well as the former forasmuch as the popes had ten nations or kingdomes to yeeld obedience vnto theyr power as the former had to theyrs And to make the matter more playne that Idolatrous Rome was reuiued agayne by these popes saint Iohn hath another vision shewed hym which is this Hee seeth a beast aryse out of the earth hauing two hornes like vnto the lambe Meaning thereby that these popes would come as pretending great shew of religiō and as if they were the vycars of Christ that lambe of God but hee telleth you that he spake like the Dragon and that hee did all that the first beast could doe that was before hym yea and that hee caused the image of the former beast to be made and gaue hym spirite and life and made all the earth to worship hym whose deadly wound by them was healed And furthermore for their helpe therein saint Iohn sheweth you that this lambe should worke great signes and wonders euen so great as if it were to bring fire from heauen as Elyas did to the end that as hee thereby caused all Israel to turne from the worship of Ieroboams calues vnto the Lord to worship him euen so in a contrary sort woulde this lambe seeke with the signes which were permitted hym to doe to turne all men both small and great rich and poore free and bond from the worship of the Lord to the worship of the beast and to force them thereby to receiue his marke eyther in their right hands or in y t forheads or at leastwise to beare his name or the number of hys name for vnlesse they would so doe they shoulde neyther buy nor sell but be killed So that heere you see how fitly this agreeth with the other vision for the popes to be reuiuors of the former beast and also howe fitly it falleth out according to that whiche our sauiour and saint Paul before had told you that is that there should come false prophets which woulde come in sheepes clothing but inwardly be rauening Wolues and that they woulde come with all lying signes woonders and sleightes of deceice and therefore is it that our sauiour giueth vs so great charge to take heede of them And moreouer therefore is it that it pleaseth hym to paynt them out so playne vnto vs for although they woulde seeme neuer so muche to beare the hornes of a lambe or neuer so much to pretend religion or shew of holynesse yet the Lord hath so plainly noted them by one especiall mark aboue the rest as that euery simple man may know them howsoeuer they would seeme to change their shape that is their voyce the whiche you see saint Iohn sayth is all one with the Dragons And therefore although Sathan come not now as vnto Adam and Euah nor as in the daies of the primitiue Church That is although he come not now in y ◠carkas of a luttle serpent nor yet in the forme of a seuen headed beast but contrariwise euen in the skinne of a poore and simple lambe yet the voyce being the selfe and same you may knowe hym howsoeuer he transformeth himselfe It is good for you here then to consider the voyce both of the one and of the other The voyce of the serpent and of the beast commandeth that whiche God forbiddeth and forbiddeth that which God commandeth euen so doth the voyce of this counterfeit lambe as for example The voyce of God forbiddeth the making of grauen images to bowe downe vnto them but the voyce of this counterfeit lambe commandeth the making of them and the bowing vnto them The voyce of God commandeth prayer to be made vnto him alone and not vnto any other but the voyce of this counterfeit lambe forbiddeth prayer to be made vnto God alone and commaundeth it to bee made vnto Saintes withal The voyce of God sayth that whosoeuer he be that beleeueth in Christ his sonne shall be sure to haue pardon of his sinnes through the shedding of his moste precious bloudbut the voyce of this counterfeit lambe sayth that whosoeuer he be that will beleeue hym hee shall be sure to haue pardon for his sinnes through the bloud of the leaden bulles whiche for his monie hee will send hym The voyce of God sayth that better were it for hys ministers to speake fiue wordes in the church to the vnderstanding of his people that so they might say Amen thereunto then to speake ten thousand in a strange toonge vnto the which the people cannot say Amen but the voyce of this counterfeit lambe sayth better is it for hys ministers to speake ten hundreth thousand in a strange language vnto the whiche the people cannot say Amen then to speake one word to their vnderstanding least so they shoulde spye out their knauerie Agayne the voyce of God commaundeth vs not to abstaine from meates but to abstayne from sinne and celleth vs that it is not the meate which a man eateth that can defile him but the sinne that resteth in his heart and yet dare the voyce of this counterfeit lambe command men to abstaine from meates and to make them beleeue that vnles they doe so vpon such dayes as he appoynteth they shall not onely be defiled therewith but also be damned for euermore therby especially if they eate but a bit vpon good Friday Furthermore the voyce of God commaundeth marriage as a moste lawfull thing vnto all men but the voyce of this counterfeit lamb forbiddeth it as an vnlawfull thing vnto some men The voyce of God forbiddeth his ministers the exalting of themselues aboue their brethren but the voyce of this counterfeite lambe exalteth himselfe not onely aboue hys brethren but also aboue all that are called Gods and moste presumptuously setteth himselfe in the temple of the Lord God as if hee were God commaunding what him liketh and forbidding what hym li◅teth as most like a suttle serpent in one thing which is to be noted aboue all others that is whereas the voyce of the Lord God commaundeth all men to read and meditate in hys holy word that so they might weare hys cognisance and be retayners vnto his kingdome the voyce of this counterfeyte lambe forbiddeth it that so they might weare his marke be retayners vnto his kingdome And therfore is it that hee dealeth most impudently as followeth that is wheras the voyce of the Lord God commandeth vs to worship feare him that made heauen and earth the sea and all fountaines of water and that wee should giue glory to him and to the Lambe that standeth on mount Sion because he onely was worthy forasmuch as hee hath redeemed vs vnto God by hys bloud I say whereas the voyce of the Lord God commandeth vs thus to do and contrariwise forbiddeth vs the worship of the Beast or his image threatning withall that if any man doe worship the beast
deceiued by them Saint Paul telleth the Thessalonians who had been put in mind that the last day of iudgement was at hand that that day shoulde not come vntill there came a departing from the fayth and vntill that man of sinne the sonne of perdition shoulde be disclosed the which sayth he shall come to passe when the withholder meaning the Romaine Empire shall be taken away euen then sayth hee shall this man of sinne appeare whose comming shall be by the power and working of Satan as the formers was yea and in a farre more dangerous sort then the former did because he will come with lying signes and great woonders yea and with all sleightes of deceipt and guile euen with suche as if it were possible the ver elect should be deceiued therwith yet notwithstanding marke you well what followeth and then if you will not take heede of them wel worthy are you to be deceiued by thē He telleth them further then that this man of sinne or companie of beastly popes woulde set themselues as aduersaries to the trueth the worde of God and that they would set themselues in the temple of God as if they were God and that they would forbid marriages and the eating of meates which thinges God had commanded to be done euen thus sayth the Apostle will they teach the doctrine of that olde serpent their father the deuill therfore if you should haue had no more markes giuen you to know thē by then these they had bin sufficent for you but since it hath pleased the holy ghost to giue you more you were best to take notice of them all Heare you therefore in what sort saint Iohn hath described them he telleth you that he saw another beast of the same forme of the Empire beast that is with seuen heades and tenne hornes and with some addition more to betoken further crueltie that is he saw this beast to be of a skarlet colour to haue a woman sitting vpon hym full of names of blasphemie whiche woman was arayed also in purple and skarlet and a cup of golde in her hand full of abhominations and filthinesse of her fornications and besides in her forehead was a name written a misterie great Babylon the mother of whoredomes and abhominations of the earth and that with her should the kings of the earth commit fornication and that the inhabitantes of the earth should be drunkē with the wyne of the same And moreouer that this whore her selfe shoulde be drunken with the bloud of saintes and with the bloud of the martyrs of Iesus so that here you haue a description of the Empire beast again reuiued by the popes yea and that in so plaine a maner that euery litle childe may know who is meant hereby For the angell expoundeth it in this sort The seuen heades of the beast which thou hast seene sayth y ◠angel vnto Iohn are vii kings wherof fiue are fallen and one is and another is not yet come and when hee commeth hee must continue but a short space And the beast that was and is not is euen the eight and yet is one of the seuen the whiche beast shall goe into destruction with the former so that all the world whose names were not written in the booke of life wondered at this mistery that is they wondered to see the beast that was and afterward was not and yet now to be agayne For indeede heere is the minde as saint Iohn sayth that hath wisedome which to him that can dig out the meaning thereof and beware of the policie here described it shalbe farre more worth then the golde which hee can digge eyther out of the East or West Indies Thus it is you are to vnderstād that Rome had her policie or gouernement altered fiue times before the Caesars and they made the sixt whiche was the gouernement when Iohn had this reuelation shewed hym The which Caesars or part of Kittim began to afflict the chiefest of the sonnes of Heber our sauiour Christ and continued it vpon his sonnes by faith the Christians about the time of three hundreth yeares the whiche three hundreth yeares was noted by two and fortie monethes by an allusion to the time of our sauiour his affliction the whiche was also two and fortie monethes or three yeares and an halfe beeing the full tyme of hys preaching and publicke life so that all ages after that halfe seuen wherein our Lord finished all ceremonies and all thinges touching our saluation and wherein hee suffered intollerable affliction are called by an allusion vnto that tyme eyther a time two times and halfe or monthes two and fortie or dayes a thousand two hundreth and sixtie the first for Sathan his whole rage the second for the Romaine Empire and the popes for it is sayd that both of them had power giuen them to doe hurt vnto the holy citie two and fortie monethes So that as our sauiour y ◠head of y ◠Church was himself most cruelly afflicted by the Dragon and also by his ministers for these three yeeres and a halfe the which began at his baptisme and ended at his death euen so shoulde his members be after the same maner while the world should stand For wheras this sixt gouernement these prophane Emperours were rooted out as if the beast had had the wound of a sword one head cut off or as if he had been dead for a long time by means first of Constantinus that good christian Emperour and afterwardes of other nations who greatly spoyled Rome yet now by these popes is hee reuiued agayne For they setting themselues in the temple of God as if they were God and causing all nations to worship them in the same maner that they had done the former beast and ruling themselues ouer the Empire are sayde heere to make the seuenth policie in Rome and likewise after a sorte to be an eight the whiche policie is sayd to haue the whole power of Sathan as the former had euen to haue the strength as it were of warlike horses to make battle against y ◠citie of Saints Now if you thinke that the former exposition by the angel concerning the seuen heades of the beast be not plaine inought he will let you haue it yet more plaine for he telleth you further that y e seuen heades are also seuen hilles whereon the woman sitteth and he also telleth you that the woman is the great citie that raigneth ouer the kinges of the earth If this be true as most true it is then can you not doubt of the plainnesse heereof for you are to vnderstand that Rome standeth vpon seuen hils and you are to vnderstand also that when saint Iohn had this reuelation shewed hym that Rome was then the great citie that raygned ouer the kinges of the earth and likewise that now it is and therefore moste fitly was it sayd that the latter beast had ten hornes as
whereby is meant that whosoeuer were a tree planted by the doctrine of the prophets and Apostles and watered with the graces of the holy spirite shoulde be a fruitfull tree indeede and whosoeuer were a fish nourished by the same waters of the holy spirit should be sure to liue for euer And likewise it was further sayd That whosoeuer they were of al the families of the earth that woulde not goe vp to this citie to worship the king Iehouah of hostes and to keepe the feast of tabernacles that vpon them shoulde come no raine whereby is also meant that vppon them that woulde not worship the Lord according to the rule of his owne most perfect word as the faythfull companie of christians ought to doe vpon them I say that would not so doe should fall no part of that gratious raine the doctrine of the prophetes and apostles And moreouer it was further said That whosoeuer they were that should be found fighters agaynst this citie and the king therof shoulde be smitten with a very great plague euen with so great a plague as that it should consume both their flesh eyes and toonges and therefore according to these prophesies it was reuealed vnto Iohn presently vpon the destruction of the low Ierusalem in what sort the heauenly should be built and who they were that fought and still woulde fight agaynst the same which were the Romaine Emperours and the popes their successors which popes most vehemētly should continue afflicters of the high Ierusalem as y ◠former had begun with the low and likewise a certayne time shoulde continue it agaynst the high Therefore we are here to consider the state of Rome and to marke howe the Lord hath reserued them as a corporation of moste filthy beasts and as a cage of vnleane kytes for hys wrath to ayme at while the worlde shall stand And why so Euen because that by their policie was the king of this high Ierusalem the Lord of life crucified and because that this his citie the companie of faithful Christians by them should continually be persecuted likewise for that they would refuse to be norished by those waters of life euen the most pure doctrine of the holy prophets apostles and for that by them the brightnesse thereof shoulde be continually darkened euen darkened by the smoke that should arise from that bottomlesse pit of their owne doctrines preceptes and foolish traditions and so by that meanes turne those liuely fountaines the doctrines and preceptes of the holy prophetes and apostles from waters of life into waters of bitter gall and wormewood yea euen vnto filthy salt pittes of eternall death and destruction For these and such like causes I say hath the Lord set that cage of Romaine infidels as a marke for his wrath to ayme at while the world shall stand and hath also described them and their villanies by the moste horrible villanies of all ages throughout the old testament and onely to the intent to giue vs warning to auoyd them as also theyr maners and theyr condemnation First then I will shewe you in what sort saint Iohn describeth the Romaine Emperours and afterwardes in what sort the corporatiō of filthy popes The Emperours he describeth in this sort I saw a beast sayth he arise out of the sea hauing the mouth of a Lyon the feete of a Beare the colour of a Leopard seuen heades also and ten hornes As if hee should haue sayd I sawe euen one moste vgly and monstrous beast compounded of those foure the which my fellow seruant the prophet Daniel sawe in the seuenth of hys booke the which beast hath not onely borowed from Ashur that is from the Babylonians Meedes Persians the lyons mouth and beares feete nor from Kittim all readie dead that is from the Grecians the Leopards colour nor from Gog Magog that is from Syria and Egypt the tenne hornes and teeth but hath also the Dragon that old serpent readie euen to giue him hys whole throne power and authoritie likewise and onely to the intent hee might be the more able to make warre against thys citie of faithfull Christians and that so hee might be able to ouercome them and to force them to forsake the word of god and the testimonie which the mayntayned so to haue them to doe worship vnto him and to the Dragon who gaue hym his power but yet notwithstanding all this his strength hee could not ouercome them no although hee persecuted them dayly euen to the losse of their goodes landes life and all for the which cause the wrath of God and of the lambe was so stirred vp against these prophane Emperours as that they were forced in these dayes to wish the mountaynes to fall vpon them and to desire the hilles to couer them euen to couer them from the presence of him that sate vppon the throne and from the wrath of the lambe for the great day of hys wrath was come and therefore they were not able to stand before hym For as the Lord Iesus was that Michael that stood vp for the desence of his people agaynst those tyrantes in Daniel euen so was hee in like maner in the dayes of these prophane Emperours for hee fought agaynst them as riding vppon a white horse as hauing a bowe in his hand with sharpe arrowes to pearce the hartes of them his enimies And moreouer as hee was a iudge sitting vppon a fiery throne from whose presence riuers of fire ishued to consume those beasts in Daniel euen so was he in like maner in the dayes of this beast y e Romaine Emperours for he sent his threefold iudgementes vpon them as sword famine and death altogither the which plagues were expressed by three horses red blacke and pale So that like as these prophane Emperours had shed the bloud of hys seruants the holy martyrs euen so the holy and iust Lord was stirred vp with reuenge to spill and shed theyr bloud and to giue it them in great aboundance to drinke and in y e end vtterly to roote them out So then this beast hauing now the wound of a sword one head cut off Sathan not able by hym to preuayle agaynst the Church you are to looke for that other instrument of hys to appeare in hys likenesse that is you are to looke for a description of that corporation of beastly popes who are not lesse in strength and mischiefe then the former were but rather far exceeding them in both and therefore most fitly is their power described by a beast of the same forme of the other But before I come to saint Iohn to shew you that I will giue you a note or two from the Apostle Paul that so you may see how fitly they agree in the discouery of this latter beast that so you may the better hereafter beware and take heede least you be
or his image or receiue hys marke eyther in hys hand or in hys forhead yea or so muche as the prynt of hys name in any part they shoulde then drinke of the pure wyne of the wrath of God and should haue no rest neyther day nor night but be tormented in fire brimstone before the holy Angels and before the lambe of God for euer and euer And yet dare the voyce of this counterfeit Lambe command and forbid the contrary saying vnto al men See that you worship the beast and the image of the beast and that you receiue his marke either in your right hand or in your forheads or at leastwise beare his name or the number of his name for as many as wil not thus do shal neither buy nor sel no nor liue vpon y â— earth And thus you see how plainly God hath noted vnto you the markes not only of the first beast but also of this counterfeyte Lambe the second whose voyce is all one with the thirde that deceiued Adam all three speake the wordes of the Dragon that is of the very deuill himselfe whose rage notwithstanding was most fiercely exercised in the first beast the Romaine Emperours for the space of three hundreth yeares yet coulde he not so preuaile by them but that many stoode as couragious Lyons most manfully to y â— trueth But after that he had bene thus tyed by good christians for the space of a thousand yeares from the dayes of our Lord so that he could not haue his full sway yet then doth he so preuayle by the second beast this lambe the popes whose commings were as you see with all lying signes and wonders and vnder the pretence of religion that al the worlde was made drunken with the wyne of their fornication and deceiued with their inchantmentes But as kinges then gaue their power and authoritie vnto this second beast so God hath told vs that in the end he will put into the heart of kinges to hate the beast and to eate her fleshe and to make her desolate naked and bare The which we giue hym thankes for we see begunne in diuers countries and I trust we dayly more and more shall see for notwithstanding all their strength hitherto yet know you that they are but that Kittim that shall perish in the end euen as Moses the seruant of the Lord from Baalam doth tel you who although he were but a false prophet like vnto these we nowe speake of yet the Lord made hym to speake the trueth herein in spight of hys heart Knowe you agayne that the Lord will consume them with the spirite of his mouth as that holy Apostle saint Paul doth also tell you yea and knowe you once agayne that the holy Ghost doth assure you that he will giue vnto them and their mountayne the discomfiture of Sisera at Magedon yea and that hee will giue vnto them the cup of the wyne of the fiercenesse of his wrath and that the deuill whiche deceiued them I meane the Romaines the first beast as also the false prophets the second beast with all that haue receiued y â— beastes marke I say all these with their author the deuill shall be cast into a lake of fire and brimstone where they shalbe tormented euen day and night for euermore So that here we may say agayne with the holy Apostle O let vs often behold and beholde agayne the louing kindnesse and the seueritie of the Lord hys louing kindnesse towardes vs in that it hath pleased hym so graciously and louingly to giue vs hys most holy worde by the which wee may see as by a glasse the spottes of this moste filthy state of Rome And his seuere seueritie towardes all those that are depriued of the same Now if you will know the cause here why the Lord doth so deale as to take hys holy word from so many thousandes of people and so by that meanes to suffer them to runne headlong to eternall destruction The answere is because they themselues haue not a loue of the trueth for so speaketh the Apostle when men haue not a loue to the trueth sayth he which is the word of God by the which worde they might be saued it pleaseth the Lord to send them strong delusions that so they shoulde beleeue lyes and also to suffer them to giue heede vnto the spirites of error and doctrines of deuils and so by that meanes to depriue themselues of the true light which should giue them life wherby in y â— end they might be damned and onely because they would neyther receiue nor beleeue the trueth but rather delighted in the preceptes and doctrines of men and as concerning the doctrine of lyfe had no courage to goe on forward but rather delighted to remayne therin as children euer ready to wauour and to be carryed about with euery winde of straunge doctrine and to bee as wandering starres who easily fall from theyr standing And therefore well worthy is the blackenesse of darkenesse reserued to such for euer Wherefore let vs that account our selues Christians be thankfull vnto the Lord that it hath pleased hym to call vs from the power of this damnable darkenesse euen to the most cleere light of the glorious Gospel and let vs not onely be thankfull vnto the Lord for that it hath pleased him to call vs out of this mysticall Babylon but let vs also be much more carefull then heretofore wee haue bene to let the heauenly lerusalem come into our mindes and let vs in any wise giue an entrance to the building of this spirituall worke by the moste holy word of God and euermore hold fast that sworde of the spirite in the one hand while we worke with the other that so we may put in feare al such enemies as would hinder or keep backe this spirituall building And let vs also giue more diligent heede as the Apostle commandeth vs vnto the thinges which we haue heard least at anie time wee should let them slip for if the wordes spoken by Angels was steadfast and euery transgression and disobedience receiued a iust recompence of reward as before we haue seene howe then shall we escape if wee neglect so great saluation since the Lord hath spoken vnto vs in these last dayes by the sonne hymself whose doctrine was further confirmed vnto vs by them that heard hym Therefore let vs in any wise I say giue more aboundant heede vnto the thinges which we haue heard of hym least we also be plucked away with the error of the wicked and so fall from our owne steadfastnesse for assuredly in the same condemnation are all they who liue in ignorance of his truth and despise the knowledge of hys holy word Therefore it is meete you learne to redeeme the tyme euen this very houre and not to moue the patience of God any longer for assure your selfe