Selected quad for the lemma: doctrine_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
doctrine_n	catholic_a	church_n	communion_n	2,111	5	9.0012	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A15370	An exposition of the 13. chapter of the Revelation of Iesus Christ. By Iohn Wilkison	Wilkinson, John, dissenter.	1619 (1619)	STC 25647; ESTC S103078	38,953	38

AN EXPOSITION OF THE 13. CHAPTER OF THE REVELATION OF IESVS CHRIST By Iohn Wilkinson Revelation 14. 9. ANd the 3. Angel followed them saying with a lowd voice If any man worship the beast and his image and receive his marke in his forehead or in his hand V. 10. The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God which is powred out without mixture into the cup of his indignation and he shal be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy Angels and in the presence of the Lamb V. 11. And the smoake of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever Imprinted in the yere 1619. IT was the purpose and desire of the Authour of this Treatise to haue published his Iudgment of the whole booke of the Revelation But through the malice of the Prelates who divers times spoyled him of his goods and kept him many yeres in prison he was prevented of his purpose After his death some of his labours comming to the hands of his friends in scattred and unperfect papers they laboured with the help of others that heard him declare his judgement herein to set forth this little treatise wherin they have not varied from the Authours Iudgement but onely in one opint in the 3. verse which is concerning the wounded head wherein for the clearing of the matter they have added the lines thus marked Which a litle differeth from the Authours understanding of it the which should not haue been altered if the worke had been left perfect AN INTERPRETATION OF THE 13. CHAPTER OF THE REVELATION OF IESVS CHRIST THE Eternall whose power is over all from the beginning hath put enmitie between the Serpent the Gen. 3. 15. Woman and between the seede of the Woman and the seed of the Serpent whereupon it hath come to passe in all ages that the seed of the woman hath laboured to break the serpents head that is to destroy his workes tread him under foot and triumph in victory over him He on the contrarie hath laboured as earnestly to resist God to deceive the Nations and to bring all into condemnation and destruction with himself And amongst the manifold wayes meanes which Satan hath devised and practised to manifest his malice against God and his Saincts none hath been more dangerous nor more availeable to further iniquitie and cause destruction then the Antichristian generation which under the title of the Church and Spowse of Christ and Ministers of the Gospell have corrupted the earth and brought the Nations into miserable bondage and slaverie In this 13. chapter is declared the state policy and proceeding of the Antichristian Dominion and Kingdome as the same was signified and foreshewed to Iohn the servant of Iesus Christ in a threefold forme First by a beast rising up out of the sea having 7. heads 10. hornes verses 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. Secondly by a beast coming up out of the earth having two hornes like the lambe but spake like the dragon verses 11. 12. 13. 14. Thirdly by an image of the first beast which the second beast caused them that dwelt on the earth to make as in vers 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. As the Dominion of the Medes Persians and Grecians which persecuted Dan. 8. and destroyed the holy people of God the Iewes were signified and foreshewed to Daniel in a vision vnder the formes of severall beasts according to the qualities of those dominions so here the Antichristian dominion which persecuted the Churches and people of Christ was foreshewed to Iohn under the formes of such beasts as are here described whereby we may learne that as reason and judgment is not to be expected in a beast so equitie and right is not to be expected in this dominion but the contrarie Concerning the first of these beasts Iohn sayth That as I stood upon the sea sand I saw a Beast rise up out of the sea having 7. heads and 10. hornes and upon his hornes 10. Crownes and upon his heads the names of Blasphemy And the Beast which I saw was like unto a Leopard and his feet as the feet of a Beare and his mouth as the mouth of a Lyon and the Dragon gave him his power and his seate and great authoritie That by this first Beast was signified and represented some state of people and body politique I presume no reasonable man exercised in the Scriptures will deny because as it hath been sayd it is there to be seene that such States and Dominions as God hath used as rodds and scourges to chastise correct his Church and people withall have been represented by beasts States and Dominions they are of two sorts eyther Ecclesiastical or Civil but of which sort the State here ment is there hath been and is great opposition Many understand it to be the Romane Empire to which I cannot consent because the Romane Empire is ordeyned of God and is therefore a lawfull Dominion But the Dominion here represented is sayd to be from the Dragon that old Serpent the Divell who is sayd to give his power and his throne and great authoritie unto it and therefore unlawfull neither can I conceive it to be any other civil dominion for the same reason But to be short I understand it to be an Ecclesiasticall Sate or Dominion and in particular that dominion which is called The Catholike Church representative consisting of the Prelacy and Preisthood of many Nations as Patriarches Cardinalls Archbishops Bishops with divers other elected persons who being called and gathered into counsells or synodes usually called generall Counsells did usurpe and take on them the office of Christ Iesus in making Lawes and Canons erecting Courts instituting offices and officers in matters of Religion as for the goverment of the Church and for the worship of God to be of all men observed obeyed These generall counsells or as the Catholicks call it the catholike Church representative have challenged and exercised spirituall authoritie and dominion according to the text over all kinreds toungs and Nations By their lawes canons they have guided and governed them as one vniversall or Catholick Church and made them also to observe their decrees and commaundements for doctrine This they have doen both before and also since the Pope was exalted to his dignitie as all histories of the Church doe testify So that it hath been and is a great question among the Catholicks whether the authoritie of the Pope or the Catholick Church in cases of Religion be the greater And whereas it is sayd in the 12. vers that the second Beast exercised all the power of the first Beast before him therby is confirmed the trueth of this exposition For the second Beast being the Pope as hereafter is shewed hath exercised the whole power of the Catholick church or generall counsells and not of any other State or Dominion Further that this is the first beast here presented that which followeth

knowne unbeleevers to the end to meete together for the mutuall edification and comfort one of another by doctrine breaking of bread and prayer and to practise all other Ordinances of Christ set downe in his Testament as they shall haue occasion and to companies of Beleeuers hauing such fellowship and communion one with another the title of the Churches of Christ doth in our use of speech properly and of right belong but for beleevers to doe this apart by themselues is adiudged contempt of authority factious novelty making of Conventicles and unlawfull Assemblies dangerous to the State and not to be suffered in any Kingdome or Common-wealth and so they blaspheme the Tabernacle of God in a high degree as if Gods people were a company of ungodly rebels and wicked conspirators but the righteous Lord will in due time visit his people rebuke his enemies And on the other side for Gods people now to deny the kingdome of the Beast that is as they call it the holy Catholick church Militant to be the true Church of Christ To refuse to partake and communicate with them in their abominations delusions and unfruitfull workes of darknesse is adjudged disobedience schisme and contempt of the power and authoritie of the Church To speak against their proceedings sedition disturbance of the peace of the Church heresie impietie and what not Thus they adorne the Harlott which corrupteth the earth with her fornications with the title of the Church and spouse of Christ and Tabernacle of God And so blaspheme the Tabernacle of God as if it were not a communion of Saincts by calling and profession but an habitation of Divells an hold of Fowle spirits and a cage of every uncleane hatefull bird Further it is sayd of the Beast that it did blaspheme those that dwelt in heaven that is the Saincts departed this life Those that dwell in heaven are then blasphemed when it is sayd of them that they take it as honour done unto them when we make them our Patrones build them Temples set up their images offer and pray unto them and make them Mediators between Christ and us for by this they are made not onely idolls but also favorers and cheife maynteyners of idolatrie They are also blasphemed when the doctrine which they taught and practised is condemned for heresie or when erronious doctrines vayne traditions superstitious rites ceremonies and customes are fathered upon them as received from them by Tradition as unwritten verities but the world hath been brought to beleeue that Saints in heaven might by these meanes bee as it were bought and fold betweene Priest and people wherein they haue been highly blasphemed Moreover it is said that it was given to the Beast to make warre with the Ver. 7. Saints and to overcome them and power was given him over all Kindreds and Tongues and Nations Warre is made with the Saints when they are accused to Rulers and Governours to be Hereticks Schismaticks wicked and ungodly persons and they may then be said to bee overcome when their accusers are iustified and they condemned according to this this Scripture hath been fulfilled and verified Great and of long continuance haue been the warres which the Beast hath made with the Saints and many haue been the victories of this kinde which the Beast hath had against them as the Histories and other records of the Nations do plentifully witnesse It was given to the Beast to make warre with the Saints when Rulers and Governours gaue way to the Beast to devise and make lawes at their own pleasure concerning Religion and the worship of God and then to condemne for delinquents and euill doers all that would not obserue those lawes How free and forward Rulers and Governours haue been to giue such power unto the Beast they themselues haue felt by long and wofull experience for much woe hath the Beast wrought not to the poore and meaner sort of the Saints onely but even to Emperours and Kings and all degrees of people and therefore it is said in the words following that power was given unto this Beast over every Kindred Tongue and Nation So that the exaltation thereof was such as to be as a father aboue all fathers to every Kindred a Lord aboue all Lords to every Tongue a King aboue all Kings to every Nation Thus was this Beast exalted and sate as a Queene triumphing over them having all of all degrees brought in bondage unto her dominion which was a just recompence upon their heads that gaue such power unto this Beast yet see how the world was herein deluded they were not as captiues against their wills but in blinde devotion had this Beast in most high reverence as being a Divine Power ordained and given by God and not from the Dragon Thus did the Lord giue them over to bee deluded by this Beast as a iust reward of their ungodlinesse in that they received not the loue of the truth but tooke pleasure in unrighteousnesse Further it is declared in the words following That all that dwelt upon Ver. 8. the earth shall worship him that is the Beast whose names are not written in the Booke of the life of the Lamb slayne from the foundation of the world By those that dwell on the earth is meant those that haue set their habitation there and choose rather to enioy the prosperitie of the world and the pleasures of sinne together with the Beast then to suffer affliction for the truth and for witnessing against the Beast These are they that worship him that is receiue their precepts and rules for doctrine and wholesome instruction and obserue their ordinances and lawes as perfect rules of equitie and righteousnesse casting the Word of God declared in the holy Scriptures behind their backes and treading his Ordinances under their feete making farre more conscience not to eate an Egge on a Friday then to steale or commit adulterie But of such it is said that their names are not written in the Booke of life of the Lamb which was slaine from the beginning of the world That is they are not of the number of Gods Elect and Chosen in Christ and given unto him for his portion and heritage whose condition is to be hated despised persecuted and afflicted in the world for righteousnes sake in whom the Lamb Christ Iesus as in his members hath been slaine since the beginning of the world which condition those which cannot brooke and indure but count it a pleasure to liue deliciously for a season and take delight to inioy the pleasures of sinne may thereby bee discerned not to haue their names written in the Book of Life Concerning these things it is added If any man haue an eare let him heare Ver. 9. As if it should be said few there bee which haue an eare to heare these things For who can indure to heare that Catholike Church which they account to bee spirituall holy and heavenly to bee compared to a Beast