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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
city_n	according_a	bring_v	zion_n	55	3	9.0384	4	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A68061	An exquisite commentarie vpon the Reuelation of Saint Iohn VVherein, both the course of the whole booke, as also the more abstruse and hard places thereof not heretofore opened; are now at last most cleerely and euidently explaned. By Patrik Forbes of Corse.	Forbes, Patrick, 1564-1635.	1613 (1613)	STC 11149.3; ESTC S102414	192,912	300

fully waken them from their deadnesse and pull perfitly the vaile from their hearts pouring on them the spirit of mercy and compassion and taking from them their stony hearts that they may see him whom they pearced And this is called peculiarly the voice from the Throne to note God his powerfull working of their illumination and full conuersion at this point whereto their hearts by the victory of the Christian Church and praise offered to God therefore were in some good degrees before prepared and mollified So as now all the seruants af God all that feare him both small and great shall raise vp a song to God for multitude maiesty and noise admirable for exceeding great power and motion of spirit full of thundering for newnesse of matter passing ioyfull For raising of this great Halleluiah a strange order of working as would appeare is heere set downe For where it might seeme that according to the ordinary dispensation of all grace the voice should from the Throne haue gone first to the Beasts and Elders and from them to the multitude in a heauenly wisdome the first motion is from the multitude next from Beasts and Elders and lastlie from the Throne to shew this great worke as I haue shewed at last by God his owne power fully effectuall The order is from I say A voice soundeth from the City a voice from the Temple the voice of the Lord who recompenseth his enemies Then Sion before she trauelled brought foorth her children and before her paine shee was deliuered of a man childe Then The earth was brought foorth in a day and a Nation was borne at once Conferre diligently and espie deepe wisdome This voice is to all Gods his seruant to all that feare him both small and great the time of whose reward is now come when God destroieth them who destroied the earth Chapter 11. Now Rachel barren while Lea bare children shall breake foorth in the thousands of Manasse and tenne thousands of Ephraim So by this voice from the Citie from the Temple and lastly from the Throne euen from him Who fully recompenseth his enemies is raised for multitude of singers for manner and matter of song an Helleluiah of a wonderfull note While not onely a great multitude euen all the sernants of God small and great Iew and Gentile doe sing it but also their song is like the voice of many Waters and as the noise of great thunders not as these Cha. 14. which none heard but the sealed ones but such as shall fill the world with astonishment and make the heauens resound So sweetely and mightily shall the Harpes of them whose receiuing shall bee life from the dead bee tuned vp with vs Gentiles to praiseour common Sauiour 5 Thus for cleering the mystery heere implied hauing shewed the forme in the singers vncouth manner order and course of this whole song Now let vs returne and first consider the matter of all and then the euent in Iohn 6 The matter of the song in the first three Halleluiah and two degrees of singers is all one In the last Halleluiah last singers when all small great sing it is larger The song of the first singers hath two parts and accordingly to shew the rising of their affection the word Halleluiah is doubled The first part hath the speciall points of praise and reasons thereof The speciall points are Saluation glory honour and power c. Thus in ioyfull song professing that the onely praise of their saluation the onely glory that is the estimation and high account they haue God in as onely author of all their good all the honour that is all dutifull worship which according to that estimation and account they owe are due to him onely Lastly they acknowledge his onely power and strength in all their deliuerance and ouerthrow of their foes This song is the same in argument with that Chap. 7. Saluation is of our God and of the Lambe The reasons of this their praise are first generally giuen and next specially accommodare to the present matter The generall is that his iudgements are true and iust in relation to his promises and nature and accordingly in the speciall case heere meaned the truth of his iudgements is cleere in that the Whoore is iudged and destroied as he promised not onely to destroy her but also all that doe euill to the Sanctuary The iustice and equity is manifest in her sinne who was a great Whoore and therewithal the corrupter of the whole earth being both her selfe extremely sinnfull and inducing others to sinne next extremely cruell as in whom all the blood of the earth was found and who specially was drunken with the blood of Saints Now God is a requirer of blood and singulary of his holy ones whose death is precious in his eies This both truth and iustice of God in this speciall act of the Whoores damnation is yet more cleered in the second part of their song whereto they are stirred by the consideration of her euerlasting fall so as they neuer feare her deceit or cruelty any more And this raiseth their affection to a new Halleluiab so vpon the more cleare sense of the greatnesse of the benefit doubling the praise The foolish knoweth it not and the vnwise man vnderstandeth not that the wicked flourisheth as the grasse but hee shall bee destroied for euer 7 The second order of singers affirme the same matter in the word Amen and sing the same praise in Halleluiah 8 In the third order as the singers are moe and the note higher so is the matter of their song somewhat larger as which hath not onely relation to the iudgement of the Whoore as the former parts of the song but also to the subsequent story both of the enemies ouerthrow and gracefull state of the Bride thereupon both which are heere summarily celebrate and largely after through the booke exponed The first in this that now the Lord raigneth for they are destroied who vsurped the Kingdome The other in that the Bride is prepared The destruction of the vsurpers is hencefoorth in this and the next Chapter the Bride prepared Chapters 21. and 22. Heereupon all are of other mutually exhorttd to ioy and gladnesse aswell as to the praising of God for that The Lambe his marriage is come c. Wherein as there is huge matter of Gods praise so of exceeding ioy to themselues in their owne good from him This marriage contracted of old was come in a great degree when the Bridegrome came into the world but they who were bidden refused to come and amongst those who were brought in to the wedding one wanted a wedding garment and thereupon is cast out into vtter darkenesse euen the lake of fire and Brimestone But now at this point heere celebrated the marriage shall come in a nobler degree when God by a voice from the Throne shall turne their hearts who refused now to come in that as their casting of

name and are content to be called his being so farre deceiued with his shew as yet they receiue neuer his Character as his mancipate slaues And yet moe haue the number of his name that is are counted and numbred to bee of his body who yet in effect neither haue his name nor his Character This hath deceiued men that they haue imagined the Character to be some other thing then of his name But as is cleare by this place his Character is of his name and they receiue his Character who so haue his name as they are characterized therewith and vpon his marke A speech from common vse Hereof it is that in Mount Sion all haue the Character that is all who are of the true Church elected according to the purpose of grace But as in the visible Church many haue the name of God moe haue the number that is are accounted Christians who yet are not of the number sealed so in Antichrist his Church are many hauing his name and moe hauing his number and so are tolerated to haue commerce and trade with men who yet neuer receiued his Character Therefore it is that the iudgement is denounced onely against those who worshippe him and receiue his Character and accordingly the Vials of wrath Chapter 16. are powred onely vpon these Who are here twise repeated that wee may bee wakened to aduert how here the holy Ghost teacheth vs not to iudge so hardly of all that follow the Beast as that eternall damnation abideth them but onely such as haue receiued his Character For no question but many haue beene and are still named his and counted of his number who learned neuer the deepenesse of Sathan as simple sheepe fallen into that slocke of his because they saw there the publike Ensigne and the Lambe his horns in semblance because hee brooked the holy City and Court of the Temple Euen like these two hundreth who in simplicity of heart followed Absolom from Ierusalem knowing nothing of his treason For we must consider what sort of enemy Antichrist is That hee is no fortaine inuader but an inward Traitor None directly fighting against the name and Ensigne of Christ but by pretence of the name and Ensigne deceiuing And sitting euen in the Temple of God as if a hid Traitor pretending the King his Masters seruice and commission would summon all true Subiects to follow him while hee were but minding vsurpation euen good Subiects might bee thus far deceiued as to follow the publike Ensigne till the treason were detected Further consider that the true Church in Antichrist his greatest preuailing was alwaies within his compasse within which all were euer accounted to bee his owne but yet were not As within the compasse of the holy City and Court of the Temple were the Temple and witnesses in it Chapter 11. besides as no way could bee to the Temple but through the City and Court so no way euer was or shall bee to become a member of the true Church but by comming through the visible Church wherein Antichrist fortie two moneths working and obtaining without controlment all behoued to ioyne to that body where was the Ensigne and seek in through the City and Court to com to the Temple Now no maruell though many in the passing through were taken in admiration of the City Court before they got sight of the Temple And the prouidence of God was wonderfull in this that in greatest corruption he reserued alwayes a sure way through Antichrist to the Temple the Sacrament of Baptisme in substance remaining and the doctrine of the Trinity abiding sound So thus all comming through him had his name or his nūber of whom yet many neuer receiued his Character but espying the pollution of City and Court stepped into the Temple Where still though quietly God preserued two Candlestickes and two Oliues till at length his impiety came to that height by murthering the Saints that it was said to them Come vp hither and so a visible separation was made not from the Church but from the thiefe and Traitor in the Church his mouth bewraying it selfe to bee the Dragons And certainely this holdeth true so as we neede not so much iangle with the Romans thereabout that the Church hath and euer shall bee visible because alwayes the common Ensigne is seene But this Ensigne the Traitor craftily tooke vpon him to beare and thereby deceiued Here is the fallacy that by aequiuocation they conclude if the Church hath alway beene visible then are wee the true Church Here more is added For albeit the church be alwayes visible yet the truth and true professors in it are not alwayes so For the witnesses were closed in the Temple the woman lurked in the wildernesse and the sealed ones were albeit singing yet vnseene and vnheard vpon Mount Sion Three distinct speeches vsed of the Spirit for great purpose The first to shew that howsoeuer the true Church was hid yet where shee was to witte within the compasse of the visible where Antichrist ruled and where Sathan his throne was The second to shew that albeit shee lurked yet she was fed as was Israel in the wildernesse and Elias in the dayes of famine The third that in that great preuailing of Antichrist when all the earth followed the Beast yet she was stablished on Mount Sion so as against her the gates of hell could not preuaile The true Church is in some sort euer vlsible though not in her selfe yet in her infallible Ensignes as who seeth the Citie and Court hee seeth in a sort the Temple because albeit hee see it not distinctlie yet seeing the City and Court hee is certaine that the Temple is there So seeing the visible Church within whose compasse though no eye see them yet God hath his true worshippers one seeth also the true Church For within the Church are truth and lies Christ and Antichrist and either of them now and then obtaine in it and hold place communiter in toto but neuer vniuersaliter in singulis From the Apostolike times as witnesse Paul and Iohn Antichrist was in the Church but hee appeared not some ages after In his time hee riseth and obtaineth all the holy City and Court of the Temple erecteth a throne in Pergamus and domineth as Iezabel in I hyatira Truth is hid and true Professors till the noise of many waters the voyce of thunder and sound of well tuned Harpes breake out of Sion and the Temple and the woman returne from the wildernesse It is a great Sophisme to conclude from the Church visible to the Church absolutely or true Church or againe from these to that or to reason a toto communiter ad vniuersum singulariter Albeit Antichrist was commonlie acknowledged of all yet neuer vniuersally of each one For he neuer set his foot in the Temple nor vpon Mount Sion The Romans presse sore vpon vs to shew who in former ages haue been of our Religion

close the count of these thousand yeeres the end heere mentioned and degrees of the Dragon his restraint doe clearely lead vs. Wee must not thinke that Sathan in an instant was eyther tyed vp from his rage or againe in a precise point of time let loose But both fell out by degrees From the first out going of the Gospell hee beganne in some degree to bee bound as hee complaineth of Christ that hee had come to torment him before the time And as the Gospell preuailed hee was still the more made fast But seeing the end here specified of his binding and the condition of the Church heere described vpon his restraint Make euident that this his Captiuity is not absolute but in some speciall consideration and the degrees here mentioned shew that then his vptying is to bee counted when in that consideration he is perfectly made fast as taken shut vp locked on sealed we haue to take vp that point of time when according to this end he was fully fastned I shewed before on the 12. Chapter that the Dragon his proper rage is taken for open and cruell persecuting of Christians from which he was then fully tyed vp when by Constantine his conuersion to the faith open persecution ceased and Christianity was by lawes established the Church became glorious in the eyes of all men the soules of Martyres got long white robes and seates were set vp and the Saints did sit on them c hauing iudgement giuen them For both the commemoration of Martyrs was honourable and the estate of the Church flourishing in peaceable and goodly condition and glorious account And albeit in the meane time Sathan was working by his Lieutenant the Beast whom vpon this his restraint from open rage hee sent forth then in the first sensible degrees to deceiue by false semblance and who from this point of time mightily preuailed though at first by slow scarse perceptible degrees as rising out of the earth in bringing Nations to make vp the image of the Beast which at the end of these thousand yeeres came to the top of impiety yet they liued and raigned all the while who receiued not his Character The end then here mentioned of the Dragons restraint that hee should not seduce c. must not bee taken absolutely for hee was neuer busier seducing nor with greater successe then during these thousand yeeres but seducing here must be vnderstood according as wee see hee worketh vpon his lousing againe when hee falleth to that same kinde of seduction from which first hee was bound vp that is to seduce Nations to compasse the Tents of Saints and the beloued City Euen to set them againe vpon violent and furious persecution by sword and fire as he was a murtherer from the beginning and as in that men most bewray themselues to bee the children of their father the Diuell From this rage hee was bound vp when by the two wings of that great Eagle the woman escaped to her place from the presence of the Dragon he beeing chained from comming at her now extolled with wings And the degrees here set downe of binding inclosing shutting vpon and sealing shew euidently that the count is to be taken vp from the full and perfect point of his Captiuity For from that time hee had no louse chain for open rage In Iulian he was not so much loused as biting the chain Who besides his short abode neuer durst fall directly to murthering of Christians the persecutions of Constantius and Valens were partiall heates vnder profession euen that bloud that was mingled with haile and fire Chapter 8. 10 Now as wee haue the point of time of his perfect fermance which is the 300. yeere of Christ or therby so this leadeth vs to the point of his loosing the 1300. yeere or thereby and the conueniency of story is cleare for although as by degrees hee was fastned so by degres hee was loosed againe yet wee shall find as at the first point the full degree of his binding so at this time him fully loosed In the Pontificality of Gregory the seuenth he had a long chaine which yet was further raxed in that of Vrban the second and his Successors kindlers of that tragicall and superstitious warre for recouery of Ierusalem But for the end here spoken of open cruelty against Saints hee was fully loused in the Pontificality of Boniface the eighth and his successors from whose times haue beene bloudy persecutions and cruell rage Then the woman beganne to returne from the wildernes the witnesses to steppe out of the Temple the little booke eaten to giue hearts and eyes to apply the reede and so to discerne the Temple from the Court then the first of these three Angels Chapter 14. beganne to breake out through the midst of Heauen and the other two in course followed so as then they were blessed who died in the Lord and then was the patience of Saints The Beast his mouth then being perceiued and so the semblance of the Lambs horns no more able to beare him out the Dragon behooued come againe in roome to maintaine his owne throne to represse by rage what by hypocrisie could not be kept downe Then the two witnesses lay slaine in the streetes of the great City all Nations being seduced to slay them and reioyce ouer them Then the Beast which was carst spotted like a Pard becommeth of the Dragons colour and the Whore born vp by him is drunke with the bloud of Saints from that time what cruell murther of Christians was vnder the odious names of Waldenses Albingenses Fraterculi Beghardi c. And since what fiers what bloud sheds what monstrous complots for extirpation of the truth haue beene practised is too well known 11 In this rage though for a time the Dragon deborded yet praised bee God by successe of the Gospell and fire from heauen hee is in making fast the second time in an euerlasting chaine Therefore it is said that hee should be loused but a short space For they are faine to relent of their open murthering and burning are now in God his iustice getting measure for measure 12 The time then of these thousand yeeres is from the first open and sensible steppes of the mystery of iniquity working on to the quickning of the Beast which fell together with this binding vp of the Dragon to the toppe of that impiety when it came to the highest degree And this is the onely time in all this prophesie to bee taken definitely because of Antichrist his whole working which was in way euen from the Apostolike times first by hid and insensible and next by open steppes towards the height from which height againe as by degrees it arose so by degrees it must vanish no precise or exact time could be set downe but yet to giue vs sufficient clearenesse the holy Ghost putteth the time from the first beginning of open working to the