the Civill State decayed and the Power of the Emperors was so usurped and transferred unto the Pope because this Power which they now unjustly exercise was the just Power of the Emperor and of other Kings whom the Pope and his Cardinalls subjected Volater l 22. Authropolog in Alexand. 3. Hoveden Math. Paris in Reg. Joh. ursburgens in Fred. 1. as the Histories do relate unto themselves Sol. I answer that the Holy Ghost meaneth not that this second Beast took away and usurped the Power and Authority of the first Beast but did all Acts and exercised all his jurisdiction and his function by vertue of the power and under the protection and the countenance that he received by and from the authority of the first beast as the Sheriff exerciseth the power of the King for the service of the King for so the words do plainly intimate that this two horned Beast exercised the Power of the former beast 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the presence of him or before him that is for the service and to the use and behoofe of the former Beast because that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In conspectu Jehovae saith Tremelius 1 Sam. 2.18 is here equivalent to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the dative case as when it is said that Samuell was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ministring in the presence of the Lord or before the Lord it signifieth as it is also expressed Cap. 3. 1. that he was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ministring to the Lord so this second Beast exercised all the Power of the first Beast 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to the use service and setting forward the practises and designes of the first Beast and this appeareth very cleare from the words immediately following in that this second Beast causeth the Earth and them that dwell therein 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Cap. 13.12 that they should worship the first Beast that is not to ascribe any Divine Honor but to submit themselves to obey and to serve and assist the first Beast And we know the Pope and his Cardinalls and so all the Roman Clergy That the Bishop of Rome and his Clergy cannot be meant by the second Beast cause all the Rulers of the Earth and all the Iuhabitants thereof to worship Honour and serve themselves as those that are most worthy of Honour for the care that they take to save the soules of the people rather and before the other Beast that is the Civill Magistrate which careth onely for our Temporall estates and the things of this present life and therefore deserves not so much worship as the other that by the Testimony of the Apostle are worthyer of double Honour because they labour to bring us to eternall life in which respect we find how the Popes exacted Platâ—na in vita ejus French Epit. p. 93. and required the greatest Kings and Emperors to serve and to worship them as Gregory the third did to Leo Iconomachus Gregory the seventh to Henry the fourth Pope Zachary the first to Childerick King of France Allexander the third to Frederick Barbarossa Celestine the third to Henry the sixth Speed in the life of King John Hoveden Annal p. 2. sub Rich. 1. Innocent to King John Adrian the fourth that made the Emperor to hold his stirrop and the like that you may find in the Annalls and the lives of the Kings and the Emperors and therefore questionless the Pope Cardinalls and Clergy of Rome cannot be understood by this second Beast But all that is here specified and spoken of the second Beast The Parallel That the Assembly of Presbyterians and the Independant and Lay Preachers of the Parliament are the second Beast and the false Prophet doth in every particular point agree and most aptly cohere with the Parliaments Heterâ—geniall and Laâ—dicean Assembly of Divines that sat at Westminster together with their dispersed Disciples wheresoever inhabiting within these Kingdomes and with the swarme of Independant and Lay-Preachers that sprang up since the beginning of that Parliament for these Presbyterian Divines that contrary to their Oathes contrary to the Commands of their King and contrary to their Faith given in the presence of God and in Gods House when they were admitted to Holy Orders and the rest of the Independant and Lay-Preachers have as the Text saith exercised all the Power of the Parliament they sat in Westminster under the wings of the Parliament and with the rest of their Associates wheresoever dispersed trusting to the Power and Protection of the Parliament they Preached Consulted and Determined all things by the Power and Authority and for the service and advancement and behoofe of the Parliament for the overthrowing of the King See also what the Author of the last Will and Testament of Sir John Presbyter saith Edwards in his Gangraena p. 26. the rooting out of the Bishops and the utter defacing of Gods Church And I think all the people of this Land knoweth this to be so true that I need not use any argument to confirm it and so the Independant Sectaries do avouch that the Presbyterian Government is the false Prophet and the Beast here spoken of and the third part of the great Citty Revel 16.19 and on the other side the proud Presbyterians do as confidently aver that the Independants and Lay-Preachers are this Beast and so Clodius accusat moechum Catelina Caethegum and I out of their own mouthes will take it pro confesso and conclude them both to be partes constitutivas the chiefest constituting parts that make up the second Beast That the false Prophet is three foldâ— and the false Prophet And this false Prophet is like the three-headed Cerberus consisting of three speciall branches or three sort of Preachers 1. The Presbyterians And to begin with the last 2. The Independants And to begin with the last 3. The Lay Preachers And to begin with the last 1. The Lay Preachers may rightly be said to be one of the heads of Cerberus and the false Prophet in two speciall respects 1. In respect of his eutrance into his Office 2. In respect of his ignorance to discharge the duties of his Office For 1. 1. The Lay Preacher a false Prophet in two respects 1. His unjust entrance Malach. 2.7 that the Priest is the Messenger of the Lord of Hosts and the Apostle tells us that no man taketh this Honour unto himselfe that is to be a Messenger and an Embassador sent from God but he that is called of God as was Aaron and how was Aaron called First by the inward inspiration of Gods Spirit Secondly least he should be mistaken in the inspiration of the Spirit because there are many spirits by the appointment and Ordination of Moses that had his Authority from God to approve of his Vocation and to confirm him in his Priestly Office thus was Aaron called and yet more then this Heb. 5.4 the Apostle saith that Christ himself who is the
without adding the prevalent faction as sometimes for brevity sake I may omit I desire my Reader to remember that I mean only those and that party of whom it is demanded Whether they have not all and every one of the notes and marks of the great Antichrift and have done all the things and fulfilled all the Prophesies that should be fulfilled and done by the Antichrist And because the event of things are the best commentaries upon Prophesies The Events of things are the best Comments upon Prophesies if so it be apparent that all the things sayings and doings that are prophesied and foretold should be done by the great Antichrist are all manifestly seen to be done and fulfilled in them and by them aforenamed and by their confederates and adherents I know not how to give satisfaction to them that demand this question or how to deny them to be the Antichrist and to acquit them from that suspicion But I will leave the answer of these demands and resolution of those Questions to be de ermined by those unpartial Judges that are quicker sighted than I am and I will proceed not to foretel any thing but to explain unto you what the Prophets have foretold us should come to pass and should be done in the time and by the members of the great Antichrist and for the application of those Prophesies as fulfilled in these dayes and by these men I leave it to the better observers of the transactions of our time whether they can rightly do so or not And first That Apostasie or rebellion is the door through which the Antichrist entereth into the Church I finde the Apostle telling us that the door and breach or gap whereby the Antichrist shall have way to enter into the Church and sheepfold of Christ to destroy his flock will be apostasie or rebellion for when the Thessalonians had heard that such a great egregious Antichrist should come and thereupon did presently expect him and then thought the day of Christ his coming to judgment should instantly follow because they had heard that his coming should be towards the end of the world and but a little before the day of Christ his coming the holy Apostle to rectifie their misapprehension of what they had heard and to explain the truth and time of both their comings saith the day of Christ shall not come 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quin venerit defectio prius until there be first a failing or falling away 2 Thess 2.3 as Beza translates it or nisi venerit prius rebellio unless there comes a rebellion first as the Syriac hath it and as very many of the best Interpreters say the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifieth because every rebellion is a falling away from what we should be And this rebellion is conceived by some Authors to be that which the people made in Rome against Nero and by others it is thought to be that which the Jews made against Florus or that which the grand rebell Barchochebas made against Rufus in the time of the Emperour Adrian who did therefore sufficiently chastice the Jews for their apostasie and revolt and others of no small esteem do understand it of the ruine of the Roman Empire and the Provinces revolt from the Roman Empire under the Turk and other apostate Governors of the Provinces as Niger Albinus and the rest that proved false against their Emperors but Mr. Calvin which is ever held the best textuary B. Hall in his Revelation unrevealed Ensebius l. 4. c. 6. even since the Apostles time as B. Hall saith wonders that so many learned men as understood these words of the Apostasie or rebellion of those revolters from the Roman Empire should so far mistake the Apostles meaning nisi quod cum errasset unus turmatim alii sine judicio sequuti sunt eum unles sit be that when one hath erred others without judgement or any further search for the truth have followed him which is an usual fault and a great fault amongst many writers where they see one run they are often ready like sheep without reason to follow after him And yet I wonder not so much herein as Mr. Calvin doth because the Apostle might well mean The rebellion against the Magistrate doth ever precede a recession from the faith and Gods service both the apostasie and rebellion from the temporal Monarchy of Rome as the type or Prodromos and also from the spiritual Kingdome of Christ which is the Church as Estius Anselmus and very many more of our best Protestant writers do interpret it because commonly they that rebel against the one will never stick at the other but when they kick against the Magistrate they will presently spurn against the Priest and God requireth obedience to be observed towards the civil Magistrate as well as to the spiritual Minister neither shall you ever finde that any departed from his true and obliged obedience to his lawfull Governor but he presently apostatized and made a recession from the true service of God as when Jeroboan◠rebelled and made a recession from his obedience to his King he presently made a defection from the true God and a discession from his worship to serve his golden calves and when the Satrapasses and Tetrarchs of the Provinces rebelled against the Roman Emperors they presently fell away from the Church and instead of Christ took Mahomet for their Prophet and the Jews tell us plainly we have no King or will have no King because we feared not the Lord to shew unto us Hosea 10.3 that a discession from Gods service doth ever accompany the rebellion from the civill Government and the rebellion against our Governors is the fore-runner of our discession from the true service of God and the faith of Christ because that our Governors which have the charge to see that the true faith and right service of God be preserved do while they are obeyed hinder this Apostasie and falling away from Gods service but when they are resisted and the bond of our obedience to them broken there is no stop of this apostasie but that every one may be of what faith and do what service he pleaseth and as he pleaseth unto God And therefore I take this apostasie and rebellion that the Apostle speaketh of here What apostasie or rebellion is here meant by the Apostle to be chiefly meant for a civil rebellion against the supreme Magistrate as he is custos utriusque tabulae the defender of the faith and preserver of Gods publique service and a spiritual opposition or withstanding of our spiritual Governors and the discipline of Christ his Church and so a falling from the true Doctrine and the faith of Christ which is the end of that progression and last step of this apostafie that begins in our disobedience and rebellion against Moses and Aaron and ends with our discession from God and Gods service for thus S. Paul saith the Spirit
divisions corruptions and confusions that are now conceived to be in the Churches of these Dominions Donatist Cradokist Cerinthian Catharist Ebyonist Eutychian Familist Gnostick Hugonite Hussite Jesuit Libertine Lollard Marcionist Manichean Montanist Millenary Nestorian Nicholaitan Origenist Petagian Puritan Quaker Ranter Sadduce Socinian Seeker Tritheist Valentinian Winterist or if you will Atheist or Adamite or Independant From all these and from all other Seâ—â—â—â—d or new and have liberty of Conscience to profess and be of what Sect you 〈…〉 so you profess to believe in Jesus Christ as all the very worst hereticks did and 〈◊〉 and so you take the Oath of abjuration and renounce popery and 〈◊〉 which are the only men as I see that although they do believe in Jesus Christ as well if not better than any of the foresaid Hereticks are excluded from this benefit and excepted from this liberty of conscience to serve God as seemeth good in every mans eyes And though all these Sects differ one from another and are in confusion The common and joynt practise of all the Sectaries and execrating one another yet all of them do agree to dissociate themselves from the true Professors of the primitive Christianity to tear the Apocriphal Books out of our Bibles to cast away the service Book and to cashier the Articles of our Church and the Book of Homilies they are no Saints if they do not this But for the resolution of the foresaid Questions though I could say much therein Yet I will only refer the same to what you may read in a little Treatise intituled Hell broke loose that so as it seemeth the Antichrist might come forth out of the bottomless pit as S. John saith he should do and to a book of Mr. Edwards intituled Gangraena which is set out at large and three times printed where you may finde very orderly and methodically set down such a ferrago and hodg-podg of Heresies and such a multitude of most horrible blasphemies so odious and so hideous Mr. Alexander Ross in his animadversions upon Mr. Hobbes his Leviathan sheweth how the Leviathan blasphemeth 1. God 1 Errour that my hairs do stand and my heart doth tremble at the thought of them and my soul is very much afraid to name them least thereby the Devil should intice some wicked men that as yet know them not to embrace them and likewise to another book of Mr. Alexander Ross against Mr. Hobbs his Leviathan which Mr. Ross saith is like that beast in the Revelation cap. 13. and that is the Antichrist which opened his mouth into blasphemy against God and his Tabernacle and against them that dwell in Heaven 1. Against God himself and that many waies as specially 1. In saying that God made the world by nature and so by consequence of necessity according to the course of nature whereas indeed he did it voluntarily and freely and might have chosen whether he would have created any thing or nothing for he being liberrimum agens a most free and no waies necessitate agent whatsoever pleased the Lord that did he in heaven and in earth and in the Sea and in all deep places saith the Prophet Errour 2 2. In making the Three Persons of the Trinity the Father the Son and the Holy Ghost to be rather Names than Substances which is contrary to our very Creeds and the Faith that we do profess Errour 3 3. In making Christ only to personate God the Son as if he were not so indeed but takes upon him only that Office Place and Title Whereas in very truth Christ by reason of the Hypostatical union of his Manhood to the Godhead is rightly said to be as he is the Son of God Errour 4 4. In making God with the Manichees to be the author of sin and so unjust if he punisheth us for doing that whereof himself is the author when as the Scriptures tell us plainly he hateth all those that work vanity vide Hab. 1.13 1 John 1.5 much more them that work wickedness and that he is of pure eyes neither shall any evil dwell in his sight he being that light in whom is no darkness at all and that perfect order in whom is no Ataxie or disorder at all Errour 5 5. In making God to be corporeal and a part of the Universe when as Christ tels us plainly God is a Spirit and the Scripture tels us so in many places 2. Against Gods Tabernacle that is his Church 2. The Tabernacle by labouring to overthrow her Faith her Knowledge her Miracles and her Ordinances 3. 3. The Angels and the blessed souls of the Saints Against them that dwell in Heaven that is the Angels and separated Souls of the Saints in making the one but Fancies and dreams that are indeed created substances of a pure spiritual being and the other mortal and not capable of any other happiness than what is earthly which is the greatest discouragement that can be to all Christians 1 Cor. 15.19 and would make them if this were true of all men the most miserable and would be the very poyson of all Piety and vertue And besides all this he saith that the said Hobbes in his Leviathan affirmeth that Faith is not by inspiration or infusion but 〈…〉 and industry that to believe in God is not to trust in Gods Person 〈…〉 confess the Doctrine of the Scripture that our Belief is in the Church The manifold errours heresies and blasphemies that Ross collecteth out of the Leviathan that they â—â—e not Devils but mad men that confessed Christ in the Gospel that Covetousness Ambition and Injustice with Power able to uphold them are honourable that wicked Tyrants and good Princes are all one and no such difference betwixt them that a man may sin against his Conscience that is do the things which his own Conscience tels him he should not do that men should not render a reason or an account of their Faith that Kings and Princes are not subject to their own Lawes that private men have no propriety in their own Goods that our natural reason is the Word of God that divine dreams cannot win our Belief that it was but a wind and not the holy Spirit of God that moved on the waters in the Creation Gen. 1.2 that the Dove which lighted on Christ in his Baptisme and the fiery Tongues which sate upon the Apostles in the day of Pentecost may be called Angels that Christ hath no spiritual Kingdom here upon earth that Christ did not cast out Devils Mat. 3.16 Acts 2.3 but only cured Madness that Satan did not enter into Judas that we may dissemble in matters of Religion and that we may disobey both Christ and his Apostles without sin Such Job 41.20 and much more like stuffe and smoak saith Ross doth this Leviathan send out of his Nostrils as out of a boyling Cauldron and herein contrary to all truth and without shame he raked up the
boasting and bragging or prae se ferens as Beza translates it pretending that he is God or as Tremellius saith ostentet seipsum ac si Deus esset he will carry himself as if he were a God that is in Gods stead the true King to rule the people and the right Bishop to govern the Church of Christ or That the Antichrist will wholly direct the Clergy and dispose of all things in the Church and about the service of God as some do read it he would be esteemed and taken tanquam sit Deus for such a supream Monarch and chief Governor over Gods Church as God said unto Moses he should be to Aaron his God to direct him in all the service of the Tabernacle and the whole worship of God so will the Antichrist be such a God to order direct and dispose of all the worship of God and how all the Clergie in order and without order should behave and carry themselves in the whole service of the Church which I take to be the true meaning of the Apostle in this place For this shewing himself or bragging that he is God is not to be understood that he would have himself believed to be the true and everliving God and worshiped with divine worship as the Historians tell us Alexander Antigonus Augustus Caligula Domician and divers others of the Caesars and Emperors were transported to that height of pride and ambition as believing themselves to be more than men to require the people their subjects to take them for Jupiter Apollo or some other of those anciently esteemed Gods and to ascribe the honor and worship that was usually given to those Gods unto themselves as Altars Sacrifices and the like whereof Virgil speaking of Augustus saith Virgilius eglog 1. Illius aram Saepe tener nostris ab ovilibus imbuet agnus And Horace also saith Horatius epist. l. 2. Jurandásque tuum per nomen ponimus aras But the meaning of the Apostle is that this man of sin the Antichrist will bragge and boast unto the people that he is all for God and for the honor and service of God and therefore sits in the temple of God to set out the right directory of serving God that so God through him and by his only means and endeavors might be rightly served and worshipped according to his directory as the Mahometans worship Mahomet according to his Alcoran and we formerly worshipped God according to the form prescribed unto us by our Governors in the book of Common-prayer and so he sheweth that he is God that is most godly and so a God by the participation of the godliness and holiness of God which exposition doth most fitly agree with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 what he sheweth himself to be which is the rediest way to deceive the people And whether the long Parliament hath not usurped this ecclesiastical power and jurisdiction over all the holy things Let the Reader judge whether this be not fulfilled in the long Parliament and to set forth the sole Directory of Gods service tanquam sit Deus as if they alone had Aarons Office to order all the other Priests and Levites or had the spirit of S. Paul infallibly to direct the Church of Christ as well as Moses his Authority and the power of a King to rule the people Let the Parishes and people of God that have none other form of Gods service but what the Parliament Preachers and the observers of their Directory do use be the Judges both of what service and of what Doctrine is brought unto them I make small account though I will not pass it unsaluted of that Observation which some men have made that the Parliament House where the members of the long Parliament sate Arise Evans in his Voice from heaven was a Chappel consecrated by King Edward the 3. to be the Temple of God as appeareth by many Records because many other Parliaments have sate in that Chappel and yet not any of them all have usurped this power to be the supream disposers and directors of all the holy service of God the Commanders of all the Bishops and Priests of the most high God how to do his service and what service should be done unto him and to make themselves the sole Possessors the right owners to dispose sell or give all the Revenues lands states Tythes and offerings of the Church as it is said the Antichrist would do and which he may no better nor so well do as Scyrus and Procrustes the two vilest robbers that we read of could take thy purse and all thy mony by the High-way side And here also I cannot omit to observe Note the word fit in the temple that the Apostle saith that the man of sin shall not stand but sit in the Temple of God where the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that comes from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which properly signifieth to fit as where it is said that Christ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 John 4.6 and 20.12 sate by the well and so the two Angells were seen 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sitting in white raiments is to be distinguished from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is derived from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which betokeneth and signifieth collocare to place or to set a thing in some place as it is where the Apostle saith if you have judgments of things pertaining to this life 1 Cor. 6.4 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 set such or place them to judg who are least esteemed in the Church and so where it is said that the Disciples brought the Asse and the Colt 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or as it is in some Copies 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they set him Matth 21.7 or placed him thereon And therefore it is rightly concluded by Maresius that this sitting in the Temple of God is ill applyed by Grotius to Caius Caligula his causing of his Statue to be placed in the Temple at Hierusalem but it may most properly signifie the sitting of the Parliament Let the Reader judge of this or the like society of men in that place where they intend to acquiesce and rest themselves whether the place be physical or Metaphysical And whether the Parliament resolved not only to stand in that their dignity and Authority for a while or intended to sit and acquiesce and continue themselves and their Successors for ever in the Parliament-House and in the Temple of God to govern the Church of God as God themselves know best I will not judge of their Intention CHAP. VI. That the Antichrist is a great Professor of Religion and a seeming Saint That he belyeth his Profession and is indeed the greatest Hypocrite in the world What the great Lye of the Antichrist is What 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifieth What it is to deny Jesus to be the Christ And how the Father and the Son may be denied two manner of waies 2. THough I might go on
because the spirit of God here in this Book setteth down the state and condition of his Church The main end and scope of the whole Book of the Revelation The fourfold enemies of the Church 1. The beast conceived to be 2. The Ecclesiasticall Whore or false Church which is the Church of Rome 3. The secular Whore or worldly Professors 4. The false Prophet or lying Preachers what piety they pretend and what great mischief they do and foresheweth her what afflictions and persecutions she should undergo through the malice of the Devill and by the meanes of those wicked Tyrants his Instruments that brought the first 10 great persecutions upon the Church and especially by those quaternion of adversaries that towards the end of the world should arise and seek to make an end of the true Church as 1. The beast the man of the sin the great Antichrist that would be an Antichrist that is an adversary unto Christ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 most eminently and therefore is termed the beast that ascendeth out of the buttomless pit 2. The Ecclesiasticall Whore that breaks her faith with Christ and makes the Kings of the Earth and the Inhabitants of the Earth drunk with the wine of her fornication that is the fair glosses and the sweet conceits of her Idolatries and superstitions and makes her self drunk with the blood of the Saints and with the blood of the Martyrs of Jesus and that is because they will not imbrace and follow her in her fornications 3. The secular Whore that followes after the World and will not take upon her the yoke of Christ but hateth all them that seek to withdraw her from the sweet pleasures of the flesh and the deceitfull vanities of the world 4. The false Prophet that by a pretended zeal to reclaim the Whores and to reduce the one from the world and the other from her errors unto Christ deceiveth all them that dwell on the earth and instigateth spurreth and setteth on the beast to proceed and to go on in all his villanies and wickedness against the Servants of Christ all which that should happen unto the Church from the time of the Angels revealing them before the end of the world the spirit of God would foreshew unto St. John that St. John might foreshew them unto the Church And this I take to be the main end and the chiefest scope of the whole Book of this Prophesie and therefore after he had told us of the beast that should so extremely persecute his Church in the 13th Chapter and would now further decipher him here in the 17th Chapter he addeth and there are 7 Kings that is which have and shall in like manner vex and persecute my Servants and this he saith Why the persecutions and afflictions of the Church are foreshewed and foresheweth to this end videlicet to teach the true believers in Christ by the examples of those former Martyrs that had already suffered under those five persecutors that were fallen and dead to be now in the time of this 6th and after in the 7ths time and under the Tyranny of the beast which is the 8th most patient in all their sufferings and to comfort themselves in all their miseries and afflictions when they do consider and weigh their own present state and condition with the precedent condition of those holy Martyrs that have suffered as much or more then they and are now for their constancy and patience in their persecutions crowned by Christ with eternall glory and also to put his servants in mind from what divine providence and to what end these persecutions are sent unto them when they do consider they come not by chance being thus foretold so long before they come but by the speciall appointment of Almighty God that knoweth what is best and disposeth all things for the best and for the speciall good of them that love him and then lastly to assure them of a glorious success and an undoubted Victory to become Conquerours even when they are conquered and do suffer their persecutions unto death because the same spirit that foretells us of their coming tells us also how our Brethren that went before us overcame all their sufferings and how we shall overcome them in like manner even when our enamies seem to overcome us And therefore immediately after the description of our enemies Chap. 13. and the setting down of our sufferings v. 7. the spirit of God addeth v. 9. v. 9 Here is the patience and the faith of the Saints that is their patience in suffering and their faith concerning their sufferings to believe that they come from God for their good and shall produce all good success unto them But these forenamed Emperors that are alledged to be here meant The foresaid Emperours not all so great persecutors of the Church were not all such great persecutors of the Christians but some of them were very Gentle and meek as Titus the Son of Vespasian who was therefore called deliciae generis humani the delight of mankind though indeed he was not altogether so delightfull nor so gentle to the Christians and others ruled but a very short space as Galba reigned but seven moneths and nine dayes Otho but four moneths Vitellius but eight moneths and we read of no great evills that these three men did unto the Christians though they were no good men and after these Vespasian reigned but nine years and eleven moneths and Titus but two years and twon moneths So that all these five from Nero to Domitian reigned not above fourtee years and therefore I conceive that these five could not be meant to be set in the Catalogue of the chief persecutors of Gods Church nor be ranked in the same Class with the beast and his adherents when as neither Eusebius nor any other Ecclesiasticall Historian reckoneth the first three amongst the persecutors And whereas Junins That the 8th is not said to be a King which ought to be specially observed in his Annotations annexed to our Bibles makes Trajan to be the 8th and others make Nerva and others Domitian I say that neither of them is here meant to be the eight and of the seven for I would have it observed that the eight is not said to be a King but there are seven Kings saith the Holy Ghost and but seven Kings are said to be and the Antichrist which is the beast and the eight is no where said to be a King or to have a Crowne upon his Head but upon his Hornes So that if either of these or any one of the other Roman Emperours or any other King whatsoever had been here meant to be the eight the Holy Ghost in all likelihood would have said and there are eight Kings Divers attributes of the the 8th not ascribed to any of the other seven whereas he saith and there are seven Kings Besides you may observe many other speciall marks and additionall differences that are
suddenly bring Atheisme and all Prophaneness among the people which I beseech All-mighty God of his mercy to keep from his Servants and to turn away this Blasphemy of the Beast against Gods Tabernacle And I may demand if the false Prophet the Preachers and the adherents of the long Parliament have not brought this contempt of Gods Tabernacle in too great measure among the simple people and which very sin I am confident cannot be fastened either upon Jewes Turks or Papists CAP. IV. The Blasphemy of the Beast against the Saints in Heaven the first despisers of them the Blasphemy against the Godly Saints on earth who are the Saints with whom the Beast warreth the successes of the Beast that we ought not to wonder at his Victories what the successes of the Beast should teach us and of the end and downfall of the Beast 3. IT is said that the Beast opened his mouth to Blaspheme 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 3. The Blasphemie of the Beast against Gods servants 1 Perfectos them that dwell in Heaven and this may be understood for two sorts of Gods Servants 1. For the blessed Angels and the Saints that are departed and do now rest and reside with the Holy Angels in Heaven 2. For those holy men that do wayfare here as yet and are the lively members of the Militant Church of Christ 2. Inchoatos Maledicta in Sanctos dicuntur blasphemiae quia Deus in Sanctis maledicitur Cajetan in Thom 22. q. 88. Artic. 5. which warreth against the Beast and which is often to be understood by the name of heaven in this book And the Beast hath not spared to blaspheme both these kinds of Saints whose abuses are called blasphemies because God is blasphemed in them saith Cajetane for 1. Touching these blessed souls that are with Christ I speak not for the invocation and praying to the best of those Saints nor the adoration of their relicks and images for that might well be thought to be flat Poperie and a sin to be punished by the Judges or at least not well to be justified neither do I argue for the worshipping of them no not the blessed Virgin with any kind of Divine worship either 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but onely for a reverent opinion and a charitable estimation of them free from contempt and shewed by good words and the addition of some reverent title and honourable Epithite added unto their names as we use to do to the Heroes and noble persons The Parallel Calvinus instruct contra libe tinos c. 9. or our honourable benefactors that are on earth which as I conceive is but the minutest honour that can be given them and yet this is a great deal more then this Beast can afford to bestow upon the most deserving of them for as Mr. Calvin relates of Quintinus the father of the Libertines in France and a near kinsman of this Beast here spoken of adeo petulanter in sanctos debacchabatur he did so insolently rail against all the Saints that he termed Saint Paul no otherwise then a broken vessel Saint John a foolish youth Saint Matthew an usurer Saint Peter a denier of his Master and I heard say that some one of the spawn of this Beast hearing a worthy Preacher citing Saint Augustine replied Saint Augustine Saint Devil and I am sure the adherents of the long Parliament as limbs of this Beast do for the most part hold it blasphemie to call the holy men departed Saints and therefore you shall never hear any of them to say in their Sermons or Writings And Mr. Love gives to Mr. Greenham the Epithite of holy Greenham Saint Peter or Saint Paul but the bare naked nameof Peter Paul John and so of the rest is good enough for the best of them though they can be pleased to give far more honourable titles to their own impure proselites and some of them to become so impudent as to compare their own sinfull mothers with the unspotted mother of God the blessed mother of Jesus Christ whom the Holy Ghost saith all generations shall call blessed as they all do that love Christ except it be this cursed generation of vipers that gnaw out the bowels of their own mother But this contempt of the heavenly Saints The first despi sers of the blessed Saints these new Scholars have learn'd of their old Masters the first despisers of the Saints and Martyrs Leo Isaurus and Constantinus Capronimus that said the blessed Virgin after she was delivered of Christ was like a purse that had been full of gold and that made 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an universal Law that none of Gods servants should be called Saint saith Cedrenus Apud Surium to 6.28 and so Steven the Martyr of that time sheweth that the Constantinopolitan-Council of 338. Bishops assembled by Leo Isaurus had proscribed against holy things and had cast away in contempt this epithite Saint from all the righteous men of God and would give no other title to the Apostles and Martyrs of Jesus Christ but as their Disciples do now the bare name of Matthew Mark and the like and thought it an hainous crime to say Saint Peter whereby you see this new practice of the Beast and of his followers that have unsainted all the holy inhabitants of heaven and Sainted all the hypocrites on earth is but raked up out of the old dunghill of these Hagiomastices the Saint-scourgers that I named unto you Yet you hear what the Spirit of God saith that to speak evil of the Saints whom we ought to honour as those that sit with Christ on his Throne Rev. 21. as Christ himself doth testifie is no less then hainous blasphemie and therefore if we will not yield them that due respect and honour that we ow them as the friends of God and as the brethren of Christ and the sons of God and for the manifold good that they have done unto us yet I hope this will bridle all those that fear God from uttering any contumelious speeches against them 2. For the other sort of Gods servants that remain still in the world The Parallel 2. The blasphemie of the Beast against the inchoative Saints that are on earth and reside in the earthly heaven that is the Church militant the Beast termeth them not onely sinners which they confess themselves to be and confess it with grief of heart that they are so bad and can not be better but calleth them also Reprobates Malignants Members of the Beast Sons of the Whore of Babylon Limbs of the great Antichrist and faggots destined for hell-fire And for themselves that are indeed the Members of the Beast they pretend to be the right Saints and the onely true servants of God The strange Divinity of the Beast In the Historie of Independency part 3. p. 29. and therefore they may commit any Act that is a sin in us whom they deem Reprobates and yet
is no sin in them which retain their Sanctity in the very acts of sinning for what is sinfull in other men is not so in them who may commit any crime against the Law of God and yet it cannot be imputed to them for sin because they know in their consciences what they do and a righteous man such as they all are in their own judgement is a law unto himself as the apostles testifieth and therefore their consciences excusing them as being the rule and the Law whereby they square all their actions they are capable of doing any thing and of committing any offence against their neighbours especially the Malignants without the breach of the Law either of Justice or of Charity the which priviledge is onely proper unto them and to none else because they onely and none else do hate the Assembly of the Malignants and they onely will not sit with vain persons but their field alone hath no tares their floor no chaff and their net incloseth no trash when as nothing but pure gold is built upon their foundation therefore Dr. Featley doth merrily bid them go to New Ingland Dr. Featlies merry speech of these hypocritical Saints or the Isle of providence or to Sir Thomas Moor's Vtopia where Plato's commoner Osorius his noble man Castilio's Courtier Vegetius his Souldier Tullies Orator Aristocles his Faelix the Jews Benchochab the Manachees paraclet the Gnossicks illuminat ones the Pelagians perfect ones the Montanists spiritual ones the Catharists pure ones and their own precise holy ones may all meet at Prince Arthurs round Table and every guest be like the Table totus teres atque rotundus 4. But for them thus to call light darknesse and darknesse light to justifie the wicked and to condemn the godly to make the Members of the Antichrist the servants of God and the true Saints of Christ ungodly Reprobates and so to thrust the deserved heirs of hell into heaven and the redeemed heirs of heaven into hell what is it else but as Solomon saith an abomination to the Lord and as the Holy Ghost saith here to blaspheme them that dwell in heaven and therefore shall receive without a speedy Repentance the woe that the Prophet denounceth and the Scripture every where threatneth against such wicked doings Prov. 17.15 Isa 5.20 Then it is said v. 7. that it was given to the Beast 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Who are the Saints with whom the Beast warreth to make war with the Saints and to overcome them and this war is to be understood of a bloody war as it appeareth by the recompence that shall be rendred unto the Beast v. 10. He that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword and Mr. Mede interpreteth the same of the war that the Church of Rome caused to be followed against the Albigenses and Waldenses Not the Waldenses which as I conceive is far from the meaning of the Holy Ghost Reason 1 1. Because the time of this Beast continuing in his prevalency being but three years and a half or some short space much about that time and not so many hundred years as Mr. Mede would have the Beasts 42 moneths to signifie unto us it can no wayes agree with the Wars of the Waldenses that as the Histories record extended it self to a far greater time then three years and a half Reason 2 Alexand 3. died 1181. These were for the most part French Rebels in Languedoc Province and other parts of France and the Earl of Tholous was a prime Leader of many of them against Lewis King of France in the time of our Henry the third 2. Because this war of the Beast is said to be with the Saints and those Waldenses and Albigenses being ever accounted for most obstinate hereticks and so condemned in the Council of Lateran under Alexander the third by 280 Bishops and very stiff-necked Rebels against their Kings it cannot be thought that such men are here meant under the Notion and Title of Saints And therefore I say that although Thuanus writeth that in the wars waged against them and the Lollards about ten hundred thousand men were slain yet I cannot yield these mad hereticks to be the Saints here meant nor the prosecutors nor procurers of this war to be the Beast that is here spoken of and as yet had not lifted up his head out of the sea nor can I allow that the Duke de Alva though a most cruel man that slaughtered in Belgia onely as Junius and Tilenus say 36000 men was a Champion of this Beast though I confesse him to be like Cosroe King of Persia a very great instrument of the Dragon to scourge these poor Christians for their sins because this Beast was scarce hatch'd when that Vice-roy acted his bloody part Who then are the Saints with whom the Beast warreth and whom God himself termeth Saints and therefore can be neither Hereticks nor Rebels because the true Saints will ever choose rather patiently to suffer then Rebelliously to resist their lawfull Governors The true and Loyal Protestants are the Saints that are here meant as King Lewis was to those Albigenses and I demand whom can they be if they be not the true Protestants that neither can be charged with any heresie against the faith nor taxed for any Disloyalty against the King as the Waldenses were both wayes adjudged guilty And therefore I believe this is plain enough for any blind man to understand who are meant by the Saints that should be warred against and overcome if he doth but confider who overcame and who were overcome in the last war that hath been made against the truest Protestants on earth for you see the Spirit of God tells you the Beast shall be the Conqueror and the Saints shall be conquered and so Daniel that typically prophesied of the Antichrist which is understood by this Beast saith that he should wear out the Saints of the most High and they should be given unto his hands And you see who are worn out And then having conquered the Saints it is further added in the said 7. v. that there was given unto him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Dan 7.25 Nations and tongues submit and honour the conquerors The Parallel Power or Authority over all Kindreds and Tongues and Nations and truly I think none so blind but seeth all this most sutable every way to the long Parliament for after they had subdued the King have they not assumed to themselves and so attained greater power then any of all the Kings of England ever had when as not one of them could have so much as a small Subsidy nor power to press any Soldiers to Warre against forreign Enemies without the approbation of their Peers and People and King Charls could not have so much as one penny of money to build his Ships to protect his Merchants and to secure his Ports without murmuring without Suits
in Law and without neither could he be suffered to borrow money of his friends without being blamed and questioned for it Yet the long Parliament could have and would they not have whatsoever they desired Loanes Taxes Excise and what not men and money to make War and to conclude peace with whom they pleased they need no more but Vote it and they must have it what part soever of our estates they vote for if they may lawfully demand the 20th part thy may as lawfully demand the third part or the half or all if they please when their own will must be the Rule to guide them in all that they do And did not all the people upon the sight of this great transcendent and unlimited power of the Parliament crie out who is able to deal with them and to prevail against them Because they saw that whosoever did not submit to them or did seem to dissent and to be as they phrase it disaffected to them or else to be neuters Judges 5.23 as the inhabitants of Meroz were and the Gryphan when as the Poets feign the Battel was betwixt the Beasts of the field and the Fowls of the air they plundered their goods sequestered their Estates imprisoned their persons cut off their heads and destroyed all that opposed them and all their own Laodicean followers that would not be as violent for them as they are said to be virulent against both right and truth and the true Church of Christ and that not onely in Ingland but also in Scotland and in Ireland and more then this did they not the like to the French Dutch Danes Manks Moors Portugues and to whomsoever else of what kindred tongue or Nation soever he were as the Holy Ghost saith that durst stand to oppose them either by Sea or land Did they not all tast of the like sauce To whom then may this Scripture be applied if not to them And because of their Victories and successes more then ever seemed usuall among any Princes supra dorsum Dei fabricaverunt did they not as the Prophet saith lay all their wicked acts upon Gods back and as Pharaoh Necho King of Egypt 2 Chron. 35.21 How the Parliamentarians builded their sins upon Gods back Martial l. 4. Epig. 21. said unto Josias God hath commanded me to make this Warre so did they not say that God had done all that was done by them and the hand of God was seen and might easily be seen in all their doings which must needs therefore be all good because they all were done by God and the blessing of God followed all their proceedings and prospered all their actions And so the Parliamentarians Soldiers and abettors builded their doings and laid their very sins and all the injuries that they did upon God which puts me in mind of Martiall his Epigram Nullos esse deos inane coelum Affirmat caelius probatque Quod se videt dum negat haec beatum Which is thus englished by Mr. May accutely That in the Heavens no Gods there be Caelius affirms and proves cause he Still thinking so lives happilie For I think this may be applied to many of our Independant Sectaries and admirers of the proceedings and successes of the Parliament as well as to Martialls prophane Caelius Yet I shewed you before how the spirit of God tells us in the second verse of this Chapter it is not God but the Dragon that is the Devill which is indeed the god of the Beast that hath given this power and this great authority unto the Beast to make Warre with the Saints and to overcome them God giving leave unto the Dragon so to do without whose leave we know he could give no more power unto the Beast then he himself had against holy Job and that was none at all But seeing the Holy Ghost tells us that power was given unto the Beast and that as our Saviour saith unto Pilate he could have no power except it were given him from above that is from God so the Beast the Antichrist the Parliament and all the Tyrants of this World could receive no power from the Dragon except God the Fountain and the Authour of all power permitted the Dragon as his Instrument to give it them we do acknowledge the hand of God in the Victories and successes of that Parliament against the Saints and Servants of Christ which he gives them leave to obtain but not for any blessing or love he beares to them or any pleasure he takes in their doings but rather for a just Judgement against us because he is angry with his Saints and displeased with their sins committed or omitted in the performance of their duties either towards God or towards their Neighbours or else for the tryall of their constancie and faithfulness in the service of God In which respect we know that the more they are plundered persecuted and vanquished by the Parliament and his adherents the more they are loved and continuing faithfull shall be honoured and glorified by God and our Saviour Christ And this should teach men That we ought not to wonder to wonder no more to see the Parliament and their parties prevail and to get so many signall Victories over the Saints and Servants of Christ then to see the Inhabitants of Aj prevailing against the Israelites or the Tribe of Benjamin twice overcoming the 10. Tribes and slaying at both times 40000. of them At the Victories of the Beast Josh 7.5 Jud. 20.21.25 or the Philistines overthrowing the Army of Saul or Nebuchadnezzar a Heathen Tyrant carrying away the Jewes that were Israelites and Gods own peculiar people Captives into Babilon or Nebuzaradan leading the 10. Tribes into Assyria or now to see the Turks qui dum volunt Judaeâ—s esse christianos nec Judâ—i sunt nec christiani who patching Judaisme and Christianity together are neither Jewes nor Christians but do imbrace and uphold the abominations of Mahomet the Sonne of Abdalia Sir VValter Rawleigh in his History of Mahomet pag. 10. that by the help of a Jew Scribe his first Master and of Sergius a Nestorian Monke his next instructor penned the accursed Alcoran for his followers Bible to make both the zealous Jewes and the Religious Christians both his Tributaries and his Gally-slaves and to warre upon many others of them and to overcome them even as the Beast hath done unto the Saints and as you see the Parliament hath done to all King Charles his true Subjects But this ought What the successes of the Beast should teach the Saints as the Holy Ghost saith to teach us patience under our present burthens and repentance for our sins that are past and have pulld these punishments upon us with a constant care to shun and prevent all sins to come and continuall prayers to God that he would make speed to save us and make hast to help us and to deliver us from this more then the Egyptian bondage
Spirit of God spake by the tongues of his learned pen-men Saint Luke Saint Paul and the rest of them and I am sure that neither Aristotle nor Plato nor any other Moralist or naturalist can shew such pure Ethicks and true Physicks or any other kind of Philosophy as is to be found in the sacred writ 10. 10. The many seeming contradictions of the Scriptures The many seeming contrarieties and contradictions that are obviously found in these Scriptures do sufficiently prove how difficult it is to reconcile the difference and to give the right sense and the true meaning of every place as 1. Where in 2 Reg. 17.24 2 Reg. 17.24 Verse 34. it is said that the men which came from Cutha and from Ava and from Hamath and from Sepharuaim and were placed in the cities of Samaria feared not the Lord and so it is reiterated in v. 34. that they feared not the Lord And yet in the 32. verse and in the 33. verse and in the 41. verse it is thrice repeated that they feared the Lord. And how can these things be that the same spirit with the same breath should say and unsay the same thing they feared the Lord and they feared not the Lord Non benè conveniunt nec in una sede moruntur It is answered that if you mark it well and understand it right here is no contradiction at all for the fear of the Lord is here put for the whole service of God and so they feared not the Lord as it is said in the 17. and 34. verse that is more debito they served him not as the Lord required his people to serve him but yet feared the Lord and served him as it is said in the 32 33 and 41. verse that is more gentilium as the Gentiles Cultus Dei ex humano cerebro excogitatus and the other nations did and this fear of the Lord and service of God being but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a will-worship is said to be not the fear of the Lord nor the service of God because the Lord neither commandeth it nor accepteth it when as he tells us plainly that he will be served as himselfe prescribeth and not as man deviseth 2. Where our Saviour saith Matth. 6.1 3. Take heed that you do not your almes before men but when thou dost thine almes Let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doth and when thou prayest go into thy closet and shut thy dore and he that seeth thee in secret will reward thee openly and yet in another place he saith Let your light so shine before men that they maysee your good works Verse 6. Matth. 5.16 and glorify your Father which is in heaven And how shall men see them if I shut my dore and do them so close in my chamber and do mine almes so secretly that none may see them It is briefly answered that Christ doth not forbid you to bestow your almes to pray and to do the other duties of religion in the fight of men but he adviseth you not to do them as the Scribes and Pharisees did them onely to this end that they might be seen of men let men see them but do them not that they might be seen 3. Where Saint Paul saith Rom. 3.28 c. 5. v. 1. James 2.21 we conclude a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the Law and yet Saint James saith that Abraham was justified by Works and Rahab was justified by Works and then concludes it positively and saith you see how that by works a man is justified and not by faith onely And therefore Luther that was all for faith and not finding the way to reconcile these two Apostles rejecteth the whole Epistle of Saint James as not Canonical and calleth it Stramineam Epistolam an Epistle not worth a straw whereas he might as easily have reconciled the two Apostles How the words of Saint Paul and S. James are reconciled if he had considered that Saint Paul speaks of that perfect and most absolute justification that freeth us from all sin and is fully able to acquit us coram Tribunali Dei before the throne of Gods judgement and so Abraham and all the sons of Abraham can be justified no otherwise then by a lively faith in Jesus Christ and Saint James speaks of the manifestation of the faith whereby we approve our selves to be justified coram hominibus both to the satisfaction of our selves and others and this is by gâ—od works which are the fruits of our faith and so no contradiction at all betwixt Saint Paul and Saint James Many more seeming contradictions and many more reasons of the difficulties of the Scriptures I might produce unto you but out of this that I have set down you may very easily see that the best divine the quickest wit the sharpest sight and the greatest Schollar when he considereth the depth of this Ocean and the mysteries of these Scriptures and his own shallow reach to comprehend them 2 Cor. 2.16 may cry out with the Apostle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 who is sufficient for these things And what then shall a Taylor or a Shoemaker or a Weaver or any the like unskillful tradesman or unealled Lay man be sufficient for these things wherein such a masse of treasure and so much of Gods wisdom is contained I beseech you to consider what Saint August saith and your selves know to be true that a reasonable good Schollar will not read Horace or Terence without a Comments and wilt thou presume to expound the deep mysteries and the high secrets of Gods word without the help of learned Authors that have bestowed much paines and made many prayers to God for the help and assistance of his Spirit to understand them Quicquid est crede mihi in Scripturis istis altum divinum est whatsoever is in these Scrriptures believe me saith the same Father it is high and dâ—vine and you know the Prophet David saith thy commandement is exceeding broad and therefore he doth often pray for understanding Psalm 119. that he might understand his Commandements and yet the Commandements which were things that appertained unto all men for to know are the easiest to be understood as being delivered in the plainest manner of all the Scriptures that they might be understood of all because they were to be observed by all And you know likewise that it was prophesied of Christ Matth. 13.35 that he should open his mouth in parables and declare hard sentences of old so hard to be understood that his own Apostles and disciples who were alwayes conversant with him yet of themselves understood them not as you may perceive by that reprehension of our Saviour are ye yet without understanding Matth. 15.16 whose apprehensions and understanding neverthelesse was as you may believe far better then the best of our Lay-Preachers And therefore seeing the Apostles and disciples of Christ and
they could find to put these offices and the government of the Churches into their hands and they thought it well in such a kingdom as this of Ingland if they found 26. men that with the help and advice of their brethren their Deans and Prebends were sufficient to govern the Churches so wisely and so orderly as they ought to do it and do you think it is as easie to finde 6000. men that are fit to do it that you may place a Bishop in every Parish I think you will faile and your selves at last will see your own folly and smart for your mistaking when every Parish Priest will be as imperious over you as Hildebrand was over Henry the fourth But 2. Touching the working of strange miracles we say it was a great miracle 2. To work strange miracles 1 Reg. 17.23 Acts 9.4 John 11.44 that Elias did to raise the dead child of the widow of Sarepta and a great miracle that Saint Peter did to raise Dorcas an old widow that was dead to life again and it was a greater miracle that Christ did to raise up Lazarus out of his grave when he had been dead four dayes And yet besides their many meaner miracles that these Presbyters say they do they pretend if you will believe them to do things that are far more miraculous and greater wonders then any of these or them either that Moses or Elias or any other of all the Prophets or Apostles ever did for we are sure that neither of all those either did or could raise a soule dead in trespasses and sins to the life of grace but this being as it were a new creation it must be left alone to God for ever whose proper work it is to create a new heart and to renew a right spirit within us yet this beast and the disciples of this false Prophet do boast and brag unto the people of the multitude of Saints that they have begotten to God when as indeed they have of late seduced them to be as false and as rebellious as themselves What wonderful thing the Presbyters do Psalm 51.10 The discourse of a Presbyterian with the Authour Esay 53. â—â— And so one of them asked me where were the Seales of our Apostleship the signes and evidences of our Bishops and Prelatical mens ministery how many soules had they converted unto God and where were those converts whereby they might approve themselves unto the people to be the true Ministers of God as they could do by the confession of their Proselytes and I answered that I feared their converts were but perverted and that I conceived it was not in mans power to convert soules when as the Prophet cryeth who hath believed our report and again all day long have I stretched forth my hands unto a disobedient and a gainsaying people and if it had been in mans poower to work faith in the hearts of the hearers then questionlesse Rom 10 1. c. 9.3 We have not the power to convert souls this great Prophet would have done it in the children of Israel and Saint Paul would have converted the Jewes his own brethren according to the flesh whom he did so dearly love as himself doth testify to have believed in Christ but we know that although the false Prophets may easily pervert men to disloyalty and wickednesse because the devill is alwayes ready to help them and natural men are prone to evill yet we cannot convert men to the true faith and to goodnesse Acts 15.19 unlesse the Spirit of God cooperateth with us to open the hearts of our hearers as he opened the heart of Lydia when the Apostle preached unto her because as Saint Hierom saith inanis est sermo docentis nisi intus sit qui docet the Preacher may say with the Prophet in vacuum laboravi I have laboured in vain if God by his spirit doth not preach unto the heart And therefore their wonderful brags of converting soules are but lying wonders not to be regarded by any man that regards the truth Psal 15.12 and these hornes are not the hornes of the Lamb but ungodly horns and the horns of the ungodly which as the Prophet saith shall be broken by the Lord all to pieces That the two horns may signifie the two Testaments Torres in sua Philosophia morali pag. 849. Texeda pag. 6. of his miracles unmasked Or else these two horns as Cornelius à lapide saith to whom I subscribe may signify the two testaments which are robora ornamenta Christi the strength and ornament of Christ and the language of the lambe which bring men to believe in Christ rather then then all the miracles of Christ for as Torres out of Lactantius saith non idcirco à nobis creditur Christus quia mirabilia fecit sed quia vidimus facta esse omnia quae nobis annuciata sunt vaticinio prophetarum Christ is not therefore believed by us because he wrought miracles which Vespasian did and the idolatets of China do and the false Prophets by our Saviours testimony may do but because we have seen all things accomplished which were foretold us of him by the Prophets The paralell This is infallibly fulfilled in the Paesbyterians And the beast layeth claim to these hornes and so of all the Preachers and Prophets Papists or Protestants it is well known that none pretend more love and more right to these hornes then the Presbyterians and the Independant and Lay-Preachers do for they reject all other learning and all authorities of Counsells Fathers Poets Orators Histories and all other Books and will allow of nothing but the pure book of the holy Scripture they will have none other horns but these which they say are the hornes of our Lamb and no Christian will denie them to be so nor gainsay the strength and authority of these hornes And yet as A lapide rightly observeth as I told you before of it A good obserservation of Cornel à lapide in loc this beast is said to have not the two hornes of the Lamb but two hornes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 like to the horns of the Lamb and every Sophister can tell you that nullum simile est idem that which only is like a thing is not the thing and therefore though they cry out with the false Prophets of the Jewes os Domini loquutum est the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it for they preach nothing but Gospel and the pure Scriptures of the two Testaments and it is we and not they if you believe them that run to the puddles of humane authorities yet in very deed it is no such matter for the holy Ghost that best understandeth both the language of the Lamb and of this beast tells us plainly in the very next words that although their horns be like the horns of the Lamb yet in truth Why this second beast is said to speak like the Dragon 〈◊〉 〈◊〉
Gods prople yet because they profest to know their Masters will and did it not our Saviour was offended with them and denounceth more and more beavie woes against them then against all the enormous horrible and flagitious sins of others the greatest finners that knew not so much of the will of God as they did Even so though the Idolatries and heresies and superstitions of the Pope and his Hierarchie and their other sins and the abominations and cruelties of the Turks and Mahometans may in there own nature simplie considered seem more odious and heinous then the sins of the Presbiterians and long Parliament yet consideratis considerandis all circomstances considered that may be said for the Pope and popish church No sinner so hatefull in the sight of God as the ypocritical saint and for the Turk and Mahometans and against these seeming Angels and the grand masters of injustice and impietie in all their wayes I say no Pope no Turk no Tyrant no Scismatick no Heretick nor any other the like great sinner can be so hatefull in the sight of God as are the doings of these hypocritical Saints that I have so cleerly and so amply displayed unto you in this book so far that the best of mine understanding cannot immagine how a greater Antichrist more odious to God and more destructive to the Church of God can possibly arise then that which I have described in these bookes CHAP. VII Of the continuance and destruction of the beast the time of his prevalencie his utter ruine not till the day of judgment and why and what it should teach us how the seven Vials of Gods wrath shall be poured out and what the three unclean spirits do signifie ANd now I should end this discourse but that for the comfort of all the persecuted Saints and Servants of Jesus Christ that seem in mine ears to crie to God with the soules under the Altar saying how long tarriest thou holy and true before thou comest to deliver us from the crueltie of this beast and to avenge the blood of thy servants that hath been spilt by them that dwell on the earth I think it requisite that I should say some-what of the continuance of the beast and the destruction of the Antichrist Touching which being points of things to come it is not an easie matter nor wisedome in any man rashly to determine and knowing how many great Schollers and holy men have failed in the computation of times I am verie loath to bee too peremptorie or positive therein especially considering that I could not yet satisfie my selfe with any thing that I read concerning this matter in the best either of the popish or the Protestant writers For 1. The Papists expecting the Antichrist that in all probabilities 1. What the Papists conceive concerning the Antichrist Bellar. de rom Pontif. 1. 3. c. 8. and 16. Sanders in demonstr Corn a la pi de in Apoc. c. 3. Iraeneus Hyppolitus c. should be a Jew risen of meane parentage of the tribe of Dan and by cheating tricks should first overcome the Kings of Egypt Lybia and Ethiopia and then many more and should most cruelly persecute the Church of Christ for three years and a halfe in which time Henoch and Elias should return in their own persons from the terrestriall Paradise where God reserveth them for to preach and to preserve the elect from the deceits of the Antichrist doe say that he is not yet come and when he cometh that he shall continue but as I said three years and a halfe and this shall be but a verie little time before Christ cometh to Judgment this is the generally received opinion of the Papists which is but a fancie without ground 2. The Protestants whereof some that make the succession of Popes to be the Antichrist do say he hath already continued ever since Boniface the third in Phocas his time Balaeus de vit Pontif. l. 3. Thom. Antichrist arraigned pag. 06. E. H. de Antichrist c. as Balaeus saith or since Vitalianus in 666. as Thompsom and others say above a 1000 years already and they cannot tell how many years more he may continue God knoweth it may be a 1000 yet if their exposition be true and the world continue so long others think that the Antichrist is but some one single and singular person that should arise or is risen from the true Church that is from the purest nationall Church which I am sure in King Charles his time was the Church of Ingland and though he springs from a smal roote yet by his wars his wits and cheating tricks he shall slay the two witnesses of Christ whic they conceive to be the Magistrates and the Ministers that is as I take them the King and the Bishops and that man should still prevail over Gods people and continue glorious in all good successes according to his own desires untill the Ministers of Christ that through fear shall be for a while like Plinies 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 mouthless men doe receive a new courage and as it were life from the dead to preach him down and God shall second them and assist them by raising commotions against him and powerfull armies to overthrow both him and his adherents and thereby that is the zealous preaching of the Gospel and the great victories of Christ his servants over the Antichrist they shall proceed on and reduce not onley the Jewes but also the ten tribes of Israel that have been scattered like the dust of the earth to be converted to imbrace the faith of Christ and to restore them to repossess their Land of Palestina and to make a glorious reformation of the Church of Christ thus collected into one sheepfold that shall continue as some fondly dream a 1000 years more in all worddly felicitie the most of which conceits I take to be as fabulous and as fictitious as the fictions of the Talmudists And therefore I must humbly crave leave What the author conceieth to be the truth touching the Antichrist in many things to dissent and in some things to assent to the expositions both of the Papists and Protestants and out of both their assertions to set down what I conceive to he most probable and likeliest to be the truth and so I say with the Protestants that Sanders and Bellarmine and the rest of the Popish Writers that take the beast for one single person are utterly mistaken and all that they say of that person are but meer fictions because all that is here spoken of this beast and elsewhere of the Antichrist can never be applied to one singular man nor all things that are to be acted can be peformed by one person and yet I cannot assent with those Protestants that say he is the succession of Popes or popish Hierarchie or a wicked Kingdom and Politie and the seventh head of the beast that reignes after the Emperors in the Cittie of Rome as Brightman
his Father with his Angels And the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is derived of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which fignifieth to appear to be made manifest or to be brought to light because the proper signification of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is in lucem proferre to bring into the light that which was not seen doth here signifie that coming of Christ which in the most proper sense is called his glorious coming The glorious Majestie of of Christ his coming to judgment 1. In respect of the person coming Rev. 13 14. or his coming in great Majestie and that is onely his coming to judgment when as his coming in the flesh was manifested but to few and his coming by his spirit is invisible to all imperceptible and unperceviable to most men but his coming to judgment shall be made manifest to all the men in the world and therefore is and may most rightly be termed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a most glorious appearance and that both in respect of the person that cometh clothed with a garment down to the foot and girt about the paps with a golden girdle his hairs as white as Snow his eyes as a flame of fire his feet like unto fine brass his voice as the sound of many waters his mouth sending out a sharp two edged sword and his countenanc as the Sun shineth in his strength and everie way glorious as he appeared to this our Evangelist and secondly in respect of the glorious train and companie that shall attend and wait upon him 2. In respect of the companie that attend him which are thousand thousands of Angels and all the heavenly saints of Almighty God And though this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the glorious manifestation of him doth sufficiently shew the time of the quite rooting out and totall destruction of the Antichrist not to be till the last judgment yet here is another word that the Apostle useth which putteth the matter out of all doubt for he saith that the man of the sin shall be destroyed by the glorious appearance 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifieth the coming of the Person of Christ of his Personal presence for so the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 being compounded of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 co vel ad sum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 essentia doth import and must needs expresse the coming of the Person of Christ to destroy the Antichrist which made some expositors to suppose as I shewed before that his coming will be to begin the 1000 years felicitie here on earth whereas St. Peter tels us plainly that Christ never cometh in his own Person but the heavens must containe him untill the times of the restitution of all things which is the day of judgment and therefore the whole body of the beast Act. 3.21 Ob Et sic Hugo Grotius 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Christi interpretatur de ilius adventum suum ad particulare judicium iâ— Judaeos v. 1. and all the adherents of the Antichrist shall not be quite rooted out till Christ shall come to the last judgement But against this E. H. and others do object that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doth doth not alwayes signifie the Personall presence or the essential appearance of Christ and to prove this besides the judgment of Mr. Leigh whom he rightly termeth our noble English Greek Critick that saith fateor quidem 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saepe illum juditii adventum significari sed id perpetuum non est this word I confesse doth often fignifie his personal coming to judgement but not alwaies he quoteth certain places of Scripture where the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifieth the powerful coming of Christ by his Spirit and not the personal appearance of Christ as where St. Peter saith we have made known unto you 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ 1 Pet. 1.16 which saieth he signifieth his powerful coming by his Spirit to convert the Souls of his people But Sol. I say that both the precedent and subsequent words and the very scope of the Apostle in that place doth most plainly prove that he meaneth not his spiritual coming to worke his graces in us but rather the first coming of Christ in the flesh which he saith was no devised fable because they were eye witnesses of his Majestie which they could not be of his powerfull coming by his spirit and therefore this place is wrested to make good their sence but clear enough to prove the word to signifie his personal presence whereof they were eye witnesses 1 Jo. 1.3 when the word was made flesh as St. John likewise testifieth 1 John 1.3 Obj. 2 2. He saith our Saviour vseth the like phrase in S. Mat. c. 16 28. There be some standing here Mat. 16.28 which shall not tast of death until they see the Son of man coming in his Kingdome and that is his powerful coming by his Spirit to work faith in his elect to increase his kingdome of Grace which is his Church and not his personal coming to receive his Saints to the Kingdome of glory before which time all and every one of them did tast of death Sol. but I say these words are no thing and of no force to prove that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifieth this his coming in his Kingdome or any other his powerful coming by his Spirit either to propogate his Gospel as some do understand that place of S. Mat. or to execute Judgement upon the Jewes as some others do understand it or upon any other enemies of Christ as some of our late interpreters think because the words which our Saviour useth are they shall not tast of death until they see the Son of man 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 coming in his Kingdome where you see our Saviour doth not use the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to signifie this his Spiritual and powerful coming by his Spirit but the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and we deny not the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to signifie his gracious and powerful coming by his Spirits but we say that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is never found to signifie such a coming or any other besides his personal coming yet Obj. 3. He produceth the 24 of St. Mat. v. 3. and 30. Maâ— â—4 v. 3. and 30. where in the 3. v. indeed we have the Disciples asking the question of Christ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 what shall be the signe of thy coming and and here you see they use the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for the coming of Christ but I demand what or which of his comings do they mean his gracious and powerful coming by his Spirit to build his Church and to destroy his enemies or his glorious personal coming in all Majesty to the last judgement I hope the next immediate words that are subsequent will shew you plainly