Selected quad for the lemma: death_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	apostle_n	eternal_a	sin_n	4,819	5	4.9760	4	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A35689	The ruine of Rome, or, An exposition upon the whole Revelation wherein is plainly shewed and proved that the popish religion, together with all the power and authority of Rome, shall ebbe and decay ... written especially for the comfort of Protestants and the danting of papists ... / published by Authur Dent ; to which is added an epitome of Reverend Mr. Brightman his Exposition upon the Revelation.	Dent, Arthur, d. 1607.; Brightman, Thomas, 1562-1607. Exposition upon the Revelation.	1644 (1644)	Wing D1057; ESTC R29350	192,764	462

in the earth when they overcome the world by faith and subdue Satan and sin by the power of grace Now where it is said that John saw the soules of them that were beheaded for the witnesse of Jesus c. It is to be understood of those which in the time of the persecuting Empire and growing of the Papacie were slaine for the truth For the second beast which is the dominion of Popes reigned not in those thousand yeers in the which Satan was bound but yet did grow by degrees towards their height and used great tyranny against the servants of God before Satans full loosing The Chiliasts or Millinaries doe fondly gather from this Scripture that after the overthow of Antichrist the Lord Jesus would come and reigne with the faithfull here a thousand yeers upon the earth and that in this time that Christ did so reigne as a great and glorious King upon the earth his subjects should enjoy all maner of earthly pleasures and delights This foolish error is confuted by the words that follow in the text as wee shall see afterwards Whereas hee saith The rest of the dead shall not live again It is to be understood of such as were spiritually dead that is such as despised the Gospel which was preached those thousand yeers and were not thereby revived and quickned unto eternall life but did still remain as men dead in sinnes and trespasses Therefore the meaning of Saint John is that as in the thousand yeers many that heard Christ and his Apostles and their successors were raised up from the death of sin to the life of righteousnesse so many others were not quickened by their doctrine but still dwelt in their sinnes whom hee calleth the rest of the dead and hee saith These shall not live again meaning the life of God or the life of grace And whereas he addeth untill the thousand yeeres be finished hee meaneth never or not at all for so the word untill is often taken in the Scriptures and it is sure that after the expiration of the thousand yeers they did not live the life of God and the life of the Spirit For then the Divell was let loose upon the world to work his pleasure and to seduce with all efficacy of error and iniquity Whereas it is said This is the first resurrection hee meaneth the rising from sin to the life of righteousnesse which was in the thousand yeeres of the Gospels preaching and therefore he addeth that he is blessed that hath part in the first resurrection c. and saith that all such shall reigne with Christ a thousand yeers Which is meant of the reigne of the faithfull even upon earth for the space of the thousand yeers in which Satan was bound but yet excludeth not their eternall glory in the heavens And when the thousand yeers are expired Vers 7.8 Satan shall be loosed out of his prison And shall goe out to deceive the people which are in the foure corners of the earth even Gog and Magog to gather them together to battell whose number is as the sand of the sea Verse 9. And they went up unto the plain of the earth and they compassed the tents of the Saints about and the beloved city But fire came downe from God out of heaven and devoured them Now Saint John telleth us that after the determination of a thousand yeares Satan shall be let loose upon the world for their unthankfullnesse and contempt of the Gospel to seduce and deceive even as much as ever he did No marvaile therefore that the two great and monstrous Heresies of Popery and Mahometry did now begin mightily to grow and increase in the world For what other thing can be looked for after this setting loose of Satan But we are to observe that as Satan was bound by degrees through the Ministry of Christ and his Apostles and in their immediate successors so also he was loosed by degrees by the prevailing of Heresies till the great Antichrist was hatched and brought into the possession of his cursed Chaire For Satan was not fully loosed till the yeare of our Lord 998. At what time Silvester the second came to be Pope who was in league with the Divell Stories doe report that at his death he called for the Cardinals and confessed that hee had familiarity with the Divell and how hee had given himself unto him body and soule so that he might come to the Papall dignity After him succeeded sundry other Popes which were notorious monsters some of them murtherers some poysoners some sorcerers some conjurers by whom the Divell was fully loosed all light of the Gospel and ●rue religion being in a manner cleane put out and most abominable idolatry and all manner of villany spreading over the face of the earth and hereof Saint John saith that Satan being fully loosed hee went forth to deceive the people which were in the foure corners of the ●arth even Gog and Magog c. This seducing by Satan here spoken of is the same with ●hat which is spoken chap. 13. onely this ex●epted that this of Gog and Magog is more generall Wee read there how all nations ●indreds and tongues were made to worship ●he image of the beast and to receive his mark but that is to be extended no further ●hen to those kingdoms which were subject ●o the Papacy But here by these armies of Gog and Ma●og are understood all the chiefe enemies ●f the Church in these last dayes since the loosing of Satan both open and secret both Turk and Pope for the Turk is an open enemy the Pope a more close enemy Gog signifieth covered Magog uncovered whereby is noted the Turk For the Pope cometh covered under the name of Christ and Christs Vicar Peters successor c. But the Turk cometh uncovered for hee openly denyeth and impugneth Christ Moreover the names of Gog and Magog are here set downe to note of what countries these chiefe enemies should spring to wit out of Scythia Syria Arabia Italy and Spaine for Magog was the son of Japheth Gen. 10. ver 2. of whom came the Scythians Gog was the name of a great Captaine in the lesser Asia which built a city and named it after his own name Gogkartah that is the city of Gog and it is put in the Prophecie of Ezekiel for the whole region of the lesser Asia and Syria whereby the Prophet did fore-tell that the great enemies of the Church should arise out of those coasts And in very truth they did for out of Egypt Scythia Syria and the lesser Asia did spring up Ptolomeus Seleucus Antigonus Cassander and the rest of Alexanders successors which vexed and oppressed the Jewes by the space of 294. yeers even untill the coming of the Messias at what time the divided Greek Empire was overthrown and translated to the Romans Furthermore it is to be noted that the Prophet Ezekiel saith That Gog is the chiefe Prince of Mesech and Tubal By

The Ruine of Rome OR An Exposition upon the whole REVELATION VVherein is plainly shewed and proved that the Popish Religion together with all the power and authority of Rome shall ebbe and decay more and more throughout all the Churches of Europe and come to an utter overthrow even in this life before the end of the World Written especially for the comfort of Protestants and the dancing of Pap●sts S●minary Priests Jesu●tes and all that cursed rabble Published by Arthur Dent Preacher of the word of God at South-Shoobury in Essex To which is added an Epitome of Reverend Mr. Brightman his Exposition upon the Revelation LONDON Printed by T. H. and I. Y. for Jo. Waterson and are to be sold by Charles Greene at his shop in Ivie Lane 1644. TO THE RIGHT Honourable his very good Lord ROBERT Lord RICH everlasting consolation and good hope through Grace TO be a father to the fatherlesse is properly the vertue of the most high and therefore meet for those who beare his name and office upon earth Among whom Right Honourable seeing it hath pleased his Majesty to count your Lordship faithfull and to put you in so high a service it shall I assure my selfe be matter of rejoycing unto your Lordship to take the Patronage of this poore Orphane which knoweth not whither to flye for succour but to you who did so many waies commend your favour to his late deceased Father that if he had lived to the birth of this his last off-spring it was his full purpose as many can witnesse to have committed it unto your Lordships protection as most meete among many to take this Patronage upon you that this young Infant growing up under your roofe may in time effect that indeed whereof it beares the name to be The ruine of Rome To speake of the excellent parts thereof and of what hope it is like to be in the Church of Christ I thinke needlesse and I feare the note of partiality it shall speake for it selfe I doubt will commend to all posterity his worthy fathers memory Now for my selfe right Honorable being so straightly bound to this duty in regard of my neere conjunction with my late Brother Master Dent and great importunity of his poore Widdow was the more willingly drawne hereunto in two respects The one to give some publike testimony of my love towards him and reverence of the rare grace which we all who injoyed his sweete society did continually in our comfort behold in him Whose learning his labours do shew whose diligence yea extreme and unwearied paines in his ministery publikely privately at home and abroade for foure and twenty yeares at least all our Countrey can testifie All which being adorned with so speciall humility do make his name the greater and our losse the more grievous I may not leave out this which I avow to be as certaine as it is singular that besides all other his great labours he had with the Apostle a speciall care of all the Churches night and day by study and fervent Prayer procuring the prosperity of Syon and the ruine of Rome And to end with his blessed end his life was not more profitable to others then his death is peaceable to himself scarce a grone to be heard though his Fever must needes be violent which dispatched him in three dayes And having made a pithy confession of his Faith this Faith said he have I Preached this Faith have I lived in this Faith I do live in and this Faith would I have sealed with my blood if God had so thought it good and tell my brethren so and drawing neere his end he sayd I have fought the good Fight I have finished my course I have kept the faith and now is that Crowne of righteousnesse layd up for mee the which the Lord that righteous Judge shall give me in that day and so gave up his last breath with these words I have seene an end of all perfection but thy Law is exceeding large The other respect my speciall good Lord for the which I am the more willing to come thus upon the Stage though my part be small full sutable to my ability is that I might be as the mouth of many to publish to posterity what high account all that know the truth among us at least do make of your Lordship that I dare say not the loynes onely but the soules of thousands do blesse you and God for you praying for a ri●h reward to be given you of the Lord and that with your ancient predecessor honourable N●hemiah the Lord would remember you herein and wipe not out all the kindnesse you have shewed on the house of you God and on the Ministers thereof For in the zeale of God and uprightnesse of my heart not to give titles unto men which is not my wont but to provoke all of like honorable condition to follow your Godly practice this I say that as your pure Religion is the Crowne of your nobility so this is the Crowne of your Religion that besides your ordinary presence in the publicke assemblies of the Church your zeale to God and lov● to his people hath herein especially bin manifested to the world in your continuall c●r● to plant faithfull Preachers in all those livings which have been in your Lordships gift or which by all your friends you could procure What is the worthy fruite thereof cannot indeede be valued much lesse by me now uttered yet this I say with common consent of all found-hearted Protestants that if the true Prophets of God be the chariots and horsemen of Israel then may we refer to this honourable practice of your Lordship and of other like Christian Patrones as to a chiefe meanes under God and under the Religious regiment of our gracious Soveraigne the safety of his Highnesse person this admirable tranquility of the Realme that notable ruine of Rome which is so worthily with us effected and shall be assuredly elsewhere in due time accomplished And to say all in few words to this may we referre the safety of soule and body of many thousands in the Land who though they doe and shall live by faith yet doth their righteousnesse farre exceed the righteousnesse of all Popish hypocrites both in duty to God and to their dread Soveraigne our noble King Whereupon I may conclude that I scarce thinke of any service more honourable to God and profitable to his Church then this care to bring into the Lords Temple such painefull Labourers as both by life and Doctrine do faithfully build up the same Goe on therefore Right Honourable and cease not to shine out in this darke World with such light of good example And withall rest upon his word who cannot lye that you shall shine in the Kingdome of light where into shall enter no uncleane thing neyther whatsoever worketh abomination or lies but they which are written in the Lambs Booke of life To which blessed inheritance immortall undefiled and that

men But here specially it meaneth the Apostles and their successors yea and at this day all Christian kings princes and potentates of the earth and all others which take part with Christ against the Divell and his instruments Well here wee see that these two Generals and grand Captains Michael and the Dragon doe muster both their armies joyn battell and fight a pitched field the event and successe whereof is this that the Dragon and his Angels goe downe O blessed successe may wee say For if the Divell had prevailed it had been woe to us sith this battell was about and concerning the very salvation of mankind by Christs death and resurrection We know how the Divell set upon Christ alone to tempt him unto sinne that so hee might overthrow the worke of our redemption supposing in this combat or monomachie to have got the day but he prevailed not Afterward how strongly did hee oppugne him by his Angels I mean the Scribes and Pharisees the high Priests and Elders of the people yea all the Divels in hell and his whole infernall army not only in murthering and crucifying his naturall body but also in using all forcible and cunning meanes to keepe him downe that hee might never rise up again as the great stone upon his tomb the sealing of it the watch set to keep it For the Divell knew right well that if Christ rose againe he should lose the field For the resurrection of Christ is our actuall justification And Christ was mightily declared to be the Sonne of God by his resurrection from the dead Rom. 4.25 Well doe the Dragon and his angels what they can yet Christ is risen again and hath spoiled principalities and powers yea all the infernall army and hath made a shew of them openly and hath led them all in triumph upon his crosse so that we see in this first and greatest battell the Divell hath the foyle And it is further said that this Divell and all his angels were cast out of heaven and their place was no more found which is not to be understood of their first casting out of heaven immediately after their creation for at that time they were no Divels nor enemies to the Church but Angels of light but now since their fall and since they were Divels they are said to be cast out of heaven not because they ever came in heaven since they were Divels but because they can no longer impeach the Church touching her blessed estate in heaven They are without all hope to dispossesse her of her inheritance for that is ratified made sure unto her in the death and resurrection of Christ And for this cause it is said that the Divell hath no more to doe in heaven that is hee cannot for his heart overthrow the salvation of Gods children Rom. 8.33 For who can lay any thing to the charge of Gods chosen It is God that justifieth who shall condemn It is Christ which is dead yea or rather which is risen againe c. True it is indeed that this battell is said to be in heaven that is about heavenly things yea about the highest points of heaven which is salvation or damnation for the Divell upon this very point hath from the beginning mightily wrestled and struggled with the Church and doth even untill this day but blessed be God that hee cannot nor shall not prevail against any one of Gods elect For our Lord Jesus saith I give unto them eternall life John 10.28 and they shall never perish neither shall any take them out of my hand my Father which gave them mee is greater then all Neither shall any pluck them out of my hand Againe All that the Father giveth mee shall come unto me And this is the Fathers will which hath sent me that of all which hee hath given me I should lose nothing but should raise it up againe at the last day Now further wee are to observe that as Christ in his own person hath once prevailed in the main battell against the Divell so his Church militant shall likewise alwaies prevail through him For it is written The gates of hell shall not prevail against it Mat. 16. Verse 9. And the great Dragon that old serpent called the Divel and Satan was cast out which deceived all the world He was even cast into the earth and his Angels were cast out with him Now because the divel cannot overthrow the salvation of Gods elect he is said to be cast out of heaven into the earth that is amongst earthly and carnall men that he may exercise his tyranny and wreak his malice upon them For he hath power given him to tyrannize over them at his pleasure and the Apostle saith Ephes 2. he worketh in the children of disobedience and taketh him captive to do his will Then I heard a loud voyce in heaven saying Verse 10. Now is salvation and strength and the kingdome of our God and the power of his Christ for the accuser of our brethren is cast downe which accused them before God day and night Here is the triumphant song of victory which all the Saints and Angels do sing unto God praising and magnifying his power and the power of his Son Christ for overcoming the Dragon and giving the victory to the Church through Christ For now with great joy and loud voices they sing and say that the Churches salvation is sealed and made sure unto her for ever It can never be shaken The divell is foiled and cast down into the earth These songs of joy after great victories are of great antiquity in the Church as we read of the children of Israel after the overthrow of Pharaoh and his army in the red sea of Deborah after the great victory over Sisera of the women that sung after the victory of Goliah by David The Divell is called the accusey of the brethren for two causes First because hee accuseth Gods elect of much sinne and calleth for justice against them day and night at Gods hands that they might be condemned upon such articles as he is able to prove against them for hee knowing right well that the Judge of all the world is a just God and must needs deale uprightly doth daily urge him to doe justice unto sinners being willingly ignorant that all Gods people though sinners are cleared and discharged in Christ Another reason is because of the calumniations reproaches and slanders which in all ages at all times and in all places and countries he hath alwayes unjustly raised up against the true worshippers of God Verse 11. But they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony and they loved not their lives unto the death Here is shewed that the Churches victory over Satan and hell is not through any power or might of her owne but by the blood of the Lamb and the word of the testimony that is the word of God

by these Horns the Roman Empire did not onely push down other Nations but especially dosse against the Church and as it were cruelly gore the sides thereof Now then we see that the Roman Emperors both in horns and heads were like their father the Divell or the Dragon By the ten crowns upon his ten horns are meant his great and manifold victories over other countries and kingdomes The hornes of the beast are said to be crowned and not his heads because the Roman Empire hath alwaies more prevailed by power then by policy by strength then by subtilty But the Dragon hath his heads crowned and not his horns because he hath alwaies done more hurt by policy then power by subtilty then strength One thing in all this is greatly to be heeded that the holy Ghost in this chapter doth specially speak of the Roman Monarchy as the Popes were heads thereof or as it was under the dominion of the Popes in their pride when as the Emperors were almost troden under foot and not simply and solely as the Emperors were heads thereof Moreover it is said that upon the seven heads of this beast was written the name of blasphemy For besides the blasphemies of Caligula Nero Domitian Dioclesian Julianus and the other old heathenish and persecuting Emperors which have arrogated unto themselves divine honour wee shall anon hear of the surpassing blasphemies of the Popes against God and all goodnesse Verss 4 5. And the beast which I saw was like a Leopard and his feet like a Bears Verse 2. and his mouth as the mouth of a Lion and the Dragon gave him his power and his throne and great authority Here the Roman Empire is described of the likelihood of qualities which it had with the other three Empires going before it For first it is compared to a Leopard for swiftnesse to prey upon others and also for fiercenesse and subtilty as did the Greeke Monarchy Secondly it is compared to a Beare for rapine and ravening as the Monarchy of the Medes and Persians Thirdly it is compared to a Lion for pride and insolency as the Monarchy of the Chaldeans So then by this description it is very clear that this beast signifieth the Roman Monarchy because it containeth in it the whole power of the other three Empires and is here described as a compound of divers beasts yea as a very monster of monsters having the body of a leopard the feete of a beare and the mouth of a lion Moreover it is said that the Dragon gave his power and his throne and great authority Which plainely sheweth that the power and authority of the Roman Empire is of the Divell Chap. 17.8 in respect of the evill qualitie thereof that is fraud rapine and oppression In which respect it is said to ascend out of the bottomlesse pit as was declared before But the substance of it and the government it self was of God Rom. 13.2 For the powers that be are ordained of God as saith the Apostle Verse 3. And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded unto death but his deadly wound was healed and all the world wondred and followed the beast Here John in a vision seeth one of the seven heads of the beast almost wounded unto death There be divers and differing opinions of the learned touching this wound of the Empire both when it should bee and how and by whom Some understand it of the death of Julius Caesar some of Nero some of the oppression of the Gothes and Vandals some of the great prevailing of John Husse and Jerome of Prague in the greatest part of Bohemia But to let all these passe if wee doe wisely consider and weigh with our selves that by a beast in this place is not meant any lawfull administration of government but a tyrannicall power in persecuting the Church we shall find that a head of the beast was then wounded when Constantine the Great slew Maxentius and Licinius the two last persecuting Emperors set up true Religion and brought peace to the Churches For hereby the Roman Empire was greatly wounded as touching the tyranny of it The holy Ghost doth not set down which of the seven heads were thus wounded but in generall saith one of them Now it is very probable that hee meaneth the sixth head For wee doe not read of any such wound in the former five which were past Neither can it bee understood of the seventh head which was the Papacy because it received no such wound as yet It followeth then that the wound was in the sixth head that is in the Empire But we read of no Emperor that did so wound the beast as did Constantine the Great And therefore it is very probable nay an hundred to one that the holy Ghost here pointeth at him But it followeth that his deadly wound was healed to wit by these wicked Emperors which succeeded Constantine as Constantius Julianus Valentius and others which afresh did set up Idolatry and persecuted the Church Now upon the healing of this wound it is said that all the world wondred and followed the beast that is many nations or the greatest part of the world did submit themselves to the Roman tyranny For sure it is some kingdomes were never subject to the Empire of Rome as some part of Asia and some part of Africa Verse 4. And they worshipped the Dragon which gave power unto the beast and they worshipped the beast saying Who is like unto the beast who is able to war with him Now is shewed how all the subjects of the Roman Empire did worship the Dragon that is they maintained that worship which he liked and loved that is the worship of idols which the Apostle calleth the worship of Divels 1 Cor. 10.20 21. And it is said also they worshipped the Beast that is they did all with one accord submit themselves both to the religion and authoritie of the beast that is to the Popes as they were the seventh head of the Empire For as I said before so I say againe the holy Ghost here speaketh of the Empire when it was in the greatest glory and exaltation yea when all the world wondred and followed the beast yea when all admired the great large dominion of the Roman Empire and said within themselves Who is like unto the beast who is able to make warre with him Now the Empire of Rome was never so great and powerfull as when the Popes were heads thereof I mean when they executed the whole Civill jurisdiction of the Empire besides their Ecclesiasticall power which now did both meet in one For now the Papacy was aloft and the Roman Empire joyned with it so that the eyes of the world were dazzled with the pomp and magnificence thereof and they said What is like unto it Or who is comparable to the Pope the seventh head thereof for then the blinde world thought that the power of the Pope was not onely