who is not properly sent but sendeth from the pit 2. It holdeth forth an eminent trusty and singular messenger of that Kingdom therefore called by way of eminency the Angel of the bottomlesse pit and therefore cannot be applied to ordinary false Teachers In a word he is the same Star that fell from Heaven vers 1. and got the key of the bottomlesse pit and the same beast mentioned Chap. 13. to whom the Dragon doth especially give his power and commission as his great Deputy and Vicar in the backslidden Church and therefore he is said 2 Thess. 2. to come after the working of Satan c. 3. This King is described from his name which is set down both in Hebrew and Greek Abaddon and Apollyon a name suitable to such a King and Kingdom His name in both signifieth a destroyer or to destroy partly because actively he destroyeth and partly because he is to be destroyed It is set down both in Hebrew and Greek Because 1. he usurpeth over all the Church and proveth a destroyer both to Iews and Greeks 2. Because in due time he is to be destroyed by both as we will see on Chap. 16. and 19. and also because the Lord would have him known to be so both by Iews and Greeks as Pilate caused write the title above Christ in diverse languages Our blessed Lord Jesus had two names one Iesus in Hebrew and Christ in Greek both which hold Him forth to be a Saviour This King will be satisfied with no less honour and extent of government yet is described by these titles to be of a quite contrary nature It is not to be thought that this King should assume such an odious title or that any such should be attributed to him by his followers but that indeed he shall be such as this title describeth that is a most horrible waster and destroyer of the Church of Christ. This all alongst is applicable to the papall Kingdom whereof the Pope is head unto which shortly we have hinted the application of it which standeth sure upon the preceeding grounds and suppositions For further confirming whereof we shall 1. in few words resume some generall properties of and considerations concerning this plague here described 2. We shall lay down a little view of the publick rise progresse nature c. of the papall Kingdom from which two we shall leave the application by way of conclusion to be gathered 1. The object of this plague is the visible Church and hypocriticall Professours in it who are not appointed and marked for eternal life It is the same Christian world and light of Ordinances which is darkened and destroyed by it which was weakened by the former trumpets 2. The nature of it is Spirituall corrupting the Ordinances of Spiritual life and bringing with it destruction to immortall souls 3. The extent of it is universall over the face of the whole visible Church the actors in it are Church-men once by their places having Power and Authority in the Church of Christ. In time it breaketh out in a Spirituall Kingdom and Hierarchie and upon a pretended Ecclesiastick account assuming great Power and Authority it doth breed and is supported by swarmes of Church-officers the time of its publick appearing to be a Kingdom in an established form will be found to be about the year 600. for it followeth immediately the fourth trumpet which continued the story of that time and doth immediately preceed the rise of the Mahometans which from the 700. year forward is at an height and groweth as the exposition of the following trumpet will clear This plague carrieth alongst with it much corrupt Doctrine yea bringeth again Idolatry into the Christian Church as we will see in the close of this Chapter and especially such corrupt Doctrine as overturneth the comfortable and quieting grounds of the Gospel it bringeth also to the world great store of new created orders for promoving these Doctrines and supporting that Kingdom who both by covered subtilty and violence carrie on their designs and many such other particulars Now for the second thing propounded if we will take a view of the papall Kingdom What will we misse That it is a Kingdom under one absolute Monarch with most illimited power having dominion over the Church being begun and carried on by Church-men having corrupted the Doctrine of the Gospel and brought Idolatry again into the Church are all evident I shall instance but these three particulars 1. The nature of the Doctrine and errors brought-in by them which though exceeding agreeable to nature yet exceeding opposit to the way of Grace and therefore cannot but necessarily and natively be destructive to the solid consolation of souls and beget fearfull horrour in the hearts and consciences of poor sinners so that sometimes the greatest promotters of them have been forced to abandon these principles under challenges and their greatest disputants are constrained to acknowledge this we have one instance in Bellar. de justif lib. 3. cap. 7. who after his long dispute of indulgences merit of works c. seeketh to sum up in all in three assertions The first whereof attributeth merit unto works the second alloweth men to confide in their own merits yet as distrusting this foundation so largely contended for he addeth a third proposition propter incertitudinem propriae iustitia periculum inanâ— gloriae tutissimum est fiduciam totam in sola Dei misericordia benigâ—itate reponere So that in end for uncertainty of mans proper righteousnesse and hazard of vain glory he accounteth it most safe to place our whole confidence in the mercy and goodnesse of God allâ—nerly and giveth this reason if man hath no merit saith he he should not confide if he hath which yet is uncertain it is no hurt or losse to flee only to Gods mercy In which one assertion we may see 1. The uncomfortablnesse of that Doctrine of merit that can never comfort solidly because at the best it is uncertain 2. We may see the hazard of it to foster pride and vain glory 3. We may see the disquietnesse of it by which sinners can never be secure till they have fully renounced it Suarez also doth homologate Bellarmin in this And yet this Doctrine of merit is a prime fundamentall tenent of that Church but hath often disappointed the defenders of it when they had most need of comfort and hath made them prize the Doctrine of Faith in Christ Jesus in their death who often thought it absurd in their life as particularly is written of Charles the fifth after his laying by of publick things in the world and his retiring of himself to a Monasterie The second instance is in the abundance and variety of their Religious orders as they are called which take up a main part of the description of this Kingdom there is at least thirty five orders reckoned each whereof for the most part will comprehend many thousands beside their Bishops and other members of
exercised for the destroying of them and they as infamous made incapable of all priviledges and dignities We may add that about the same time Anno 1545. fell out the great massacre of the poor Waldenses in Provence in France the burning of Merindol and other Cities where they lived and the totall destroying of their Countrie by the Lord Oâ—eâ—s means which though it had been often formerly assayed yet till this time could they never get it effectuated Beside at this time also was the persecution by the Duke of Savoy in the vallies of Piedmont considering therefore the great and universall persecution rising at one time and with such successe considering also the persons upon whom it especially seased being either these called Waldenses or Albigenses who being the stock of these who witnessed against Antichrist in much suffering and sackcloth whiles there were no other may well be accounted eminently the Witnesses considering also that this persecution seased especially upon Ministers who by their office are witnesses the heat of it was against them Bohem being of these Albigenses lost two hundred it alone so that none were admitted to stay but such as by receiving that interim gave submission considering also the time that this is trysted in being immediately at the height and turn of Antichrists absolute tyrannie and considering the great insolencie and joy expressed by the Popish world with many indignities and reproaches against the poor witnesses of Jesus Christ which were evidenced by their solemnities and the reproaches that in write were put on all that were called Protestants and many other wayes as story holdeth it out And lastly considering the great universal and unexpected reviving that the work of God had and the happy condition that His Ministers attained immediatly after these overthrowes and that insulting partly by the change which Mauritius Duke of Saxon made in Germany with the edicts and statutes that followed thereupon as was formerly hinted partly by Queen Marie of England her death and other means trysted by God together almost at the same time throughout the Churches I say upon these considerations it is not unsuitable to apply this killing of the witnesses to these persecutions and their rising again and ascension to the happy estate which the Church was immediatly advanced to after that and hath been since in some measure continued in which though it be not every way so glorious and prosperous as to be absolutely free yet being compared with the former state thereof may well be said to be in Heaven in respect of it and we may warrantably conceive that such extraordinary events trysted together would not be passed by the holy Ghost and are not for no purpose timed so in this prophesie Hence Observe 1. Neither the sufferings of the Godly nor the joy and insulting of the wicked are perpetuall but both have an end and that speedily Three dayes and an half is here the term of the wickeds joy it is not worth the having 2. The joy of the wicked doth ever end in more shame and confusion to them and the low condition of the Godly hath ever the more glorious outgate to them 3. Oftentimes the wicked are surprised when they look least for it and God taketh opportunity from the lowest condition of His people to work their deliverance and to get Himself glory in the doing of it 4. When God hath any singular thing to do He will not only singularly fit persons for it but extraordinarily or eminently call them as it were with a voice from Heaven to it 5. When God mindeth the promoving of the Gospel no enimity or opposition of enemies can mar it though they be onlookers upon it 6. There will be great odds between the successe and respect that Ministers will get at one time and at another these Preachers who were formerly in contempt are now in credit this floweth not from the efficacie of mens gifts nor dexterity in mannaging things but from the Lords call designing some for suffering at one time and others or possibly the same for the active promoving of His work at another Concerning the Waldenses HAving made mention of the Waldenses from the testimonie of two Authors it may be not impertinent to insert a little word more concerning them partly because the Books may not be at hand to every one and partly because some Iesuits and particularly Gretserus in his preface to Reinerius imputeth though injustly to Illyriâ—s that he had mutilated this Author in his edition of him and he doth also impute many absurdities to them which we will not own and therefore cannot claim them as witnesses he denieth also that these who were persecuted at Merindol and the places beside were of that stock we may therefore lay down more largely what the forecited Authors say whose testimonies they cannot refuse That Gretserus in the fourth Tome of the Bibliotheca Patrum doth insert severall Writers their writings against the Waldenses to this purpose as he saith That the latter Hereticks may be confuted not only from new disputes but from old writings and if there were not a likenesse between their tenets and outs this end by this could not be expected amongst these are Reinerius who as he writeth himself Chap. 3. was often upon the inquisition of these Hereticks Petrus de Pilichdorf Lucas Tudensis and some other writings and catalogues of their errors without the names of the Authors In the 4. Chap. Reinerius hath these words that were formerly cited so that it may be a wonder how they could be charged with heresie and so persecuted as they were Again Chap. 5. He draweth their errors to three heads 1. De blasphemiis quibus blasphemant Romanam Ecclesiam 2. In their errors concerning the Sacraments and Saints 3. Notat detestationes quibus omnes honestas approbatas Ecclesiae consuetudines derestantur A tast of all may be given shortly 1. They say the Church of Rome is not the true Church but Ecclesia malignantium and that it began to decline in Sylvesters time when poison was powred in the Church they say that they were the Church because they followed the Doctrine of Christ of the Gospel and Apostles both in word and deed that the Roman Church is the whore in the Revelation and these who are in her almost none of them keepeth the Doctrine of the Gospel that they care not for the Pope and his statutes but accounteth him the head of all errors that none ought in the Church office to be above another or as the next catalogue hath it that Pope or Bishop had no dignity above the Priest by the Word For the second sort of errors they overturn all Sacraments First they say that the additionals profit not the exorcisms and benedictions they reject but never rejected the Sacrament it self 2. The Sacrament of the Eucharist is denied by them because transubstantiation sit in manu indigné consicientiâ— sed in ore digné sumentis they reject the
almost like to a widow before this now received a Court Popes Cardinals and her solitarinesse was helped and she looketh out again as majestically and commander-like by this head as by any other That this is the healing here understood appeareth by the effects 1. The admiration that then followed in the worldâ— and the thanks they in effect gave the devil for this service as generally better content with this than with any other head that ever was before The particular effect in this verse is All the world wondered after the beast It is more to wonder after than at the beast Here beginneth the effects of his enchantment on the world after this healing which was not before 2. This admiration after the beast is more particularly set forth afterward It implieth 1. an unexpected amazement as at the seeing of something they had not seen or thought to see so soon and certainly the wicked world could not have expected again an Idolatrous head so soon 2. It importeth a sort of Divine or Religious reverence or doting on the beast superstitiously for it is after the beast which is clear afterward as holding out an estimation of some Religious thing in this head who is called Christs vicar more than in any which went before which cannot agree to a civil state 3. It importeth a willingnesse or gladsomnesse in the doing of this as affected or delighted with it It is otherwayes expressed by enchanting the inhabitants of the earth mens wicked nature that loveth whoring from God now welcometh exceedingly this corrupt beast and submitteth to him and drinketh-in in a deluded way his fornications willingly where we have an emblame of mans nature 2. The parties admiring are all the world that is as large dominion and possibly more under this head healed than ever any head had before him It is all who are not elected whereby it is clear again that this beast wondered-after is Antichrist and this admiration or worship is more than civil he hath exceeding many yea Emperours Kings and great men giving their power to him and that willingly Chap. 17. which they never did to any other In a word saith he when this head came up this beast got moe followers and other sort of respect than ever before For clearing this exposition of the wound and healing Consider this wound must be at the time of the Churches begun flight which was contemporary with the fall of Idolatrous Emperours for this healed head is contemporary with the womans flight therefore this wound must be before which can be no other but that though this healing immediately appeared not as is said 2. Consider that at that time five heads were past the seventh to come which riseth after the healing of this wounded head and is the seventh or papacy it is not wounded here nor was it in being before these fourty two moneths began and during that time it hath power and is not wounded It must be then the sixth of the Emperours that suffered at that time when the woman began to flee Now there was then no wound in the temporall grandour glory and state of the Empire it was as great under Constantine as ever Therefore he is known by that name Constantine the great it must then be the change we expounded it to be 3. Add if the papacyes rising to be the seventh head be the healing of this wound Then must the wound be such a want or change as papacy supplieth But papacy healeth this and is the seventh head This beast which endureth fourty two moneths and hath power from the Dragon healeth and recovereth this seat that was lost and sitteth again in Rome c. and this is papacy as is proven and will Chap. 17. more fully appear Now the thing which the devil aimeth at by the papacyes settling at Rome is the recovering of that worship which he lost and by the Popes means again by Idols and Images the devil is worshipped Chap. 9.20 and here v. 2. Ergo the removing this Idolatrous worship by publick Authority which was the Dragon's casting from Heaven Chap. 12. is the wound here Beside temporall over-running of the Empire by Goths Vandals and such like can neither be called one wound because it was frequent nor attributed to this seventh head because out of it the Popes reaped still advantage as also they suit not this time nor was the Emperours healed after these incursions so as to have more following than before and the Emperours not being heads after they became Christian as will be clear Chap. 17. and it not being they who are wondered at as this head after its healing is It cannot therefore be applied to them but as is said LECTURE II. Vers. 4. And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast and they worshipped the beast saying Who is like unto the beast who is able to make war with him 5. And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies and power was given unto him to continue fourty and two moneths 6. And he opened his mouth in blasphemie against God to blaspheme his name and his tabernacle and them that dwell in heaven 7. And it was given unto him to make war with the Saints and to overcome them and power was given him over all kindreds and tongues and nations 8. And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world THe first part of this Chapter describeth Antichrist under a secular notion of civil power It setteth him out first in his rise vers 1 2 3. In three things 1. To what state he belongeth to wit that of seven heads and ten horns that is the Roman vers 1. 2. Of what nature he is he is compounded of monstrous qualities vers 2. 3. To what time or revolution of that Roman state he belongeth to wit that which after the wounded head was healed and the horns had gotten Crowns that is to say after the civil Empire is weakened and divided in sundry Kingdoms and the Pope steppeth up to act them all 2. His reign or the effects of his rise after this head is sealed are set down from vers 4. forward in four steps or effects first toward the gracelesse world he obtaineth much respect and applause from them even in the highest degree so that he ruleth amongst them at his pleasure vers 4. The second is the time of his continuance vers 5. The third containeth his blasphemy or doctrine towards God vers 6. The fourth and last his persecution against the Saints or his practice towards them vers 7. and 8. The universality of the subjection he getteth or of the power he hath is restrained to the Reprobate world as the proper object of his Kingdom as it is of the Dragons who giveth him that power The first effect after his rising vers 4. is set out in three steps
warn all her followers by that prediction but to withdraw them from that erroneous way under all highest pains certifying them that Popery will bring Gods everlasting curse on them and that it standeth them on no lesse than the necessity of Salvation to quite it by which Angel separation from Him is pressed as it is Chap. 18. come out of her when the same threatening is mentioned so every one of these Preachers and preachings inferreth the other well and agreeth to the Lords way of making His Truth to break up in the event 1. Luther began to preach against some errors as humane traditions and to open the Doctrine of Justification by Faith alone in opposition to Indulgences Purgatory c. at first without thinking that Rome was Babylon or that there was a necessity of separating from it but the Gospel could not long be in the world but that must be clear like the light Then 2. he grew in light and boldnesse and others joyned with him as Melancthon Iustus Ionas c. and they came directly to speak of Rome as of Babylon and of the Pope as of Antichrist and thereupon applied these and such like plain passages foretelling their ruine as of the speciall treacherous enemies of Jesus Christ who had so long deluded the world and abused the Church Followeth upon that the third Angels preaching who cometh in with the necessity of abstaining from His worship and fellowship under pain of damnation and the more the Pope fumed and persecuted the more they preached and cleared that strange truth in the world that Popery was of it self damnable and that though God had a Church latent amongst them in the time of darknesse yet now he would not have it so and this Doctrine was much urged against the Pseudo-nicodemites to have the sinfulnesse of the Popish way born in upon souls not only that it was not good or so good as the other but that it was deadly and of a slaying and mortiferous power and therefore the Godly could not communicate with them in it without sin This was the Reformers third work See Sleid. lib. 1. 2. Calvin opuscul especially class 3. per totam Luther his work ascendeth by these steps 1. In his Theses given out Anno 1517. against Indulgences and thereafter in their defence against Sylvester Eccius Pererius and others he sheweth these things profit not to life but Repentance and Faith resting only on Christs merits and the mercy of God alone seing no Saints merits are perfect Anno 1519. Caralastadius beginneth a dispute against the Pope at Lypsick whither Eccius came and provoked Luther to dispute by maintaining the Popes absolute supremacy which Luther impugned Melancthon also was with Luther at this dispute but after in an Epistle to Leo 10. he excused it some way yet Anno 1520. he by a Book de captivitate Babylonica publickly asserted and proved Rome to be Babylon and the Pope Antichrist Sleid. lib. 2. pag. 23. Thereafter Anno 1521. when Zuinglius had begun to preach boldly the year before at Tigurine in Helvetia Luther with the whole College of Wittenberge burnt the Books of his adversaries as they had done his before appealing from the Pope to a Councel earnestly exhorting to abstain communion with the Church of Rome which thereafter he hath both in his Sermons and Writings confirmed This was more fully afterward joyntly prosecuted by Melancthon Calvine Martyr and Bucer See Calv. contra Pseudonicodemitas So we take the scope of this Chapter generally to set forth 1. Antichrists fall and the certainty of it 2. The means by which it should be effectuated to wit preaching and action by preaching withdrawing many from him by judgement overthrowing the rest which judgements are more particularly described by the vials 3. By what degrees or in what order it should be carried on by these means 1. Preachings and threatenings go before judgements And 2. in preaching the Truth of the Gospel is first preached and then judgements more peremptorily denounced ut supra 1. against the head then against the followers Now to come more particularly to this third Angel he cometh shortly on the back of the former with a loud voice which intimateth much deadnesse amongst the people that would not awake 2. Much zeal boldnesse and freenesse in him that preached making out this Truth plainly that he was commissionated with It is in generall a commination yet set down conditionally that it may be a warning to make men flee that sin that they may escape that judgement and because the Key of Doctrine in threatenings and promises is not absolutely to be applied by Ministers the conditions whereupon it goeth being indiscernable to them and so it differeth from the use-making of the Key of Discipline whereby absolutely we admit to or reject from Ordinances because the rule of it is conversant about externall scandals and profession which are discernable In short as if he would say follow not Popery longer for if ye so do ye shall not escape the heavy judgement of Gods everlasting wrath and it will be the greater that ye have gotten warning In particular it containeth a description of a Papist or one of Antichrists followers which is the object of this threatening vers 9. 2. It describeth their judgement vers 10 11. The description hath two parts 1. They are described by worshipping Antichrist which pointeth at some inward impression 2. By reserving his mark which supponeth some outward expression of their respect to him 1. He saith If any worship the beast and his image because none shall be missed if it were but one that continueth By beast and image we are not to understand two distinct things as we shew Chap. 13. for here they have the same common worship and their worshippers are of equal extent and their judgement is the same and vers 11. when it is repeated they are both spoken of as one his mark and his name and not theirs but by beast is more especially holden forth the Pope as the head of that antichristian estate and as it were the Author and by Image is holden forth the complex body of the hierarchy doctrine and superstitions which he hath framed called his because he composed it and made it called an image because of its likenesse to the old Roman heathenish worship and tyrannie over the Church The worshipping of these implieth as was said Chap. 13. more than a civil devotednesse to that Pope as head especially in his doctrine and worship The second part of the description of receiving his mark in the forehead and hand was expounded Chap. 13. and implieth not only mens acknowledging the Pope but their yeelding and submitting to him and giving up themselves as Souldiers or Servants to that antichristian state adhering to that profession and by publick evidences owning it without as well as cleaving to it in affection within It is called here the mark of his name which was before called the
ut supra Ergo. Bellarmine de Roman Pont. lib. 3. cap. 4 5. alleageth that this is not yet fulfilled because saith he the arising of these ten Kings supposeth a dividing among them of the Roman Empire wholly to its annihilating which saith he is not yet done seing there is one who is called and acknowledged Roman Emperour Ergo Antichrist is not come seing he is not removed out of the way who then did let 2 Thess. 2. as he expounds that place Answ. There is a twofold removing of the Roman Emperour to be considered 1. Wholly in deed and in name so as not to have so much as a shadow 2. In deed though not in name yet full as to the removing of him from being head to that Empire which was and so from being the sixth head this far is necessary for two heads cannot be together and so long as he stood as a head he stood in the way and was a let of the coming of the seventh but that there shall be no name that is not necessary for when the Emperours the sixth head came Consuls were in name at Rome but were not heads because they wanted the former power and were someway subject to another head and therefore though the name of Emperour be yet if he be not now head to that Empire if the horns act not for him now but acknowledge an other head then he is not head if he have not that seat Rome nor command not that seven hilled city he is not head nor can he be who wanteth the horns But that there be not the name of an Emperour if he be not an head but rather a horn giving his power to this head or beast with the rest and as usefull to him as any this far the removing of the Empire out of the way is not necessary But the former is and that this is fulfilled appeareth in three steps concurring to it 1. that the blasphemy of the Roman Emperours as such is ceased 2. That the seat of the Roman Empire is passed from Rome 3. That the command of the Provinces as it were his horns is plucked from him for these three qualifications to wit to have a name of blasphemies to sit at Rome and to act the Provinces as horns are necessary to a head of this beast And that all these are removed from the Roman Emperour is clear in experience and granted by Bellar. as lib. 3. de Pont. Rom. cap. 5. and elsewhere 1. That the Emperour hath no command over Rome but that the Pope exerciseth there both Swords Civil and Ecclesiastick of a long time 2. That the force of his power or of that Empire is also broken he asserteth lib. 2. cap. 2. de Pontif. Praedicit enim Iohannes hanc Babylonem ruituram quia Romanum Imperium delendum erat id quod jam fere factum esse cernimus an non enim Gothi Vandali Longobardi Romanae urbis Imperium fere ad nibilum redegerunt proving Babylon here spoken of to be Rome he giveth that for one reason that it was brought down as is prophesied in this Chapter If then by him the Goths invasion was the fulfilling of this prophesie in that part Then an utter abolishing of the name of Emperour is not necessary for then it was and if that be the fulfilling of this prophesie and ruine which was to come Then it is not now to come and if that ruine be not the thing prophesied here Then doth not that event contribute to prove this Babylon to be Rome on whom that event fell which yet is Bellarmins scope But indeed upon the matter we will find this Emperour but an horn what ever his name be thus 1. If he command but a Province of the Roman Empire which was before subject to the Governours of Rome and have no command at or over Rome or any other Province Then he is not an head but an horn But that is truth 2. If he himself be acted by a power that now resideth at Rome as other Kings are Then he is but an horn to that head and not an head himself But that is clearly true in many experiments whereby the Emperours have been commanded by Popes See Platina in vit Greg. 9. He commandeth Frederick the Emperour to go to War under pain of Excommunication and this is after done yea in providence we will find no Province have more dependance on the Popes now of a long time 1. They have deposed them and transferred their Crowns See in the life of Greg. 7. called Hildebrand 2. They have wasted their Lands and the order of Election by Electors is attributed to them 3. Particularly their Election dependeth on their ratification and he is not Emperour but King of the Romans till he approve it Hence in the Decretals it is said Papa habet potestatem à Christo Imperator vero à Papa 4. They have imployed their strength for the Popes and for persecuting the Church as Sigismund in burning Iohn Husse Hieronymus of Prague Therefore if they be horns they are not heads if an other be head and acknowledged by these Kings the horns then the Emperour is cast off and hath cast himself off from the dignity of being head and supream Governour of that Empire which only was necessary In a word then the removing of the Roman Emperours from being head to these Kings is necessary for they cannot be horns to him and another beast also and thus far it is fulfilled But the burying altogether the name which hath not nor pretendeth to absolute power over these Kings as the former did that is not necessary And thus far the Emperours weaknesse and inability to head the beast and the Popes Authority and Dominion to do it is confirmed by what Bellarmin asserteth de Concil lib. 1. cap. 12. where having laid it down as necessary that the Popes must call generall Councels because only his Dominion is of that large extent he addeth this last non potest hic i.e. Imperator vix cogere Episcopos unius provincia venire ad Concilium nam neque Itali Hispani aut Galli Imperatori subjiciuntur sed suos habent Reges aut Principes which is enough to clear what we assert And in his 3. lib. De translatione Imperii It is his work to prove the Emperour to be the Popes vassal as holding all his Authority from him and indeed that this keepeth the name of an Empire and which now is it is meerly from the bulls and constitutions If their stories be true A second conclusion we may draw from it is this that the Pope is Antichrist thus That supream power of Rome which shall govern it after the temporall Empire is broken and the Provinces become Kingdoms and to which these Kings shall give their power and act in persecution of the Saints for his behove That is Antichrist But the Pope or Papacy is that power that now since the fulfilling of this prophesie hath born rule over
Rome and to whom these Kings have given their power Ergo he is Antichrist and this far it is fulfilled in him A third conclusion is that Rome under the Pope is the whorish Church here meaned and set out thus That Rome which is supported by the beast with the ten horns crowned or to whom ten Kings that arise out of the Roman Empire give their power after the Emperours cease to be an head to them That Rome or Rome so considered is the whore for the beast and the horns are contemporary as the head out of which they grow and the beast and the whore are contemporary as the ryder and beast which carrieth her if therefore the horns and beast be contemporary so must the whore be with them also for quae conveniunt uni tertio conveniunt inter se But Rome or the Romish Church for these thousand years past is the Rome governed and supported by that power or beast to whom these Kings have given and for a great part do yet give their power Therefore this Romish Church is the whorish antichristian Church described here And that which Bellar. saith de pontif lib. 3. cap. 5. confirmeth this That these ten Kings which to him are yet to arise shall hate Rome and burn her c. for what Rome shall they burn Is it not Rome the whore called so vers 17 Therefore it is not heathen Rome but Popish Rome that is the whore for she is the whore whom they shall destroy and when they shall destroy her to wit her to whom for a time they have given their power after they have withdrawn it from the Emperour who formerly had it A fourth conclusion is that Antichrist is no singular person and is to continue longer than three years and an half thus If that beast or power to which the Kings that have received power and Kingdoms out of these Provinces which were once subject to the Roman Empire shall give their power be Antichrist Then he is no single person or of short continuance the connexion is clear from this because that Power or Government which hath these Kings for horns hath already descended for many ages and through many generations and there remaineth yet some things to be fulfilled before the finall overthrow thereof But the former is truth that beast is Antichrist Ergo. Or thus If the seventh head that succeeded to that Government of the Roman Empire which was in Ioâ—n's time and acteth the Kings that have since gotten power be for moe generations than one or two Then Antichrist is not of so short continuance Neither is that defection whereof he is head so soon to passe for Antichrist is that last Government But experience telleth the former is true that another power than what was in Iohn's time hath sitten at Rome and ruleth it and acteth these Kings that once were of it for moe ages than one Ergo c. A second sort of uses are to retort or wipe away some objections of Bellar. against this whereby he would prove that Antichrist is not yet come and therefore that the Pope is not to be accounted this head for this is the surest way for them to guard him for no other can be imagined to be here understood but he if he be come 1. He doth therefore lay down six demonstrations as he calleth them to make out this that Antichrist is not yet come The first lib. 3. de pontif cap. 4 5 c. is this The Gospel hath not as yet been preached through all the world which saith he must be before Antichrist come Therefore he is not come the place cited is Matth. 24.14 Answ. This goeth upon a twofold wrong supposition 1. That all the world is to be taken there collectively i.e. for every Nation and not distributively i.e. for many or most of Nations as is usuall So Rom. 11. their sound is gone out to the ends of the earth The second is that it supponeth that whatever it be to be spoken in reference to Antichrists coming which is expresly spoken of in reference to Christs second coming which is long after Antichrists or before the end of Ierusalem which two ends are only spoken of there His second demonstration which is the main is taken from that that the Roman Empire by Antichrist or before him is utterly to be abolished 2 Thess. 2. so he that letteth must be taken out of the way but saith he this is not done Ans. ut supra conclusion 1. The Roman Emperour must be taken from sitting at Rome and from governing over the Provinces as an head of that Empire that is granted that is the sixth head must be removed out of the way before Antichrist the seventh come But that is done long since There is no Emperour at Rome nor that hath any dominion there nor hath any horns or Kingdoms now under him he is therefore no head to this beast Therefore this will not prove that he is not come for it is one thing to be called a Roman Emperour another to be indeed a head to this Empire as it is represented by this beast this must head the seven hilled city govern over the Provinces as having so many horns to serve him and have names of blasphemy upon them whoever sitteth at Rome thus qualified whatever his name be he is head for we try the changes of these heads neither by name only nor by the seat only but by the thing that is by power and dominion over these Provinces exerced from Rome as the principall seat of that Government and although the want of Rome will not prove one not to be an Emperour which is Bellarmin's argument yet the want of it will prove him to be none of the heads here represented even as the having of Rome will not infer it except there be also Dominion over the Provinces for which cause we did formerly deny the application of this to the Gothish Kings Now it being clear in it self that the Emperours power extendeth neither to Rome the head nor to the Provinces the body of that Empire and it being clear also that both these agree to the Pope though upon a different account as the place formerly cited from Bellar. de Con. lib. 1. cap. 12. confirmeth It must therefore follow that the Emperour notwithstanding of the name is not to be accounted head but the Pope who possesseth the thing His third demonstration is that the two witnesses Enoch and Elias are not come who must prophesie under Antichrist and be killed by him as Chap. 11. Ans. Beside what is said there to that fable it is confuted here thus These are the witnesses that restifie against Antichrist and suffer by him all the time of his reigne as vers 6. they are Martyres c. But many since his appearing have testified against him and suffered under him Therefore they and not Enoch and Elias are the witnesses intended and so they are not to be looked for His
what is admiration here they must therefore both relate to the same antichristian defection seing there are not two but one 3. Here it is also clear that this beast in the last notion to wit the Ecclesiastick is the Antichrist for he is the head of this great defection and supporter to it and supream ruler of this apostarizing dominion which can agree to none other but to him and vers 11. he is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an eminent person or succession of persons as the rest as he is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 elsewhere The scope being then 1. to point out Antichrist and 2. his Kingdom or whorish Church or Congregation Out of all that is said we may by resuming these characters gather these two conclusions 1. That the Church of Rome for these many years past hath been and presently is that whorish Church aimed at here and Antichrists seat and kingdom 2. That the Pope or who possesseth the Papacy in his complex dominion is the very Antichrist particularly characterized here The making out one of these maketh out both they are so linked together for if the beast represent the Pope Then certainly the whore must be that Church which is supported by him and whereof he is head contra if Rome be the whore he that is head to her must be this beast and Antichrist I shall make out both by resuming the characters and properties applyed to both thus If the characters be such that are given to this beast as are peculiar to Antichrist or if the properties whereby this woman is described be such as are peculiar to his Kingdom Then the Pope is Antichrist and the Romish Church the Antichristian Church and his Kingdom because which is the reason of the connexion all these agree only to them But the first is truth Ergo. Or if all these characters spoken and prophesied of concerning this beast and whore do belong to and be fulfilled in the Papacie and the Romish Church Then is he Antichrist and she the Antichristian Kingdom But that these properties agree and are to be applyed to them may be made out 1. by induction and recapitulation of the properties themselves which belong to Antichrist and his Church severally Then 2. by pointing out the time or state in which they are applicable to them Antichrist getteth these characters here 1. That he shall be a Roman Governour and govern the seven hilled city and that many Nations and Kingdoms of the earth beside shall give him reverence vers 7. Compare vers 8 9 10 and 11. 2. That he was not then in being in Iohns time vers 8. 3. That he was to succeed to that Government which then was to wit the Emperours and Cesars at Rome vers 10. 4. That he was not to have any new state of Empire but to continue that which was but in an other form vers 9. Therefore was he in some respect before Iohns time vers 8. 5. Though he be to succeed to the six Governments and in some respect as to the absolutenesse and seat of his Dominions is to be one body with the Roman Empire yet is he not to be so upon a Civil account but on an Ecclesiastick in which respect he is an other not yet come getting admiration or adoration having Kings under him who hath absolute temporall power of themselves which they could not have were he a civil Prince vers 8 9 10. So this Empire is two beasts on this ground and the last head two in this respect yet indeed but one 6. This Antichrist is too much reverenced and that in more than an ordinary civil worship vers 8. 7. He shall be no ordinary civill power nor warranted Ecclesiastick power neither in name nor thing but shall arise out of the pit vers 11. 8. He shall have Kings devoted to him and to be at his beck yea such as were not Kings then but since have gotten Kingdoms out of the ruines of the old Roman Empire vers 12 13. 9. He shall especially make use of them to persecute vers 14. 10. When his fall approacheth some of these shall be his enemies and God will make use of them for his ruine vers 16. 11. The fountain of that Dominion and seat of that Governour shall be the chief city that then ruled over all to wit Rome vers 18 c. 12. She carrieth all with much state pompe and profanity vers 4 5. These are the properties ascribed to Antichrist whereby he may be discerned 1. In his nature he is Ecclesiastick or mixed 2. In his rise unwarranted of God 3. In his welcome with great respect in the world 4. In his seat Rome 5. In his Dominion Nations and Kingdoms 6. His different and twofold consideration of Authority Civill and Ecclesiastick whereby he is set out as a twofold head and by a double type These things being clearly properties of Antichrist and uncontrovertably applicable to Rome the question is whether to Rome heathen before Constantine as Bellar. and Alcasar say or to Rome under the Antichrist that is to come as Ribera Viegas and Cornelius à Lapid◠say or if it be applicable to Rome presently as of a long time it hath been For fixing on the time or state whereto this that she is antichristian and her Governour Antichrist may be applied consider these 1. This must be true of Rome after and immediately after the sixth Government that then was ceaseth to be a head to Rome and a seventh succeedeth to that which then was 2. It is when Kings which were not then shall rise out of the Roman Empire that is when Provinces shall withdraw their civill dependance from Rome and have Kings of their own 3. When Rome hath turned from a Church to be an whore 4. It is before its fall and while the Kings or any of them giveth him their power that is while he is an head But all these agree well to the Pope and Rome and are fulfilled in them as they have been now for many years past and cannot be applied to Rome heathen nor can be expected to be fulfilled afterwards The application is made out in the exposition of the words There are three things I suppose which especially will stick 1. That I say Antichrist is not properly a civill Prince but hath other pretences and upon an Ecclesiastick account or pretext assumeth this greatnesse Which is clear 1. because he headeth the whore which is not a civill body but a degenerate Church and whore and therefore he must be such a head as suiteth that body and carrieth on that defection 2. He ruleth over Kings without infringing as they think their temporall dominion which saith that he must do it on an Ecclesiastick account 3. From this proceedeth the admiration the world hath of him And 4. this sheweth why in this last consideration he is looked on as two beasts and two heads because he is formally Ecclesiastick but really civil And
not for nought that most judicious Calvin and acute Beze with many other profound Divines would never be moved to attempt any Explication of that Book Yet I hope I may make bold to aâ—firm without hazard of any heavie cenâ—ure that there is here laid Such a bridge over that very dâ—ep river that who ever goeâ—h over it shall have cause to blesse God for the Authors labour The Epistle speaketh to the man I shall adde but this one word That from the day I was employed by the Presbyterie to preach and pray and to impose with others hands upon him for the Ministery at Glasgow I did live to the very last with him in great and uninterrupted love and in an high estimation of his egregious enduâ—ments which made him to me precious among the most excellent Divines I have been acquainted with in the whole Isle O iâ— it were the good pleasure of the Master of the Vineyara to plant many such noble Vines in this Land I hope many more of his Labours shall follow this first and that the more quickly as this doth receive the due and expected acceptance Thine in the LORD ROBERT BALIE An INDEX of the principall Questions and Controversies which are discussed and cleared in this TREATISE 1. Concerning the holy Trinity and Object of Worship page 6 2. Concerning a Calling to the Ministery and clearnesse therein 52 3. Concerning Writing 61 4. Of Reading and Hearing 64 5. Concerning Church-government and Discipline in general 82 6. Concerning a Ministers relation to a particular Congregation 104 7. Concerning the nature and diâ—ference of common and saving grace 119 8. Concerning the influence the Devil hath on some wicked mens actions and how he carrieth on the same 149 9. Concerning Ministerial qualifications 198 10. Concerning the identity of Angel Bishop and Presbyter 223 11. Concerning the way of Covenanting with God and of a sinners obtaining justification before Him 234 12. Concerning Repentance 248 13. Some general Observations concerning Preaching and especially Application 260 14. Concerning the nature of Christs death or if it be properly a satisfaction 295 15. Concerning the extent of the merit of Christs death or if it may be accounted a satisfaction for all men 299 16. Concerning Christs Intercession 407 17. Concerning learned Mede his Synchronisms 333 18. Concerning the comfortlesse grounds laid down in Poperie for easing afflicted consciences 445 19. Concerning the Idolatry of the Church of Rome 454 20. Concerning Prophesying 469 21. Concerning a Ministers particular Message to a particular Auditory and if it may be again and again insisted on and repeated 472 22. Concerning the Waldenses 501 23. Concerning the Constitution of true Churches by Reformation out of such as have been corrupt 516 24. Concerning the unity of the Catholick visible Church 538 25. Concerning the difficulty of salvation under Poperie 584 Reader thou wilt find the particulars relating to each of these heads digested in the following Table at the end of the Book according to the order of the Alphabet And besides in the perusal of the Book thou wilt find a detectable variety of other concerning-questions right satisfyingly though but shortly handled ERRATA Discreet Reader THe distance of the Author from the Presse his continuall sicknesse from the time of the off-coming of the very first sheets of this Peece a part whereof 100 was since that time transcribed which he was never abie well to revise and his removall by death a long time before the finishing of it have occasioned severall escapes viz. Page Line Read 9 56 named and dele be 11 27 dele in after believed 16 27 dele no 18 3 their fixing in their c. 19 40 lovely 24 50 this Scripture 30 34 no other solid 44 16 in our way of exercising the same 79 â—6 formally 84 56 to â—o iâ— ibid ult if it had 88 50 of 106 34 Gal. 4 26. 116 16 preceeded ibid 28 seing also the removing 117 17 an call 118 52 Nazianzum 119 26 their reason 127 36 objects 128 46 47 but gold simply is not only to be tried by the weight 132 3 dele which 135 38 rationall 137 56 because they are such 139 17 dele 1. 140 48 and in things spirituall 145 11 or if it may 149 10 rare 156 16 his ordinances 178 10 they may be 184 6 blank 186 19 to have 193 34 freenesse 194 15 either 195 42 poor creature 197 49 third chapter 198 14 improving 199 21 equally 203 12 as well as the fruit 218 56 main 219 55 4. If 221 53 close the parenthesis before such as 224 10 after Ancients adde make against this 225 22 agreement ibid 44 Presbyter 226 49 Seduliuâ— Scotus ibid ult presbytero 228 38 2. Because these 232 33 Philip. 1. 235 47 dele c. 236 37 38 In this indeed 243 51 1. Because 245 48 they are 247 13 upon that account 250 40 purposed 257 40 cannot but be again renued 267 22 events that were to fall out to al the world 278 21 in the beasts praise 296 8 Christs death and sufferings were not only for ibid 24 as man 298 16 cap. 1. v. 4 5. 299 36 eternal sufferings 301 35 Iob. 17.6 and 9 304 37 premises 329 18 19 close the paren thesis after the sixth preceding 331 48 and the party 334 53 trumpets 339 47 by one of the Sabbaths ibid 46 Chap. 5. 342 38 word 348 20 Saturninians 352 19 Basilidians Carpocratians ibid 28 lib. 8. 361 43 of this prophesie 373 52 changes 375 8 Maximianus 376 35 cap. 18.19 377 41 Sapores ibid 48 Valens 378 32 draw on sin 380 9 1 2. for 12 ibid 43 sealed for separated 385 7 9. ver for 3. 387 33 after Elias dayes adde 3 395 ult cap. 5. 396 33 The first serveth to shew 1. 397 35 meet as end 398 28 1. Teaching 401 ult streets 410 51 52 every evil 412 14 dele not 413 ult and for an 417 11 seals are 420 47 yet-particular ibid 49 declining state 421 36 Syrmium 432 1 In Gregorius his life and dele decretals 435 45 only for also 436 14 dele and 438 39 and did flow 439 21 killeth for corrupteth 452 7 cuivis 456 40 sententiarum 457 2 dele Ergo c. 451 15 nobis 14 470 55 Cominaeus 474 9 yea if there hath 475 6 and particularly in the Epistles 482 42 Hammond 489 20 they wrong ibid 28 and though no 497 55 will find that 499 41 1054 ibid 47 sate About 500 50 Opeds 501 40 Illyricus 502 14 transubstantiatio 503 19 Cassaeneus Alenius ibid 40 Sadolet ibid 48 Turnou ibid 51 Oped 505 31 the seven vials do contemporate 524 46 Malchi 540 â— an universall ibid 31 Cobbet of New England own that and assert the contrary to be a principle 541 31 Commissioners for 544 23 Martellus 545 19 his mark 547 56 Iâ—idorus 551 56 Livius writings 581 28 imminency 600 39 beyond for behind ibid 46 persecution for perfection 601 14 mile 619
Prophets and these who were able to teach them The Apostles also were not defective in training of young men in reference to this which shews the laudablenesse of that way And although the main part thereof be not to be placed in Scholastick debates yet is training necessary which in the meanest Calling is found usefull and therefore not justly to be denied here We would only say 1. That there would be some choice made in the designing of Youths for that Study so that in an orderly way some might be so trained and not have liberty otherwayes to withdraw and others timeously advised to look to some other imployment 2. We would not have Elections bounded and limited to that number so as either any whosoever thus trained up might certainly be supposed as capable of being Ministers or as if no Congregation or Presbytery might fix their eye upon or give a Call unto any other This way of calling was long continued in the Primitive Church as we may see in the example of Ambrose who being a Senator and President although not yet Baptized neverthelesse because of his known ability piety and prudence was unexpectedly and unanimously called to be Bishop of Millan and notwithstanding of his great oppositnesse thereto was at length so pressed as he was made to yeeld and after proved a notable instrument in the Church of Christ. And it 's remarked that the good Emperour Valentinian did exceedingly rejoyce when he heard it blessing God that had led him to choose one to take care of bodies who was accounted fit to take care of souls Theoderet Hist. lib. 4. cap. 6. The like is recorded by Euagrius Hist. lib. 4. cap. 6. Of one Euphraimius who while he was Governour of the East was chosen to be Bishop of Antioch which the Author calleth sedes Apostolica This is also the established Doctrine of our Church in the first Book of Discipline in that head that concerneth Prophesying and interpreting Scripture whereof these are the words Moreover men in whom is supposed to be any Gift which might edifie the Church if they were imployed must be charged by the Ministers and Elders to joyn themselves with the Session and company of interpreters to the end that the Kirk may judge whither they be able to serve to Gods glory and the profit of the Kirk in the vocation of Ministers or not And if any be found disobedient and not willing to communicate the Gifts and special graces of God with their brethren after sufficient admonition Discipline must proceed against them provided that the civil Magistrate concur with the judgement and election of the Kirk for no man may be permitted as best pleaseth him to live within the Kirk of God but every man must be constrained by fraternal admonition and correction to bestow his labours when of the Kirk he is required to the edification of others Which if it were zealously followed might by Gods blessing prove both profitable and honourable to the Church To say something to the second head proposed to wit of a mans clearnesse to the Ministrie of a particular Congregation we suppose that this also is necessary for his peace seing there is no reason that men ought arbitrarily to walk herein but accordingly as they are called of God to one place and not to another therefore we see that in Iohn's commission the general is not only expressed but particularly he is instructed in reference to such and such particular Churches and according to this we see in the History of the Acts that some were ordered to Preach in one place and some in another and Acts 13. Paul and Silas in their leaving Antioch and going to the Gentiles were not only called by word but confirmed and authorized by the laying on of hands and we doubt not but this general also will be granted For helping to clearnesse therein The former general rules are also to be applied with special respect to the particular case As 1. It is to be tried if the Gift be not only suitable to edification in general but to the edification of that people in particular so that if when their case dispositions qualifications c. and his gifts disposition and other fitnesse both in reference to his publick Ministrie in Doctrine and Discipline as also to his induments in reference to his private conversation yea their very corruptions and infirmities being compared together If I say such a man may in well grounded reason be looked upon as qualified for the edifying of such a people In this comparison also respect would be had even to the more publick state of the Church so as a mans fitnesse would not only be tried with respect to the Congregation it self but with respect to other things 2. This fitnesse would be found and determined to be so by these whose place it is to try Gifts even in this respect 3. The trysting of providences is to be observed as the rise of the Call if it proceed from no natural or carnal end if no other door be opened elswhere to him who is called he may the more warrantably step in there if no probable settling of that Congregation appear otherwise than by him so as his refusing might occasion a detriment to that place If things look so as he have an esteem without prejudice in the hearts of that people so as he may probably expect to be looked on as a Minister and to have the Word without prejudice received fom him in that place also if without carnall respects his heart be made to incline that way or if unexpectedly and over many difficulties the people have pitched on him and adhered to him These and such like may have their own weight so as to help to gather this conclusion That probably such a mans Ministrie may be useful and profitable in such a place Neither is the advice of sober and unbyassed men Ministers and others to be neglected seing often they may see more in a mans particular case nor he can discern himself and that is oft found to be a mean made use of by God for manifesting of His mind in such cases Again if there be any competition of places so as one be sought by moe Congregations at once the cafe is here somewhat different supposing the man to be equally fitted for several places otherwise greater suitablenesse to the one nor to the other where it is palpable doth cast the ballance In deciding what to choose in this competition there is much need of singlenesse and deniednesse to all outward and carnal things both in him that is fought and in them who seek and in all others interessed this being a great ill to suffer carnalnesse and contentions to steal in even in persuit for a good Minister Neither is there great weight to be laid upon prioritie or posterioritie in the applications that are made the matter it self and causes which may be given for the last and for the first can
Ier. 31.33 34 c. And seing it cannot be denied but the last promises are grounded upon Christs satisfaction Must not the first be so also especially considering that without Him there is no accesse for binding up a Covenant betwixt God and sinners Neither can it be denied but Faith is a part of that new heart and a speciall fruit of that Spirit which He promised to pour out upon His People Sixthly In Tit. 2.14 our being seperated to be a peculiar people to Christ and zealous of good works c. is expresly asserted to be His design in laying down of His life for His People Also Tit. 3. vers 5 and 6. the washing of Regeneration and renewing of the holy Ghost which must take-in all particular Graces are said to be shed on us abundantly through Christ Jesus which cannot otherwise be understood but that we have these by the interveening procurement of Christs satisfaction Lastly all that we pray for we pray for it in Christs name as having obtained accesse to seek the same through His purchase Now it cannot be denied but Faith Holinesse and increase therein may be prayed-for and therefore these must be understood to be procured by Him also The third Question was If it may be said that the Reprobates or any Reprobate do enjoy any common mercy by vertue of Christs purchase and Redemption Or if any mercy bestowed upon any Reprobate or enjoyed by them may be said to be the proper fruit of Christs purchase or properly to be purchased by His death to them In answer to this we shall lay down these Assertions which being granted there will be no great hazard to the main matter Assert 1. There is no saving nor eternall mercy procured to any Reprobate by Christs death and so according to the Scripture-language it cannot be said that Christ hath redeemed satisfied for them or born their iniquities in their room before the justice of God thereby to procure any such mercy to them because first to be given to Christ to be redeemed and to be justified are ever of equal extent in Scripture and necessarily knit together with His bearing their iniquity Secondly The proper and native fruits of Christs death are not divided but they all go together So that for whom He satisfied and to whom He purchased any thing in one respect He did so in all Therefore we will find Him praying for these who were given Him and for whose â—ake He did sanctifie Himself Ioh. 17. even when He doth exclud the reprobate world who were not of this number from these His prayers Thirdly The proper fruit of Christs purchase is that which is satisfaction to Himself for the travell of His soul c. but no mercy which is common to a Reprobate can satisfie Him for His satisfaction consisteth in peculiar saving mercies such as actually to see His seed to have many justified c. which mercies cannot be said to be purchased to any Reprobate and so it cannot be said that any saving or eternall mercy is purchased to them for if they were purchased to them then necessarily they were to be bestowed unto them and if so they could not be called Reprobates We take this for granted then that no saving thing is purchased to them and that Christ cannot in any proper sense be called their Redeemer nor to have sustained their place and persons before the Justice of God Assert 2. We say that yet many Reprobates do here in time enjoy many things which they had never enjoyed had not Christ suffered Of these Christs death may well be called the cause sine qua non or without which these had not been enjoyed such are the preaching of the Gospel and the glad tidings of the conditionall offer of life which is made in it yea it may be that the keeping off of many temporall judgements and eternal also for a time doth flow from this whereby as it were by the Gardeners intercession Luk. 13. the cutting down of many a barren tree is for a time suspended that thereby the glory of Grace may be the more manifested the honour of the Mediator the more highly advanced and in the close the glory of spotlesse Justice made the more clearly to shine because of their greater inexcusablnesse This cannot be denied to follow upon Christ Jesus His sufferings in so far as they necessarily follow upon the agreement wherein they were transacted and upon the promises made to Him in the Covenant of Redemption unto all which His sufferings are presupposed as the stipulation upon His side Now it being certain that there are some Elect ones given to Him by that Covenant in all ages of the world and that He hath a visible Church and Ordinances granted to Him for the ingathering of them which is so and so to be Administrated to wit by gathering under Ordinances both sheep and goats and such like It must necessarily follow upon the supposition of this transaction in these terms that the world must continue for so many ages that the Gospel should be preached in such and such places and at such and such times that such and such lights should shine for holding forth clearly the truth of the Gospel yea that such and such common gifts should be bestowed upon many Reprobates for the adorning of this visible Church the honour of the Head thereof the furtherance of the edification of the Elect and many other things necessary for the attaining of the ends foresaid And according to the former supposition these cannot be denied to be decreed in the Counsel of God and contained in the Covenant of Redemption largely taken because accidentally to speak so and by reason of the manner of administration concluded they conduce to the honour of the Mediator and to the furthering of His design which is to have the pleasure of the Lord prospering in his hand Asser. 3. Although these former Assertions be true yet we say that the saving blessings that are purchased to the redeemed by Christs death may be and are far otherwayes to be conceived as the proper effects and fruits of Christs purchase to them than any common mercy can be which followeth thereupon to any Reprobate For first The purchasing of the Elect and of saving Grace and Salvation to them and what may tend to their good was intended by the Mediator in a subordination to the glorifying of His Grace in them and so His Glory and their good are joyntly intended in the same this cannot be said of the other for though the things which flow from His death be good in themselves and though it cannot be denied but that therein also He intendeth His own Glory yet it cannot be said that these things are purchased by Him as advantagious to them in respect of any fruit that should flow therefrom unto them because the effect sheweth that in the end they have no advantage by them and therefore it cannot be said that He intended them
sometimes better sometimes worse but most ordinarily under the crosse there being two prophesies holding forth their suffering and but one their victory God in His wisdom hath so mixed the conditions of His Church here with prosperity and adversity that the one is ever set over against the other to the end that man should find out nothing after Him Eccles. 7.14 Obs. 2. That the best condition of Gods Church and the worst part of the enemies condition cometh last The Church hath a foul morning and a fair evening the enemies have a fair morning-blink like Sodom Gen. 19. but ere long wrath is poured out of vials upon them Obs. 3. That our Lord hath wisely ordered and circumstantiated the case of His Church unto the end of the world whether in their afflicted or prosperous condition whether from enemies without or within Our Lord knoweth them all and hath given us a little touch of them and though we cannot know all the particulars yet that He not only knoweth them but hath ordered measured and timed all of them with all their circumstances and so far revealed the same to us should be ground enough of comfort patience and submission to us Concerning Learned Mede his Synchronisms or a particular consideration of the same LEarned Mede in his accurate Clavis to this Book doth say down severall Synchronisms which he divideth in two parts and because the right contemporating of the several prophesies doth much conduce to the understanding thereof we shall before we proceed lay down his Synchronisms in order as he hath them and then shew wherein we agree with them and wherein we differ from them according to the former series His first Synchronism Part. 1. doth contemporate these four that is maketh them to belong to one time having the same beginning and close to wit First The woman her being in the wildernesse Chap. 12. Secondly The seven headed beast after the healing of its wound Chap. 13. Thirdly The treading of the outter Court by the Gentiles And fourthly The Prophets prophesying in sackcloth Chap. 11. All which are for the same space of one thousand two hundred sixty dayes Chap. 12 6. fourty two moneths Chap. 11 2. three dayes and an half Chap. 11. vers 9 11. and time times and half a time Chap. 12.14 This is a truth and a necessarily followeth upon the exposition of these places His second Synchronism is of the two horned beast or false prophet with the ten horned beast or that which is called the Image of the beast Cap. 13. To speak properly these cannot be said to be contemporary because that supposeth them to relate to diverse things we do therefore say that that two horned beast or false prophet and the ten horned beast or Image of the beast do set forth the same object to wit the former seven headed beast after the healing of its wound and so upon the matter it is but the same Synchronism with the former all these types tending to set forth and describe the same Antichrist and his Kingdom although under severall considerations because no one type doth sufficiently describe him This will be clear afterward from the exposition of the 13 and 17. Chapters The third Synchronism is of the great whore mysticall Babylon Chap. 17. v. 1. and the seven headed and ten horned beast that carrieth her v. 3. Of this we give the same judgment as of the former That these do describe the same Antichristian Church considered diversly in respect of its head and body as the exposition of that Chapter will clear and therefore they are to be understood not as expressing different events that fall together but as describing the same one thing under different considerations The fourth Synchronism is of the hundred fourty four thousand sealed virgins Chap. 7. vers 4. and Chap. 14. vers 1 3 4. with that Babylonish whore and beast formerly mentioned this we acknowledge to be truth and it is made out Chap. 7. Lect. 1. His fifth is but a consectary drawn from the former four whereby they are all in their events found to be contemporary one with another which according to the former qualifications is to be admitted The sixth doth contemporate the measuring of the inner court Chap. 11.1 with the Dragons watching of the woman and fighting with Michael Chap. 12. This we do not agree unto because this measuring of the inner Court or Temple is contemporary with the leaving out of the outter Court as will appear from the exposition thereof Chap. 11. But from the former grounds the leaving out and treading underfoot the outter Court doth succeed to the womans bringing forth her childe chap. 12. and doth contemporate with the Prophets prophesying in sackcloth Chap. 11. Therefore this measuring of the inner Court cannot be contemporary with the Dragons watching of the woman but must succeed the same Neither will the grounds given prove that this measuring of the inner Court doth preceed in time the treading of the outter Court not the first ground to wit that the building of the inner Court of the Temple was in respect of order and situation before the building of the outter Court Because first that is both obscure and uncertain And secondly the scope of that measuring and allusion to the Temple Chap. 11. is not to shew any successive different estate of the Church but to describe her state during the same time by distributing of her members in two sorts even as the Temple of old after it was compleatly built was divided into two Courts the greatest whereof was common to the multitude and the least and inner Court peculiar to the Priests who were but a few in comparison of the other as will be clear from the place and there is no respect had to the order of its building in respect of time or priority at all The second ground is built upon this mistake that the 11. Chap. doth deduce the whole series of the prophesie from the beginning thereof to the end as being the first new prophesie of the opened Book Chap. 10. supposed by him to be another from that mentioned Chap. 5. This will be clear to be a mistaken ground Chap. 10. and is contrary to what was formerly hinted in the division laid down The seventh Synchronism is of the seven vials Chap. 16. with the decaying state of the beast and Babylon which of it self is clear In the second part he doth add other seven Synchronisms the first whereof is of the seventh seal in as far as it respecteth the first six trumpets with the ten horned beast and all these other prophesies mentioned to be contemporary with the first four Synchronisms in the first part so that they and the first six trumpets belong to the same time This in the generall we acknowledge to be truth yet in the application we do exceedingly differ although we do both grant that the first trumpet doth succeed immediately to the sixth seal and that the
had accesse at their solemn times and this allusion holdeth forth that as the inner court being compared with the outer was small and as many had accesse to this which were not admitted to the former so during this time the number of true worshippers shall be few though the multitude of nominall Professors shall be great because the Lord will set apart some few to himself and disown the rest even as if under the Old Testament he had appointed the outer court to be divided from the inner the greater part had been rejected but the better part reserved so shall it be in the Gospel-church at that time some few like the Temple shall be ordered and set aside for himself and the visible body of Professors left out without any such speciall care which leaving or casting out we conceive to be the same as not to be sealed and so taken notice of by God Chap. 7. And this measuring will be sound to belong to the same persons who are sealed The second allusion of measuring respecteth that vision Ezek. 40.41 c. And it may signifie 1. the Lords putting a difference amongst Professors of that time and that profession will not be sufficient to make men passe but they must be tried and put to the touchstone and that the Lord will do so 2. It holdeth out the Lords setting apart of some for himself in opposition to others who are neglected thus the land was to be measured Ezek. 47.18 and for this cause Israel is often called the rod of Gods inheritance Psal. 74. 2. Ier. 10.16 c. as measured by to him in opposition to all other Nations 3. It signifieth a care and special oversight of the Lords in reference to these in the Temple beside others as if he were building and preparing a house for them even like a little Sanctuary to rest in during that time Thus measuring of the Temple here is opposed to the casting out of the outer court to the Gentiles which is not to be measured or so taken notice of by the Lord and this agreeth with that Chap. 12.14 of providing a place for the woman i.e. the Church during the same time And lastly this measuring of the Temple is opposed to the opening of it Chap. 15. And opening of it there being to be understood of an enlarged estate of the Church and bringing of the Gospel to open light This here must signifie a secret retired state of the Church wanting that splendor and visibility of Ordinances which it had before this time and which after the seven trumpets sounding it was to have A third allusion is unto Daniels prophesying of Antiochus his making desolate of the materiall Temple Dan. 7.13 and so the meaning will be That as the Church of the Iews and their Sanctuary was tread upon during such a time under Antiochus so shall the visible face of the Church be abused and overrun by Antichrists followers during his tyranny over the same Yet still will the Lord preserve a remnant as in that former case Vers. 1. Now it will be easier more particularly to clear the words Wherein there is 1. Something done 2. Something said And there was given unto me a reed like unto a rod. A reed is used in measuring either to find out the quantity of a thing or the regularity of a thing or for the dividing and setting apart of it It is given to Iohn not only to signifie the smallnesse of that number which should be set apart for God for as numbering importeth fewnesse so measuring doth smallnesse and the regularnesse of their worship beside all the rest of the world but to shew that the Church during this time was not to be reckoned by the multitude but that the rule behoved to be applied for discerning of it and these who were furnished by a measuring reed should find it out and none other That which is said may be taken up in these three 1. What he should measure 2. What he should not measure 3. Why His direction what to do is Rise and measure the Temple of God and the altar and them that worship therein The Temple here is that which we called the Court of Priests where the altar stood it is opposed to the outer Court in the following Verse These that worship therein point out true worshippers who rest not in the outer Court with the multitude to whom they are opposed vers 2. but like Priests to God they worship him in the Temple where the altar is signifying the continuance of the prescribed worship in opposition to the will-worship of others particularly their continuing to make use of Christs sacrifice which is signified by the altar which the multitude did not enquire for These are to be set apart after they are tried and found for God Himself The second part of the direction is what should not be measured and that is the Court without the Temple leave or cast it out and measure it not saith He by which is understood the visible face of the Christian Church which in respect of externall Professors is like unto the outer Court during the Jewish service This not measuring of it implieth a slighting and misregarding of it and not setting it apart as the former as the following words do clear 3. The reason of this is for it is given to the Gentiles and the holy city shall they tread under foot fourty and two moneths Where 1. the state of the outer Court is set down to be given to the Gentiles 2. The height and continuance of their tyrannie is expressed the holy city shall they tread under foot fourty and two moneths By the Law Gentiles were inhibited the congregation and assembly of the people in this outer Court so this giving to the Gentiles must suppose a profaning of the visible Church and corrupting and mixing of publick Ordinances and Worship even as admission of Gentiles to the outer court would have been under the Law for which Paul was complained of Acts 21. By Gentiles is to be understood not properly Pagans for they are not capable to possesse the visible Church and to partake its name for it continueth to be the outer Court even while it is given to them and is tread on by them Beside as was hinted the time of their treading of it will fall under the time of Antichrists sitting in the Temple of God and therefore it must be understood of his vassals and followers They are called Gentiles in this respect that although they seem to bear the name of Christians and so did not destroy but possesse the outer Court and retain the name of the Christian Church yet in respect of their defection from the purity of the Gospel and of the superstitious and idolatrous worship propagated by them they are rather to be accounted Gentiles than Christians in which respect their head Antichrist Chap. 13. is said to have a name of blasphemy even as the Pagan heads had
his finall overthrow but is immediately to follow that time when all Nations worship him See further Chap. 6. Lect. 1. The second objection is that before the seventh trumpet blow the beasts Kingdom is said to be shaken with a considerable ruine which say some must belong to the vials some whereof therefore must contemporate with the sixth trumpet Answ. What we have said in the exposition will abundantly clear this in a word the sixth trumpet hinteth the turn which the seventh doth consummate and it sheweth that immediately upon the back of the witnesses killing there succeeded a glorious face of a Church in comparison of what was which being compared with the application formerly given will bear out this that the Lord turned Antichrists highest fury against His Church and witnesses to be the occasion and mean of furthering his own ruine and bringing of His Church to some footing which we acknowledge to belong to the sixth trumpet and maketh way for the opening of the Temple in heaven which was before shut out of which the Angels with the seven vials do proceed which sheweth that there is some shaking of Antichrists kingdom antecedent to the vials as well as to the seventh trumpet even as much as belongeth to the sixth trumpet for the first of them supponeth a visible Church-state and some victory over Antichrist to be begun From all which the contemporating of this seventh trumpet with these seven vials doth the more evidently appear which we have insisted the larglier upon because it is a main pillar that supporteth the series laid down Chap. 6. and doth make the connexion clear here although we professedly spoke of it before To come particularly to the words then the sum and scope of these following Verses is by anticipation to give a little view what the vials expresse more fully from Antichrists begun ruine to its close and this is brought in here for the confirmation and consolation of Gods people that before he insist in the particular explicatory prophesie of the Churches trials from the beast in the Chapters following they may have a hint of the happy outgate following it and it doth lay open a full view of the Churches militant condition to her close before he again begin to deduce it from its beginning This happy outgate is three wayes expressed 1. by a heavenly proclamation of good news vers 15. 2. by an excellent song of thanksgiving vers 16 17 18. 3. by a type or vision vers 19. All which are but generally hinted without mentioning any particular because that is reserved to be done by the prophesie of the vials The general proclamation is There were great voices in heaven saying The kingdoms of this world are become the Lords and his Christs and he shall reign for ever where we have to consider 1. the news 2. whence they come The news have two branches one is concerning the present happy change The kingdoms are become the Lords and the other is concerning the continuance thereof He shall reign for ever By Kingdoms of this world we understand not all Kingdoms but some or many called Kingdoms in opposition to persons or families or parts of Nations Now the body of Kingdoms and Nations are brought in as is expresly said Chap. 15.4 parallel to this All Nations shall come and worship before thee They are called Kingdoms of this World to shew that such Nations as formerly did not acknowledge God should now submit to Him The scope is to shew the increase of the Gospel after Antichrists begun ruine in opposition to the former paucity that was in the true Church They are said to become the Lords and His Christs in opposition to what formerly they were they were His by creation but were not of His Church nor did not acknowledge His Christ as Head but owned another master now they become the Lords by speciall acknowledging of Him and they become His Christs by the profession of faith in Him alone In a word this their becoming His now is to be a pure Church to Him such as no Nation formerly were and as once the Iews were His in a peculiar manner Beside this is expounded Chap. 15.4 All Nations shall come and worship before Him by giving their professed subiection to Him It is said He shall reign for ever this is not only to shew the perpetuity and eternity of Christs Kingdom in it self as it is expressed Dan. 2. That of His Kingdom there shall be no end for even under Antichrists height of tyrannie this was true our Lord Jesus had a Kingdom then but this reigning relateth to His visible continuing of a Kingdom in the world such as he seemed not to have immediatly before this as may be gathered from vers 17. In a word Christ hath now taken on Him to have a visible Kingdom in the world and that shall continue without such an universal eclipse by Antichrist or any other to the end These news are proclaimed by great voices from Heaven which may be understood either properly of the joy in Heaven and praise which God getteth there for the conversion of one sinner much more for the conversion of Nations or which especially we rest in figuratively of the visible Church which is just now constituted and the witnesses set therein they before this spoke silently now with confidence and boldnesse they cry and praise the rather we conceive this to be the voice of the witnesses and faithfull Ministers because in the Song following we find only mention made of the Elders and yet it is not like that the Ministers or beasts were silent who Chap. 4. and 5. use in their thanksgiving to go before the Elders this therefore is like to be from them it being one of the delightsomest messages of the Ministers of the Gospel Isa. 52.7 to say unto Sion thy God reigneth 2. The event of this trumpet is set forth in the thanksgiving Song of the four and twenty Elders where 1. their posture is set down next their praise By Elders as on Chap. 4. was shown are represented the Believers who now also having got to seats again and a visible profession which was not heard-of during Antichrists reign and the Temples measuring and the womans being in the wildernesse they do also publickly acknowledge this mercy and praise for it and by falling down before Him acknowledging their having that settled condition from Him and that humility and reverence is no lesse requisit for praise in a prosperous condition than it is for prayer under adversity The subject of this Song pointeth at two particulars in the event of this trumpet 1. Gods taking to Himself a Kingdom for His peoples good 2. His pleading against His enemies and executing justice upon them In the first vers 17. they begin with Gods title Lord God Almighty which art and wast and art to come it was spoken of before and is here applyed to shew 1. that God rightly taken-up is the ground of
to point out Antichrist in these chief periods of his rise reign and ruine but especially the former two wherefore these are most insisted on as the scope of the whole Book and almost all the explicatory prophesies as this here and that other Chap. 17.18.19 are spent upon that God thereby minding to rid marches between His Spouse and the whore therefore other events are lesse touched and not so to be pursued in the exposition 3. If it be questioned why these things are repeated Ans. It is not unusuall for propheticall visions to be so delivered as in Pharaohs dreams Gen. 41.23 and Daniels visions and Iosephs dreams and there are two reasons of it 1. for confirmation of the truth of the thing as Ioseph saith to Pharaoh vers 32. 2. For further explication and clearing the same thing both which agree well here 4. The reason of the inserting of the explication here would also be observed 1. That it cometh in well on the back of the 11. Chapter where two things were shortly hinted 1. Concerning the beast which was to destroy the witnesses And 2. their persecution and prophesie 1260. dayes both which were but named there here they are much cleared in their forerunners and other circumstances 2. It is seasonably premitted to the vision of the seven vials which bringeth the overthrow of the beast which certainly could not be well understood did not this expresse description of the beast preceed 3. It insinuateth that now at the seventh trumpets blowing this prophesie that concerneth Antichrist will become more clear to the Church in that time wherefore it is subjoyned here as also to give together a generall view of the Church and of the beast in two distinct representations the one more generall which is past the other more particular which followeth 5. The altering of the manner of expressing this vision which differeth from the two visions that go before and that which followeth in the seven vials is not to be passed It is expresly done not only for clearing of that which in other types is expressed but that also the series of seals trumpets and vials may be keeped unconfounded Therefore here when he breaketh off the series which he had formerly continued he doth change his ordinary way of expressing by sevens and types of that kind till he come again to take up the series where he left which is done by the vials Chap. 15 and 16. where he doth again proceed as formerly he had done till he carry the matter to the end and then altereth again Chap. 17.1 c. when he explicateth that vision of vials as he had done in this For understanding of this Chapter Observe 1. That it setteth forth the Churches first trials from the beginning till Antichrists publick appearing and so contemporateth with the prophesie of the seals and the first four trumpets and therefore it is to be divided again in two main battels of the Church suitably to the matter and time thereof as will after appear Obs. 2. That which is spoken of the Dragons watching the woman and the childe vers 4. and his war vers 7. and the womans flight vers 6. which is again repeated vers 14. doth not point out two several battels of the Church but the same one triall and event which is First summarily and by anticipation set down and thereafter more particularly resumed and described so that that war of the Dragons with Michael is the same with his watching of the woman and his seeking to destroy the man childe and that flight vers 6. is that same with what is set down vers 14. otherwise it would be inextricably difficult to shew two successive flights of the same continuance how she returned or when and how she did flee vers 6. when yet wings are but given her vers 14 c. These are all obviated by saying that what is but shortly and in the generall hinted at first is afterward more fully explicated and considering the time of the continuance of both and other circumstances it doth make this unquestionable as the exposition will clear 3. Concerning the scope of the first part of the Chapter which is to vers 13. we are to Observe That it is to shew the first sufferings of the Christian Church and the devils seeking to destroy her seed which is Christ mysticall with her deliverance therefrom and we are not to understand it of Christ personall His being brought into the world and the persecutions that followed Him and that neither considered as having Mary for His naturall Mother or the Church of the Iews for His Mysticall neither of which can be understood here by the woman thus described as He personally considered is not to be understood by the child For 1. that which is here is propheticall and revealing some new thing to come to the Church Now both these applications were before this time already passed and plainly and historically set down in the Gospel and therefore it is not to be thought that these are here again under such dark expressions repeated 2. This war is of the same parties and to the same scope with that which followeth to wit the devils casting of a stood out of his mouth c. The woman here and there is one and considered as such and seing these events afterward mentioned and what is spoken of the woman her fleeing to the wildernesse c. can neither be applied to Mary nor to the Church of the Iews but must be applied to the Gospel-church and her troubles that contemporate with Antichrists Dominion that falleth within the same time Therefore this first part must be understood of the same Church and her trials which preceed that time Beside that this glorious description holding forth a Church in opposition to the former Jewish typicall ceremonies cannot well be otherwise applied to any of the other two 3. This childe here is not to be understood of Christ personally because they are expresly said to be brethren verse 10. and such as overcome by the bloud of the Lamb verse 11. and the womans seed that have the testimony of Iesus verse 17. and so are expresly distinguished from Jesus the Lamb and from Michael verse 7. who is their Captain Beside the bringing forth of this man-childe hath outward peace following thereupon in the Church which Christs birth had not Therefore the many declamations concerning the blessed Virgin Mary which are heaped up by some Popish Writers upon this place are most impertinent groundlesse and ridiculous Yet 4. this description of the Churches infancie is set down with speciall allusion to the manner of our Lord Jesus Christ the Head His coming into the world 1. as He was a childe born of a woman in many outward wants so are His People brought forth in many straits 2. As Herod watched to â—estroy Him as soon as He was born so doth the devil by other persecuting instruments watch the Church to crush her seed
immediately after their birth as it were and in their very infancy even as Pharaoh sought to destroy the Iews male children Exod. 1.23 3. As Christ was born and preserved till He had finished the work committed to Him notwithstanding of all the enemies malice and craft so shall it be with the Churches seed 4. As He immediately after His birth was pursued made to flee and carried to Egypt so shall it be with the Gospel-church who should be made to flee immediately after the first delivery This allusion is the more probable if we consider that the time of Christs being in Egypt will be found to be about three years and an half which is here the time of the Churches wildernesse-condition for He was born in the thirty year of Herods reign He did not flee immediately as appeareth by Maries continuing till her purification Luk. 2. and by Herods killing the young children of about two years old Mat. 2. and He returned from Egypt immediately after Herods death who reigned full thirty four years whereby the suitablenesse of this time may be gathered and lastly as Herod vented his malice upon the Children of Bethlehem where Christ was born after His escape so doth the devil here vent his malice upon the Churches seed after her deliverance We come to speak of the first part of the Chapter which containeth the Churches first war with the Dragon not but the Dragon fighteth also under Antichrist but more covertly and in another shape here more palpably which is first summarily proposed to vers 7. Then 2. prosecuted more particularly Vers. 1. In this first part the parties are described 1. The defender is set out in three things 1. She is a Woman that is the Church as she is ordinarily called partly 1. for infirmity and being obnoxious to wrongs 2. As in subordination to Christ as her Husband 3. As the Mother of Believers and she is one Woman though here the whole Gospel-church be represented to shew an unity in the Catholick visible Church which is the only object of persecution and that she is but one Church Woman Mother or Wife and there cannot be moe 2. She is described by her adorning or statelinesse in three things 1. She is clothed with the Sun setting out the pure Doctrine that she professed and the shining conversation of Believers in that primitive time who had put on the Lord Rom. 13. and owned His Word and Testimonie which is called the Sun in the eight Chapter especially what concerned His imputed righteousnesse and satisfaction 2. The Moon is under her feet whether by the Moon here we understand earthly temporall things which are mutable and spotted like the Moon or Jewish feasts new Moons c. called the rudiments of the World Col. 2. it cometh to one to wit to set out the deniednesse and mortifiednesse of the Church at that time despising worldly things and adhering to Christ and having a conversation heavenly which the Apostle exhorteth unto Col. 3.1 in opposition directly to the resting on these new Moons and other elements of the world as well as is in opposition to worldly things 3. She hath a crown of twelve Stars that is faithfull Ministers carrying the Doctrine of the twelve Apostles and following it so the Church is builded upon that Eph. 2.20 22. and Revel 21.14 the names of the Lambs twelve Apostles are written on the twelve foundations this is a Crown that is it is her glory and credit to have faithfull Ministers and to be following and avowing their Doctrine as Paul calleth the Thessalonians his Crown This is a well adorned Church in a suffering time We take these three more particularly to be expressed vers 11. The first by the bloud of the Lamb that is the Garment The second the word of the testimonie that is the Crown Thirdly They cared not for their lives and loved them not unto death that is the trampling of the Moon under their feet or undervaluing temporall things for the life is most cared for as Iob 2. Skin for skin yea all that a man hath will he give for his life The third part of the description is vers 2. in her travailing and crying expressing two things 1. A fruitfull condition of the Church in this beauty so travailing and bringing forth doth signifie in Scripture and is well applied to the Gospel-church which is a Mother Isa. 54.1 Gal. 4.19 with 26 27. 2. And although it doth signifie a fruitfull condition yet also it is a sorrowfull and afflicted condition as ye know the travailing of a woman ordinarily holdeth forth and Christ calleth it Ioh. 16.21 sorrow or pain till the childe be brought forth In a word this primitive Church is pure fruitfull and afflicted as her crying importeth with great pains do Ministers beget Gal. 4.19 and with great hazard is the profession of Christianity owned and great wrestling hath she in Prayer to God and sufferings from men to be rid of this sorrowfull condition ere she get free of it The enemie pursuing is described vers 3 and 4. in four or five particulars and it is called as the former a great sign or wonder represented to Iohn in Heaven because great things were signified by these here the parties are exceeding unequal she a woman the enemie is a Dragon some say there is an utter antipathy between Men and Dragons whereas other ravenous creatures for meat destroy men these for delight do it and whereas men can endure to look on other creatures yet not so well on the Dragons and Serpents however it is a most ravenous beast by which is represented in Scripture sometimes the devil sometimes some great persecuter acted by the devil the supream commander so was Pharaoh called and as he was the first oppressor of the Jewish Church so this representeth the first oppressors of the Christian Church both come in here the devil first that is clear vers 9. then the Roman Empire primely instrumentall in persecuting Christians that appeareth by the description of the Dragons shape he hath seven heads and ten horns which seven heads Chap. 17 are clearly to be expounded seven Hills and seven Kings or sorts of Governments and these ten horns to be ten Kings which were to arise out of the ruines of the Empire they had not then received power Chap. 17. Therefore they have not here Crowns as Chap. 13. and expresly she is vers 18. of that Chapter called the City which reigned over the Kings of the earth at that time the devil is chief and the Roman Empire or Emperour his Depute in this for the devil acteth not immediately yet what he doth by instruments is attributed to him as Chap. 2.10 This is a great Dragon to shew his power Red to expresse his cruelty and having seven heads and ten horns to expresse him who especially is instrumentall in exercising that cruelty the Roman Emperour like Pharaoh who is called a Dragon Psal. 74.15 Isai. 27.1 Ezek 29.3
clear hint at the sum of the second state of the Church to wit that which was â—atent and when it beginneth even when the other endeth Two things remain to be cleared 1. Why this beast here under the Dragon hath the Crowns on his heads and on his horns and that beast Chap. 13.1 hath the Crowns on his horns not on the heads The reason is because when the Roman Empire was heathen and under that notion persecuted the Church the seat of the beast Rome had the royal emperiall dignity and these ten Kingdoms were then Provinces subject to her as appeareth Chap. 17. These ten then were but to get royal independent dignity but when the Empire turned slaves to Antichrist about the year 606. and after the case is altered Rome is denuded of the royal Authority which she had and these Provinces are now by the Empires decay turned to be Kingdoms though in this condition depending still on Antichrist as formerly they were united under the Dragon 2. Why doth the Dragon now but pursue the womans seed and after in the second onset he setteth on the woman the mother to drown her Answ. In these three wars of the Dragon ye will find a difference 1. He seeketh to destroy all the seed 2. He sendeth out a flood against the mother and his anger is turned against her when the childe escapeth 3. When the woman escapeth though she cede which the childe did not which maketh it appear that this fleeing rather holdeth out a change upon the Churches qualifications than of her locall residence then vers ult he setteth himself not against the mother simply nor against all the seed indifferently as in the first but against such as keeped the Commandments of God The reasons are 1. Because open persecuters look to all sorts of professors indifferently and do vent cruelty on them Hence Arians would sometimes be put to suffer with Orthodox Christians and by Arians the Novatians as well as others they know not to make difference they so hated the very name 2. Because the heathen persecuters thought that the readiest way of destroying the Church was to destroy her members in whom she subsisted and that they being undone consequently so would she be Therefore 1. the devil beginneth with murthering bodies to undo the Church in her members and when that faileth he setteth on the mother to poison the members or children by corrupting her as one intending the destruction of a childe would poison the Nurse This is done not by direct hatred at the name and profession of Christianity now in request but by counterfeiting and corrupting Christianity that he may once alter the face beauty and wholsomenesse of the Ordinances of the Church which is the Mother and he is sure the children which suck these breasts will not be lively To effectuate this he maketh use not of open Heathens but corrupt Teachers that he speweth out not to taint this or that person but the fountains as was seen in the first four trumpets in which he spareth particular children of the Church possibly allureing them with rich benefits sumptuous buildings honours and preferments but in the mean while carrying on his design against the Church as a Church even under and by these which by the former voice in Sylvesters time if it be truth is hinted at and that word of Ierom's in vita Matthai when Emperours became Christians the Church indeed encreased in worldly pompe but decreased in spirituall beauty Ecclesiam Christianam post quam ad Christianos venit principatus potentià guidem divitiis majorem esse factam sed virtutibus minorem Lastly in the third battell he putteth at some of the seed only because here he maketh use of Antichrist a counterfeit enemy who will not purposely and down-right set on all Christians as such for his quarrell and the devils is but with these that are faithfull and hate his pride and hypocrisie 2. In this last he joyneth violence and deceit together and by deceit he overcometh many they have drunken up the fioud but these that will not drink of these fornications he pursueth them with violence by the following beast and not all Christians simply but these who kept themselves from these growing corruptions and these are called the womans seed LECTURE II. Vers. 7. And there was war in heaven Michael and his Angels fought against the dragon and the dragon fought and his angels 8. And prevailed not neither was their place found any more in heaven 9. And the great dragon was cast out that old serpent called the devil and Satan which deceiveth the whole world he was cast out into the earth and his angels were cast out with him 10. And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven Now is come salvation and strength and the kingdom of our God and the power of his Christ for the accuser of our brethren is cast down which accused them before our God day and night 11. And they overcame him by the bloud of the Lamb and by the word of their testimonie and they loved not their lives unto the death 12. Therefore rejoyce ye heavens and ye that dwell in them wo to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea for the devil is come down unto you having great wrath because he knoweth that he hath but a short time HAving given a little touch of the Churches first battell and the event thereof untill her fleeing to the wildernesse he returneth from this 7. vers unto the 13. more fully to explicate that war that the strangenesse of the event of a womans victory and her childe against a Dragon may appear not to be from her strength but from a good Captain who sideth with her and fighteth for her The story is resumed in these words There was war in heaven By heaven we understand the Church not as if one part of it were divided against the other but that the Church was the seat and object of it the devil invading her by open proclaimed war against all Christians He overruneth her by massacres and persecutions as invaders overrun invaded Kingdoms She again by Michael and her members resisteth that fury so the war is here By war we understand not secret enmity as alwayes there is nor peculiar incursions such as come now and then by starts as in Iulian his time and some others but open professed and avowed universall war such as the heathenish persecuters maintained both in their decrees and in the execution of them for three hundred years such war as professedly the Church did not meet with since The parties are more insisted on than formerly 1. In their leaders 2. In their followers or souldiers Michael is generall on the womans side we take it to be Christ who is Commander and Leader Isa. 55.4 and Captain Heb. 2. It is like he is also intended Dan. 12. to which this alludeth His souldiers are both his Angels properly taken for Heb. 1. they are
Church of Christ. Neither ought it to move any if it should be objected that Presbyteries are before Synods and Congregations before these because Members that constitute the one have commission from the other and therefore Congregations must be first as Shires are before a Parliament or Kingdom made up of them because they commissionate such This I say hath no weight in it 1. Because the Catholick Church hath not her being from particular Churches but doth descend as is said from the preceeding generation till it come to the first Church that ever was from which all that followed were derived and did extend themselves accordingly as they encreased as hath been said and Adam's familie is once Gods Church thereafter Noahs then Abraham's is especially adopted after that at Christ's coming the Gentiles are ingrafted in that stock and the Ordinances that came from Zion prevailed and that not to constitute different Churches but to encrease and enlarge that one Church which for its accommodation might have its diverse rooms but be still one familie the Gospel-church therefore hath its being from the Church before Christ and particular Congregations have their being from it as parts of the same 2. The similitudes hold not for before there be a Generall Assembly there is an unity of the Catholick Church which warrandeth her Members to conveen in one and Presbyteries to instruct for that end otherwise they could not do it even as the Kingdom as such is before a Parliament met and hath an unity before Cities choice and although Cities considered abstractly may be before such an union because the union may depend upon voluntary submission yet if they be considered as parts of that Kingdom it is supposed to be first and to communicate to them such priviledges and therefore they are free parts of such a body not because they give the whole a being but because they have a being from it so here particular Congregations cannot be considered as parts of the whole but the whole must be supposed to be first which on such occasions are bound to concur in generall although sometimes in the particular it may be free whether to joyn with such or such a particular Church or any other From which many usefull points touching the externall order Discipline and Government of the Church will follow and is the right understanding of the nature of the Covenant of Grace doth conduce exceedingly to the clearing of Gospel-truths so the right understanding of this unity of the Catholick Church hath great influence upon the uptaking of what concerneth her outward administration in order and Discipline and that communion which is amongst Ministers and Members of the visible Church whereof somewhat was said Chap. 2. vers 1. To this purpose may be observed that famous Augustine did long ago take the defence of Ticonius writing against the Donatists upon this same subject as may be seen in his writings against Parmenianus lib. 1. cap. 10. LECTURE I. CHAP. XIII Vers. 1. ANd I stood upon the sand of the sea and saw a beast rise up out of the sea having seven heads and ten horns and upon his horns ten crowns and upon his heads the name of blasphemie 2. And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard and his feet were as the feet of a bear and his mouth as the mouth of a lion and the dragon gave him his power and his seat and great authority 3. And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death and his deadly wound was healed and all the world wondred after the beast THe right understanding of this Chapter is of great concernment to the understanding of this prophesie it hath such difficulty in it that by some it is accounted as crux interpretum The difficulty is not even almost with Papists whether the Roman state be designed here or not or concerning the beasts if by one of them Antichrist be holden forth both these are palpable and certain this being compared with the 17. Chap. The difficulty lieth in these two 1. To what time state or head of the Roman Empire they relate 2. If different states be meaned by these two beasts Or if one Antichrist as diversly considered be set out by these shapes because one doth not sufficiently paint him out who standeth both in a Civil and Ecclesiastick relation so that now Satan as it were being first spoiled of temporall Authority in his lieutennant the heathen Emperour and being also disappointed of his second design of drowning the Church by errors setteth himself to hasten up a new Kingdom or Deputy but in another shape that by joyning both violence and deceit in him together he may bring to passe what these being essayed separately did not effectuate So that this is looked on as the product of the Dragons third design wherein his uttermost skill kytheth and the greatest strength of his Kingdom lieth which design is answerably described in a double type The 1. shewing what really Antichrist is to whom he succeedeth of whom he hath his power where he sitteth and to what height he cometh c. The 2. how he appeareth what way he carried on and brought about that design and what weapons and pretences were abused for that end This we conceive shortly to be the scope and drift of both these types for more clear understanding whereof we shall premit some generall propositions the particulars whereof will appear more in opening this and the 17. Chapter Proposition 1. It is ordinary to the Prophets especially to Daniel to set out temporall Monarchies by great beasts as Chap. 7. and 8. And these beasts do not hold forth individuall persons but a successive series of the same line on that throne and it is usuall in this prophesie to borrow types from him only sometimes that which is spoken in the Old Testament of temporall enemies or straits of the Church is applied to spirituall and covered enemies as many things literally agreeing to Antiochus are applied to Antichrist and things literally true of Pharaoh are applied to the devil So by a Beast here may be meaned a State of great power and violence against the Church though not in or by a single person in one generation executed but for a long time by a series of one combined body successively under one head This must be understood that of the Churches suffering under the Dragon formerly his first Deputy the heathen Empire and Emperour being understood thereby as it was one body though under diverse individuall Emperours successively Propos. 2. Sometimes one state thing or person will be set out in Scripture by diverse types and beasts so Dan. 7. the Persian Empire is set forth by a Bear the Grecian by a Leopard In the 8. the Persian by a Ram and the Grecian by a He-goat See Chap. 7. the Seleucides Kingdom though but a branch of the Grecian is set out by a beast as different from the other wholly because
which is enlarged in the following verse so that this is set down here by way of anticipation as is usuall That this wound is said to be by a sword sheweth it is not a wound by a schism but by violence as was that in the sixth seal Chap. 6. He proceedeth to shew the third step how this Image was made to live vers 15. It is by this two horned beast the Antichrist he hath power to work a threefold effect on this Image that is by the devils assisting him God in secret justice permitting the world to be deluded he is able to bring this design about and that little rude draught of the Image which at first was but dead and as it were in shape he brought so on till he at last made it look like that beast which went before it The first effect he worketh on the Image he maketh it live there was matter for a time in the Roman Church sufficient to heal the wound which the former head had gotten but it wanted the form which in time the Pope did give it by his taking to him supream power in Civil and Ecclesiastick things and imitating heathenish superstitions in worship so that which seemed to be dead before now standeth up and appeareth 2. He giveth it power to speak that is he furnisheth pretexts to it for taking on and venting this power in its decrees threatnings curses c. The third effect or part of the power committed to him which constituteth this Image is power to cause for the Image getteth this power that as many as will not worship it shall be killed which implieth 1. That this Image is worshipped and allowed to be so universally as the beast was 2. That this beast or Image will have worship under pain of death that is where the supremacy of this Pope is denied there is nothing can keep from burning It shall be capitall as hereticall and treasonable 3. This Image causeth that they shall be killed that is by stirring up the powers of the world who are devoted to it to suffer none to live under them who did not acknowledge him 4. It is said this two horned beast giveth that power to the Image because it is under the pretext of being vicars to Christ that they take these things on them and it is that pretext which giveth them so much weight amongst men in the world as to be so worshipped They may thank their counterfeiting Peter's succession for that 5. He killeth not but causeth that they should be killed this is their way to deliver to civil Magistrates as executers them whom they desire to be destroyed The last step of exercising his power is vers 16 and 17. in his engaging and marking all for himself as his proper vassals and slaves by three marks All which tend to shew a speciall relation between him and them and a peculiar dependance of them on him 1. There is a mark such as men put on their beasts or merchants on their goods to make them known to be theirs This mark is specially urged by him and threatened with wrath from God Chap. 14.9 10. 2. His name or the name of the beast which is broader the meaning is others are like children who partake of their fathers name or as the wife that partaketh of the husbands name so they partake of this beasts name He is the Pope and they Papists glorying in that as his native brood thinking more to be called a Catholick Roman or Papist than a Christian or something like this 3. The number of his name seemeth to be yet larger as ye would say the minimum quod sic without which none can passe as his so that if they have not the mark they must have the name or at least the number of it whereof more hereafter This effect is extended and particularized in two respects 1. None of any sort escapeth small or great c. 2. The part marked is the right hand and forehead holding forth an obvious manner of avowing him and an active engagement for him It is said Souldiers did wear marks on their right hands and servants in their foreheads but Popes hold men engaged under both these relations to them This Mede upon the place cleareth by which characters we are not to understand visible marks imprinted but according to the scope that as our Lord hath his seal on His Chap. 7. so this beast who imitateth Him hath something peculiar as from himself which Christ instituted not which he will have on these who are his and let it be observed that both the beasts and the Image cometh under one beast here 3. The certification whereby he enforceth this mark or subjection on men it is by taking from them the common priviledges of conversing with others under these words to buy or sell that looketh either to Ecclesiastick or Civil communion all that will not become his shall be excluded from both these and if we look how far the Papists extend the excommunication of the Popes in debarring men from these things and the use they make of their excommunications to force their obedience on many Emperours and others they will be found clearly applicable in this particular In a word this beasts drift is to make up an Image to the head that is wounded and to establish such an Idolatrous grandour and government again And he bringeth it about by exercising his power 1. On the men of the world to make them pliable to it which he doth by miracles and signs vers 13 14. under pretext of some divinity 2. On the beasts Image by helping on that design in three steps giving it life and putting it to act for its own worship when once it was formed for the scope reckoning still the intention of the work is to shew this beasts design Now if the beast and Image were different he would nor yea could not procure universall worship to both and that by one power and if any of them were different from himself he would not 3. He exerciseth his power by putting his mark on all which he attaineth by censures lest they be shut out from common commerce or the advantages of his soul-merchandice and mercats as he prevailed in the former of procuring worship to the Image for fear of death and killing For the confirming of what is said we will find these things clear in the matter of fact from story 1. That what Rome wanted by the Emperours turning to be Christians or removing of their seat from it it recovered by the Popes And 2. that that recovery began immediately after Constantin's coming to the Empire 3. That the Popes used the same practices of blasphemy against God persecution against His Saints and followed it by the same means of deposing Emperours assuming temporall power and interdicting from fellowship and commerce with others and although these things be particularly marked in particular Treatises and upon particular occasions yet it may be observed here
1. That Rome recovered and preserved dominion and grandour only by the Popes means witnesse 1. that passage out of Steuchus De donatione Constantini Eversâ— imperio nisi Deus restituisset pontificatum futurum erat ut Roma nullo tempore excitata ac restituta inhabitabilis posthac foedissima boum porcorumque fistura esset habitatio at in pontifiâ—atu etsi non illa veteris imperii magnitudo species certè non dissimilis longâ— renata est qua gentes omnes haud secus ab ortu occasu Romanum pontificem venerantur quam omnes nationes olim Imperatoribus obtemperabant Et paulo post An â—â—n omnia quae Rome quondam prâ—fanaerant sacra effecta sunt quemadmodum omnia templa deorum facta sunt Ecclesia sanctorum ritus item profani coeparunt esse ritus sacri Nonne Pantheon templum omnium idolorum effectum est templum beatae virginis secundum alios omnium divarum Nonne in Vaticano templum Apollinis ubi condita erant corpora Apostolorum conversum in Ecclesiam ipsorum Apostolorum ut superius demonstratum est c. That is to say The Empire being overturned if God had not restored the pontificate or papacy it had come to passe that Rome at no time being raised up and restored afterward being unhabitable had become a most vile stable of Cowes and Swine But in the pontificate or papacy although not that greatnesse of the ancient Empire yet surely the appearance of it not much unlike was brought forth again whereby all Nations from the East to the West do adore the Roman Pontife or Pope no otherwayes than of old all Nations did obey the Emperours And a little after are not all things which at Rome of old were profane or common made holy as all the Temples of the gods were made Churches of Saints also their profane rites began to be holy rites was not the Pantheon that Temple of all Idols made the Temple of the blessed Virgin according to others of all Saints Was not the Temple of Apollo in the Vaticane where were buried the bodies of the Apostles turned into the Church of the Apostles themselves as was demonstrated above c. These are a Popish writers expressions defending Constantines donation And in this sense it may well be called the Image of the head that went before Add to this some passages cited by Bellarmine lib. 3. de Pont. cap. 21. The first out of Leo Magnus Serm. 1. de natali Apostolorum Per sacram D. Petri sedem Caput orbis effecta Roma latius praesides religione divinâ quam dominatione terrenâ quamvis enim multis aucta victoriis Ius imperii tui terra marique protuleris minus tamen est quod tibi bellicus labor subdidit quam quod pax Christiana subjecit That is By the holy Sea of S. Peter O Rome thou being made the head of the world commandest further by divine Religion than earthly domination for albeit being augmented by many victories thou hast extended the power of the Empire both by Sea and Land yet it is lesse that which the labour of war hath subdued to thee than that which Christian Peace hath brought in subjection The other passage is out of Prosper lib. de ingratis cap. 2. Sedes Roma Petri quae pastoralis honoris Facta caput mundo quicquid non possidet armis Religione tenet That is to say Rome the Sea of Peter which is made to the world the head of pastorall honour whatever it doth not possesse by armes it holdeth out by Religion Also that passage cited by Forbesse out of lib. 2. de vocatione gentium cap. 16. Roma per sacerdotii principatum amplior facta est arce religionis quam solio potestatis That is Rome through the dominion of the priesthood or papacy is made larger by the castle of Religion than by the throne of power From which passages it is clear that Rome before the papacies height was really short as wounded in respect of what formerly it was and also that what pomp Rome now enjoyeth and what dominion it hath it hath by vertue of the Popes supremacy Let us add further some passages more 1. Out of Socrates lib. 7. cap. 11. who speaking of the violence of Celestinus who was Bishop of Rome saith that he in exercising his power as also the Bishops of Alexandria had gone Iamdudum extra fines sacerdotii in principatum saecularem that is long since without the bounds of the priestly office into the secular dominion And if it be true what is commonly asserted by Papists concerning the donation of Constantine whereby he gave Rome and the parts about it to the Popes to be possessed by them as the patrimony of Peter and that therefore purposly he left Rome to the Pope upon that account thinking it fit c. Ideo autem par esse censulmus ut nostrum imperium imperiique potentiam in orientem transferemus c. quod ubi est principale sacerdotium caput Christianae religionis datum à Rege coelorum non est aequum ut terrenus Imperator illic potestatem habeat That is Therefore we judged it fit to translate our Empire and the power of it into the East c. because where the chief priesthood or Papacy and the head of Christian Religion is appointed to be by the King of Heaven it is not right that an earthly Emperour should there have power Which donation is more largely set down by Balsamon pag. 88. and is generally owned by them with all the other contents thereof Agreeable to this it is which Baronius asserteth Anno 312. num 80. of Constantine's giving the emperiall palace to Melchiades the Bishop of Rome and what is afterward recorded by him to be conferred as peices of dignity by that same Emperour upon them Anno 324. num 79. that Constantine would not suffer the prime Priests of the Christians to be exceeded in glory by the heathen Priests who were ever adversaries to Christianity And these priviledges are reckoned by him thus Haec erant privilegia quibus templorum sacerdotes à majoribus traditis fruerentur inter eos eminebat sacrorum Rex qui in conviviis super omnes excubare solebat erat Pontifex maximus arbiter humanarum atque divinarum rerum omnium quod breviter narratum habes ex Festo Quanta autem potestas in Augure qui comitia irrita reddere abdicare etiam consules magistratu valeret quae paulo ante recitavimus ex Cicerone declarant Vetitum iis erat ait Plutarchus equo vehi sed uti carpento pro amplissimâ dignitate soliti erant Sacerdotum peculiaris mos quod affirmat Tacitus erat carpento capitolium ingredi sic videas Romanos pontifices quod tradit Ammianus per urbem carrucis vehi procedunt inquit vehiculis insedentes circumspectè vestiti sed magna illa dignitas esse videbatur quod ut idem ait nunquam pileum insigne flaminum
and name have his number but all that have his number have not his mark and name and because by searching this we come to know his name this is the right order of searching yet if any think meeter to reckon from a name suppose 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Greek or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which almost since Iohn's dayes hath been followed as appeareth by Irenaeus who was heaâ—â—â— of Polycarp disciple of Iohn vid. lib. 5. adversus haeres Cap. 30. pag. 250. edit Eras. Sed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 nomen habet 666. numerum valde verisimile est quoniam novissimum regnum hoc habet vocabulum Latini enim sunt qui nunc regnant sed non in hoc nos gloriabimur that is The name Lateinos hath the number of six hundreth sixty six and it is very like for the last Kingdom hath that name for they are Latines who now reign but we shall not glory in this Yet the wisdom of God hath ordered so that the sum or result of both reckonings turn to one and pointeth at the same Antichrist hinted before for both the forenamed words compleatly exhibit that number 666. and point out the same party where the doctrines rested before Neither will this destroy but confirm our former exposition for this name is brought but as an accumulative argument and evidence of the Antichrist Thus he that hath all the characters of Antichrists doctrine and hath a name which in the numerall letters make up 666. he is Antichrist But to the Pope both these do agree Only as is formerly hinted there is this odds The name will not prove Antichrist without the other marks for it may agree to many and the other marks will prove him without the name for they can agree to no other and are proper to him quarto modo Besides the former conclusion that this reckoning yeeldeth to wit that by this beast is clearly pointed out the Pope for out of this Chapter may be reckoned a proposition that who ever stands marked with these properties is the Antichrist But the story and knowledge of the papacy yeeldeth the assumption that it is the Pope to whom all these will agree Ergo c. Besides this I say these other conclusions may be drawn 1. That the conceit of a Danitish Antichrist invented by Papists to vindicate their Pope is foolish and vain 2. That Mahomet is not the beast intended here 3. That Antichrist is no open professed enemy but a false counterfeit pretended friend 4. That he is already come and so must be the Pope 1. To shew the vanity of that fond Antichrist which they say shall be a Iew one single person of the Tribe of Dan from these two Scriptures Gen. 49. v. 17. and Ier. 8. v. 16. exceedingly abused which yet Bellar. dare not lay weight on and that he shall come three years and an half before the end of the world subdue all the world making himself a Monarch of it sit in Ierusalem be acknowledged by the Iews as their Messias build that Temple do something miraculous giving life as to an Image making fire come down from Heaven c. and be destroyed by Christs second coming c. after he hath killed Enoch and Elias whom they call the witnesses Chap. 11. We oppose to that conceit these truths in this Chapter 1. The time of Antichrists rise is immediately after the sixth head of the Roman beast is wounded to wit when Heathen Emperours are put from their throne Ergo it is long before the end of the world 2. The seat that Antichrist hath to sit on is the seat of the Dragon to wit that seat where the devil by Roman Emperours sate and persecuted the Church before But that is not Ierusalem but Rome Ergo c. That therefore is a truth of Chrysostoms that he sitteth in the Temple of God that is not at Ierusalem but in the Church pretending to have a prime place in it 3. He is not one single person he is the seventh head of this beast yea he is a beast But by none of the former heads of the Roman Governours can be understood any single person but a series of Governours in one state likewise by beasts are understood a series and not one single person Dan. 7. Ergo Antichrist is no single person 4. His continuance is longer than fourty and two noneths literally taken which may be thus made out 1. If his rise to his height be so slow and by so many degrees till he be up and if his standing be so long as to bring and hold all the world under and that by a sort of willing subjection to fight with the Saints and overcome them and other such things as cannot be done in such space if also his decay and ruine be by a long tract of judgements as is under the vials Then he must be of larger standing than fourty and two moneths But the former is true Ergo c. 2. It is clear from this that it beginneth so soon as the Churches fleeing which is about Ann. 300. and continueth till the vials come which comprehend the time of the six trumpets which certainly are more than fourty and two moneths for the vials do bring the first judgements on him 3. If his time had been no longer than fourty and two moneths it had been no great argument for Paul 2 Thess. 2. to prove that the day of Judgement was not neer if fourty and two moneths had been the longest time of his reign for that was Paul's Argument The man of sin is not revealed therefore it is not at hand for that could only have proved it was not within three years and an half 5. He is to be discovered before the end for the first vial cometh on them that have his mark and Chap. 14. they are threatned by publick preaching with judgement before it come 2. For Mahomet this cleareth him also not to be that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1. This Antichrist hath horns like the lamb sitteth in the Temple of God looketh like Christ but so is not Mahomet who was never a Christian. 2. This Antichrist sitteth at Rome and by a new sort of Idolatry healeth the wound the sixth head had gotten i.e. by worshipping Idols Images c. But Mahomet abhorreth that and pretendeth to worship one God only 3. This Antichrist doth great signs and wonders But Mahomet claimeth to none and pretendeth no signs but to cover that saith that Christ was sent with signs and he with a sword 4. This Antichrist carrieth on and driveth all his designs under a resemblance of making use of Christs power as having horns like the lamb and by a pretext of and claim unto a vicarship and deputation from him so doth not Mahomet 3. Hence also we may conclude that Antichrist is no open opposer or denier of Christ to be Christ or one that calleth himself Christ but an intruder of himself in what is Christs due
to His prejudice for 1. he hath horns like the lamb which importeth a counterfeiting of him 2. He hath miracles which certainly are in imitation of the Apostles who did them in the name of Christ. 3. He deceiveth the world which cannot be done by a direct denying of Christ to be Christ or the Messiah in word especially if his standing be for three years and an half only 4. He is called the false prophet which implieth him not to have counterfeited himself to be Christ but to have commission from Him which he hath not Beside if Antichrists doctrine and profession were so direct and grosse there needed not so many marks to know him nor wisdom to search him out it could not but be palpable to all who were the Antichrist Again many in all ages opposed Christs Person and Natures and were indeed Antichrists in a generall notion as Iobn saith in his Epistles yet were not the Antichrist yea some have called themselves Christ yet were not the Antichrist It can be therefore no differencing mark which agreeth to moe Beside his apostasie being a mysterie and then working it is not like to be so palpable 4. We conclude that Antichrist is come and not to come seing the sixth head is wounded the woman hath fled and her children taken up to Heaven which was after her freedom from Heathen persecution Beside either the Church hath been this long time put under the Dragon or floud or this Antichrist but not under the former two Therefore this time past hath been antichristian seing there is no intervall between these conditions of the Church Again if all these characters be fulfilled Then Antichrist must be already come But the former is truth as hath been seen in the exposition Ergo c. 5. It remaineth therefore as was formerly concluded that the Pope is the very Antichrist and the papacy the very antichristian Kingdom here described Of these conclusions more may be seen Chap. 17. LECTURE I. CHAP. XIIII Vers. 1. ANd I looked and lo a Lamb stood on the mount Sion and with him an hundred fourty and four thousand having his Fathers name written in their foreheads 2. And I heard a voice from heaven as the voice of many waters and as the voice of a great thunder and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their â—â—ps 3. And they sung as it were a new song before the throne and before the four beasts and the elders and no man could learn that â—ong 〈◊〉 the hundred and fourty and four thousand which were redeemed from the earth 4. These are they which were not defiled with women for they are virgins these are they which follow the Lamb whither soever he goeth these were redeemed from among men being the first fruits unto God and to the Lamb. 5. And in their mouth was found no guile for they are without fault before the throne of God THe former Chapter described Antichrist's rise and height This Chapter setteth forth in a little view his ruine and the Churches recovery from his tyrannie which is subjoyned partly for clearing the Churches condition during that tyrannie which is from the beginning to vers 6. partly to shew her first struglings and contests with him whereby he is discovered and the opposition by word tabled to vers 13 or 14. partly to give a little view of carrying on this begun contest till Antichrist be ruined unto the end of the Chapter under two types of an harvest and vintage which are to be accomplished So the Chapter hath these three parts The 1. setting out the Churches estate in a defending or defensive posture relating to her low condition past and clearing that posture which she was in when Antichrist was high The other two do point her out in a fighting posture 1. by words 2. by deeds this is more fully set out under the vials and is insert here to comfort Gods people against that storm of Antichrist which was then to come For clearing of the exposition and application of this first part we conceive it relateth unto the Church before Antichrists ruine be sensibly begun or at least be any way carried on for 1. the number here are the same with Chap. 7. 144000. which number is sealed for the time of Antichrists trial and after that trial is past an innumerable number doth appear vers 9. of that Chap. This first part belongeth then to that state of the Church while it consisteth of the sealed number Chap. 7. vers 9. The two last parts of this Chapter do belong to that of Chap. 7. which followeth from vers 9. to the end 2. This is further clear here by what followeth vers 6 c. The Gospel is then after Antichrists discovery sent abroad through the world to encrease the number of the Lambs followers But this followeth and beginneth the second part of the Chapter vers 6. Therefore this first part must preceed that time of the Preaching of the Gospel whereby the Church is enlarged 2. Although some way this doth represent the Church in her night and wildernesse-condition yet we think it specially relateth to her condition immediately before the day break and to that which is next the morning For 1. she is now visible the Professors stand on mount Sion they have their Fathers name now visible in their profession which Chap. 7. when they were first sealed was not discernable now it kytheth 2. The whole sealed number is now compleat and the one hundred fourty and four thousand are together and they have songs yea a new song which importeth a great part of their strait to be over now she appeareth to be what she was before though lurking and unseen and this probably may relate to the appearing of the Waldenses and Bohemians who belonged indeed to the suffering state of the Church before Antichrists moneths expired yet immediately before the Gospels spreading and Reformations growth they appeared with more publick professing and owning of the truth as it were again in their foreheads than had been many years before upon which followed a further spreading and growth of the light of the Gospel This Church is described three wayes by Iobn First as taken up by his sight vers 1. Secondly by his ear or hearing by what he heard as well as by what he saw vers 2.3 Thirdly by reason in describing the properties and qualifications of these he had so discovered he more fully holdeth forth what they were vers 4 5. I looked saith Iobn and lo. This is a preface to difference this part of the vision from the former and to shew some considerablenesse in the things that were represented to him and it containeth the state of the Church then in these four 1. They are described by their head I looked and lo a Lamb stand c. By this Lamb no question is understood Christ though th◠〈◊〉 â—e not prefixed for the word his Father pointeth this Lamb to be the Son Our Lord
out the obligation that lieth on men to give Him the worship and glory due unto Him He made the heaven and the earth therefore He is a glorious and powerfull God All this preaching is by way of application and practicall because this is the scope of preaching to put on to holinesse and practice and this is the right manner when simply and plainly it is pressed on the conscience without the curious conceity questions and uselesse cases used under Antichrist LECTURE III. Vers. 8. And there followed another Angel saying Babylon is fallen is fallen that great city because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication 9. And the third Angel followed them saying with a loud voice If any man worship the beast and his image and receive his mark in his forehead or in his hand 10. The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy Angels and in the presence of the Lamb 11. And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever And they have no rest day nor night who worship the beast and his image and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name CHrist hath now begun to send out His light into the world and though by many it getteth no good welcome yet He goeth on and sendeth out others to denounce and foretell more clearly the ruine of that antichristian Kingdom that formerly had deluded the world By this Angel understand as formerly Ministers stirred up after the first outbreaking of the Gospel who perceiving Romes perverse opposing of the preached Gospel and seeing what shaking Christ by the first beginnings had wrought on his Kingdom the more boldly and plainly foretell the ruine of that state now to be approaching The preaching of this Angel containeth two things 1. The denounciation of Babylons judgement 2. The cause of it In the denounciation Consider the object threatened Babylon 2. The judgement is fallen 3. The manner of expression it is in the by-past time and doubled By Babylon here is certainly understood some particular state and the head of some such great state as was opposit to the Church for Chap. 18. there are many of her followers who still regrate her fall More particularly we conceive it to be understood of Rome not so much the Town as its dominion being now headed with Antichrist and as it were the head of this Empire for it is the same called MYSTERIE BABYLON Chap. 17.5 that is mystically Babylon as before Chap. 11. spiritually Sodom and Egypt And to Rome only agreeth the description following 1. The great city so is Rome set out for its soveraignty Chap. 17. ult Called Babylon by analogie 1. It was the head City over that Empire which of old oppressed the people of God So is this now 2. That Empire was not oppressing outwardly only but idolatrous also and entising others to it as Dan. 3 c. may appear 3. As in Babylon the people of God were keeped under yet had a being amongst the Babylonians even at Babylon though not of them so was the true Church captivated by this Church of Rome yet had some being under and amongst them though wanting outward beauty 2. The judgement denounced on this antichristian state of Rome is It is fallen whereby two things are holden out 1. That Babylon was no more surely destroyed than Rome should be finally and totally 2. That it was now begun to fall and that it should never after this be in such a settled condition as it was in before but its fall was approaching and this Gospel by the preaching of the Angel had discovered Romes nakednesse and made her loathsome to the intelligent and the coming judgement under the typs of harvest and vintage should perfect it 3. The manner of expressing this is as if it were already past and it is doubled Both which tend 1. to shew the certainty of the thing spoken 2. the emminency and surprising celerity of it And 3. the concernment of it to make men take the more notice of it as a great thing alluding also to the manner of denouncing Gods judgement on old Babylon Isa. 21. The cause of this sore destruction on Babylon is figuratively set down in the words following in short it is because she allured souls of all sorts from Gods pure worship to communicate in her superstitious and idolatries which before the Lord is as adultery and fornication spiritually in respect of its pollution and Covenant breaking with God By this comparison or allusion to the manner of vile strumpets who entise to filthinesse is holden out 1. Romes censure who as an harlot had broken Faith to Christ. 2. Her guilt in entising others yea many to that superstitious way with her and prevailing 3. The moe she entise to be her followers it is the greatter dittey she made all nations to drink 4. The nature of men and of superstitious will-worship it maketh them drunk and they sweetly drink it as a cup of wine 5. The effect of it for as sweet as it is it is Wrath 1. Because it deserveth and procureth wrath on her and all who drink with her 2. To be given up to drink this is an effect of wrath and a great plague of God 2 Thess. 2. That Rome in its hierarchy and spirituall dominion under the Pope is this Babylon will appear more Chap. 17. and Chap. 18. where this same saying is repeated but differently here by way of prediction upon the foreseen begun ruine of it there to wit Chap. 18. after its execution by pouring the fifth vial on the beasts seat which is Rome The third Angel beginneth his preaching vers 9. and it is prosecuted vers 10. and 11. It is a conditionall threatening of all Antichrists followers if they shall continue to worship him after the former two Angels have preached There is a notable gradation in their preaching not as if the first ceased to preach when the second beginneth or so forth for all of them preach together but that first God maketh His Gospel shine and revealeth Truth both to great and small learned and unlearned that is begun by the first Angel 2. When that getteth little hearing but great opposition especially from the great ones of the Popes Kingdom who are enraged at it then the Lord maketh light both in the clearnesse and force of it to proceed further to discover Rome to be Babylon and to set His Ministers more directly against that state to batter it down and begin its ruine and from His Word clearly to foretell the compleat destruction of it and that their grandour and those grandees in their pomp shall come down 3. Because a superstitious respect to that Sea was deeply rooted in the hearts of the plurality of people the third Angel is sent out not only to
differently we ought to construct of many we shall afterward touch but now for the main our direct assertion is this That a Papist as such living and dying according to the complex principles of the doctrine and worship that is followed in Popery cannot be saved nor expect Justification before God I say a Papist living and dying according to the essentiall principles of Popery which do especially relate to these three 1. To their giving to the Pope such ample authority reverence and adoration as they use to do 2. To their way of carrying on the Justification and Salvation of a sinner before God as it is holden forth in their doctrine 3. To their manner of worship that is praying to Saints worshipping of Images sacrifice of the Masse and other such things owned both by the doctrine laws and practice of that Church We say one living and dying devoted to these although neither scandalous in outward practices nor defective in respect of externall painfulnesse yet upon this account as being a Papist chargeable with the three generall heads foresaid he cannot but be liable to Gods judgement and die without any solid hope of being saved by these principles The generall we conceive is clear from what was said Chap. 13. vers 8. this kind of worshiping the beast being held out as inconsistent with election which saith that no Elect person can so live and die and therefore none such can be saved here again worshipping of the beast and drinking of the cup of Gods indignation for ever are peremptorily put together And all alongst this Book the beast with his followers and great Babylon are ever looked upon as most hatefull to God till at last Chap. 19. and 20. he and they are cast into the lake together and that is mentioned to be upon this very account of their being stated by their doctrine worship and practices in opposition to Christ without respect to morall ills common to them with others of the world This is also confirmed from 2 Thess. 2.10 and 12. where this deceivablenesse of Antichrists apostasie is bounded to them that perish and this is marked as the design of Gods justice therein that all they may be damned which receive not the love of the Truth this then must be of it self the very high way to damnation And we cannot question the truth of this without the overturning of the direct scope and meaning of these Scriptures and the application of them which is laid down all alongs in this Book If it be yet required that further satisfaction be given as to the grounds which render their salvation impossible We do answer that it ariseth from these two which do infaâ—ibly demonstrate the same 1. This way of Popery is of it self exceeding sinfull and abominable before the Lord and so doth in more than an ordinary manner make a person liable to His wrath 2. As it is of it self sinfull so it hath no solid way laid down for removing of sin but doth leave a man without any solid hope of reliefe from his originall and actuall sins beside that it incapacitateth him to look upon it self as sinfull or to seek for the right remedie thereof And where these two are put together to wit hainous sin and no way to remove it or any other what can be expected but inevitable ruine and condemnation For where the disease is deadly and the cure naught death must be certain We shall therefore a little make out both these assertions from which the conclusion laid cannot but follow 1. We say that the way of Popery in it self and its complex nature is most hainously sinfull and doth render the followers thereof exceedingly guilty before God Therefore we will find it charged with the most abominable guiltinesses that are elsewhere mentioned in Scripture 1. There is in it the guilt of Idolatry and that of all sorts 1. A worshiping of Angels whereof somewhat is spoken Chap. 19. the worshipping of Saints departed and a giving of divine honour to them a worshipping of the Pope spoken of Chap. 13. and 17. by ascribing to him divine attributes which he willingly receiveth as Thuan lib. 3. pag. 95. among others doth observe a worshipping of the Crosse or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 worshipping of the Sacrament or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 worshipping of Saints and their reliques making Images of the holy Trinity and persons of the Godhead and many other kinds of Idolatry commit they and that both against the first and second command and therefore are said Chap. 9. vers 20. to worship the works of their hands and devils and idols of gold and silver c. of which somewhat was spoken in that place The second sin charged upon them is blasphemie a sin of the highest nature that is either by detracting from the soveraign and absolute God that which is due to Him or attributing to Him what becometh not His Holinesse Mercy and Soveraignity or by ascribing what is proper to Him to some creature in all which respects Popery is a doctrine of blasphemie as was hinted Chap. 13. and therefore this beast is said to be full of names of blasphemy Chap. 17.3 3. Defection and Apostasie from the received Truth is a hainous sin and this is most essentially proper to Popery Therefore is it 2 Thess. 2. denominate by this to be a falling away When we call Popery an Apostasie it is to be understood as differing from any particular heresie although these also be of themselves damnable for this is a defection by a concurrence of many heresies corrupting the series of the truths of the Gospel and therefore cannot be but exceeding sinfull and damnable seing God hath so peremptorily threatened adding unto or taking from the Word as it is Rev. 22. 4. It is in sum Antichristianity or the sin of Antichristianism to be found chargeable in the manner foresaid and can there be any sin desperately dangerous if that be not Which though it do not expresly thwart with Christs Natures and Person which is not to be Antichrists error as was observed Chap. 12. toward the close yet doth it exautorat Him detract from His Offices and the effects thereof and constantly as such doth top with His Church and People and lay down a way of salvation and life upon these same tearms that it stood on in the Covenant of Works and therefore in that respect it may well be said to deny that Christ came in the flesh which is the very spirit of Antichrist which doth necessarily follow from that Doctrine For say they 1. obedience to the commands and the merit of works is the only way to life still 2. say they That supposing the habits of Grace to be infused and men to perform these works in the strength thereof they could not but be acceptable to God and enter the man into life as being meritorious thereof although Christ had never come in the flesh And 3. they say That His becoming
limited only to the very same plagues but hold out 1. a concurrence of heaven and earth for inflicting that judgement as it was in the deluge the eaâ—th shaketh from beneath and the heavens throw down stones from above 2. It holdeth forth the dreadfulnesse and greatnesse of the judgement of this vial 3. The immediatnesse of it wâ—thout any instruments interveening He executeth it on them Himself as in earthquake◠〈…〉 so Chap. 20.9 it is said to be by fire from heaven which is upon the maâ—â—eâ— â—â—e same This earthquake vers 18. is described in itâ— degree Then in its conseâ—â—ents or effects 1. A great one such as never was far beyoâ—â— that Chap. 6. And indeeâ—â—â—e last judgement will shake the world beyond any thing that ever it felt before Sâ—conâ—â—â—y The effects of this earthquake are marked to be three or four 1. The great city to 〈◊〉 Sodoâ— Chap. 11. where the witnesses were killed or Babylon waâ— dâ—vided in thâ—ee that is overturned for a city to be divided in three parts by an earthquake making the gapes of the earth that great and wide and to be overturned is one Beside in plain words it is spoken afterwards of the cities of the Nations that they fell which expoundeth the former Thus what reliques of Popery or Papists in any part of the world whether â— Rome if possibly somewhat recovered or any where else yet without their Pope shall now wholly be overturned The second effect is on the heathens caâ—led cities of the Nations and contradistinguished from this one great city They fell all these shall be ruined also 3. Babylons judgement is enlarged and aggreged that it resteth not in a temporall overturning but God putteth in her hand the cup of the fiercâ—nessâ— of his wrath spokeâ— of and threatned to all her followers Châ—p 14.10 Wherâ—by it appeareth 1. That this judgement endeth in eternity And 2. that it respecteth former threatnings A fourth effâ—ct is vers 20. shewâ—ng what influence this vial or earthquake shall have not only on Cities but on Islands at a distance and mountains In a word on all the universe which shall not only be moved as at other earthquakes and vers 12. Chap. 6. but here they shall fleâ— away and shall not be found holding out thereby the consummâ—tion that shall be at the end further expounded Chap. 20.21 The second effect of the bail vers 21. iâ— to the same purpose to shew that then sinners shall have refuge neither from earth nor heaven the hail is terrible alluding to that plague Exod. 9. but exceedingly beyond it never such an hail heard of as this every stone a talent weight it is irresistible there is no fence against it and it may allude to Ezek. 38.2 where Gog and Magog are to be destroyed by hail the expressions of the judgement may be borrowed as the names of the enemies from Gâ—g and Mâ—gog The greatnesse of it is furâ—her set out by the effect on reprobate men who are the object of itâ— they now break out in open blasphemy against God so that the last wrath meâ—deth them not though it be great That exceeding greatnesse of it without mixture of mercy is insufferable and insupportable and yet they are continued in a being after such a plague We must therefore look upon it as an eternall judgement for a temporall life could noâ— sustain men under it but in hell although malice being now inveterate and at its height in reprobateâ— and devils so as they neither fear nor love the Lord but do constantly blaspheme as their continuall exercise under their plagues yet are by the revenging justice and power of God sustained in a being for ever for the declaration of the glory of Hiâ— Justice and now the sentence being past on them we are to look upon this obdured desperate maliciousnesse rather as the just fruit of former sins than as having influence to encrease their punishment after their finall doom It must be a dreadfull thing to be in hell especially after the last Judgement LECTURE I. CHAP. XVII Vers. 1. ANd there came one of the seven Angels which had the seven vials and talked with me saying unto me Come hither I will shew unto thee the judgement of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters 2. With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication and the inhabiters of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication WE have had a little view of Gods judgements against Antichrist and Babylon his seat in the former principall and last typicall prophesie of the vials which carried it on to the last judgement Now followeth the last explicatory prophesie in two visions wherein some speciall things mentioned in the former more darkly and shortly are more fully explained The holy Ghost aiming hereby clearly to point out what this Babylon or antichristian Church and who this Antichrist is the one in opposition to the true Church the other to Christ the right Head and Soveraign thereof with a more clear description of them their actings and ruine We are therefore to look on this prophesie and especially on this Chapter as a speciall key for opening the main mysteries concerning these things which are delivered in the former prophesies In order to which and for understanding of what followeth in general we premit these things 1. Concerning the scope it is in these words Chap. 17.1 I will shew unto thee the judgement of the great whore by which is meaned not only nor mainly the last judgement or last step of her judgement under the seventh vial for all which followeth aâ— the destruction of Babylon Chap. 18. which is the seat or throne of the beast belongeth not to the seventh but to the fifth vial nor the battell of Armageddon where the beast is taken belongeth not to it but to the sixth and this would make the story of the seventh more comprehensive than it will bear But we take in the remarkable events on the beast and his throne which are by temporall judgements to be carried on by the Kings who once having given their power to this beast shall afterwards withdraw from her and piece and piece hate her and make her naked as is clear vers 16. all which cleareth that this following vision Chap. 17.18 and 19. doth belong to the fifth and sixth vials and not to the seventh 2. Concerning the series and placing of them it is thus to be done 1. He describeth Chap. 17. the object of these judgements to wit the whore and the beast and who are to be understood by them with a generall hint at the instruments to be made use of in their ruine Then Chap. 18 he more fully and pathetically sheweth the temporall destruction of that city or whore by the following lamentations of her followers which sheweth it not to be the last judgement on her which could have nothing following but that judgement on the beasts seat mentioned under the fifth
vial Chap. 16. Then Chap. 19. he goeth on to describe the events of the sixth vial in the battell of Armageddon which was defective till supplied there Chap. 16. after these In the last vision Chap. 20.21.22 till vers 6 7 c. he setteth out the events of the seventh vial wherein Rome is not only destroyed as in the fifth and the beast as in the sixth but the Dragon in his universall dominion which belongeth to the seventh vial So Chap. 18. expoundeth the fifth vial 19. the sixth and 20.21 the seventh and this 17. Chap. maketh way for all 3. For this 17. Chap. which is a ground well premitted to all the rest it hath three parts 1. An introduction or preface containing the occasion of what followeth or the proposing of the sum and scope of the vision following This is in the Angels words to Iohn vers 1 2. 2. There is the vision it self more darkly represented to him in types or in a figurative vision This is from vers 3. to vers 6. 3. From that to the end we have a clear interpretation upon the occasion of Iohns wondering more fully expounding this than any other vision is expounded Concerning which Observe more particularly 1. That there is great odds between the figurative expressions in which the vision is set down and these by which it is interpreted The vision and prophesies are set down darkly under figures and we must take them so and to take them literally were absurd because they need interpretation but the interpretation is in plain words and more properly to be taken Otherwise to expound one allegory by another as obscure were no exposition and contrary to the Angels scope here which is by this interpretation to make Iohn and us know the meaning of the vision and contrary to the manner of exposition in all other places as Chap. 1.20 the seven Candlesticks are the seven Churches literally so and no moe as they are named The seven Stars the Angels or Ministers of these Churches and Chap. 7. these are they who are come out of great tribulation i.e. so indeed And therefore here though in the vision heads and horns be not to be properly and literally understood yet in the interpretation seven heads are seven hills or ten horns ten Kings they are literally and properly to be taken especially when the Angel circumstantiateth the hills such as the woman fitteth upon and the Kings by this that five be past one is and the other is to come and the ten Kings not as yet to have received power but to get it afterward and so forth All which demonstrate that the Angels purpose and words are to be literally understood So the woman the city vers 18. is so circumstantiated by her dominion as constraineth it literally to be understood 2. Concerning this woman and whore Obs. 1. That the woman and whore are both one city or state but diversly considered for she who is the whore vers 1. is styled and represented as a woman vers 4. and the woman there represented hath the whores name vers 5. yet I say diversly considered for to be an whore and an adultereâ—-whore such as the Scripture useth to mention to this scope therefore this name is given to Israel in their defections and not to Heathens because it importeth a Contract and Marriage with some party and a foul breach of that tie The whore then as such can be no city that never was Christian but some eminent Church making defection to idolatry and falling from the Fâ—â—â—h given to God their husband at least this engagement to Him must preveen their being accounted so notorious an harlot And 2. as the woman and whore are one So Babylon called the great city Sodom Chap. 11. vers 8. and the whore are the same as appeareth by then names vers 5. and vers 18. and their practices are the same to wit to allure to fornication Chap. 14.8 to persecute Chap. 11. and their ruine and judgement is one Compare Chap. 14.9 10 c. Chap. 16.19 Chap. 18.2 c. And where the epither great is added to City Whâ—re or Babylon the same singular party is described but in diverse considerations either of her dominion as vers 18. or whoredoms oppressions pride or some such thing for which she getteth diverse names and is represented by diverse types 3. Concerning this Woman it is by most of the Fathers applyed to Rome Terâ—â—â—iâ—nus lib. adversus Iudaos Cap. 9. Sic Babylon apud Ioannem nostrum Romana urbis figuram impâ—â—â— proinâ—â— magna regnâ— superba Sanctoriâ—â— debellatricis that is Babylon in our Iohn is a figure of the city of Rome being so great so proud of the Empire and the destroyer of the Saints The like he hath lib. â— contra Marcionem Cap. 13. Hieronymâ—â— epist. 17. ad Marâ—â—llâ—â— nominâ— Pauli Eustâ—châ—â— â—pist 151. Algâ—siae quaest 11. Commâ—â—â— in Cap. 47. Esâ—iae in lib. Diâ—ymi de Spâ—r Saâ—nctâ— praefâ—tione ad Paulinianum Ambrosius Ansber 〈◊〉 locumpunc where he saith â—oc manifestum est i. e. it is manifest Also Victorinâ—â— Primaâ—â—â— and others cited by Fulâ— in his answer to the Rhemists 4. note upon the place Nay Augustine howbeit cited for another opinion concerning what is meaned by Babylon from his Comment in Psal. 26. doth concede what we say lib. 18. De civitatâ— Dei Cap. 2. 22. And Arethas Caesariensis Comment in locum granteth the same to be the judgement of diverse whence Fulk gathereth That this was the common opinion of the ancient Greek Fathers The same is granted by the most learned of the Papists themselves â—aroâ—ius Annaâ— Tom. 1. An. 45. hath these words Roman in Apocalypsâ— Ioâ—nnis eoâ—â—m nomine sci Babylonis notatam esse in confesso est apud omnes i.e. That Roâ—â— in the Revelation of Iohn is designed by the same name to wit of Babylon is confessed by all â—ellarmine is both frequent and full in this lib. 3. De pontif Romano Cap. 13. haveing first proposed that opinion of Augustine Arethas Haâ—oâ— â—eda and â—apertus who by the city Babylon understand the multitude of the wicked And addeth Seâ—anao dici potest â—ea judicio melius per meretriceâ— intelligi Romaâ— that is It may be said also and in my judgement better that by the whore Rome is to be understood And lib. 2. Cap. 2. he expresly disputeth for it Praeterâ—a Ioanâ—â—â— in Apocalypsâ— passim Romam vocat Babylonem apertâ colligitur ex Cap. 17. Apoc. ubi dicitur Babylon magna sedâ—re super septem montes habere imperium super Regâ—s terrâ— Nec 〈◊〉 â—lia civitas est quae Ioannis tempore â—â—perium habuerit super Reges terrae quam Roma notissimum est super septem colles Romam edificatam essâ— that is Moreover Iohn in the Revelation every-where calleth Rome Babylon and it is evidently gathered from the 17. of the Revel where Babylon the great is said to sit upon
seven hills and to have dominion over the Kings of the earth Neither was there any other which in Iohn's time had power over the Kings of the earth besides Rome And it is a most known thing that Rome was builded upon seven hills See also his 3. Book Cap. â— The same is the judgement of Estiâ—s in 4. Sent. Dist. 47. S. 9. and of Ribera upon the place The Rhâ—mistâ— also acknowledge that Rome heathen may be understood herâ— and Alcasar confirmeth it Also Cornelius â— lapide Blasius Viegas and others Reasons in the Text do constrain it so to be understood 1. It s locall situation This whore is a City sitting on seven hills in Iohns time whereof afterward 2. It is an Empire or City which had before that changed five sorts of Governments had then the â—â—xth unto which one other was to succeed as Popes have done who were not come in Iohns times 3. It is vers 18 clear from its Dominion she is that city that great city which then commanded all the Kings and great men of the earth which grounds I say make even the adversaries apply it to Rome but they fall in two foolish shiftâ— â—ome applying it to Rome heathen others to Rome under the Antichrist who they say is yet to come Of these we shall speak particularly in the close of the Chapter and â—ow premit 1. That this beast that beareth or carrieth the woman is the same mentioned Chap. 11. that cometh out of the bottomlesse pit and killeth the witnesses and the same with that beast Chap. 13. their rise is one with this out of the pit vers â— Their description in heads horns and exercise in persecuting the Saints and maintaining blasphemies and the time that they belong unto will be one that beast Chap. 13. riseth after the wounding of the sixth head This when that Government which then was is expired yet fall they under diverse considerations as the two beasts formerly Chap. 13. The beast is as the Husband or rather Adulterer the woman the wife or whore the woman representeth an apostate Church or the body the beast here suppoâ—â—ing her pointeth at the head or mungrell power sustaining her and acting her which in respect of absolutnesse tyranny and persecution though in a kind distinct from the former yeâ—â— become they one as we will hear 2. Observe that there is a great propinquity betwixt the woman or whore and this beast they belong to one time for the beast carrieth her and they 〈◊〉 together They â—re of one colour scurâ—â—â— They have both blasphemies on them and fornications the same upon the matter they both are up together the woman is great when the Kings give the beast their power when they withdraw iâ— then she cometh down his throne which was the Dragons Chap. 13. is her seat to wit the seven hills from which neernesse 〈◊〉 evident they must dwell together 3. This beast then must signifie such an Empire and Dominion as doth not only support Rome the city but Rome a whore and that not as a temporall head meerly by force keeping down men under it as did the old Roman Empire but such a head as the world wondereth at as is Chap 13. and here also vers 8. and such a head as when ten Kings out of the ruins of the old temporall Empire shall assume Dominion and soveraignity to themselves and withdraw from him yet willingly they shall yeeld their power to be disposed of by this beast and so long as they reverence him the whore is in no fear by them but when they cast him off then she is burnt By which it appeareth that as by the woman the Roman Church is described in opposition to the true Church Chap. 12.1 called a woman there so by the beast must be meaned the Roman sea or the Papall power by which this whore is supported and to whom the Kings of the earth give their power and after whom the whole world hath long wondered as was cleared Chap. 13. of this same beast and the propositions laid down there are also to be applied here 4. We would consider at what time this which is spoken of the beast and whore is to be applied to Rome and the powers which govern Rome which is the beast as the other is the woman There are these characters to find it out by which now at the entry we shall but in generall propound 1. It is the time when the beast should appear as he riseth from the bottomlesse pit vers 8. to wit in the last state of the Empire before his utter ruine and so it is not that which was in Iohns time any lawfull succeeding power which cometh not from the pit but it is that which the Dragon gave Chap. 13. an authority and soveraignity invented by the devil and not warranted by the Word such as is Vniversall Bishop Prince of Pastors and Vicar of Christ so it is no meer civill power though persecuting for then as it was in Iohns time it might have been said to have ascended from the pit and it had not been peculiar to the future state of the Empire which is a forreign Government of an other rise than these which went before such as that of the Popes who are distinct and different from Emperours 2. It is Rome under the last head of seven whereof five were but past in Iohn's time and Caesars were the sixth the seventh called the eighth for his twofold consideration as Chap. 13. then was not come for this last head is expresly called the beast vers 11. Therefore Rome under none of the first six Governments is the beast here but under the seventh or eighth which in Rome succeeded to Emperours or Caesars for this last is to have none after it A third character is to try the time by the horns That Government of Rome is to be the beast which shall have with it ten Kings reigning which had not recieved their Kingdom in Iohn's time vers 12. Again it agreeth to that state of Rome when other Kings that have withdrawn their temporall subjection from the Emperours shall yet unanimously and harmoniously of their own good wills give their power unto and be at the devotion of this beast 3. These Kings shall be especially employed by this beast in making wars against the Saints till God discover the whores rottennesse to them or some of them vers 14. compared with vers 16 17. It must then be applicable to that time when persecutions abounded through all the Christian world by the Laws of all Kings and Kingdoms which was when the Prophets prophesied in sackcloth and were killed Chap. 11. and 13. A fourth character we take from that that the woman is called a Whore therefore it cannot agree to Heathen Rome for she was not then married nor ever called a whore 5. The last thing we premit is concerning the times mentioned as past present and to come when they are particularly differenced
they are not to be confounded yet that any thing in the vision is affirmed in the present time it will not prove it then to have been seing it is ordinary for things to come to be represented as present or past More particularly we come now to the preface of the vision vers 1. and 2. Wherein the sum and scope of the vision is proposed In which consider 1. the thing proposed to be shown It is the judgement of the great whore 2. some properties of that whore hinted at 3. by whom this is revealed In the proposition the word whore which in all languages cometh from mercenarinesse shortly implyeth two things 1. An engagement on the party sinning there is a breach of wedlock-bond as Ezek. 16.38 2. The nature of the sin as inconsistent with the nature of that tie to wit Idolatry c. with which God will have no communion though many other infirmities may consist with that bond of Marriage yet this is particularly whoredom in Scripture a peoples shamefull prostituting themselves to idols and strange worship who were engaged to God See Hos. 4 12 13. with the right exposition of that place So here by whore is understood some city or state as vers 18. yet such as hath been engaged to God and hath made defection from him to Idolatry In which respect Israel Iudah and Ierusalem do get the name of harlots peculiarly and are charged with spirituall fornication beyond other Nations because of this their tie to God which others had not Beside this whore is painted out in opposition to that woman and wife Chap. 12. which evanished and this whore and strumpet appeareth in her place 2. By judgement we understand her ruine especially when it cometh to her seat which is the great city and is here manifested to Iohn 1. to shew that it was certain and so to prevent stumbling at that whores greatnesse and pompe 2. To shew that it came not by guesse but that God had ordered her ruine 3. To begin this explication with the fifth vial preceeding Chap. 16. 2. The property of this whore hinted at here is her greatnesse Thus to distinguish this corrupted Church from ordinary defections heresies and schisms whereby often the married Spouse of Christ hath been an harlot and particular Churches have degenerated This is the great whore looking to the great defection and falling away spoken of in Scripture 2 Thess. 2. to be in the dayes of Ancichrist and the greatest eclipse that the light after Christs dayes had to endure This greatnesse of this whore is four wayes expressed and proven 1. She sitteth upon many waters vers 1. to set out the greatnesse of her temporall dominion she that was a mistresse over People Nations c. vers 15. is to be this whore and by her whoredoms and idolatries was to keep these under her power 2. She is a great whore in respect of these who sin with her and share of her idolatries superstitions and errors These are the Kings and great men of the earth such have been Popish for many generations 3. In respect of the extent of her whoredom or commonnesse of it It is not only with Kings but indifferently she proposed unto and did bear in her strumperies on all sorts great and small the meanest behoved to bear her mark Chap. 13. even all the inhabiters of the earth 4. She is a great whore in respect of that degree of whoredoms wherewith she hath intoxicated them She hath made them dâ—unk with the wine of her fornications 1. Her sin is fornication which ordinarily in the Old Testament is applyed to Idolatry in putting some other in Gods room Now there is no Christian Church hath degenerated in this respect to own Images and Idolatry but Rome 2. She hath entysing wayes as poisoned cups of wine to allure to her idolatries Many threatnings promises and false miracles have been made use of to engage the world to this 3. She maketh them drink of these till they be drunk being through Gods judgement deluded as 1 Thess. 2. madd and irrationally addicted to and bent on that way of superstition as appeareth by the many Abbacies Monâ—steries superstitious titles and submissions given to Popes and persecutions against all her faithfull opposers which bear witnesse how drunk the world hath been with that conceit of the Roman Church LECTURE II. Vers. 3. So he carried me away in the spirit into the wildernesse and I saw â— woman â—it upon a scarlet coloured beast full of names of blasphemy having seven heads and ten horns 4. And the woman was arayed in purple and scarlet colour and decked with gold and precious stone and pearls having a golden cap in her hand full of abominations and filthinesse of her fornication 5. And upon her forehead was a name written MYSTERY BABYLON THE GREAT THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH 6. And I saw the woman drunken with the bloud of the Saints and with the bloud of the Martyrs of Iesus THe vision it self followeth to the 7. vers and there are two circumstances premitted vers 3. before it be represented to Iohn as contributing for the disposing and fitting of Iohn for the beholding of it 1. He is carried in the Spirit which holdeth forth the frame of his mind he was not in body transported but by the Spirit his soul was withdrawn from its ordinary way of making use of bodily organs to another more immediate and sublime way of receiving impressions of what was represented such as was spoken of Chap. 1.10 signifying that it is needfull to be spirituall before one be capable of the visions of God a spirituall man and a spirituall frame is the best discerner of these 1 Corinth 2. 2. He is taken to the wildernesse by that ecstasie he is removed from ordinary commerce to a wildernesse where that whore is represented to him though it be not her dwelling By this is implyed 1. That spiritualnesse of frame and abstractednesse and retirednesse go often together one in the Spirit will be one often apart in private as our blessed Lord was 2. That an abstracted retired frame of heart is fittest for discerning what is right and what is wrong It is not at Court where folks come soonest to discern the whore the glistering of that shew keepeth men from the right up-taking of her But when men soberly retire to think of things in the most abstracted manner then what seemeth gold to others is often found but to be guilded to them as here vers 4. When Iohn is thus qualifyed and composed then is the vision represented an uncouth sight a woman described in four or five properties or markes 1. by the beast which supporteth her vers 3. which beast is in four characters set out For understaning of which beside what is said Observe That by woman is understood here the whore formerly mentioned to wit a whorish Church or a faithfull city turned to be an harlot
her as now under the last head And he beginneth at the beast because we know by this who that whore is by knowing who supporteth her The woman being spoken of last We come to the first thing followed vers 8. to wit the description of the beast in generall under the notion of his last head for Iohn in a prophetical vision getteth a sight of this backslidden Church and the Empire or dominion that supported her as she is a whore for that is in the words vers 8. The beast thou sawest Now the beast he saw was that which supported the whore called vers 11. the eighth head pointing at the last state of this Empire So this answereth a seeming contradiction how this beast can be said not to be and yet to be vers 8. for it is not to be understood simply that it is not for in the end of the verse it is said It yet is which maketh the wonder the more and vers 10. there was one King head to that beast even in that time but the opposition is to be understood in some respect that is it was formerly a large Empire but is not the Empire under that Government and form which is here intended in that respect it is but to come which is verified in the state of this beast which Iohn saw and the Angel describeth More particularly this beast is described in a threefold respect 1. as to the time past it was that is this is an Empire which is not now to begin simply but long hath had dominion in the world though differing from this under the last consideration for 1. It was under Kings Consuls Emperours and other lawfull civil Governours this ascendeth from the pit 2. It was a civil Government governing by power and force of Arms now it s Ecclesiastick bearing rule by Religion and pretext of Christs horns 3. It was openly heathenish and idolatrous avowedly persecuting Christians now it is not so a pretended Christian but really idolatrous and an enemie to all true Christians 2. It is described in respect of the present time It is not that is in respect of this last state which was coming and is opposed to all the former in that respect it is not come as it was to be antichristian and as the Roman city is not yet an whore So this Government which is the last of that beast is not now in the world because it is under the seventh head and the sixth was then vers 10. for though the mysterie of iniquity began to work very soon yet this birth was not then brought forth So it is in vain to seek this beast amongst the formes then existing though that same Empire was in other respects in being even then Here also it would be adverted That this was and is not looketh to Iohns time and is to be made a truth then as the word in the future but shall arise cleareth But was and is not in the end of the verse looketh to the time after his rising and becoming the object of the earths admiration which is the cursed priviledge of the last head that then was to arise from the pit 3. It is described in reference to the time to come and or but as often shall arise though he be not yet come yet he shall come and because there was most difficulty to know him that was to come and it is most concerning also to Gods people That future state is set out also in a further description in these four 1. in his rise He shall ascend out of the bottomlesse pit where two things are insinuated 1. Concerning his nature and kind 2. Concerning his order or manner of rising By his originall from the bottomlesse pit We understand the same thing as Chap. 9. of his being Angel of the bottomlesse pit His arising from thence Chap. 11.7 and his getting power from the devil Chap. 13.5 All which imply not only that he should be of a hellish disposition but that his power or form of it which was to succeed that which then was should have a rise specially from hell that is should be no civil Government of any sort all which Rom. 13. are Gods Ordinances nor meerly a power abused by the devil in oppression and persecution for that had not been any peculiar mark to this beast or this state of the beast for all the former almost were such and so it would not reach the Angels scope It must then be understood of a Government unwarranted by God and a medling in things not put in mens power an office not acknowledged in the Word such as Papacy is but in effect a power especially plotted by the devil and brought out of hell to supply the Dragons place when he should be dis-throned in the heathen Emperours By which it appeareth that this is a singular dominion in respect of its rise as being specially obliged to the devil for that and singular in its usefulnesse to him which can be spoken of no ordinary Government though the persons be sinfull that are in it Secondly This and shall ascend c. implyeth 1. a great height this beast should come to from small beginnings as Chap. 13. 2. That gradatim or piece and piece he should come to it not all at once at an height but one step of usurpation after another till the height were come unto but in a covert way as papacy arose so that there seemeth to be some intervall as it were between the beast that was and is his evanishing in that shape which he then had and the last beasts appearing in which respect it is said Chap. 13. peculiarly of this change that one head was wounded and discerned to be so before it was recovered by this last For the time and manner of this rise see more Chap. 9. and Chap. 13. Only here it appeareth that the future state of the Roman Empire which should be in its nature and rise different from the former states thereof is the state that is set out by this beast and all know that this is the Papacy or Pontificatus 2. This last state of the beast which in this Chapter is called commonly the beast is set out in his ruine as he was under that form to succeed what had gone before so that there should be none after him for he shall go into perdition 1. Implying an evanishing of this beast under this head and not only the changing of this state for that had not been peculiar to it but common with the former All by gone states are comprehended in what was and this future state or consideration of the beast taketh in all which was to come of him 2. It implieth a peculiar destruction waiting for him different from the former 3. A slownesse in its on-going though there be a certainty of its fulfilling yet not at once If Papacy be 〈◊〉 this head then we cannot look for an Antichrist to succeed it seing it hath succeeded to the
of its blasphemous idolatry and superstitions which though they differ someway in kind yet for number they are as many for guilt as great for effects of wrath as dangerous so that who would compare the many images dayes and Temples before applied to the idols of the heathens which now are called and turned into images dayes and Temples of the Saints they might say the idolatry upon the matter is the same though the names be changed even as their Churches are See Chap. 13. This upon the matter is the new formed image of the beast spoken of there In all which respects though it might be said that this beast is not the former in some respect yet materially it is in being as the Text saith Hence this argument may be formed That Government or Dominion in the world which in some respect to wit as civill was before Iohns time governing all yet as such that is as Ecclesiastick and under a different consideration was not come in his time but shortly was to succeed that which then was over Rome yet as differing from it and in its rise and nature to be no ordinary civill power but an unwarrantable Ecclesiastick power at which the world was to admire and unto which they were willingly to give a more absolute and divine subjection than to any of the former powers under that Government Rome is the antichristian whore That Government is antichristian and the head and supream Governour thereof is Antichrist But the Papacy is that Government which was not in Iohns time yet succeeded to that which then was in amplitude of Government and to which men willingly yeeld and have yeelded such an obedience and subjection which now is begun to go into perdition c. Therefore that Church is the whore that Government antichristian and that head and Governour is Antichrist for he immediatly succeedeth to that which was in Iohns time and according to Bellar. de Pontif. lib. 3. since the Gospel came to light goeth into perdition and all these marks agree to him only Therefore he is the state pointed at by these Or thus That form of Dominion over the Roman Empire which is not in kind one with what it was in Iohns time but immediately succeedeth to that and yet in respect of amplitude of Government and degree of subjection to it is the same with or more ample than the former though upon a different consideration and account that Dominion or Empire under that form is the beast seen by Iohn But Papacy is such a Government and the Empire of Rome under it is such Therefore it is the Dominion described by him as the antichristian Kingdom LECTURE IV. Vers. 9. And here is the mind which hath wisdome The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sitteth 10. And there are seven Kings five are fallen and one is and the other is not yet come and when he cometh he must continue a short space 11. And the beast that was and is not even he is the eighth and is of the seven and goeth into perdition THe Angel proceedeth to a particular interpretation of the parts to wit heads and horns wherein the beast was most singular and remarkable There is a sentence casten in before he descend to it Here is the mind which hath wisdom which is something like that Chap. 13.18 and it looketh both to what is past putting Readers to consider well of it and to what is coming pointing out something that a man of wisdom will not let passe but take hold of these marks for discerning of the whore The words imply 1. a materialnesse in the matter written as conducing for the understanding of this mystery 2. a difficulty to get a mind composed to take it up there will be need of spirituall and true wisdom 3. that such wisdom will find what is in it and get so much gripping as to fix them in this who is this whore and beast and therefore this Chapter would be the more fully insisted in 4. It Implieth that it is a rare thing to apply these marks wisely and that the generality of Readers will not do it And by this we may see that though promises be fulfilled and prophesies also and the expressions be very obvious and palpable to any that have discerning yet they are not so to these who have their minds blinded with prejudice and spiritual blindness such prophesies as are most clearly fulfilled and applied to Christ to the Iews are dark and others of Daniel and Ezekiel which undoubtedly are fulfilled are also obscure It is no marvell then that so many Papists wondering after this beast cannot wisely discern his marks It will take wisdom to do that which every one hath not and therefore that argument of Bellar. against the fulfilling of this prophesie because it is so obscure to many is of no force He beginneth at the heads and giveth two interpretations or two applications of that type or he declareth two things to be meaned by it 1. The seven heads are seven mountains upon which the woman or chief city sitteth 2. They are seven Kings We premit this that all the marks after described agree to one beast out of all which put together the clearing of what is signified is to be gathered Therefore that Empire or city must have seven hills which hath seven Kings and to whom the one is applied the other must be applied also otherwayes they do not serve the scope which is by the parts of one beast to discover the Empire meaned by it in whole The first exposition of heads is by the fixed property and naturall situation of this city or woman to wit mountains The second is by what is successive one to and after one another The former of seven mountains are contemporary this is successive and in diverse forms The heads are called mountains because in this they signifie so and we are to understand mountains Kings and to be set out by heads and horns in a metonymicall speach the signes getting the name of what is signified by it not that really they are so By these then mountains are properly to be understood and the number seven is definite also as appeareth by the exposition which followeth for Kings are properly seven and the number definite as appeareth by that that five are past one is c. and this suiteth with the nature of the Angels interpreting the seven Candlesticks and seven Stars Chap. 1.20 to be seven Churches and seven Angels as is said in the preface These mountains then are 1. described by their number seven and if the number were not definite but put for seven nine or eleven c. then it could not contribute to designe one place by another which yet is here the Angels scope who speaketh of these seven mountains as of seven mountains famous in respect of others and some way peculiar to this city 2. They are described from this that the woman sitteth on them
common wars and enemies He with His Ministers Saints and Servants are one Christ 1 Cor. 12.3 Consider the actors it is these i. e. the horns Chap. 12.7 it was the devil and his angels Chap. 11 and 13. it is the beast that is the head and Chap. 18.24 there the bloud is found in the whore here it is the horns All concur and share both in the sin and judgment but diversly The devil is the fountain and root that this enimity floweth from the beast is his special Lieutenant and General the horns are the more immediate actors by which the beast pusheth the whore not only concurreth but she bloweth the hatred and pusheth-on by advices laws and edicts though the as an ecclesiastick body put none to death herself yet doth she put the horns to it who are her immediate executioners This then is a character of these Kings who shall give their power to the beast they shall persecute Christ's true Church for a long time in favours of the whore and beast The last word added is concerning the successe the victory is on the Lamb's side and the reasons are subjoyned He is victor in His Members and Cause these three wayes as Chap. 12. 1. When in their sufferings they continue stedfast and overcome even to the outwearying of the persecutors by their patience who are more inslaved and overcome in acting than the other in suffering 2. He overcometh by keeping Truth and a Church in the world in the despight of them that the Prophets end their testimony in despight of them and the Church spreadeth and multiplieth even under them as under Dioclesian c. 3. He overcometh by bringing sad judgments on His persecuters and bringing His Church through and setting up the Witnesses as Chap. 11. when they seemed lowest and by making the world subject to the Gospel in end either by moving them to yeeld or by crushing them and restraining them from doing any hurt to it He thus prevaileth The reasons added to confirm us of the certainty of the victory that it cannot be otherwise are from two grounds 1. From the excellency of the Captain He hath no equall for He even this Lamb is Lord of lords and King of kings words setting forth especially His Godhead in three 1. His soveraignty and absolute dominion over all 2. His power being able to command all none so great a King as He. 3. His right for justice is on His side These titles agree to Christ properly as God so Chap. 19. and yet as Mediator in some respect for the behoof of His Church He is made head over all things Eph. 1.22 and hath all power over all not as over the Elect who are in a peculiar way committed to Him but in a deputation for their cause and good He hath a delegated power as Mediator to restrain punish raise up or cast down Kings or Kingdoms in the world as He thinketh meet The first is essentiall to Him as God the second voluntary and given to Him as Mediator The second reason is from the nature of His Warriours or Army none such are in the world they are such Souldiers as are all Saints 1. Called that is effectually so from the estate of nature to grace and so sanctified 2. Chosen they are both chosen comparatively and chosen and made use of by Him to be for the glory of His grace and therefore cannot be overcome by any power but be conquerorâ— 3. They are faithfull honest at the heart and reall in His service which is an effect of the former two they stick constantly unto Him which sheweth wherein their victory most consisteth that is in their faith 1 Iob. 5.4 though even in suffering yet they quit Him not These are excellent qualifications Now if it be asked If there be none other on Christ's side but such what shall be accounted of all hypocrites though formal professours Ans. 1. They may be for Christ in one thing as in a point of truth yet against Him in the end they are not for His glory therefore are not on His side for he that is not so with Him is against Him 2. All unrenewed men are Christ's enemies and though they sometimes in some particular side or seem to side with Christ yet it is not done as service to Him as in Iudas who followed Him for the bag and those that preached Him out of envie Philip. 1.15 yet are they but serving themselves and not Christ and will be ready to do Him an affront when it serveth their purpose as Iudas did He hath no followers indeed but where grace maketh them nor will He count men by their practice but by their ends and motives Neither can one be faithfull to the end but one that is called and chosen others are one time or another utterly foyled to the shame of their profession and He will own none such as Souldiers to Him Before we come to the application two things would be cleared 1. If this prophesie be fulfilled 2. how it is fulfilled or when and much businesse is here made by Papists who make their main demonstrations from this that Antichrist is not yet come because say they this is not fulfilled 1. That this is fulfilled may be evidenced thus Arg. 1. If these Provinces that were in Iohns time without Kings be now Kingdoms having their own Governments without any dependence on the Roman Empire Then this prophesie is fulfilled But the first in experience is truth look through all the Nations that were Provinces then not one of them is subject to the Roman Emperour now save it be Germany alone which yet indeed is not so but all have their severall independent Kings now of a long time The connexion of the Major may be made out thus That change that hath since come upon the Roman Empire and the up-setting of these many new Kingdoms and Kings which had no Kingdom then is neither no change at all but consistent with the head that then was or it is some other change than is held forth in this prophesie or thirdly it is the very same spoken of here But neither of the first two can be said not the first that the Empire is the same now that it was then for the spirit putteth a clear difference betwixt this last state Chap. 13. and the first under Emperours That in the first the heads were Crowned here the horns and if there be not difference betwixt Provinces subject to one Empire that ruleth over them all and Provinces made Kingdoms ruling within themselves without any dependance on that head there is difference in nothing for Kings cannot be horns to the Emperours seing they act not for him but for another thus the Civill head hath the crown on the head not on the horns the Ecclesiastick head hath them on the horns it is consistent with it to have Soveraignes for his vassals which cannot be in a civil state for so either the Kings were not
Therefore it s mine This will serve rather wholly to overturn it as is said and till from Scripture they make out their affirmative the assertion will stand good yet we shall a little descend to consider their grounds and concessions in this point and we will find that the weight of their conclusion that this power doth belong to the Pope doth rest upon Traditions Fathers Councels and especially the Popes own determination That the Scripture giveth such a power to the Pope of Rome before it can be believed as of divine authority these three must be made out by it See Greg. de Val. disp 1. punct 7. part 37. 1. That Peter not only as an Apostle with the rest but as head and supream over all the Apostles was furnished with and established in that Authority by Jesus Christ over them and the Catholick Church as their head 2. That Peter sat and had this Authority and exercised it at Rome as peculiarly the seat of this Authority and that this supremacy in Peter was no extraordinary priviledge to his person but to be derived and continued in his successors to the end of the world 3. That only the Pope of Rome is Peters successor in this supream power and that by divine Authority it belongeth to that seat and to him who shall sit there To passe the first two which yet can never be made out by Scripture the third also must be made out or it will not bear this conclusion that it is of faith to believe that the Pope is invested with this power But now there is no shadow of this in Scripture and therefore when Bellar. cometh to make out this he foundeth it on these four to wit 1. Apostolick tradition 2. General◠Councels 3. Popes Decrees or Statutes 4. Fathers and antiquity But none of these are Scripture and in effect all resolveth on this the Pope appointeth himself head and successor Ergo he is head c. for it is well known nothing is received as Apostolick tradition but what he decreeth to be so Not are any generall Councels accepted as infallible but such as are approven by him and so far as approven See Bellar. De authoritate Concil lib. 2. cap. 1. And Gregorius de Val. casteth Traditions and Scripture but as owned by his Authority much lesse then will they admit any Father that differeth from him Hence sundry Councels and Acts as that of Chalcedon and Constantinople in these Acts wherein Constantinople was equalled to Rome are rejected by them on this ground because they were not approven by the Pope So it runneth in this circle Whence hath the Popes this power or whence is it clear to us so as to warrant our faith that they have that power They answer in sum from themselves or from such grounds as resolve on themselves because say they their power is such as determineth all these things If it be asked further How getteth these Popes power to determine so and what warrandeth us to rest on their determination Say they because they are Peters successors in that universall office If it be asked again How is that made out that they are his successors Say they by such determinations we know him to be so In a word these determinations give him power and he giveth them power to do so and so about yet this is the main thing to wit the application of this power to Rome and particularly to the Bishop thereof that is here questioned and though possibly it were not requisit that all the successors should be other wayes known than by Historie yet the ratio successionis as Bellar. calleth it to wit Why the Bishop of Rome hath this peculiar Authority beyond others that would be known if it be either of divine or catholick faith which two are ill distinguished by Bellarmine If it be objected to them These cannot ground a divine warrant to make a thing be believed to be jure divino or of divine authority Because to make a thing certain to us certitudine fidei and to be believed as such there is a twofold certainty required 1. An objective surenesse or certainty in the thing it self 2. Subjective in them that believe that is such certainty as proceedeth from such grounds as cannot cause a mistake or fail any which no humane testimony can bear out and therefore only Gods testimony can give warrant for this Bellar. De Pontif. lib. 2. cap. 12. seeing this doth go about to distinguish between a divine warrant or else de jure divino and to be of catholick faith and saith though it be not the first fortè saith he as loath to speak it out Yet it is the second and to be believed under pain of damnation upon the grounds foresaid His words are Successio est à Christo qui uno actu constituit Petrum successores ejus in Pontificatu ad finem mundi ratio successionis i. e. cur Papa succedit quia est Romanus non est ex prima institutione Christi quia alibi potuit Petrus fixisse sed ex facto Petri and calleth it not improbable to be setled at Rome by Christs command But our question is How it is evident that this Pope hath ground to claim that succession or Quomodo constat cum Petri successorem esse to which this saith nothing therefore addeth he that though fortè Papa Romanus quia Romanus non sit jure Divino tamen si quaeratur Si Romanus Pontifex jure Divino sit caput omnium Ecclesiarum omnino saith he respondendum est quia nibil aliud requiritur quam ut ipsa successio sit jure Divino Yea there is more required before that succession can be believed to be peculiar to that Sea seing they go together and this would be evidenced to be so for we ask not now If there be succession but why the Pope carrieth himself as successor and where is his warrant At last it resolveth in traditions and Councels which are so and to be esteemed so because he decreeth them so and this is the ground of this article of their faith unto them notwithstanding that the Scripture is silent in it which yet containeth all things needfull to eternall life Ioh. 5.39 20 21. And for that instance that Bellar. giveth of a catholick faith as distinguished from a divine faith to wit whether Paul left a cloak at Troas or not It is true this was a truth before Paul wrote that epistle and is yet a truth not simply necessary to salvation in it self yet considering it as revealed in the Word the believing of it now is of divine authority and hath a divine warrant which it would not have had if it had not been in the Word although it had been a truth in it self So that when it cometh to this that the Pope is successor to Peter that is only essayed to be proven by authorities See Greg. de Val. disput 1. De objecto fidei punct 7. pag. 35. and
Luke wrote the Acts yet is it not for nought that the Lord hath left it unrecorded that we might thereby know it was not necessary to be believed and therefore any conclusion which supposeth it to be necessary to be believed is not necessary except we rub on the wisdom of God who recordeth lesser things than this And therefore a thing may be truth and yet not being writen is not necessarily to be believed but with a humane faith as other histories at the most whereas no article of faith is thus grounded because the object of our Faith or the ratio why we believe such a thing is not simply because such a thing is truth for many facts are truth which we are not obliged to believe but because God hath revealed such a thing and testifieth it to be Truth Faith resting on that testimony and giving credit to Him that testifieth The other Conclusion to wit That the Church of Rome for these many years past and presently is the whore intended here the same argument will make it out If the Rome that is present be the Rome unto which all the properties here mentioned do agree and at this time Then this Rome is that whorish Church But unto the Rome that now is and hath been these many generations past agree both the properties and time in which it is to be fulfilled Ergo. The properties given to this whorish Church are four That she hath her Court at Rome and sitteth on the seven-hilled City yet also exercising dominion over many other Nations vers 15. but differently so as Rome is here peculiar in another other manner the fountain and splendour of that Kingdom 2. That it is Rome turned a whore and fallen from the simplicity she had and to such an apostasie of which Rome is the head and chief seat 3. That it is Rome claiming a superiority over all those of her association or apostasie and deriving her errors to them and they keeping a dependance on her she is and it is when she is Mother and Metropolis of all vers 5. 4. It is Rome then when the Emperour hath ceased to command it and another Government or Governour hath succeeded him there 5. It is when ten Kings are withdrawn from the Empire and have given their subjection to Rome on a spiritual account She that is Rome in that case is the Whore But all these properties agree to Rome not as heathenish but as popish and to the Pope as head thereof And therefore this is neither to be applyed to Rome heathenish nor to an Antichrist to come but to that which is And it is not unobservable in Gods providence that considering the speciall sibnesse that is holden forth here both betwixt this city Rome the Woman Whore and Beast that yet the Popish Church should glory in that title of the Roman Church and many of them dispute that it is impossible to separate their Pope from that very City or that elsewhere he might choose to sit and continue Pope and those who in this grant most do affirm that he must and would still be Roman Bishop and that the Church would still be the Church of Rome although that city were possessed by Turks By this all may the more easily discern what Church or defection they are who have such relation to and dependance on Rome at this time when this prophesie is fulfilled ut supra Before we leave this Chapter it may possibly not be unmeet that coronidis vice we consider how the Popish Writers do interpret and apply it wherein they are wonderfully straitned and perplexed It was their common opinion to understand by this City or whore the city or multitude of the wicked generally This is followed by Thomas Aquinas Hugo Card. Lyranus Haymo and many others but the latter Writers since Reformation brake forth have been constrained to cast that opinion because this City is so particularly circumstantiated as to point at an individuall City to speak so and she is contradistinguished from many Nations and Kings who yet are certainly a great part of the wicked in the world and also Chap. 18. when she is destroyed there are many wicked living and lamenting her destruction and standing at a distance from her Upon these and the like grounds the most learned of them are generally since that time brought to expound it of Rome and as Viegas saith impellimur aliam interpretationem excogitare and Ribera saith Interpretes coguntur c. Alcasar in locum all whom with others we cited before at the beginning of the Chapter interpreteth it so and citeth twentie Authors of their most eminent men for it Also Corn. à Lapide who addeth many to these cited by Alcasar amongst whom are Suarez in 3. part tom 2. disp 5. Sixtus Senensis lib. 2. pag. 88. Pererius Salmeron and others All which take Babylon in all this prophesie to hold out Rome and in this they and we agree as to the generall 2. There is again difference amongst themselves how to conceive Rome here so as to save their Pope and the present Rome from this application Hence some which is most received apply it to heathen Rome Others as Ribera Blasius Viegas and Cornelius à Lapide apply it to Rome under Antichrist who therefore say that at or before his coming Rome shall turn heathen and desert the Pope and be destroyed by Antichrist or by the Kings before his coming Their reasons are because it looketh to such a state of Rome as then was to be fulfilled in Iohn's time and therefore cannot be understood of heathenish Rome but because this opinion supposeth Rome to be involved in defection which cannot stand with her infallibility and would shake all seing some plead so much for Romes eternity and make all suspicious for if Rome fall then may it not be fallen already Therfore others cast it as Alcasar and those named by him applying it to what heathenish Rome suffered at or before Constantines time or after by the Goths And Bellarmine seemeth to favour this lib. 2. cap. 2. de Pont. Rom. Those who take it thus expound the seven hills literally but in other things the differ 1. Some take the beast for the devil but others considering that the devil and the beast are differenced and that this beast is cast into the lake long before the devil and that the scope is to point out some eminent opposer of the Church for some particular time therefore they do in generall apply it to Antichrist as also that first beast Chap. 13. and some make the last a false prophet that maketh way for him so do they of that beast Chap. 11.7 and expresly say he is one of the seven heads here mentioned and also called the eight because his nature differeth from them and his hurt to the Church exceedeth them 2. Concerning the seven heads they differ some applying it to the seven tyrannous Kingdoms or Empires Egypt Assyria Babylon c.
succeeded to the seals and was immediately to follow upon them and the Angels hast to seal the Elect evidenceth it which is more fully opened there Now the seals having their close at the overturning of the heathenish Empire This then which immediately succeeded must long since be in being 6. We may gather it thus This defection is contemporary with the Prophets prophesieing in sackcloth the womans fleeing to the wildernesse Chap. 12. and is the same with the Gentiles treading the outer court Chap. 11. But both these are begun even at the child's taking up to heaven which is the close of heathen persecution yea and is closed as to the dayes set there Therefore this must be of a long time since in the world also both these propositions we cleared on Chap. 11. And all these arguments that prove the contemporariness of the beast and Babylon with the trumpets and the succession of both to the heathenish persecution and that immediatly as on Chap. 6. Lect. 1. and 8. Chap. 7. Lect. 1. Chap. 9. Lect. 1. Chap. 11. Lect. 4. Chap. 12. Lect. 1. and 3. c. 7. This defection is the same with Antichrists as is said Now his defection is long since begun and hath its rise from the healing of the head which was wounded Chap. 13. as there was made out Therefore this is not to come 8. We may have some light from Chap. 20. where this will be clear that Antichrists defection must go before the thousand years there mentioned because it supposeth saints to have been killed by the beast who are there brought to reign But we cannot look that these thousand years are wholly to come and his persecution to go yet before it also that would take longer time to the fulfilling of all events than in reason any will allow yet to be running to the end of the world This concludeth the more strongly because generally not only our writer but even the Popish themselves grant this that it is not to come but that they are begun if they be not finished so do Corn. Ã lap Viegas Alcasar the Rhemists and others who though they senslesly apply it and with contradiction as their manner is yet agree in this that long since they are begun And although there should be difficulty to show when this defection began and how because much of that riseth from humane storie yet these characters prove it must be in being and before this time begun and that is sufficient to us All these arguments begin it almost after the close of the heathenish persecution whereof we spoke more on Chap. 11. We may add an argument or two further thus If every condition of the visible Church be either contemporary with the seals that is the heathenish world or with the antichristian world under the trumpets wherein Antichrist cometh to an height or with the vials wherein is his declining Then this apostasie must be come because we are not now under the seals that period is past we must therefore be under one of the following two seing these three prophesies carrie on the series to the end But if we be under the vials then Antichrist is not only come but is already at his height and it is not like that there being so many hundred years since the seals ended and the trumpets began that still they be running at least in the first six for the seventh comprehendeth the vials Again if the properties concomitants and characters and events given to discern this defection be fulfilled Then this defection of Antichrist must be come seing these characters can agree to no other But we will find the first true as the former exposition of Chap. 9. 11. 13. and 17. will clear Ergo. Taking this for granted then that the antichristian defection is of a long time since come and this also that when it cometh it continueth untill Romes destruction which yet is not fulfilled It must therefore follow that it is in being for the present in the world and hath been so for a long time and that therefore we ought to look where it is for the present This is certain that it is not to be fought amongst Pagans or Turks but amongst professed Christians 2. Not among ancient Hereticks that now are not in being or such as have no pompe or splendor in the world this being so eminent a Kingdom cannot be applyed to them It must therefore be either in the Roman Church or amongst us who are called Protestants it can be attributed to no third now in being But for us they themselves will absolve us for we have neither the seat of this defection not a Head or Monarch as is over this kingdom c. This cursed priviledge therefore belongeth to them who have both and glory in them 2. Again if these be truth that Rome is infected with Antichrists defection while it is in the world and is the whore spoken of after its appearing till she be destroyed Then it will follow laying aside other arguments from other circumstances that Rome as it is and hath been for many years is the whore here spoken of which is guilty of the Antichristian defection and this consequence will stand good till the antecedent be overturned But the former is truth from the former arguments and from their concessions that grant that this destruction is not yet come Ergo. 3. We may therefore resume our argument confidently If all the characters applyed to this whore be verified in Rome now present and as it hath been for many years and in its Governour the Pope Then is this Rome the whore which is to be destroyed and the Pope Antichrist and no other is to be looked for But the former is truth they are fulfilled and in them Ergo We may warrantably conclude that she is the whore and he the Antichrist It is a wonder to consider how little the most learned adversaries have to say to this except what evidenceth the force of the wine of her fornications on them for if Antichrist be come there is no way to vindicate Rome and their Pope from this charge it so natively followeth Again there is no way to evite this that he is already come but by pointing-out such another imaginary Antichrist as shall never come and thus to bound him up to the three or four last years of the world contrary to the whole strain of this Prophesie in some part following the way of the Jews who to evite the fulfilling of the Prophesies concerning the true Messias do fabulously inquire for a Messiah contrary to the Scriptures with such wars and effects of his reign which because they are not fulfilled therefore tenaciously they adhere to this that the true Messias is not yet come which way as it is just with God in both thus to plague their rejecting of clear light so ought it to work humility and commiseration in us considering how unreasonable the wisdom of man is in the things of
Clergie-men their lamentation for their temporal losse and hazard also to wit both lucrum cessans and damnum emergens which two are the great grounds of lamentation among the men of the world He proceedeth ver 15. to the lamentation of the Ship-men and under-rowers of Peters Bark as they call it or inferiour Clergie-men and Sub-ministers of the Church of Rome who have their standing by this trade ver 17. and their lamentation is much more as having â— more sensible touch of their own misery in hers They cast dust on their heads possibly being more blinded than others and regrate the desolation of that City that had no equall in her pump and hath now no equal in her ruine yet so they lament as it appeareth what pincheth them most She made all that traded in ships rich ver 19. not simply all who traded in outward things but all her dependers in Abbacies and Convents Priests Jesuits and all inferiour orders and officers that were servants to this stately City in her merchandise and providing for her venting of her wares and carrying them through the world and bringing back returnes for the adorning of her again all in that Seâ— are made rich So the Merchants suit with the wares the Ship-men and Sea must be suitable to both imploying a trade and traffick of Rome sinfull to her and inriching to her servants and merchants occupied in it These Ship-mens standing dependeth on Rome and her ruine is theirs for all of that sort live by her trade and that is the change of her Merchants from which it is clear that that Sea is not literally to be taken here but so as serveth to this Antichristian trade and end of merchandizing in the forms laws and Ecclesiastick state of that Whore and her Clergie who are most usefull in that imployment and made up by it The Orders are the ships and men that trade The Sea is the spirituality under which notion they trade Hence also we may see what trade inricheth Rome most to wit of souls and what holdeth on its Merchants to wit self interest it giveth them such a being as they have in worldly esteem and grandour and what wonder it be sad to them to part with such a trade The third part of the Angels denounciation followeth vers 20. setting out the greatnesse and fulnesse of this ruine by the great ground of joy it should give and justly give to all Gods people formerly oppressed by her The words are by an Apostrophe spoken to others than these he was speaking to in the words before By Heavens Apostles and Prophets may figuratively be understood the great glory God shall have out of Romes destruction so that it shall affect heaven and be ground to them of joy or rather by heaven is meaned the Church so they come in as obeying this Chap. 19. and they sing And by Apostles and Prophets is understood their successors who are to be in the Church unto the end The reason why they should joy is because in this judgement God hath had respect to them to vindicate them and to liberate them and is to take vengeance on her for them If it be asked how she to wit Rome antichristian was guilty of the bloud of the Prophets and Apostles vers 20. and all Saints vers 24 Or 2. How they are to rejoyce at her destruction Answ. 1. She is guilty of the Apostles bloud as of the Prophets bloud though she never actually shed the bloud of any of them in these three 1. because there is but one body and who wrongeth any of the members on that common account as such he wrongeth the head and all the rest for they have one cause 2. Because they who wrong one they virtually wrong all and their malice would reach to all if they had them as Matth. 23.31 ye are the children of them that killed the prophets for ye shall slay me and would have done so to them if ye had had them 3. They are accessory in serving themselves heirs to the judgements of all persecuters who have all one lot and who come last in come in on the same score with the former so is the generation that Christ lived in guilty of all the bloud was shed from Abel's time Matth. 23. unto that For answer to the second they rejoyce not carnally or selfishly But 1. for that they see the glory of Gods justice manifested 2. That they and especially the truth they suffered for and the threatnings they had pronounced in his name do appear now to be vindicated and ratified and God owneth them which for a long time was not believed in the world Thus he hath judged your judgment that is there was still a controversie between them and Babylon God cometh and now decideth for them and declareth it was truth they suffered for and not errour 3. That by this mean way is made to the spreading of Christs Kingdom the snare is removed from many a poor soul. This is joyfull to them and upon this account they formerly prayed for it and this addeth to their joy when God now heareth them and maketh it appear He heareth them The last part of the Chapter followeth from ver 21. by the second Angel who by word and sign confirmeth this finall and utter destruction of Rome The sign goeth first the word next and the cause of it is set down in the close The sign is a mighty Angels taking up a great stone like a milstone and casting it in the sea So that as this heavy stone which is thrown down by a mighty Angel to the bottom of the sea cannot but suddainly fall and not arise so sure shall this fall of Babylon or Romes destruction be and that with violence and she shall no more be found This is the Angels exposition vers 21. as taken from Ier. 51.63 64. and spoken of old Babylon He proceedeth to amplifie this desolation ver 22 23. out of Ier. 25.10 11. where the sad desolation of Iudah is prophesied in these almost the same tearms 1. There shall be no more chearfulnesse and mirth there 2. No tradsmen-usefull for mans life there 3. No milstone or provision meet for entertaining mans life there 4. No light of a candle or what is comfortable but absolute darknesse there 5. No marrying or chearfull solemnity of that kind without out which there can be no continuing city These particulars are instanced according to the manner of the Prophets to set out desolation and its continuing in the highest degree The causes follow and they are three great ones the first is vers 23. for thy merchants were the great men of the earth whereby it is clear 1. These are not common traders but such as become by this trade to be and are accounted great men on the earth though not in heaven 2. That it must be something sinfull and peculiarly sinfull to Rome which is not to be found elsewhere it being given here as the
to such and accounted one with them See Iob 27.2 and Isa. 26.18 where judgement is taken thus and by this sitting on the throne they are declared to be so If otherwise we take judgement it will be the same that reigning is afterward or qualifications fitting for reigning such as are promised to Solomon Psal. 72.2 This good condition is set further out in it self in the end of the verse as that which followed this preparation in three things 1. They lived I take it to be all one with what is said vers 5. To rise again for there this life is called the resurrection and the dead their not rising is called they lived not again i.e. in prosperity Hence these phrases Let the King live for ever and among heathens non est vivere vita sed valere This life includeth 1. that they enjoyed a spirituall life and had fellowship with God in Christ such as others had not See Gal. 2.20 21. I live not I but Christ liveth in me this is included as being opposit to the rest of the dead world 2. To live includeth a comfortable life even in opposition to externall discouragements and dying daily by hazards Paul in that respect saith of himself 1 Corinth 15. he died daily and so it is understood I live if ye stand fast I have enough I am chearfull this living must be here taken-in as it is opposit to these Martyrs former dying while yet they lived spiritually and is opposed to the troubles following when after the thousand years they cease to live so which cannot be understood of spiritual or heavenly life only which is alway the same 3. They live taketh in not only living separately and to speak so individually in some persons which might have been in the saddest times but in a Church-estate and a publick combined profession So the Jews in-coming is called life from the dead Rom. 11. and the Jews restauration Ezek. 37. a raising up again of dry bones and thus here their living is opposed to the Churches fleeing formerly wherein she had not the publick liberty of Ordinances but was shut up in the Temple Chap. 11. ver 2. 2. By reigning is understood but a further degree and qualification of the life mentioned being opposed to the same three straits as their life is especially to the suffering and reproached condition which the Saints and Martyrs formerly had Now when the Church is revived and getteth new life after such a deadly condition it not only liveth but reigneth that is enjoyeth these in a good measure of abundance and freedom in respect of what they had That as the former is called life from the dead Rom. 11. their present condition being compared with what it was so this is reigning opposit to slavery as Dan. 2. the Saints are said to have the Kingdom in respect of their freedom under the Maccabees in comparison of their former straits under Antiochus The third thing is the time a thousand years which sheweth that this freedom is to be of a long continuance at least comparatively with any other time This is in sum the meaning during that time of Satans restraint the Church had a good free condition in respect of what she formerly had for a long time so that these who for their honesty were martyred universally by heathens and Antichrist are now brought in Gods providence to a free profession of the Truth and some light and shelter provided for them untill this time expire From which it appeareth 1. That these reigning here are the whole Church and professors of the Faith sincerely and not some few only 2. That Antichrists height and tyranny must go before the computation of this time they being such who have suffered by him that are now admitted to reign and therefore the words cannot bear to be applyed to a suffering condition of the Church outwardly and a good condition spiritually for then it must set out her most difficult strait wherein most Martyrs suffered under Antichrist But that cannot be seing the first thousand years do not reach that time or it must set out her condition after that time is past and that immediately after the turn 3. It followeth then that the computation is to begin when the Church getteth a living and being in any good condition and freedom after Antichrists height For 1. their killing goeth before 2. Their living followeth next Hence are we to account them living after the interruption of Antichrists universal kingdom wherein none were admitted in any part of the world by Law to have life or being but such as had his mark See Chap. 13. and 11. which will fall under the vials and begin with them as is said for at their beginning began the Saints to have visible Church-profession allowed them as Chap. 11. for though at that time Antichrists kingdom hath not a full end till at least the sixth vial end yet it cannot be said they live not nor have a visible Church-profession till that time So we are to term this beginning at the change of the former time when the Church and Saints lived not so even as after Constantine the Church suffered much by Heathens here and there yet still that persecution is brought no further than his time because there in its height it was interrupted and stopped Hence also we may gather not only the contemporating of the thousand years with the vials but of the vials with the seventh trumpet by the same reason for the thousand years contemporate with the seventh trumpet as is granted by Mede and therefore with the vials the contemporary of the thousand years according to the rule Qua conveniunt uni tertio inter se conveniunt As also we may gather the succeeding of the vials to the one thousand two hundred and sixty dayes of the Churches flight immediately for if the Churches condition under the vials be living and visible reigning in part then it cannot be fleeing but supposeth her return and so must immediatly succeed to that as is formerly said 4. It must follow from this that Antichrists beginning must be reckoned sooner than many do and that that opinion of Papists three years and an half is but a groundlesse conceit and dream opposit to this word which supposeth Antichrist to be much sooner in the world In their good condition particularly they are said to reign not simply but with Christ which sheweth 1. He and they reign on earth together that so when He is interrupted as it were as Chap. 11. so are they 2. To show the nature of their Kingdom that it agreeth with His in time when He reigneth so doth it in the things wherein His reigning consisteth so that in what respects Christ as Head to His visible Church and King to them is said visibly and eminently to reign so are they according to their several relations He as Head they as Members that is as He reigneth in purity and power of Ordinances and
multitude of Professors and liberty to be worshipped so do they by partaking joyntly of all these in and with Christ. So to reign with Christ differeth 1. from reigning simply 2. from Christs reigning with them as if He took share with them No but He admitteth them to share with Him 3. It differeth from Christs reigning in them which is meerly spiritual and alway continual This is in an outward enjoying of the Ordinances visible as fellowship invisible and a freedom in these and their reign is more or lesse according as Christs is Therefore must necessarily consist in enjoying such things as these by which He reigneth 2. The good condition of the Church and Saints ver 5. is set down by the sad condition that all the rest of the world were in All that time they lived not again and that it might be known what life they lived not again it is added This is the first resurrection not the second which is common both to good and bad Dan. 12.1 2. There are three things in the first part of the verse to be cleared 1. Who these rest of the dead are who are opposed to these who lived ver 4. In a word It is the successors of of these heart enemies and persecuters who had still a succession of the like in the world They are all by nature dead that live in the world Eph. 2. But some continue so 1 Tim. 5. as the widow that is dead while she liveth and Matth. 8. let the dead bury their dead So here they are accounted the rest of the dead even all who are opposed to the successors of the Martyrs as all contradistinguished from the Martyrs who formerly were dead but now live 2. It is said they did not live that is enjoy the former happy condition of the Church or did not come to that way of persecuting the Church actively as they had done before and were to do after these thousand years In which tyrannizing over the Church consisted the life of their predecessors the persecuters as these that are Saints now died in their predecessors the Martyrs so contra these wicked did live and reign in their predecessors the persecuters while the Church was martyred but now are as dead men bound up and restrained from acting that life in a great measure as if they were not living and thus it seemeth to consist with their living after the thousand years are past which is not as if they were converted but letten loose again to their old exercise these that were hypocrits before vent now their enimity more and wicked men formerly restrained now aim to bring-under again Christs Church 3. From this we may expound what is said till the thousand years expire as the tearm of their deadnesse for 1. it is not bodily rising again for yet the resurrection is not come nor spirituall rising again for the number of Saints is rather fewer after this resurrection and the thousand years are past than moe but as there is a life of grace and of the Saints so is there a life of corruption and of the wicked and wickednesse which may for a time be restrained Now after the thousand years wickednesse and wicked men live that is do break out in their enimity against the Church to persecute again by Gog and Magog as if personally they were risen and persecution that was almost seeming to be dead is revived Thus seing Satans binding hath a tearm and the Saints reign a tearm it is suitable also that the death of these wicked men here understood have a tearm also which can be no otherwise than this Hence these three are still observable 1. Satans loosing the Saints dying and the persecuters living before the thousand years 2. Satans binding the Saints living and the persecuters dying during that time not simply but in part so after the thousand years Satan is loose again the Church in hazard again and her good condition interrupted and so the persecuters they get life and heart again which is like that healing of the wound Chap. 13. of the head of the beast not in the same person but in a successor with the same principles and the giving life again to the image of the beast vers 13 14. and so the Saints their living and dying will answer well to the persecuters dying and living If any object that these dead are supposed to be dead before the thousand years Ans. Observe for clearing it his manner of comparison for the world preceeding that time is as it were divided in these two Martyrs and confessors keeping themselves free and persecuters both these are spoken of as dead Again the Church or generation succeeding during these thousand years are looked upon as the raising again of that former generation now saith he The difference between this generation and what went before shall be so great that men would think that all the former Martyrs and honest Christians were brought to life again they shall be so many But for the persecuters that lived in their times they shall not appear so as they formerly did during that time in which respect they are said to be dead and not to rise because once they were numerous and now it is not so and though this cannot universally as yet be said yet in this and other Nations blessed be God If it be asked what hath become of former sincere Christians It may be answered they are living again in their successors But if it be asked what is become of the Pope and open persecuters that once prevailed here It may be said they are dead and not arisen but are in their graves and by Gods blessing may not that which in so great part is fulfilled in some Nations be in due time extended to others and so here the rest of the dead importeth no more but that they are found in a dead state during these thousand years and that they do not again recover what they lost by it till these thousand years were expired and thus they are rather supposed to be living before it and interrupted by it which again they recover in their successors Gog and Magog when it is finished and this we conceive doth answer the scope This is called the first resurrection It is 1. applied to spirituall living again Ioh. 5. 23 c. and is opposed to sinfull death or death in sin and so resurrection to glory is distinguished from it Thus all Saints at all times rise as they are made to believe and this is personall and cannot be fecluded here 2. Resurrection is taken oftentimes as of Churches and Nations as Rom. 11. of the Iews in-coming and conversion and Ezek. 37. whenas the Church spreadeth so as if a Nation were born in one day Isa. 66. or as if all the former Saints which were lost as to men were again like Rachels children restored as it is Ier. 31. vers 15 16 c. This is after an eclipse when visibly the Church
and spread what is unsound as Philip. 3.2 Beware of dogs c. speaking of these teachers that did mix the righteousnesse of the Law with the righteousnesse of Christ in justification These also are without that is are in the second death Chap. 21.8 From Vers. 16. and forward followeth the Lord Jesus His own close to the same purpose to confirm and commend the truth of the words of this Prophesie In the 16. verse it is commended from the fountain it cometh from I Iesus have sent mine Angel to testifie these things in the Churches These are not Iohns inventions nor the sayings of an Angel out of his own head but they are from Me I own them all I Iesiu taking His proper name to Himself have sent mine Angel in more than an ordinary way to reveal these things to My servant Iohn and by him to the Churches to the end of the world And that this may have the more weight He taketh to Himself such stiles as He took to Himself before Chap. 2 and 3. I am the root and off-spring of David the bright and morning star to bring souls in love with Him He setteth out Himself as the very Messiah come of David as Chap. 5.5 The Lion of the tribe of Iudah and the root of David and the off-spring of David as man because as man He came of David and so is the promised Messiah as Isa. 11.1 There shall come a rod out of the stem of Iesse and a branch shall grow out of his roots c. Or take the words differently I am the roâ—t of David that is David God and David is as a branch and I gave him a being And I am the off-spring of David that is as man I am a branch come of David And thus he answereth the question the Pharisees could not understand Matth. 22.43 If David call Him Lord how is He then his son He is Davids Lord as God and Davids son as man so is He his root and off-spring 2. He calleth Himself the bright and morning-star He is called a star by Balaam Numb 24.17 There shall a star come out of Iacob and this relateth to that but to shew that He is not a common star but a singular one He is called the bright and morning star or day-star that bringeth the light of the day with it holding Himself out as the fountain of all light and consolation as Ioh. 1.9 He is that true light that lighteneth every one that cometh into the world This is He that sendeth this message to the Churches and that now we read of He that brought life and immortality to light c. These titles are foolishly applied to say no more to the Virgin Marie as many others are by Bernardine de Busco De denominationibus Mariae The second commendation is in a twofold Come ver 17. the Spirit and the Bride say Come And let him that heareth say Come This is such a word so excellent and true a word and so comfortable a saying that all that have the Spirit in them when they hear it will say Come and wish a performance of it and the Bride the Lambs wife all the Glorified in heaven and all the Regenerate on earth concur in it And not only the Church universal for that time but all that shall hear this word and have the faith of it in their heart shall say Come We conceive the scope is 1. to commend this word from the desirablenesse of it to all Believers especially that word vers 12. Behold I come quickly 2. To let the Church know that He is to send no more new Scripture or Messages of this sort and that they have no more to expect but the coming of the Lord on the back of the fulfilling of this Prophesie And so as Malachy in his last Chapter closes the Canon of the old Testament with a promise of Christs first coming and putteth the People of God to the Law of Moses and the Prophets till then so Christ here closeth the Canon of the New Testament with a promise of His second coming to which He knitteth the longing desires of His Church The second Come that commendeth the excellency of this Book Let him that is athirst come And whosoever will let him take the water of life freely Is there yet any body that is not clear in their interest let them come and take this word before Christ come for he will not get another word as if He said I have made many fair and free offers and now I close My last offer with a good word Who ever will take Christ and life through Him freely on the terms of free grace let him come and take Him without money and without price Isa. 55.1 This is our Lords farewell that He may presse the offer of the Gospel and leave that impression as it were upon record amongst the last words of the Scripture and His scope is to commend this Book and the offers He hath made in it as most free and on the tearms of grace wherein Christ aimeth much to draw souls to accept it And teacheth us that all that would expect comfort of His coming and pray for it with a well-grounded confidence they would first come to Him and close with Him and make use of His offer This maketh a comfortable meeting with Him and who cannot say the first come to Christ that he may come let themselves come to Him and hear and answer His call to them that so they may turn over their request to Him The third way how He commendeth this word is by putting a testimony to the perfection of it ver 18. telling that nothing can be added to it and nothing can be diminished from it as superfluous and both these are set down by way of commination and it is given as a reason why folks should expect no more Scripture after this 1. Let any man beware of adding to these things Adding may be considered formally as denoting the enjoyning of any thing for Scripture or to be accounted as such which is not contained in this Book or declared by God immediatly to be such as this is Or 2. as adding upon the matter by putting or imposing a meaning on that which is written that God never intended or which the words will not bear Therefore deceivers and wresters of the Word are called Impostours as imposing the curse that is threatned on them that add any of thir wayes is God shall add to him the plagues that are writen in this Book that is He shall bring upon him all the curses threatned to come on the openly profane and secret hypocrites or Antichrists followers And that it may be known that it is no lesse fault to diminish than to add he telleth ver 19. If any shall take away from the words of this Prophesie that is either by taking away something that is canonick and derogating from the authority of the Scripture or by hyding or detracting
still the greatest His first dominion we may call personall when he keeped all the world in grosse darknesse worshipping him directly in temples and he giving responses and answers in them possessing men personally and corporally as he did in Christs time leading the world at his will He is bound in this respect by Christs birth preaching miracles death ascension and sending forth the Apostles and the Gospel like a white horse conquering Chap. 6. whereby the prince of this world was judged Satan casten from heaven like lightening many corporally possessed were dispossessed and freed from his dominion and the devil chased from his audible answering in oracles as formerly he had done His known answer given at Delphos to Augustus his Legats who were sent to him to enquire concerning his successor about the time of Christs birth is by many cited to this purpose Me puer Hebraeus superum Rex linquere tecta Haec jubet ditis cacas remeare sub umbras Ergo silens aris tu nunc abscedito nostris An Hebrew childe King of the heavens high To leave these Temples hath commanded me And to be gone to darknesse and to wo Thou therefore silent from our altars go After this no audible answer was given at these Oracles Thus Satan is bound from the beginning of the Gospel to the end of the world for Christ shall have a Church even among the Nations and Gentiles and thus Christ hath overcome him and so spoiled him that he shall never prevail against the Catholick Church Matth. 16. This is not the binding here because this is a binding that is eminently applicable and agreeable to one particular time so as it cannot agree to any other before nor after And it would seem that as it is clear that Satan is loosed after it before Christs second coming so it is clear that Satan hath been as to this binding loose before it after Christs first coming except we say that all the time between Christs first coming and His second shall be taken up in these two to wit 1. a thousand years restraint upon Satan and then a little times liberty upon the back whereof cometh the judgement but the length of time interveening and the various and frequent ups and downs of the Church shew that there are moe periods in her case and the great liberty of the Church and so the binding of Satan which is still contemporary with it spoken of to be in the latter dayes of the Gospel at least after the first thousand years will not admit that These thousand years therefore must not begin either at Christs birth or death or yet at the destruction of Ierusalem or sending of the Gospel to the Gentiles beside that it presupponeth Martyrs as antecedaneous to it and therefore it must begin after these periods There is a second dominion Satan hath yet even when the Gospel is preached and that is by his guiding the publick magistracy of the world whereby he condemned Christians persecuted and destroyed them and obstructed the publick and avowed profession of Christ in an united Church-way at least in a great part and keeped up still Temples and idol-worship and that as countenanced by Authority Satan is put from this Chap. 12. where we have the story of his casting from the throne before which time he is seen as loose in heaven that is in person of the Emperours as a bloudy Dragon ready to devour the childe as formerly Chap. 6. he rideth as it were on the red pale and black horses till by the sixth seal answerable to and contemporary with Chap. 12. he is in all these respects defeated the publick and avowed worshipping of idols overturned and the publick profession of Christianity countenanced by Authority in which respect Chap. 12. ver 10. it is called the Kingdom of our God and power of His Christ which certainly inferreth a good condition to the Saints with it His third storm and loosing after he cometh to the earth is by more subtil means prosecuted in the first six trumpets by the beast Chap. 13. and in the end of Chap. 12. which is contemporary with the first six trumpets His restraint as to that loosing is by the seventh trumpet wherein his dominion by the beast such as formerly he had by the heathen Emperour is overturned and answerably to that liberty of his spoken of Chap. 12. and 13. here is set down in this third explicatory prophesie Satans third restraint in opposition to that dominion of his by Antichrist and this prophesie will be found contemporary with the seventh trumpet and the vials from their beginning which succeed immediately to the witnesses ascending up to heaven and to the end of the womans flight and abode in the wildernesse and to the fourty two moneths of the beasts reign The fourth and last liberty and dominion of the devil mentioned is this of his stirring up Gog and Magog and his restraint in reference to this is the last judgement Now seing his binding here cannot be the first as is said nor the second Chap. 12. this presupposing the beast in being as appeareth by these who reign in this time nor yet the last It must necessarily follow therefore that it is the binding spoken of in the third place which is contemporary with the beasts overthrow in whom he was formerly worshipped and fain would have sustained that worship but was bound up from it and could not help himself as Chap. 18. Taking this then to be the binding of Satan following upon that rage of his Chap. 12. ver 13 and 17. the scope will be to shew what came of the devil after he had brought that design to a great height Chap. 13. So that if it be asked what became of him after he had raged fourty two moneths against the woman having made her flee to the wildernesse and against the witnesses having made them prophesie all that time in sackcloth It is answered here I saw saith Iohn him again taken and bound up from his liberty as the beast was from his and I saw that Church which by and under the beast he had persecuted and made despicable in the world brought again to an honourable condition wherein he could not impede them having again an honourable publick and avowed profession of the Gospel in greater number of professors purity of doctrine holinesse of life spirituality of worship and vigor of discipline with much lesse outward disturbance than formerly which restraint of his and kingdom to them continued a long time till God in his secret justice permitted him to make a new onset before the last judgement by Gog which followeth that assault of the devils by the beast thereafter the Lord pursueth and overturneth him and his designs everlastingly after which he shall never have a link of his chain loosed to the disturbance of Christs Church This is the sum which will be more clear in the particular explication of the words and in that which
followeth That we may the more clearly proceed the great controversies in the words may be drawn to three heads I mean in so far as concerneth the first event of Satans binding till vers 7. The first is concerning the events prophesied of that is 1. What is meaned by this binding of Satan 2. What by this dominion or reign of the Saints of what nature and extent it is which is also called living and the first resurrection The second head is concerning the persons to whom this kingdom is promised 1. Whether to dead or living Saints 2. Whether to Martyrs only or to others 3. If only to Saints without any hypocrites 4. If to these who suffer in themselves personally or in others The third head is concerning the time mentioned of a thousand years And 1. If the time of the Saints reign be contemporary with or successive unto the thousand years of Satans restraint and so whether they be one or two distinct times 2. If these thousand years be definit or indefinit 3. Whether it taketh in all the time after Christs death or otherwise 4. And mainly whether these thousand years be applicable and in the scope of the Prophesie and intent of the Spirit to be applyed unto any time wholly past or wholly to come or to the time which is presently current The first and last head and last particular of it do mainly decide the questions incident here and make way for the right understanding of this Chapter The first head openeth what is foretold here the second to whom the third when it is fulfilled Concerning all which we shall put by 1. some things which we conceive more clearly to be truths and lesse controvertible 2. Some things more obviously false and which cannot any wayes be conceived as intended by these words in this vision And so 3. the things controverted will be fewer and we shall have more ready accesse to speak of them The first thing we lay for truth is That whatever be meaned by Satans restraint here it is not to be understood absolutely and simply in all respects but comparatively and in some respect so as notwithstanding thereof he is still deluding deceiving tempting and carrying many to hell and not wanting instruments to disturb the Saints peace though he get not to that successe he would be at in the means he useth nor yet to that readinesse of instruments and means he hath formerly used for there are many dead and continuing so as yet ver 5. he hath Gog and Magog many yet without and possibly also within the Church in whom he reigneth though he prevail not with them so as to bring them up against the camp of the most high and his full binding is reserved till the last day when he is cast in the lake and when he getteth his finall judgement Iude 6. And therefore Mat. 8. he pleadeth that his time was not come fully and simply to be shut up Beside that that warning that the devil goeth about seeking whom he may destroy 1 Pet. 5.8 concerneth Christians till the end of the world they shall have a tempter of him till then against whom they shall still have cause to watch Therefore he is not simply bound up in hell but in his raging among men restrained and that eminently in a great degree for as Satan is said to be bound when he is cast out from having absolute dominion over a man Mat. 12. though he continue to tempt and trouble so in respect of the Church he is bound though he may be troubling them as he may do a particular person yet getteth he never such absolute and full dominion over them again in that respect he is restrained and bound even so here 2. We think here is understood his most eminent restraining after Christs birth till His second coming and therefore Christs victories over him being alwayes the longer the greater it is like to be the last great restraint of Satan to wit after Antichrists at least begun ruine which may be in sundry respects shown to be greater than any of the former as having somethings of all the former restraints concuring together in it and that in an eminent degree However that it is most eminent is clear by these evidences 1. that he is bound and sealed in some measure not only cast from the throne to the earth but keeped from that liberty which formerly he had on the earth The expression signifieth certainly a very great restraint 2. The Saints peaceable reigne sheweth him to be eminently bound for that they are now in more respect than at any other time it is from this that he is more bound up and therefore this effect or concomitant thereof to wit their reigning must of necessity be from a more than an ordinary binding 3. That he may and must be restrained and said to be so in a greater measure and in a more eminent manner than agreeth to him or can be said of him either before or after that It is therefore a singular eminent binding which differenceth this time and event from any time or state of the Church before or after it 3. Concerning the Saints reigne for a thousand years We take it for granted 1. that it is contemporary with the former so that both Satans binding and their liberty and reigning is for the same thousand years which is clear 1. by the repeating of them with the same article in the Greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that thousand years that that wherein Satan was bound so after he hath told that Satans case is to be bound that time he now telleth what the Churches estate during that time is without which the narration had been defective as to the Churches comfort had it not been added that as during that time Satan was bound so therein the Saints had a joyfull liberty 2. This reigning of the Saints is set down as an effect of his binding and they are mentioned together to shew how the one had influence on the other the restraint of the one importing alway liberty to the other And it will be unsuitable to apply the Saints reign rather to the time of Satans loosing than of his restraint it being certain that as his kingdom and reign hath influence on her disturbance so hath his binding on her peace Beside it will be hard so to lengthen the world as to make two thousand years to passe after this binding before ever Gog and Magog come or to make them fall within the time of the Churches reign and it wanteth not inconveniences to make them fall together that are mentioned as successive We must therefore lay aside that opinion which maketh these thousand years of Satans binding and the Saints reign successive A second thing clear of this reign is that whatever it be it is on earth and that not immediatly before the last judgement for Gog interveeneth before the resurrection come and they even these that did reign are beset with