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A20217 The ruine of Rome: or An exposition vpon the whole Reuelation Wherein is plainly shewed and proued, that the popish religion, together with all the power and authoritie of Rome, shall ebbe and decay still more and more throughout all the churches of Europe, and come to an vtter ouerthrow euen in this life before the end of the world. Written especially for the comfort of Protestants, and the daunting of papists, seminary priests, Iesuites, and all that cursed rabble. Published by Arthur Dent, preacher of the word of God at South-Shoobery in Essex. Dent, Arthur, d. 1607.; Culverwell, Ezekiel, 1553 or 4-1631. 1603 (1603) STC 6640; ESTC S117456 184,102 332

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yea did couer the whole face of the earth with their multitudes and compasse the tents of the Saints about and the beloued citie that is did make warre against the Church and people of God which in comparison of them were but as a few tents or some little citie But marke vvhat followeth and consider the issue of the battaile The holy ghost saith expressely that fire came downe from God out of Heauen and deuoured them Which doth plainely shew that the armies of Gog Magog though neuer so huge shal be destroyed by the fire of Gods vvrath Now from this I gather that as the armies of the Pope shall goe downe still more and more as formerly hath bene shewed and as experience in the last yeeres good successe both in Ireland Netherland and against Spaine also hath partly prooued Gods most holy name be praised so also the armies of the Turk shal be ouerthrowen so farre foorth as they fight against the true Church or at least be so kept back that they shall not be able to compasse the tents of the Saints as vve see and feele this day God be thanked ver 10 And the Diuell that deceiued them was cast into a lake of fire and brimstone where that beast and that false prophet are and shal be tormented euen day and night for euermore Heere is set downe the Diuells doome to vvit that he shal be cast downe into the infernall pit as vvell vvorthy both for his seducing all nations and stirring vp the armies of Gog and Magog against the Church euen to roote it vp if it vvere possible Therefore Saint Iohn telleth vs that forasmuch as he is the author of all mischiefe and he that hath set all the rest a vvork therefore both he and his instrumens the beast and the false prophet Gog and Magog shall all drinck of the same cup of Gods eternall vvrath and be all throwne downe together into one close prison vvhich is that gasping gulfe and infernall lake that burneth vvith fire and brimstone for euer Loe then vvhat shal be the end of the diuell the Pope the Turk the Emperour the King of Spaine the Cardinall and all other the diuels instruments vvhich heere in earth haue persecuted the Church and compassed the tents of the Saints and the beloued Cittie Now after all this in the fiue last verses Saint Iohn entreth into a liuely and cleere discription of the last iudgement First noting the terror and maiestie of the Iudge himselfe in this ver 11 that from his face both Heauen and earth fled away that is no creature shal be able to endure his angry countenance in that daye and yet vvithall setting downe the puritie and vprightnesse of his iudgement and iudgement seate calling it a white Throne ver 12 And after this the generall citing and personall appearing of all men before him of vvhat degree estate or condition soeuer For both death and hell sea and graue did deliuer vp their dead And all vvithout exception came to iudgement And the bookes of their consciences vvere opened for euerie mans vvorke is engrauen vpon his cōscience as it vvere in letters of brasse or vvith the point of a Diamond as the Prophet speaketh And they were iudged of those things which were written in the bookes according to their workes and according to the testimonie of their owne consciences And death and hell ver 14 that is all the heires of death and hell euen all the societie of reprobates both papists Atheists and all vnbeleeuers yea whosoeuer were not found written in the booke of life were cast into the lake of fire ver 15 which is the second death Now heere I would haue it dilligently obserued that the holy ghost hath three seuerall times in this booke described the last iudgement to wit in the latter end of the 11. Chapter in the latter end of the 14. Chapter and now in the latter end of this Chapter And moreouer I would haue the order and causes of these descriptions well waighed For in the 11. Chapter hauing before described the kingdome of the Pope and the Turk with their ouerthrow and also the preaching and preuailing of the Gospell in these last daies hee commeth to describe the last iudgement In the 14. Chapter hauing set downe that the euerlasting gospell should be plētifully preached in this last age the ouerthrow of Babylon immediately following forthwith hee proceedeth to the discription of the last day In this Chapter hauing before concluded of the vtter ouerthrow of Rome of the beast and the false prophet of Gog and Magog and all aduersary power at length hee proceedeth to this description of Christs second comming which wee haue heard of And out of all this I do gather that the vtter ouerthrow of the Pope all his adherents shall be in this life a little before the comming of Christ vnto iudgement Chap. 21. AS wee haue heard before of the vtter ouerthrow of the beast and the false prophet and all their adherents and also of the euerlasting condemnation of the dragon that old serpent which set them all a worke So now in this Chapter wee are to heare of that most happy and blessed estate which the faithfull shall dwell in for euermore so that the maine drift of this Chapter is most fully to describe that infinit glory and endlesse felicitie to the which all the 144000 that is all the elect of God shal be aduanced when both the beast and all that haue receiued his marke shall be cast downe into the infernall lake This Chapter may very fitly bee deuided into foure parts The first is a description of the renouation of the world and the restauration of the creature ver 1 The second is ver 2.3.4 a laying foorth of the most glorious estate of the Church when it shall bee freed from all misery The third is a protestation of God himselfe ver 5.6.7.8 concerning the renouation of all things the felicitie of his elect and the endlesse torment of all reprobates The fourth is ver 9.10.11.12.13.14.15.16.17.18.19.20.21.22.23.24.25.26.27 a liuely description of the very kingdome of God and the vnspeakeable ioyes of heauen vnder the figure of a great citie called the holy Ierusalem Which citie is heere most gloriously described of his walles gates foundations streets height length breadth brightnesse matter forme persons and inhabitants The text ver 1 AND I saw a new heauen and a new earth for the first heauen and the first earth were passed away and there was no more sea ver 2 And I Iohn saw the holy city new Ierusalem come downe from God out of heauen prepared as a bride trimmed for hir husband ver 3 And I heard a great voice of heauen saying behold the tabernacle of God is with men and hee will dwell with them and they shall bee his people and God himselfe shall bee their God ver 4 And God shall wipe all teares from their eies and there shall bee no
away as a scrole when it is rolled and euery mountaine and I le were moued out of their place Vpon the opening of this sixt seale very dolefull and fearefull things which doo followe As earthquakes the darkening of the Sunne the obscuritie of the Moone the falling of the Starres the rolling together of the heauens the remouing of mountaines Iles out of their places the howlings and horrors of kings and captaines other great potentates of the earth which all are things very terrible and fearefull to beholde and all these do represent and figure out vnto vs the most fearefull tokens of Gods high displeasure and most heauie indignation against the wicked world Very grieuous things fell out vpō the opening of the 2.3 4. seales but they are farre more grieuous which followe vpon the opening of this sixt seale for this sixt seale containeth an aggrauation and encrease of all the former iudgements For now after the crie of the Martyrs for vengeance GOD the auenger of the bloude of the righteous doeth shewe himself from heauen and declare his wrath in more fearefull manner then before euen to the great astonishment of all the creatures in heauen and earth So horrible a thing is the sheading of the bloud of the Christians For now we see plainely that God heareth the cries of his Martyrs and commeth as a Giant or as an armed man to take vengeance of all their enemies For Pretious in the sight of the Lorde is the death of his Saints and hee is much mooued with the crie of their bloud as here wee see And therefore now threatneth to holde a generall Assises wherein hee will make inquisition after bloud and arraigne and condemne all such as are founde guiltie thereof according as the persecuting Emperours and many others did finde and feele by wofull experience For if God be angry but a little who may endure it Now although the Stories do report that in those dayes which was aboue 300. yeares after Christ there were many great and fearefull Earthquakes in diuers nations and cities of the world yet it is apparant that the Earth-quake here spoken of cannot bee taken literally nor any of the rest here mentioned For there was neuer any time neither is it mentioned in any Chronicle that euer the Sunne was as blacke as sacke-cloth of haire or the Moone turned into bloud or the Starres fell from heauen or the Heauens rolled together like a scrole or that Mountaines and Ilandes were mooued out of their places Therefore of necessitie all this must bee vnderstood metaphorically that is that God did in so straunge and fearefull a manner manifest his wrath from heauen by tumults commotions seditions alteratiōs of kingdomes as if these things of the Sun Moone and Starres had bene visibly represented to the eye An earth-quake in this booke and other bookes also of the scriptures doth by a borrowed speech signifie commotions of common-wealth troubles tumults vprores and great alterations of states kingdoms The darkning of the Sun Moone and Starres rolling together of the Heauens do by a metaphor in the scriptures signifie the fearefull wrath and angrie face of God which they being not able to endure are said here to blush at to couer themselues to hide themselues to be ashamed of thēselues to remoue out of their places no more to do their offices c. For as birds doo hide themselues and thrust their heads into bushes when the Eagle commeth abroade And as all the beastes of the forrest doo tremble and couch in their dennes when the Lyon roareth And as that subiect doth hide himselfe and dare not shewe his head with whom the King is displeased So here it is saide that the whole earth doth tremble and all the celestiall creatures are amazed and confounded with beholding the angry face of God against the worlde in so much that they do as it were drawe a canopie ouer them hide themselues vnder a cloude and surcease to do their offices The darkning of the Sunne and Moone is taken in this sense in the second of Ioel and also in the second chapter of the Acts of the Apostles For there God promising and foretelling that in the last dayes he would abundantly powre forth of his spirit vpon all flesh which is to be vnderstood of the plentifull preaching of the Gospell in the Apostles time and the aboundance of grace that was giuen with the same addeth that for the contempt of so great grace and mercie he would shewe wonders in heauen aboue and tokens in the earth beneath Bloud and fire and the vapour of smoake the Sunne shall bee turned into darkenesse and the Moone into bloud before that great and notable day of the Lord come The meaning of the Prophet is as Peter also dooth expound it that God from heauen will shewe such apparant signes of his wrath against the worlde that men should bee no lesse amazed then if the whole order of nature were inuerted And this was performed when as the Iewes for the contempt of Christe and his Gospell were most miserably destroied by the Romanes Euen so here vnder the opening of the sixt seale God dooth threaten that for the murdering of his sonne Christ and his Apostles and innumerable Christians hee would bring straunge iudgements and extraordinarie calamities vpon the worlde according as all stories do shewe that those times were full of bloud-sheads commotions famines pestilence and miseries of all sortes I am not ignorant that the darkening of the Sunne and Moone and the falling of the Starres from heauen are sometimes in this booke put for the obscuritie and corruption of pure doctrine and the falling away of the Pastors of the Church from their sinceritie and zeale But in this place the circumstances will not beare that sense First because heere the darkening of the Sunne and Moone c. is ioyned with an Earth-quake the rolling together of the Heauens and the mouing of Mountaines and Ilands out of their places which argueth a most horrible confusion and concussion of all things Secondly because afterward in the eight chapter hee doth of purpose speake of the corrupting of pure doctrine the falling away of the Ministers referring it to that chapter as his proper place Thirdly because the kings and captaines of the earth here immediatly mentioned would neuer haue bene cast into any such perplexities and horrours vpon any corruption of doctrine and the ministrie as here we reade of For commōly men are not any whit touched or moued with that or such like things Last of all because the scope and drift of the holy Ghost vnder the opening of this sixt seale is to describe corporall not spirituall visible not inuisible iudgements For he doth orderly and of purpose handle them in the next chapter Now whereas it is said in the last three verses that the Kings of the earth and the great men and the rich men vers 15 and the chiefe Captaines and
description of Christ and his glory vers 2 The second sheweth how the Gospell should be preached in many nations and kingdomes by the Ministers of this last age whereby all aduersarie power should be ouerthrowne vers 6.7 The third is a watch word giuen to the world by Christ that when the seuenth Angell should blowe the trumpet the world should ende vers 9.10.11 The last doth shewe how all faithfull Preachers being called and authorized by Christ should trauell and take paines in the studie of Gods booke and afterward should publish the knowledge thereof far and neare vers 1 And I sawe an other mightie Angel come downe from heauen cloathed with a cloude the Raine-bowe vpon his head and his face was as the Sunne and his feete as pillars of Brasse This Angel of might is Christ as appeareth by the description of him by all the consequents following for he is said to be cloathed with a cloud which signifieth his great glory and maiestie For he shall come in the cloudes of heauen to iudge the world that is with great pompe and glory The Raine-bowe was vpon his head which signifieth the couenant of peace with his church as before chap. 4.3 His face was as the Sunne which signifieth comfort and deliuerance to his church the dispelling of all the smoake of the bottomelesse pit as the Sun scattereth and driueth away the thicke mists His feete are as pillars of Brasse which signifieth that he should tread downe all his enemies vnder his feete both Pope and Turke for hee must raigne till hee haue destroied them all The Pope a long time kept all the kings of Europe in awe The Locusts were of great power The Turkes preuailed exceedingly But what are they all to this mightie and glorious Angell Christ What is their power to withstand him What can Abaddō the king of the Locusts do against this mighty king of Sion What can the Turkes most terrible horses and horsemen do against this Angell which sitteth vpon the white horse Alas alas they are able to do nothing They must all bee troden downe vnder his feete of brasse And hee had in his hand a little booke open vers 2 and hee put his right foote vpon the sea and his left vpon the earth This little booke signifieth the Bible It is called little in respect of the great and huge volumes of Popish bookes though in it selfe it bee large It is saide to bee open that all men might looke into it because it had bene shut a long time before euen during all the time of the darkening of the Sun and the Ayre by the smoake which came out of the bottomlesse pit But although it was long shut vp in the time of Poperie and lay buried in a straunge tongue yet now it is opened and publikely preached vnto all the seruants of God And all this no doubt is to be vnderstood of Luthers time and all the times euer since the Gospell was spread abroade after the great darkenesse For some hundred yeares agoe it was hard to finde an English Bible but now God be thanked there are thousands to be found in the hands of Gods people And therfore the things here prophesied of are fulfilled in our daies for wee liue vnder the opening of the seuenth seale and the blowing of the sixt trumpet and the powring forth of the sixt viall as here doth partly appeare and shall God willing be made more manifest whē we come to the 16. chapter Now wee are diligently to obserue that as the opening of this booke the preaching of the Gospell by Luther his successors hath dispersed the former darkenesse and beaten downe Poperie so also hath it driuen backe the Turke and taken from vs all feare of him which in former ages was the terrour of the worlde for since men haue looked into this booke repented of their Idolatrie and turned vnto God with all their hearts The Turke and his power hath not bene feared especially in these parts where the Gospell is preached For God in his mercifull prouidence towards his Church hath diuerted his power an other way and set him aworke else-where So that if men cannot be brought to beleeue that God raised him vp as a scourge for Idolaters and a plague for Idolatrie and other foule sinnes according to the wordes in the former chapter where it is said They repented not of the workes of their hands c. yet when they see that at the opening of the booke of God and forsaking Idolatrie the feare of him is remoued let them beleeue it What can be more plaine then that this opē booke in the hand of the Angell hath deliuered vs from the Pope and from the Turke A most happie opening of this blessed booke Moreouer it is said that hee put his right foote vpon the sea and his left on the earth The setting of Christs right foote vpon the sea signifieth that he is ruler of the sea and standeth as firmely vpon the sea as vpon the land The setting of his left foote vpon the earth doth signifie that he is Lord of the earth and true heire to all things in it And cried with a loude voice as when a Lyon roareth vers 3 and when he had cried seuen thunders vttered their voices This crying with a loude voice like the roaring of a Lyon doth signifie the manifestation of the wrath of Christ against all his enemies for now hee beginneth to roare against them as a Lyon whē he is hungry roareth for his pray Therefore now both the scorpion Locusts the fierce horses and horsemen are like to goe to the pot By the 7. thunders which vttered their voices is meant those perfect and exquisite iudgemēts which now were to be infflicted both vpon the kingdome of the Pope and of the Turke We haue heard before that 7. is a perfect number in this booke that thunder is put for the thundring of Gods wrath and all such broiles and plagues as follow therevpō And this is the reason of this interpretation And when the seuen thunders had vttered their voices vers 4 I was about to write but I heard a voice from heauen saying vnto me Seale vp those things which the seuē thunders haue spoken and write them not It should seeme these seuē thunders did so speake as they might be vnderstood for Iohn was about to write the things which they spake thinking that they were vttered for that ende and purpose that he should deliuer them in writing to the churches But he receiueth a commandement to the contrarie for he is willed not to write them but to conceale them vntill the appointed time But some man may say Why were they vttered seeing they must be concealed and kept close I answere it was not in vaine for first though the particulars bee not expressed what the thunders spake yet here we are taught that there remaine most fearfull iudgementes against all the oppressors of