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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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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
whom hee calleth the rest of the dead and hee saith these shall not liue againe meaning the life of God or the life of grace and whereas hee addeth vntill the thousand yeeres be finished he meaneth neuer or not at all for so the word vntill is often taken in the scriptures and it is sure that after the expiration of the thousand yeeres they did not liue the life of God and the life of the spirit For then the diuell was let loose vpon the world to worke his pleasure and to seduce with all efficacie of error and iniquitie Whereas it is said this is the first resurrection he meaneth the rising from sinne to the life of righteousnesse which was in the thousand yeeres of the gospells preaching and therefore hee addeth that he is blessed that hath part in the first resurrection c. and saith that all such shall raigne with Christ a thousand yeers Which is meant of the raigne of the faithfull euen vpon earth for the space of that thousand yeeres in which Sathan was bound but yet excludeth not their eternall glory in the heauens ver 7 And when the thousand yeeres are expired Sathan shall bee loosed out of his prison ver 8 And shall goe out to deceiue the people which are in the foure corners of the earth euen Gog and Magog to gather them together to battaile whose number is as the sand of the sea ver 9 And they went vp vnto the plaine of the earth and they compassed the tents of the Saints about and the beloued cittie But fire came downe from God out of heauen and deuoured them Now S. Iohn telleth vs that after the determination of the thousand yeeres Sathan shall be let loose vpon the world for their vnthankfulnesse and contempt of the Gospell to seduce and deceiue euen as much as euer hee did No maruaile therefore that the two great and monstrous heresies of Popery and Mahometrie did now beginne mightely to grow and increase in the world For what other thing can bee looked for after this letting loose of Sathan But wee are to obserue that as Sathan was bound by degrees through the ministery of Christ and his Apostles and their immediat successors so also he was loosed by degrees by the preuailing of heresies till the great Antichrist was hatched and brought into the possession of his cursed chaire For Sathan was not fully loosed till the yeere of our Lord 998. At what time Siluester the second came to bee Pope who was in league with the Diuell Stories doe report that at his death hee called for the Cardinals and confessed that hee had familiaritie with the Diuell and how hee had giuen himselfe vnto him body and soule so that hee might come to the papall dignitie After him succeeded sundry other Popes which were notorious monsters some of them murderers some poisoners some sorcerers some coniurers By whom the diuell was fully loosed all light of the gospell and true religion being in a manner cleane put out most abhominable Idolatrie all manner of villany spreading ouer the face of the earth therefore S. Iohn saith that Sathan being thus fully loosed hee went forth to deceiue the people which were in the foure corners of the earth euen Gog and Magog c. This seducing by Sathan heere spoken of is the same with that which is spoken Chapter 13. onely this excepted that this of Gog and Magog is more generall Wee reade there how all nations kindreds and tongues were made to worship the image of the beast and to receiue his marke but that is to bee extended no further then to those kingdomes which were subiect to the papacie But heere by these armies of Gog and Magog are vnderstood all the chiefe enemies of the Church in these last daies since the loosing of Sathan both open and secret both Turk and Pope for the Turk is an open enemie the Pope a more close enemie Gog signifieth couered Magog vncouered wherby is noted the Pope the Turk For the Pope cōmeth couered vnder the name of Christ and Christs vicar Peters successor c. But the Turk commeth vncouered for hee openly denieth and impugneth Christ Moreouer the names of Gog and Magog are heere set downe to note of what countries these chiefe enemies should spring to wit out of Scithia Siria Arabia Italy and Spaine For Magog was the sonne of Iapheth Gen. 10. ver 2. of whom came the Sythians Gog was the name of a great Captaine in the lesser Asia which built a citie and named it after his owne name Gogkartah that is the citie of Gog. And it is put in the prophesie of Ezechiel for the whole region of the lesser Asia and Siria Whereby the prophet did foretell that the great enemies of the Church should arise out of those coasts As in very truth they did for out of Egipt Scithia Siria and the lesser Asia did spring vp Ptolomeus Silencus Antigonus Cassander and the rest of Alexanders posteritie which vexed and oppressed the Iewes by the space of 294. yeeres euen vntill the comming of the Messias at what time the deuided Greeke empire was ouerthrowen and translated to the Romanes Furthermore it is to bee noted that the prophet Ezechiell saith that Gog is the chiefe prince of Mesech and Tuball By Mesech hee meaneth Arabia and by Tuball Italy and Spaine noting thereby the countries and kingdomes from whence the great persecutors of the Church from the returne out of the captiuitie of Babylon vntill the comming of the Messias should arise For assuredly those enemies were collected of diuers nations but serued chiefely vnder the princes of Asia the lesser of Siria and of Scithia Now then to conclude Gog and Magog in Ezechiell are put for the princes of those coūtries which were the chiefe Captaines in gathering great and mightie armies vnto battaile against the children of Israell after they were come out of the captiuitie of Babylon And the prophet there in one summe vnder the armies of Gog and Magog comprehendeth all the enemies that fought against them from time to time after the captiuitie vnto the comming of Christ And now for the application of this vnto the enemies of the Church vnder the Gospell wee must first note that through this booke the figures and phrases of speech are taken out of the law the prophets Now therefore when the Lord would set foorth in one summe all the enemies of the Church which Sathan mustereth after the time of his loosing out of prison before the comming of Christ to iudgement there is no one place more fit to set foorth all these armies then those armies of Gog and Magog therefore the names euen Gog and Magog are heere brought in to set foorth these huge ar●ies of the Turk and of the Pope and of all the enemies of the Church in these last daies which should gather thēselues to battaile being in number as the sand of the sea as S. Iohn saith
more death neither sorrow neither crying neither shall there bee any more paine For the first things are passed By a new heauen and a new earth is meant the renued estate of heauen earth after this life in their qualitie not in their substance For wee doe beleeue according to the scripture that this visible heauen and this visible earth shall continue for euer as touching their matter and substance But shall bee greatly altered and changed in condition and qualitie For S. Peter saith wee looke for new heauens and a new earth according to his promise wherein dwelleth righteousnesse that is such heauens and such a earth as is free from all corruption sinne Which thing also the Apostle S. Paul doth plainely teach saying that the creature doth feruently expect when the sonnes of God shall be reuealed that is when Gods children shall be made knowen to be as they are the very heires of infinit glory which in this life doth not appeare And hee yeeldeth two reasons of this desire of the creature one is because in the meane time it is subiect to vanitie and corruption the other is that then it shall bee free from both And for this cause the Apostle saith that the creature groneth with vs and earnestly desireth and longeth after that day wherein it shall bee set free from the bondage of corruption and redintigrated and restored to that pristinate estate wherein it was before the fall But whether this is to be vnderstood of heauen earth onely or of heauen and earth with their adiuncts particular creatures I wil not heere goe about to discusse howbeit I do greatly incline to their opinion which hold that heauen and earth with all their furniture being redintigrated restored to their first estate shall remaine for euer to set foorth the glorie of the creator for that vse of glorified men which now the Angels haue of them Now whereas Saint Iohn addeth that there shall bee no more Sea Hee meaneth that there shall bee no more any troublesome and confused estate of this world no moe broiles waues tempests and stormes as it falleth out in this life For the word Sea is so taken twise or thrise before By the holy citie new Ierusalem hee meaneth the Church triumphant which therefore is said to come downe from God out of heauen because it hath all his newnesse and holinesse from God and from heauen whereby it is now prepared and made ready to bee maried vnto Christ ver 3 euen as a bride tricked and trimmed vp for her husband And for this cause S. Iohn heareth a voice from heauen saying the tabernacle of God is with men and hee will dwell with them and they shall bee his people and hee will bee their God Meaning therby that Iesus Christ will keepe house with his glorified spouse and be at bed and bourd with hir for euer in the heauens at what time shee shall bee freed from all teares woe and miserie ver 4 as the next verse declareth yeelding also a reason heereof which is that the first things are passed that is the state wherein the world is now being subiect to many afflictions temptations vanities and corruptions ver 5 And hee that sat vpon the throne said Behold I make all things new and he said vnto mee Write for these words are faithfull and true ver 6 And hee said vnto mee it is done I am Alpha and Omega the beginning and the end I will giue to him that is a thirst of the well of the water of life freely ver 7 Hee that ouercommeth shall inherit all things and I will bee his God and hee shall bee my sonne ver 8 But the fearefull and vnbeleeuing and the abhominable and murtherers and whoremongers and sorcerers and Idolaters and all liers shall haue their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone which is the second death Heere the omnipotent God which sitteth vpon his most glorious throne doth protest that hee will make all things new that is restore the world to that execellent estate wherein it was before Adams fall and his elect to a state and condition farre more excellent in heauen and for the greater certainely and assurance of it willeth and commandeth Iohn to write it ver 5 and record it as a thing most certaine and infallible and to set it downe as a thing already done For things to come which are decreed in the counsell of God are as certaine as if they were past for God cannot erre alter nor change and therefore he saith I am Alpha and Omega the first and the last the vnchangeable and immutable God And addeth ver 6 that hee will giue freely to euery one that is a thirst of the well of the water of life that is without all regard of our desarts hee will giue to euery one that earnestly seeketh after heauen and heauenly things his full fill thereof And moreouer that whosoeuer ouercommeth in the spirituall battaile shall haue the full fruition of all good things both in this life and the life to come as hauing speciall right and interest therein through Christ God being his father and hee his sonne and heire ver 7 But on the contrary hee willeth it to bee written and recorded as a thing most certaine and sure that all reprobates all Atheists worldlings ver 8 and all vnbeleeuers shall haue their part an portion in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone for euer And there came vnto mee one of the seauen Angels ver 9 which had the seauen vials full of the seauen plagues and talked with mee saying I will shew thee the bride the Lambs wife ver 10 And he carried mee away in the spirit to a great and an high mountaine and shewed mee that great Citie that holy Hierusalem discending out of Heauen from God ver 11 Hauing the glory of God and her shining was like vnto a stone most pretious as a Iasper stone clere as Christ all Heere one of the Angels mentioned in the 16. Chapter which had a Viall full of Gods vvrath Talketh vvith Iohn and telleth him that he will shew him the bride the Lambs wife that is the triumphant Church or the Church in her glorified estate beeing vnited and married vnto Christ in the kingdome of glory And therefore Saint Iohn saith that this Angell carried him away in the spirit to a great and high mountaine and shewed him that great Citie holy Ierusalem c. chapter 17.1.2.3 Wee reade in the 17. Chapter that when this Angell shewed Iohn the great whore of Babylon he carried him away into the wildernesse in the spirit because the vvhore of Babylon should make the Church barren and desolate as a vvildernesse But now that he is to shew him the spouse of Christ in her glory and to describe the euerlasting Ierusalem he carrieth him in the spirit vnto a very high mountaine that he might take a sight of it as
signifieth Christ as Dan. 10.13 Iude v. 9. This name is giuen to Christ in Daniel because he is the first of the chiefe Princes that is he is the head of the Angels who are chiefe Princes as the Apostle affirmeth That Christ hath his Angels ioyned with him is not to note any weakenesse or want of strength in Christ alone to ouercome his enemies but to shew that as Christ doth effect great wonders in the world so for the most part hee doth it by instruments and meanes as sometimes Angels sometimes men But here he specially meaneth the Apostles and their successours yea and at this day all christian kings princes and potentates of the earth and all others which take part with Christ against the diuel his instruments Well here wee see that these two Generals and grand captaines Michael and the Dragon do muster both their armies ioyne battel and fight a pitched field the euent and successe whereof is this that the Dragon and his Angels goe downe Oh blessed successe may we say For if the diuel had preuailed it had beene woe to vs sith this battel was about and concerning the verie saluation of mankind by christs death and resurrection We know how the diuel set vpon Christ alone to tempt him vnto sinne that so he might ouerthrowe the worke of our redemption supposing in this combate or Monomachie to haue got the day but he preuailed not Afterward how strongly did he oppugne him by his Angels I meane the Scribes and Pharise●● the high Priests and Elders of the people yea all the diuels in hel and his whole infernal armie not onely in murthering and crucifying his natural bodie but also in vsing all forcible and cunning meanes to keepe him downe that he might neuer rise vp againe as the great stone vpon his tombe the sealing of it the watch set to keepe it for the diuel knew right wel that if Christ rose again hee should lose the field For the resurrection of Christ is our actuall iustification And Christ was mightily declared to be the Sonne of God by his resurrection from the dead Wel do the dragon and his Angels what they can yet Christ is risen againe and hath spoiled principalities and powers yea al the infernall armie and hath made a shew of them openly and hath led them all in triumph vpon his crosse So that we see in this first and greatest battell the diuell hath the foile And it is further said that the diuell and all his Angels were cast out of heauen and their place was no more found which is not to be vnderstood of their first casting out of heauen immediately after their creatiō For at that time they were no diuels nor enemies to the church but Angels of light but nowe since their fall and since they were diuels they are said to be cast out of heauen not because they euer came in heauen since they were diuels but because they can no longer impeach the church touching her blessed estate in heauen They are without all hope to dispossesse her of her inheritance for that is ratified and made sure vnto her in the death and resurrection of Christ And for this cause it is said that the diuell hath no more to do in heauen that is he cannot for his heart ouerthrow the saluation of Gods children For who can lay any thing to the charge of Gods chosen It is God that iustifieth who shall condemne 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 heauen that is about heauenly things yea about the highest points of heauen which is saluation or damnation for the diuel vpon this very point these very termes hath frō the beginning mightily wrestled and strugled with y e church doth euen vntil this day but blessed be God that he cannot nor shall not preuaile against any one of gods elect For our lord Iesus saith I giue vnto thē eternal life they shal neuer perish neither shal any take them out of my hand my father which gaue thē me is greater then all Neither shal any pluck thē out of my hand And againe All that the Father giueth me shal come vnto me And this is the fathers will which hath sent me that of all which he hath giuen me I should lose nothing but should raise it vp againe at the last day Now further we are to obserue that as Christ in his owne person hath once preuailed in the maine battell against the diuell so his church militant shal likewise alwayes preuaile through him For it is written The gates of hell shall not preuaile against it And the great Dragon that old serpent called the diuel and Satan was cast out which deceiueth al the world vers 9 He was euen cast into the earth his Angels were cast out with him Now because the diuel cannot ouerthrow the saluation of Gods elect hee is said to be cast out of heauen into the earth that is amongst earthlie and carnall men that he may exercise his tyranny and wrecke his malice vpon them For he hath power giuen him to tyrannise ouer them at his pleasure and the Apostle saith he worketh in the children of disobedience and taketh them captiue to do his will Then I heard a loud voice in heauen saying vers 10 now is saluation strength and the kingdom of our God 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 victorie which al the Saints Angels do sing vnto God praysing and magnifying his power and the power of his Sonne Christ for ouercomming the dragon and giuing the victory to the church through Christ For now with great ioy and loude voices they sing and say that the churches saluation is sealed and made sure vnto her for euer It can neuer be shaken The diuel is foiled and cast down into the earth These songs of ioie after great victories are of great antiquity in the church as we read of the children of Israel after the ouerthrow of Pharaoh and his army in the red sea of Deborah after the great victory ouer Sisara of the women that sung after the victory of Goliah by Dauid The deuil is called the accuser of the brethren for two causes First because he accuseth Gods elect of much sinne and calleth for iustice against them day and night at Gods hands that they might be condemned vpon such articles as he is able to proue against them for he knowing right well that the iudge of al the world is a iust God and must needs deale vprightly doth daily vrge him to doe iustice vnto sinners being willingly ignorant that al Gods People though sinners are cleared and discharged in Christ Another reason is because of the calumniations reproches and slaunders which in