may seem untrue repugnant but are not: for they signify only that the king or kings represented by the Sun vex men by war & \yet in ye same war/ loose their kingdom.
Hitherto the Prophesy of the first seven leaves of the book have been repeated & described more fully & in other forms of Visions then before: & now follows the repetition of the eighth leaf prophesy of the eighth leaf ww a supplement of what was there wanting. There Iohn saw ye second Temple & them that worship therein & ye Gentiles in ye outward Court & was told |that those gentiles that is the the holy City should be troden down by those Gentiles that is by the Babylonians &| that ye Beast wch ascendeth out of ye abyss or sea should make war upon them two witt|n|ess{es} & kill them in the streets of ye great city: here the Angel carries Iohn into Iohn was carried \from ye Temple/ into ye wilderness of Arabia to see \&/ saw the w the \a/ woman Babylon a woman \named/ Babylon sitting on the Beast upon the many waters of Eufrates, wch woman is called the great city wch reigneth {oth} over the kings of the earth, \& that sitteth upon seven mountains/ & her Beast is \called/ the Beast wch was & is not, & is is is said to hath seven heads & ten horns like the Dragon, & his head|s| are said to be that is, the Beast wch was & received a morta was wounded to death by a sword, & should revive. This Beast is said to have seven heads & ten horns like the Dragon five of wch heads were fallen, that is in respect of the name of the Beats|st|s being called \named/ the Beast wch was & is not. Five of them fell before the Beast rec{ei}ved his mortal wound, one is while the Beast lies dead of his mortal wound & the seventh comes after the wound is healed. It was therefore in ye sixt head that he received his mortal wound.
It n The sun is It may seem repugnant \And so it is in different respects/ yt|That| ye ☉> should be \is/ darkened in ye 4th Trumpet & yet scorch|es| men wth heat in ye 4th Vial{s} , may seem repugnant, but is not: for it signifies that ye king or kings represented by the sun shall vex men by war & yet in ye same war loos their kingdom Conceive that ye Victors continue to stand [ on mount Sion & ] on the sea of glass while the Vials are poured out.
{illeg} because \signify that/ they are the plagues of the last seal & the plagues last mentioned w{h}erewith the two Witnesses saith ye earth as often as they will & the plagues of ye seven thunders wch were in the Visions were described after the seventh plagues of the first six seals \Trumpets/ . There they were sealed up & not written here they are written because they were left unwritten before.
|And conceive that they appeared in this posture \standing on ye sea of glass/ \in this manr/ at ye end of the half hours silence werein the 144000 were sealed out of the 12 tribes of Israel & the rest received the mark of the Beast, & that they are the 144000|
|For| The victory here spoken of being over the mark of the Beast & over the number of his name must be {s}|a| spiritual victory, such a victory as in \all/ the Epistles to ye seven churches is called overcoming In the hour of the temptation wch was to come \And/ At the opening of the seventh seal \when ye servants of God are sealed wth ye seal of God & ye rest are not/ t|T|hose are overcome by the {ye} templ |by the beast & his image & his mark & the number of his name| who receive fall away to worship the beast & his Image & \to/ receive his mark & ye number of his name & those get the victory over them & are who do not fall away get the victory over them \Beast & his Image & mark & number of his name/ who do not f do resist the temptation & are sealed with ye name of God in their forehead And T Beast & \over/ his Image who & over his mark & the number of his name who resist the tem are overcome are \do not go along wth the multitude to worship the Beast & his image & receive his mark & the number of his name, but resist the temptation & continue to/ |not| overcome {sic} in that manner but get by them but {illeg} worship God & Christ & have their name in their fore are sealed with the {num}{ir} name \seale of God/ in their foreheads.
And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God & the song of ye Lamb saying Great & marvellous – – – – manifest. The song of the Lamb is the song wch the Lam \Lamb & the/ 144000 sang wth ye Lamb on mount Sion before the throne & before ye four Beasts & the Elders where these Victors now stand. This was a song of victory & therefore ye victory was a spiritual one such as was gained by the Lamb & the 144000 \who s{u}ng a new song on Mount Sion /& in all the epistles to ye seven Churches is called overcoming\/ . Both victors gained a victory over the Beast & \over/ his Image & \over his/ Mark & name & for this victory sang the same song in the same place, & therefore are the same victors.
This song is also called the song of Moses. For in the Prophesy of the Woman & Dragon the story of Moses is thus alluded unto. The Dragon alludes to Egypt & the woman called the crowned – – – – is spiritually called Egypt Apoc. 11. And upon account of the same allusions the song wch the 144000 sang wth ye Lamb on Mount Sion \& now sing upon the sea of glass is/ is called the Song of Moses. as well as ye As it is the song of Moses it was sund|g| before the Te upon \at/ ye banks of \at/ the red Sea before the tabernacle was erected. And therefore the Temple is not mention Iohn describes |the seven Angels appearing &| the victors singing this song before he mentions the Temple \or Tabernacle/ , & so soon as he had described the song he adds A
And after that I looked{ , } &{ , } behold{ , } the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony was opened & the seven Angels came out of the temple having the seven plage|u|es, cloathed in \pure &/ white linnen & having their breasts girded with golden girdles , that is, being in the habit of Priests. [ In respect of the song of Moses its called the Temple of the Tabernacle. Since it \had/ the Testimony in it it coud {sic} not be the second Temple. It And since the Angels came out of it & yet were seen before it was open, they were seen before it appeared ] And one of the four Beasts gave – – – – were fulfilled. {T} By this filling of the temple of ye Tabernacle of the testimony wth smoke the dedications of the Tabernacle & first Temple is|are| alluded unto. For the second Temple is alluded unto had not testimony in it. |After Moses had led Israel into the wildernes & sung a song of triumph over the Egyptians \at the red sea represented here \by ye sea of glass // he set up the Tabernacle & dedicated it. And| From |ye| time that the Tabernacle was set up it was covered wth a cloud during all the stay of the woman in the wilderness. \except in their journeys/ And at {t|T|}he dedication of Solomon's Temple |was kept upon the Feast of the seventh month &c|w|ch began upon ye 15th day of ye month &| when the Priests had brought in the Ark & \were/ came out of the Temple holy place & the Levites arrayed in white lin{tt}en having cymbals & psalteries & Harps, stood at the east end of the Altar & with them an hundred & twenty priests sounding with trumpets & the trumpers & singers were as one to make one sound to be heard in praising & thanking the Lord & when they lift up their voice with the trumpets & cymbals & instrumts & praised the Lord saying For he is good, for his mercy endureth for ever, that then the house was filled with a cloud even the house of the Lord so that the Priests could not stand to minister by reason of the cloud: for the glory of the Lord had filled the house of God 2 Chron. 5. This feast of ye dedication continued seven days \that is all the days of the Feast of Tabernacles/ |& was kept| wth exceeding great sacrifices |besides the sacrifices of the feast| . For Solomon sacrificed 22000 Oxen & 120000 sheep \& continued seven days that is all the days of the feast of Tabernacles/ & |Conceive that| the drink offerings of these sacrifices are alluded unto in the seven vials of w{a}|r|ath & that ye noise of Trumpets & singing with musicall instruments at these sacrifices |of those 7 days| are alluded unto in the seven Trumpets & seven thunders| . [ | & \You may conceive also/ that the victors stand upon the sea of glass & sing with & play wth at all these sacrifices, they being the cloud encompassing the Angel who stood upon the sea & earth wth a little book in his hand & the seven thunders being the voice of that cloud & by consequence of the Victors. For all these things \the prophesies of/ the |Angels wth the| seven trumpets, the seven thunders, & the Angels wth ye 7 Vials of wrath, are \all of them/ the prophesy of the second page of the 7th leaf of the sealed book. They the \are/ one & the same prophesy \of thatl page of ye 7th leaf of the booke/ delivered in seve{n}
After \After/ Dacia, a very large country on the northern side of the Danube inhabited by the Goths had was /being\ was conquered by Trajan & became a province of the Roman Empire the Christian religion was \as/ freely propagated into that country as {o}{u}{i}nto the rest of the Roman Provinces. In the reign of Decius the Goths & other &c e revolting & made war upon the Empire ( being assisted by other barbarous northern nations ) slew & destroyed surrounded Decius & in t slew Decius wth ye greatest part of his army & made the Empire tributary, & soon after in the reign of the next Emperor Gallus invaded Thrace Mœsia Thessaly Macedonia & some parts of Asia, & repeated these invasions \several times/ in the reigns of Valerian & his son Gallienus carrying away many Christian captives from Greece & Asia into their own country by whom & the Christians who fled from the \several/ persecutions of Decius Gallus Valerian \& Aurelian & Dioclesian/ , & the Christian religion \of Asia & Greece/ was much propagated in those countries from the from Asia & Greece into those countries. And the Churches of all Dacia were at this time subject \to/ one bishop common bishop , who was \wch bishops/ | . | At length Da \Then/ Dacia became divided into two kingdoms or nations called the Ostrogoths & Visigoths, or Eastern Goths & western Goths. And soon after was |& sent their bishops to the Council of Nice. Afterward His name was Theophilus a name derived from ye Greeks. Afterwards Dacia bing {sic} inva in the reign of Athanaric king of all the Goths being | invaded by a great army of Hunns from the regions of the river Tanais. The Hunns conquered the Ostrogoths & made the Visigoths |they conquered the eastern parts of the Goths thenceforward called Ostrogoths & me|a|de the rest of the Goths who lived westward & were thence called Ve|i|sigoths ch{u}se new captains &| fly over the Danube into Pannonia where they made war upon the Romans, & routed the Emperor Valens & slew his|m| but were checkt by his successor Theodosius & had seats granted them in Pannonia, & sent their Bishop & {illeg}|Vl|filas in the Council of \invented their letters & translated the scriptures into the|ir| Gothic t language. / For the Visigoths had now a bishop of their own, & therefore upon the division of th into two nations each nation had its own bishop [ & their kings were converted to ye Christian religion, but the kings of the ost{ro}goths were not yet converted till some years after. ] & \therefore/ the Ostrogoth{s} had the like also Christians had also their bishop, but wth this difference the|a|t the kings of the Visigoths were now converted to the Christian religion but those the Ostrogoths not yet. |For At{ha}naricus king of the Ostrogoths persecuted the Christians. |
After the death of Theodosius the Visigoths under Alaric their king invaded wth many other barbarous nations invaded \first/ the Roman \Greek/ Empire & the|n| the Latin & sackt Rome & then retired over the Alps into Gallia, & extended there seated themselves & in Spain , &| . An|d the Church of this nation under its d|b|ishop being descended from the Ch Churches of Asia & constantly seated within the bounds of the old Roman ande \Empire/ including Dacia, may justly be represented by one of the two Ch|a|ndlestick in this prophesy \in this prophesya by a Candlestick/ &|An|d so may \so may/ the Church of the Ostrogoths under their Bishop, they being also descended from the Churches of Asia & Greece & constantly {seated}{sealed {sic}}{sealed} the within the bounds of the \old/ Roman Empire & at length conquering & reigning over the Italy & Rome the seat of the \western/ Empire for many years together.
These two Candlesticks or Churches were witnesses of the religion wch they received from Asi the Churches of Asia & Greek|c|e They were very remarkable witnesses against the Church of Rome because they bot both of them conquered Italy & reigned over \that City/ the Metropolis of the Empire. In wars of the four first Trumpets fire proceeded out of their mouth & devoured their enemies & they had power to turn the waters into blood & to smite the earth wth all plagues as often as they would: wch is the \proper/ character of the two witnesses. And they had
<5v>They had
Now as the Beast is said to have ten horns & the other Beast to horns {sic} two horns &|b|ecause that was their number at their first rise, & as the first Temple has seven Candlesticks because that was their first number so the second Temple has two Candlesticks to signify that that was their first number. And therefore we are to look for the number of two Candlesticks at the time when the second Teml|p|le was newly built & the C{l}|a|ndlesticks were first placed in it: the history of wch was as follows.
They affirmed the son to father to be greater then the Son & for that reason were \falsly/ called Arians by \{the} uncharitableness of spirit of/ the Roman Catholicks \Church. / . For they did not call the say that the son was ex non extantibus nor {Did} that there |was| a time when he was not nor allowed that he should be called a creature nor can I find that they medled with those metaphysical b|d|isputed|s| , or the{illeg} judged those that did. Theodorit tells us Quamobred|m| Gothi hactenus Patrem quidem filio majorem esse dicunt; Filium tamen creaturam esse dicunt dicere non sustinent, licet cum iis cummunicent qui ita dicunt. Theod. l 4 c 37. And this was the religion of \they derived from/ the seven Churches of Asia. These two Churches were very remarkable witnesses against – – – – – – – – – character of the two witnesses. In the end of the wars of those four Trumpets when the kingdom of the Ostrogoths fell & the kings of the Visigoth{s} embraced the Roman Catholick religion, the{r}{s}|s|e witnesses put on sackcloth. But they began to prophesy before. For in the days of th they had power to shut heaven that it should not rain in the days of their prophesy, & therefore they began to prophesy when \the rain ceased &/ the woman fled into the \spiritually dry & baren/ wilderness, & left a remnant of her seed \ ( the remnant of the seven Churches ) / to be persecuted in the eastern Empire by the Dragon. |They were the Candlesticks of the second Temple & therefore prophesied from the time of measuring or building that Temple| As the seven Churches of Asia were not all the Churches of Asia but were chosen to represent them all, so the two Can Churches were of ye Goths were not \might not be/ all the Churches of God in ye western Empire but for their eminence were \might be/ chosen to represent them all. And as the seven \Candlesticks or/ Churches |after the flight of the wo| signifies the remnant of the womans wch the D seed in ye eastern Empire wch the Dragon went to make war upon the in ye eastern Empire after the woman was fled into ye wilderness ] \of Asia/ after the flight of ye woman into the wilderness signifies the remnant of her seed wch she left{er} in the eastern Empire & the & wch were in the war wch |when she fled & wch the Dragon went to make war upon when he turned from pursuing her, | & the remnant of that remnat {sic} wch in the|at| war \received not the/ wch the Dragon went to make upon them received not the mark of the Beast after the Dragon had made war upon them & killed \& the image of the Beast & all were killed/ so the two Witnesses after they put on sackcloth signify all the true Chris the remnant of all the true Christians in the western Empire in a state of affliction mourning & oppression. And in this disconsolate condition the people of God continue in both Empires till the resurrection fall of great Babylon the great, & the preaching of the Gospel to all nations, & the second coming of Christ.
[1] ✝ with the Carpi Borani Orugundi &c Heruli & Peuci &c
