by your countenance it may be profitable to the Church The God of heauen giue you all that blessing of blessings which if Ierome say true few men haue that you may transire à deliciis ad delicias go on from grace to grace and be a long time happie in this life and for euer happie in the life to come London Saint Martins in the fields from my worshipful friend Master Oldisworths house by which familie as Paul was by the house of Onesiphorus in the time of this late and I wish I may say the last visitation I haue receiued no small refreshing March 12. 1604. Your VVorships to command Robert Hill Fellow of S. Iohns Colledge in Cambridge LECTVRES VPON THE THREE FIRST CHAPters of the Reuelation REVEL 1. 1. The reuelation of Iesus Christ which God gaue vnto him MY purpose in choosing this text is to speake of the three first Chapters of this booke namely the seuen seuerall Epistles written to the Churches in Asia which containe sundrie vses instructions fit for our time and age Before we come to the matter we must consider of one question which is whether this present booke of the Reuelation be canonicall or not for some haue heretofore some now do call the authoritie of it in question But we hold that it is canonicall of equall authoritie with other canonicall Scriptures Our arguments and reasons be these The first is because the doctrine contained in this booke is Apostolicall as anie which diligently reades the booke may perceiue Secondly because the style and maner of opening and expounding the prophecie contained in it is Apostolicall that is plaine simple and easie if we consider that it is a prophecie Thirdly because this booke hath bene approued generally of all Churches refused of no one Church in any age since Iohn wrote it it was neuer called into questiō but of some particular man neuer of any whole Church Fourthly the things foretold in this booke came to passe as they were foretold As among the rest in one for all may appeare by that signe Iohn saw in the thirteenth Chapter two beasts came one out of the sea the second out of the earth the first signifying the Romaine Empire the second the Romaine apostaticall Church which both are come to passe in this last age Now follow the reasons which some alleage to proue it not canonicall but they be all of no force First S. Iohn he names him selfe in this booke where he neuer named himselfe once in all his Gospell no not then when he had iust occasion to name him selfe but sought to auoid it therefore they conclude that it is not his booke but written by some other and published in his name The reason is not good For there is great difference betweene an historie and a prophecie S. Iohn in his historie doth not name himselfe for there is no necessarie reason why one in an historie of another man should name himself But in a prophecie as this booke is it is more requisite he should mention his owne name And so did other Prophets as Ieremiah mentioneth his name in his booke at least an hundred times so Esay and Daniel in euerie Chapter mention their names Then seeing they do it so often it is no maruell if S. Iohn in his booke repeate his name yet he doth it but fiue times in the whole booke They obiect that his style in this booke is not the same with that he vsed in the penning of the Gospell Ans. The difference of the stile riseth from the difference of the matter seeing there he writes an historie here he pens a Prophecie Againe here he writes not his own words but those which he receiued from Christ by particular reuelation They say his booke hath bene reiected in diuerse ages as not canonicall Ans. It cannot be proued that it was euer refused of any generall Church but of some priuate man Now the disallowing of any priuate man cannot make a whole booke to be reiected for then the Epistle to the Hebrewes and Iames his Epistle should not be canonicall which be receiued of all Churches Now come to the words which containe two parts First a Preface Secondly a Vision The Preface first containes an entrance to his matter from the first to the ninth verse the vision from the ninth to the end of the chapter The Preface hath two parts First the title of the booke Secondly the inscription The title in the three first verses the inscription from the fourth to the ninth verse The title in these words The reuelation of Iesus Christ c. A reuelation is nothing else but a manifestation or discouerie of things secret in respect of men for the common good of the Church and so this word is taken here Reuelations from God in the Scriptures were of three kinds first by dreames secondly by vision thirdly by created voice of God face to face as we may see Num 12. 6. 8. 4. partly by vision partly by voice Now this was not by dreame for he receiued these things not by dreame vision or voyce alone but by vision from Christ and by voice from God so then it is mixt partly receiued by vision partly by voice vttered from God In these three first verses the Reuelation is described by seuen arguments first by the author Iesus Christ secondly the end thirdly the persons to whom it was directed fourthly the matter fiftly the instrument sixtly the manner of deliuering it seuenthly the fruit of the reuelation The first argument by which it pleaseth the holy Ghost to describe this reuelation is the author vz. Iesus Christ he is the author of it it comes from him It is called his reuelation in these respects first not to exclude the Father and the holy Ghost but to shew the speciall office of Christ for the peculiar office belonging to the second person is to reueale and to publish and to manifest the will of God the Father to the Church and for that cause he is called the Angell of the couenant the doctor of the Church the wisedome of the Father because his office is to reueale the will of his Father to man Secondly it is called the reuelation of Iesus Christ to teach vs to put difference betweene this reuelation and all satanicall reuelations for as God hath his true reuelations so Satan his ape hath his counterfeit reuelations and deliuers them in shew like to Gods but they differ much First the diuels reuelations be for the most part ambiguous and doubtfull that a man cannot tell how to take the speech and phrase he giues them in but the reuelations of God and that in this booke are certaine and in plaine tearmes deliuered Secondly the diuels reuelations be betweene him and his instruments wicked and bad men these in this and other bookes be to the godly to his children and seruants as here to Iohn and the Church
any openly wicked in life or doctrine we must not keepe any priuate companie with him shew him no speciall familiaritie but withdraw our selues from such as burdens to vs. And hast examined them This sharpe dealing of the Church of Ephesus hath 2 parts the first is examination the second cōdemnation of the false Apostles The first part is the discouerie of these false Apostles The second the opposing of her selfe against them being discouered The discouerie of the false Apostles teacheth two points first that God hath giuen to his Church and to the Ministers and members of it speciall grace and wisedome an excellent gift of discerning 1. Cor. 2. 15. 1. Cor. 11. Spirituall men endued with the Spirit of God can discerne of the Lords bodie and bloud betweene bread and wine in the Sacrament and common bread and wine 2. Cor. 13. Proue your selues shewing that the Church and the members thereof haue power and the gift of wisedome to try whether they haue faith or not 1. Ioh. 5. Trie the spirits And here she hath power to discerne of false Apostles and by this gift the Church of God differeth from all other societies of men no societie saue the Church of God hath this gift to iudge betweene good and bad truth and error true Apostles and false Apostles Secondly we gather hence that the Church of God can iudge whether a Church be a true Church or not Some men it pleaseth to call this to question nay to deny that there is any Church in England but call it the synagogue of Satan and say there is no ministerie in it no word no Sacraments Now seeing the Church of God can iudge of vs in England and the churches in Germanie in Scotland other Euangelicall and reformed Churches iudge the Church of England a true Church it is so though they deny it For we must rather stand to the iudgement of one or many particular true churches then of any one priuate or of many men Yea seeing the church of God can iudge of false Apostles it hath also power to iudge of Scriptures to iudge which books be canonicall which are not And that which the church of Rome saith is false that the Church indeed can iudge but as it hath authoritie from their Church This Church of Ephesus had this power long before Rome was in such name nay it was in this time of Iohn of farre greater name then Rome and more famous and excellent The second point in what things this discouerie of false Apostles consisteth in what this iudiciall action standeth which God hath giuen to the Church It standeth in two things first examination of false doctrine and false teachers Secondly condemnation of thē after examination For the first he saith And hast examined for the second and found them lyers To come to this examination the Church of Ephesus had a gift of examination and did examine false Apostles and their doctrine But how may a particular Church examine a false Apostle and his doctrine To do this the man or Church which would do it must first prepare themselues and make them fit to examine and in this preparation must haue an humble heart and lowly spirit for God reuealeth not his will to proud men such as haue high minds in their conceit And in this humbling of himselfe he must cleane renounce his owne wit and reason and in regard of himselfe become a foole in his owne reason if he will be wise in the word of God After this preparation he must make prayers to God in his spirit that the Lord would reueale the thing to him and that he would open his eyes by the meanes vsed to iudge of truth falshood Luk. 11. Iam. 1. 5. In the next place he must labour throughly to know and well to conceiue of their false doctrines he must seek to vnderstand them their grounds the differences betweene them and the truth For it is a fowle fault to propound a mans error and not in that meaning he propounded it or gaue it They must further proue and trie whether the doctrine be of God or men To do this he must come to the word of God which must be iudge in the matter not a dumme letter as the Papists hold but the true iudge in all matters and most sufficient Esa. 8. 19. 20. Ioh. 5. Search the Scriptures Only the Lord must be iudge in his owne matters he must giue sentence and no Angell Saint or man Now this he doth in the written word therefore they must search whether such doctrines be contained in the Scriptures or can by necessarie consequence be collected out of them They must after all this looke to their liues for it is not possible that a false Apostle should lead a good life We must looke on his faith and repentance and the fruites of them for though he may bleare the eyes of the world yet if his life be well sifted it will appeare by his faith and repentance he is but an hypocrite and therefore Mat. 7. Christ biddeth vs trie them by their fruites A bad tree cannot bring good fruite but if a man trie and tast them though they appeare beautifull to the eye yet we shall find them to be but hypocriticall and this is a iudgement of God vpon such that they shal be descryed by this one marke by their liues and conuersations If they teach false doctrine they haue liues answerable they cannot but liue accordingly There was neuer any which was a famous hereticke in the Church but his life was stained with monstrous sinnes as the historie of the Church declareth The second part of the discouerie is condemnation or sentence against them for after she had examined them finding them not that they seemed to be she pronounced them to be false Apostles and lyers Note she calleth them lyers vseth sharp speeches and yet sinneth not seeing Christ commendeth her so Ministers to shew their hatred against vice may vse sharpe speeches not to raile or taunt but only to shew our hatred and misliking of sinne So Iohn Baptist calleth them a generation of vipers Christ called Herod a Foxe Paul the Galatians fooles In that she calleth them lyers it sheweth three things first that they spake falsely and deliuered that which was vntrue secondly that they sinned of knowledge thirdly that they did it of malice to hurt and deceiue the Church for these three be the properties of a liar Againe here we see that which Paul Act. 20. foretold by the spirit of Prophecie to be fulfilled that among the Ephesians should arise lyars on them which professed the Gospell with them Againe if men in the daies of the Apostles they being yet aliue durst so take on thē Apostolical authoritie to cal thēselues Apostles and were none no maruell if the Pope of Rome durst sixe hundred yeares after them take this vpon him and say he is Peters successor to take on him Apostolicall power
Thirdly the diuels tend to maintaine idolatrie errors and wickednesse Deut. 13. these to maintaine true Apostolicall doctrine and the true worship of God Thirdly it is called Christs reuelation to shew that Christ now ascending into heauen and entred into his kingly office doth still rule order and gouerne his Church and for that cause it is not called the reuelation of God the Father or of the holy Ghost but of Iesus Christ because he guides and gouernes the Church Seeing Christ Iesus now ascended into heauen entred into his kingly office doth giue his Church reuelations we see his constant care of his church in this last age of the world For as in the first age he gaue doctrine necessarie for saluation and that time and after he gaue his Church Prophecies so in the new Testamēt he published the doctrine of the Prophets plainly and also the doctrine of faith repentance by the Apostles and now after all these being ascended vp into heauen he hath no lesse care of his Church for he hath giuen it now in this last age a notable Prophecy and reuelation by Iohn Which God gaue vnto him These words be added to shew how he came by this reuelation and whence he had it he had it giuen him of the Father and these words explane the former to shew that Christ was the author of it God gaue him that is God the father not the whole Trinitie For where this name God is opposed to Christ there it signifies the first person namely God the Father and the first person is often called by this name alone God because he is first in order and the fountaine of the Deitie For Christ receiues his diuine nature and Godhead from the Father by communication the holy Ghost from them both the Father receiues it from none God gaue to him How can it be giuen to Christ seeing he was God and had all things Ans. We conceiue of Christs 2. wayes first as he is God secondly as he is Mediator and head of the Church and so he is both God and man As he is God the Father giues him nothing seeing he is by nature the same with the Father in all things saue in proprietie of persons Secondly he is conceiued as the Mediator not God simply but God-man or God made man and so he is said to receiue of the Father in respect of his manhood as he is God-man or God incarnate So he saith All power is giuen me of the Father Mat. 28. that is as he is Mediator and God incarnate and head of his Church Phil. 2. God gaue him a name c. not as he was simply God but as he was Mediator and in his manhood so here the reuelation was giuen him not as he was God simply but as he was head of the Church Mediator and God incarnate Neither can any say hence Christ shall be inferiour to the Father in regard of his Godhead for he receiues it from the Father as he is God-man not simply God and as he is man and Mediator he is inferiour to the Father and confesseth that in that respect God the Father is greater then all And Paule saith God the Father is the head of Christ. 1. Cor. 3. 11. 6. 3. as Christ is the head of the Church God-man Nay as Christ sits at his Fathers right hand he is inferiour to him not as God but as Mediatour and looke as he receiues all power of the Father so must he restore it againe as he is head of the Church Now followeth the meanes how he gaue Christ this reuelalation He gaue it to Christ and made him Lord of it so that he made this his royaltie and priuiledge for Christ being king of his Church and this booke of reuelation being part of his lawe to the Church he is king also of this booke as part of his law and royaltie Againe they were reuealed to Christ before they were reuealed to any creature man or Angel and that as he was man for his manhood being vnited to his Godhead he could not but know them ere any man or Angell knew them as he was man First we obserue that this booke of Canonicall Scripture is Christs he is Lord of it and the right of it belongs to him alone For as the lawes of a land belong to a Prince and to none else so these lawes the bookes of this Scripture they be Christs as his royaltie priuiledge for God gaue them to him and to none but him only and he sent his Angels to reueale it to the Church Now that which is said of this booke may be said of all the bookes of Scripture that as the royaltie and interest of this belongs onely to Christ being giuen to him alone so the same followes of all other Then hence I gather no man in the world hath authoritie aboue these lawes aboue this booke for this is Christs priuiledge nor of any other by proportiō For these be Christs lawes al must be subiect to them none must be aboue them for then it should follow that they were giuen to men as well as to Christ Iesus Hence it followeth that if all be subiect to these lawes then no man hath authoritie to dispense with the Scriptures or the Gospell of Christ for that is to make men to haue royaltie interest and title into these Scriptures Monarches and Princes haue great authoritie in their iurisdictions but they must all be in subiection to these lawes of Christ for they be indeed great haue authoritie ouer their subiects yea more ouer all causes yet only those which be the causes of men they haue no authoritie in causes of God as the Scriptures and the Sacraments Seeing these bookes be Christs royaltie and he alone hath soueraigne interest in the Church authoritie we note that he alone can expound Scripture without helpe of Scripture he alone can giue the true sense of Scripture Indeed men can giue the sense of Scripture by Scripture for they haue a ministerie here and by Scripture they expound Scripture but Christ alone without Scripture can giue the true sense of Scripture This condemnes the popish doctrine which giues the Church absolute power and authoritie to expound and determine of Scripture without helpe of the Scripture for that is to take Christ his royaltie and priuiledge and to giue it to men but Christ alone hath absolute authoritie to determine of his owne lawes men indeed in the Church haue a ministeriall iudgment by helpe of the Scriptures We see the excellencie of all the Scriptures which is the same with this booke Now this booke it is the gift of God to Christ Iesus his sonne yea a most excellent gift now this is not affirmed by any writings of men though neuer so excellent This should teach vs to reuerence the Scriptures more then any mens writings whatsoeuer Then this sheweth the blindnes of this age which delight onely in the hearing
to allow of those bookes for canonical which are not and to make them as pure Scripture which are onely Apocrypha And thou hast suffered In the former words were the first part namely of her seueritie for which Christ commended the church of Ephesus now followeth the second part which is after their discouery to oppose her self against false apostles how it will appeare in the particulars First of the words Thou hast suffered or as well thou hast borne as a burthen for the word signifieth to be pressed down vnder a great burden These burdens were troubles which these false apostles caused after they were discouered first open iniuries and persecutions secondly the spreading of damnable and hereticall doctrines The Ecclesiasticall histories report that these false apostles were such as Cerinthus Ebeon Marcion and such like Now in these words we note it is the will of God that euen the best church shall be troubled by false Apostles teaching hereticall doctrine and persecuting the church of God and so become great burdens to the church and that the Lord suffers for weightie causes first these false apostles must be that the beleeuers and true imbracers of the Gospel might be stirred vp more to embrace and loue the same as Iude exhorts the true beleeuers To fight for their common faith and the more religion is oppressed the more we should labour to maintaine it Secondly that professors might be proued and tried whether they be true and sound or not 1. Cor. 11. 19. There must be heresies c. Thirdly that God may exercise his indgements on the wicked and hypocrites for they be giuen vp to beleeue lies to receiue their false doctrine 2. Thess. 2. 11. Seeing the Lord suffereth his best churches to be troubled with false Apostles and that for most weightie causes we must not be offended because we see dissensions and scismes in the church which proceed not by reason of the Gospell but from wicked erronious and hereticall men for the Lord will haue such to liue in his church to make his owne seruants to loue him more to trie who be sound professors and to bring iudgement on the wicked these should not make vs discouraged but more to loue and embrace the Gospell Now after the dealing of these false apostles is set downe the dealing of the church of Ephesus against them in all things opposing her selfe against them Thou hast suffered and hast patience That is thou hast borne a burden by manifold troubles and persecutions and hast patience to beare them Obiect But how can troubles persecutions and patience stand together for troubles are against mens nature and makes them fret and be impatient against God man Ans. These stand together not by nature but by grace Rom. 5. 4. Tribulation brings patience And they stand thus together to him which truly beleeueth in Christ God giueth the spirit of meeknes sheds his loue in his heart so in the midst of trouble giues him a speciall tast of his mercie And thus in the time of trouble they which be most troubled are withal most patient so trouble and patience may be together And hast patience Here is the first way by which the church of Ephesus opposed her self against false apostles and their dealings which were double first iniuries and persecutions secondly false doctrines heretical and damnable teaching Now by patience she opposed her selfe to both these So the onely way to oppose our selues against persecutors such as iniury or wrong vs is patience whereby we stop their mouthes and if it be possible ouercome and winne them to Christ. This should be our meanes to oppose our selues against wicked men as well in life and maners as in iudgement and doctrine not to returne iniury for iniurie and wrong for wrong but to haue patience not that we should beare their sinnes but their wrongs And for my names sake hast laboured Here is the second meanes how she opposed her selfe against their spreading of damnable and hereticall doctrine which is the second way how they were a burden to her Hast laboured that is taken much paines for my name that is my glory and the Gospell of Christ for maintaining my glory and true Religon thou hast taken as great paines as they did to broach heresies and so thou hast opposed thy selfe against them Here then is our second way to oppose our selues against damnable heresies of wicked men we must labour to haue the true word of God to maintaine the glory of God and true Religion Is this so Then euery man shall labour for the name and Religion of Christ both minister and people for this labour is double partly of the minister partly of the people Concerning ministers the ministers first labour must be by studying and reading the word to furnish himselfe with sufficient knowledge in the foundation and substance of the Gospel of Christ. And for this cause S. Iohn Reuelation 11. must eate the booke that is by study meditation haue it in his hart and mind to digest it wel Psal. 2. 7. the Priests lips must preserue knowledge and the people must seeke it at his mouth Secondly he must deliuer the whole counsell of God concerning the matter of saluation to the people and the whole doctrine of the Gospell contained in the bookes of the Prophets and Apostles So did Paul Act. 20. He kept nothing backe but deliuered the whole counsell of God Thirdly he must be able to discouer and labour to discerne false teachers to the people not onely to know them but make the church to know them Tit. 1. he must conuince false teachers and then discerne and discouer them which he shall do by two things first by conuincing and discrying their erronious doctrine secondly by reprouing their wicked life So Christ noteth the erronious doctrine of the Scribes and Pharises in their misinterpreting the law secondly their hypocriticall life So Paul in all his Epistles noteth wicked mens errours and then their bad life Fourthly he must labour that the doctrine deliuered out of the Gospell may edifie and take fruite in mens hearts which is the end of all preaching and teaching 1. Cor. 14. Fifthly he must labour to be a patterne and president in his owne person of that doctrine which he teacheth that so they may haue his example to follow which is an excellent meanes to make them obey the word and the neglect of it is the cause why many contemne the word Sixthly he must make petition to God that his particular church may hold receiue obey that doctrine he deliuereth So Paul in all his Epistles praies for them that they may receiue his doctrine Now as the minister so the people also must labour for the name of Christ euery true member of the church must labour to know vnderstand that doctrine which is deliuered out of the word Christ bids vs beleeue the Gospel and repent therfore we must first know
cities be Churches though not the Catholicke Church but members of it Note first the matter of this book concernes the Church seeing it is a propheticall history concerning the estate of the Church from the time of Iohn to the end and therefore it is meet it should be dedicated to the Church Secondly it is dedicated to the Church seeing the true members of the Catholicke Church be the pillars and ground of truth not that their authority is aboue the word but because they preserue the scriptures as a treasury from age to age And they be pillars and grounds of truth because they giue testimony to the truth of Gods word 3. Because they publish the truth of Gods word in and by the ordinary ministery of the word and so the church being the pillar and ground of truth it is fit this booke should be dedicated to it Secondly he writes it not to all Churches but makes choise of these seuen Churches in Asia first because they were then most famous as the Chapters following and histories of the Church do shew Secondly he sayes not to the Churches of Ierusalem and of the Iewes but of Asia to shew them that which was long before foretold was now fulfilled namely that the Gentiles according as the Prophets foretold should be called which now was verified seeing the Gentiles dwelt in Asia Seeing Iohn wrote and dedicated this booke to the Churches in Asia many yeares after Christ not to the Church of Rome then we see that the Papists are deceiued who would haue their Church the mother Church and all other Churches must rely on theirs but if that Church of Rome had bene the mother and most famous no doubt Iohn would haue dedicated it to her But he doth dedicate it to the Churches in Asia shewing they were then more famous then Rome 2 Now followes the salutation Grace and peace c. Salutation is of two forts ciuill or religious ciuil as that which men vse ordinarily with one another 2. religious which is more peculiar and proper to the Church and so it is here a religious salutation And seeing the Apostles vse it commonly in all their Epistles may be called an Apostolicall salutation They vsed this in all their Epistles Grace and peace c. which they did because their ministery was of grace and peace and they made their salutation answerable to their ministery for their Apostleship stood in these two to preach the word and to pray for the people that they might haue grace peace And the apostles vse this phrase in manner of blessing for when their ministery stood in two actions in preaching and praying for the people vnder the second action of praying was contained this to blesse the people and so did the high Priests and Leuites as also Christ he vsed this so Ministers to shew their duty more fully after they preach the word they blesse the people Grace be with you Most excellent words and containe in them the summe and substance of the whole Gospell Grace signifies two things first Gods fauour and good will secondly his graces Here it signifies his fauour because in this salutation grace is opposed to peace which is a grace of God so that it cannot be meant of a grace of God then by it is meant his good will and fauour whereby he accepts of vs for Christ his sake S. Iohn begins with Grace first and not with Peace because grace is the ground of peace and all blessings graces of God We must first be in Gods fauour then we must looke to haue prosperitie and graces from God Grace is the ground of all blessings as of our election vocation redemption iustification sanctification of faith repentance and perseuerance in faith and repentance nay it is all in all in the matter of our saluation For this cause he begins with it And peace Peace is taken first for welfare and good successe in things of this world by Gods blessing Exod. 18. 7. Moses askes Iethro his father in law of his peace that is of his welfare and so it is partly taken in this place Secondly it is taken for that vnity and blessed concord we shall haue in the kingdome of God and so it is especially taken here And being thus taken it hath sixe parts first when we haue peace with God which is when we stand in the fauour of God reconciled to him in Christ Iesus Secondly when we haue peace with Gods Angels in that they guard vs and cary vs as a nurse doth her child in her armes that we hurt not our feete at any stone and when they reioyce at our good estate Psal. 91. 11. The third is peace with a mans selfe when his conscience will not accuse him but excuse and cleare him as when our conscience is washed in the blood of Christ Phil. 4. 7. this peace passeth all vnderstanding The fourth is peace with the church So Act. 4. 32. those which beleeued were all of one mind and heart had peace with each other So Esa. 11. 6. The wild beast and the Lion the Lamb and the Cockatrise and the yong child shall lie together Fiftly this peace fauor of God is with the enemies of God so far as it is for the good of the Church and the glory of God So Ioseph had peace in Pharaohs house So Daniel had peace with the Kings Eunuches for though he was free when the children were cast into the ouen yet he did not reuolt but being fauoured they saued him The sixt is peace with all Gods creatures beasts birds all creatures in heauen and earth Ose. 2. 18. The Lord will make a couenant betweene vs and all his creatures Psal. 91. 13. The child of God he shall tread vpon the lion and serpent and they shall not hurt him for when a man is in Gods fauour what creature dares to hurt him nay al the creatures are ready and willing to serue him Grace and peace As though he had said first you must be in the fauour of God you must haue vnity and reconciliation with and in Christ and then this peace welfare prosperity in all good things as farre as is necessary yea then concord and vnity with God and all his creatures will follow Whereas the Apostle wishes them grace in the first place he would teach vs that this Gods fauour is to be sought for aboue all things yea in the first place Psal. 4. 6. Many say Who will shew vs any good But Dauid he seekes this grace and fauour of God Lord lift vp the light of thy countenance vpon me let me be in thy fauour And often he sayes the Lord he is his portion inheritance and his lot shewing to be in the loue and fauor of God is to be preferred before all things in the world So must we seeke first to be in Gods fauour make that our chiefest care seeke it aboue all things but we litle
of him his spirit and so we shall be able to discerne and iudge of it for no naturall man can do it no naturall man can discerne the things of God but he which is enlightened by the Spirit of God he can Secondly a man must haue Christ his testimonie of Scripture which is the Scriptures themselues for in them he setteth downe this testimonie of the Scriptures But if Christs testimonie be set downe of the Scriptures why do not all men know it Vnlesse a man haue a natural facultie of seeing he cannot discerne the Sunne though it shine so vnlesse a man haue grace from Christ to iudge of the Scriptures he cannot iudge of thē but if any haue the spirit of discerning then if he read and mark the phrase and manner of writing the stile and authoritie of the Scriptures he shall see then in euery line a testimonie of them giuen by Christ. How can a man know the true religion seeing the Turke Papist Iew Protestant haue their religions and dye in them I answer for to know which is true of these we must haue recourse to the faithful witnesse Christ and what he saith is true religion that we must hold for true religion Now Christ he giueth testimonie of them in the Scriptures and the Scriptures be as a letter sent from heauen to the Church shewing and testifiing which is true religion not that of the Iew Turke or Papist but of the Christian. Sundry men hold diuerse opinion in matters of religion as the Iew Turke Papist Christian which is the true opinion how is it knowne Answ. Still we must haue recourse to the witnesse of truth the faithful witnesse and Prophet of the Church and he is the iudge of these cōtrouersies Now in the Scriptures if we marke them we shall see his iudgement which of these is true But if there be diuerse opinions of Scriptures what must be iudge In this diuersitie of opinions yea of the Scriptures thēselues we must still haue recourse to the Scriptures if we note the circumstances the manner of writing if we conferre Scripture with Scripture we shall easily find out the true sense and meaning for the Lord sets out in them his iudgment plainly and fully The second certificate is particular belonging to the Propheticall office of Christ which is to certifie men in particular that the promise of the Gospell belongs to them as to Peter Iohn c. that he is the child of God and that euerlasting life belongs to any child in particular and this is done especially by the word not read but preached being ioyned with the working of the Spirit Rom. 8. We haue the spirit of Christ which testifies with our spirit we be the sonnes of God Now if this be the dutie of Christ to certifie men in particular that euerlasting life belongs to me or to any particular man then their doctrine is damnable who deny this seeing it is the proper office of the propheticall office of Christ. And in this he differs from al other Prophets and Apostles which be witnesses for they can witnesse onely outwardly to the eare but he can speake and testifie to the conscience neither can any of them certifie any man particularly though their ministerie tend to that end Christ is not onely a witnesse but a faithfull witnesse first because he testifies not his owne will but his which sent him namely his Fathers Secondly he testifies all his Fathers will neither adding nor detracting from it Thirdly because he teacheth it as he receiued it sincerely in the same manner in which he receiued it not altering changing or deprauing his Fathers will That faithfull witnesse The Lord hath sundrie faithfull witnesses as the Prophets Apostles the Church nay the Sunne and Moone Psal. 89. vers 37. but Christ alone is that faithfull witnes whereby he is distinguished from all other witnesses for he is aboue all other his witnesse is authenticall sufficient of it selfe needs no confirmation The witnes of the Apostles and Prophets be not authenticall and certaine but as they consent with Christs witnesse Secondly he is that witnesse because he is the Lord of that house whereof he giues witnesse namely the Church but the Apostles and Prophets are but seruants Thirdly Christ his witnesse is inward it assures and speakes to the conscience but the witnes of men as of the Prophets and Apostles is outward onely it comes to the eares it neuer binds and assures the conscience so that for that prerogatiue he is aboue all witnesses and here called THAT faithfull witnesse 1. Whereas Christ the Doctor and Prophet of the Church is called a faithfull witnesse we learne that all Ministers must be faithfull witnesses for euery Minister of the Gospell when he preacheth out of Gods word he is in the roome of Christ speaketh that which Christ should speake therefore he must be like Christ a faithfull witnesse 2. Now that they may be faithful witnesses they must deliuer the testimony of Christ aboue all other things and before all testimonies of man in the office of their ministery So it was meate and drinke to Christ to teach his Fathers will So Abraham his eldest seruant shewed his fidelitie in that he would not eate or drinke till he had done his maisters message Gen. 24. 33. So the Ministers must haue care first to teach the wil of God aboue all things secondly they must testifie all the will of God concerning matters of saluatiō As among men we count him a faithful witnes which testifies all the truth and no more but the truth so they be faithfull Ministers which testifie the whole will of God in things belonging to saluation neither adding nor detracting So Paul cleared himselfe that he was free from all mens blood seeing he deliuered the whole will of God in matters necessary for saluation and kept nothing backe 3. He must neither adde nor take away much lesse in any case depraue the word of God and this is the true marke of a faithfull witnesse In the Church of Rome a man may heare things concerning morall vertues handled soundly but come to faith and repentance matters of saluation they take away one part and adde another to the Scriptures they hold the Creed in word yet in deede they deny the same as by their doctrine it will appeare 4. The true witnesse must deliuer the testimony of Christ in that manner he receiues it namely in a spirituall manner in a plaine easie manner in a familiar kind of speech that the conscience of euery hearer may be moued When we seeke to obscure the word we do corrupt the same and as trades men and huxters we cannot be content to declare the word in a plaine easie familiar speech but as they set out their wares with sterching blowing spicing c. so we set a gloze on the word and make merchandize of it 2. Cor. 2.
of Christ and by the other be moued to the hatred of that false Church of Antichrist Now this text of Scripture She is fallen she is fallen euen Babylon that great citie for of the wine of the fury of her fornication she hath giuen all nations to drinke offereth me three speciall things to be considered first what Babylon is secondly what is become of her and thirdly what is the cause of her heauie decay In the first part by the assistance of God I shall plainely shew and proue that Babylon is Rome In the second that Babylon or Rome by the iust iudgement of God is fallen yea she is fallen In the last the reason of this so sharpe sentence of God against her because she hath deceiued all the world with drunkennesse and whoredome Within the compasse of these three propositions I will keep my selfe in all my discourse sauing that by your fauour forasmuch as this is the middle voice of three Angels that speake in this Chapter for a Preface I will vse the voice of the first Angell of whose preaching this my text is a cōsequent and in the stead of a conclusion I will touch the voyce of the third Angel which is a consequent of this the middle Angels voice Concerning the preface it shall be this in few words After that S. Iohn had described the preseruation and vnitie of the Church of God in Christ their head euen in the midst of the furie of Antichrist vnder the figure of the Lambe standing on mount Sion with 144000. of his chast worshippers next he declareth that God would bring the same againe into the sight of the world by preaching of the Gospell and the ouerthrow of the kingdome of Antichrist Wherefore he sendeth an Angell flying in the midst of heauen or betweene heauen and earth bringing with him an euerlasting Gospell and preaching that all men should feare God and giue glorie to his name for the time of his iudgement was at hand and that they should worship him that made heauen and earth and all things that are in them A very Angelicall sermon indeed an euerlasting Gospell is that howsoeuer the enemies charge it with noueltie that teacheth to feare God to giue glorie to his name and to worship him onely that is the Creator of heauen and earth And a consequent of that Gospell is this Sermon of the Angell She is fallen she is fallen euen Babylon that great Citie For wheresoeuer men are taught to feare God aright to giue all glorie to him alone and to worship none other but him that made heauen and earth and all things in them contained there must needes follow a great fal and ouerthrow of Babylon and Babylonicall religion which teacheth the contrarie Wherefore if we loue the peace of Ierusalem to the ouerthrow of this her great aduersarie let vs imbrace this euerlasting Gospell that we feare God glorifie God and worship God alone Againe if we hate Babylon with a perfect hatred as we ought to do and therefore would seeke her vtter ruine and decay let vs procure that this Gospell may be preached that men may learn to feare honour and serue God onely and then vndoubtedly Babylon shall fall she shall fall I say she can stand no longer Let this suffice therefore for a Preface Now haue we to cōsider what Babylon is I haue vndertaken to proue that Babylon here spoken of is Rome But first I must admonish you how I vnderstand Rome And that is not onely for a certaine place in Italy compassed about with walles and furnished with buildings as other cities are but for that authoritie gouernment and preheminence which is challenged by meanes of that citie or for the Romaine Empire which is claimed by prerogatiue of the same citie and so is Babylon taken in the Scripture and namely in this Prophecie For in the eleuenth Chapter of this Reuelation the same great citie is called also Sodoma and Aegyptus where our Lord was crucified Sodoma for the great abhomination and filthinesse therein maintained and Aegyptus because it keepeth the people of God in miserable bondage and slauerie as Aegypt vnder Pharao did of old Whereby it is manifest that the great citie is to be taken for that tyrannie gouernment and preheminence as I said which is challenged in the right of that great Citie and so is the regiment and gouernance of the Romaine Antichrist depending vpon the prerogatiue of his See which is Rome Now if any will contend that Babylon must be taken in the proper sense for a citie in Chaldea onely as though we should looke for the See of Antichrist out of the East as the Papists for thirty or fortie yeares ago deuised a fable that was renewed also in Queene Maries dayes of a monstrous child which should be borne at Babylon which they would haue men suppose to be Antichrist he may be flatly conuicted of great ignorance whē the Angell in the seuenteenth Chapter of this Prophecie testifieth that her name is Babylon in a mysterie as in the eleuenth Chapter that she is spiritually called Sodoma and Aegyptus not in respect of situation of the place but in similitude and likenesse of conditions Wherefore it remaineth that according to my promise I proue Babylon here mentioned to be Rome The greatest controuersie that this day troubleth the world is where the true Church of God should be the Papists making great bragges that it is on their side we affirming that it is on our side This controuersie will soone be cut off and brought to an end if it may be shewed that Babylon is Rome for then cannot Rome be the Church of Christ but the Church of Antichrist And therefore it standeth me vpon to bring very good and substantiall proofes to maintaine this my assertion that Babylon is Rome But what proofes may be counted sufficient Is not the authoritie of holy Scriptures and the testimonie of auncient Doctors of the Church good and substantiall proofes Therfore if authoritie of Scriptures be a good and substantiall proofe ye shall haue Scriptures if consent of auncient Writers in the same sentence be of any value you shall haue plentie And first beginning with Scriptures I will not alledge such places as be hard and darke to vnderstand but such as be plaine euident and manifest and can receiue no other interpretation to satisfie the iudgement of any reasonable man I omit therefore so many figures as in this Reuelation do not very obscurely signifie but euen directly point at and paint out that Antichristian Church For although they do so aptly and fitly agree therto as a man might easily iudge they were made euen for the same purpose yet because they might be wrested to some other meaning if manifest places did not withstand I will leaue all aduantage that I might take of them and hold me onely at this time to those plaine and euident demonstrations which with no equitie nor conscience can admit any
seuen heades do signifie seuen hilles whereon the woman sitteth Now seeing it is euident that the woman signifieth a great Citie we must see where we can find a great Citie builded vpon seuen hilles and that by the interpretation of the Angell is Babylon the See of Antichrist And if we seeke throughout the whole world where shall we find a great Citie builded vpon seuen hils but that great citie in Italie which all Writers Poets Historians Cosmographers with one consent do confesse to be Rome which is builded vpon seuen hilles whose names are these Palatinus Capitolinus Auentinus Exquilinus Viminaelis Quirinalis and Caelius This is so plaine a notation of Rome to be Babylon builded on seuen hilles that the Angell could not more plainely haue expressed Rome though he had named her Nay this is a more euident and certain description of Rome to be the See of Antichrist then if in plaine words he had said Babylon is Rome For it might be that some other citie then that here was meant might haue the name of Rome but no other citie could haue this notation to be builded on seuen hils For Constantinople was afterward called new Rome but Constantinople was not builded vpon seuen hilles like vnto old Rome Therefore this is a plaine and manifest circumlocution of Rome which with no reason can receiue any other exposition For what boy going to the Grammer schoole and reading in Virgils Georgickes this verse Septem quae vna sibi muro circundedit arces That citie saith Virgil which hath compassed seuen hils within her walles What boy I say in the Grammer schoole doth not vnderstand this to be meant of the citie of Rome although the Poet in that place doth not once name Rome With what face therefore will any man denie that the Angell here meaneth any other citie by this Periphrasis and circumlocution then Rome For if any will be so froward to except that the word of hils is not taken in the proper sense but figuratiuely and metaphorically for some other thing as some would seem to interprete seuen hils in this place for seuen kingdoms he shal plainly be conuinced by these reasons first it were absurd that the Angel should repeat one thing twise for in the next clause he sheweth that the seuen heads do signifie kingdoms also but specially we must remember that this is an interpretation of the Angell which must either be plaine and easie to be vnderstood or it deserueth not the name of an interpretation Therefore if the Angell offering to expound the mysterie of the seuen heads giueth this exposition that they signifie seuen hils if hils be not taken in their proper sense to what purpose serueth this exposition For if the name of hils hath need of another exposition he had bene as good to haue left the name of heads vnexpounded And as for the interpretation of hils to signifie Kings is more obscure darke and far fet then that heads should represent Kings for it is more apt by metaphor to call a King an head then to cal him an hill Therefore except we will say that the interpretation of the Angell is vaine yea more darke then the thing that is expounded by him we must needes confesse that hils are taken in their proper sense for hils and then the citie builded vpon seuen hilles without all controuersie is the citie of Rome The fourth and last proofe that I will take out of the holy scripture is the last verse of the same seuenteenth chapter which is yet a more plaine description of Rome if any thing can be more plaine then that hath bene alreadie spoken for there the Angell in plaine words expoundeth that the woman which S. Iohn saw which was the great whoore Babylon is that great Citie which hath dominion ouer the Kings of the earth What brazen face is so impudent to denie that Rome was that great citie which had dominion ouer the Kings of the earth at that time when this was spoken Or what other citie had dominion ouer the Kings of the earth in S. Iohns time but Rome Who is therefore so froward and vntoward that he will not acknowledge Babylon here to be plainly called Rome If I should name the chiefe city of England who would not vnderstand London If I should speake of the chiefest citie of France who would not conceiue Paris And when the Angell named the chiefe citie of the world who could be ignorant liuing in that time or knowing the history of that time that he vnderstood it of the citie of Rome which was the sea of the Empire and from whence we should looke that Antichrist should come according to the former prophesies For it is a shame in this place to flie vnto allegories and further expositions of this Angelicall interpretation which as I said before if it be not cleare plaine and easie to be vnderstood deserueth not the name of an exposition as when one knoweth one vnknowne thing is expounded by another as much or more vnknowne it is vaine superfluous and ridiculous Wherefore whom any bonds of reason will hold in they must be satisfied with the exposition of the Angell that Babylon is Rome For seeing it was necessary for the Church of God to know aswell the place where Antichrist should fit as to be instructed of his craft and crueltie our Sauiour Christ the author of this Reuelation would not suffer his congregation to be ignorant thereof but sent his Angell plainely to interprete and expound the vision of the great whoore that the Church being throughly admonished of her wickednesse and instructed perfectly to know her might more easily take heed of her flie from her and abhor her so that according to my promise I haue sufficiently proued by authoritie of holy Scriptures this first proposition which I tooke in hand that Babylon is Rome But because some are of such obstinate and wilful frowardnes that nothing will satisfie them but they will still grudge and repine carpe and obiect against my interpretations of holy Scriptures for the texts they cannot deny I wish them that are such if they like not these expositions which I haue brought to the defacing of Antichrist and his religion that then they admit and reuerence those expositions which their owne authors bring for the maintenance of the Popes authoritie and his religion of which sort are these God saith Moses in Genesis made two great lights the Sunne to rule the day and the Moone to gouerne the night that is saith the famous Interpreter God ordained the Pope and the Emperour to rule the world By the Sun is meant the Pope and by the Moone the Emperour and looke how much greater and more glorious the Sunne is then the Moone so much greater and more glorious is the Pope then the Emperour And not content with this he counteth by Arithmeticke how much greater the Sunne is in quantitie then the Moone by proportion that it hath to the earth
and so by many parts he concludeth that the Pope is greater then the Emperor But here a man might help him what by Geometrie and what by Arithmeticke for where as the Sunne is 166. times greater then the earth and the earth 39. times greater then the Moone as is proued by Mathematicall demonstration the Pope should be 6474 times greater then the Emperour This is one noble exposition that is set forth to aduance the dignitie of the Pope and his kingdome Another like to this is vpon the words of the Apostles which answered vnto our Sauiour Christ when he commaunded him that had no sword to sell his coate and buy one signifying the great daunger that was at hand Lord say they here are two swords These swords saith the Glosar are the Ciuill and Ecclesiasticall power which remained in Peter and therefore his successor the Pope hath preheminence of both No doubt a worthy interpretation and that agreeth well with the text and doth the Pope great worship Againe S. Paul saith to the Corinthians 1. Cor. 2. The spirituall man iudgeth all things and he himselfe is iudged of none This spirituall man saith the Interpreter is the Pope which is Iudge of all the world and may not be controlled of any man no though he draw with him innumerable soules into hell fire there to be tormented with the diuell and him for euermore yet no man must be so bold as to find fault with him or to say Domine quid ita facis Lord why do you so Is not this an handsome exposition Yea I promise you euen like vnto this other Statuimus vt Clerici nec comam nutriant nec barbam radant We decree saith the Canon of an auncient Councell that the Clergie shall neither weare long haire nor shaue their beards The Glosar finding this Canon to be so cleane cōtrary vnto the custome of the Popish Clergie who vse to weare long haire and to shaue their beards thought he would draw it at the least if it would not come by faire meanes to maintaine the laudable custome of the Popish Clergie and by exposition of one word he maketh the whole Canon to serue his turne Therefore Statuimus saith he which is we decree is to be expounded for Abrogamus which is we disanul or abrogate and so the sense afterward falleth out very plaine for the popish Priests thus We disanul that Prists shold go without long haire or vnshauen beards A right cunning interpretation and proper for the place and such in effect are all those that serue for the maintenance of the Popes authoritie and the religion of Poperie Therefore he that is of so sharpe iudgement that he will mislike and refuse those plaine expositions which I haue brought of the places before alleaged and except against them as inforced constrained and far fetched let him like of praise magnifie and admire these interpretations which are sought to vphold and establish the Popes throne and religion as rightly faithfully and truly collected Atque idem iungat Vulpes mulgeat Hireos and by as good reason let him ioyne for his plough not Oxes but Foxes and milke for his paile not she Goates but he Goates as the Poet saith Now that I haue proued Babylon to be Rome by authoritie of Scripture it followeth that I must shew for the same the consent of auncient Doctors And as in my former probation I touched onely such places as did plainly directly and manifestly set forth my purpose so in this behalf I wil deale with the Doctors Not such as they are wont to alleage against vs names indeed of great and reuerent antiquitie but workes of meere falshood and forgery bewraying their authors not to be such as they are fathered vpon but such as out of the bodie of blindnesse and superstition of much later time haue begotten them Such are the decretal Epistles of the old Bishops of Rome Linus Clemēs Anacletus c. Of which Clemēs writing to S. Iames forsooth in his second Epistle chargeth him very earnestly that the Pixe be cleanly kept so that there appeare no Mise dong or any other filthines among the fragments of the body of Christ with many other like Apostolicall commaundements The impudencie of whose authors appeareth notably in this that whereas they were ignorant buzzards that could not write true Latine they would ascribe their counterfeit Epistles to so learned fathers as though at that time when women and children spake Latine naturally as their mother tong the Bishops were so vnlearned that they did write so barbarously and were not able to vtter their mind in true Latine But leauing those delicates for such as long after them I will vse no authoritie for this purpose but such as they cannot refuse but that that is auncient catholike and autenticall I will begin therefore with Irenaeus one of the most auncient and autenticall writers that the Church hath who in the fift booke of his treatise against all heresies speaking of the sea of Antichrist vpon the last verse of the 13. chapter of this Reuelation where it is said that the number of the beasts name is six hundred sixtie and sixe sheweth that the opinion of many in his time was that seeing this name 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is in English the Latine man or Romane in the numerall Greeke letters containeth this number that Antichrist must be sought at Rome His words are these Sed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 nomen sexcentorum sexaginta sex numerorum c. valde verisimile est quoniam verissimum regnum hoc habet vocabulum Latini enim sunt qui nunc regnant Also saith he this name LATEINOS containing the number of 666. is thought to be the name of Antichrist and it is very like so to be for that which most vndoubtedly is a kingdome hath that name for they be Latines which now do raigne You see by this testimonie of Irenaeus that this prophecie of old time was vnderstood of Rome and that the mumber of the beasts name is to be found in one that beareth rule at Rome If this exposition or explication of the beasts name had bene deuised by Luther Zwinglius or Caluin it might haue bene suspected as a thing imagined of spite and enuy against the Church of Rome but when it is brought forth by so auncient a Doctor which liued not many yeares after this Reuelation was giuen as he himself saith that it was but a litle before his time vnder Domitian the Emperor which died thirteene hundred yeares before Luther was borne we must needs iudge it both to be very auncient and voide of all partialitie Wherefore I will passe ouer diuers other applications of that number to other names which neuerthelesse hit Babylon home because they haue bene sought out of late by such as beare il wil vnto Rome For I thinke this is sufficient with all reasonable men of equall iudgement to proue that this is no new opiniō
to seek the sea of Antichrist at Rome They themselues to proue their doctrine catholicke alleage authoritie of eleuen or twelue hundred yeares antiquitie behold this opinion is thirteene or foureteene hundred yeares old that Antichrist should be a Romaine and that the sea of his tyrannie should be at Rome The second witnesse of this assertion that Babylon is Rome is Tertullianus a very auncient writer also who in plaine words affirmeth that Babylon signifieth Rome in the third booke against Martion which denied that Christ had a true bodie Wherefore Tertullian vseth this reason against him That thing which hath a figure of it must be a thing of truth and so discoursing of many things figured and the figures of them cometh to these words Sic Babylon apud Iohannem nostrum Romana vrbis figuram portat perinde magna regno superbae sanctorum debellatricis that is to say euen so doth Babylon in the Apocalips of our S. Iohn beare the figure of the citie of Rome which is altogether as great and as proud in raigne and as great a persecutor of the Saints as Babylon was You see therefore most clearely and plainely that Tertullian with all his learning could not interprete these things that be written in this Reuelation concerning Babylon to be applied to any other citie then Rome and he is also a witnesse voide of all partialitie or affection to either part of them that striue in our dayes for he departed neare about foureteene hundred yeares before our time why should he not then be credited in this case Well next vnto him I will ioyne Chrysostome in his Commentarie vpon the second Epistle to the Thessalonians the second chapter in his fourth Homilie where as S. Paul speaking of the manifestation of Antichrist saith they knew what was the stay that he was not presently reuealed But when that stay is taken away he should be reuealed in his due time Chrysostome expoundeth this stay to be the Romaine Empire which must giue place vnto Antichrist that like as the Persians came in place of the Chaldeans the Grecians in place of the Persians and the Romaines in place of the Grecians euen so Antichrist should inuade the Empire of the Romaines Vacantem imperij principatum inuadet tentabit ad se rapere hominum Dei imperium Antichrist saith he shall inuade the vacant principalitie of the Empire and shall assay to draw vnto himselfe the Empires both of God and men And is it not manifest that the Papacie grew and tooke increase by the decay of the Empire and at the fall of the Monarchie chalenged full possession of all dominion both spirituall and temporall Of the same iudgement is S. Ierome writing vpon the same place of Paul vnto Algasia in the eleuenth question whose words are these Nec vult apertè dicere Romanum imperium destruendum quod ipsi qui imperant aeternum putant vnde secundum Apocalypsim Iohannis in fronte purpuratae meretricis scriptum est nomen blasphemiae id est Romae aeternae c. that is neither will he openly say that the Romane Empire shold be destroyed which they that gouerne it thinke to be euerlasting wherefore according to the Reuelation of Saint Iohn in the forehead of the purple whoore there is written a name of blasphemie which is Rome euerlasting Lo here another witnesse of good antiquitie and sufficient credite which not onely agreeth plainely with Chrysostome that Antichrist should take possession of the Romaine Empire when it should be decayed in the Emperours but also most plainely agreeing with Tertullian calleth that Babylonicall strumpet which is described in the seuenteenth chapter of this Apocalypse that purple whoore of Rome and the name of blasphemie to be Rome euerlasting as though he had heard the Pope brag of the eternitie of his sea which he saith is the rocke against which the gates of hell cannot preuaile But he is foully beguiled for Rome the sea of his Popedome is by Saint Ieromes iudgement that Babylom of whom the Angell preached that howsoeuer she boasts of her eternity She is fallen she is fallen euen Babylon that great city and neuer shal rise againe They crie out against vs that we raile and speake contumeliously of the holy sea of the Pope when we cal Rome the whore of Babylon but when the old Doctors to whose iudgement they themselues appeale from the authoritie of the Scriptures feare not so plainely in their writings to paint out the Babylonicall Strumpet in her right colours and in flat words to say she is Rome the mother of all abhomination and the sea of Antichrist why should we be blamed for saying as we are taught by them And especially of those men that make so great vaunts that the iudgement of the Fathers is altogether on their side by whom they offer to be tried when they dare not abide the iudgment of the Scriptures Againe consider I pray you if the old Doctors before Antichrist were openly reuealed did vnderstand by the Scriptures that he should sit at Rome what thinke you would they haue said and written if they had liued in these daies and knowne and seene all that was prophesied to be fulfilled in him With what confidence suppose ye would they haue inueyed against him With how open mouthes would they haue cried out vpon him At least wise do you not thinke in your conscience that when they had considered the authoritie of the Pope and his wholesome doctrine they would haue changed their minds and recanted their writings against Rome and repented that euer they had called her the purple whoore of Babylon seeing she is the holy mother Church of Rome the sea of the most holy father the Pope the head of the same Church I must needs say thus much in your behalfe ô ye Papists as ill as I loue you that if Ierome Tertullian and the rest of the Doctors did so account of Rome as you affirme of them they were much too blame to defame her with such odious names as to call her the whoore of Babylon which must needs make her vehemently suspected to be the Church of Antichrist and not of Christ for what Papist in these dayes dare say that which Ierom said that Rome is that purple Harlot Babylon which S. Iohn speaketh of in the Apocalypse The same Ierome in his 13. booke of Cōmentaries of the Prophecie of Esay vpon the 47. chapter writeth in this maner Licet ex eo quod iuxta 70. scriptū est 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 id est filia Babylonis non ipsam Babylonē quidam sed Romanā vrbem interpretantur quae in Apocalypsi Iohannis Epist. Petri Babylō specialiter appellatur c. That is to say For as much as the seuentie Interpreters write not the daughter Babylon but the daughter of Babylon some do interpret thereof not Babylon in Caldea but the citie of Rome which in the Reuelation of S. Iohn and the Epistle of
acknowledge Babylon in the Scripture to be vnderstood of Rome And thus I haue performed I trust sufficiently that which I tooke in hand to proue both by the authoritie of holy Scripture in plaine and manifest texts and by consent of many auncient writers yea by the confession of the Papists thēselues that Babylon in the Scripture is taken for Rome And thus much for the first part in which because I haue bene ouer long I will be shorter in that which remaineth In the second part I promised to declare how Babylon which is Rome is fallen according to the Prophecie of this Angell She is fallen saith the Angell She is fallen He repeateth the word of falling for two causes first to declare the certainty of her decay that howsoeuer she seemed to flourish triumph as though she should neuer haue fallen or come to ruine yet God for her wickednesse most righteously and for the comfort of his Church most mercifully had decreed vndoubtedly that she should fall when that time was once come which in his most wise and well ordered counsell was appointed for her destruction Secondly he repeateth twice that she is fallen to shew that she should haue an vnrecouerable fall she should not fall as other Cities which haue risen againe but she should fall without all hope of recouerie neuer to be restored againe Therefore in the eighteenth Chapter a mightie Angell taketh vp a great Mil-stone and throweth it into the sea saying With such violence shall Babylon that great Citie be throwne downe and neuer be seene any more So that as it is impossible for a great Milstone throwne with great force by a mightie Angell into the bottome of the sea to rise vp againe and swim aboue the water so impossible is it that Babylon when she is at the lowest of her fall should euer be set vp againe And in the nineteenth Chapter it is said That the smoake of her burning ascended vp for euer and euer Also of her vtter desolation descriptions are made in the eighteenth Chapter where it is said that Babylon is made a dwelling place of diuels a cage of vncleane birds according to the Prophecie of Esay concerning old Babylon that Zyim Ohym which be Sprights and Goblins shall walke in her Pallaces Scrichowles and Ostriges shall crie in her houses Apes and Satyres shall daunce in her beautifull buildings No voice of men shall be heard in her no sound of a Mill shall be heard no light of a candle shall be seene but perpetuall solitude and sorow shall dwell there for euermore Therefore saith the Angell she is fallen she is fallen that is she is destroyed and neuer shall be repaired But if we will better vnderstand how she is fallen we must consider more distinctly wherein she is fallen First in wealth and riches she hath sustained a great fall Consider how many kingdomes and states of the world haue renounced her obedience and all those haue withdrawne great rents reuenues and commodities that in times past were addicted to the maintenance of Babylon the Church of Rome A great fall without peraduenture and that will neuer be recouered Remember so many Abbeyes Monasteries Nunneries Frieries Hospitals Chauntries Churches and Chappels now ouerthrowne and made euen with the ground All lands iewels ornaments and great treasures that belonged vnto them cleane taken away frō them and you will confesse with me that Rome in riches hath a great fall Yea if you would see with your eyes a manifest example of Gods iudgement against Babylon behold those euill fauoured ruines and heapes of Monasteries that were sometimes gorgeous and sumptuous buildings The same end remaineth all that pompe and pride of Babylon not yet altogether beaten downe but euen now in falling For the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it and his immutable counsell hath decreed it and he hath sent an Angell to proclaime it Some wish perchance that Monasteries had stood still and bene conuerted to better vses but vndoubtedly the prouidence of God so ordered all things that his curse which was vpon them might be executed and the Prophecies that were concerning them might be fulfilled that they might be a monument of his wrath vnto all the posteritie the beginning of the fall of Babylon and an example of the destruction of all the rest that should follow soone after Who would euer haue thought that so great riches treasures and reuenues should so suddenly be ouerthrowne destroyed and come to nothing Therefore it is manifest that the wealth and worldly substance whereby the pride voluptuousnesse and intemperance of ryotous Rome was maintained and growne to an intollerable excesse is greatly diminished sore decayed and hath a foule fall and shortly shall haue a finall fall Well Babylon is not fallen onely in wealth and riches but also in power and authoritie For the kings of the earth which sometimes were subiect to that monstrous beast haue now shaken off the yoke of her seruitude and withdrawne the obedience of all their subiects from her Yea the most part of the ten hornes which sometime gaue ouer their power and authoritie vnto the beast which were all the Kings and Potentates that acknowledged the Pope for their supreme head and soueraigne Lord do now hate and abhorre the Harlot of Rome and shall make her desolate by withdrawing their Subiects from her obedience and naked by spoiling her of her treasures and shall eate her flesh for pure hatred and burne her with fire For great is the Lord which iudgeth her So that she which before at her pleasure might commaund all Princes to begin warre to cease from warre to defend her quarrels to annoy her enemies now is glad to flatter a few seduced Princes to take her part that she be not vtterly forsaken of all men or else to practise by treason and trecherie suborning Rogues and Vagabonds to stirre vp tumults among the rude people to trouble godly estates and commonwealths that despise her dominion but without all hope euer to recouer her auncient tyrannie Her thunderbolts of Excommunication which were sometime terrible to all men are now feared of no man What thogh she retaine her proud and presumptuous stomacke and will do while her breath lasteth to pronounce sentence of depriuation against Princes that abhorre her wickednesse Her impudent arrogancie is not so much detested of many as laughed to scorn of all Her Proctors and priuie practisers though they chaunge themselues like Proteus into neuer so vnlikely shapes are espied in euery corner For God himselfe reuealeth their pretences and will not suffer her to preuaile any longer So that in power and authoritie Babylon is fallen and falleth daily more and more into vtter contempt with all men vntill she be vtterly cōsumed and brought to nothing which will not be long before it come to passe For this sentence that God hath pronounced against her and begun also to execute cannot be chaunged or much longer deferred But especially and
chiefly Babylon is fallen in credite of her doctrine For besides so many Princes and estates of Christendome that by publike authoritie haue receiued the Gospell and vtterly abolished all Babylonicall doctrine euen in the midst of her tyrannie and persecution great multitudes daily are lightened with the bright beames of the Gospell that for all Inquisitions imprisonments exquisite torments and cruell burnings they neuer a whit diminish but rather increase as God hath prouided that the bloud of the Martyrs should be the seed of the Church And they are more then obstinate if they do not acknowledge that this matter is gouerned from God aboue For if it had bene of men it must needes haue decayed before this time and haue come to nought as Gamaliel said of the doctrine of the Apostles Therefore in fighting against it they shew thēselues but after the maner of the old Gyants to make warre against God Or as it is contained in this Prophecie that Antichrist should gather together the Princes of the earth to make battell against him that sitteth vpon the white Horse whose name is The word of God but all to their vtter confusion and destruction For the word of God must conquer and preuaile in the last age and Antichrist must be consumed by the spirit of the mouth of Christ which is his holy word and vtterly abolished by the glorious brightnesse of his coming to iudgement as S. Paule testifieth in the second Chapter of the second Epistle to the Thessalonians Therfore it is vaine that they seeke to vnderprop the doctrine of Babylon by crueltie and tyrannie for all will not serue seeing the time of her final fall approcheth and now already our Sauiour Christ with the spirit of his mouth hath wasted and consumed a great part of that credit estimation in which the doctrine of Babylon of long time hath triumphed And it is our parts to pray that her credit may dayly more and more decrease that the kingdom of Christ may be perfectly established amongst vs and the kingdom of Antichrist overthrowne euen from the foundations that no superfluous relicks of Babylonical religion may remain where the church of Christ is in building but that the doctrin of Babylō may fal altogether Thus I haue declared that Baylon in wealth and substance in power and authoritie in credit estimation of her doctrine is falne and that without hope of recouery for her credit is cracked not onely amongst her enemies the Protestants but euen amongst her best friends and greatest Arch-papists For I suppose there is none in the world so blind so superstitious so deuoutly addict in all points of Popish idolatrie and superstition as they were 30. or 40. yeares past Although they close their eyes neuer so obstinatly against the light of Gods word yet some effect of the beames of force wil pierce euen through their eye-lids And that they thēselues cannot dissemble although they would neuer so faine but that they haue bene deceiued with grosse errors and shameful superstitions their pardons their pilgrimages their legends who is now so blind that seeth not how the world hath bin seduced by them And the simplicitie of the people abused to satisfie their vnsatiable couetousnesse As for the greatest Patrons of Poperie that be learned they cannot denie but that great errors haue bene receiued and taught for truth Yea the Pope himselfe hath acknowledged that many errours haue crept into the church yea euen into the Masse but the reformation of them pertaineth to him alone and the generall Councell But what hope of reformatiō is to be looked for at their hands let it be seene in the decrees of the last Councell of Trent What litle Mise those great mountaines in so many yeares trauell haue brought foorth In fortie or fiftie yeares consultation two great matters reformed One for Pardoners not to be common pedlers another for the Communion in both kinds to those that desire it so they confesse it were as good in one kind and agree with them in all other points of Poperie Yet all was not well they confesse by their correction And as for the greatest Pillars and Proctors they haue if they be pressed neare acknowledge a great deale more As one that landed lately at Yarmouth before witnesse of good credit testified that if he might be satisfied in two points concerning the Popes supremacie and the reall presence for other matters he would not greatly striue So that I will conclude that Babylon is fallen in riches in power in credit of Doctrine not onely with Protestants but euen with Papists themselues But now I know what will be obiected against me That I haue trauelled all in vaine to proue that Babylon is fallen and that Babylon is Rome and that I haue abused the texts of Scripture and sentences of old Doctors to proue the same For whatsoeuer is contained either in the Scripture or in the writings of the auncient Doctors to proue that Babylon is Rome is to be vnderstood of Rome vnder the heathen Emperours and not vnder the Popes and that all this while I haue wrested the Scriptures and enforced the Doctors to affirme that which they neuer thought of Indeed I will confesse that some Prophesies contained in this Reuelation were fulfilled in the heathen Emperours and that the heathen Empire was an introduction vnto Antichrist but that Antichrist the great enemie of the church of Christ and which is principally called Antichrist could not be any of the heathen Monarchie I will make it manifest by plaine demonstrations And first I will retaine this Principle sufficiently proued before that Rome is the See of Antichrist and that by authoritie of Scriptures and consent of auncient Writers we can seeke him no where but in the Romaine Empire And now the controuersie resteth in this whether the heathen Emperors or the Pope be he First S. Paul in the second chapter of the second Epistle to the Thessalonians speaking purposely of Antichrist saith expresly that he shall sit in the Temple of God which is the Church of Christ. But it is manifest that the heathen Emperours did not sit in the Church of God therefore the heathen Emperour is not this Antichrist And by the same reason it is manifest that Mahomet is not that especiall Antichrist because he sitteth without the temple of God as there be diuers that would haue these things to be vnderstood of Mahomet or Ottomanus but it is as cleare as the Sunne at noone dayes for as much as neither the heathen Emperors nor Mahomet nor Ottomanus sitteth in the Temple or Church of God that none of them is that great Antichrist of whom the prophesies of the Scripture are to be expounded And whereas some of them interprete the abhomination of desolation where of Christ speaketh to be meant of Antichrist or at leastwise to be a signe of him that cannot be vnderstood of the heathen Emperours or any other that is without the Church for that
standeth in the holy place which is the temple and signifieth the Church Now the Pope sitteth in the midst of the temple of God and boasteth himself to be God chalenging to himselfe such authoritie as is proper only to God and vsurping such honour as is peculiar onely to God Therfore not in the heathen Emperors but in the Popes is this prophesie accomplished Another reason to proue that Antichrist which in this Reuelation is foreshewed to come into the world cannot be vnderstood to be the heathen Emperours is taken out of the seuenteenth chapter of the same booke for there the Angell interpreting to S. Iohn the mysterie of the beast that beareth the harlot which hath seuen heads signifying seuen hilles he declareth also that they signifie seuen Kings or principall estates or formes of regiment for so the name of King is often taken in the Prophets and specially in Daniel at which prophesie S. Iohn borroweth many phrases Of these seuen heads fiue he saith were fallen the sixt was then presently in authority and the seuenth was not yet come which seuenth was the monstrous beast Antichrist that was both the seuenth and the eight Now it is euident that this could not be vnderstood of the heathen Emperours for Nero the first persecuting Paynim was come and gone and Domitian another persecutor by whose tyrannie S. Iohn was banished into the I le of Pathmos where he saw and receiued this Reuelation was then in authoritie so that of the Monarchie or tyrannie of heathen Emperours this could not be vnderstood and of the Christian Emperours no man will expound it so that it must needs be turned ouer to the Pope for it can rest in no place else and being referred vnto him all the rest haue a very apt exposition For the citie of Rome and the dominions thereof hath had seuen principall states or formes of regiment the first state of Kings the second of Consuls the third of Decemviri the fourth of Dictators the fift of Triumviri the sixt of Caesars or Emperors and the seuenth of Popes Now fiue of these states or formes of regiment were fallen and abolished in Saint Iohns time the sixt which was the Emperours in his time was in place and the seuenth which is the Popes was not yet come which was the very beast it selfe the Romaine Empire reuiued and raised vp from the bottomlesse pit of hell into the vsurped tyrannie of the Pope And this is that beast that sometimes was of wonderfull great power and glory in the dayes of Augustus and some other of his successors but then much decayed as if it had not bene although in some sort it were but should be restored in the vsurped authoritie of the Pope that claimeth all the world to be his Diocesse which power commeth not from God but from the Prince of pride out of the bottomlesse pit But chiefly let vs consider that the beast although he be but one yet in the account he standeth for two for he is that seuenth head and the eight also And remember that the Pope challengeth double authoritie namely the power of both the swords the spirituall and temporall So that in this exposition all things agree most aptly Againe it is manifest in the Scriptures that Antichrist should deceiue the world with false doctrine vnder pretence and colour of true religion and therefore so often times the Scripture warneth men that they be not seduced by him which were needles if any opē professed enemy of Christ shold be that Antichrist For there is no likelihood that an heathen man a Iew or a Turk should deceiue any multitude of true Christians but he that vnder the pretence of the name of Christ seeketh most of all to deface the honour of Christ he is a subtle aduersarie and the very spirit of Antichrist as S. Iohn also in his Epistle doth testifie For in the second chapter speaking of those Antichrists which were the fore-runners of the great Antichrist he sheweth that they went out from the Church And in the fourth chapter he calleth them false Prophets and teacheth men how to know the spirit of Antichrist He that denieth Iesus to be Christ he that denieth that Iesus Christ is come in the flesh that is he that derogateth any thing from the honour of Iesus to be Christ and in his flesh to haue performed the ful worke of mans redemption as the Pope doth most blasphemously he is Antichrist and who so teacheth any such doctrine speaketh by the spirit of Antichrist For the testimony of Iesus is the spirit of prophesie Seeing therfore that S. Iohn accounteth Antichrist for one that is gone from the church for a false Prophet it is cleare that Antichrist is no heathē Emperor which was neuer of the Church nor yet a false Prophet that tooke vpon him to teach in the Church The same may be said of Mahomet who neuer professed himselfe to be a Christian nor yet a Prophet in the Church of Christ pretending to vphold the religion of Christ but an open enemie of the Gospel of our Sauior Christ altogether without the Church By these arguments I doubt not but all men may see that seeing Babylon is Rome and that the head of Babylon is Antichrist that he cannot be any of the heathen Emperours but euen the Pope himselfe And therefore I conclude according to my text that Rome is fallen if Babylon be fallen Now remaineth the last part that I promised to intreate of namely the cause of Gods so seuere iudgment against Babylon that he hath decreed her vtter ouerthrow and destruction which the Angel comprehendeth in these words Because she hath made all nations drunke with the wine of the furie of her fornication that is she hath deceiued all the world with false doctrine which he compareth vnto two kinds of vices whereby men are so deceiued that they loose all their right iudgement drunkennesse and fornication for as these two vices do allure men to commit them by coueting of vaine delectation that is in thē euen so Babylon hath inticed all men like another Circe to drink of the cup of her delectable errours and to commit most filthy fornication with her idolatrous religiō For of al other religions to the carnal man none is so pleasant as Poperie is in which be so many kinds of satisfaction to be obtained both in this life and after men be dead that there is no greater securitie for an hypocrite to sleepe in thē in the faire promises of Popery And that causeth so many willingly to embrace it and so loth to depart frō it because they would still continue without checke of true doctrine which calleth men to repentance amendment of life or else threatneth eternall damnation For howsoeuer it pleaseth them to charge the doctrine of the Gospell with cause of securitie it may easily be seene by comparison of it with the doctrine of Poperie whether is cause of securitie that which teacheth no