An humble attempt to promote explicit agreement and visible union of God's people in…

Constantine was made the Instrument of giving a mortal Wound to the Heathen Roman Empire; and giving it a mortal Wound in its Head, viz. the Heathen Emperors that were then reigning, Maxentius and Licinius. But more eminently was this glorious Change in the Empire owing to the Power of God's Word, the Prevalence of the glorious Gospel, by which Constantine himself was converted, and so became the Instrument of the Overthrow of Heathen Empire in the East and West. The Change that was then brought to pass, is represented as the Destruction of the Heathen Empire, or the old Heathen World; and therefore seems to be compared to that Dissolution of Heaven and Earth that shall be at the Day of Judgment, Rev. vi.12, to the End. And therefore well might the Heathen Empire under the Head which was then reigning, be represented as wounded to Death, Chap. xiii.3. 'Tis much more likely, that the Wound the Beast had by a Sword, in his Head, spoken of Ver. 14. was the Wound that the Heathen Empire had in its Head, by that Sword that we read of Chap. i.16. and xix.15. that proceeds out of the Mouth of Christ, than the Wound that was given to the Christian Empire and Emperor by the Sword of the Heathen Goths. 'Tis most likely that this deadly Wound was by that Sword with which Michael made War with him and overcame him and cast him to the Earth, Chap. xii.9. and that the deadly Wound that was given him, was given him at that very Time. 'Tis most likely, that the Sword that gave him this deadly ⟨p. 138⟩Wound, after which he strangely revived, as tho' he rose from the Dead, was the same Sword with that which is spoken of, as what shall at last utterly destroy him, so that he shall never rise more, Chap. xix.15, 19, 20.21. This wounding of the Head of the Beast by the Destruction of the Heathen Empire, and Conversion of the Emperor to the Christian Truth, was a glorious Event indeed of divine Providence, worthy to be so much spoken of in Prophecy.—'Tis natural to suppose, that the mortal wounding of the Head of that savage cruel Beast, that is represented as constantly at War with the Woman, and persecuting the Church of Christ, should be some Relief to the Christian Church: But on the contrary, that wounding to Death that Mr. Lowman speaks of, was the Victory of the Enemies of the Christian Church over her, and the Wound she received from them.