thankesgiuing that the saints of God vse for his benefits It is called the song of Moyses and Christ bicause the benefits of all times of the lawe and of the Gospell are therein considered the deliuerie of the children of Israel and the redemption of all nations vnder heauen It consisteth of thrée parts namely in considering the woonderfulnes and gloriousnes of Gods works the iustice and truth of God in his waies and the terriblenes and fearefulnes of his iudgements Apoc. 1◠6. The text ⸫ Bicause they haue shed the blood of the saints and prophets and thou hast giuen them blood to drinke for they are woorthie The note The great reuenge that God will do at the later daie vpon the persecutors of his saints The answer The great reuenge that God hath done and shewed vpon all the persecuting tyrants of the primitiue church And this withal is to be diligently remembred that Gods arme is not shortened and his hand is stretched out still And therefore still blood must be the drinke of them that delight in blood and they that loue darknes shall haue their rewarde in the kingdome of darknes and they that loue not the truth must be giuen ouer to beléeue lies Apoc. 16. 9. The text And men boiled with great heate and ⸫ blasphemed the name of God hauing power ouer these plagues The note The desperate and damned persons shall blaspheme God perpetuallie which shall be such onely as do not repent in this life The answer If I did not perceiue that these plagues are referred to former times I would referre this to you whome I sée blinded with hipocrisie and drunken with the confidence of your owne merits so that when you intend and purpose to serue God you commit idolatrie and bicause you sée not your sinnes you can not abide anie admonition or reproouing and when God striketh and punisheth you bicause you vnderstand not the cause you are neuer the better but grudge and blaspheme and runne headlong to the diuell without repentance But when I looke vnto those former times which are here spoken of I finde the same rootes of euill in them which are in you although not so déepe rooted in them as in you that is the philosophicall doctrine of frée will and confidence in them selues and their workes which made them suppose that they pleased God when they killed his saints enemies to those opinions and bicause they did not imagine that they did amisse therefore no maruell though they repented not but grudged and blasphemed at the plagues which God powred vpon them For the same causes must néedes in euerie one haue like effectes Apoc. 16. 11. The text And they blasphemed the God of heauen bicause of their paines and woundes and ⸫ did not penance from their works The note See chapter 9. verse 2. in the margent The answer The foole will not giue his bable for the tower of London for then he should misse a great deale of good sport Your marginall annotation hath bene viewed and answered the substance wherof being friuolous and foolish you haue repeated I knowe not howe oft in these annotations Apoc. 16. 13. The text And I sawe from the mouth ⸫ of the dragon and from the mouth of the beast and from the mouth of the false prophet three vncleane spirits in maner of frogges The note The dragon is the diuell the beast Antichrist or the societie whereof he is the head the false prophet either Antichrist him selfe or the companie of heretikes and seducers that follow him The answer That by the dragon the diuell is signified and by the beast the Pope or the societie whereof he is the head we easilie consent with you but the false prophet here we suppose to be Mahomet that hath seduced the whole empires of the Turkes and Persians And al these by euill wicked and seducing spirits bend them selues and all their force against the Church and kingdome of Christ. Apoc. 16. 16. The text And he shall gather them into a place which in Hebrewe is called Arina-gedon The note The hill of theeues by Saint Hieroms interpretation The answer The coniectures of interpreters is very diuers vpon this word but this is plaine that being in the time of the sixt Angels powring foorth his viall it is a matter to be accomplished néere about our times and it is therefore the diligentlier to be considered and weighed of vs with the issue of it The summe of it is that the diuell and Antichrist shall by their false prophets perswade the Kings of the earth to bend all their whole force against the church and against the Gospel of God to extinguish and destroy it By all likelihoode the time of accomplishing this is nowe at hand for I suppose there was neuer afore anie such conspiracie of princes for that purpose But God who drewe Iabin and Sisera to Magiddo which bicause it was placed by a mountaine is called héere Arma-gedon to giue them and all their great armie into the hand of a woman to destruction hath promised to doe the like héere to the great comfort and consolation of his church and people especiallie of those which are now gouerned by Deborah Apoc. 16. 19. The text And ⸫ the great citie was made into three parts and the cities of the Gentiles fell The note The citie or common welth of the wicked diuided into three partes into infidels heretikes and euill Catholikes The citie is here called Babylon whereof see the next chapter verse 5. The answer The citie still I take for Rome called héere Babilon The diuision of it I take to be into Epicurean Atheists close hipocrites and cruell superstitious and yet openlie wicked ignorant people Apoc. 17. ◠The text And there came to me one of the seuen Angels which had the seuen vials and spake with me saieng Come I will shewe thee the damnation of the great harlot The note The small damnation of the whole companie of the reprobate called heere the great whore The answer The finall damnation of the popes of Rome and their church there so euidentlie described by their maners nature properties conuersation of life apparell power ouer the kings of the earth that neither man nor place vpon the earth can be found to which euerie part of this description can so aptlie agrée to as to these Open therefore your eies and espie her whom the holie Ghost laieth out so openlie before you and flie from her betimes least you be partaker of her plagues and damnation Apoc. 17. 1. The text Which sitteth vpon ⸫ many waters The note These many waters are many peoples verse 15. The answer Héere you haue found scripture for your vniuersalitie The whoore hath a large dominion and many people vnder hir euen as many as without all iudgement receiue whatsoeuer it pleaseth the bishops of Rome to obtrude to them Apoc. 17. 8. The text The beast which thou sawest ⸫ was and is not and shal come vp out of
the protestants that they did trulie merite the same in this life The answer Whatsoeuer it pleaseth you to conceiue in your imagination that is by and by sufficientlie prooued The signification of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hath beene often examined and yet it could neuer be shewed that it alwaies signifieth hire or wages due and that for worke for that must be prooued afore merit can follow For that which is not otherwise due but by promise may prooue the liberalitie of the giuer but not the merit of the receiuer And thus your proofes prooue nothing but that brag is a good dog and doth diligently serue your turne Apoc. 12. ◠The text And a great signe appeered in heauen The note The dragons incredulous persecuting multitude and Antichrist the chiefe head thereof The answer You haue deliuered a briefe summe of this chapter in my iudgement both bréefly and truly Apoc. 12. 1. The text ⸫ A woman clothed with the sunne and the moone vnder hir feet and on hir head a crowne of twelue stars The note This is properly and principally spoken of the church and by allusion of our blessed Ladie also The answer There be some of your side which least they should be driuen to admit Ecclesiam latentem an hidden church wrangle hard for the contrarie and so your doctors are not agréed on the case Apoc. 12. 3. The text And there was seene another signe in heauen and behold ⸫ a great red dragon hauing seuen heads and ten horns on his head seuen diademes The note The great diuell Lucifer The answer Bicause my purpose is but to answer you where cause is and not to write commentaries therefore I will not meddle with that which might be noted vpon the description of the diuell vnder the forme of a dragon Apoc. 12. 4. The text And his taile drew the third part of the stars of heauen and cast them to the earth The note The spirits that fall from their first state into apostasie with him and by his meanes The answer The taile of the dragon be hypocriticall false prophets As dragons and serpents carie their venim that they sting and poison withall in their tailes so the diuell seduceth and beguileth by his false lieng prophets The stars of heauen cast downe to the earth are the most noble and notable men that séeme far to excell all others brought to be altogither earthly minded and to refuse celestiall things Apoc. 12. 4. The text And the dragon stood before the woman which was readie to be deliuered that when she should be deliuered he might ⸫ deuour hir sonne The note The diuels endeuor against the churches children and specially our blessed Ladies onely sonne the head of the rest The answer It is true that the diuell that is so great an enimie to the children of the church beareth also a speciall malice to Christ the head of the church and would haue deuoured him but could not And bicause he knoweth that he cannot otherwise hurt nor harm Christ therefore he séeketh to swallow and deuour vs Christs brethren by the séed of the word and mightie working of Gods spirit begotten and borne of the church to God Apoc. 12. 1◠The text And ⸫ they ouercame him by the blood of the lambe and by the word of their testimonie and they loued not their liues euen vnto death The note When the Angels or we haue the victorie we must know that it is by the blood of Christ and so all is referred alwaies to him The answer You should haue said if you would haue spoken truly and so as much as please vs is referred to him For for to haue all referred to him is al that we contend and striue for Faith in his blood is the victorie whereby we ouercome the world and all our enimies The strength of nature the abilitie of frée will merits of our works crossing holie water indulgences pardons masses and whatsoeuer trumperie you striue for beside do nothing auaile to this Apoc. 12◠14. The text And there were giuen to the woman two wings of a great eagle that she might flie into the desert vnto hir place where she is nourished ⸫ for a time and times and halfe a time from the face of the serpent The note This often insinuation that Antichrists reigne shall be but three yeeres and an halfe Dan. 7. 25. Apocalipse 11. 2. 3. and in this chapter v. 6. c. 13. 5. prooueth that the heretikes be exceedingly blinded with malice that hold the pope to be Antichrist who hath ruled so many ages The answer Master Saunders in his demonstrations hath as doughtily done for you as so darke proofes out of such doubtful places could suffer and hath already receiued answer sufficient at the hands of that learned and reuerend man Master Whitakers You know how doubtfully all expositors expound these descriptions of the time and must we néedes credit you that it must be taken according to our vsuall supputation As for the ages which you suppose your pope hath ruled you may cut off the one halfe of them which I am sure you imagine Apoc. 13. 3. The text And all the earth was ⸫ in admiration after the beast The note They that now follow the simplest and grossest heretikes that euer were without seeing miracles would then much more follow this great seducer working miracles The answer They which learne of them that preach the word truly and sincerely cannot be seduced by miracles Bicause they know and haue learned that whatsoeuer miracles serue not to the confirmation of that doctrine which is taught vs in the word they are but illusions of the diuell and lieng signes of Antichrist which God doth send permit and suffer to shew who they be which constantly cleaue to him and his truth But on the contrarie part it is no maruell though your followers be easily seduced and beguiled First bicause they be ignorant and know nothing secondly bicause they depend vpon men who as they say cannot erre and not vpon the word of truth and therefore beléeue many things wherof they haue no ground but either lies or illusions Apoc. 13. ◠The text And he opened his mouth vnto blasphemies toward God ⸫ to blaspheme his name and his tabernacle and those that dwell in heauen The note No heretikes euer liker Antichrist than these in our daies specially in blasphemies against Gods church sacraments saints ministers and all sacred things The answer Lay away lieng and speake the woorst you can truly of those whom you call the heretikes of these daies and I am sure you cannot prooue your slanderous spéeches by them But in truth none be so like Antichrist as the pope and you his friends Wherin we will report nothing maliciously by any of contrary religion vnto you deuised but truly testified reported and witnessed by friends and fautors of the Romish power in their stories and writings One poisoned his God another cast his God into the fire
the bottomlesse depth and go into destruction The note It signifieth the short raigne of Antichrist who is the chiefe horne or head of the beast The answer I would it had pleased God to make it so short as you imagin it it had saued the blood of a great number of saints and bred quietnes in our daies but sith it hath pleased God otherwise God open our eies that we may sée know and take héed in time Apoc. 17. 12. The text And the ten horns which thou sawest are ⸫ ten kings which haue not yet receiued kingdome but shall receiue power as kings one hower after the beast The note Some expound it of ten small kingdoms into which the Roman empire shall be diuided which all shall serue Antichrist both in his life and a little after The answer I consent to them that interpret this of our kingdoms in Europe England France Spaine Scotland Nauar Denmarke Sweueland Beame Poland Hungarie which all haue serued Rome But the continuance of their seruice the beasts whole life and a little after is one of your dreames Apoc. 17. 1◠The text And the ten hornes which thou sawest in the beast these shal hate the harlot and shal make hir desolate and naked and shal eate hir flesh and hir they shal burne with fire For ⸫ God hath giuen into their harts to doo that which pleaseth him that they giue their kingdom to the beast till the words of God be consummate The note Not forcing or moouing any to follow Antichrist but by his iust iudgement and for punishment of their sinne permitting them to beleeue and consent to him The answer Of Gods working in the minds of men and of your foolish friuolous flieng to permission we haue spoken diuers times afore I cannot learne of you to speake otherwise than the holy Ghost hath taught me but héere it is manifest that those kings shall not serue the whoore so long as you dreamed of but that though by the iust iudgement of God they for a time gaue their crowns and dignities vnto Antichrist yet God hath alreadie altered the minds and wils of some of these and will when his good pleasure is alter the rest that they shall hate the harlot and make hir desolate and naked according to the words of this prophesie Apoc. 18. 7. The text As much as she hath glorified hir selfe and hath been in delicacies ⸫ so much giue hir torment and moorning bicause she saith in hir hart I sit a Queene and widow I am not and moorning I shall not see The note The measure of paines and damnation according to the wicked pleasures and vnlawfull delights of this life which is a sore sentence for such people as turne their whole life to lust and riot The answer Though this be properly spoken and meant of the paines and damnation of the whoore of Babylon yet it may be well extended to all those that after hir example excell in pride and ambition and other impieties For as they haue folowed hir in sinning so no doubt they shall follow hir in the punishment of sinne Apoc. 18. 9. The text And ⸫ the kings of the earth that haue fornicated with hir and haue liued in delicacies shall weepe and bewaile themselues vpon hir when they shall see the smoke of hir burning The note Kings and marchants are most encumbred endangered and drowned in the pleasures of this world whose whole life and traffike is if they be not exceeding vertuous to find varietie of earthly pleasures Who seeing once the extreme end of their ioies and of all that made their heauen heere to be turned into paines and damnation eternall then shall howle and weepe too late The answer Kings and marchants and all other that haue had hir in reuerence shal be astonied at the iudgements of God vpon hir and shall moorne especially all maner of shauen marchants bicause by hir decay they lose their corporall commodities For thereby their Romish marchandise wherein consisted their whole traffike becommeth dead ware and hangeth on their hands For that they haue no vent for it Apoc. 18. 20. The text ⸫ Reioice ouer her heauen and ye holie Apostles and prophets bicause God hath iudged your iudgement of her The note The angels and all saints shall reioice and laude God to see the wicked confounded and Gods iustice executed vpon their oppressors and persecutors and this is that which the martyrs praied for chapter 6. The answer All celesticall creatures togither with the saints of God are called to celebrate and shew foorth their spirituall ioie and gladnes for the destruction of the enimies of Gods church and for the notable reuenge that God hath made for the blood of his saints that hath béene spilled Apoc. 18. 21. The text And one strong angell tooke vp as it were a great milstone and threw it into the sea saieng with this violence shall ⸫ Babylon that great citie be throwen and shall now be founde no more The note By this it seemeth cleere that the apostle meaneth not any one citie but the vniuersal companie of the reprobate which shal perish in the day of iudgement the old prophets also naming the whole number of Gods enimies mistically Babylon as Ierem. cap. 52. The answer How cléere can any thing here make it that by Babylon one citie is not ment The whole number of the reprobate shall perish at the day of iudgement What then Doth that hinder that the head and principall citie of the diuels kingdome is not ment here by Babylon Babylon is taken in the scriptures mystically for the whole number of Gods enimies Ieremie 52. Babylon in that chapter is not named and though it be by circumstance desciphered I sée nothing why there also it should not be taken for the citie it selfe But howsoeuer it be taken there it is most manifest that here it must be taken for Rome For what other citie is situate on seauen hils what other citie hath had kingdome ouer the kings of the earth what other city hath made the nations to erre in her inchauntments and in what citie else may a man finde the blood of the prophets and saints that haue béene slaine vpon the earth So that the reasons that lead vs to vnderstand it of Rome are so many and so plaine that except a man would shut his eies against the light he cannot choose but sée it Yet this is farther to be gathered that the head and principall citie of the diuels kingdome can not fall without the ruine and fall of the whole kingdome Apoc. 19. ◠The text And againe they said Allelu-ia The note This often repeating of Allelu-ia in times of reioising the church doth follow in her seruice The answer And where all things in the church ought to be done to edifieng the people who vnderstand neuer a word are neuer the better neither for your Latine Gréeke nor Hebrew And yet you thinke it sufficient to tell vs that such a