'Tis true, among those Birds there were fome Part 2. whofe flight was happy enough. The fourth and fifth Centuries produced fome Eminent Doctors in comparison of the preceding. The first Doctors of the Chriftian Church after the Apostles were but poor Divines, they could flye but a little way. There is more Divinity in one piece of St. Austin, then in all the three first Centuries, Origen excepted, who was the Eagle of his Age. But thofe Birds who made fome happy flights, were yet guilty of great faults, and often loft themselves by endeavouring to go too far.

of the fifth

day are An

his fol

The other fort of Creatures are Fishes, Creatures The Fish that make their abode in the waters, that fwim and defcend into the Deep; Creatures among whom tichrift and there are fome of a monstrous bignefs; Creatures lowers. that live upon filth and mud, and are the lively image of the fecond fort of People to be feen in the fifth Period, which is that of Antichrift rifing and growing to perfection. We there fee the great Leviathan of the Abyss. Antichrift himself the Monster of the great waters, who devours all the other Fish, and fubjects them to his Government; There we fee all the followers of Antichrist,Fishes of the second order. Allthefe Creatures, i. e. all thefe men, 1. Have their abode in the waters, which denotes a Collection of much People: they have the multitude on their fide; they reckon it their honour,they glory in it. 2. They defcend into dark Abyffes; for whereas the Doctors of the fourth and fifth Century would be too knowing, thofe of the following ages fell into a moft ftupidIgnorance; They defcend into the darkness of fuperftition: and as for the most part Fishes adhere to the rocks or to the mud; fo thofe falfe Doctors addict themselves to Creatures, and rife not towards Heaven, where

と

the

Part 2. is the Creator. In those times fprung up the adoration of Reliques, the invocation of Saints worship of Images; and even the fublime wits, who are the Birds of the fifth Period, who flie fo high by their lofty fpeculations, as did Gregory of Nazianzen, and Ambrofe of Milan, do fometimes fall from their elevation into the mire of a carnal and fuperftitious worship, as Eagles after a flight into the highest regions of the Air, fall down, as it were in a moment, to fix upon Carrion.

Laftly, Fishes puddle and roll themselves in the mud and flime: a good Emblem of that dreadful corruption into which the laft ages of this fifth Period, were plunged, viz. the nineth and tenth: we have already spoken of that corruption; and you need but look back to what hath been faid, to perceive how juftly we may compare the men of thofe Times to Fishes that live in mire and dirt.

Some will doubtless make an objection here on this account, that God is faid to be the Author of thefe Birds and Fishes. Which there is no reafon for in the thing reprefented by the Type, because God is not to be lookt upon as the Author of the Herefies, Idolatries, and corruption of the Papacy. I might reply, that no Typical relations ought to hinder, but that God may be faid the Author of, and give his bleffing to thofe Creatures which were good, in refpect of their natural being; he did not blefs the Chaos, 'tis true, but it was because that in its natural being it was neither fair nor good, no more than in its typical relation. But if any will that the mystery be carried farther, it may be obferved, that God faith, Let the waters bring forth every moving Creature, &c. 'Tis the waters that immediately produce'em. To the fame effect as he faid before, Let the Earth bring forth Plants. For this

ends

end, that God would our works fhould be reckon'd Part 2 as our own, that we might receive the rewards of em. So the waters, i. e. the multitude of of'em, degenerate mankind, are faid to produce thofe corruptions, and falfe Doctrines,that they might fuffer the punishments annexed to'em, and that it might not be imputed unto God. But it will be faid, that God bleffed thefe works, He saw that it was good. Once more I may ask, why should not God approve thofe Creatures, which in their own natures were good; and which were typically to reprefent fuch Events as the Providence of God would appoint for his own glory? For doubtless the falfe Teachers, who corrupted the Chriftian Religion in the fifth Century, must come within the decree of God,as fuch things whereby he would glorify himself.

of the fixth

In the fixth day God made two works; 1. In- Myfteries fects, creeping things, and four-footed Beafts. 2.The day. Man and the Woman. This fixth day answers to the fixth Period of the Church, from the tenth Century to the Period of the Reign of Antichrift, Thefe four-footed Beafts, Infects, and Creeping things cannot be thought to fignify any thing that is good; under Creeping things are comprehended Serpents, venemous and the most accurfed Creatures: among Infects, are Caterpillers, and a thoufand other hurtfull Creatures: among four-footed Beafts are Wolves, Lions, Tygers, Leopards, and Bears, all crueland bloody Creatures, which live upon prey. This is the true Character of the Men, who lived in the fixth Period of the Church, which is the fecond of the Antichriftian Empire. There we meet with Men like Bloodfuckers, Caterpil lers, Worms, devouring Infects, that ravage, and confume, and deftroy, and gratify their Covetouf

nefs

Part 2. nefs by a curfed Simony. There we meet with Doctors like Serpents and Bafilicks, who poifon by their very breath, and fpread the venom of their falfe Doctrines, with piercing, fharpened tongues; I mean the Schoolmen, who with fubtile Arguments, whetted and fet in order, as fo many darts and fpears, diffufe Herefy, Impurity, Poifon and Idolatry.

Myfteries

of the crea

Moreover, we there meet with wild Beafts, bloody and cruel Men, who delight in blood and Haughter, and glut themselves therewith, as fo many Lions and Tygers. We may there feemultitudes ingaged in an Holy war against Infidels; who went to the Holy Land to conquer it, but carried with them the Lions Tooth; for they rent and devoured every thing which came in their way. Efpecially may we there take notice of those cruel Perfecutors of the Church, killing, burning, and committing outrage and maflacres in all places. This fhould be carefully obferved, that we meet with Birds and Fishes in the fifth day; anfwering to the firft Period of Antichrift, or the fifth of the Church; and fome of thofe Creatures live upon the fpoil, but do not prey upon Man. We do not fee that Birds and Fishes go out of their own Element, to fall upon men, and destroy them. So in the fifth Period there were, 'tis true, fome Hereticks, and a great corruption; but there was not much perfecution, little blood spilt at that time upon the account of Religion. That fort of rage began not to be much imployed; but fince the eleventh Century, in the fixth Period.

t

In the fame day God created the Man and the tion of the Woman, who are the Images of Chrift, and of the Man and Church his Spoufe. The Parrallel between the Woman. firft and fecond Adam, and between the Woman

and

and the Church, hath been made so often, and is fo Part z
eafy to make, that I need not dwell upon it; and
therefore fhall only take notice, that the Type
doth exactly correfpond with the Mystery. At the
end of the fixth day God finisht his work, he then
gave the last stroke to it, by the Creation of the
Man and the Woman, an Emblem of Chrift and his
Church, and of their Union. In the fixth Period
(near the end whereof we now are,) God will
compleat his Church by the ruin of Antichrift;
and bring the Kingdom of Christ upon Earth to its
perfection. This fhould be well remembred, that
the Church in the Type of the Creation appears
under four Emblems. 1. As the Earth buried,
and covered under waters. 2. As a dry Land,
above the waters, and bearing fruit. 3. As a Moon
inlightened by the Sun. 4. And lastly, as the Wo-
man. And our Lord Jefus appears there under three
Emblems; 1. As the Light of the first day, without
or before the Sun. 2. As the Sun. 3. Under
the Emblem of the Man. The Church in her first
ftate, before the Law, was as the Earth under wa-
fhe was obfcure, and as it were buried among
the Nations. In her second state, under the Law,
The was as a discovered Land, distinguisht, and
known, and bearing fruit; but yet the was but
Earth, i.e. not very confiderable. In her third
ftate, under the Gofpel, the appears as a Moon;
a rival of the Sun, imitating his Light; and there-
in the is more glorious than the Earth. This is
the Apoftolical Church fo glorious, and full of
knowledge. In the fourth itate, fhe appears as
the woman, taken out of the fide of Adam, clofe-
ly united with him, being one Body and one Flesh.
Tis in the laft Period that the fhall be more united
to Chrift than before. In the fourth Period the

ter,