When the seven Angels had poured out the seven vials of wrath, and _John_ had described them all in the present time, he is called up from the time of the seventh vial to the time of the sixth seal, to take a view of the woman and her Beast, who were to reign in the times of the seventh seal. In respect of the latter part of time of the sixth seal, then considered as present, the Angel tells _John_: _The Beast that thou sawest, was and is not, and shall ascend out of the abyss, and go into perdition_; that is, he was in the reign of _Constans_ and _Magnentius_, until _Constantius_ conquered _Magnentius_, and re-united the _Western_ Empire to the _Eastern_. He is not during the reunion, and he shall ascend out of the abyss or sea at a following division of the Empire. The Angel tells him further: _Here is the mind which hath wisdom: the seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth_; _Rome_ being built upon seven hills, and thence called the seven-hilled city. _Also there are seven Kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space: and the Beast that was and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition_. Five are fallen, the times of the five first seals being past; and one is, the time of the sixth seal being considered as present; and another is not yet come, and when he cometh, which will be at the opening of the seventh seal, he must continue a short space: and the Beast that was and is not, even he is the eighth, by means of the division of the _Roman_ Empire into two collateral Empires; and is of the seven, being one half of the seventh, and shall go into perdition. The words, _five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come_, are usually referred by interpreters to the time of _John_ the Apostle, when the Prophecy was given: but it is to be considered, that in this Prophecy many things are spoken of as present, which were not present when the Prophecy was given, but which would be present with respect to some future time, considered as present in the visions. Thus where it is said upon pouring out the seventh vial of wrath, that _great _Babylon_ came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath_; this relates not to the time of _John_ the Apostle, but to the time of pouring out the seventh vial of wrath. So where it is said, _Babylon is fallen, is fallen_; and _thrust in thy sickle and reap, for the time is come for thee to reap_; and _the time of the dead is come, that they should be judged_; and again, _I saw the dead small and great stand before God_: these sayings relate not to the days of _John_ the Apostle, but to the latter times considered as present in the visions. In like manner the words, _five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come_, and _the Beast that was and is not, he is the