Selected quad for the lemma: power_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
power_n	beast_n	horn_n	lamb_n	2,802	5	9.9628	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A01666	Of the ende of this world, the seconde commyng of Christ a comfortable and necessary discourse, for these miserable and daungerous dayes.	Geveren, Sheltco à.; Rogers, Thomas, d. 1616.	1577 (1577)	STC 11803A.7; ESTC S115248	72,058	116

were the seuen heades of the Beast And therefore he sayth Bestia quam vidisti fuit non est that is The Beast which thou sawest was and is not that is the Romane Empire is but not such an Empyre as that was which came of the stocke of Caesars and decayed when Nerua dyed And now i● the tyme of Domitian of those seuen fiue were dead but the seuenth which was Nero was not yet come And cum venerit opportet eum breue tempus manere nec diu imperare whē he commeth he must tary a short tyme and gouerne but a whyle which also came to passe because he raigned but one yeere and three monethes But Traian was the eyght a Spaniard no Romane borne and adopted by the seuenth Wherefore to the purpose sayth the Angell to Iohn in this maner Bestia que erat The beast which was to wit the Romane Empire non est and is not the Romane but a Romanspanish Empire is octauus erit that shal be the eight from Nero● e septem est and is of the seuenth to wit adopted of Nerua Wherefore because of this alteration in the Empire and mournful countenance of the Church by reason that her cheife Rulers and Apostles were dead we wil here begin to accompt the fyrst fiue hundred yeres euen vnto the dayes of Heraclyus and Phocas which chanced in the .604 and .602 yeere from Christes Natiuitie About which time Boniface the third was confirmed vniuersall Bishop of all the world and manifested the forerunner of Antichrist as likewyse Gregorie the great not many yeeres before had pronounced of the Patriarch of Constantinople which ambitiously sought to be Priuate or chiefe Byshop of the rest About this time the Romane Empire was much weakened and the Turke began to be of power This first periode may well be referred to the Church of Christ in whose beginning as it were shee suffered most greeuous persecution of the Romane Empire that cruell and blooddie beast and had many godly and learned men which entred most dangerous and continuall conflictes for the ouerthrowe of heresies and yet notwithstanding by litle and litle many Ceremonies were brought into the Church by which at length shee was marueilously polluted the chiefest bringer of those ceremonies into the Church was Gregorie the great vntill Boniface by the helpe of Phocas did playnly declare himselfe to be Antichrist in deede From this time vntil the raigne of Henry the fourth we recken the second periode of fiue hundred yeares in which all Papisticall superstitions Idolatrie blasphemie orders of Monkes power of the Pope wyth the chiefe Senate of Cardinals dyd aboue measure encrease and in the tyme of Henry that impietie came to ripenes euen as also afterward did the Turkes tyrannie and blasphemie Before about a two hundred and fiftie yeares numbring from Phocas the Emperour which also haue their ende to wit in the dayes of the Emperours the Pope of Rome was licensed to be a ciuill Magistrate receyued his chiefe aucthoritie from Pipine and afterwardes from Charles the Great and Lodouike the Godly and was endued with many Prouinces and adorned with double power or with both Swordes both of ruling the Spiritualtie as they saye and Laitie which he obtained vnder the pretence of Religion and therefore Iohn in his Reuelation gyueth to this Beast two hornes like vnto the Lambe About which tyme both the Turkish Empire as in his place it is sayd dayly increased and the olde Romane Empire continually decayed and was diuid●d in the Orientall and Occidentall Empire Yet notwithstanding the Occidentall Emperours in respect of the others had full power to create and confirme what Byshops they would But in the tyme of Henrie the fourth that order was altogether chaunged Because the Byshops at the length had brought vnto themselues all power and aucthoritie both of ordaining and choosing Byshops and Emperours to and made a newe Ecclesiasticall or Cardinals Senate to the which was giuen full power to choose whom they would to the Papacie the Pope beyng dead and reserued to themselues all aucthoritie of choosing and crowning Emperours Against this vnspeakable ambition and mightie power of the Pope dyd for the maintaining of his Emperiall aucthoritie according to the decree of his father Henry the Blacke though in other things he dyd ouermuch submit himself to the Popes aucthoritie Henry the fourth stoutely as became a good Emperour resiste For which cause afterward Pope Hildebrande otherwise called Gregorie the seuenrh a wicked and infamous Magician dyd excommunicate him and raised great and greuous wars against him by others in so much that he displacing him chose a newe Emperour named Ralfe to whom he sent a crowne of Gold with this inscription Petra dedit Petro Petrus diadema Radolpho but at length vanquished by Henry hauing lost his right hand he died miserablie But Henry being dead when as now the second Period of fiue hundred yeares from the tyme of Phocas was perfe●tly finished the vngodly Pope by his craft and subtiltie at the beginnyng of his raigne obtayned easily of Henry the fift too wicked a sonne for so godly a father all his d●sire So that that diuine Reuelation of Iohn dyd fully take effect bicause that Image of the Beast with two hornes dooth exercise al the power of the former beast and calleth al kings his sonnes and slaues and earnestly dooth keepe the manner of the Gentiles in all kynd of Idolatrie only hauyng altered the names of things Lastly also to this Image of the Beast by the Dragon bycause he speaketh like a Dragon that power is gyuen that he may quicken the other image of the Beaste that is this Germanicall Empire which rather ought to be termed a shadowe of the old Empire than an image of the same For the Pope did giue life to the image of the Beast by his election For vnlesse the Pope did confirme the election none was worthy of the name of an Emperour Therfore vnder the pretēce of the keies of the kindō of heauē this vngratious felow hath marueilusly abused this power of the Dragon which power now by the preaching of the Gospell through the grace of God doth threaten an vtter and last destruction whose longest terme of fiue hūdred yeres about the yere a thousand sixe hundred or there about is fully finished Wherefore sith this damnable childe and the image of the Beast with the Dragon in that perfect wickednes must be cut of and cast hedlong into hell a great and infallible argument is it and agreeing to Gods word and to the course of time that this certaine computation of yeeres doth signifie the Lords comming to be very nigh at hand ¶ Of things past already things to come are marueilously gathered BY that which hath ben spoken as wel as a briefe annotation of tymes and thyngs that haue been done could shewe it after a sort appeareth how after the death of Henry the fourth

equalitie of numbers a certaine finishing of things with an vtter destruction of this wicked world and withall he vndoubtedly dooth giue vs to vnderstand and signifies the beginning of the building anewe of the eternall kingdome of Christ which with vpright iudgement and by equalitie in euery respect he will establish perpetually and make it endure world without end ¶ Of the number of fiue the fiue-folde forme and of the Greeke letter χ. SIth by that which is vttered we haue showen that euen fyue hundred and euery 50. yeere there doo commonly happen some singular alterations in the Churche and common Weales it followeth very likely that the eightie eyght yeeare nowe at hand which is the yeere of the world .5550 shal be fully perfect to which if but fiue were added it commeth to passe as a little before it is sayd that the whole number in the yeare .93 will be proportionable according to Arithmeticall and Geometricall equalitie And therfore they doo seeme to presage vnto vs a golden world in deede and euerlasting to come in which all the iustice of God shal be fulfilled and haue her full strength and vertue Yet I do not denie but it is my saying that the lowest number of fiue from the first and last doo offer vnto vs many things agreeing very well to our purpose especially sith which hath been sayd so meete in one and many things els both in the Byble and Sibillian Oracles are to be founde lyke vnto them all which we plainly see are grounded in the perpetuall ordinance and prouidence of God not by chaunce Of the number of fiue is termed the fiuefold forme which of all other as Quinctilian recordeth in setting of trees maketh the fayrest Orchard and is such as howsoeuer one behold the same it is direct and and strayte Then is a thing sayd to be fiuefoulde or of fiue manner of wayes when the disposition thereof is such as two partes thereof togeather with the third of another sort opposit to themselues by equall space doo seeme howsoeuer you turne your selfe to haue the forme of fiue or this letter V by which the Latines doo note fiue But if fiue in number were set downe by other figures or by the same in like order vnderneth they doo represent the Greeke letter χ. and the lattine χ which dooth signifie tenne From thence I thought sith in the fore mentioned proportionable number of yeares the number of fiue is lowest and besides dooth represent these two letters from which also by an equalitie of Geometricall proportion it goeth foreward by the distance of tenne I thought I say whether this also did signifie any singular thing worthy to be marked For the Greeke letter χ. is the first letter in the name of Christ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and Iohn in the Reuelation by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 commaundeth all of vnderstanding to count the comming of the Beast rising from the earth and hauing the two hornes of the Lambe which are .666 yeares so significant are these Greeke letters But in the explications of this place Bullinger teacheth that the account of .666 yeares must begin when Iohn sawe his Reuelation about the ende of the raigne of Domitian which was from the byrth of Christ the .97 yeare so that to the filling of the first hundred yeare from Christes natiuitie three yeeres be wanting If therefore these yeares were added to an hundred and they added to the number of the Beastes name .666 and three yeeres were taken from the first hundred we shall haue the yeare of the Lord to be .763 which was the .13 yeare of Pepines raigne about which tyme Pepine graunted vnto the Pope his chiefe power and aucthoritie contrarie to the minde of Leo Isauri●us which the Papistes extremely did hate for casting their images out of his tēples and therfore they called him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or enemie to images Therfore by these letters we know the time of the comming of the beast with two hornes like vnto the Lamb euen as Henry Bullynger dooth prosecute the same more at large and prooueth the same by Sibyls Oracles Moreouer when we count all markes of the letters in this name 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 if as it is in Sibyls verses E. be added we shall plainly finde that in these also the beginning of the tyme when the kingdome of Christ should be preached and also the beginning of the fall of Antichrist also in the former his comming was signifyed All the Greeke letters in this name expresse this number .1485 Now if the yeares which come from that yeare in which Iesus by his resurrection from the dead and ascention into heauen he had declared hym selfe to be Christ the king of the Iewes and the sonne of the eternal God were compared to this tyme when Luther and other learned men did by the pure Euangelicall doctrine of the free remission of sinnes in Iesus Christ driue away the grosse darknes of papisticall ignorance and made the sonne of righteousnesse Iesus Christ our Lord to shine againe we shall euidently perceiue this tyme rightly to be comprehended in these numbers For if to this number .1485 the yeares from the Natiuitie of our Lord to his resurrection which were .33 were added then shall the yeare of our Lord a thousand fiue hundred eighteene arise in which and afterward many learned men began to set them selues against the darknes of Papistes Now because this lowest number of fiue a perfect Arithmeticall to that Geometrical proceeding by a fiuefold and very goodly forme dooth as it were in colours place before our eyes the Greeke Letter χ. which is the first Letter in the name and office of our eternall king and also being a litle turned representeth the Crosse that is the badge and noble signe of Christ whose last letter of the Nominatiue case is X by those things I fall into this consideration that about these tymes foretold the commyng of the Lord to iudgement is presignified by which he shall shew hym selfe to all the world to be Christ the sonne of God promised to the fathers afterward seene of the Iewes whom they dyd abhorre and at length crucifie whose token according to the iudgement of the Fathers and Sibylles prophesies also in the commyng of the Lord to all the faythfull shal be like a comfortable Trumpet but in the sight of the worlde a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or stumblyng blocke to the world That this is no vaine imagination although it be no certaine demonstration many such like reasons and examples cause me to thinke For in many places of the Scripture we often find that the Lord hath been greatly delighted in geuyng them either by plaine wordes or secret prouidence fyt and proper names by whom it hath pleased hym for the glory of his name to bestowe vppon his Church any great benefite Hereof is Abram called of God Abraham and the forerunner of the Sonne of God is called Iohn and the

And what other change may we looke for I pray you But euen the vtter destruction of the world and the triumphant appearing of the lord For the sixe thousand yeere which is the last daye draweth to the euening course of tymes and their foretold agreement declare the end to be at hand the preaching of the Gospell shineth the Pope of Rome by the breath of the Lord perisheth and we are in Religion colde carelesse and contemne his preachers which the Lord God cannot suffer long to go vnpunished Also this fearfull inclination of the Starres the dayly talke of warres the direful ciuill contentions the cruell dissention in Religion the great plagues the miserable hunger the straunge tempestes the woonderfull risings of the Sea and other signes which many tymes haue come after the preaching of the Gospell and dayly do more increase are out of doubt the euident signes of the worldes speedy ouerthrow and hasty commyng of our Lord Iesus Christ the sonne of God to iudge the quicke and the dead ¶ Of the fifteene hundred yeares after the Apostles tyme vntyl the last iudgement THere are besides these many other sweete and verye probable coniectures of the suddaine comming of the Lord to iudgement Which containe many and profitable instructions and will be wonderful and straūge perchaunce to many for the small consideratiō they haue of them which if they were well wayed myght bring vs into a great admiration of Gods prouidence It is well knowen to all the learned and not doubted but that all gouernments according to the Princes of Philosophie Platoes and Aristotles doctrine haue their certaine conclusions and it may be for truth that euery fiue hundred yeares there happen wonderfull alterations both in Religion and common Weales as there appeared three in Moses Kingdome For from the comming out of Egypt vnto Salomon there was about fiue hundred yeares from thence vnto the captiuitie at Babylon other fiue hundred and from the returning vnto the last subuersion fiue hundred moe which last periode doth greatly agree with those seuē weekes of Daniell because they are in number foure hundred foure score and tenne And therfore by a briefe marking of the tymes and things brought to passe we will make it euident that the last fiue hundred yeares from the Apostles tyme fully shal be expired in this Monarchie of the Pope which now threateneth a great ruine and perchance an vtter downefall about the eightie eyght and ninetie three yeere the former inclinations of the starres and other ensuing foreshewing dyrefull thinges euen vntill the sixe thousand and a hundred yeere Which Monarchie is called of Iohn in his Reuelation the image of the beast by reason of a certaine likenes it hath wyth the olde Monarchie which by a like tyrannie against the Christians and manner of gouernment by their ecclesiasticall Senate and by the secular power as they saye to the satisfying of their myndes in oppressing the Christian veritie through all the world they doo exercise So that by a great and infallible supposition it may be gathered that the noble comming of the Sonne of God is nygh at hande sith the preaching of the Gospell now goeth before by which this Monarchie hauing his aucthoritie from the Dragon at the length ruinous beginneth to stoupe but cannot vtterly be abolished according to Paules doctrine vntyll the Lord come for altogether For by histories we know Iohn the Euangelist to haue lyued longer time than any of the Apostles to haue written his Gospel at Ephesus and afterward when as none of the Apostles were no not many dayes before liuing it is well knowen that he was sent of Domitian into the Iland Pathmos where he committed his Reuelation to writing and that was about the dayes of Traian the Emperour which the hundred yeare from Christs natiuitie beyng adopted by Nerua came to the Imperiall throne from whom for causes ensuing I will begin to recite three notable chaunges and alterations both in Religion and in the Empire which differ one from another according to the true accompt of yeares but fiue hundred yeares a peece Now these hundred yeares from the birth of Christ vnto the tyme of Traian beyng expired so straunge things and myraculous both in the Church and common Weales happened as from the beginning of the worlde such and so great neyther haue neither shall come to passe except onely in the last comming of the Lorde at what tyme he shall call the dead before hys tribunall seate that so the whole vngracious worlde may be brought vnto perpetuall shame and the vertuous to euerlasting glory for first o●r Lord and Sauiour Christ was borne of a virgin perfect man the Messias promised to the Patriarches the sonne of one substance with his eternall father by whom God hath made of nothing al things both in heauen aboue and in earth belowe and redeemed mankynd which was fallen from sinne and wickednes for in the behalfe of vs all he hath suffred a most reprochfull death of the Crosse to that ende that death and the Diuell beyng vanquished he myght rid all beleeuers from eternall death and the intolerable yoke of Satan He hath also rysen lyke a conquerour in glory from the dead and ascended into heauen that he myght prepare a waye for vs to his almightie father whose anger by his righteousnes he had appeased and reconciled him vnto vs. Finally also at the feast of Penticost God miraculously and without meane according as it was long before promised by the Prophetes did powre out his holy spirit full of all grace and goodnes vppon his Apostles that in all Nations they myght be able to glorify God and by euery speache declare their message of glad tydings as also Mangre the diuel and his Adherentes the same notwithstāding the outragious cruelty of Nero and Diomitian was preached published throughout all the world Lastly what wonderfull things haue happened from the byrth of Christ vnto the hundred yeere after the same at which tyme Traiane fyrst receyued the Emperiall Di●deme I mynde not to prosecute euery thing particulerly least by that meanes contrary to my purpose I proceede Amongst other things those woordes forespoken of Christ and the Prophets teaching the ouerthrowe and vtter destruction of the Iewes and Hierusalem take effect and also vnder Traiane the Emperour there happened a great alteration in religion For although the Empyre was of Rome yet was not the Emperour a Romane borne but a Spaniard and adopted to that dignitie of Nerua which was a Romane And therfore by these it plainely doth appeare that the Apostles beyng dead there was now a new face of the Church and that nothing so beautifull as the former and also new state of Empire presignifyed of Iohn in his Reuelation Because that Traian was the eyght from the seuenth who was Nerua which was the seuenth from Nerc the last of the stocke of Caesars from whom Iohn beginneth to number the seuen Kings which