Selected quad for the lemma: head_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
head_n	beast_n	dragon_n	horn_n	3,264	5	10.5839	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A34984	An alarum sounded in the borders of spiritual Egypt vvhich shall be heard in Babylon, and astonish the inhabitants of the defiled and polluted habitations of the earth. And the power of the Prince of Darkness called into question; and he himself examin'd by the truth, how he came to raign over mankind; and how long his time shall be, till he comes to be cast out of his dominion, and the creature be deliver'd from under his tyranny; to serve God in spirit and in truth, as Christ, the prince of peace, has order'd them. Also the number of him whom the world hath wonder'd after, found out; and demonstrated to be near at an end: and withal, that it is no wayes unlawful, nor in vain, both to hope, and to expect the utter desolation, and destruction of sin in this life, and the setting up of perfect righteousness in the souls of men, where sin has too long raign'd. Written in a testimony to the truth, and against the false position of the devil, and his servants; by a servant of God, Steven Crisp.	Crisp, Stephen, 1628-1692.	1671 (1671)	Wing C6922; ESTC R215182	35,940	50

flyeth away and the perfect Love of God casts out fear and there is Death no more but that which is overcome by Immortality Blessed and Happy are all they that come to know that state and Blessed are they that Believe and waits to enjoy it and Blessed is that Hope which leads thereunto Now as concerning the chiefest matter of this Treatise to wit Concerning the Reign of the Devil among Men there is yet one thing worthy to be considered of which there is made mention in the Scriptures of Truth in which it appears that in the beginning and setting up of the Reign of Christ and that the Everlasting Gospel was Preached and that many Thousands had Believed and Obeyed it so that they came to be Witnesses of the Kingdom of Christ and that the Devil was cast out Dis-throned and put under their Feet and some were made Priests and Kings to God I say after all these things aforesaid there came an Apostacy from the Faith by which all these things afore mentioned were brought forth and of that Apostacy Paul Prophesied to the Thessalonians and John by the Spirit saw how that the Devil should get a great Dominion over Men by many changable Means and Wayes executing his Power as a Dragon then as a strange Beast with seven Heads and ten Horns at another time as a little Beast with two Horns then with an Image and then with a Whore c. And that the Almighty God has set and appointed a Time a certain Time to this Dreadfull Dark changable Government And has given John to know that it should last and continue but One Thousand Two Hundred and Threescore Days or Years And this is a set Time and hath its beginning and its ending but the Kingdom of Christ and also his Priest-hood are both after the power of an endless Life Now seeing that this last Power which the Devil has gotten is but to continue his appointed time Why should any be his Friend so far as to say that it must continue always and that it must never come to an end and that People no ways can get freedom from under his Tyrannical Power Certainly these Men that plead so strongly for his continual Reign and Power have more Reason and Understanding then they use As for instance suppose that one had hired a House or Farm of another for several Years and the Years being come to an end that Man to whom that House or farm belongeth has a desire to live in it himself And the In-dweller not being willing and they both should come to one of these Sin-pleaders to hear his judgment and determination I believe they would soon say to the In-dweller thou must depart the other is the Land-lord and thou hast had thy full Time and he now desiring to have his House he must have it and especially if the In-dweller was come into the House as a Thief in a dark Night and had kept it by Violence and had brought no profit to the Land-lord at all And this is properly the Cause between God and this Prince of Darkness for he has posessed the Inheritance of God and Ruled over it not to the advantage of the Lord But to his disadvantage and dishonour And yet these Men will not do so much right to God as they will do to their Neigbour But on the contrary they say that this Usurper or Thief that has stolen away the Hearts of Men from their Creator must sit there as long as there is a Man upon the Earth and not any Man Redeemed Oh! Blush for shame ye Hypocrites can you make a difference between Good and Evil among Men and will you not judge for God Come take your Books into your Hands and read the number of the Years it is called 1260. Days reckon after the reckoning of the Ancients 30. days to a Moneth and see whether that does not make out 42. Moneths and see whether 42. Moneths does not make a Time Times and half a Time and see what things are ordered to be in those different Times and see whether you can find out the beginning of those Times that so you may find the end of them for all those that had their confidence in the Number of the Year 1666. are now Confounded Ashamed and their Hope is frustrated And now it is high time to wait upon the Lord to get an Understanding and Knowledge which makes not ashamed Now the first thing to be considered to the opening of this thing is That the first appearance of this Man Child that was Born in Heaven by a Woman that was cloathed with the Son and had her Feet upon the Moon and was Crowned with the Stars The first I say that appeared against this Child was a great red Dragon Mark this was no Substitute under the Devil but was the Devil himself though he appeared in Heaven as you may see Revel 12.13 and he it is that has given Power to all those that have Persecuted this Woman or her Seed but as long as he was in Heaven he was no perfect Persecutor there he had no Power but only to be an Accuser of the Brethren and therein he busied himself Night and Day But by this it is evident that there was a Power over him to which he accused them and so long they could not sing but when he was cast out with his Angels then they sung Now is Salvation come and Power and the Kingdom of our God and the Power of his Christ for the Accuser of our Brethren that accused them Day and Night before our God is cast down c. But then wo unto them that dwell on Earth where the Devil got his Power that is in the Earthly Ground there he Rules with great Wrath Anger and Fury and Indignation Persecuting the Woman and the least appearance of her Seed and because he cannot do harm enough of himself he goes and makes him a Substitute to wit a Beast with Seven Heads and Ten Horns Mark just the Number of his own Heads and Horns only he came out of the Pit and this out of the Sea or Waters of which Waters you may read in Revel 15.17 That they are Peoples Tongues Languages and Nations and out of them came this strange Beast which the Devil counted worthy to have his perfect Power because he knew that he would do his Work for him to purpose and he received his Power for the space of 42. Moneths And his first Work was to Persecute the Saints Secondly to set up the Worship of the Devil Thirdly to bring the dread of this seven Headed Beast over the whole Earth Fourthly To blaspheme the Name of God and his Tabernacle and them that dwell therein And fifthly to make People believe that there is no overcoming of his Power And these Works are spread and carried on by three unclean Spirits which came forth out of the mouth of the Dragon Beast and False Prophet over all Kindreds

Nations Tongues and People and there was none able to resist them except those whose Names were written in the Book of the Life of the Lamb. And as concerning them because they would not receive the Mark of the Beast in their Fore-head or Right-hand They must be Banished and must not have Liberty to Buy or Sell and those that would Worship nothing but a Living Substance and not an Image though it was alive those must be killed and when that Sort was all Killed and Banished and the whole World being brought sometimes to Worship the Dragon sometimes to Worship the Beast that had so many Heads and Horns as the Dragon himself and then to Worship a little Beast with two Horns that came out of the Earth and then to Worship the Image of the old seven Headed Beast When I say that all things upon the whole Earth were thus disposed then was it as the Devil would have it for now had every one subjected himself unto his Power and received that Name or Mark or the Number of the Substitute and admired his great Power and set him up as the chiefest among Men whom none could overcome except some few that had the Word of God it self for the other had the Scripture and durst seal their Testimony against the Dragon and False-Prophet with their Blood and because these were but a few and were soon killed they being dead there was a Joyfull and Merry World the Devil was well-pleased and they did send their Gifts to one another abundantly and those that had been most busie and serviceable to kill the Witnesses that dared to speak of another Kingdom or Dominion besides that of the Dragon and Beast they had the greatest Gifts And in those days there was no Prophesying but in Sack-cloath and that did not continue long neither but the Prophets were killed and being Dead their Dead Bodies were kept above the Earth and were more esteemed of then their living Testimony was for that plagued all the Worshippers of the Beast So in such a time have the Nations been so long that they are so us'd to the Power and Raign of the Devil that they plead for it as if he had an undoubted Right thereunto And if the Devil might speak himself he would not desire of the World to rule any longer then the World alloweth him and they have forgot that it is but to continue Forty two Moneths whil'st the Man-Child was caught up unto God and whil'st his Mother was in the Wilderness and also that it was to be expected that both should appear again in their appointed time But whil'st it was thus with the World viz. That the true Church was not to be found upon Earth but was fled away as upon Eagle's Wings and that he that ought to rule over all was caught up into Heaven and that the Devil was in his place the old Serpent ruling and giving his power to whom he pleased to a Great Beast or Little Beast or to a Whore or to any thing like him And whil'st Great and Small High and Low Bond and Free did wonder at his power and were ready to worship any one that had his power let those whose Eyes are open but consider in what a Lamentable State the miserable World then was and whether that Abomination that made the World desolate of God and all good Order was not then set up in the Holy Place where it ought not And was the World without a Religion or without a Profession of God and Christ in those dayes No they bore a Profession of Christ that is Unchangeable in all their Changeable wayes and this was a time of Gladness to many and they had many sorts of Religions and when they came to be weary with one the Devil furnished them with another And when they had been exercised a long time in the aforesaid Worships of the Dragon the Seven-headed Beast the Little Beast and of the Living Image then there came forth yet a deeper Mystery of Iniquity then before the Mother of all these Abomination she shew'd her self not as a despis'd Whore but as a Queen decked with Scarlet Purple and Precious-Stones and that very Beast which none could over-come but the whole World had wondred after it he himself must be under her command and must carry her up and down upon the Waters which are Peoples Lands Tongues and Languages And this Whore hath another Design upon the poor blind World Mark She comes with a preparation to make all drunk that they might not make use of their Sences to bethink themselves where they were and that they might not have any suspition against any thing the furnishes her self with a Golden Cup which there was none that had any thing against it but every one could well receive it and this was but to deceive them for any Potsherd of the Dunghil had been good enough yea a Hog's Trough had been too good to drink that out of which she had to give them But she must give her drink to Kings and Princes and Nobles and Captains and Merchants and to all sorts of men so she proffer'd them her Cup and they have all drunk But what have they drunk Her Whoredoms Fornications and all Abominations of the Earth How much Till they were drunk What did they then They committed Fornication with her they were drunk of Abominations and the Whore was drunk of the Blood of the Saints and Witnesses of Jesus and yet the Name of Jesus was still professed upon Earth that was not persecuted but those were persecuted that witnessed Jesus himself that takes away sin such were persecuted For she being the Mother of Whores and having nothing to proffer to her Customers but Abominations she could not endure to hear That Sin which is an Abomination to the Lord should be taken away and that men should live without sin and be perfect For if so then she must be Childless and as a Widdow and must lose her High-place on the top of the Beast and then they would not be so drunk of her Cup and that would not tend to her Advantage therefore if any came to be Witnesses of Jesus himself she drunk the Blood of such but if they would be content to drink her Cup and so would please themselves with good and precious words and in the mean time drink in her Abominations then they might live and flourish as long as she flourished But Alas What do you think that read with Understanding was the state of the World in those dayes Was it not high time that Plagues Indignation and Vengeance should be pour'd out upon this Bloody Whore and upon the Seat of the Beast upon which she did ride and upon the whole Earth which had committed Fornication with her Is it not high time that the Carpenters should come Zach. 1.20 to cut off these Horns For at that time the power of Darkness was spread over all and the will of the Devil

the acceptable Year of the Lord unto whom there is nothing acceptable which is imperfect Certainly there is no manner of Slaves so well contented with their Bondage as the Devil 's are and therefore it is worth the considering what right he has to Raign over Mankind and what Work it is he gives his Servants to do that is so well pleasing unto them that they cannot endure to hear of being set at liberty as long as they have a day to live As for my part I have considered what right the Devil can claim to the Government which he has among the Children of Men raigning over Kings and Princes Priests and People from one Sect to another setting them all to work in blind Zeal one against another yet all agreeing in this one Question to wit Is there any Man or Woman upon the Earth that is freed from under the reign of the Devil that he can live without Sin or is it possible for any to be so the general Answer is No we are all and must be all his Servants all the dayes of our lives But some might say Seeing you are all Fellow-Servants and that both you and your Work do belong to one Master why then are you disagreeing with one another about the work But Oh my soul longeth that some might be awakened once to consider and to bethink themselves how they came to this state and condition and by what right and authority their Master keeps them in this Bondage and whether it i● not both lawfull and possible to come from under it And in the first place it is to be considered that this spirit which is called the Devil and Satan had no dominion over Man in the beginning for God gave Man power over all Beasts Fishes Fowls and over every creeping thing that he should Rule over them and in that time the Devil that old creeping Serpent was kept under and could not speak nor command as with authority and he being but a subject himself he sought to have dominion having lost the glory of the everlasting Kingdom and so he came to the Woman which was made and brought forth in a time of sleep and perswaded her Mark not commanded and his perswasion was that she should break the Command of God under pretence that she should be profited thereby So here was but a sneeking underly spirit coming to the Woman in a deceitful feigned manner with a Lye in his mouth to see if he could deceive her and lead her to be disobedient to her God and Maker Who could then have thought that this spirit that was subject to all sorts of misery should have reigned and ruled over so many Millions of thousands of Men both high and low young and old Well the Woman hearkned after a Lye and broke the Command of God and went to try whether this Serpent had found out a way to make her better or not and not only so but went to the Man and gave him also and he did eat Mark this Devil the old Serpent he did not go to the Man that was a work too high for him but there comes his Companion which was given of God which was of his Flesh and Bones to tempt him he did not hearken to the Devil but to his deceived Wife and he did eat and their Eyes were opened and they were asham'd and hid themselves Here were the two first subjects which the Devil had in his Kingdom he having before this time no Dominion among the Creatures which God had made Now it is to be observed that there are but four wayes to come into Dominion to wit by Descent by Election by Conquest and by Treason Now which of these it is by which the Devil got his entrance is easie to be concluded All that are wise will say That it was by Treason and Falshood and that Man thereby came to be deprived of that Dominion and Rule which he had before and his boldness was taken from him and he was ashamed So now see for whom you are pleading all you that are so zaelously pleading for the Devils Kingdom viz for an old Traytor that came into his Government by a Lye and spoyl'd our Predecessors of their Dominion Glory and Power at once by Sin for which you are now pleading Oh Blush and be ashamed every one of you and let your mouthes be stopped for ever But now seeing that it fell out so What was the determination of the Lord in this matter hearken to his Sentence And to the Serpent he said because thou hast done so thou shalt creep upon thy Belly and art cursed above all Cattel and above all the Beasts of the Feild see he must creep upon his Belly and not stand upon his tip-toes lifting up his head above the Nations he must eat Dust and the other Beasts must eat the Grass of the Field but he Dust all the dayes of his life and not the Fat of the Land and to have the tenth part of the Fruits of the Earth bestowed on his meanest Servants having also the other nine parts of it bestowed and ordered to his will and so shall it be with thee as long as thou livest that is not to say that he shall live for ever and to have Dust to eat and a Belly to creep upon But at last God has determined that his head should be bruised there is his end Oh! All ye Pleaders for Sin behold your Prince and hear his Sentence and be asham'd and stop your Monthes forever And now when he had gotten a little Dominion let Us examine a little how this Trayter us'd his Rule in the beginning his first Lesson was to Teach his new subjects to hide themselves from the presence of God that which before was their chiefest joy and crown was now their greatest fear and dread and so they run under the Trees hiding themselves as their Posterity now does at this day but the Lord found them out and spoke to them and caused them to hear that dreadfull Sentence and not only so but drove them out from where Life was to be found into the Earth where there was nothing to be gotten without pain and labour and whereas they were before in Dominion and had nothing to do but to dress the Garden in which the Life was they must now Till the Ground which brought forth unto them Bryers and Thorns and in that state Man's misery was great and his sorrow unspeakable and his darkness not to be expressed and had lost his discerning of things that differ and having an expectation of a Seed which should destroy the Serpent and bruise his head he was apt to think every Birth to be that Seed as his Children in the fall do at this day so that when Cain was born his mother said she had gotten a Man from the Lord but poor Woman she knew not the feed and how that that seed which is born of the flesh is a Persecutor and