of the Prince of the Couenant to their charge also as cunningly as they thinke to conuey his murder and post it ouer to Ierusalem For as the Lord doth lay the blood of his seruant Abel to the charge of the Scribes and Pharises of his owne time although hee were slaine long before those Pharises were borne or Ierusalem builded because they were the very image and liuely imitation of his brother that murthered him so the holy Ghost doth here lay the innocent blood of the Lord of glory to the charge of this crucifier and his citizens because they are the children and generation of that high Priest and those murderers which cried Away with him crucifie him crucifie him And that wee should not maruell thereat the holy Ghost in another place goeth further and saith In her shall be found the blood of the Apostles and Prophets also and all that euer for the testimonie of the truth were slaine on earth Verse 9. And there shall of the tribes and people and Gentiles see their dead bodies three dayes and a halfe and shall not suffer their corps to be layed in monuments ANd all nations and kingdoms where the Beast is worshipped whom the holy Ghost for their prophanation in life and religion calleth Gentiles shall haue handle and gaze vpon the letter and corps of his two witnesses three days and a halfe that is to say the time times and halfe a time wherein the Beast shall reigne and persecute euen three propheticall yeares and a halfe accounting as in Ezekiel all dayes for yeares Neither shall they suffer the word of their prophecie to be read opened vnderstood and laid vp in the hearts of the people the true and natural monuments and sepulchers wherein the testimonie of their words ought to be interred Verse 10. And the inhabitants of the earth shall be glad ouer them and shall send gifts one to another because these two Prophets tormented them that dwell vpon the earth ANd all the worshippers of the Beast here noted for their number by the inhabitants of the earth shall clap their hands ouer their owne inuentions and reioyce in the death of the truth and make merry with bonefires Vigils Festiuals Processions and in token of ioy they shall send as the Spirit saith gifts one to another Kings and Princes and people shal present and endow the Beast and his Church with donations immunities possessions gold and siluer offerings and the Beast on the other side shall requite their kindnesse with titles bels pardons buls and such like and the Spirit yeeldeth a reason of this their wicked and vngodly comfort because they had put out the eyes of his two Prophets that their whoredomes and prophanations might not be reproued then which nothing can be greater torment to the wicked nor more vnsauory to them that perish Verse 11. And after three dayes and a halfe the spirit of life from God entred into them and they stood vpon their feete and great feare fell vpon all that saw them ANd forasmuch as in the death and extermination of Antichrist by way of dependancie consisteth the life and resurrection as it were of the Scriptures the Spirit foresheweth that after the reigne and persecution of the Beast which here as in the ninth verse is determined by three dayes and a half God will raise vp faithfull prudent Priests Shepherds of vnderstanding hearts who shall rightly diuide the words and testimonies of his two witnesses which the holy Ghost signifieth in saying that the spirit of life from God entred into them for as the letter and text of the Scripture is the corps thereof so their true intent and meaning is the spirit and life of them and by the faithfull ministery of such as the Lord shall raise in and about that time and for that purpose the testimonie of his two Prophets shall be restored to their strength and as it were to their walking againe which the Spirit signifieth in saying they stood vpon their feete as well to the terror and astonishment of all lying and stipulous expositors as to the feare and admiration of the children and iustifiers of wisedome as the holy Ghost concludeth saying And great feare fell vpon all that saw them Verse 12. And I heard a loud voice from heauen saying Come vp hither and they went vp into heauen in a cloud and their enemies saw them ANd the restauration of the true meaning of the Scriptures which their enemies so long kept vnder by all vniust and cunning shifts shall be more famously knowne and published then that they may any longer hinder or stop the glorious course of their wonderfull instauration which the Spirit intendeth in saying that he heard a voice from heauen saying Come vp hither meaning that it should be more possible for their enemies to stay Elias chariot from ascending or pull the wind backe from pursuing his point then to resist the wisedome of the same the which shall vindicate the abuse of the Scriptures and by the power of their ministery as in the strength of a cloud shall hold them vp and restore them to their spirituall and heauenly meaning againe and the Beast with all his sorcerers and liers which haue been their long and ancient enemies shall see the glorie of their regeneration and wonder and die Verse 13. And in that houre there was made a great earthquake and the tenth part of the Citie fell and there were slaine in the earthquake names of men seuen thousand and the rest were cast into a feare and gaue glorie to the God of heauen ANd at such time as it pleased God to begin his worke of instauration and to cause the dayspring of his Gospel to shine out of the night of Antichrists darknesse the abominable and desolate prophanation of the Beast which had so long time ouercast the earth was in such sort discouered that the very roote of his throne and vsurped authoritie was dangerously shaken which the holy Ghost closely foldeth vp in saying there was made a great earthquake And further foresheweth that out of this concussion there should arise so great defection that the tenth part of his worshippers should reuolt from him and that this reuolt and defection must cost the liues of many thousand men which the Spirit vttereth in a maner of speech strange to vs but vsuall with the Scriptures calling men names of men as Chap. 3. 4. and meaning by seuen thousand many thousand vsing the determinate number of seuen indefinitely and for a number indeterminate as it is also in Scripture often Which broiles and bloodshed concerning the institution of religion are so sufficiently reported in the Commentaries of Bohemia and Germanie and in the troubles of France and Flanders and other nations as if it were purposely registred in proofe of this prophecie Lastly the Spirit concluding foretelleth that many kingdomes in this defection should quite forsake the Beast and haste them out of Babylon home againe to build
or the number of the man is nothing else but the period and finall determination of the vsurped tyrannie and domination of Antichrist which the Lamb the Lord and preseruer of Israel for the glorie of his name consolation of his Church and confusion of her foes with a mighty and outstretched arme shall bring to passe in the yeare which shal be 666. Forasmuch as the egge of Antichristianisme was laid in the dayes of Innocent the first successor to Anastasius the first also of that name in the yeare of saluation 406 as is before declared and that by expresse commission there was furthermore granted to the Beast his heires and successors 1260 yeares for the hatching fostering and perfecting this child of perdition and mystery of iniquitie which being added to 406 by rule of true audite must needs verifie this admirable iudgement which the Spirit of God hath here denounced and determined to make good vpon him in the yeare which shall be 1666. In which account and discouery of his end the holy Ghost of purpose leaueth out the millenarie number as not onely knowne perfect and immutable for that these vile and euill dayes shall not exceed more thousands then one but as respecting also the common vse of all nations as well Hebrewes as Gentiles who in their stiles for breuitie sake do no lesse often speak Vide Calendarium Heâ—raieum Sebastianl Munsteri and write by the imperfect number omitting the millenary then after the perfect adding the millenary as Munster well obserueth And in that yeare my Lord of Rome shall lay downe his proud waues and although he fortifie neuer so strong and lay his foundation as low as hell and build his turrets as high as heauen and place his Miter aboue the starres yet in that day he shall die the death of the vncircumcised and perish like the Amorite whose fruit is destroyed from aboue and roote from beneath and the multitude of his offences shall consume the multitude of his forces and it shall be more possible for him and easie vnto him to weigh the fire or measure the wind or call againe the day that is past or recouer the verdure of the withered grasse as a holy one saith then to auoide this counsell and decree of his downfall here determined by the Spirit against him saying and the number of him is 666. And then all kingdomes and people shall see the eternitie of that eternall citie as one of her owne calleth it and the immortalitie of her soule meaning the soueraigne power and supremacie of her Cesars and high Priests to wither die and forsake the earth for euer and as Babylon her mother left vnto her the inheritance of her pride and prophanations so shall she also leaue vnto her the heritage of her death and iudgements for as her glorie hath been great so shall her dishonour when all her excellencie shall be translated into shame and sorow Now therefore as King Baltasher cried aloud when he saw the hand-writing against him that they should bring the Caldeans Astrologians and Inchanters to reade and interpret so thou that once and long before our dayes hast been deemed by lawes of all nations a power so soueraigne holy call now about thee thy Councell and thy Clergie who call themselues Good men learned and wise whose onely grace is to loue antiquitie grauitie wisedome and constancie call them I say cloath them with purple and chain them with gold yet shall they not deliuer thee froÌ„ this iudgement to come but as the mill-stone which the mightie Angell took and cast into the sea which may not rise and floate againe with such violence thou and thy Church in that houre shall be throwne downe and shall be found no more And all such Kings on earth or rather Kings of earth whose loue thou hast stolen to the losse of their soules that haue liued in drunkennesse delights and wantonnesse with thee shal weep and waile for thee as for their first borne when they shall see the smoake of thy torments ascend and the apples which thy soule lusted after to depart from thee and no man to buy thy trasn and commodities any more for that God which iudgeth thee is a strong Lord and thy derision shall be the ioy and Alleluia of Sion But her faire and halcyon day may not long endure before the Lord that with iustice iudgeth and fighteth shall come in the clouds of heauen to render vnto euery man according to the ways wherein his heart hath walked as more directly is reuealed in the 20 Chapter following But as coÌ„cerning the day houre of the coming of that Lord who for the glorie of his name shall bring these things to passe it is fast sealed vp in the treasurie of God far beyond the aime of all his seruants in earth or Angels in heauen and yet his beloued seruant Daniel is bold in spirit and layeth downe the yeare to be the fiue and fortith yeare according to his Caldaicall supputation after the consumption and extermination of Antichrist that it may be fulfilled which was spoken by the Prophet Verily the Lord of hoasts will doe nothing but he reuealeth his secrets vnto his seruants the Prophets Amos 3. FINIS
memory as that they shall neuer be discharged or forgotten the Spirit inferreth saying who accused them before the sight of our God day night Verse 12. And they ouercame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimonie and they loued not their liues euen vnto the death LAst of all the holy Ghost discouereth the spirituall armour and weapons wherewith the Angels and seruants of Michael obtained this famous victory ouer the Dragon and his sectaries and saith that they were tempered of these two diuine vertues faith and patience For by the shield of faith which the Spirit by a metonymie calleth the blood of the Lamb and with the sword of his two witnesses and by the word of their testimonie they ouerthrew all forces and arguments drawn from reason or reading which the Spirit obserueth in these words And they ouercame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimonie and all such arguments as were drawne from the blocke as fire sword persecution interdiction and such like the children of the Church quenched them with teares prayers patience and martyrdome as their Lord had giuen them charge and left them example which the Spirit vncouereth in saying And they loued not their liues euen vnto the death Verse 13. Therefore reioyce O heauens and you that dwell in them Woe to the earth and to the sea because the diuell is descended to you hauing great wrath knowing that he hath but a little time AS after victory followeth diuision of spoile so the Spirit shuts vp this heauenly conquest with triumph and ioy inuiting thereunto all the Saints and seruants of God which haue from time to time maintained and defended the honour of his name against the Dragon his sorcerers and sorceries And because by their good profession and godly conuersation they testified the glorie of God as doe the heauens by their obedient conuersions the Spirit crowneth them with the name of the heauens saying Therefore reioyce O heauens and you that dwell in them And on the other part pronounceth woe first to all nations and kingdomes accessary to these spirituall whoredomes of the Dragon whom according to their earthly mind he most aptly resembleth to the earth next to the Empire it selfe as the scelerum caput and stable of iniquitie whom for his fearfull power and vnbridled rage the Spirit most elegantly calleth by the name of the Ocean and the sea and concludeth his woe with a reason why because both in one and other the power of Satan had taken such deepe roote that the more the light of the truth did bewray their madnesse the more they stroue and stormed against it and so much the rather because their sinne was now at the highest and that the kingdome of Christ did gather so fast vpon them that of necessity a mutation of their fortunes must needs follow with a subuersion not onely of their Paganisme but also of their power Cesaricall which the Spirit closely foldeth vp in these words Knowing that he hath but a little time which one Apostle also obserueth 2. Thess 2. Verse 14. And when the Dragon saw that he was throwne to the earth he persecuted the woman that brought forth the man child ANd when the raging Romane Empire saw that his maintenance of Iupiter and his idol art of making shrines was to descend for euer as among many voices some euen to this day are heard to crie vengeance vpon his idols inforcing them with shame to resigne their vsurped titles of gods and claime of heauen to the true Lord and owner thereof he took the course of the wicked whose custome is as one of their owne noteth malitia alia aliam trudere and to adde sin to sin as a holy one saith to quench his Deut. 29. thirst with drunkennesse for so proceeded this Beast adding to his blindnesse boldnesse redeeming his blasphemie with rage and persecution and was so far from coming to himselfe and taking vp repentance to wash away his crying sinnes that as the Spirit concludeth he more and more pursued the Church persecuted the woman which brought forth her first borne and primitiue fruit here called for their faith their patience and their godly valour the man child Verse 15. And there was giuen vnto the woman two wings of the great Eagle that she might flie into the desart vnto her place where she was nourished for a time and times and halfe a time from the face of the Serpent BVt the Lord who had so dearly bought his Shunamite was no lesse carefull to preserue and carry her to the place of her rest with a strong and out-stretched prouidence euen vpon his owne two wings whose feathers were made of the truth of his promse sealed and deliuered by the hand of his two witnesses which the Bridegroom of purpose left with his Spouse to accompanie and guide her whensoeuer she remoueth If she trauell by day they are her leading cloud if by night they are her pillar of fire if she flie they lend her wings if she wander they harbour her if she be naked they couer her if in prison they visit her if captiue they redeem her if she be weake they sustaine her if blind they leade her if she be heauie they comfort her if sicke they recouer her if she doubt they resolue her if she erre they direct her if she thirst they giue her to drinke and if she hunger they feed her and make her so strong of constitution that afflictions are reioycings to her banishment a hauen dispersion a friend losse and death aduantage And by these comforts as by hands they conuey her to her solitude and restlesse place of rest as the Spirit discouereth saying But there were giuen to the woman two wings of the great Eagle that she might flie into the desart vnto her resting place where euer since her primitiue dispersion she hath liued strewed and scattered far and neare ouer the face of the earth seene and knowne of her Lord by whom she is protected and of the children of wisedome of whom she is iustified and so doth and must remaine hidden and retired into the priuie chambers of Gods prouidence and her owne conscience during the reigne of Antichrist whose curst and arrogant supremacy was to rise out of the ashes of the Dragons Emperioritie as the holy Ghost prophecied And thus hiding her eminent primitiue graces must closely and silently keep the Lords watch and stand vpon her honorable guard three propheticall yeares and a halfe here as in Daniel determined by a time and times and half a time from the reach and rage of the Serpent his taile and successors Verse 16. And the Serpent cast out of his mouth after the woman water as it were a flood that he might make her to be carried away with the flood ANd when the Dragons traine of Cesars who for their malice to the truth and seducing the nations are here called by
the sword and furie of the Beast vntill she haue borne the burthen of her shame and as the Ezek. 39. Prophet saith renewed her beautie by her sorrowes and her glorie by her persecutions and then shall be fulfilled that which was spoken by the Prophet Woe to thee that spoiledst and wast not spoiled and didst deale wickedly when they did not Esa 33. wickedly against thee for when thou shalt cease to spoile thou shalt be spoiled and when thy sinne is ended thou shalt be rewarded as here also the Spirit denounceth contesting that God shall scourge him with his owne inuentions repay him home in his owne coine saying He that shall leade into captiuitie shall go into captiuitie and he that shall kill shall be killed And in consolation of the Spouse concludeth that howsoeuer Antichrist and his Delegates foolishly thought by afflicting the Church to destroy the Church yet in her afflictions consisteth the very strength and approbation of her children for by the things they suffer they learne obedience through patience their faith is consecrated by the which they are perfected and made inheritable of the promise of God all which mercie and fauour is commended vnto them vnder the hand and seale of afflictions by which their mad and drunken aduersaries thought to consume them and like fooles did not consider that as the workman doth square the stone by strokes and as the snake doth cast his old skin by passing through sharp stones so the Lord doth renew his Spouse by stripes and brusheth off her old affections by passing her through the asperitie of tribulation which holy and hidden consideration causeth the Spirit to honour the sufferings of the Saints so highly as to ascribe vnto them the chiefest stayes and supportations of their precious hope and calling namely patience and faith saying here is the patience and faith of the Saints Verse 11. And I saw another Beast comming vp from the earth and he had two hornes like the Lamb but he spake like the Dragon THe holy Ghost in the verse foregoing hauing pronounced sentence of death against Antichrist before he comes to the execution thereof descendeth to the araiâ—â—â—ment and condemnation of his Clergie that so they may be carted to the valley of Hinnom both together whom the Lord here figureth vnder the name of the Beast saying And I saw another Beast comprehending vnder the singular number of one Beast by a maner of speech common to the holy Scriptures the whole corporation and vniuersitie of false and lying teachers who from the first Eremite Hypocrite Father Priest Monke Frier to the last trumping and vagabond Iesuite haue auouched the honour and adoration of Antichrist And is most aptly deciphered by their earthly sensuall and diuellish minds in pointing to their country and place of extraction whence and where such weeds do grow saying comming vp from the earth And commendeth their making and acquaintance to vs by two exquisite tokens the one their person the other their doctrine Touching their shape and person the Spirit saith that it was in robe and exteriour appearance the very face and countenance of the Lamb deckt and garnished with his owne two hornes to wit the Law and the Gospel wherew 〈…〉 he Lamb doth saue and kill for so the Spirit saith And he had two hornes like the Lamb. But as concerning the vse and force of the hornes the Spirit saith they were therein so contrary to the Lamb that when they did open either to teach the Law or preach the Gospell they spake and taught like the Dragons Doctors and like the Priests of Iupiter teaching and preaching vnto the children of the world that they ought to worship the God of heauen as the Dragons Priests had taught their fathers to worship the gods of the heathen Which detestable prophaâ—ation of the worship of God and preposterous adoration of his name the Spirit detecteth in saying but he spake like the Dragon Verse 12. And all the power of the first Beast he did in his sight and he made the earth and the inhabitants therein to adore the first Beast whose wound of death was cured BY the power of the first Beast is meant the purpose and plot of the Dragon for the vpholding and establishment of their false and godlesse religion to the prophanation and extinction of the true worship and seruice of God which forasmuch as he could not effect by force and open enmitie I meane by the bloody persecutions of his prophane and Ethnicke Cesars he did deuise to put a new string to his old bowe and to worke it out by fraud and falshood of friends and thereupon perswaded his Ethnicke Cesars that in policie it was the best to play Christians forasmuch as the world was now so giuen as Iupiter with all his idols must needs giue place to Christ because most voices went that way And the better to bring the mysterie of iniquitie to passe he caused his new Christened Cesars to set vp a race of Sycophanticall high and princely Priests who vnder colour of proctering the affaires of the Lamb should cunningly clap Iupiters coate vpon the Lambs back and bestow all the ceremonies and rituals of Iupiter and his idols vpon Christ that so by turning Iupiters worship into Christianisme he might turne the worship of God into Paganisme and idolatrie and that so he might at the least prophane and desolate the true worship of the true God whose maiestie truth of deitie they could no way blemish And for the better successe in this their proiect should cause to be erected throughout all kingdomes and nations certaine Couents and swarmes of false vngodly and prostituted Clerks who by auouching and maintaining against all comers that Antichrists name is Simon Peter and that the supremacie his Cesars and his Kings gaue him is the very keyes of heauen and hell which the Lamb committed to the dispensation of his Saints and seruants and that the throne and seate of wickednesse is Peters Chaire and Sea Apostolique and that the execrable forme of Iupiters worship wherein his Lords and Cesars delighted is the very true worship and seruice of God which the Lamb and his Apostles deliuered And by these mists legerdemains and new editions of old idolatrie should establish in the sight of Antichrist the selfe same prophanation and deuout impietie which his antecessors the Cesars so ardently embraced for so much the Spirit rippeth vp in saying And all the power of the first Beast he did in the sight of Antichrist and thereby so strongly deluded and seduced the children of disobedience most properly here as elsewhere described by the name of the earth and the inhabitants therein that they loathed the sacrifices of the God of heauen and refused to worship as the Lord coÌ„manded chose rather as the Spirit saith to adore the first Beast that is to say to worship the god of their fathers as the Dragon commanded them iust after the prescription