Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	angel_n	bear_v	zion_n	155	3	8.4204	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A68136	A letter vvritten by a true Christian Catholike, to a Romaine pretended Catholike Wherein vppon occasion of controuersie touching the Catholike Church the 12. 13. and 14. Chap. of the Reuelations are breifly and trulie expounded. Which conteine the true estate thereof, from the birth of Christ, to the end of the world.	Herbert, William, Sir, 1553?-1593.	1586 (1586)	STC 12752.5; ESTC S112797	52,029	90

cheefe instrument in persecuting the members of the church those that haue the testimony of Iesus And to that end aduanceth his power throne and authoritie in this wicked world 3 And I sawe one of his heades as it were wounded to death and his deadly wounde was healed and all the world wondred at the beast These heades seeme vnto me to haue three significations two of them are laide downe by the Angell in the seauentienth chapter where they are expounded to bee mountaynes or hilles as heretofore we haue taken them and also kings or gouernors as hereafter we shall shewe them But in this place it semeth to bee taken neither for the one nor for the other but for a chiefe and principal parte of the estat euen for Roome and Italy it selfe Which aswell by the ciuill warres of Caesar and Pompey Augustus and Anthony as by the loose and execrable gouernments of Claudius Tiberius Caius Caligula Claudius the brother of Germanicus Nero the sonne of Domitius and Aulus Vitellius was as it were wounded and that most greeuously Which in the time of Flauius Vespasianus Titus Nerua Traiane and the Emperours succeding it recouered whereby the deadlye wound was healed And all the world wondred at the beast Such was the might and maiestie the force and fortune of the Romaine Empire that all men wondred and maruailed at it had it in admiration regarde and reuerence as an estate most happye sacred and in a manner diuine 4 And they worshipped the Dragon which gaue power vnto the beast and they worshipped the beast saying VVho is like vnto the beaste VVho is able to make warre with him By reason of the false religions and Idolatries of the Romaine Empire the Dragon that is to saye the Deuill was worshipped And by reason of the might and puissance of the forsaid estate it was of al nations feared and honored insomuch as they thought that none other was like vnto it nor any able to make warre against it 5 And there was giuen vnto him a mouthe that spake great things and blasphemies and power was giuen vnto him to doe 42. moneths The pride and blasphemye of the Romaine Emperors wee haue somewhat declared before The time of their persecuting power heere expressed by two and forty months is the same that in the former chapter is resolued and a thousand two hundred threescore daies which gathered into sabbaoths of yeares after the account of Daniell contayneth the whole time of the primitiue persecution from the first of Herod to the last of Licinius the particularities of their pride and blasphemies as to be called Gods to haue their images placed in temples and to haue diuine rites ceremonies done there in their honor The histories of their times doe disclose the sundry persecutions in great crueltye by them and their authority executed against the professors of the truth the Ecclesiasticall histories doe mention at large Whereby the interpretation of this place and of the verses following is very cleare and manifest 6 And he opened his mouth vnto blasphemy against God to blaspheme his name and his tabernacle and them that dwell in heauen The blasphemous speeches and actions of the Romaine Empire being corrupted with all kinde of Idolatry and impietie was bent first against the name of God secondly against his tabernacle thirdly against them that dwell in heauen Against the name of God that is to say against the essence maiestye worde and wisedome of God Whereas in steade of the creator they honored creatures in steade of one true God they serued many false Idols and adored them in corporall rites and ceremonies in steade of him that was to be worshipped in spirit and truth against his tabernacle that is to say his church for of the church it is spoken beholde the tabernacle of God is with men and he will dwel with them and they shalle his people and God himself shalbe their God with them Against them that dwell in heauen that is to say against the members of the Church for that wee are no more forrenners and strangers but citizens wtih the Saintes and of the houshould of God And therefore may be well termed dwellers in heauen For that as the Apostle saieth in the Epistle to the Hebrewes In that we are members of the misticall bodie of Christ we are come to the mount Sion and to the Citie of the liuing God the caelestiall Hierusalem and to the companie of innumerable Angels and to the congregation of the first borne which are written in heauen And to God the iudge of all and to the Spirites of iust and perfect men and to Iesus the Mediatour of the new Testament to the bloud of sprinkling that speaketh better thinges then that of Abel Wherefore as in the former chapter the Dragon that is to saye the Diuell persecuted first the man childe that is Christ Iesus Then the woman clothed with the Sunne which is the Church And lastlie the remnant of her seede which keepe the commaundementes of God and haue the testimonie of Iesus that is to saye the members of the church So this principall instrument of the Deuill the Romaine Idolatrous Empire blasphemeth gainsayeth and persecuteth first the name of God that is his worde and wisedome Christ Iesus Secondlie his tabernacle that is his church Thirdly those that dwell in heauen that is to say the faithfull that are the members and seede of the church 7 And it was giuē vnto him to make war with the saints and to ouercome them and power was giuen him ouer euerie kindred and tongue and nation They that before were tearmed dwellers in heauen are heere tearmed sainctes against whome this Romaine Empire hath made warre raysed persecution and preuailed in all cruell tormentes and rigorous kindes of death that not in one contrie or prouince alone but throughout all the worlde for the authoritie therof and power did reach in effect ouer euery kindred and tongue and nation 8 Therefore all that dwell vppon the earth shall woorshippe him whose names are not written in the booke of life of the lambe which was slaine from the beginning of the worlde Such therefore as are not the elect of God whose eyes are not illumined with his heauenly light and whose mindes are not sanctified with his holy spirit whereby they may discerne trueth from falsehoode but are whollie led with earthly conceites worldly considerations and terrestriall appetites and therin doe as it were dwel and inhabite vnwilling any way to be weaned from it They shall worshippe obey reuerence and followe in all Idolatrie and naughtinesse this Romaine Empire iudging it to bee the best way for their saftie benefit and aduauncement although in truth it worke their ruyne ouerthrowe and euerlasting destruction 9 If any man haue an eare let him heare if any leade into captiuitie he shall goe into captiuitie if any kill with a sworde he must be killed by a sworde Here is the patience and

the decaye of falshoode and lastly the glorification of the godly and condemnation of the wicked at the finall iudgement The methode is first a description of the church of God in the forme of a woman out of whose wombe Christ is borne Sathan is described in the forme of a dragon seeking to deuour this childe which the church had brought foorth Thirdly the ascention of Christ is declared and the persecutions raised against the Churche after Christes ascention Fourthly Gods prouidence is layde downe in preseruing the vniuersall church from ruyne which was doone by three meanes by the generall dispersing of the church by the two Testamentes which preserued the trueth of the doctrine and by the mortalitie of the persecutors Fiftly Sathans endeuours are manifested against the members of the Church when as hee sawe that hee coulde not preuaile againste the whole bodie that hee might the more violentlye afflicte the members hee vseth principally two instrumentes the first the Romaine Empire the seconde the Popedome The Romaine Empire is described in the forme of a beast most vglye and cruell The pryde and proceedinges thereof are layde downe and also the decaye which was wrought by another beast that hadde two hornes like the Lambe but spake like the Dragon Which by the iust iudgement of God partly by fraude partly by force inuaded the greatnesse and authoritie of the former and so brought it to ruine which other beast is the Popedome whose pride and tyranny is likewise declared and finally the fall thereof which is wrought by the restauration of the puritie of the doctrine by the woorde of God and shall throughly be accomplished by Christes comming in iudgement And this is it that Saint Paule teacheth vs that the man of sinne the sonne of perdition shall bee consumed by the spirite of the Lordes mouth and abolished by the brightnesse of his comming Nowe the next verse which is the first of the next chapter beginneth to expresse the restauration of the doctrine Christ manifesting himselfe in his Church in mount Sion accompaned with those whome the former persecutions of the Romaine Empire and Popedome had consecrated as martyres vnto him and sendeth an Angell with an euerlasting Gospell to preach vnto them that dwell vppon the earth to euerie nation and kindred and tongue and people which verse beginneth thus Then I looked and loe a Lambe stoode on mount Sion c. Which intimateth this muche vnto vs that when that man shall come whose name shall be sixe hundred sixtie and sixe If it be wittily accounted that then Christ shall manifest himselfe that then the euerlasting Gospel shalbe preached to them that dwell vppon the earth that then the puritie of doctrine shalbe restored that then the will and word of God shall be published by the which Babylon shall fall and the popedome bee wasted and consumed These circumstances do leade vs to Paulus tertius whose name being well accompted contayneth this number of sixe hundred sixtie sixe if wee alter the numerall letters to Arithmeticall figures and reacon it thereafter thus PAVLVS III. 555 111. For Paulus containeth three numerall letters vz. VLV. the firste V is 5. the L and V is 55. which layd downe arithmeticallye thus 555. is fiue hundred fifty and fiue then III which in numerall letters signifieth the thid in arithmeticall account is one hundred and eleuen And both these numbers holde an equall proportion as one ten a hundred fiue fifty fiue hundred which both summes being added together do make vp a third number of the same proportion which is 666. In the time of this Pope the Gospell began to take roote in many countries sundry learned men both by wordes and writinges preaching and professing the sinceritie and truth of the doctrine For the suppressing wherof in this Popes tyme the councell of Trent was assembled and no practise omitted by confederacies leagues and complattes to withstand the progresse of the truth and to persecute the professors thereof but so had Gods goodnes ordayned thinges that now the riuer of Euphrates was dryed vp that the way of the kinges of the East might be prepared Euphrates the glory strength of Babylon the power and authoritye of Rome was so decayed by the euil opinion that many princes and potentates iustly conceiued of it that the way of the kinges of the East was thereby prepared So that as at the birth of Christ there came wyse men out of the East vnto Hierusalem to worshippe him falling downe before him and presentinge vnto him their giftes of golde incense and myrhe Euen so at the second birth as it were of Christ by the restitution of the true doctrine manye noble wise and learned men who by allusion to the former storie are tearmed kinges of the Easte embrased the Gospell fell downe and worshipped Christ and bestowed the talents of their power learninge wisedome iudgement and industrie vnto his glorye and aduauncement of his truth In this Popes time the societie of the Iesuits was constituted and ordayned hauing added to their vowes of single lyfe and pouertie the vowe of obeydience to a chiefe head and principall president cui omnes in terris tanquam Christo parerent cuius in verba iurarent cuius sibi nutum voluntatem instar diuini cuiusdam oraculi ducerent This gouernour was as it were their chiefe prophet and they as the children of the prophets To these three vowes they ioyned a fourth which is that whether so euer the Bishop of Rome shall please to send them thether without any gaynesaying without any rewarde or allowance sought towardes their iorney they must immediately go Whereupon this Pope enlarged their societye with his priueledges firste to the number of threescore and afterwardes vpon experience of their faithfull seruice vnto him he made it sans number These Iesuites are the three or threescore or many folde spirites or frogges that come out of the mouth of the Dragon that is by the direction of the deuill out of the mouth of the beast that is by the direction of the Pope and out of the mouth of the false Prophet that is by the direction of their preposite or president For they are the spirites of deuils that is to say deuillish voyde of all trueth and charitie which worke miracles by their hypocrisy illusions and ostentation of learning and go to the kinges of the earth and of the whole worlde whether soeuer it pleaseth the Pope to sende them to gather them to the battaile of the great day of god almightye that is to moue them to the affliction and persecution of the true christians in the which they shall confederate band combine themselues by these mens perswasions but shall be destroyed vanquished and ouerthrowne in the middest of their mischiuous enterprises by the omnipotent power of God Thus hauing declared by these premises how this misticall number is the number of a man whose number is 666. we will here impose an ende